Her retort was unsatisfactory. Who gave a damn about the cops? There was a reason they are termed as 'PIGS': fat useless pieces of meat that are made to be nothing more then slaughter. He shook his head.
"Answer or perish."

There was still time left before he would be missed at the home. Guy would need to find a safe hiding spot to inquire of the wyrd about the past of the gifted ones and the other players that night.

It had surprised him that the getaway was so easy, so it was important for him to be cautious. The cops were on their way and it would be troublesome if they questioned him, but until he knew more he didn't think that it would be wise to go to the home as he could be followed.

Tuesday June 1, 1999 (O -3)
Few minutes after midnight - Moderate Rain, Shootouts and Stalking
Abandoned Hospital Lobby / 3F
The woman flexed the fingers of her free hand in a clearly nervous gesture. Already the boy to her right’s hands had started shaking, just slightly, first effects of the adrenaline rush that held him.

It was the woman who had addressed him that he was concerned with, but it didn’t seem like the kids—for though they were only a few years younger than himself and proven mature enough by their relatively calm demeanours, they were still clearly kids.

“Very well,” the woman let out a controlled breath, “how long do we have to discuss our answer?”

~***~

Back in the lobby, Guy crouched down behind the infodesk ring that Flandre had been using for cover earlier.

He could not leave it alone; he had to know more about these three who had showed up without his prior sight. This alone wasn’t exceptionally disturbing—his visions often left out non-important figures. What was frustrating was that he did not know how to react to them, what roles they played in the course of fate, and what he had to do to make sure they got there.

Not usually did individuals take on such an active part in a hunt, so he could not just ignore them as he had other non-players—such as that janitor who happened to distract a monstrous dog just long enough for him to finish it with his telekinesis, he thought, or that one girl whose life he saved, incidentally, while bringing down that killer who used psychic powers like his own to prey on others and cover his tracks. Folk he hadn’t Seen—they were relevant to the situation, yes, but always as people who had merely been caught up in Fate’s tide and reacted as one could otherwise expect, never as active participants who had directly come after the same goal without his knowledge.

If he could just get perhaps a bit of information about their pasts, that would give him the insight he needed to deal with them in the future.

First he saw the girl, Maud, making a rough sketch in a book. He could see quickly that it was a slightly morbid picture of the park she was in, except that all the people passing by were replaced by skeletons dressed in their clothes. On the side there were notes listing what seemed to be paint colours. Hippocrates followed, hunched over an anatomy text book, in an almost amusingly similar scene. From the sound of the vision, he was sitting in some sort of university study hall. His cell rang, and when he checked it Guy could see the caller ID, Joan.

Next the woman, ‘Flandre’ was standing in front of a calendar, on the phone—seemingly the ‘Joan’ from the previous vision. The full moon on the calendar around the 31st of May was circled in black pen.

“Yes, next Monday. I think they’re actually going to try something this time. … No, I haven’t worked out what it means yet. … I am worried. Things are beginning to get out of hand—if this rate keeps up there’ll be nothing we can do. I talked to Damien—he says they haven’t seen this many Events happen so quickly in a long time either. They fear it might mean something. … No, I haven’t heard back from Rachelle’s coven. We may have to go at this alone. … Thanks, I knew I could count on you.”

Thunder crashed in Guy’s ears as he saw the three standing in an alley in a circle. Together they buzzed with energy to his eyes, channelling their combined might. One by one, shields sprung up around them and quickly faded to nigh-invisibility. They traded one last, sombre look, then at Flandre’s command, they moved out.

Guy (stealthily gathering info)
Aaron -20 Life ----- -4/-4//-2 Gun Cap
Lily Full Essence (10 ambient) [Left Scene]
RC Red Hair -1 Gun Cap (-1)
RC Black Hair
RC Blond Hair

His vision had told him little of the nature of the strangers motives, but clearly showed that they had the same goal as he did. He thought that he might have seen enough from them to be able to find them outside of the realm of the supernatural. He would need a computer, and at this hour the libraries would be closed... that would have to wait till tomorrow.

He had seen nothing of the fox or the hit-man in his vision. It would be nice to know more about them too, but for now he needed to move again. Perhaps he would continue his search from his bed at the home. The long way home would probably be best, so as to be sure no one was following him.

Aaron's eyes were cold as he glared at the woman. It surprised him how arrogant (or ignorant) she was. He did not change the fix of his gaze as he responded to her stupid question.
"Six minutes." A moment later he decided to add a bit more on the rules to the game. "Your peons have nothing to do with this outrage. They may leave now if they wish; however, if they intervene and try to aid you in any way, their lives will be in peril as well."
Now their fate was in their own hands. Aaron wondered with a feeling shadowing glee as to what the outcome would be... it even made him forget the pain surging throughout his body.

Tuesday June 1, 1999 (O -3)
Few minutes after midnight - Moderate Rain, Shootouts and Stalking
Abandoned Hospital Lobby / 3F
The two younger huddled around their leader and almost immediately Aaron heard her hushed voice, “No. You two leave—if I don’t make it I don’t want to take you with me.”

“No, we stand by you. The three minds are better than one.” The boy replied. The girl remained silent.

“Besides, strictly speaking, I don’t think the Hippocratic Oath would let me leave now,” he said in a strained attempt at light-heartedness. The woman returned with a withering look that was somehow both annoyed with their disobedience and grateful for their support.

Normally Aaron tried not to eavesdrop when people were discussing his riddles—it was much more suspenseful when he didn’t already know that they had or hadn’t gotten the answer right before they responded—but one particular remark caught his ear for a second.

“Whatever else this guy is, he’s serious business,” the young dark-haired girl advised in a sombre undertone. “I feel the Spectre of Death following him—if I took a good look I bet I would see it in his shadow.”

The other two nodded gravely, then they began discussing the riddle. Aaron tuned out, puzzled just a bit by her words, but ultimately not very concerned. It was true that death followed him—it rode in his wake with every wrong answer, not even counting those he laid low while in the army.

The group broke. He noted that ultimately the two lived up to their word and remained with their leader. He shrugged to himself. They consigned themselves to one fate, for good or for ill.

“Would the answer to the riddle be… the wind?” The leader responded. The other two remained in a tense silence—the boy had broken out into a light cold sweat, beads forming on his forehead. Hardly a one dared to breathe among them.

Aaron still had his cold glare fixed on the woman. She gave her answer. There was a pause for a minute; he knew that the suspense was building in these three. Arron did this purposefully, he wanted to make a lasting impression; he also enjoyed watching others squirm. But at long last, he quickly flipped his firearms into his holsters and strode past them.

The hitman stopped when he was a few strides past them. He pulled out a card from his pocket and flicked it over his shoulder.
"You have proven your worth both in dedication and intelligence. You should feel privileged. If you ever need a job done, here is my contact information. If you don't want it, destroy it. If someone else contacts me through this card, I will hunt you down." He was about to ready to leave when he decided to leave on a different note. "I may have underestimated you, and perhaps I over looked my own abilities..."
It was the closest thing the man had ever given to an apology; but he did not see much wrong in giving it to these three. The pain was unbearable now, and he started to feel his conscious fade. He wondered, was this death creeping up on him? Would his patron finally taking from him what he took from so many other miserable creatures?
Aaron fell to his knees with a sickening crack, all his wieght went into that landing. And then he fell face forward and did a perfect face plant on the tile floor. Everything went black.

Tuesday June 1, 1999 (O -3)
Few minutes after midnight - Moderate Rain, Shootouts and Stalking
Abandoned Hospital Lobby / 3F
The three stared at Aaron’s body. Joan glanced to the card that he had given her. It was a plain black card with cursive white print: Aaron Smith – Contract Termination Services, followed by a number and an e-mail address.

The blond boy spoke first: “Ouch.” The group let out a collective breath, their shaking nerves beginning to return to normal.

“Jessie—,” Joan began.

“I’m on it. I’ve been holding enough energy to make it rain up since we first got down here.” The blond boy, Jessie, turned over the hitman’s body carefully, inspecting the severity of the wound and—more importantly—making absolutely undoubtedly certain beyond question that there wasn’t a chance the man was less than completely unconscious.

“Breathing’s shallow—he might have punctured a lung. Christ, this is a bad cut—you say their summoned spirit got him?” He rubbed his hands together, then held them, palm down, over Aaron’s chest.

“Physika Haella” he intoned. A blue-white light outlined his palms and danced over the hitman’s chest, burrowing deep into his ribcage. Instantly fractured ribs fused whole and parted flesh sealed, knitting back together at an amazing speed.

When it was done, the glow faded and Jessie let out an exhausted sigh. Between the tatters of his shirt, the flesh over Aaron’s chest was whole and unscarred. The hitman took a deep breath, but lay still, his breathing now regular.

“His body will be exhausted from the rapid healing process, but he should wake up soon enough. A wound like that would have left a lesser man on the edge of death. As it is, he is extremely tough. I think if we hadn’t been here, he still would have survived—in pain, but alive.”

The girl called ‘Maud’, Rebecca, took the hitman’s business card from Joan and looked it over. “Looks like my suspicions were right after all,” she said, “He’s a killer for hire—that would be enough to have attracted the Spectre that hangs in his shadow.”

“Sounds creepy,” Jessie remarked, “like an invisible stalker living in your shadow.”

“Well, the Spectre isn’t actually a sentient spirit—more like residual energy than anything. Anyway, we should get going before he wakes up at decides to try to kill us again.” They turned to their leader, scribbling on a small white card.

Rebecca was the first to realize what she was doing. “What are you thinking?”

“I have a feeling. This will not be the last time we run into ‘Mr. Smith’, I think. It would be better if we made as many allies as possible for the times to come.”

“But—,” Jessie protested, “—he tried to kill us tonight!”

“You said yourself that for all we knew this could just be a small fluctuation in supernatural activity, that any number of things could be behind it, that it might just mean more people are reporting attacks than before.”

“I never said it was a logical intuition, just that I had a feeling, and I’ve learned to trust my foresights.” She turned to Rebecca. “As for that, I’m beginning to think I was wrong. Damien says the Rosicrucians are seeing ever more events crop up, and we still don’t know what happened to Rachelle’s coven. I think we should be very cautious, and start gathering as many resources as we can—.” She placed the business card on Aaron’s chest. “—Despite what we may think of them.”

Joan took back the vessel ring and tapped into its energy to ignite a small flame in the palm of her hand to light the way out, leaving the hitman to return to his senses.

On their way to their car, parked innocuously the next block over, they did not notice Guy boarding the Number 13 back home.

True to her prediction, Lily was scolded for staying out so late on the night of the full moon, but mostly Mrs. Vritova was simply glad that she made it home alright.

Guy rolled in close to 12:40am without comment from either of his foster parents. He went up to his room and tried another Reading but didn’t get anything for his efforts. Finally, he called it a night and went to bed—there was school tomorrow, after all.

Within a few minutes of the witches’ departure Aaron came to, feeling infinitely better than he had when he went out. He was cold, but alive and in one piece. He noticed something on his chest and picked up Joan’s business card. He quirked an eyebrow at the business description, Magical and Paranormal Consulting and flipped it over. On the back in black handwriting she left a message for him—Give a call if you ever have questions or need info on supernatural phenomena.

Aaron was too tired to feel particularly strongly one way or the other about the card right now. He picked up his hat and shook it off and set it on his head, quietly reveling in the lack of pain, whether he wanted to admit it or not.

He waded his way through the blood and the corpses in the lobby and left through the main entrance. Within moments he was roaring through the night back to his dwelling. Once home he wasted little time getting to sleep. After all—there was school tomorrow.

Aaron Full Life (+20 healed) ----- -20 Endurance (-20 healing rigours) ----- -4/-4//-2 Gun Cap

(I should mention that I never kept track of Endurance loss for close combat, but that's okay--no one experienced so much that it would have made a difference.)

(Also, besides comments and narrating specific closing actions, no one really has to do anything until I start up the next chapter, unless you want to be really on the ball and describe the 'morning after' of your character's thoughts on the matter. Remember I'm still on essays--the temptation to get this wrapped up was too great to resist, but I still have mucha tarea.)

Guy was awoken the next morning by a rough knock on his door. This was fairly traditional, and as he pushed himself up and out of bed he looked at the clock hanging on the wall opposite to his bed. 7:30. School was so bothersome, requiring him to awaken early and then not allowing him to do as he pleased, but that was the way of things...

He would have to spend some time on the public computers and look into the different things that he did see in vision last night: the park where the girl "Maud" sat and drew morbid pictures, and the University or College that the boy went to.

The park would be the hardest to find as getting pictures of public parks often was not tagged by the parks name, so he would instead search the area around the school which should be a bit easier to find as it would be close and have something of a medical program. The three that had shown up last night seemed to be in relatively close contact with one another, and although that did not imply that they were close geographically the chances were pretty good that they were.

Guy sighed as he remembered that he hadn't done his math homework and resolved to get it done during his english class. There would likely be more homework given out today putting a hold again on his plans, or at least they would have if he had actually cared that much about school. He was going to the Library after school, and his homework would have to wait.

Eventually, Lily reached her destination, a store at the corner of a block. After entering, she locked the door to the V-Corner convenience store, wandering to the back of the shop and up the stairs. Almost immediately she was beset by her mother, who looked quite worried.

"Why are you soaked?" She asked, "I was getting worried... it is the full moon after all."

"I'm okay," Lily replied, taking the smaller woman's hands, since she didn't want to get her wet, "I just missed the bus is all, so took a long way around." She said soothingly. No point in getting her mother even more worried with what transpired at midnight. "Don't worry, I made sure that I wasn't seen in the rain."

Her mother sighed, a bit relieved, "That's good. Don't worry me like that."

"I'll be careful." Lily promised.

"Good. Well, you'd better go up and dry yourself off, and you should sleep soon." Ms. Vritova replied.

Lily nodded, "Yeah, I'm pretty tired."

Wandering up to the third floor, Lily grabbed a towel from the bathroom closet, before setting the bag with Elly down by another door, while she slipped off her clothes and towelled herself down. After that, she slipped into her den, and put on a nightgown, before wandering back to the door where she set Elly against.

"Time for you to meet the others." Lily murmured softly, picking up the otter-mask and wandering into the room. It was dark, until Lily lit a candle near the centre of the room, next to a mat on the floor. Across the walls, several masks were put up, of various creatures or animals.

You're a bit late. Did something happen? A very soft voice whispered in Lily's ears as she entered.

"It did, Fillaera, but it's a bit late to talk about it tonight." Lily nodded towards a butterfly mask, "Just thought I'd drop by and introduce Elly to all of you." She said, holding up the otter mask she had just bought.

Um, hi. Elly said shyly.

There was an assorted response of murmurs and hi's in response, before Lily wandered over and placed Elly on one of the walls.

"Well, afraid it's a bit late, and I've some things to think about. I'll see you all later." Lily said, yawning and putting out the candle.

See to it you get to rest right away. A strict voice replied.

"Don't get your feathers in a tangle, Minna." Lily replied, waving her hand as she left the room, "I'll sleep when I get to sleep."

Lily promptly went to her den, and curled up in her blankets, on the mattress on the floor. The next morning, however, Lily was awoken early by a very rude noise. It sounded halfway between a sharp cry and a series of screeches.

"Damn it, Minna!" Lily growled in the direction of the adjacent room, "You are not a rooster! How many times to the others and I have to tell you?!"

Muttering a bit to herself, Lily got up on all fours, circled around the mattress twice, before curling up and falling asleep again. After a bit longer, Lily finally got up on all fours, stretching and yawning. Searching around her den, she gathered up some clothes, before wandering in to the bathroom and showering. The warm water felt much better than the cool rain she had soaked in the last night. Lily finished up, slipping on a loose skirt and shirt, before wandering downstairs to get some breakfast. At the table though, her mother looked a bit concerned.

"Lily... did anything actually happen last night?" She asked.

Lily shook her head, "No... I just went to the mall, you know they were having an opening, so I took a look. Bought Elly, she's an otter I found, and headed back."

Ms.Vritova tilted her head, before she nodded, "I see... I was just wondering because of the newspaper this morning." She held out the copy across the table for Lily to see.

Lily tilted her head, reading the article. She shook her head, "No, that's no where close to where I was."

Ms.Vritova nodded, smiling, "That's good... was just a bit worried."

Lily wandered over, hugging the smaller woman, "I know. Don't worry mother, I'm not going to get in trouble."

Ms.Vritova smiled again, "That's good to hear. I'll be getting some groceries, so can you watch over the store today?"

Lily smiled, "Of course. I wasn't thinking of doing very much today."

And so, a bit later, Lily was working behind the front counter of the V-Corner, running her fingers along the intricate patterns of Fillaera's wings, as she had brought the butterfly mask down.

You know I get a bit nervous being in public, Lily. Fillaera murmured, her wings appearing to flicker in Lily's mind.

"It's fine, Fillaera. I can just put you down behind the counter if someone comes in." Lily replied, running a finger along Fillaera's body to soothe her.

I... think I'd be more comfortable if you talked to me with your mind. Fillaera replied, You have to admit that talking aloud is a bit... peculiar...
Lily shrugged, "If you want me to." She replied, "I forget with you though... you're the only one who can hear me that way."

I know. I'll remind you though. Fillaera giggled, before stopping, So what did happen last night?
I'm not exactly sure, Lily replied honestly, I thought at first it was some sort of on-site screening for a movie or something... but there were real guns, and people did die.
Hold on. Start from the beginning, and tell me everything. Fillaera said slowly and calmly.

And so, Lily did, in between taking care of the counter and watching out for customers. Afterwards, Fillaera fell silent while she contemplated. Lily chuckled to herself, used to Fillaera's silence during her thinking. She hummed idly, glancing out of the store and watching the humans pass by, all immersed in their own daily life.

Tuesday June 1, 1999 (20d to Next Magical Event: Midsummer)
The Morning After
Home
”Police discovered the body of what appeared to be a victim of a savage attack by a wild animal early this morning. The body was found near Lakeside district near the edge of Peacemaker National Park. Police say that while animal attacks near the forest are not unusual, what makes this case special is how far the body was discovered from the forest’s edge. The identity of the victim is unknown at this time.”
Aaron Smith powered down his breakfast and shut off the television. There had been no mention of bodies discovered at the hospital yet, but he suspected it was only a matter of time before the massacre was discovered by some local teens messing around where they shouldn’t. He knocked back a full glass of milk. One had to keep those bones and teeth strong.

It took only a moment to gather his things for the day. Within minutes he was roaring down road on his way, riding his heavy monster of a motorcycle with a self-important disregard for a small number of the rules of the road.

One modest commute later, he pulled his motorcycle into the Martin Taylor Elementary School parking lot. Aaron pulled up into one of the stalls, killed the engine, and tried to rub away the remainder of the ache leftover from last night, before dismounting. He grabbed his business bag from the back of the bike and slung it over his shoulder.

The grounds were littered with children and parents still arriving by bus or stealing away a few minutes on playground before their morning. Aaron strode into the building and navigated the halls to a particular room.

“Good Morning, Mr. Avalon,” one of the teachers greeted him as he passed her in the hall. He gave a curt nod of acknowledgement, and turned in to the classroom.

He threw his things under the desk at the front of the room, then took a piece of chalk and drew a large "Zz" and a crude facsimile of a zebra on the blackboard.

That done, he leaned back in his chair and flipped Joan’s business card out of his pocket, mulling over it and the implications behind it until the final bell rang and his class filed into their desks.

---

Mid-morning
She looked so different in the full light of day that Lily hadn’t even recognized her until she came up to the counter to pay. Her nose tickled just slightly when she had approached the counter, forcing her to inhale reactively, giving her a clear feel for the woman’s qi—a small measure less than her own resources.

It was the red-haired woman with the glasses from last night.

Lily’s toes curled under the counter unconsciously. There was no way she could recognize her—she had spent nearly the entire night in her fox shape. There was no connection between then and now. But still…

The woman set her purchases on the counter. Milk. Chips. Package of good quality pencils. “‘Bout time we got some sunshine around here,” she said conversationally. Lily agreed absently, pointedly trying not to think about her own recent exasperation with the weather and whether that might give her away.

You’re nervous, Fillæra observed as she was fetching the woman’s change.

This woman—she was there last night, she responded.

Then maybe she can help fill in the blanks, the mask posited casually.

What!? Lily looked sharply down at the butterfly mask beneath the counter, leaving puzzled Joan awaiting her change.

“Pardon me—I think I dropped a dime,” Lily offered, quickly.

“It’s okay—” Joan began, but Lily dove behind the counter.

Are you crazy? she asked the mask. Mom said I shouldn’t tell anyone I don’t trust—and I haven’t told anyone yet, anyway!
Your mother is a smart woman, but she doesn’t know how do deal with everything you’re going to be faced with. Maybe this woman can help—you said she seemed to be the responsible sort of person. It’s your call, you don’t have to, but it might be worth your while. Stand up now—you’re beginning to seem strange, and heavens know we can have that now can we?
Lily stuck her tongue out at her sister and stood up to give Joan her change.

---

Before Noon
Running. Fantastic. As if a body needed to be dragged around a field for an hour—just in case one had any energy left to fill that time between the crack of dawn and lunch.

Or perhaps he was just grumpy because he got so little sleep last night, to say nothing of his exertions. Wake up, go to school, save the world. At least it was nice outside—as if that did anything to dry up the mud before class.

Guy rounded the corner at the far end of the field. Somewhere between one step and the next he became aware that somebody was watching him. The feeling fell upon him suddenly and he couldn’t shake it. He cut his already slack pace a bit and looked around, trying to identify the source of the sensation.

He spotted her, standing in the shadow of a tree, just beyond the fence at the edge of the field. From as far away as he was, he could feel that she was watching him. She turned away almost immediately when he noticed her, but there was an undeniable moment. Guy quickly checked his memory and determined that she wasn’t one of the coven from last night.

This was both good news and bad. If she had been, it would mean they were tracking him, and that concerned him—but if she wasn’t from the coven, who was she and what did she want? This was almost just as worrisome. He shrugged it off—if it was fated that they met, there was no point in fretting until then, was there?

There was a whistle from the school-ward end of the field. Class was over, it was time for lunch—and he was as far form the doors as he could be. Lovely.

---

Noon
I think you should have a chat with the janitor.
Startled to his senses, Aaron whirled around with sudden, cat-like quickness. There was no one there. Did he drift off? Surely nothing could have snuck up on him without his notice, and here was the proof—there was nothing. Clearly his mind had wandered, considering the previous night’s events, and he had imagined he had heard some one talking to him. What did he imagine it said again? It was vague . . . something about a janitor?

The janitor. The new one that started last week. You should have a chat with him.
Aaron pulled another about-face. ‘Mr. Avalon’ was on lunch duty, and was watching the children as they ran amok over the playground and field. He was alone where he stood.

You performed exceedingly well. This is just my own way of repaying you—beyond the monetary. Thanks to you, I may go to my rest.
Aaron turned around again, the voice clearly coming from behind him this time, and saw her. Colourless and faded as if she were but a figment of the imagination, she stood before him wearing what appeared to be a hospital gown.

He didn’t have a chance to respond, however, as she faded away immediately into nothing. He glanced about himself, and determined that apparently no one had noticed anything stranger than a teacher’s apparent freak out. Perhaps he should have called in ill today, and taken time to recover from whatever that was last night.

But her words were not simply the product of some passing fancy. He knew the janitor the apparition had spoken of—every time they passed in the halls it felt like he was being watched. At first he thought the man merely an odd duck, but he was beginning to reconsider this position.

The bell rang. Mr. Avalon had a prep-period after lunch on Tuesdays. He decided he would indeed go have a chat with the fellow, see what came of it. His hands were tied as far as old-fashioned troubleshooting went while under the guise of this persona, but surely a simple chat wouldn’t have to go there by necessity.

He paid a quick visit to the janitors’ office and made a harmless inquiry as to the location of this fellow. A quick search through his last weeks’ memories turned up a last name: Smith.

Mr. Smith was supposed to be cleaning the washrooms in the east wing. Aaron quickly made his way there and spied the cleaning cart just outside the closed door of the boys’ washroom at the far end of the first floor. Perfect.

He pushed the door open with a light mechanical squeal and caught it before it thumped shut behind him. The washroom was small—a pair of stalls and a pair of urinals around a wing wall, and three sinks on the one side.

“Hello? I’m busy right now, you’ll have to go somewhere else.” He glanced back and did a double take when he saw Aaron.

“Eh—can I help you, sir?” His eyes were inscrutable, but subtle details about his body language belied a quiet alarm at this particular intruder.

Now that he was looking, Aaron could see a certain sense of awareness in this man, some kind of nerve in him different from the average janitor—if he had to use a cliché, he would say the man was like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

---

Afternoon
Rebecca looked at the sketch she had made, visualizing what it might look like painted according to the colouring notes running along the side—mostly black and shades of grey. Instead what she got the scene on the second floor from last night in her mind’s eye.

“Feh.” With a sigh she dug into her bag for her lighter and lit up a smoke. It was quite a pleasant day, she had to conclude. The torrential rain of the last few days left every living thing charged with energy as it came out of hiding to spring up in the sun’s invigorating rays.

There was a brief moment where her spirits elated to the point that the vestiges of a smile almost build up the courage to play across her face—though she’d never willingly admit it. The chirpiness of the moment was almost sickening.

Everything went dark—there were hands over her eyes.

“Guess who?”

“Reasonable motive at an upcoming murder trial,” she responded, going for deadpan put unable to keep the cheer entirely out of her voice.

Jessie laughed freely and released her, dropping his heavy, textbook-laden bag onto the U of A park bench next to her. She killed the barely used cigarette and replaced it in the package. He peered over her shoulder at her sketchbook.

“You drawing our friend with the El Dorado longcoat from last night? Is it just me or didn’t he look like Keanu Reeves from that Matrix movie that came out a few months ago?”

Before Rebecca could stop herself, she saw the assassin ‘knowing kung fu’. The absurdity of the very idea was too much. She cracked, releasing a short snort of mirth. She tried to regain composure, but it was too late, the façade of aloofness was shattered—Jessie won again.

“You’re delusional,” she told him.

How he could always joke about such things was well beyond her, though sometimes, in rare moments like these, she had to admit it wasn’t even particularly annoying.

“You’re right, of course—what was his name again? Smith?” She refused him the satisfaction.

“Eh, one out of two isn’t so bad. So do you know what we’re doing for the solstice?” he went on, unflappable

“Joan says if nothing big comes up, we should try to make another vessel so that we could each have one. Also she says she thinks that the fiend spirit could still be out there, and it might still be following orders to hunt us down, so be careful. If we can get a hold of the others, she says we may try to hunt it down and banish it.”

Jessie let out a greatly put-upon sigh with a smile. “And here I thought I might be enjoying my summer too much already—we’ve been out, what, a month? Naught but a single cult and a dozen rumours? Oh, how we have lazed!”

---

After School
Guy twiddled his thumbs as he waited for the computer to go through its great screeching act as it dialled into the internet. He was manning his usual post an the computers in the public library on his way home from school—his second best source of information.

First thing he did was look up a list of post secondary institutes in Adelaide. His guidance councillor would be proud, he thought. There was, of course, the Great Lakes University, Manitou Island College, the University of Adelaide, and the Northern Michigan Lakeview Institute, and a great list of a great many more.

That didn’t turn out so well—he’d no idea there were so many of these things just lying all over the place. He could go on to rule out those without some form of medical program, that might thin the herd, but he didn’t foresee that coming to much use.

Guy was just contemplating what kind of horror show he would get for a parks search when a woman addressed him.

“Excuse me, Guy, is anyone using this computer?”

“Oh, no,” he said automatically. That was a very strange way to use the word ‘guy’ he thought. Come to think of it, the way she said it didn’t seem to suggest that she was using it as a word so much as a name. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and for a second his blood froze in its veins.

This was the same woman from P.E. earlier today! Either she hadn’t recognised him—which bordered on impossible, what with his unique tattoos—or was purposely not looking at him just now.

(Heh, when I was originally planning for this section, I had imagined that I would be able to relay back and forth short snippets as characters respond to each other with shortish lines of dialogue accompanied by a bit about the character's thoughts and reaction, but here I am about to dive into some two-to-three short essays. I'll do my best, but I just might not have the chance to be checking for updates some days )

Standing back up, Lily kept her face passive as she thought quickly. She had doubts about it, but her intuition told her that Fillæra was right. When it came down to it, she was a world apart from any human, her mother included. Being a user of qi, that would make this woman closer to the boundary than others.

Lily passed the woman her change, and looked around a moment. There weren't any other customers, and her mother was out, so it wasn't as though they could be overheard, especially if they went upstairs, "Um... I realize this is sudden but, if you're not busy, would it be alright if I talked with you? About last night."

The direct route I hear. Fillæra murmured in Lily's mind.

Well, not like walking around the forest when you want to meet in the middle is going to help in this case. Lily thought back.

Fillæra giggled, I didn't say it was a bad thing. If it makes you feel better, she probably has as much reason to keep her abilities and what happened last night secret as you do.
Lily blinked. That did make her feel better.

Well this was surprising! Guy certainly didn't expect this girl to have approached him so soon, but the suddenness of her appearance was somewhat comforting. It demonstrated a non-hostile contact. They were still in a public place and unless he had been oblivious to a large majority of her spying's on him then she was likely confirming his identity rather than studying a target. So now was the best time to find out.

"Destiny is a funny thing. Why do you think it brought you here?" Guy said in a normal, but not so loud as to draw much attention.

He did a quick glance at his neighbor to find any identifying features, and then smoothly turn his head back to his computer. His eyes fixed squarely on his screen as he plunged on into his research looking at images of parks in the area, almost as if he didn't want to hear her response.

Mid-morning
V-Corner Convenience Store
“Umm… I realize this is sudden, but if you’re not busy would it be alright if I talked with you? About last night.”

The woman stopped short in turning away from the register.

“I’m sorry, I’m not sure what you mean?” she said, her mind clearly racing to figure out the possible connection, or else the lies she would be about to make up if necessary.

After School
Adelaide Public Library
“Destiny is a funny thing. Why do you think it brought you here?”

Ah, yes, I often find myself wondering that selfsame question. Very perceptive, Mr. Perrin. In this case I suppose my role is that of guidance. The words rang in his head with her voice exactly the way books always said it would.

Guy glanced at the woman. She wore a business suit and dress pants, her dark brown hair straight and she was maybe in her mid-thirties—she had a professional air about her as she dialled into the Internet, never glancing his way.

He returned to his research, scrolling down the massive list of universities, colleges, and educational institutes of every variety.

Very good, don’t let it look like this exchange ever happened. I can see we should have little to worry about with you. To reply you only have to return your thoughts along the link I have established.

Now—are you going to ask who I am, or do you figure on letting me do the talking?
(Guah! I go to put in Lily’s update and I find that Guy has had one in the meantime )

what unusual happenstance! Another gifted individual with a tie to fate! Guy was pleased at the lady's reply, and at the same time puzzled with this new form of comminication. How much could she hear from his thoughts? he formed a few sentences in his mind hoping that it would get to his mysterious ally.

"Who you are is hardly a question that need be asked unless you intend for me to work with you. I understand that you wish that, as you have inquired of my asking, so please just inform me of your intentions, and I would decide after whether I need to know who you are."

This request for partial information seemed prudent as she obviously had the advantage with intell, knowing who he was, but should he not go with what she had in mind for him knowing to much on his end could be dangerous... she had already said that she did not work alone.