The Dead
Some might be curious why the Unseen Woman returned to the home of Lindion Mavienness. Compulsion is an easy solution. But to be compelled requires purpose. Ask what the Unseen Woman's purpose was and you are almost there. If you were able to slip back through time you might notice as the woman watched Lindion mount her carriage and return to her home. You could see the slip of shadow pass across the rooftops, nearly losing the rooftop of the carriage so many times only to gain it again. Fate was smiling on the eventual meeting between the two of them. The Unseen Woman passed through alleys, across balconies and over hedges until she reached outskirts of Newhaven and entered the tranquil dwellings of Vertfield. She listened outside of windows, pressed her eye to the keyholes and passed through the house with little more than a few hairs on the back of the cook's neck and an uncanny shiver which touched Philip.
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| Strange, it just appeared on the page. But now I can't UNSEE it |
Most would have likely grown bored with waiting. But the Unseen Woman was patient. Patience is a lethal weapon in the hands of someone with a burning purpose; a fire which had seared everything until there was nothing but a solitary objective. Well, to be fair, it was two objectives: to protect the only family she had known and to salvage the UNSEEN UNSEEN UNSEEN UNSEEN UNSEEN UNSEEN UNSEEN UNSEEN UNSEEN UNSEEN UNSEEN UNSEEN UNSEEN. But her secondary purpose had been snuffed out in a explosion meant for another. Now the Unseen Woman had a new purpose. That is what compelled her to risk everything to learn about her savior, Miss Feather. She had waited until the gas was lit in the street and for the humans to go to sleep. She crept down from her perch and entered the room of the woman who she had seen the previous day.
It is curious to me why the Unseen Woman told Lindion how grateful she was for her help and didn't just steal the rubbing Thomas had given Lindion earlier. Perhaps the small shred of humanity left inside her, the part that recognized humans as something other than annoying meatsacks, had recognized the human attribute of empathy in the Eldren woman. When honesty and love are such rare commodities in the world, empathy was akin to a drink of water in a desert. But the Unseen woman told Lindion her purpose and explained how she had come to be in Newhaven. She didn't mention the tedious searches and fruitless leads as they searched for UNSEEN UNSEEN UNSEEN. But their path had led to McNab, the silver fox who had begun showing an interest in the Arcane. The Unseen Woman's brother had gotten close to the fox, beguiled him and was about to lay his hands on the first of the magical artifacts being smuggled around the world when everything changed. The package, which had gone missing, returned that fateful night by the hand of someone they had never seen before. The Unseen Woman followed the courier while her brother went upstairs to open the package. She had walked a few steps down the cobbled street when the top of the inn and tavern exploded in a ball of orange fire. The Unseen Woman could not relate feelings she had felt because there were none. There were no tears or feelings of loss. A purpose had been snuffed out. And when that happens, something new will take its place. She would find the Whaling Bomber. And eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. Holy fire for holy fire. But Miss Feather knew nothing of the Whaling Bomber or his motives.
It was a chance encounter that the Unseen Woman overheard the conversation between Lindion and Thomas. She would not leave empty handed as she had supposed. So she did the courtesy of asking before she just took it by force. Fortunately, Lindion was more then willing to make a copy. Lindion returned shortly with the copy and bid the woman farewell. Unbeknownst to her, this would be the last time they would meet. Or at least, that was what the Unseen Woman supposed. But the whims of Fate are ever changing. A chance encounter is almost always rooted in a deeper weaving of the threads.
As the Unseen Woman passed without a trace beyond the walls of mortals and into the darkness, Lindion returned to her bed, only to find a curious knife laying the night table. Lindion was no expert on such things, but even her experienced fingers knew the workings of an enchanted blade. She had no idea what kind of enchantments or how it had been done. She also noted, with a quickened pulse and sharp intake of breath, the old seal of the royal family of Newhaven. The seal of the Forever Empress. With a mind alive with theories and ideas, Lindion fell into a tired sleep, eager for the sun to rise again.
The Night
Thomas Thompson had an eventful day, by all accounts. He was hunched over a makeshift workbench consisting of boxes and a piece of scrap wood he had pulled from the street. After some vigorous scrubbing, he set about repairing Roku's prosthetic suit in the small flophouse rooms owned by Ed. He had just finished tightening the last bolt when Roku appeared in the company of a physician, a Dr Withers. Roku, looking fair since his unfortunate survival, told Thomas about the new case he had taken on. His investigation involved looking into the disappearance of a body which had gone missing and its probably connection to chemicals and potions used in the processing and preparation of corpses. He left with Dr Withers and his suit in tow, and set about his investigation.
I think the conditions of Thomas' life at that moment had made him abnormally snippy. He took care to throw a few barbs in Roku's direction, though their banter was typical in the way they worked together. But perhaps today, the gang of raccoons, with a physician hanging on his coat tails, a butler waiting at his home and apparently none the worse for wear, had darkened Thomas' mood somewhat. Once he had had a chance to return to his work and occupy his mind, another knock came to the door, further aggravating him. This time, a woman was standing outside Ed's door, well dressed, with a beautiful voice and a flicker in her eye that would have made stronger men jealous. Of course, she couldn't hold a candle to Eldren or even human women. But she was pretty in her own way. In that common kind of way that orcs might find attractive. And there was this pretty lady, seeking the help of old Ed, the bounty hunter, and fake swooning like he was a sensational detective who could actually see a clue in front of his face.
Ed seemed taken with her like the shmuck he was. There was talk of a meeting but of course Ed wanted to go with her now. Thomas made the comment about pretty faces taking priority. It wasn't like it was Thomas' future and life which Ed had invariably mucked up. Ed retorted that "Thomas would know better than anyone about a pretty face." Completely uncalled for and rude, but what can you expect from an orcish buffoon. After Ed left, Thomas busied himself with working on his inventions and some new ideas for armoring Roku's prosthetic suit. He just needed some steel...
The Dagger
Jasmine was starting to feel somewhat more comfortable with the role that had been given her. Ed was not what she had expected. He didn't take on like other orcs. He was quiet, sure and carried himself with a sincerity she had known among the humans. She had sold the cigarette case for a more money than she had ever seen in her life and bought a few things. The dress was her costume, the perfume and apartment necessities to sell the part. A few coins in the right hands had helped her get the information about the boy Igglseden. His mother was apparently very important to him. Whatever he had gotten mixed up in had not changed him towards her. She purchased the apartment with a good view of the old lady. Jasmine was constantly worried she had overplayed her hand, but Ed was here and seemed interested in her proposition. She knew where to find the bounty and he would collect it for them and split the reward. After visiting the old lady under a pretense of religious charity, a acting lessing if you will, they retired to her rooms and enjoyed a pipe her porch.
Jasmine had to be cautious. Ed was easy going and friendly. It was not the picture that Roku had painted in her head. But she had been burned before by "nice boys" and Ed could just be that cold hearted. Even as they talked Ed seemed sympathetic to her life and sensed the guilt swimming around in her stomach. He even made her promise to take her share and do something to make her smile. What kind of villain would do that, she wondered behind a cloud of her favorite pipe tobacco. If she had doubts before, they were only growing. She had the knife in her hand still, sharpening the blade with every silly laugh, flash of her eyes and intentional word. The knife would be plunged deep to hurt and injure. She was not so sure she could do it. Time would tell.
The Curious
Across town the enigmatic raccoons had begun their search of the mortuary where the body had been snatched. As Dr Withers had told it, a large sum of chemicals and medicines had been disappearing. It was small quantities over time, easily rationalized as a accounting error. But when Dr Withers had arrived the previous day, someone had removed a body which had been brought in by the Constabulary from the bombing in Low Park. The body had of course been severely burned, almost beyond recognition.
Roku began by examining the offices above, checking locks and windows which all appeared secure. He then looked around the mortuary. Here he found two important clues. One of the windows which sits at street level was broken, looking as though someone forced it from the outside. The other was a bits of plaster dust on the floor near a shelf that held instruments and beakers. Pulling it aside, Roku discovered a giant hole in the wall, carved down into the sewer beneath the mortuary. The chiseling through the pipe and stone seemed to have been done by hand. Following the tunnel, it emerged onto a alley where the window was broken, though a grate and rope which was place just out of view. Roku assumes many things, all of which a good detective would have noticed did not add up. But his dizzying intellect impressed the Constabulary and the mortician, who could not argue with the results later when Roku apprehended the culprit. But you'll have to read about that in the papers.
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