Opposite Meg´s Place
Monday 08/05/70 22:07:30

As he walked away, Conall simply waved his hand in the air at Carla's comment, dismissing it in his own fashion.

Pushing the door open, he took in one deep breath of polluted air. Sure, Seattle's air was one hundred times worst than the whole of the Tir's... but it was still a hell of a lot better than the smog inside the bar.

Walking to his bike, Conall could already feel the excitment of the hunt slowly taking a hold of him.

Soon, he'd be able to be out and about on the prowl.

Oposit to Meg´s Place, near Sea-Tac International Airport, Perimeter Road, Seattle, Sea-Tac
Tuesday 08/05/70 22:07:56
Krait - 2nd date with MJ
PAN Icon offline, Custom hidden (signal 0), Moai passive

Watching the other man walk away, John ziped away the last of his beer. When Miss Johnson had writen down something for the mage, he had made a point, not to pierce at it - turning his head in another direction. Still as he had done so, his eyes had flickered over the message, just like most people´s would, when they turned their eyesaway from something. Nobody -save some obscurementalist adeptmaybe- could have read anything that way, but maybe the vidfeed would still produce a usable picture to extract the text. Maybe it would be too blured though -having been cought once, John was much more concerned about not actively spying then about picking up something blury on the sideline.
When they where alone at their table, the bald technician addressed his employer again.

Krait: "Forgive mefor beeing unclear. I just thought it would be more comfortable and efficient for you, to employ your own PAN for use of my software. Also, I don´t carry around many imput-devices and those built into my Moai are lessthen userfriendly. But maybe we can finish this on the ride. My cab is waiting around the corner - I can drop you anywhereyou like, or you ceep the cab and drop me somewhere along the way."

Opposite Meg's Place
Monday 08/05/70 22:08:00

"Alright - we'll take care of it in the cab" Carla agreed. "Just have the driver circle around the block a few times. You can drop me off here when we're done."

She stood to leave, waiting for Krait to lead the way. She wasn't quite sure why Krait was so keen on privacy; it wasn't like they were planning to rob a megacorp or anything big like that. Why would anyone bother spying on their little search-and-rescue mission?

Taxi circeling around Sea-Tac International Airport, Perimeter Road, Seattle, Sea-Tac
Tuesday 08/05/70 22:48:30
Krait - PhotoShop Assistent
PAN Icon offline, Custom hidden (signal 2), Moai passive

Leaving the sleazy trucker-bar, they had entered a cab together, and John had asked him to circle the area around the airport on a precomputed randomized pattern. Befor they had started working on the pictur, the elf had fed in some of his cash into the vehicles cash-machine, to electronically transfer it to a downtown computer-store. Opting to pick up the chip and representative packaging personally at the store sometime this week, he had instantly downloaded the Edit-Upgrade, the newest and wizest editing-software, all features of which where only running on the most powerfull custom-comlinks available on the open market.
Providing Miss Johnson´s com with a limited user-account for the multimedia-suit, he had send his agent on jet another datasearch, to find out more about that neigborhood boy that might have a genuin picture of Esmeralda. While the most expansive piece of software on his com went to work, he assisted the woman beside him with her task, but basically only saved her some time, by finding her the right options to use. While he did so, he also used part of his wetwares processing-power, to get some readable image of the message Johnson had passed to Paddy back in the bar.
When his Agent alerted him that it had probably reached it´s limits with finding usefull data on the topic, John instructed it, to look for further details on Chiaki Takakuwa and then her homeless shelter, while he screened the incoming information.
By now, they had worked over half an hour on that picture and the elf started to wonder how long it would take, untill they got an acceptable image - if at all. He also wondered if this other cab was following them. Scanning it´s node, he figured that it was either spooved or not the same behind them ten minutes ago. He instructed the cabby to get rid of the possible tail in any case.

Alley behind Meg´s Place, near Sea-Tac International Airport, Perimeter Road, Seattle, Sea-Tac
Tuesday 08/05/70 22:48:30
Krait - PhotoShop Assistent
PAN Icon offline, Custom hidden (signal 0), Moai passive

He looked at 'Dona Carmen', as she inspected the picture once more. When she gave him an expression that was a mix of contentment and resignation, he smiled and said in a genuin voice.

Krait: "This will help a lot! At least we will know which persons to show you photographes of, so you can tell us wether it´s our friend or not. Now about that boy ..." He changed the topic, while he digitally instructed the cabby to head back to Meg´s. "I´ll wirre you everything I found about him, I´m quiet sure your doc will know whome to look for."

The files request to be accepted poped up, also sporting a short introduction. All available names are probably aliases, but I listed them anyway. The boy has an older brother that either is a member of the local gang or at least has friendly relations to them. He lives with him a block from the church and might or might not have any other relatives in this area. However the best que seems, that the he broke his arm roughly a month ago. Aperantly, he told the doctor that it happened while playing soccer on the street, though this probably isn´t entirely true. Anyone working at the lokal clinik should know which boy to look for.
Please also take a look athe the picture of Chiaki Takakuwa and nod if you know her.

While he watched the human woman shake her head and waited for any other reqests or words of passing she might have, as the cab rolled into the alley behind the diner, he fired off a message to Belinda.
BedroomTrasseur @ Belinda: Need to get up early tomorrow morning, muchacha? I can be there in 30.
Next, he loged on to ApeScape.

Log-On: ***************************

Wellcome to ApeScape, Thade!
SkymeTheMonkey has invited you to their Treehouse, CharlesDarwin has added you to his friends-list.

PMs: 8/12
Replies: 16

Thade @ Snakebane: Here is a little update of my ongoing searches. We also managed to generate a resonably good picture. You probably won´t recognize our friend by sight, but at least we will know if there is any person on site that we should check out - especially if they are suffering malnutrition. Good luck, I´ll send you more as it comes in.

He sent Paddy a PM, attaching the new datafiles and loged off again.

Outside Meg's Place
Monday 08/05/70 22:50:30

Carla was initially perturbed by Krait's mention of a doctor, but she played it off with a chuckle.

"Heh...there aren't any real 'docs' down at the church - just a bunch of nuns with first-aid kits and instruction manuals. But I'll check in with them and see what they know about this boy."

The cab came to a halt and Carla prepared to start her trek home.

"You've got plenty of leads to work on," she said to Krait before stepping outside, "so I'm leaving you to do whatever you feel you need to in order to solve this case. If nothing noteworthy comes up tomorrow, please send me an message at the end of day just to keep me up on things. Alright?"

Tuesday 08/06/70 06:01:09

Closing the tiny appartment's door behind him, Conall dropped his backpack on the bare floor.

“Awwww shite!” was the first thing he said.

“Bloody damn shite!” was the second thing he said.

The third and forth didn't much help his lonely one way conversation with his own self. But everything he said defined clearly his current state of mind. He had traded a dilapidated crack den masquerading as a motel for a shabby walk-in closet masquerading as an apartment. At least, at first sight, vermin weren't scurrying away from the light to creepy crawl under the mattress and between the cracks in the floor. The dull looking paint wasn't falling off the walls... which was also a good sign. Somewhere along the sewage system, someone flushed and a pipe in the ceiling started to hum and grumble as God only knows what passed through it. At least.... it didn't start dripping onto the floor.

The early sounds of the city waking up could be heard in the distance, filtering through the single bared up window that light the place. A certain uneasiness took hold of Conall as he took account of the bars. He understood why one would put up such things up in a neighborhood of this... taste. But it only made him feel like a caged animal. It only reminded him the days spent turning in circles around his room, a prisoner of his own home.

The place was free.
It was better than the room he had been renting.
It was better than sleeping under Seattle's acid rain.

Turning around, he gave the only door into the place a few and good pull and push, testing it's resistance. It held firmly. From the outside, the maglock didn't look like a knockoff either. Not the kind of thing he had in the Tir... but it would do. If anyone decided to break in while he was home anyways, they'd regret it for ever. Conall wasn't particularly afraid from his own safety... but he knew he'd have to leave his body somewhere while out threading about on the layers of the Etherplanes. Getting to his new roof hadn't been very difficult. Beside the poor condition of the road, it was only a short ride from his previous residence... and he had encountered very little traffic at this early hour. Streets were mostly deserted at this early hour, and the young shaman wasn't still sure what “threats” he was supposed to look out for. He had noticed a few hoodlums here and there yesterday while at the church... but nothing he couldn't deal with a few well placed broken bones.

Sniffing the air, all the wolf shaman could detect was the damp odor of..... dampness. The air felt warm, sticky and old. Reaching through the metal bars, Conall cracked the window open, letting in a rush of cold morning air.

He gave one more look around.

“I guess this place will hafta do...”

After having explored the place up & down, right & left, which Conall could have done by just standing in the same spot and turning his head from side to side, the young elf dropped his heavy bag next to the bed and sat on it. Having come out rather late from the bar, and having gotten up at a rather early hour, Conall still felt tired. As a matter of fact, he hadn't gotten a decent night of sleep ever since he had left the Tir. Pushing up and down on the materess, testing it, the elf was rather satisfied that it didn't make any creaking sound... like his previous. Closing his eyes, he could feel a burning pressure build behind them. He laid down, his head aching and burning up. He had been dragging some physical uneasiness since he had set foot down on the tarmac. Odds were Seattle's air wasn't doing him any good. Yawning and stretching on the bed, Conall finally kicked himself back up with a heavy sigh.

The day was just starting, and he was already feeling tired. The young shaman had already gone his usually morning training, at least, with what he had at his disposal. When time would free up, he had promised himself a membership in an upscale and cozy private gym... if his new ID held up to standards. He had also gone through must of the reading he had brought along with him... and if he was to pursue his own self-education... well... maybe Krait could score him a few textbooks. Seattle didn't have any military college he knew of, and odds were Westpoint's databases weren't public. That and Conall didn't really feel like asking Krait for any favor or help.

Untying his boots, he neatly placed them one next to the other, at the foot of the bed. Stripping himself of his shirt, he methodically got it folded and on the lower right corner of the bed. His socks got balled up and stored within his boots.

Cracking his neck from side to side, Conall licked the tip of his index finger and traced a small circle around him on the floor. Eyes closed, he sat in a lotus position, letting his senses open up and drift off behind the veil of the physical plane.

Through his mind's eye, Conall observed the peaceful flow of mana around him. The lifeforce in the plexe was far from being as bright and pure as the one flowing through the hills of the Tir... but it would have to do.

Tuesday 08/06/70 10:21:37

Seattle's mana felt strange. Where as he was used to manipulating the one in the the Tir.... this one was just.... strange. It had a sort of muddy and sludgy texture and feel to it, far from the smooth and liquid flow of the lifeforce back home. Never the less, he had shaped it to his will, molding it into a decent barrier that now shield his whole home.

As he got up, Conall's head was pounding as beads of sweat rolled down his muscular body. Setting up wards had been one of the very first things he had been thought in is studies, but he had never gotten quite used to it. It was too painstakingly slow and long. It wasn't the work of a warrior. Nevertheless, if there was something Duffy had thought him, it was to never leave his body unprotected. Never.

Dragging himself up and standing with a heavy sight, Conall started to get dressed again. It was now time to go do real work.

About a year ago, Duffy had shown him different techniques concerning astral tracking and reconnaissance... but the young elf had never paid much attention to those teachings. Reading auras and assensing places wasn't the work of a son of Wolf. He was supposed to be in the thick of the fight. He was supposed to enforce the Tir's laws with swift and powerful justice... not sneak around in ghostly form. But today, that was his duty. And he would need some help to get things done.

A howled out to another plane of existence.
He felt the rush of air on his face.
He smelled the mossy air of the forest.
He heard the birds chirping.

You already need my help?
I am not foolish enough to think I can do this on my own... I was not expecting you to show up.
Do not flatter yourself too much young pup. This is but a fragment of my whole.
Should I take this regain of interest in me as a bad thing?
If it pleases you.

Conall chuckled to himself, zipping up his biking jacket and grabbing his helmet.

Esmeralda's Place
Wednesday 08/06/70 10:30:10

Carla had walked briskly home the previous night, fortunately without any notable incidents along the way. Krait seemed to know what he was doing, and Carla had a good feeling that he'd find something about Esmeralda fairly soon. As for Paddy, she wasn't quite sure what his role in the investigation was right now, but surely he would come in handy in the future, when some...force might me needed. All in all, things seemed to actually be coming together.

She had almost walked straight to her own home when she remembered that Paddy was staying there. Fortunately, she corrected the mistake before embarrassing herself, and she made her way to Esmeralda's place. Just before she was about to turn in for the night, however, it occurred to her that sleeping in Esmeralda's bed seemed kind of...creepy. The items she had found in the apartment had made her a bit uncomfortable about Esmeralda's character, and sleeping in those sheets - even if they were self-cleaning - just freaked her out. Eventually, she opted to sleep on the floor, which wasn't terribly comfortable, but ultimately wasn't much worse than the poor excuse of a mattress she was accustomed to.

"Oh dear," she thought out loud, "I hope Paddy doesn't find it disagreeable."

The next morning was just another day in Carla's "normal" life. She wasn't sure anymore whether Carmen had become her "real" identity while "Carla" was a secret identity she hid from everyone. Not even six months ago, she was chugging her way through med-school in her home town, eating wholesome food, living in clean quarters, and working with highly-educated individuals. Now she felt perpetually grimy, always a bit hungry, and constantly smelling of blood and rubbing alcohol (or was she just imagining things?) Her days were spent in a dank basement talking to superstituous peasants in a language she just barely had a functioning understanding of. But it wasn't all that bad, was it? She wouldn't mind living a quiet life in this little barrio - she just had to make sure the shedim would stay away.

"Pfft - keep the ghosts away...who's the suspicious one now, Carla?" she muttered to herself on the way to work.

A few townsfolk had noticed her exiting Esmeralda's place and inquired what was going on. She told them that she was merely house-sitting while Esmeralda was away, though she refrained from mentioning that anyone was staying in her own home at the time. Hopefully, nobody would cause any trouble upon seeing a strange, male elf entering and exiting her apartment.

She hadn't seen Krait's boy during the walk to the clinic, but she figured he'd be out playing with the other children later in the afternoon. She'd take a stroll around the block and look for him during her lunch break, and hopefully acquire a picture.

Open Road, two blocks west from the Church
Wednesday 08/06/70 13:15:00

The clock finally struck 1:00 PM, and Carla took leave of the clinic. Her daily midday break was widely known throughout the clinic and required no announcement; unless there was a dire emergency or she was in the middle of treating a patient, Carla would simply retire from her post without a word as the clock struck 1:00 PM. She usually spent her lunch hour just outside the church, so she was available in case an emergency happened, but lately she had been using her break time to investigate Esmeralda's disappearance. It was only a matter of time, she worried, before something terrible happened while she was off-duty, and she wasn't sure what kind of reaction to expect from the community. She was only human, after all - they couldn't expect her to be available at every moment, could they?

Keen on finding Krait's boy, Carla headed down the block to wear she knew he and his friends often played games. The streets were virtually devoid of traffic, so they provided apt - albeit slightly narrow - playing fields for soccer and other sports. And since none of the children attended school, as far as she knew, they had nothing else to do in the middle of a bright summer day.

Carla was pleased to find the boy in question involved in a game of soccer. These spectacles had amused her ever since she had discovered them some months ago; the boys seemed to use these games as opportunities to showcase their not-quite-developed masculinity, while the girls often watched from the sidelines and giggled at their antics. The older boys and young men, most of whom were gang members, lingered on the outskirts of the playing area and kept passive watch over the children (many of whom were their younger siblings.) When asked, however, most of the gangers would say they they were merely guarding their "turf."

Though Carla's arrival on the scene was widely noticed, her presense did not cause any disruption amongst the children; unlike some of the other nuns, Carla had never taken it upon herself to discipline "naughty" children, so the boys and girls felt no need to modify their behavior around her. She stood on the sidewalk for a few minutes, observing the game in progress, when her boy accidently tripped one of the other players. The fallen boy apparently had a very short temper, and a fight started to break out between the two. Carla initially thought that breaking up the fight would provide a perfect opportunity for her to talk to the boy, but she figured that her interference would only embarrass him. She decided to wait it out, and fortunately both boys were eventually dragged to opposite sides of the street by their respective teammates before anyone was seriously hurt. Once evicted from the game, Carla approached the boy.

"Good afternoon," she said softly in Spanish. "You play well."

Syberspace, 7th Avenue and Columbia Street, Seattle-Downtown
Wednesday 08/06/70 22:29:57
Krait - Decrypt-Run
PAN Icon offline, Custom hidden (signal 0), Moai offline

Surrounded by blinding neon, flashing strobes and innumerable Spam-AROWS, John watched the elven girl on the table, moving to the ponding rhythem as lasers danced over her body. But his attention -devided asit was so often- only partially rested on the beautyfull female infront of his eyes, even as he slipped another Syberspace-$ under her garter -the only piece of clothing still on her body. Sunken in the plush cussions of his semi-enclosed alcove, he mentally reviewed the results of his activities in the last 24 hours.
After saying his goodby to Miss Johnson, reassuring her that she´d get an update by tonight, or whenever something especially interesting turned up, he had made his way back north into the more afluent parts of Downtown. Making sure to loose any tails, he had visited another coffin-club, to spend the night in the matrix. When he had arrived there, his Agent had allready presented the results of it´s latest searches -Belinda, Suzuki & Swanson- instantly resuming it´s work, to find out more on the semi-famoust Zaphyr.
e had sent the Agent on some more searches on the addresses it had dug up and then met Belinda in the Inferno´s system, after he had pimped up his virtuel apearance a bit. They had spend a few hours clubbing and chatting in the virtuel realm and she seemed to enjoy herself. Naturally, on their first tentative meeting, the elf hadn´t learned many private details about the hispanic female, but the purpose of this club-date had not been recon, but building a bridge-head.

After a few hours of sleep in the morning, he had spend some time ripping an illigitimate copy off his e-war autosoft. By the time he had stoped working on it, to prevent the feeling of mental exhaustion from building into an unpleasent headache, he was aproximately 50% through.

All that time, he had retained some focus on walking around -physically and virtually- to finda reliable sorce for a resonably- if not high-powered Decryption routine. Even though he had marely put half of his time and energy into this task, that was far more then most people could bring up and he fealt like he was going to aquire the software much faster then he had calculated.
Before he had come to this place, he had sent updates to both of his partners. Now he was sitting in a loud and crowded nightclub, which was still at the forefront of Seattle´s nightlife, even after more then 2 decades and still popular with the tech-savy folks.
Maybe it´s just that tech-geeks favour clubs that feature table-dancersin the private areas. The elf mused, as the naked woman leaned forward and offered a kiss, which he didn´t reject. He wasn´t usually into this kind of entertainment, but it made up a good cover for beeing there - and he had to admid she had done a good job. With no more cloths to take off and the payed timeslot expired minutes ago, the dancer breathed a whispered goodby into John´s ear, softly licking it´s delicate point, and removed herself from his alcove.
Just in time! He thought, his eyes still following her retreat. He had had business to talk in less then 3 seconds -somone that might point him the right way to get utility he was looking for- and he prefered to use club´s com-suite over any of his own comlinks, to talk to the hacker sitting somewhere else in the club, or maybe conecting from somewhere else on (or even off) the globe.

Carla
Wednesday 8/6/70 13:15:10

The boy went wide-eyed and momentarily speechless at being directly addressed by Dona Carmen, but soon remembered his masculine acculturation. "I am the best," he replied with hubris.

Open Road, two blocks west from the Church
Wednesday 8/6/70 13:15:30

"Now, now," Carla reminded the youngster somewhat facetiously, "Blessed are the meek, no?"

Carla often made such statements merely to keep up appearances of being religious; she wasn't actually concerned about the boy's humility, so she was careful not to sound reprimanding. And besides, she wanted a favor from this kid; it was in her interest to stay on his good side. Bending over so her head was level with his, she continued,

"I have a very small favor to ask of you; you know that dear Sister Esmeralda has been missing for some time, yes?"

Carla
Wednesday 8/6/70 13:15:45


A look of guilty panic crossed the boy's face, which he did a bad job of concealing. But the exchange between their friend and the local celebrity was hardly lost on the kids nearby.

"Si, si, he knows Sister Esmeralda. He knows all about her!"

The boy turned beet red, and struggled to ignore them while holding Dona Carmen's gaze - "Of course I know her. She is one of the dedicated sisters serving our humble community. And I am sure if she has not been around for a little while, God must have sent her on a great mission."

Open Road, two blocks west from the Church
Wednesday 8/6/70 13:15:55

This was an unexpected development; apparently the boy's connection to Esmeralda was more widely known than she had thought.

"What do they mean you know all about her?" Carla asked, teasingly.

Wednesday 08/06/70 11:19:44
Outside Chaotic Serenity's offices, Downtown, Seattle

Behind his tinted visor, the whole world around him seemed bleak. Colors were dimmed out. Shadows deepened. Conall slowed his bike down as he rounded the corner, the neat rows of pines trees were a refreshing sight compared the the tall and dead building he had taken used to moving between. Krait had suggested that he wait before scouting out Chaotic Serenity's offices, since it was probably going to be the “toughest” of all targets. But there was no such thing as a tough target for Conall... and so, true to himself, he had started his list of recon ops with this one.

The more Conall's bike ate of Seattle's pavement, the more he started to feel the city around him, to anticipate it. The drastic change of scenery was none the less a tad... disconcerting. Tucked between Capitol Hill and the University District, the whole place seemed like another world. Green grass, tress, the sounds of birds chirping, clean sidewalks and no graffiti to be seen anywhere. Traffic was also rather light. Somewhere in the distance, someone was mowing their lawn. Ignoring the sights of suburbia, Conall pulled his bike next to the sidewalk, turning off the engine and kicking the leg stand down. Under his biking jacket, the young shaman could already feel himself beginning to sweat from the heat.

Slipping his helmet off his head, Conall ran a hand through his unkempt hair. His appearance had started to slowly shift in the past few days. His hair had, of course, become messier, and he hadn't been able to shave since he had left the Tir. His nails were dirty, and his eyes tired. Giving a casual glance around him, the young elf gave a rapid smile and a nod to some woman walking her dog. She returned his smile... but quickened her pace.

Bloody yanks... all the same....

Slipping on his shades, the young shaman thumbed the commlink attached to his belt, queuing in the surrounding AROs. From where he was standing, which was on the border of a large and sparsely occupied parking lot, he could see the five story building that housed Chaotic Serenity. From Krait's info, it seemed as the group occupied. Its offices were supposed to be on the third floor... but from his vantage point, Conall couldn't notice anything particular. He wasn't just far... all of the places interior lights were off. It looked deserted. Scrolling trough the local AR advertisement, all he could find concerning Chaotic Serenity was when the next meeting was scheduled: Friday evening. No business hours, no drop box, no nothing. Just a simple ARO message.

Next to his hiking boots, firmly planted in the well kept grass, between two pine trees, four furry paws set themselves. Conall looked down to the wolf who was standing proudly next to him, looking out toward the building.

What do you have in mind?
It isn't my place to have things in mind young cub.

The wolf reared it's head, looking up toward the elf.

What do you need my help for?

Conall got down to his knees, putting himself on the same level as the spirit.

I need you to take a good look at this place. I need you to guide me back to it.

Wednesday 08/06/70 12:13:19
Carla's (Conall's) Place

With a firm push and pull, Conall made sure that the chair was neatly placed under the door handle. He had some trust in the maglock system, but for some reason, he still felt slightly vulnerable just leaving his body behind in a place he knew nothing about. On his way back from Chaotic Serenity, Conall had clearly seen the crooked glances and worried faces of those he passed by in the neighborhood. Some hoodlums had even taken up residence just outside of the building he was staying in.

It was as if these peasants had never seen a real elf.

Lying down on the stiff bed after neatly placing his boots next to it, Conall closed his eyes.

Slowly, he started taking deeps breaths in and out.
Slowly, his hearth's beat became softer.
He felt the world around him slip away, as he pulled back the veil of the physical to enter the Etherplanes. Rising out from his now soulless body, the young elf hovered above the room for a few seconds, trying to get a hold of his bearings. Conall hadn't gone astral in quite some time, and the whole experience still felt a little bit awkward to him.

Howling out through the fabric of space and time, Conall summoned up a Wisp.

If anything approaches this door, make haste and warn me of it.

The order given, the young shaman howled out to his spirit.

Open Road, two blocks west from the Church
Wednesday 8/6/70 13:16:05


"Oh...nothing. I din't mean nothing." The boy was quickly backpedaling, sensing he may have talked his way into a corner. But then, sensing that Dona Carmen meant him no harm, he went on, "It's just that me and Sister Esmeralda, we was real tight, you know."

Naturally this remark was met with a chorus of off-color comments from the adolescent peanut gallery.

Chotic Serenity
Wednesday 8/6/70 12:15:00

The spirit had answered the shaman's summons instantly, and unerringly guided him back to his target. And just as the trees and better air of the suburbs had been welcome to Conall's meat form, so was the astral energy generated by the old trees sweet in to his astral senses.

The building, however, had presented a somewhat different aspect - cold glass and steel offered him nothing, and without hesitation he had plunged in. He was no fool, however, and had been well-trained - rather than begin with the third floor, he started on the second - coming up through the floor which, statistically, was the most neglected area security-wise.

He had cautiously poked through and, finding nothing, repeated the process throughout the third floor.

Nothing. No one.

Not a trace of astral security.

So much for this being a hard scout!

Alone now, he tried to get a sense of what went on here. All sorts of hard-copy papers were tacked to a seemingly endless array of bulletin boards, but reading the flyer and notices was next to impossible in his current form. There were a few offices, but most of the place seemed to be taken up with what looked like group conversational areas - probably some sort of cooperative therapy favored by these weak Yanks. And there were what appeared to be one-on-one counseling rooms, as well.

But most disturbing was the cloying odor of stress, anger and guilt. Not to mention self-loathing - this place was a stew of lingering and negative feelings - whoever spent their time here, they were none of them very happy - though whether this place was the cause or the would-be cure he had no way of knowing.

Open Road, two blocks west from the Church
Wednesday 8/6/70 13:16:30

Carla decided to spare the boy further embarrassment and ignored the chorus.

"That's very fortunate; I miss poor Esmeralda dearly," she lamented, "and I fear I will forget her face if she is not returned to us soon. You wouldn't happen to have a photograph of our beloved sister, would you? I would very much like to see her face once more."

Alley
Wednesday 8/6/70 13:16:30

The boy nodded eagerly, "I have a picture...but...I can't show it here." He motioned for Carla to follow him away from the crowd; Carla obliged, and the onlooking children teased the boy for "making friends" with another nun.

She followed him into a nearby alley about a block away. Satisfied with the privacy of the area, he fished a battered wallet out of his pocket and started rummaging through the contents. Carla, observing patiently, was not surprised to see a lack of money, ID, or any other traditional items one might expect to be found in a wallet (not that wallets were all that common anyway, these days.) Rather, the boy seemed to use the wallet merely as a place for storing mementos and other little items that he found endearing for some reason or another.

Finally, he presented Carla with three photographs, each no bigger than the size of his hand. They were crinkled and torn around the edges, but the contents were still clearly defined. The first picture was a standard head shot featuring Esmeralda's face, framed in her usual religious habits. She wasn't smiling in the picture; rather, she looked a bit confused. The other two photos were further away and caught Esmeralda from awkward angles, as if she wasn't aware that someone was photographing her.

"Ah, this will do," Carla took the good picture from the boy's hand and made a copy of it with her commlink. She noticed the boy's eyes follow the commlink as she concealed it back underneath her cloak, and it occured to her that he may have never even seen a commlink before.

"This is a very nice photograph - did you take it yourself?" she asked, handing the picture back to the boy.

"No...uh, Sister Esmeralda gave it to me. She said I could have it!"

"I see. She never said anything to you about leaving, did she?"

"No, we...I...she said we were pals."

"Mmm hmm...I'm sure you're a very good pal to have. Well, bless you for helping me; I won't bother you any longer."

The boy stuffed the picture back in his wallet and ran back off to the soccer game, pleased that he had been useful to somebody. Once he was out of sight, Carla sent Krait and Paddy each a copy of Esmeralda's photo. Assuming they would infer who was in the picture, she didn't bother writing any accompanying message or explanation.

Save-House Martin, Luther King Jr. Way S & S Ryan Way/Boeing Rd, Seattle, Van Asselt
Thursday 08/07/70 23:03:00
Krait - Talking to Ana
PAN Icon offline, Custom hidden (signal 1), Moai passive

John was sitting in his favourit chair, waiting for his Agent to finish analyzing the decrypted file dubed 'Ana', while 'Mia' was still beeing processed. The past two days had been quiet bussy, though he found the black-marketeering and software piracy less stressfull and exhausting then his former occupation, but maybe it was just his hyperactive, work-o-holik mind telling him so.
The meeting at Syberspace had not imidiately connected him to a seller -he hadn´t expected so- but it had pointed him to the right circles. Navigating himself deep enough into the trust of these people, to arrange a business-meeting, had taken another day. Still that had been fairly quick, compared to his experiances in Denver.
Before noon, he had also been done with slicing through his autosoft´s copyprotection and produced a usable, though unlicensed copy. He had started right away, to find a buyer for this program´s original and to his surprise, had found one in his decryption-sorce. He had called on his magical, millitant partner for back-up, but the meetin went over fairly smoth, though John wished, he could have pushed the prices a bit more to his advantage.
After both parties had analyzed the exchanged software throughly, a small stack of cash had changed hands and everyone went their way. He had already sent his daily updates and now, home again, everything he had planed for today was a long shower, a healthy midnight-snack and a first look at those two files. He had much work planed for the next two days, but he wanted to take good care, to at least eat and sleep enough - well, enough for his augmented brain at least.

Sanctuary of St. Ignatius
Thursday 08/07/70 23:30:00

Carla knelt behind a pew in the church, her forehead resting on folded hands as if she were praying (or "meditating," as she once told someone who found her in such a position.) She didn't like spending much time in Esmeralda's home, and with no where else to go, she ended up spending extra time in the sanctuary.

The days since the last meeting had been relatively relaxing - Krait had been sending his nightly updates, as she had requested, and he seemed to be making steady progress accumulating information. It looked as though Krait and Paddy might be able to solve this thing on their own, with only occasional assistance needed on Carla's part. And it was better that way; the elves could conduct their investigation in the shadows while Carla could conduct her life as usual - thus keeping the search "quiet" and out of public sight, as Miguel had demanded.

Church Clinic
08/12/2070 21:10

"Fucking hell," Carla muttered under her breath as she locked up the medicine cabinents. She was exhausted, she was behind schedule, and she smelled like a mixture of blood, alcohol, and vomit. She couldn't tell if she was sick from fatigue or coming down with the same illness as everyone else. Sensing a migraine building, she removed her glasses and slipped them under her cloak, only to remember that her pocket was already full of spare clips.

Yes, tonight was the night. After more than a week of investigating, today would finally be a critical breakthrough in the search for Esmeralda. Admittedly, Carla hadn't done much of any searching herself since the last meeting by Meg's Place, but she certainly had her hands full with other matters when an epidemic swept through the barrio. Fortunately, Krait and Paddy proved to be diligent workers - or at least their messages seemed to indicate so; Carla would have to thank Mr. Chu in the future for setting her up with good people.

Unfortunately, after nearly non-stop treatment of patients, Carla was running out of gas. Tonight of all nights was not a good time to be doing potentially dangerous work.

I...I can't do this - I have to call it off, postpone it - I...need a sick day or something. Carla used to take long, steamy showers back in New York when she felt like this. She would give anything at that moment - even her left arm - just to be able to scrub off that awful stench with some soft soap and hot water. But that wasn't an option anymore, and besides, she didn't have time to stop for a shower.

Feeling feverish, she took off her cloak and hung it over a nail on the wall. She still felt hot with her longcoat on, but she needed to wear it to help conceal her weapon and other goods she had brought along. At least, though, she could breathe a little more easily without the hood. Maybe she'd feel better after the walk down the Meg's Place.

She double-checked the lock on the clinic medkit. They hadn't had any burglary problems since Carla arrived on the scene, but they were still very careful making sure that the supplies were safe and secure. Satisfied with her work, she lowered the security gate - a replacement since the last shedim attack - and headed up the stairs.

She couldn't help but notice her reflection in one of the windows as she reached the ground floor. Carla had worn Carmen's make-up the last two times she met with Krait and Paddy, though now her lips were partched, her eyes bloodshot, and her skin bone-white.

"God, I look like a ghost."

Sanctuary of St. Ignatius, Seattle
Tuesday 8/12/70 21:10:43

Tuesday had said it was 30 minutes to the church but god save her if she did it in anything over 20. She barely had time to park the car on a side street facing the church before Etain was tearing the door open and jumping out. She stumbled on the sidewalk a mix of her body not keeping up with her desire and the intensity of the Bliss Tuesday had just given her. Her amber eyes darted up and down the block outside the church, looking for any sign of her brother. Pausing just at the base of the stairs it gave Tuesday a chance to catch up to her and stand beside as she forced herself to shift her perception. Finding Conall on the astral would be infinitely simpler than trying to track him in the physical. She was a child of Moon, not Wolf.

Not spotting anything that jumped out at her immediately she was left with one option, she needed to go inside, to find someone there who might have seen her brother, who could confirm the rumor or deny it. She didn’t know if it was the rush of possibly finding him or if it was her “twin-sense” kicking in but she wanted to believe that she was on the right track, that he had been there and she could feel it.

She took the steps two at a time and pulled hard on the church door which opened with ease much to her surprise. She tried to orient herself quickly to the layout of the church, deciding that even in the relative darkness of the interior her best chance to find someone to speak to would be within the chapel itself. With slow and deliberate steps she moved through the open space, the large replica stained-glass windows filtered what little light was outside into a myriad of colours within. It was utterly silent, Etain could hear her heart pounding loudly in her chest in time with Tuesday’s breathing behind her.

Please… there has to be someone here… someone who has seen him…

There was such a calm inside the church that was in great counterpoint to every emotion flaring inside her. She moved past the rows of pews and stood just before the altar. She had given up most of her religion the older she grew, but right now she was calling out to anyone who was there, anyone or anything who might listen and understand how much she would continue to give up until she found her brother again. She dropped to her knees and her head bowed forward as she tried to hold back her tears. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for someone to hear her desperate pleas as Tuesday could only hang back in the shadows and watch her friend’s struggle.

Sanctuary of St. Ignatius, Seattle
Tuesday 8/12/70 21:10:58

Etain was so wrapped up in her silent “prayer” that she didn’t hear or notice anyone else enter the sanctuary of the church. It was only when Tuesday coughed quietly and whispered her name that she actually looked up and around in the darkness. Movement was the first thing that caught her attention, a figure walking through the church from what appeared to be a “private” area of the church itself. What held her attention however was the out-of-sorts appearance of the woman who moved closer towards the girls. She appeared to be a nun, but she could see her head uncovered from any type of habit exposing her dark hair and the cloak that was draped over her shoulders seemed to conceal more than just a nun’s devotion to God.

She tried to stifle her tears but only managed to sniffle loud enough to have it echo in the otherwise silent chamber. She saw the woman stop in her tracks and immediately look around the church. Etain struggled to get back to her feet, her movement and stance a little unsteady once she rose up. Her voice was meek but it held all sorts of desperation in the few words she shared.

“Please. You have to help me Sister.”

Carla's (Conall's) Place
Tuesday 8/12/70 21:03:44

Conall turned his head from side to side, observing his own reflection in the mirror. He had been in Seattle for almost 10 days, and already the change of lifestyle was starting to show itself on his body. The young elf had kept his rigorous physical training routine, but without the proper nutrition (and just real food), he had grown a lot thinner than his usual self. His eyes seemed a little further set in their sockets. He also hadn't shaved since leaving the Tir. A slight beard was now starting to cover his face in light brown hair.

He ran the faucet, taking a handful of water and running it through his hair and on his face. Even his hair looked messier than usual. He knew very well that his appearance had always been considered slightly scruffy by the standards of the Tir's nobility... but now... He wouldn't even be let in any Danaan reception. And no one would be seen with him. Wiping the water out of his eyes, Conall chuckled slightly. The first few days in Seattle, he had cared about such things. He cared that the room he was staying in was decrepit per his previous standards. He cared that he was now strutting around in the dirt and crass with the common folk and those forgotten by society. But the more time passed... the more he saw everything from another light.

Things never happened by chance. There was always a designed in things. Not only had the Seelie court saw some purpose in sending him to Seattle, of all the places they could have chosen for his exile... but it was also all part of his Path in the Great Wheel. He had also been chosen by Wolf. All of his life, he had secretly wondered “why me”. Not that he wasn't worthy of Wolf... on the contrary. He was the perfect candidate for the mentor spirit. But still... he had come to know Wolf. He was a warrior through and through, but also terribly wise. He had chosen and trained Conall for a duty. He had trained him so he could win a certain battle.

Both hands on the side of the sink, Conall brought his face closer to the mirror, looking straight into his own eyes.

Like the knight-errants of old, the young shaman was now in search of Pas d'Armes to prove himself. Straightening back, he slipped on a tiny silver chain around his neck, and looked at his clan ring, pressed against his bare chest. Pushing it slightly to the side, his fingers brushed against the now almost healed burn marks Patrick's scorching body had left on him.

Walking out of the bathroom, it struck Conall how tired he actually felt. For the last week, he had spend most of his time either out of his own body, scouring the astral, or out on the streets, hitting the pavement and sitting in incense smelling basement, looking for special kinds of dirts, earth, candles and such. In the Tir, getting conjuring and binding materials would have been a breeze. They even had some at the estate. But here, in a the big plexe... it had been ridiculously tedious. More than half of the so called “talismonger” were charlatans trying to sell him some worthless grigris. Shifting the real deal from the crooks had taken most of his time. But it was worth it... he now knew where to look. Since he had gotten Esmeralda's picture, he had been quite keen on tracking her through astral space. But without the help of a bound spirit, the task was near impossible. He would have started his search this very night, if Miss Johnson hadn't called for him. Like a true retainer, he had to answer her call.

Grabbing his armored jacket off the back of a small chair, he slipped it on as he began to clear his mind of all thoughts. This was his routine. He laced his boots in the same manner as always, starting with the same one. Knights of the old always wore their armors the same way, dressing in the same exact pattern with the help of their squire. Conall might have been an arrogant noble from the Tir, he still didn't quite consider himself up to the standards of knighthood... but something his sister had told him just before he left had stuck with him. She had called him so. Her knight.

From the bedside table, the young shaman took a small holopic he had smugled with him from the Tir. He looked at the young elf woman. He looked at her smile and smiled back. He put it away in an inside pocket of his jacket.

Tucking his shock gloves in his pockets, Conall grabbed his helmet and headed out the apartment single door. As he walked down the tiny and dimly lit hallway, the young shaman called forth the gifts of Wolf, empowering his own abilities with them.

Meg´s Place, near Sea-Tac International Airport, Perimeter Road, Seattle, Sea-Tac
Tuesday 8/12/70 21:21:00

Conall pulled the bike into Meg's parking lot with a practiced ease. He had at first found the whole affair of being out and exposed to the elements a little strange. But now, he couldn't imagine ever trading it back for a car. Checking the display on his commlink, the young shaman was surprised to find himself actually early... instead of fashionably late. Swinging his legs of the bike and kicking the legstand into place, Conall pulled his long ears out from under his helmet and entered the dinner. Somehow, the smells and sight didn't seem as overpowering as before. He still had a little urge to puke at all the orks and trolls... but a deep breath quenched the feeling of disgust. Finding an unoccupied table as removed from everyone as he could, Conall slid into the booth, ordering himself a motor-oil tasting coffee.

Sanctuary of St. Ignatius, Seattle
Tuesday 8/12/70 21:11:10

Carla froze, her eyes widened in fear and surprise. It was unusual enough for non-clergy to be at the church at this hour. It was even more unusual that the person in the church was an elf - there weren't that many elves in the neighborhood, and Carla thought she recognized most of their faces by now. Furthermore, this wasn't just any elf - this was the kind of elf that made elves the object of envy, desire, and contempt by the other metatypes. She possessed a caliber of beauty that only elven women could achieve and human women could merely attempt to imitate (though she seemed to be lacking in the supposed "gracefulness" that went along with the beauty stereotype.)

Though perhaps her disorientation was a result of her emotional agitation. Unlike the college girls she knew back in New York, Carla knew that the people in this village only got this upset about real problems. Perhaps the girl had just been beaten by her husband - or her father, if she hadn't been married off to some man already (which would be surprising.) Carla knew that wife beating was a problem in the community, and she knew that most of the battered women were too frightened to visit the clinic for treatment.

Or maybe she had just been raped. Carla could detect lingering symptoms of intoxication in her movements; perhaps some ganger had drugged her and violated her, and she had run here in panic and desperation.

So Carla observed the stranger, paralyzed with curiosity, until the girl uttered her plea for help. At that point, Carla was so surpised that she blurted out without even thinking,

"You speak English?"

Sanctuary of St. Ignatius, Seattle
Tuesday 8/12/70 21:11:32

Even with her highly altered state of being, the nun’s question caused her to narrow her eyes with confusion.

“Of course I speak English, do ye really believe that all Elves speak some magical tongue ye don’t understand?”

Her words came out perhaps harsher than intended towards the nun, but undeniable was the thick Irish accent that wrapped around each syllable. The girl brushed the veil of dark hair away from her cheeks and nun was given a much better look at what was starting to look like a very familiar face. She took slow, shaky steps towards the nun before she stopped in place and closed her eyes trying to steady herself.

“Please, me brother… I heard a rumor he had been seen around this church. Please tell me, have ye seen him?”

Sanctuary of St. Ignatius, Seattle
Tuesday 8/12/70 21:11:32

Carla didn't initially plan on stopping to help the young woman - she was in a rush, after all. However, as the elf spoke, a lightbulb went off in Carla's head. So this elf wasn't from town after all - she was from freaking Ireland. And though she didn't have any hard statistics on hand, she had a feeling that it was very improbable to find two Irish elves in the same predominantly Colombian human barrio in Seattle.

Shit, someone's on to us Carla thought. Krait always seemed very cautious about checking his tail for shadows, but she wasn't sure if Paddy was quite as diligent. Maybe he had picked up a shadow over the past week during his investigations, and this pretty little elf was part of some ruse to foil their plans. Or maybe she was a KE agent and this was some elaborate scheme to have Carla arrested. But why would KE bother with such games and not just cart her away in a van?

It took a moment or two for all these thoughts to pass through her head. After a short pause, Carla tried to relax and control herself.

"Pardon me," Carla apologized for her initial quesion. "What does your brother look like?" she asked softly.

Sanctuary of St. Ignatius, Seattle
Tuesday 8/12/70 21:11:48

“Oh bloody Christ!” Etain seemed to have forgotten she was standing in the middle of the sanctuary of a church when she chose her words and she heard Tuesday’s soft gasp of surprise behind her. She forced herself to draw a long breath before she said anything more.

“I apologize Sister, but he’s my twin, my identical twin. Same height, lighter hair, well-built for an Elf…” Her words trailed off as she watched the nun’s face remain passive and realizing she could be describing almost anyone were it not for trying to convince the woman she really was Conall’s twin.

Her eyes were brimming with tears again, she was so close that she could feel it and yet she could feel her chance slipping away from her ever so clearly at the same moment. To keep herself from losing it entirely and just collapsing to the floor in tears she reached forward and grabbed the nun’s wrist, holding it with firm yet gentle pressure as her voice dropped to a mere whisper that still sounded like a shout in such a quiet and serene space.

“Please Sister, as God is my witness and I stand before ye… If ye know of me brother’s whereabouts or have a way to reach him… I beg ye, give him a message for me please. Tell him Etain came looking for her Knight… Please Sister, his life may depend on it, and he’s all that I have.”

Her emotions were genuine and she was holding nothing back, but through the heavy narcotic filter the way they were delivered could just as easily be the rantings of a complete drug-addled mad woman as much as a sister desperate to find her family.

Sanctuary of St. Ignatius, Seattle
Tuesday 8/12/70 21:12:00

Carla pondered for a moment before responding. Given their physical similarities, it seemed likely that this was in fact Paddy's sister (unless there was some sort of illusion magic at work.) Still, the timing of this potential family reunion seemed much too suspicious. What if the girl had been kidnapped and was being used as part of a trap? Maybe Paddy was wanted for some crime, and this was an attempt to lure him out of hiding. Whatever the case, she had to do something about this situation, and she had to do it fast.

She rested her free hand on the agitated girl's shoulder and gently directed her towards the front pew, encouraging her to have a seat.

"Let me get you something to drink," Carla finally replied after sitting the girl down. "Then we will see what we can do about your brother. I will be back in just a moment."

Carla waited to make sure the girl would sit still before retreating back into the clinic.

Sanctuary of St. Ignatius, Seattle
Tuesday 8/12/70 21:12:16

She sat in the pews where the nun had guided her and put her head in her hands. She was talking to herself, taking her internal conversation more public.

“She doesn’t believe me. She thinks I’m another strung out nobody looking for a handout. I just want to find me brother, make sure he’s safe.” Her ramblings dissolved into Sperethiel as she begged Moon Maiden to aid her, she even called to Wolf knowing it would fall on near deaf ears.

Tuesday eventually came over sat beside her and gently rubbed her back to calm her while they waited for the nun to return.

Sanctuary of St. Ignatius, Seattle
Tuesday 8/12/70 21:14:30

Satisfied the girl would sit still, Carla headed back towards the clinic to find something for her to eat. Once she had closed the door leading to the clinic, however, she took out her commlink and sent a call to Paddy. She started speaking immediately after Paddy answered the call.

"I need you to scout the area surrounding the Sanctuary," she whispered urgently. "If you find any threats nearby, let me know and leave immediately. Otherwise, knock on the front door three times and I'll let you inside the church."

"You might be...expected," Carla added, aware that there might be cops outside listening to their conversation. "Come quickly, but carefully."

She closed the line before Paddy could say a word.

That out of the way, Carla rinsed out a tin cup and looked for some of the instant tea that the clinic had been distributing to the flu patients. After mixing the powder with some hot water, she grabbed her cloak off the wall and headed back upstairs.

Etain was muttering to herself when Carla returned. Handing Etain the cup of tea, Carla draped her cloak over the trembling girl's shoulders and sat down next to her.

"I don't appreciate my sincerity being doubted," Carla said in response to the girl's accusations that she didn't believe her. "Now, is there anything else you can tell me about your brother?"

Meg´s Place, near Sea-Tac International Airport, Perimeter Road, Seattle, Sea-Tac
Tuesday 8/12/70 21:21:15

Conall had barely ordered his coffee that he noticed the faint and regular buzzing of his commlink. Unclipping it from his belt, he thumbed the tiny view screen on. A voicemail was waiting for him... from Miss Johnson. She must have called while he was on his way to the dinner.

Something felt off. Pressing play, he brought to small device to his pointed ear.

"I need you to scout the area surrounding the Sanctuary. If you find any threats nearby, let me know and leave immediately. Otherwise, knock on the front door three times and I'll let you inside the church."

Conall brow furrowed itself.

"You might be...expected... Come quickly, but carefully."

The young shaman checked the voicemail's timestamp.... almost 10 minutes ago. If something had gone wrong at the church... if something had happened to Miss Johnson, it might all be already over by now. He might already be too late.

Literally leaping out of the booth, Conall's shoulder struck the waitress who was bringing him his coffee. The mug tumbled out of her hands as she cursed loudly at him, telling him where he could go frag himself as he left the place running, no even throwing an apology over his shoulder.

Slipping his helmet on and pushing the visor down, Conall kicked the legstand off his bike as it was starting. With a roar, the racing bike jumped forward and burned rubber as he rounded the corner out of the parking lot.

Sanctuary of St. Ignatius, Seattle
Tuesday 8/12/70 21:15:53

When the nun returned and spoke while wrapping her in a cloak and offering a cup of tea Etain instantly felt ashamed for her words and tried to stammer out an apology.

“I wasn’t doubting… I’m sorry Sister.”

She quickly sipped at the hot tea, its taste leaving much to be desired compared to the imported long leaf natural teas she could have gotten on a whim back in the Tir, but beggars couldn’t be choosers right now and the warm liquid did much to ward of the chill inside her.

“I do not know what ye wish to know Sister, nor just how much I should say since I don’t know yer views nor that of the church when it comes to things of a more-than-divine nature should I say? I know he arrived here just shy of a week and a half ago, I know because I’ve been counting the minutes until I could get here as well. Let us just say that neither of us left home under the best of circumstances Sister.”

Sanctuary of St. Ignatius, Seattle
Tuesday 8/12/70 21:17:00

It wasn't until now that Carla had given much thought to the stranger accompanying the elf. Perhaps she was the one who had forced Etain into this situation? Maybe she was a cop ready to pull out her gun as soon as Paddy stepped into the room.

"And who is your friend?" Carla asked, looking towards Tuesday.

Sanctuary of St. Ignatius, Seattle
Tuesday 8/12/70 21:17:56

Tuesday quickly took advantage of the awkward silence after the Sister posed the question and Etain blanked at the right way to answer it. She stuck out her hand to the nun with a soft and confident smile though her eyes showed some of the same signs of some type of intoxication or drug use that Etain’s did.

“The name’s Tuesday, just a friend who happened to be in the right place at the right time a few days back to help my girl here out. Said I’d try to help her find her brother and all since that’s what friends do right?”

Etain could only nod as Tuesday summed up their relationship in a few short words. She continued to sip from her tea as the silence that filled the chapel was suddenly deafening.

Sanctuary of St. Ignatius, Seattle
Tuesday 8/12/70 21:17:20

"Well, Welcome to the Sanctuary of St. Ignatius, Ms. Tuesday," Carla greeted her.

"And your name is Etain, yes?" Carla confirmed. "What about your brother? What is his name?"

Sanctuary of St. Ignatius, Seattle
Tuesday 8/12/70 21:29:28

Having spent over a week getting not only familiar with his new bike, but with the streets and neighborhoods of the Seattle plexe, Conall had become quite at ease with his new mode of travel. Comfortable enough that he had turned the throttled to it's fullest... and hadn't let go of it before he was within a single block of the church. He had never pushed the sleek racing bike to it's fullest potential, and quite frankly, had never thought of doing it. But tonight, it was serving him well. He knew perfectly the meaning of speed as he left a trail of burnt rubber and beaten asphalt behind him. Even if he had passed by some Lonestar patrol car, they would have never caught up to him. On a few occasions, his elbow and knee had been only an inch off the road.

In his mind, Miss Johnson's message kept running around.
“You might be... expected..”

Was someone expecting “someone” to come to Carla's aid? Was she indeed in trouble? Was someone expecting him in particular? Had some of the O'Donnells tracked him all the way across the seas to settle some score with him? Possibilities kept running through his minds as he sped across Seattle, burning one red light after another, dodging cars faster than they could honk.

About one block away from the church, Conall took a turn into a dark and dank alley, skidding his bike to a stop. Jumping off, he leaned forward and pushed it firmly with both hands until it was next to some dumpster. Normally, he would have been a little worried about leaving pretty much his sole possession out for grab in the middle of this sort of neighborhood... but after spending over a week in it, he knew it was safe. None of the local fauna had ran afoul of him, and no one had ever dared approached him. If someone ever made off with his bike, it would only be a matter of hours before Conall caught up with them and gave them the beating of their life.

But tonight, as he jogged out of the alley and toward the sanctuary, Conall thought very little of that. His shocking gloves came out of their pockets, and he started to pull them on as he neared the church. Even with his helmet still on, and the visor still down, his sharp elven sight kept nothing of the night a secret from him. The usual was going on around him, which meant that very little was happening for this early of the night in this kind of place. A few of the usual local gangers were hanging out around... and they gave Conall their usual long stare before going back to their business.

The young shaman stopped and ducked into a deserted doorway of some random housing project. Catching his breath back, he took another careful look at the sanctuary, now only a few meters off. Once again... nothing seemed out of the ordinary. His gaze drifted off to another plane of existence, as he shifted his sights the astral. Once again... nothing. He came back to the physical world.

I don't like this.

It was all too quiet. All too creepy.

Closing his eyes, he howled out across the Etherplanes to call forth the allies Wolf had granted him. Even though he couldn't see them on the physical plane, he could feel the presence of the two beast spirits hovering near by.

Part of him was aching for a fight. Part of him wished it was nothing more than Miss Johnson pulling a Krait on him, and that she was fine. In a low crouch, Conall ran toward the sanctuary, hugging its walls and keeping to the shadows. Behind his downed visor, a small smile had krept. Here he was, barely knowing the woman... and yet, he had come, without hesitation, to a potentially deadly encounter... just on her account.

Like a knight-errant, he chuckled to himself as he jumped and pulled himself over the wall that circled around the sanctuary.

The ground felt strangely soft and damp as his boots connected with it. Crouched and still in the shadows, Conall listened and watched for any sight of trouble. The two spirits accompanying him could feel his own anxiousness. He surveyed his surroundings a few seconds.

Getting up from his crouched stance, Conall started to pick up the pace as he approached the door. Common sens would have dictated that he scout the interior of the church first... but if there was indeed troubles about, leaving his body lying down in the middle of the courtyard would have done him little good.

Instead, Conall chose to be himself.

A second before he reached the front door, he turned slightly to the side, ramming the door at full speed with his left shoulder. With a rather loud crash that echoed in the empty church, the thing flew wide open, sending bits and pieces of wood everywhere. Flowing bands of green energy were already gathering themselves around his hands as two large wolf, one grey and one black, materialized out of thin air near the three women.

The young combat shaman was ready to unleash a deadly barrage of mana when he just stopped. The green powerball that had started to form in the palm of his hands quickly evaporated itself back into the fabric of space. The young elf simply stood there for a few seconds, looking but not believing what he was seeing.

"........... by the Wheel...."

Sanctuary of St. Ignatius, Seattle
Tuesday 8/12/70 21:30:15

As the silence of the church was shattered much like the wood of the door Tuesday jumped and let out a scream as Etain startled with surprise and instinctively pulled herself down against the pew, using it almost like a shield.

In a split second however she knew there was no danger. The appearance of the wolves, the all too familiar voice. It emboldened her enough to rise to her feet even though Tuesday clutched at her arm to dissuade her. She shook the girl off her and moved to stand in the center isle, her eyes locked on the helmeted figure just inside the doorway. She didn't need to see the face beneath it to know who it was, she knew it in her heart as sure as she knew her name. It took every fiber of her very being to hold fast to that spot and not try to run to him, unsure of just how he would react to her actual presence in Seattle and unsure of her own ability to make it across the distance.

“By the wheel indeed, I told ye I was coming after ye.”

Sanctuary of St. Ignatius, Seattle
Tuesday 8/12/70 21:30:15

Carla's heart had stopped. She had been getting anxious waiting for Paddy to arrive, and when the door blasted open, she was sure that the KE forces were going to storm in and shoot her down. She didn't even bother ducking for cover; she knew there was no way out of this one.

But the moments passed, and Carla still hadn't been arrested. She eventually heard a masculine voice - Paddy. And Etain said something back to him. Why had Paddy barged in like that? Did something happen outside? What was going on?

Stunned, Carla watched passively as the twins reunited.

Sanctuary of St. Ignatius, Seattle
Tuesday 8/12/70 21:30:18

As suddenly as they had appeared, the two large wolves vanished in thin air as their master called them back to his side.

Slowly, Conall rose both hands to his biking helmet. He pulled it off slowly, as if afraid that it would dispel the sight in front of him. His usual stern and serious expression had disappeared from his face. Lips slightly parted, his eyes wide open in surprise, Conall's helmet slipped out of his gloved fingers and bounced a few time on the floor, sending a thudding echo in the empty church.

The young shaman took a few steps, which seemed almost hesitant at first, toward the young elf woman which was so much like him, yet so different.

He simply stood there, staring at her, for a few seconds.
Not saying a word.
Not taking a breath.
Not batting an eye.

Then, as suddenly as he had entered the sanctuary, Conall closed in the distance, pulling Etain by her hand and into him, closing both of his powerful arms around her. His own head buried in her shoulder, Conall held her as if afraid she was suddenly going to vanish in thin air. He held her close to his hearth. He held her with all the love he had. Slowly letting go, both of his hands slipped up from her arms and when on each side of her face. Conall looked into eyes that mirrored his own. Closing them, he put his forehead unto her, his nose touching her own.

She was here.
Conall cared about nothing else.

She was here.

Sanctuary of St. Ignatius, Seattle
Tuesday 8/12/70 21:33:59

Everything had been out of control in her life in the last ten days and in the span of mere seconds everything was suddenly righted again. He was really here and it was really his arms wrapped around her and nothing else mattered. Not the drugs, not the nun, not Tuesday or Dylan or anything or anyone else. Everything that meant anything to her was in her arms and she had no plans to let go.

She stood there in silence for minutes that felt like hours.

When she finally tried to speak, her voice trembled with her whisper.

“Yer not scalded something fierce are ye?”

She pulled back far enough to try to look Conall in the eyes. In her attempt to hold his gaze it was easy enough to see all wasn’t quite right with his little sister. Her eyes were big as saucers and there was an odd “hesitation” to all her movements as the Bliss still had its hooks deep into her.

Sanctuary of St. Ignatius, Seattle
Tuesday 8/12/70 21:34:06

Something was off. Conall could not only see it... he could feel it to the deepest of his soul. His expression changed from relief to worry as he brushed one of Etain's hair away from her face. Over her frail shoulders, he peered off toward Miss Johnson, who stood silently a few feet away. Next to her stood idling with a rather scared look, some trashy looking young human female.

Without answering his twin's question, Conall drew her back against him with one arm, turning slightly to his side as to put himself between her and the two women.

“Where did ye find her?” said the young shaman to Carla, an obvious tone of worry hovering about him.

Sanctuary of St. Ignatius, Seattle
Tuesday 8/12/70 21:34:10

Part of her was furious at Paddy; he had ignored her instructions, and he had done serious damage to the front door. How was she going to explain this to the fathers? Who was going to pay for the repairs? Had he woken up the community? What if this incident inadvertantly started a riot?

"I found her here," was all Carla managed to say.

The display of affection between the twins was odd to her. Her family members had never displayed affection like that. The two elves looked like reunited lovers, not reunited siblings.

It was also strange to see the almost instantaneous transformation in Paddy's demeanor. Did this explain why he seemed so bogged down all the time?

Sanctuary of St. Ignatius, Seattle
Tuesday 8/12/70 21:34:13

Conall's brow furrowed itself at Carla's answer. What in the bloody hell was Etain doing not only in Seattle, but in this particular church in the middle of the goddamn night.

"What's... What's wrong with her" was the only thing he could add to her answer.

Sanctuary of St. Ignatius, Seattle
Tuesday 8/12/70 21:34:13

"Well, for starters," Carla responded a bit wryly, "it looks like she's been on something. Zen or 'coke...something like that. Add a dose of separation anxiety, and that would probably explain her condition."

She paused, trying not to let too much anger spill into her voice.

"We need to get going - Krait's waiting for us."

Sanctuary of St. Ignatius, Seattle
Tuesday 8/12/70 21:34:13

As Conall kept her close and in turn out of “harms” way she couldn’t help but feel a slight smile tug at the corners of her lips as already things were back to normal as far as their relationship went. Always overprotective, always looking out for her. The only thing that aggravated her slightly was his way of talking like she wasn’t there. Instead of picking a fight however she was more than happy to lean against her brother, her head on his shoulder as she closed her eyes and swayed slightly with that strong floaty feeling that washed over her.

Everything was just about perfect.

Perfect until the nun opened her mouth again and said something about having to go. Etain’s eyes opened slowly and she stared hard at the woman who had just provided her aid. Besides, where on earth would a nun and her brother have to go together in the evening like this? She tilted her head and looked up to her brother.

“Where are ye goin with the nun? And who's Krait?”

Sanctuary of St. Ignatius, Seattle
Tuesday 8/12/70 21:34:20

Carla averted her gaze away from the elves. It bothered her seeing a grown woman revel in the "protection" of her brother. She rubbed her forehead with her gloved fingers, waiting for Paddy to reply to his sister. She trusted he wouldn't reveal sensitive information to someone not involved in their project.

Sanctuary of St. Ignatius, Seattle
Tuesday 8/12/70 21:34:23

Conall attention went back to his sister. Gently, as if taking care of a wounded animal, the young shaman ran one of his hand through her hair, softly stroking them. All he could do to answer Carla's comment was to silently nod. He cared very little about the why or how Etain had gotten herself in the state she was in... still, what little knowledge he had concerning street drugs told him his twin wasn't in mortal danger. At least... he didn't think so. A thousand questions were now rushing from his brain to his mouth, but he kept it closed. She was obviously hurt... there was no need for him to bother her with his queries right now. He would never let go of her. Not anymore. Not ever. He would have all the time in the world to sort things out.

He pulled himself slightly away from Etain, his hands taking hers. When he spoke, he did so in sperethiel.

“I have taken up some new duties in this part of the world. I am this woman's retainer for the time being and bound by my words to help her.”

He smiled at her.

“Don't worry. I won't be leaving you.”

His gloved hands finally let go of Etain's as he turned to face his employer.

“Yer right, we best be going... I'll have to beg yer pardon about the zealous manner in which I came in... Ye had me believing trouble was about yerself. I'll fix the door meself first light shining.”

Conall looked over at his sister again, then over to Carla, then to her again.

“I have make a request of ye...” his hands slowly slipped out of Etain as he pulled away to close in the distance with Carla.

“I cannot leave her here in the state she is in. Ye can trust me words and I swear on all that is sacred that she won't be bringing about troubles in any shapes.”