Casey went and got some dados and a couple changes of clothes before heading back to Kallisti. She spent sometime there watching the shows and even got some personal attention from a dancer named Jasmín. Lots of dancers - both male and female. Some sang. Some (including Jasmín) had used magic. Elyse danced too. There were lots of skimpy outfits and a lot of flesh. It’s was a lot of fun. 

At the end she sent Elyse a message and found her quickly. To her surprise Jasmín was waiting there too. ”This is Anna - she kind of lives in the same building I do.”

Anna gave her a grin and the trio walked to a building a couple of blocks away. Anna and Elyse said good night and she continued up the stairs while Casey and Elyse entered a room. ”You can have the bed and I’ll take the floor if that’s fine with you.”

Casey shrugged. ”Its big enough for both of us and it doesn’t make me uncomfortable to share.” Elyse was being careful to show that she wasn’t trying to make this about being intimate. It made a set feel more comfortable as a whole. 

Elyse nodded and they change into pajamas. That also didn’t bother Casey. She’d already seen most of what Elyse had to offer and generally didn’t care if others saw her. Casey climbed on to the bed and waited. 

”Im going to lead you through the exercises I go through to get into the dream. If it works, I’ll see you there in a moment. If not I’ll be back soon and we can try other things.”

Casey nodded as Elyse turned down the lights and got in next to her. Then Casey followed her instructions, mostly breathing exercises to calm her mind. Even so, she felt herself getting tired and sleepy. She let herself succumb. It was was she was here. 

Then she was there. She recognized it as that weird dream she had been in. Knowing that she decided to come here herself made it less scary and she looked around.  She was in Elyse’s room, but it wasn’t.  For now she was alone. She waited for Elyse to arrive. She said she would and Casey trusted that was the case.

((Continued from here))

Claude had continued looking through Nox Durante's file. Another Atharim named Zephyr had done extensive research on him. The red light district was a sort of perimeter.  On top of that, a schedule, of all things.  Nox was a creature of habit it seemed. So he found himself entering the Red Light District. There were drones there and at times, he would see them, watching him probably. But they didn't do more than watch. At least now. 

Claude sighed. This was an incredible pain. He wasn't too thrilled about any of this. He wasn't scared of Nox. Nox was an ex-Atharim channeler and from what he could see, he was incredibly skilled. There were reasons why he should be, but given their conversation with Eliot, he wasn't worried that Nox would attack him unless Claude did something to aggravate him.  Eliot had no reason to lie, and Claude had no reason to antagonize the man.

So Claude found himself outside of the man's home. A building - looked like a business building too.  The research he had seen showed that too.  The bottom floor had businesses in it.  Claude hesitated a bit, wondering if he should ring the bell or just go in. He wasn't sure at all. He stood outside for a bit before finally ringing the bell.  He didn't want to intrude or anything and he wanted to do anything he could to stay on Durante's good side.

He'd done his due diligence. He'd scoured those he'd collected. They all had their uses and he'd work with them to accomplish what he wanted, but Durante fit his needs. Not only was he Atharim. He was visible to the world. And all Eliot had to do was reveal to the world what he actually did. Not the building collapsing or the killing of godlings at their behest, but the saving of people. Of using his power. And that was where he would use him -- he was the face of the New Atharim, his Reliquiae, as it were. 

But first he had to approach Durante, and that was truly the easiest part of it all, even courting Helena proved to be more difficult than it would be to finding the boy, and convincing him to help. And even if he said no, Eliot was going to give him no options.

That was why he had asked one favor of Jacob Dean. One favor to keep his little secret about harboring a godling. It was easy to manipulate folks when they had such juicy things to put out there.  Durante, he hid nothing, he was an open book. Though it was hard to make things stick with his pet hacker, but Nox hide nothing except his extra-ciriculars for the Atharim.  And the Atharim kept those hidden more so than he did himself.

Three days before Eliot approached Durante outside his home on his daily run, he released a multitude of videos into the dark web. And into the virtual sphere. There was some raw footage of Nox clearing the tunnels. Fireballs flying from the sides of the screen as creatures of the horde fell. Sometimes they came from other angels that weren't Nox, but Eliot cut away any glimpses of the others. It was easy when it was just him and Carpenter flinging fireballs. They stayed out of each others way and the horde melted under their attacks. It was epic.

There were no names, but there were subtle queues that this was the same 'angel', who had been fighting at the Almaz and dancing at Kallisiti. The change in name had been most beneficial.  An Angel, though not the angel Nox perhaps wanted.  But still the footage had been linked to him, and he to it perpetuity now. Fighting monsters was part of his persona.

Now all Eliot had to do was give him a proper face to the Reliquiae. He would lead even if he didn't want to. But he'd have the choice first.

It wasn't long before Nox crossed the street and in front of the bench he sat. Eliot called out. "Nox Durante. Might I have a word?" Eliot pulled his left sleeve up revealing the snake biting his own tail as the boy passed by. Eliot was frail and feeble, he was no threat to him, but he drew upon the power that they both shared. It was not a threat, but a welcome invitation to sit and talk.

Claude’s migraine was mostly gone. It was just the dull ache it had been at the start. Sleep it appeared had helped in that regard. He had a cubicle at Atharim HQ now and he was scrolling through some information. He really didn’t want to be here right now, but he needed access to the Atharim databases. He had to find Nox Durante.  He didn’t really want to do that either, but it seemed his survival depended on it. Nora had her own mission now - infiltrating the Brotherhood. She was finally getting field work.  She deserved it, but Claude couldn’t help but worry. He was sure that she was worried about him too. She wasn’t really thrilled with him having to find Durante, but there were few options. 

He started at the safe house, looking up Kallisti. Social media posts showed that it was obvious god powers were at work there. Still he’d rather go there than Almaz - but both made him uncomfortable. It wasn’t the violence or sex that did it. Well - maybe the sex did, but violence didn’t bother Claude. Useless violence did. So he made the decision to start there. He doubted going to the club and asking for him would do much good even though it was an option should he find no others. 

So now he looked through their databases, seeing Kallisti come up as well. It was listed as a dangerous location as well. Durante was probably protecting it somehow. He wanted to avoid looking up Nox directly. It was likely to be flagged and he’d rather avoid that, but he was finding nothing. He had to look at his file. That was the only option now. He hated being backed into a corner. He pulled up Durante’s file. The man lived in the Red Light District. Like Kallisti, the district was flagged as dangerous. A couple failed attempts at capture/elimination were listed. He began to scroll to see if anything relevant would pop up. If the file was flagged by fellow Atharim, he could say he was possibly looking in to pursuing him. He’d rather not have that conversation though.

((continued here))

[[continued from Lunch Date [Estella Restaurant]]]

Traffic in the city was always jammed, and she had plenty of time to think in the back of the cab. Jay was being held in an office, or in his words, “hell.” Natalie had no idea what kind of consequences awaited, or how much Vellas might know about the surrounding circumstance. Even if he did, military command was unlikely to be yielding just because he was grieving. Jay’s value as a Dominion would likely spare him more than any consideration of his losses at the Amengual’s hands, let alone the Custody’s complicity in it all. Even if she wanted to, she had no power to interfere in his punishment.

An Amengual diplomat at the Garden hadn’t surprised her, though it made her stomach sink. Nothing had been announced officially yet, but all the pieces were there: Zacarías’ presence at the charity ball, Scion Marveet’s interference in Mexico, Jessika Thrice’s continued rise. Natalie kept abreast of the changing politics, but distant too – she had little intention of being a player in that game, despite her grandfather’s hopes, and even less to be used once more as a pawn. The Custody sanctioned even the most heinous of crimes so long as the beast was fed and the facade was maintained. One only had to look at a wealthy Moscovite family like the Vasilievs to see it. The cartels of Mexico, so long as they conformed to Nikolai Brandon’s vision, would be no different. She couldn't shield Jay from that either.

The piano musicbox Emily had gifted her sat in her lap as they idled, cupped lightly inside her hands. She’d been listening to the tune play a while amidst the heavy din of city noise – impatient horns and the start-stop rumble of the engine as they made crawling progress. The window was fogged white with the cold. It was only late afternoon but the sun was already squeezed out empty, shadows chasing the frozen spaces into a gloomy night.

He is a soldier, my darling. Nothing more, nothing less. And he belongs to the Ascendancy. That is all I intend to say on the matter.

If there was one thing she hated, it was when words she didn’t want to hear were true. Those ones had followed a warning she was quite prepared to ignore, but it didn’t change the fact that Edward was right. Jay was a ghost in his own life. Time wouldn’t heal what was broken, only brutalise what was left. She didn’t want to watch that. And alone she wasn’t enough.

She’d never intended to even inform the Channeling Consulate of her plans for Belizna, let alone Brandon’s sly military arm, lest they be crushed before they even started – else worse, be beholden down the line to the whims of a government Natalie didn’t trust. She knew little of Commander Vellas, and that little comprised of things she sometimes wondered if Jay was actually supposed to impart, or realised he did. But there was respect there, and Vellas’s own route to his position had been unconventional at best. It was worth the risk to find out more.

Gaining access to him wouldn’t be easy though, even for a Patron’s granddaughter. Fortunately Natalie was persistent, most especially with sufficient motivation. If she could gain an audience with the Ascendancy himself in order to discover what had happened to Jay after his arrest, she could certainly find the man he trusted to lead his men now Jay was a Dominion among them. 

Right now Vellas would likely be occupied with smoothing over the incident, but it would take time to force her way to his direct line anyway. She tucked the musicbox away and leaned over to pay the bored driver. They’d already been stuck in this spot twenty minutes, and there was a coffee shop nearby. She could walk home from there when she was done.

“Yes,” Samóch said softly as the gateway snapped shut behind him, the air whispering with its departure. “I did enjoy that.”

And a part of him had. Watching Ashtaroth writhe on the spikes had scratched a very specific itch.

Still, the practical corner of his mind had believed the fool might actually accept the deal. Wouldn’t that have been simpler? Cleaner? Ashtaroth was skilled, no doubt. A perfect illusionist. A perfect tool.

But he had refused. And while Samóch wasn’t surprised, he was disappointed.

The easier path is rarely the one you get to walk, he reminded himself. But there are always forks. Hence the sudden jump across the world

MotoGoGo News
10 Days Ago

With three laps to go in the Suzuka Kato Grand Prix, Ducati's Nika Raskov was struck in the helmet by a brake pad loosed from the machine of Triumph Norton's Arris Wiltshire as he served a long lap penalty.  Raskov was rushed to the Imperial Trauma Centre in Kyoto where she was taken in for surgery.  MotoGP’s Medical Director, Dr. Carmen Molena, issued the following statement.  “Nika Raskov was stabilized en route to ITC Trauma where she underwent procedures intended to relieve swelling and correct a skull fracture at the impact site.  The surgeons opted for continuous sedation post-op to manage the injuries and will continue to monitor for progress.”  

The race was red flagged as completed with Raskov taking the win followed by Ducati teammate Alex Castori in 2nd and Honda’s Yoshi Taka completing the podium.  Castori was noticeably missing from post-race activities. 



Comments (4061):


@Bike-to-basics97
This was wild to see in person.  My section all thought there was a problem with the bike ontil the LifeDrone appeared. The medical crew whisked her away faster than I've seen since Kosk broke his leg in Monte Carlo.

@D3monstrate
I can't believe the Meds and transpo got to her at nearly the same time.  Hopefully now they'll listen to the calls for more wall entries. 

@Moar_Speed
Hopefully it won't take the death of a rising superstar to enact change.  RIP NIKA ;_;

@GP-Fan
I was right on row 5 when it happened, too.  You could tell by the way she got off the bike there was something wrong.  Couldn't see the blood yet cuz of her red leathers.  We noticed they were wet though after they took her helmet off. It was tough to see.  I'm not sure how much the straight cams got of that though cuz she was already in the drone. 

Posting my wallet cam's footage below.

Raskov_Last_Moments.wvid

@Czech_Czech
WAT?!?!?!! She can't be gone! 

@Annas_Hammers
 *just cries*

@Danish_Decider
Not really a fan but rather see a rival beaten fairly on the track than like this. 

@NoddyNuff
RIP.

@LiveRed
I bet Alex takes a knee for the remaining races. He won four times and Ducati can't afford to make him race.  Everyone says Alex and Nika were close teammates so I can't even imagine how he's doing. 

@Round9
Isn't Nika in the lead?

@I_am_Stig
Wasn't she…    RIP # 3

@Wheel_Deal
This made me bawl for real.
 
@British_Brakelight
Impossible news.  Followed her since World Superbike.  Supremely talented rider and by all accounts, a good person as well.  I haven’t words.

@Scooter_Trash
What lap? After 14 tho cuz i saw she won before seeing this. I just got home from work and am watching the race now!

@F1Won
Red flagged and still won.

@Casual_Peep
Huh? I started watching this sport after I saw her TomboyX ad. So hawt. Sad to here.  How did she win if she didn't cross the finish line?

@TechniQ
If the race has gone over the halfway mark, scoring reverts to the previously completed lap.

@REVVVit45
Prev lap completef counts.

@REVVVit45
Completed.  Ugh.

@PodiumNut
R.I.P. Nika.

@Paddock_Rat
Rip.

@RedWhiteBlue
FOREVER RIDDING WITH US.

@Loch_Guinness
You lot are thickk. That vids clearly AI gen.

@GP-Fan
Post Removed due to violation of Member Conduct Agreement. 

@Assphalt
Lol.

@Hammertime
THANK GAWDD!!!!!!!

@LawwyBloke
Raskov is in hospital rn.  

@Real_deal99
ASCNN said she's in surgery.

@Downshift379
Nothing from Ducati yet.

@NeverPit
They closed the garage doors as soon as the bike was back.
 
@Castorian_Leviosa
Hope she pulls through!

@KashiMaru
From my brother's window you can see the LifeDrone pad. We saw it land but didn't think to catch it on vid.

@Cant_wait
Yeah she seems so chill.

@Engin33r_Guy
Can't believe they still had the podium ceremony without her. 

@Kay_TM
Yah with one dude!

@Pedros_Peeps62
AwKwArD.

@RaceIt
Seriously.  Taka looked so uncomfortable. 

@Track_is_Lava
He was so happy in Parc Ferme thinking he'd scored P2!  Alex too when he pulled into the P1 spot. Sad for Anna Hamilton missing out on 3rd but she wasn't really in the race.  It's weird we all knew about the red flag before the riders.  I mean yeah they passed only yellows.

@RR_BMW
I wonder how they felt afterwards having passed her walking. Like they'd seen a ghost? Must have been creepy.  I sure felt odd.

@Michys_Shoes
Scroll up RR…that link was AI spambot.  Mods should flag it soon. 

@Helmet_Hair
Did you see GPsc00p's followup?  They iso'd the convo on track.  Who is Olivia, anyone know?

@Dry_Clutch
GET WELL SOOON DEMON!  <3 <3 <3

@Tough_Nut
Dunno…tha bike? 

@Norton_Triumph_Anti_Virus
Aww, that's cute she named her bike!

Page 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11…

Nika stared at the ceiling, palms behind her head, trying but failing to rest. Months. It felt much longer but really it had only been months. What started as a long discovery meeting morphed into a late night engineering crisis, urgent computer modeling, hurried part printing and last minute tests. The near disaster had become a week of tense, sleepless, nonstop and all-in disaster prevention. 

A week incommunicado became two then three then a month of a habit broken. Nika was well into the flyaway races by then; races on the far side of home as the team stayed in South America, Australia, and New Zealand. Then her injury in Japan right before the month-long break.  

She remembered only being tucked in on the straight when a tiny spark just outside her field of vision grew into a brilliant crescendo. There was an echo of a crack just preceeding. An aperture of darkness overtook the bright before a pin prick of light appeared once more to reveal Liv's face. 

Only it hadn't been; the Japanese doctor didn't look anything like her. Eight more days were lost in the blink of an eye. Eight days and two surgeries for the swelling to go down.  

Nika had watched footage of herself sit up briefly after the brake pad's impact, before the Ducati veered casually toward the wall on the fastest part of the track. She too had held her breath as the clutch lever guard sparked at the swiping contact, red bike wobbling ominously in what normally would have ended in a terrible crash. Only, irrefutable visual and cataloged data saw the pilot open the throttle and stabilize the bike once more. She did not recall downshifting to naught or calmly lean the machine against the wall and dismount.  

Trackside media had sussed out what she'd kept repeating to the medical staff who'd sprinted toward her. “Tell Olivia I'm sorry.” Over and over regardless of the question as she was guided toward the emergency transport. Nika's earnest request drew agreement from the caretakers eventually and whatever part of her that had kept going finally shut down.  

Olivia.

Nika's eyes strayed back to her wallet. Guilt and regret that was enough to bubble from her subconscious when nothing else remained had not lessened at all since she'd been woken up.  

A message was already typed out on the screen and had been for a while now. There was something more here. A weight. Urgency? Desperation? She didn't know why or how but Nika knew without a doubt that this girl would change her life. It scared her more than anything. 

“I am so sorry I disappeared. Can I tell you that in person?”

She hit send.

Casey got a cab for both her and Cadence and Cadence gave the driver an address. Casey was quiet as they rode, and Cadence seemed to be okay with that. Guilt always welled up within her at the thought of the power. It was an old guilt that really had no reason to exist anymore. She had been told constantly growing up that witches were evil. Hell, she hadn't even been allowed to celebrate Halloween as a kid. It seemed like everything in her childhood had made her feel guilty. 

Some of those guilts she had dealt with.  She no longer felt guilty about her attractions towards people. Sex was fine too most of the time, but this one. She had just never dealt with this one. Maybe with some training this one would dissipate. Casey looked out as the cab drove through the city and they entered the Red Light District. Casey looked back over at Cadence.  Cadence met her gaze and just smiled. This seemed an odd place to go, and she was surprised Cadence would have even gone there.

The cab pulled up outside of a building. It looked to be some sort of a club. The cabbie was paid and the women went to an employee entrance and Cadence entered a code on a keypad next to the door. The questions were building, but Casey remained silent as she followed Cadence into the building. They arrived at a lounge. Plush chairs decorated the room. The place reminded her of a strip club, but it seemed more...classy...than that. A strip club would certainly make sense in the Red Light District at least. 

They weren't alone in the room. Some faces turned as the pair entered, and Cadence noted that some of them were kids. Kids? At a strip club?Casey stopped, uncertain of what was going on. 

"This is Kallisti House of Burlesque," Cadence informed her. "And here we might be able to figure you out."

Cadence turned and Casey looked around, trying to put pieces together. "Everyone, this is my friend and bassist, Casey. I just learned that she can do what we can do, but she's struggling to touch her power. I was hoping we could help her."

Casey didn't speak. She was still trying to put pieces together. Of course the drama was on purpose. She had that sort of relationship with Cadence. Finally Casey looked at Cadence and gave her a smile before turning to the crowd. "Ummm...hi everyone."