[[Continued from Lyaeus]]

She’d been in her bedroom for days.

Her skin was buzzing, and it made her unsafe. Even Ephraim wouldn’t see her when she was like this. Visha lay curled up on her bed, the little owl of the bracelet Seven had given her pressed tight in the hollow of her fist. She ran that wonderful night over and over in her mind, re-lived it a thousand times. She’d promised to see him again, though she had no wallet contact to give him. But even Catch wouldn’t spring her loose when security was locked down this tight.

Her arm still throbbed from all the blood draws. They’d needed that to fix what she’d broken, she knew, but she hated it every time; fought like a desperate animal, and pleaded, and screamed, and begged. To no avail.

Time began to lose all meaning. She didn’t even watch her favourite shows, feeling it a cruel and mocking reminder of how much she wanted to return to the glamour and mystery of Kallisti.

When Ephraim was finally ready to see her, she didn’t know how long it had been. Visha sat up. She was covered from toes to throat, but she folded her limbs tighter around herself. In contrition or sulkiness, it was hard to say. Her alien eyes peeped over the top of her knees, silent. But the news wasn’t good. He explained she was going to be visiting a doctor, and her heart sank to her ankles at the prospect. She didn’t argue, though. Especially when Ephraim used the C word. 

Cure.

After her evening with Mik and Andre, Tenzin sought solace with the wolves outside the city. They could not understand her troubles, but they soothed the snarls in her mind with simple belonging and companionship, and in that warm den of safety Tenzin let herself be. They shared news and warmth, from good hunting to the delightful antics of pups, and then to the whispers of the dream – of a wolf, the oldest one, who had begun striding amongst them all, agitated by a man who was kin and not.

They also spoke of strange ripples containing ancient power, and more things that woke or rediscovered forgotten secrets in the dream. The wolves watched it all, some necessitating a closer guard than others. Two such names Tenzin did not recognise. When such great powers began rousing like terrible sleeping beasts threatening to wake, the pack must be wary. This information travelled between all the packs, but none really knew what it meant.

A few days tumbled past before she realised her wild heart needed the reminders of man, and on that morning she returned to the safe house. Her feelings over Jacinda had calmed into a steadfast resolution. Chases Butterflies had gently nudged; she had more experience with the kin, had even let one of older pups leave with one so that they might teach and learn the old ways together. And she spoke of someone who needed help.

Jacinda would come with her if she asked. Or at least she hoped. Perhaps outside of the city’s press the conversation would be easier. And perhaps Tenzin would seem less of a monster. She was not ashamed of what she was, and she trusted her companion enough that she did not think Jacinda’s newly discovered epiphany was so fragile in nature as to shatter the moment Tenzin revealed herself. The things she said had been heartfelt and earnest. And in the moment, that had been the problem. Because in the face of Jacinda’s vulnerable honesty, Tenzin had felt like a lie.

But upon her return she was dismayed to find the safehouse empty. It wasn’t remotely fair to feel abandoned, but in the moment of being confronted with all that silence after months of living so closely together, she did. And for the first time she wondered if her visceral reaction had caused irreparable damage. If the space she had needed had not been understood. She felt a whine claw at her chest, but shook it off, and discovered the message that had been left for her.

"Amelia Pond's in trouble. I went to help her...I'll let you know what I find."

She paused over it. Listened a few times. Her fingers traced the empty spot on her wrist, where Silver’s tooth had once sat.

Then she left her own note in turn, written in stilted old-fashioned hand. She’d never been much for the Atharim’s tech.

Be safe. Business outside Moscow. Coming back.

She grumbled at her own inelegance with the language. Added with a frown, in the much easier flourish of her mother tongue: I want you to know who I am.

Then she packed the things she would need, locked up, and left.

It was September a horrible month for Nox.  And made even worse by the fact he was dealing with a broken heart.  So lets pile on the loss of his twin sister and their birthday on top of it -- a real shit month.  It could have been worse.  At least things had calmed with the horde a little -- thanks to Oriena.

But Nox planned to get away.  Not for any reason anyone expected, though sitting with his sister on her birthday fit right in with something he'd do.  And it was part of the plan, but he was doing it for more than that.  Three days of hunting Atharim who were hunting him.  
 
Nox had Sage plant seeds for weeks leading up to the date.  And now it was time to make those actions true.  He was going hunting Oni out near some park -- not too far from where Aurora was buried -- dead in the ground where her murderous boyfriend left her.  
 
Nox knocked on Carmen's door, he knew he could take the time.  Or rather suspected she'd have insisted he take some time off since he'd been pretty much there every night since the break up -- only taking off a few extra hours here and there so he could go to the Almaz early for a fight he wanted in on or to "hang" with Oriena.  And who was going to say no to their boss? 
 
Carmen barely looked up when he knocked, more waving him in and expecting him to talk.  "I know it's our busy days, but I'd like to take the 20th, 21st and 22nd off this month.  Go visit Aurora's grave."  He left off the fact that it was her birthday the 22nd. "I'll be back on the 23rd when we open the doors."

Almaz hadn't turned out like he'd expected.  First Jaxen Marveet recognizing him, then him disappearing, and then the monsters in the fight with the mark.  How was he supposed to kidnap a guy who can kill monsters?

There had to be an angle.  Ashton decided that it was best to hit Kallisti next.  At least that was more his speed.  He could compete with selling sex.  

The lines were a little longer than he expected.  But it had been worth the wait once he got inside the opulent show room.  The bars were fully stocked, the servers and bartenders more than enough eye candy.  The stage was full of beautiful performances.  The one on now was a faux strip tease.  The performer was behind a screen pulling of alluring outfits with various lighting and dance moves.  The music was etherial and it was a beautiful seduction.

But it was the guy standing against the wall that drew his attention.  His mark stood stoic.  He had seen Ashton at the Almaz.  Seen Jaxen disappear.  He didn't seem to eye him anymore than anyone else but he saw the look that said he was going to watch him.  Which was good.  If he was watching him, it meant he'd be able to see his reactions to those he interacted with.  There had to be an angle to this guy, some way in, something Ashton could use against him.

And it didn't take long to find that thing -- or rather that someone.

Ashton sat down at the bar.  The bartenders came and went and when one finally stopped he saw the man on the wall tense up.  It was the barest hint of movement.  But Ashton knew how to read a person.  Whoever this bartender was.  He was something to his mark.

Hope everyone has a great holiday.

The showers brought some things into perspective.  The horde raged in his body.  Their instinct pushing at every facet of his being.  He fought against them.  He knew he had no out -- not tonight.  The fight had rolled him hard.  Ori was not a toy or a game, she was a friend.  And his boss.

Doubt crept in.  But Ori was a fickle beast, if she was there.  He didn't expect her to be but he didn't want to keep her waiting either.  They had made arrangements for the night.  He still couldn't believe that he'd done what he'd done or who with it went against his rules.  He didn't have many, but he had a few.

Nox slipped back into the chain mail shirt and leather pants with a quick cleaning with the power.  They'd be at least clean if not perfect.  The make up from before was gone, though he did apply some eyeliner, that made up for the lack of the rest after the shower.  Ori could live with his lack of show now.  She might say something -- she might not.

The horde roared in his ears with each heart beat.  It wasn't done with him.  A girl usually waited for him.  It had expectations.  Ori wasn't waiting around for him, but he did find her at the bar sipping at a drink in her typical state.  A crocket smile slipped on his lips as he leaned against the bar next to her. "I half expected you to be gone."

He leaned close. "Some place safe?  You thought about it?"

Oriena rolled her eyes and said nothing.  She wasn't going to play his games.  He chuckled and rolled his eyes in return. "Fine then."  He took Oriena softly by the elbow.  He couldn't take her to Kallisti and he wasn't about to take her a safe place if she wasn't going to play ball either.  But there were places he could go.  He used to stay in them regularly, it was where he had hooked up with Elyse the first time.  And there was a kitchen.  His stomach rumbled.

There was a town car waiting outside.  Normally he'd walk, but Ori wasn't a walker, not in her state, nor in heels -- that wasn't fair. 

Nox opened the door for Oriena and helped her inside. He slid in next to her, his hand on her thigh while he made a few texts so he could have food waiting when they got where they were going.  He tucked the wallet into the safe pocket he had in the mail shirt.  And put the rest of his attention on her.  It wasn't romance he offered.  It wasn't even because he felt sorry for himself.  He let the horde have what they wanted and whatever Ori would let him take in the backseat of a car.  His attention was only on her, his mind only on pleasing and taking.  Things would be different once they got where they were going.

Sleeping inside was a novelty.  Staying in a hotel was usually left for the rare times Jacob hunted in a city.  Usually he slept in his car, or on the ground someplace warm and dry.  There weren't a lot of those places in Moscow, and it was far safer and easier to just find a safe house for the Atharim.  There were several throughout the city and easily found -- if you knew what to look for.  And one was close by Kallisti, he could keep an eye on Nox and stay out of his hair.  

Though he had found that it wasn't quite so easy to go around unnoticed since he had contacted The Wicked Truth.  Little had he known when Nox gave him the contact that he'd let the hacker into his phone, and his life and every now and then he'd get a discrete message.

Play nice.  Or I'll tell Nox. 

It didn't matter if Jacob was just following a lead or taking down an obvious monster.  There were so many hiding with in plain sight this city was crawling with humanoid monsters and monstrous ones alike.  It was like something was attracting them all here.

The Wicked Truth kept him informed of when he crossed into Nox's territory, was just about anytime he left the safe house, or tried to get back to it after hunting.  This hacker was dedicated to the boy.  It said alot about loyalty, even if the hacker wasn't law abiding, he was loyal.   Much like most Atharim he knew.  Including Nox.  

He watched the club too.  And the Almaz.  Jacob knew without a doubt that this hacker kept Nox off the radar or most authorities and even the Atharim.  But how could one person watch so many things?  A lot of it had to be automated.  Jacob tested the theroy and started tracking the Nox manually -- there were ways -- Atharim ways that he knew that Nox would know. The shadows were deep in the Red light district.  You only had to know how to speak the language.  Jacob set out to make some new friends around the neighborhood.

[[ooc: any Atharim or red light district denizen is welcome to pop in.  ]]

Zephyr was grateful that the hacker was able to do what was needed.  And she was assured that he'd stay on the job.  She wasn't sure where Jaxen would take the information.  Go for the fortune or allow his brother to be pinned for his antics.

But she also knew that Jaxen wasn't about to give up his freedoms.  The night she'd told Jaxen she'd be back, she donned the little slinky red dress with nothing underneath and a brown trench coat. She went to Jaxen's apartment building and coaxed the door man to let her up.  It hadn't taken much to convince him.  It had helped it was the same man that had been on duty the night she went up with him.  And sex was all her game right now.  

And it wouldn't have been hard to just break in with some other lie.  But this was more fun.

And she knew Jaxen wasn't home as she unlocked the door with a quick twist of her lockpick set and was inside.  There was one thing she had to do before he got home to alleviate her problem and give Jaxen that false security he'd not be giving her a child.  The best of both worlds -- hopefully.