Planning the Hunt

[Nox]

10 → 0/10 S:1

Start of New Day (10)
(1d20+0: [16]+0 = 16) 
Success

10 → 0/10 S:2

Nox didn't know how long he slept in his own bed. Lily on his chest or on the mattress the whole time. She woke him several times during his rest and he absently made a bottle and fell back asleep the second she was done.  No one bothered him, his phone lay oddly quiet too.  Probably Sky's doing now that he was back with in the AI's proximity it could manage many more things and he wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

He wasn't sure when he got in, or what day it was until he looked at his wallet.  His arm ached from the surgery but it wasn't painful and nothing he needed to take the prescribed pills for. They'd probably go for a pretty penny if he wanted to sell them. They'd probably just sit around.

His plate was full but there was something he had to take care of first.  Someone threatened his family and that had to stop. Life had to get back to normal.  Lily was down for the count on his chest and he carefully wrapped her in air before he slide out of bed. But he grasped the power and it slid through his fingers and slithered away to wait in that dark pool of light.  

The fuck?

Nox reached for the power again this time more forcefully than usual. He must still be more tired than he thought. The power came easily and he wrapped Lily up and slide out of bed hardly distrubing the sleeping child as he then wrapped her in the sling they'd purchased day one.  He'd have to shower later, but for now his stomach rumbled. His head hurt and food was top priority and then hunting the hunter who threatened his family.

When Nox had arrived home he hadn't turned on any lights, hadn't done much of anything other than get some water and head to his room. He hadn't seen the color that now adorned the otherwise stark decor he'd left from.  Colorful curtains hung from the windows instead of the drawstring shades that had been there.  Matching pillows sat on the couch which was only going to fucking drive him nuts. Why the fuck do you need pillows on the couch?  It wasn't a guy thing, he liked color. He hated having this much space.  

It was already grating on him.  One of them was crooked and he had the urge to straighten it.  Nox turned from the couch and into the kitchen to idle his mind someplace else.  There were a few new appliances on the counter, all matching in stainless-steal and all the more clutter on the counters.  

Nox did his best to keep his hands to himself and not straighten the things that were bothering him.  Living with people was hard enough, living with people with a lot of shit was going to be a little harder than he imagined.

Somewhere along the lines someone had purchased the girls some tiny toys that lay in a pile in the corner where a table sat. A little house and dolls with matching pink car.  The toys were scattered across the floor in the corner nothing anyone would step on but still...

Nox focused on what he had to do.  Breakfast.  Didn't matter the hour, he was going to make breakfast.  Steak and eggs and pancakes for the kids.  Nox busied himself with making breakfast. He needed to keep his mind busy. "Sky, did the project cameras get installed in here?"

"Yes would you like me to turn them on and bring something up?"

"Yeah.  Pull up all the information on file for Peter Andersen.  We are going hunting today."

The familiar green ichor of the holo screen flickered in front of Nox on the other side of the island he was working on. "Where is he now?"

"Last seen reported entering the Baccarat Mansion at a side entrance."

 He was staying at HQ. That's good to know it was open again. But it also sucked it would make getting to him harder.

As Nox started searing the steak he thought about what next. He needed to bait him out.  Elyse might not like that. But he'd ask.  But... "Show me a map of where Peter has been since he's been to Moscow."

Sky plotted the map with visuals pinned at each location he was spotted.  Nox flipped through the visuals and the holo videos as he cooked.  The horde was itching. And he was starving.  The threat to family edge on the horde more than usual with Lily strapped to his chest.  The horde was going to enjoy the hunt.  He was going to have to be careful.

Use OP to cradle Lily (10)
(1d20+0: [3]+0 = 3) 
Fail

10 → 1/10 S:2

Reach for the OP again (10)
(1d20+0: [19]+0 = 19) 
Success

10 → 1/10 S:3

[Elyse]

Elyse woke up not feeling the greatest. It wasn’t illness, but it was always a crap shoot on what her mood would be that day. She wasn’t really ever good right now, and most days it was either alright or completely falling apart. Today she was somewhere in between. She certainly wasn’t okay and found it hard to be motivated to do anything, but she wasn’t a complete wreck.

Marta had spent a second night with her and she was up before Elyse had been. A desk lamp shown on the paper she was drawing on. Marta looked up at the movement and stifled a yawn as she said ”Good morning,”. The girl was clearly still sleepy.

A few moments later, Marta came onto the bed and wrapped Elyse in a hug. ”Why are you sad?” she asked gently.

”It hasn’t been an easy week for me,” Elyse answered after a moment.

”You need to cry,” it wasn’t a question.

Elyse held Marta and cried, letting herself feel the sadnes, and after she felt better. ”Thanks, Marta,” she said, still surprised that the girl was so good at reading people. ”You really need to go back to bed.”

Marta nodded. The lack of a fight indicating just how tired the girl was. She mentioned nothing about having nightmares. There were many things that could hav caused her to have problems sleeping - some more dangerous than others. She would ask Marta about it later. Something in the girl’s scent told Elyse she was hiding something.

Elyse got dressed while Marta went back to bed. Marta’s breathing soon slowed indicating she had fallen asleep. Elyse left and went downstairs to get some breakfast. She still felt incredibly upset, but it wasn’t to the point where she wouldn’t eat. The smell hit her relatively quickly. Someone was cooking and she doubted the other kids were up yet. Maybe Hayden had come again?

When she got to the kitchen standing there wasn’t Hayden, but Nox and a baby. She blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected to see him even though she knew he would be arriving again. If Nox was back then that meant that…she wasn’t ready for this.

Elyse took a couple of deep breaths and approached the counter, sitting down and bracing herself. ”Good morning. It’s good to see you,” she said, and it wasn’t a lie. She was glad to see him even if she knew it meant the deed would be done soon if it wasn’t done already.

[Nox]

Nox didn't expect anyone to get up so early. He'd figured out the time. Most of the house worked Kallisti hours including the kids. It was odd. It fit Sterling's habits. So when Elyse sat down across the island from him he was a bit surprised. "Morning. Not sure it's good for either you or me. Though I think Lily's morning is pretty good. I wish I could sleep all day like she does."

"Coffee?" He didn't really wait for an answer instead made her her favored cup of coffee and poured his second black coffee and took a long draw. "Hungry?" Nox popped a piece of steak into his mouth. He was cooking a fresh one, this one was the one he'd brought home and hadn't eaten last night.

"Staying here hasn't been too much of a problem?"

[Elyse]

Elyse accepted the coffee with gratitude. Nox was right. It wasn’t a good morning. She hadn’t had a good morning in a week. Well - the morning with Hayden had been a good one even if it hadn’t started that way. Days weren’t good either. They were either bad or worse. Everything seemed to be falling apart.

”please,” she said to his offer of food. She was hungry, but even if she wasn’t, she wouldn’t turn down Nox’s cooking.

Nox’s next question made her think. She lived her with a bunch of kids. Elyse looked and saw the girl that he carried. She was adorable. It brought a small smile to her lips. Elyse hadn’t wanted kids, but the past few days had caused her to reconsider that. Of course, when you knew that in a few days, you were going to be the only one in your bloodline left, that was something you did think about. A decision wasn’t made on that - and couldn’t be made until she could think clearly enough to make important decisions such as children.

”Not at all. The kids are great and I mostly keep to myself anyways. It’s probably more inconvenient for everyone else that I’m here more than the other way around,” the guilt had been easier to manage, but it still managed to show itself in small comments like that every once in awhile. ”Its given Marta an opportunity to get out more as well. She met Sterling and Sterling adopted her like she does everyone else. It’s been good for her. The kids here love her too - she actually stayed with me for the past couple nights. Came to the group session to talk to Hayden - something happened there. Shes certainly more confident now, and I’m certain I saw her eying Jackson yesterday. That’s new.”

[Nox]

Nox smiled. "Hayden's good at what he does. At least he's close to her age. Better than crushing on Hayden."

The steak was nearly finished, he'd probably have stopped just for himself a little while ago but for others he'd at least not leave it quite so bloodly.

The pancakes were the least favorite for Nox they required the most clean up. Lily started to fuss and Nox ran a finger down the side of her face and she stilled a little. She was probably getting hungry too so he made a bottle as he waited for everything.

He was surprised that the food didn't wake more people, maybe the three floors was a good idea. Keep them away while he was cooking. Less mess.

"I'm glad it's not been too much of a problem." Nox plated some steak and eggs for Elyse and pushed it towards her with a fork. And the stack of pancakes in the middle were all up for grabs. It was an ease to the next question he supposed as he sipped at his coffee and took a few bites of his steak and eggs. "So your dad is in Moscow at the Baccarat. I want to flush him out. It's more convincing if I give him his actual target and not just a faked instance. It'll still be placed by Sage, but you'd actually be there. You can say no. But I promise he won't hurt you. He won't even get close."

[Elyse]

There were reasons why Marta had likely not crushed on Hayden. Elyse wasn’t sure if Nox was aware of them or not. Marta had told her that she had met Nox once when she was still in Mexico, but they hadn’t talked. It was likely without a face, Nox wouldn’t know who Marta actually was. They would meet again face to face soon enough. When Nox mentioned Hayden was good at what he did, she had to smile a bit. Hayden was good at a lot of things.

Elyse began to eat her steak and eggs as Nox began to ask about her getting involved in the hunt for her farther. Elyse focused on her plate, chewing slowly and putting new bites in her mouth soon after she swallowed. The nice thing about eating when there was a question you weren’t sure how to answer was that you had an excuse not to talk. The problem wasn’t that it was a bad plan. Tactically it was a good one. Sage was good, but he wasn’t perfect. Using live bait was always preferable to something artificial. Her father might not be the most technically proficient Atharim out there, but he was very observant and he knew Elyse’s face and mannerisms well. He might spot a fake.

But Elyse didn’t know if Nox truly understood what he had asked her to do.  There was more to this question than a simple yes or no. So she focused on eating as she thought of how to answer the question. Nox would see her methodology in eating for what it was. It was a stall tactic. She wasn’t trying to hide that.

Finally her plate was clear she grabbed a few pancakes to put on her plate. She began to speak as she put butter and syrup on the pancakes. ”Im not afraid of my father hurting me, Nox” she said, placing the syrup back on the counter. ”My father has hurt me in a way that I’m not sure I fully understand yet, and I’m not sure I’ll recover from,” Elyse put her fork down, and her hands crossed to her forearms, her fingers beginning the scratching motions that held the desire for self harm at bay. ”You want my help, but I can only offer it if you can promise me two things. One. I can’t see it happen. It would be best if I didn’t hear it either. Use your power to blind me and stop my ears temporarily or knock me out - whatever. And two - you must never tell me how you did it. Even years down the road - this is a secret you never tell me. You must promise me these things because I don’t think I can handle seeing and knowing that.” she looked up and met his gaze, her stare completely serious. ”Im not mentally well Nox. When I say I can’t handle it, it’s not out of fear for myself. I won’t become the monster he says I am. This is why I can’t take care of this myself.  If you can’t promise me those things, it’s best for everyone for me to stay out of it.”

[Nox]

Nox was grateful she was being honest. "I can make all those promises but shit happens once a plan is made. You know that. I can keep my mouth shut that's not the problem. I can't guarantee you won't see it and while I'm good. I'm not that good. I need you to see and hear things around you, to act natural for all of it to work."

Nox looked at the map of Moscow he had in the holo projects in the living room. It was a sickly green that made the room glow oddly. "What if you are sitting at a table here." Nox walked around the counter and pointed the Artskaf cafe. "A cute little cafe having coffee. And I'll do it near the Red Square. And if doesn't walk then we'll get you out of there and try something else. But I just need him out of the Bacarrat."

Nox smirked. "I could do it outside the Bacarrat. If any channeler in there senses me they ain't gonna say anything."

[Elyse]

Nox got her tactical juices flowing and now she was really interested. She liked this kind of stuff as much as the hunting portion. A trait that came from having parents on both sides of the aisle - a planner and a hunter. She looked at the map and the places he pointed to. It gave him a whole lot of space to do the deed and have it finished before her father was close. It was a good plan and the chances of success were high.

”Dont tell me,” she said when he mentioned the channelers inside the Baccarat sensing him. It was likely he would use his power and she knew that. But diligence prevented mistakes. ”I don’t want to know.”

She looked at the map more. Nox had said it. Plans could go awry really fast. The best course was to plan for the best possible contingencies. ”Best time to do it would be rush hour - the streets will be more full - slow him down. He might start to use back alleys as well to avoid congestion. Might,” she emphasized the word. If so it would give Nox a chance to do it more quietly. ”id want an extraction if he gets past here,” she pointed to a spot on the map. ”Past this street and I have time to get out. I don’t want to risk going wolfy in a public place like that. Will you want to communicate directly or…” she smirked a little. ”Would Sage like to take me on a little coffee date?”

[Nox]

Nox grinned at her "Wicked will be eyes in the sky, I don't think he wants to be sitting anywhere in an uncomfortable chair, even if it's with a pretty girl. But we'll have comms, nothing intrusive if you don't want him connected."

Rush hour would slow him down, but there would be too many people, and while Nox wanted him dead in public he didn't want that many people. "You don't want details, so I'll refrain from them, but rush hour will be bad. Too many people and I'll get caught. It's best to just lure him out, get him outside the Baccarat. And do it before he gets in his car. If he leaves on foot then that can be done a little differently."

But he agreed with the tactical line. "That's a good perimeter. Sky overlay the underground tunnels on the portion of the map"

Oddly the computer complied but didn't speak. Nox suspected it had to do with who else was in the room but he didn't say anything. "You can take a pair of landwarriors and put them on if an extraction is necessary. I have mapped all the local entrances and tunnels and how to get back home." Nox tapped a set of instructions into the holoscreen and the plausible paths home all light up from the spot he indicated on the map before. "He won't see you. Not ever. And the tunnels are as safe as they can be. We'll stash a pack should you need it for defense. Your crossbow is best, the gun will bounce too much in the tight spaces. But I'll clear them all on my way to the Bacarrat so it'll just be ones that move in after I'm done."

[Elyse]

Elyse nodded. It was a sound plan. The fact her father wasn’t expecting it would help matters as well. Then it hit her. She was planning her father’s assassination. What scared her was how little she minded it. It would hurt when he was gone, but part of her quit thinking of him as her father when he had murdered her mother. This was justice. She just couldn’t believe she was involved.

”Wicked can be connected if he wants. He’ll be listening anyways,” she said, aware that he was probably both listening and watching right now. She resisted the urge to give the camera the tinge just for fun.

She looked at the tunnels for her extraction. The map giving her memories of when she and Nox first met. Nox had sent her a program like this - albeit a little more rudimentary than what Sage had likely perfected. ”Have to talk to Adrian. He knows where my weapons are. I do not. One of you I hope know how to check a crossbow? It shouldn’t be too bad, got it in shape before…well…you know. The boot knife and combat knife too for close quarters if I need it.”

She sighed. ”Im going to need time to mediate and Get my emotions under control. I also need to get Marta back home. When do you want to do this?” she figured it would be today.