Invisible Monarchs/Session1

ST: It's raining. It's been doing that a lot lately. Thankfully it's fairly cool but the light rain turns everything a bitter grey in the Windy City, the sulfurous yellow of the streetlights and car headlights cutting through the thin drizzle that mutes the normally noisy city sounds down to a murmer. But the early summer rains aren't your concern today instead the three of you, all in the Cloister and out of the rain in the early even

ST: The three of you are more than usually surprised when the antiquated and mostly unused rotary phone in the common area starts to ring, the loud bell echoing throughout the nearly empty hallways of St. Boniface Church.

Alice: The sound is startling enough for the other two to hear something wet dropping and then a curse before Alice leaves her small workshop with her shoes leaving a trail of bright green paint.

Alice: *grumble* "It still works at least..."

Forcas: "There is a sermon somewhere in there. Footprints. Paint. Green ... hope ..." Forcas shakes his head to dismiss the thought.

Alicepicks up the phone, taking a deep breath before speaking so she doesn't sound like she's a kid.

Alice: "St. Boniface Church, how may I help you?"

Forcas rises and takes a step toward the phone, but Alice is quicker on her feet.

Virgil watches from a deck chair in amusement.

ST: The voice on the other side of the phone is cool and flat, without much inflection. "Alice. Dear." The second is said without affection, "It's Medea. I need to speak to my apprentice."

Alice: She lets out a little breath. "One moment please, Ms. Medea." She turns on her heel and extends her hand out to Forcas.

Forcas: Forcas gives a nod of thanks and takes the receiver. "Forcas speaking."

Alice goes back to her room to clean the mess and apologize to a certain Familiar for leaving her alone for a moment.

Virgil returns to sketching the cloister

ST: Medea's voice perks up the slightest hearing Forcas speak. "Much better. Forcas, it's been too long. You should join me some time for lunch and..."

ST: She trails off and then she's business again, "Forcas, I'm afraid I have bad news. Dresden is dead."

Virgil: "Don't trek paint about the place Alice." He gives a wave and cleans the paint away from her shoes and the carpet

Virgil: Not looking up from his sketch

Alice: "Hey, it's water-based." Alice looks down at the cloth in her hand. "But thank you."

Virgil: "Was it part of my set? Just so I know if I need to replace it?"

Alice: "No, it was just a small bucket I got. It's rude not to ask."

Virgil: "I am happy to let you borrow any of my paints. Just be careful if you do."

Forcas at the telephone nods with an uncertain expression. Lunch with Medea can be taxing, but ... He becomes very serious as Medea continues. "Dresden ..." He breathes in and out slowly. "In the line of duty?"

Forcas: Best not to assume anything, he has been taught. Even if it seems as obvious as an Arrow with Dresden's reputation.

Alice picks up Crestfallen and comes back out of her room curiously.

ST: Medea sighs slightly then says, "We don't know sadly. But he died in your neighborhood. The mortals found him before we did and picked up his body. It was...gruesome. And altogether a bit too much for the local constabulary to handle."

ST: She continues, "He was found in a tenement a few blocks over, and I need you and...your cabal to investigate while I'm busy dealing with the mortals. Could you do that for me Forcas?"

Forcas calculates ... a few blocks, would that fall within the cabal's territory?

ST: It depends, although your territory is fairly small.

Forcas frowns. "I can and I will ask my cabal."

ST: Medea's voice brightens slightly, "Thank you very much. We'll have lunch later to discuss your findings." She pauses then says, "Dresden was a...friend as well. I'd personally like to know what happened to him."

ST: "Ciao for now."

Forcas leans his walking stick against the wall and produces pen and paper. "I did not know him very well, but ... yes, of course. I'll call when I know something." He clicks the pen. "Can you tell me the exact location where he was found and where the body is now?"

ST: <Retcon> Medea carefully explains where he was found and gives you the address of the morgue as well before saying goodbye.

Forcas: "Thank you. We'll talk later."

Virgil: "Well that sounded like business. Are we going somewhere?" Virgil doesn't get up, finishing to sketch the rain pouring from one of the potted plants he placed out in the garden.

Forcas hangs up, returns the pen to his jacket and picks up walking stick and paper. With a sigh he turns around to face Virgil and Alice. "Did either of you know Adept Dresden?"

Alice: "Sorta..."

Forcas: Having said that he grimaces. Not the best choice of words, implying his death immediately."

Forcas: "It appears that Adept Dresden has died. Violently and not far from here."

Alice: "Isn't he from that away?" She points southward.

Virgil: "Not Well"

Forcas: "Yes, I think so. I don't know what he was doing in this area, I only hope he was not on his way to us for some reason."

Virgil: In response to Alice's comment, "Yes I would of sworn he was from the Southside. What's he doing up here."

Alice: "Probably stuff." She adjusts Crestfallen. "We should go see. Maybe his ghost is still there?"

Forcas: "In any case, Medea has asked me to look into it before the impressions fade. I ..." At Virgil's words he smiles slightly. "I was about to ask whether you would like to help."

Forcas: *Alice's words

Virgil: "You know me, always willing to stick my nose in it."

Forcas nods. "Thank you."

Alice: "We should get going then, don't you think?"

Virgil rises smoothing his hair back and adjusting his clothes as he does

Alice goes and gets an umbrella.

Forcas: "Yes. He was found by the Sleeper authorities at <location>."

Alice: "One moment then..."

Forcas: briefly checks the contents of his briefcase, removes a few papers and leaves them on the table, then goes to fetch his coat

Alice: She goes back into her room, flipping open her pocket watch and getting some of her cheap make-up to do some touch-ups to 'grow up.'

Virgil then walks over and retrieves his Trillby from its stand.

Forcas shakes his head as Alice returns and chuckles softly. "I'm still not used to you doing that."

Virgil: "Me neither" Virgil says in a light tone, stepping out the Sanctum door and donning his hat at a slightly crooked angle.

Forcas: While Alice is in her room Forcas pronounces the precise syllables of the words in High Speech corresponding to Shield and Perception.

Alice: "It feels a bit weird too." Her nose wrinkles. She was a few inches taller, somewhat curvier, her hair a little longer and more relaxed, a few silvery strands in there as well.

Virgil: "Are we taking your car or mine, Forcas?"

Forcas: "Yours I would suggest. I have a bad track record with cars."

Alice: "Oh yeah, I need a drink." She hurries to the kitchen to get some sort of tea out of the fridge.

Virgil: "I'll just warm it up then." And Virgil hurries across to his car

Forcas actually takes about half a minute until he is comfortable with his spell

Virgil: In the Car Virgil remembers to place up his own spells, and speaks the High Speech corresponding to Shield. Thinking better of having the sight on while trying to drive.

Alice: She runs back out, drinking the green tea in her bottle with Crest in her other arm.

Virgil starts the car, switching the heater on almost immediately.

Alice is in the back.

Forcas: As Virgil starts driving: "Alright. You may know that Adept Dresden was of the Adamantine Arrow. And the scene, before the police arrived, was described as 'gruesome'. Which suggests we take great care, in case the perpetrator returns to the scene of the crime."

Alice: "How are we going to explain us to the cops?"

Forcas: "First lets see if they are still at the scene. In this rain ..."

Virgil: "Two investigators and a Sketch Artists to interview any witnesses and case the scene?"

Alice: "That could work."

Alice: "Crest, sorry, you are going to have to stay in the car for this then."

Alice: "But you'll be out of the rain and if I put you up in the back you can keep an eye on us."

Virgil: "Just leave the..." he pauses, "bluffing to our friendly neighbourhood Guardian. I'm sure he can convince Chicago's Finest that we are who we claim to be."

Alice: She grins.

Alice: "I'm not a very good investigator anyway."

Forcas: Forcas nods. "I am able to provide identification for myself, as long as they don't look too closely."

ST: The rain isn't too heavy, and traffic is happily fairly light. It's only a few minutes before you reach the scene of the crime, a lone police cruiser parked outside the run-down apartment building you'd been told was the place. Room 204.

ST: Crest nods to Alice and the little thing whispers to her, "Be Careful..." The sotto voce whisper it always talks in cuts through the light rattle of the rain on the roof.

Alice: She hugs Crest. "That's why I drink the juice, silly."

Forcas: smiles in the front seat where Alice can't see

Forcas: produces a leather wallet he keeps for just that reason and concentrates on it briefly

Virgil: Catching Forcas' grin in the mirror, Virgil shares it

Virgil: "A few years from now and I should be able to knock you up a decent forgery."

Forcas: Forcas frowns. "Yes, however that would in incriminating evidence against me, if found. Better there is no evidence."

Alice: "I could use one for my shadow name. It'd make stuff a lot easier."

Virgil shrugs.

Forcas: He eyes the enspelled wallet and shakes his head. After making sure the windows are all closed and no one is near the car he speaks another word in High Speech.

Forcas nods, satisfied. "Yes, better."

Virgil: Muttering, "I should get someone to sound proof the car."

Forcas: "Shall we?"

Alice: "I'll ask the car tonight."

Alice: "Let's go!"  :D

Alice: She gently puts Crestfallen in the back in a way so she can see what's happening.

Virgil pulls the car up to a convenient space nearish the crime scene and puts on his Black Tie

Virgil: "Now we can go."

Virgil opens the door and rises from his seat into the rain. Waiting for the others to get out before he locks it.

Alice gets out with her umbrella and offers it to one of the taller men.

Forcas steps out of the car and into the rain, walking toward the building with his walking stick in one hand and his briefcase in the other. To Alice's offer he shakes his head and he actually stays a bit longer in the rain than necessary.

Alice opens the thing and rests it on her shoulder.

Virgil also shakes his head at the umbrella, pointing at his hat

Virgil does however remember to retrieve a sketch pad from the car.

ST: The cop cruiser currently contains one cop, sitting in the passenger seat and flipping through a bundle of stapled papers. He's young and handsome, in a very blonde blocky way.

Virgil: "No point in pretending to be a sketch artist if I forget my pad." He says as he tucks it under one arm

Alice: "And that's why you should have the umbrella so you don't end up getting your sketches /wet./ "

Virgil: "Yeah that probably is a bright idea." Virgil admits sheepishly.

Forcas gives a brief nod toward the cruiser. At the same measured pace - a fast walk for him, actually - Forcas enters the building and briefly orients himself. "Room 204."

Alice: She nods as well to the cruiser, following after Virgil with the umbrella over his head.

ST: The young cop in the cruiser nods back. The lobby is sparsely decorated and appointed, and the only person inside is a thin rat-like man manning a desk. He glances up as you enter and speaks haltingly, "Can I...ummm...help you?"

Virgil justs follows Forcas

Forcas briefly flashes his enspelled wallet. "Detective Jones. I'm looking for room 204."

ST: The man behind the desk blinks then says, "I thought...." he stops a moment then says, "Go right up Detective, officer Greenlake is still up there."

Forcas: "Thank you." Forcas ignores the other comment and moves on. The most important part of appearing as someone you are not is confidence.

Virgil follows along behind trying not to give the game away

Alice closes the umbrella first before following.

ST: The oddly dazed man seems content to let you go upstairs and when you reach the second floor you can see that the end of the hall, and the door to room 204, has been cordoned off with familiar yellow and black tape.

Virgil: As we walk through the corridors Virgil attempts to activate Grimsight.

ST: An older officer, going slightly to seed with a slight potbelly and greying hair is in a chair just in front of the tape reading a newspaper.

Alice: Her eyes glance about, just following the two men.

Forcas: "Evening." Forcas flashes his psychic badge again. "Detective Jones. I'd like a look at the crime scene. These are Miss Carrol and Mr. Smith, my sketch artist."

Virgil pulls out and opens his sketch pad, pulling a pencil from a group in the inner pocket of his jacket

ST: Under Virgil's sight room 204 is terrifyingly awash with the sensation of death. That room isn't just the location of a recent murder, but more than one. Many people have died there.

ST: Officer Greenwood looks up at the three of you and nods slightly then pauses, looking closely at the badge. After a brief moment he nods, "Righto Detective Jones. I hope you and your assitants have strong stomachs. They collected most of the body but...well. There's a reason I'm sitting out here and not in there."

Forcas: "That bad?" Forcas nods gravely, then gives Alice and Virgil a brief look. "If you feel you need to throw up, step outside, understood?"

Alice: Dryly, 'Carrol' whispers to Virgil, "Who's throwing first?"

Alice: "Yes sir." She nods obediently.

Virgil smirks at Alice's remark.

Virgil: "Shouldn't be a problem."

ST: After a few seconds of scrutiny, Alice can sense that the site has resonance with not pain or death, although it's heavily tainted by both, but rather by cruelty.

Alice: She takes a deep breath of the clean air to focus.

Alice: And now is waiting expectantly for the others to go in first.

Forcas produces a pair of gloves from his briefcase and offers another pair to Alice, then steps carefully into the room

Virgil bravely steps right in

Virgil: Pencil and Paper still in hand

Alice: She puts the gloves on too, shaking her head.

ST: Officer Greenwood grabs hold of the door and pulls off the tape, holding it with one hand when he pulls the door open and reveals a pale wallpapered apartment in shambles, the floor covered in blood and fecal matter and heavy rust covered chains bolted to the floor in places. A cruel assortment of blood slick weapons hang from the ceiling and as you step in Virgil feels something crack beneath his heel.

Forcas: "Careful ..."

Alice: Eyebrows. Uuuuup.

Virgil watches his step.

ST: Officer Greenwood sighs, "Idiots. They missed a whole finger."

Virgil lifts his shoe up. "Someone want to scrap that off and bag it?"

Alice does it quietly. She /is/ an intern...

Forcas: Unable to do much with the information provided to him by his CSI sight Forcas taps into the Akashic record, drawing forth knowledge of forensics and biology.

Virgil begins to sketch the scene.

Virgil: Labeling things as he does

ST: The blood on the floor comes from fourteen different people, but there's only one set of fingerprints around, marking all the tools hanging from the roof, marking the rusty chains, the door, the counter. The only things with sympathy are the finger, and one of the knives hanging from the roof.

Forcas: Although shaken by the sight - and smell! - of the room Forcas mentally compares it to the sights Pandemonium showed him. By comparison, if one firmly concetrates on the meaning to oneself instead of others, it is not so bad. Not good, not even close, but not as bad. Selfishness as a defense mechanism.

Virgil carries on as if nothing here bugs him in the slightest.

ST: Officer Greenwood steps back out and takes a seat again, opening up his newspaper and humming gently to himself.

Alice: Alice focuses on the flesh and blood, once living, ignoring the resonance creeping around her. She was going to end up with her arms deep in a body at some point anyway as she got older, this was just a spell gone wrong...

Forcas attends to the fingerprints that are connected to the knife, looking for one that with his limited skill might be able to lift. The knife also goes into a plastic bag.

Virgil holds up his sketch book when Greenwood leaves the room. Written on it is No Ghosts writen in pencil. Which he taps to bring attention to it.

ST: There are some on the counter that are both fresh and distinct from the rest of the mess of the room. Another set on the wall already outlined in dried and flaking blood.

Alice: She mouths with her back towards the door "Cruelty in the air."

Forcas nods. His voice echoes in the others' minds. "Got sympathy here." He holds up the knife.

Virgil nods, quickly writing: Torture and a lot of bodies.

Alice: She nods, thinking.

Forcas makes notes on his pad himself: 10+ victims, between a year and a few days ago. One type of fingerprints only, knife has sympathy to fingerprints and individual outside. Finger has also sympathy, but to different individual.

Virgil writes quickly on the page after the sketch, "can make a duplicate with magic so we can take it"

Forcas points out a few of the fingerprints. "Would you take care of these," he says aloud as to not leave the room too quiet.

Virgil still writing: "Just need raw materials."

Alice goes and gathers the fingerprints as carefully as she can.

Virgil accompanies her

Alice: In a tiny voice, she suggests, "A pan in the kitchen?"

Virgil: "Good idea." He whispers

Virgil wanders into the kitchen, looking for a pan

Virgil quickly sketches the kitchen for completion sake

Alice: "Does it look lived-in there?"

Alice asks that loud enough to be noticed.

Virgil: Afterwards he selects a pan and summons Forcas over with the knife.

Forcas: "Yes, if you will take a look here ..." Forcas says for the benefit of Officer Greenwood outside.

Virgil: "Certainly Officer Jones. I will try and make sure I get all the details drawn here."

Virgil: I sketch the knife, and gesture to Forcas to bag the real one and return the other to where the original was.

Forcas does so.

Virgil: "All finished Detective."

Forcas: (the knife has been already bagged, btw, he gave it to Virgil inside the bag)

Forcas: Meanwhile examining the blood spatter and other material Forcas frowns. Dresden must have been chained down and tortured at length. But how do you do that to an Adamantine Arrow and an Obrimos in particular without using magic yourself?

Forcas: "Alright. Ms. Carrol are you finished as well?"

Alice: "Yes sir."

Forcas: "Very good. I think we have all we need for the moment." Forcas nods to Virgil while making a sweeping motion with his walking stick.

Forcas: Having packed up he leaves the room and waves for the others to follow.

Virgil follows quickly

ST: The officer is sitting outside the room still reading his paper, and he nods to the three of you as you exit. "All done Detective?"

Alice follows with a fake sulk.

Alice: "And no one threw up..."

Forcas: "Yes, we are. A good evening to you," Forcas nods to the officer.

ST: Greenwood smiles, "Well, you did better than the last bunch then. Good luck catching our guys."

Forcas: "Thank you." And Forcas leaves.

Alice follows along, taking in a breath of fresh air.

Forcas: As he turns around the corner, the last of the group, Forcas looks back at the police officer with narrowed eyes and casts a fog over his mind. A fog that dissolves his memories of the past 15 minutes before it can be committed to long term memory.

Forcas: And the same for the confused guy at the entrance.

Alice heads to the car for Crestfallen and waves discreetly.

Virgil unlocks the car as he approaches

Forcas: Back in the car Forcas sits down in his seat with a sigh. He isn't really good with stairs. "Ok. That was even worse than I anticipated."

ST: Crestfallen waves jerkily back, the grey drizzle partially obscuring her and the occupant of the cop cruiser in front of the apartment building.

Forcas: "You ok?"

Alice is hugging Crestfallen.

Alice: "So much malice in there. Really sort of creepy."

Virgil: "Torture, Multiple Murder. Looks like a serial killer if I ever heard of one."

Alice: "And a mage murdered by him."

Forcas: "Let's talk while we drive," Forcas points out with a nod to the police cruiser.

Virgil starts the car and slowly drives off.

Forcas: "Yes, and more than that, tortured at length. A battle-hardened Adamantine Arrow, and no residue of magic to explain why he didn't burn his attacker alive? I'm given to understand Dresden has done that before, when attacked."

Alice: "And no spells..."

Alice: "I don't know enough about people for that sort of thing."

Virgil: "He could have been drugged."

Forcas: "What exactly was the resonance?"

Alice: "Cruelty."

Virgil nods in agreement, one hand reaching for the cigerette behind his ear, the other on the wheel

Forcas: "Ok, what else to we know?" Forcas massages his eyes.

Virgil sticking it in his mouth he for the moment leaves it unlit.

Alice: "Um..." She holds Crestfallen, trying to think.

Forcas: "We have fingerprints, that are likely to be the killer's. We have the finger of someone who might still be alive. We have a knife with a sympathetic connection strong enough to possibly be followed."

Alice: "We should find out who was staying in that apartment."

Alice: "And we should find out about the other victims."

Virgil: "So quick things to check: Have other mages gone missing recently and have other bodies been found in that apartment? If so the question is what happened to them."

Forcas nods.

Forcas: "If other bodies were found they'll be in the morgue and identified as belonging to the same case."

Forcas: "That might need to be our next stop."

Alice: "So let's go..."

Forcas gives Virgil the address of the morgue

Virgil: "Best to see what we can acquire of the police report too."

Forcas: "Medea is handling the Sleeper side of things. I'll ask her tomorrow."

Virgil follows Forcas' directions. The wipers the only sound as they travel.

Forcas brings the bagged finger out of his briefcase and after briefly hesitating turns to Alice. "This ... it might be better to do it quickly. You're our Life expert - do you think you can tell something about the owner of this? A physical description perhaps?"

Alice: "Well, let's see..." She takes the bag dryly.

Forcas: "And the resonance might be interesting as well." Forcas hides his annoyance at the fact that he is so bad with resonances himself.

Alice: Alice takes out her pocket watch and angles the metal so she can see the finger in its reflection.

Alice: "I just won't be able to show it to anyone else..."

Forcas: "If you're ok with it I could look through your eyes. But a description might be enough. The finger itself gives better sympathy than the best possible description anyway."

Alice: "I... don't want that." She states distractedly.

Forcas nods. "Ok."

Alice: "Maybe Crestfallen could try something?" She glances at her familiar via the mirrored surface.

Hawk: The pocket watch flashes a moment then seems to expand in Alice's minds eye and she sees a man, fairly nondescript other than that he's clearly missing his left pinky. Black curly hair over olive skin. He has shockingly green eyes.

Hawk: He's around five foot eight, and maybe 150 pounds.

Alice: "His eyes are pretty and he looks sort of like me..."

Alice: She tugs on a black curl.

Alice: "Really green eyes and not really tall."

Alice: "And this was his left pinky."

Alice: She starts describing the best she can, still looking at the reflection.

Forcas notes down the description on his pad. "You'll recognize him if you meet him?"

Alice: She nods.

Virgil pulls the car up outside the Morgue

Forcas: "Alright, we can track the owner of the finger more easily than the owner of the knife. Both are extremely difficult without knowing their names, though."

Virgil: "Can't really play sketch artist here too."

Forcas: He returns the bagged finger to his briefcase. "How do we do this?" Forcas nods toward the morgue.

Virgil: "Two Fed's and a Fed Medical Examiner?"

Alice: "It could work..."

Alice: "But what if the officer is there from before?"

Virgil: "He seemed like he was going to be at his post for awhile."

Forcas: "He can't leave the crime scene until relieved and he wouldn't remember us anyway. I made sure of that."

Alice: "Just making sure." She let out a sigh of relief.

Alice: "What about the one in the cruiser?"

Virgil: "He is unlikely to have beat us here."

Virgil: "And he seemed like the other fellows partner. So I imagine he too will stay at the scene."

Alice: "I just want to make sure we don't get noticed." She hugs Crestfallen. ._.

Forcas looks at Virgil and Alice. Do they look the part of Feds or ME?

Alice looks fairly like she'd be plainclothes.

Forcas: "Ok, Agent Smith and Dr. Carrol?"

Virgil might manage it, on a good day.

Virgil: "Certainly Agent Jones."

Alice: "Very well then." She puts Crestfallen down again.

Forcas: "Do you have a wallet to be made into id, Virgil?"

Virgil: "Yeah give me a second."

Alice: "What can we use for me though?"

Virgil pulls out his leather wallet and unceremoniously dumps the contents in the glove compartment.

Virgil locks it when he is finished

Forcas: "I'm not sure you'll need an idea as long as ours hold up, but I can do something there as well if you think it would be better."

Alice: "It'd be really smart I think."

Virgil: "I need to forge myself some fake papers. Can't be carting around cards with my real name on them with me."

Forcas: A bit of time, a bit of chanting, and everyone is equipped with fake ids.

Alice: "Thank you."

Forcas: "That would be wise. A false Sleeper identity might also be useful, though more difficult to acquire."

Forcas: "Let's go."

Virgil gets out of the car again locking it when everyone else is out.

Alice follows along behind everyone again.

Hawk: As you approach the morgue, the door opens in front of you, and a young man dressed in scrubs walks out, nodding to the three of you as he passes by.

Forcas gives a nod in return, passing the man without thinking too much of it

Hawk: As the man walks past you hear a tapping on the windows of your car from behind you, Crestfallen knocking on the window.

Virgil also passes the man by. Before turning towards the car, looking puzzled.

Alice: Alice glances at the others and holds up a finger, going back to Crestfallen.

Hawk: Crestfallen gesticulates wildly toward a building across the way and the young man sees her and his eyes go wide, and his view flickers back and forth from the tiny doll and the building in disbelief.

Alice: Umbrella, over.

Alice: She says softly "Unlock the door."

Forcas turns around and seeing Crestfallen gesticulate narrows his eyes at the man in scrubs.

Virgil eye's go to the building trying to figure out what she is pointing at

Hawk: The man in scrubs' eyes flutter for a moment then he clutches his head and moans, stumbling away from the car as Virgil looks up just in time to see the curtains flutter closed in front of an olive skinned man with curly black hair.

Virgil: "Looks like the man missing a finger lives across from the Morgue."

Alice: Once she hears the door unlock, she opens the door.

Alice: "Yes?"

Hawk: "The man!" Crestfallen whispers, "He's up there with a gun thing!"

Alice: "Oh dear."

Alice: She picks up Crestfallen.

Alice: Locks the door and everything and returns.

Alice: "He's still alive...."

Forcas has transferred his briefcase to his left hand and now returns to the car, somewhat annoyed that the man resisted his spell.

Forcas: "What's the problem?"

Alice: "The missing finger man is up there."

Alice: "With a gun thing according to Crest."

Virgil nods his agreement coming down to the car.

Virgil: "Shall we investigate as Agents Jones and Smith?"

Alice: "Maybe you guys should visit the morgue?"

Forcas: "First him or first the body?"

Alice: "He may be not as scared of me maybe."

Virgil: "And if this is some sort of trap?"

Forcas: "That's not necessarily a good thing, Alice. No one of us is going to visit him alone."

Alice: "Crestfallen can protect me."

Alice: "I'm not alone."

Alice: She hugs Crestfallen.

Alice: "This way, we can cover more ground."

Forcas: "Still ... I'm not comfortable with that."

Hawk: The young man stumbles over to the curb and collapses, holding his temples and gritting his teeth. "What...the...fuck?"

Forcas: "He is either an accomplice of the killer or someone who got away when an Adamantine Arrow adept couldn't. He's dangerous."

Virgil: "Especially since we know this bastard has managed to overwhelm and murder a member of the arrow."

Alice: She straightens ups, letting out a deep breath.

Forcas: Briefly looking after the stumbling man Forcas closes his eyes and sighs. Abyss 1, Guardians 0. Damn.

Forcas: "I say we visit him first and see what he knows."

Alice: "Then let's go and try."

Alice: "Just remember he may have a gun."

Virgil nods

Virgil: And then walks across to the tenament

Forcas follows as he can, which is not all that fast.

Virgil: Heading up to the floor we saw the man, Virgil pulls out his empty but enchanted wallet

Hawk: The front door is unlocked, and the man who should be working the desk is slumped down over it, silent and unresponsive.

Alice: Alice is walking upward as well, holding Crestfallen with her face outward so she can see.

Alice: "Oh dear."

Virgil: "He alive?"

Alice: "Yep."

Forcas nods. "This way then."

Alice: "Crest, could you make the bad bullets stay away?"

Forcas: "As opposed to the good?"

Virgil: "Even from him. Interrogating a corpse is a pain. And I only want to have to do it once today."

Forcas: "You ... can do that?"

Alice: "Hush. It's her Numen." She hugs the doll.

Hawk: Crest nods and you feel a soft feeling brush over your shoulders, like a warm blanket settling over the three of you.

Alice: :3

Forcas: knocks on the door corresponding to the window where Crest saw the man.

Hawk: The door swings open under Forcas' knock, revealing an empty room with an open black case on the bed, revealing a large pistol shaped device with a parabolic dish where a barrel should be and next to that a bottle of milky fluid and a rag, and next to that a large open case with an impression where a rifle would rest.

Hawk: So, actually, two cases.

Alice: Blink, blink.

Alice: She walks in, glancing about.

Virgil: "Is that some sort of listening device?" Virgil gestures to the Pistol device

Hawk: There's no one alive in this room. Through the thin door leading to the bathroom though, there is a slight sensation of life.

Alice: She walks to the door and knocks lightly.

Alice: "Um, do you want your pinky back?"

Forcas curses under his breath, then ... swallows what he was going to say as Alice goes in a completely different direction.

Hawk: There's silence for a moment and then heavy cursing. "It's not mine!"

Alice: "Oh. o.o We aren't going to hurt you, sir."

Virgil: "Definitely a listening device."

Hawk: "I'm not hiding. Just using the toilet.'

Alice: "Oh. Sorry."

Forcas checks if the sympathetic connection from the finger leads into the bathroom.

Hawk: Under mage sight thin spatial distortians lead toward the restroom and away off in two other directions across the city.

Forcas: "In any case, we would like to talk to you, sir."

Hawk: "Okay, give me a minute." There's a grunting noise, and then more cursing and then the door unlatches and slowly opens. The man is just as Alice described, but he has all his fingers. Also, he has what appears to be a high powered rifle lying on the floor of the bathroom behind him. "Ummm....hello?"

Forcas considers the sympathetic threads in bewilderment. What the hell is going on here?

Alice: She steps back and lets the others talk.

Forcas: "Good evening, sir. We would like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind?"

Hawk: The man smiles, "I'd uh...rather...not." He glances at Alice and then swallows, "Actually, I have this meeting I need to get to, if you don't mind."

Alice: She looks at the man confused, thinks for a moment...

Forcas displays the psychic paper and smiles. "Can you make a bit of time for us?"

Alice: She nudges her familiar a little.

Hawk: The man curses as he looks at the psychic paper and nods, "Oh, sure thing officer. I uh. I didn't realize you were police."

Virgil: "Especially considering you have a medical grade narcotic, a high powered rifle and a listening device of dubious legality.

Forcas: "Yes, curious that. What do you need these for?"

Hawk: He thinks a moment then says. "Hunting."

Virgil: "And are camped across from a federal building."

Alice: She brings Crestfallen up to her ear discreetly.

Hawk: "For...wild...dogs..." He gestures toward the rifle, "It's just got tranq darts."

Forcas: "Hunting. Ah, that makes sense." Forcas pauses. "No wait, it doesn't."

Virgil: "Well unless you want to answer some of our questions, I think we'd like to see a permit for the rifle. A perscription for the narcotic and a licence for the survaillance equipment."

Forcas: "Agent Smith, if you would take a look at the rifle in question?"

Virgil: "Certainly Agent Jones."

Hawk: The man gestures again, "There are wild dogs...and I was hired by the owner of this building to take care of them." He nods and says, "Sure, but you'll have to let me get it from the cases. I don't keep them on my person usually."

Alice: Oooh.

Alice: She sighs.

Virgil steps towards the rifle and examines it throughly.

Forcas: "Please do."

Forcas accompanies the man.

Alice: "Your brother is missing a pinkie." She states with an annoyed huff.

Hawk: He smiles at the three of you and walks over to the cases and rummages through the rifle case and pulls out a permit for the rifle, and then one for the surveillance equipment, and then he hands those to you.

Alice moves for the door patiently, holding Crestfallen.

Hawk: He pauses then says, "The perscription's back in the car." He pauses and then adds, "And I'm an only child."

Forcas reads through them. "And you are indeed Mr. Mosades, correct?"

Hawk: He nods, "Yep. Thomas Mosades. I have other ID if you need it."

Virgil: "The rifle is fine. I just want a once more over the rest of the stuff to make sure it matches the permits."

Hawk: Mosades nods, "Of course."

Virgil goes to inspect the piece of survaillance equipment

Alice: Once she is at the door, she smiles cheerfully, making sure no one is coming.

Forcas shifts his vision into the emotional spectrum and watches the man carefully for the telltale reaction of someone able to sense magic.

Alice: "He's Seer-linked."

Alice: Her face is cold.

Hawk: Mosades reaction is instant and violent. "Damn bitch." He grabs up the long rifle case and swings it at Forcas and then barrells toward Alice.