-Adan, shaken. And stirred-

Adan awoke to a girl...no...no, wait, a boy, one that looked eerily similar to the girl running the shop. He asked after Adan, but, of course, he was still too frazzled. So, to relieve the strain, he untransformed. As he shifted, his head was relieved of what felt like a steel band wound tightly on it. He raised his hand to check, but, of course, there was nothing there. He turned to the twin and, accepting the help up, said, "Yeah, I'm okay, thank you. Sorry about your, uh..." he muttered, motioning to the complete wreckage behind him. "I don't know how to make it up to you, but I guess I could work here or something."

((tis late. Sorry about the shit post. It'll get better once we breath some more life into this thing again, I promise.))

_________________
YOU MUST ALWAYS UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING I SAY

IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND YOU MUST ASK OTHERS FOR CLARIFICATION

EVERYTHING I SAY IS IMPORTANT

{William Livingstone}

_Bookstore_

William twisted the doorknob as he opened the door of the only bookstore, he knows about in this corrupted city. He stepped right in and as he walked right in he pat his forehead dry. " Ugh, I'm going to need a lot of reading material." He remarked as his nerves was still bothered by the emptiness. With a hand raise up, he called out to anyone in the bookstore " Excuse me, what kind of books, do you have?" He asked sincerely. " There is a couple of certain books, I'm in the need to purchase. " William went on to say.

_________________
"Fate smiles on the strange. So its a good thing, I'm the strangest of all." - William Livingstone, Cirque de la Nuit

~Abraham Wylie~

----Location: Graveyard of Centre Merchurdon, The "Empty" Church Grounds----


Grimacing, the ghoul watched as William walked away. As it turned out, the other man could change his appearance as well. A trick? Magic? Hereditary? He could not tell. But it was...interesting. Could this mean he had some competition in the field of disguising oneself? Needless to say, he had to admit Abe sort of liked the man. However, he did not trust him by far. He knew that he knew, and wasn't sure how he would deal with the knowledge or suspicion. It bothered him, it also bothered him that the William felt a need to remind him of what was so obvious. No matter, he had a task to do. He needed to return home so he could meditate on the upcoming deal. There were many possible results. It was good to be prepared.

So, he said in return, "And good day to you too", turning his back on William, heading towards his bike. He was surprised to learn it was still there, and the theatre too! The ghoul walked over to it, and caressed it. For a moment, he feared he had lost it. Now that would not have been a fine predicament, would it? He ran a hand over the treasure gently, like a prized item. There was still that aura of magic surrounding it. It was a soothing thing, particularly after his experience in the church. He mounted the bike, the theatre in the back, safe, sound. Not looking at the looming building behind him, Abraham rode through the graveyard, away from the haunted place on this accursed line. He was heading home, or what he perceived to be home, for now.


----Location: The Slums of Merchurdon; The Scrap yard, “The Garage”----

An old beggar appeared in the scrapyard on a old bike which carried what seemed to be a toy theatre along with him. He did not know it at the time, but was watched by a pair of pigeon birds. Lovers, most likely. They seemed particularly angered by this beggar's presence. Perhaps it was his look? His smell? Or something else? The female one, lunged at him first, with the fury matched to that of a lioness, the male followed shortly after. The pair attacked the beggar as a duo, scratching at his skin and clothing. The beggar on the other hand, grew agitated by their assault and attempted to wave them off.

"Get off me ya blasted birds!"

The pair flew away, for a moment the beggar thought he won, but they spun and attacked again. The beggar gritted his dirty teeth, and swung what seemed to be a walking stick at the male. The female screeched as she watch her mate fall, before she could fly to his side, the sharp end of the walking stick teared at her as well. She too fell to the ground. The beggar walked up to them, tsk-ing disapprovingly. "I remember you two" he said to them as they lay there. Just then his face warped into something that looked nothing like an old beggar at all. It warped and churred into something completely different, the blank face of a ghoul. Pitch black eyes narrowed themselves as a smirk spread across its face. "You're the birds from this morning. Sorry to have eaten your children, but as they all say, a ghoul has to eat." He poked one of them, the male, with the end of his stick. "Now that I mention it, I am hungry..." He beamed at the two of them, "And you two happen to be food!"

Later...

Abraham had before him a nice plate of two roasted pigeons. He sat at the table by the window, looking outside thoughtfully. He could still fill the chills running down his spine. And is that not to be expected? The journal laid on the table on his left side after all. He had not bothered to look in it again yet, but he was already thinking of what he was going to charge. It was not an easy task, to think of the perfect cost. He needed to find a way between the realms of cheapness and expensiveness. It certainly was not easy. And the book haunted him, with it's mysteries left uncovered. It had that strange effect, but Abe did not want William to be right in this matter. He knew how Curiosity killed, just like it almost erased William today. He took a bite out of one of the roasted pigeons. It tasted almost as good as its children.

_________________

Musicmac: "Sam4Books: Always ready to cheer things up with awesome art. Terms and Conditions apply."

Marcey/Marr - Viggio Clocks - Status: happy - Home Again, Home Again

I'll make sure to call you Little one. She said to the girl, opening the door. Grandfather I'm home! She called. She's so cute! Marcey and Marr excailmed watching Lizzie fidget slightly. She put the deformed bunny down and led the girl in. It's fine Honey she said, retrieving one of her meat pies from the kitchen, Stay as long as you like and if you want any more feel free to come back. She smiled at the girl noticing how she didn't seem to like the idea of charity. I'm sure grandfather and I can use your help around the shop if you feel like it's intruding...
Most children wouldn't mind charity... Someone had hurt her. Who was it I'll kill them! Marr snarled in Marcey's mind.

_________________
You... you really don't get it... do you? I... I love him... I'd die with him. Or for him. That's what you do... how you feel when you love someone. - Impulse

A bomb?....ohhh, what a dayKevin sighed, took off his hat and began to rap his fingers against his head, druming out a quick 4/4 beat a second. A completely ravaged corpse in the middle of the day and a bomb in a clock chop?...How come I can't take a holiday? He snapped himself back to attention and placed his hat back on. He took a quick look at the other occupants of the room, some kind of surgeon who seemed to be miraculously unharmed, what looked like the girl's brother who was helping some suspiciously healthy youth. Kevin's mentality was still struggling with the fact that it was technically old and as such a distrust of young people was growing which would lead to trouble in another few decades. Then he noticed the smartly dressed man with a top hat, Kevin stared at him for a few seconds as a few things started clicking where his brain should be.

Oh...Fuck he said quietly, the expression in his voice dropping down a few octaves, laced with bleakness, dreariness and a large dollop of distaste as he prepared himself to try and be polite and respectful to the stupid, bloody-annoying, arrogant bigwig luckily he didn't have to control his facial expressions anymore and could just focus on the voice. Sorry little lady, I have...politics to attend to. He said through gritted teeth as he walked over to Hawkes. Baron Hawkes, good day to you Sir. Seems like you managed to stay relatively unharmed from the explosion. Probably another attempt on your life, I'm afraid, unless the competition in the clock business is tougher then I think. he said, the forced cheerfulness dripping from the words sounding extremely unnatural as Kevin's natural tone of angriness, gruffness and cynicism seeped into them. He cursed mentally to himself and tried to kick the "respect your superiors" drive into action. Who ever threw the bomb is probably long gone by now, but I'ld recommend you be careful where-ever you go next, the assassin could be waiting to see if he, or she, needs another go.

_________________
“One day you wake up and realize the world can be conquered.”

[Alexis Tessera]

Up on the third and highest floor in the bookstore, the tall figure of a man loomed through the veil of burning incense as Alexis woke up in his bed. A joyful unrecognizable tune ran through his mind like a record on loop as he stretched himself in bed. Arms and shoulders unstiffened, one of his hands crawl through the bedsheets and onto a small counter made of oak and pine. His hands started to gently pat the surface in search of something, almost like a snake searching for prey. A small satisfied smile showed on his face when he found what he was looking for, a pair of blue-tinted glasses.

Putting on his glasses, he slowly shifted and got out of his bed in an extremely slow and lazy manner, similar to how a sloth would behave. The green curtains (which were made of a velvety material) above him were slightly parted, letting in streams of sunbeams that illuminated the room just enough to guide himself in the darkness. Slowly but steadily, he finally made it to the floor and stood upright in a daze for a few seconds before going into the showers. After walking in, he turned on the tap and let hot water greet his face.

Then, a noise rang through the pipes behind the walls as if a monster was stuck inside, screaming to get out. Probably the heater, Alexis thought. He would have to see to it afterward.



[Acqua & Etere]

The noisy sounds of clanging pots and pans, chopping knives and an angry Acqua made it sound like a literal storm was cooking up in the kitchen. Etere on the other hand, made himself busy by ignoring the cursing in unknown tongue from the reptilian while setting up a table with plates, spoons and forks in their so-called 'dining room', which was actually a small storeroom with a backdoor into a small lawn.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!", the woman said as she gave a swift and merciless chop on a harmless potato, severing it in half. Etere wondered whether Acqua was actually chopping potatoes or miniature Fuocos in her mind. It was probably the latter.

"Acqua, would you mind taking a break and perhaps let me take over?", he was being careful with his words and speaking in the most gentle of manner, afraid of what a woman like her could do when angry with a knife in her hand.

"No need!", the knife made a whistle as it sailed past Etere's face when Acqua turned around to face the boy, an angry look on her face. "Just go and do your stuff, I got this handled by myself," This time, the knife was brought up once again before she gave a violent stab to another harmless potato. The stab alone was enough to tell Etere to back off, which he did and went to the living room to give the angry female a little more space to herself.



[Terra]

Terra let out a sigh as he settled down on one of the armchairs with its red leather cushions which did a very good job of giving him comfort. Slowly, the boy began to relax more and his body slowly sunk more into the armchair, pure bliss was what he felt at that point. Unfortunately, his little reverie was soon interrupted when a small bronze bell rang, telling him that someone had just decided to open the door into the shop.

Terra sat up abruptly, he wasn't going to let anyone see him looking like a dead corpse on a sofa and give the place a bad name. As the figure slowly stepped in, Terra himself made his way towards the door and expected to see a tired Fuoco running in with what they needed so badly.

"Ugh, I'm going to need a lot of reading material."

But, it wasn't Fuoco.

"Excuse me, what kind of books, do you have?"

Terra stiffened, it was a man with a voice he didn't know.

"There is a couple of certain books, I'm in the need to purchase."

He stiffened more now, turning himself into a frozen statue.

It was a customer.

For the next few minutes, Terra remained completely frozen in front of the new customer. He didn't even dare to move a single inch and was too scared to know what to do. A tired Etere walked out of the kitchen and into the living room, giving a small sigh before he saw what was happening. In just a moment, he quickly walked up to the door and put a hand on Terra's shoulder to make him relax.

"The master is not present at the moment, sir. Perhaps you would like to sit down and wait?", the boy spoke professionally and showed the man where the waiting area was. It consisted of a two burgundy red armchairs facing each other with a coffee table in the center and a sofa of the same color as the armchairs, cushions piled on both sides. Not wasting anymore time, Etere pulled Terra back into the kitchen. Then, faint angry mumbling was heard for a short time before it settled down.

After a few minutes, an annoyed Acqua stuck her head out of the entrance and took a peek at the customer. Giving a mocking 'hmph', she went back into the kitchen. Etere came out soon after that with a cup of coffee in hand and placed it on the table before closing the door behind William.

"The master is still unavailable right now. If you don't want to wait, I could help him take a message or an ord-"

"No need", Alexis interrupted as he walked down the stairs. As usual, he was wearing simple black double-breasted suit with notched lapels and a blue ribbon acting as an alternative bow tie. His cuff links, if looked closely, were sapphire and his dress shoes were of simple black leather. His blue-tinted spectacles topped off his attire.

"Etere, go back into the kitchen and help out Acqua will you?"

"Yes, master", the boy said in a respectful tone before walking back into the kitchen.

"Now," The man sat down on one of the armchairs and drank the cup of coffee without knowing it was suppose to be for William. "What can I do for you?"

_________________

Captain of Innuendo Strike Forces & Founder of Innuendo Striking Technique

Lady Clarita Lockhart

The doll-like woman’s smile widened to see their reaction.
“Well, Monsieur Escalen,” she spoke quietly, sitting up. “What The Raven can do for the Imperium, is this.” Reaching towards a white and silver vanity case by her side, she opened it and drew out a file, sliding it gently across the table.

“She goes by the name of Garnet, or ‘The Scarlet Shadow’. A member of the Imperium for four years, only now, she poses as a threat. She was caught disclosing private information on Imperium projects to civilians. The civilians were dealt with accordingly, however Garnet has until this point managed to evade us.” The Sliver Lady placed her hands on the table, steepling her fine gloved fingers. “We need your help in tracking Garnet down. She is aware the Imperium is onto her, and she has been very careful to hide herself from us. Which, is of course, why we need outside help. Garnet knows the Imperium well…however she does not know you.” Clarita smiled.

“Your mission is to find her, observe her and her movements. Find out where she goes, who she talks to, any morsel of information on her that you can find. How you go about finding this information is up to you, all we ask is that you find out as much about her as you can. Any information you find on Garnet, you report back to the Imperium. Should the opportunity present itself, kill her, but it is the information on her we need the most…at least, for the moment.” Clarita smoothly picked up her own glass, taking a sip before looking back to Gerard. “Garnet is, a dangerous and elusive young woman. An ex-Imperium, and a gifted one at that. This mission will be by no means, easy. However, should you need more help, I am sure we could arrange something. You will, of course, be paid handsomely. You should find the details on payment in the file, along with a profile detailing everything the Imperium knows about Garnet. I believe you should find the payment to your liking.”

The Silver Lady smiled, pausing and giving Gerard time to scan over the contents of the file. “…Any questions, Monsieur?”


~*~

Elizabeth (“Lizzie”) Taylor – With Marcey

Elizabeth followed Marcey in, looking around her and rubbing her arms. Her attention focused on the meat pie. Meat! How long had it been since the last time she’d had a morsel of meat? She could barely remember. Usually it was too expensive, so she had to do with watered soups and stews, when she could get it. She took the meat pie with care, holding it as if she was afraid it might slip from her fingers and run out of the door. “Thank you, Miss,” the waif-like girl said graciously. She resisted the temptation to wolf down the pie, eating it as steady and carefully as she could.

At the suggestion of helping around the shop, Lizzie nodded, as if she couldn’t agree more. “Yes, Miss, I can help around the shop, anything in return for the kind hospitality…where would you like me to start, Miss?” she asked readily.

~*~

Penna and Angelo – ‘Pemberton’s Clock making’

Angelo shook his head at Adan. “That is a kind offer,” he said, a hint of melancholy in his tone. He gestured around at the state of the shop, debris from smashed clocks everywhere, and the front section of the shop blown away almost completely. “But with the damage that has been done, unless we can find somewhere to continue business temporarily, it might be a while before we can resume business as usual…and that’s assuming we can find the funds for repairs.” He sighed. This explosion would set them back severely, he could tell. Most if not all of the clocks would have to be fixed or remade, new materials would need to be bought, the building would have to have to be repaired, including interior furnishings, customers would need refunds…Angelo subconsciously ran a hand through his messy blonde hair. He could feel it, the anger burning up his throat…the feeling of needing to do something…

The fact that there was a police officer right there didn’t help either. It only served as a reminder of how useless and corrupt the police force was. These days they only answered to the Imperium. If a crime was committed and the police were sent to investigate, no matter who was to blame, the Imperium were never held responsible, even if had been them. In the eyes of what little law there was left, the Imperium could do no wrong. They were either the victim, or they simply weren’t involved. Regardless of what really happened. Perhaps Angelo would have asked Kevin for assurance in tracking the criminal down, but he didn’t see there was much use. He’d be better off trying to hunt down the bomber himself than ask for the police to help.

Remembering Adan, the young man turned to him once more. “Don’t worry about the damages,” he told him, “And don’t worry about working here. But if you could help us in any way you can to get our business back on track, or just to help us out sometime with anything, we’d be truly grateful.”

Meanwhile, Penna stood where she was, fingers anxiously to her mouth as she fretted about what to do. With to shop blown open the way it was, unless they could barricade the opening with enough protection spells, the shop was no longer safe. At night there would be thieves, and who knows what else. Where would they sleep tonight? What would happen to their shop, their home? There were so many things she didn’t know the answer to.

She could tell the skeletal gentleman was about as thrilled with the Baron as she was, which at least brought some comfort to her. But from where she stood right at that moment, the situation looked pretty hopeless.

_________________

Hiryu: Doc's bag is a portal. She's actually from another dimension and when she jumped into it, she ended up at a desk with a browser open on this site. That's how she found it.
We have a Doctor Who thread now. Doctor Who threads are cool.

-Baron Hawkes-

Moving over to one side of the shop while the others looked around the scene with horror, the Baron started dusting himself. The bomb and his subsequent dodging of it got it quite dirty, at least for those with high standards. Looking around, he deftly bent down to dust his pants, and grabbed something off the floor. The explosion had thrown the stack of bills he'd placed on the counter for his clock over this direction, and certainly wasn't about to leave them that if he wasn't receiving his clock. Slipping it into his coat, he started back on his clothing, readjusting this and that. He was just realigning his hat when the officer spoke up. "Ah, Mr. Skull! Kevin. How good to see you." With a slight grin, he shifted his hat again, and moved towards Kevin, cane in hand. Not long before he had joined the Imperium, Kevin had been onto one or two of his illegal activities, and the only thing more fun than pushing him off those cases was listening to the respect, however false, Kevin now had to have in his voice.

"I'm quite alright. Surely wasn't a hit, unless they meant me to be on the street, and if so they're so foolish I have nothing to worry. The bomb was nothing but concussive, with set off one in, well, one of the fine clocks in here, which took out anyone out there I'm sure. A rather indirect and sneaky method, although I'd say quite successful. Assuming the target was out there. Simply in the wrong place at the wrong time myself." The Baron spoke with a knowing, almost cheerful tone. He also spoke rather casually about hits and their methods, which spoke something about his lifestyle. "I must say though, I'm not sure you'd mind if they had taken me out, superintendent. You need to work on your lies." Again, the casual way he spoke was tempered with a dose of arrogance, superiority, and his I-know-everything tone, with a subtle reminder of who owns his job. Leaning in, he whispered to the policeman. "After all, you're the most competent on the force, and it'd be a shame if you didn't make Chief. Know your friends, officer."

Straightening himself, the Baron spoke to Kevin a bit more. "We should speak on that more sometime. Naturally the state of our wonderful force of lawmen is of great interest to our city, and me." It was, of course. It was much easier to keep them our of his affairs now, his Imperium position made it much simpler to push them away from his little criminal empire, compared to all the bribes and threats it used to take. Turning to Penna and Angelo, he gave a slight nod. "Sir, madame, given recent events I don't believe I'll be able to purchase from your shop. Best of luck fixing it." A slight bit of sarcasm escaped into his voice, and he simply couldn't entirely hide his smile. Surprisingly though, his last statement was quite honest. "After all, it takes hard work to handle hard times. Good day to you." With a brisk turn, he started moving away from the counter and Kevin. The great Baron John Hawkes had a walk to continue. He did love it so. He did so quite slowly however, giving the damage's a brief inspection. This bombing was quite a curiosity for him, if simply that it was unusual and he had been there. Besides, he almost wanted to see reactions from those in the shop.

_________________

{William Livingstone}

_Bookstore_

"Books, of course." William said as his answer to the owner. He then, tucked in his handkerchief in his right breast pocket. " But not what you have here." He mentioned as he turned around looking at what the man had for sale. " I need certain books, that our so called leaders, don't want us to read or have for my employer." William explained to the owner as he faced him. " If you don't wish to sell that kind of merchandise, I understand and so will my employer."

"Other than that, I do want other books as well for myself." William added as he did want some reading materials for himself. " So what do you say?" William asked.

_________________
"Fate smiles on the strange. So its a good thing, I'm the strangest of all." - William Livingstone, Cirque de la Nuit

[Alexis Tessera]

Alexis sat in his armchair and listened to the man sitting before him as he talked. He almost chuckled when he mentioned the Imperium and their rather hypocritical rules about keeping material on magic when they themselves clearly did. It was true though, that he did have such materials. But was this man able to be trusted? That was when he noticed something peculiar about his customer.

He could sense some sort of magical residue from him, a powerful but unknown one. Not only that, some sort of faint magical energy was leaking from him as well. What was odd about that part was that it wasn't leaking from him but something that was with him. For the next few minutes, Alexis sat there in his armchair and debated with himself about what he should do. After a while, he finally answered.

"Very well, then. Come with me," Alexis stood up from his armchair and lead the man up to the third and highest floor of the bookstore. From there, they headed to the last room in the back of the corridor. Alexis fished out a key from one of his inside pockets and turned around to face his customer. "Before we enter, I would like you to know that you know nothing about what I am about to show you," His blue eyes seemed serious. "Now, please come in".

Alexis inserted the key and turned it in a most complicated order. Twice to a clockwise direction, once to counterclockwise, a push of the key into the lock and once more to counterclockwise. A meek click was heard and Alexis pulled out the key before turning the doorknob. It was a magnificent sight beyond the door. Hundreds of thousands of books, new and old, were neatly arranged into bookshelves made of dark-colored mahogany which leaned against walls covered with a beautiful red and gold wallpaper. The room seemed much too big for a small bookstore like Alexis' because it had two floors and probably more than a hundred bookshelves stacked upon each other and standing side by side.

In the center of the room, was a small table with a bronze lamp and an inkwell. Two winding stairs led to either sides of the room and up to the second floor. The room seemed to be illuminated from the ceiling but no lamp or light bulb was seen, only light seemingly emitting from every corner. The books were of different sizes and different covers, ranging from ancient writings from a mixture of animal blood and fruits to the modern literature of famous writers.

Alexis was not particularly afraid that his customer would think the wrong way about his collection. Almost every single other bookshop in town that he knew were the same as him anyways, although his collection was probably somewhat larger. It was common for him to see a secret room in the basement or top floor full of books that they wanted to keep away from certain eyes and to trade with other bookstores. Some customers even knew about this little secret in the business and would seek out rare books for adding to their very own collection.

Another reason that Alexis wasn't afraid was of course of the fact that elemental seals sat in almost every single corner in his personal library and could incinerate the man with a snap of his fingers. Although, he was quite sure that he wasn't the sort that would do anything brash.

"So," Alexis walked around the room for a while and turned around to face the man. "Is there anything to your liking?"



[Acqua, Etere & Terra]

"Did master just bring him to the library?", Terra said from the kitchen stool that he was sitting on. He had a cup of water in his hands and was clearly still shaken from encountering the customer from before. He and the others had listened in on Alexis' conversation from before.

"I would think so," Etere replied while helping Acqua with putting the plates of food on the dining table.

"But we're never even allowed in there," Terra said with a worried expression. "What do you think they're doing up in that room?"

"He's probably just a customer, Terra,"

"But, he might find out about master and-," He was stopped when Acqua interrupted him."Will you two just shut it and let me. Work. In. Peace!?" A glint in her eyes spelled out her anger to him and made him quite down. Acqua went back to work and washed the pans and knives that had been used.

"You should trust him more, idiot"

_________________

Captain of Innuendo Strike Forces & Founder of Innuendo Striking Technique

{William Livingstone}

" Yes, Yes, as long as you agree that I never was here." William replied to the man. As along as that man agreed, then William will accept his terms. " That way if one tried to black mail the other, both would be severely punished." He added as that was his reasoning.

To be inside such a room of books and architecture, many thoughts, ideas, and suspicions appeared into William's head. A hidden room with all these books, one could not a quire such a quantity of books like this in a short while. He smirked as he grasped his hands behind his back and stepped closer to one of the sections of books. And to have this much and what he needed, this book owner had to be a practitioner of the mystical arts and therefore must have some kind of security, William figured as he browsed the man's collection.

The faint magic Alexis sensed disappeared as soon as he had noticed it as if it was never there in the first place. A handy ability that pocket watch had, even a tiny detection, it would automatically and immediately disappear. A reason, why it made its why in William's hand and no else's. Through, even when used, those with detection capabilities still wouldn't pick up the pocket watch, as its purpose to remain hidden and to be only used by it rightful master. Which is why, William is having a problem of finding Jame's master pieces.

" My employer needs several books that contain topics such as barriers and pentagrams." William said as he voiced his needs to the man. "And could you get it for me, I rather not be killed in such a marvelous room." He mentioned, telling the man, he's aware he could be easily be terminated. " As such a room like this must have some traps, lethal ones to be exact." He added.

_________________
"Fate smiles on the strange. So its a good thing, I'm the strangest of all." - William Livingstone, Cirque de la Nuit

~{Walden Erlking}~
\\\Pimberton's Clock Making///

The open door of the clock store gave everyone inside a clear view as a crowd of people were gathering outside, watching the events that were transpiring. Some were even paying attention to the clock shop itself. But for some reason, most of the gathering citizens -- which consisted heavily of females, with some men standing far away on street corners, watching their female friends and girlfriends run off without warning -- were focused on something inside the crowd's center. The outer edge of the crowd began to part as a pair of elegantly dressed ladies -- and they were ladies in every way, made evident by the laced and frilled dresses -- began pushing women and girls aside to make way for a single man.

His dress coat's tails flickered and bounced as he walked. He half-heartedly smiled, waving at the gathering female denizens to give them a slight bit of attention. Once he had made it past the crowd, however, he turned his gaze upon the clock shop. He made a brisk walk forward to the battered front door that was hanging loose of its hinges, scanning into the shop.

"Salutations," he stated with a slight lift of his voice, using just enough volume that he knew everyone would hear him just fine. Time spent practicing to broadcast his voice from a stage and over an audience had taught him well a~bout controlling his volume pitch. "Is everyone alive and well? I can send for help and they will arrive shortly if assistance is needed..." He gently pushed the door aside a bit, resulting it the hinges finally screaming that they'd had enough, and falling apart to crash to the sidewalk. Walden watched it a moment, having not exactly been expecting that. Though the surprise was very little as he returned his attention to everyone inside, walking into the shop to free the doorway.

_________________

Kevin's teeth grounded together as he stared fixedly at the point where the baron's head had used to be. Bastard, fucking bastard, smug good-for-nothing posh aristocratic bastard. He shuddered as he pushed the rage back down and tried to keep silent, he knew he'd probably be fine without the Hawkes support but also knew that the little bugger would happily make things difficult just for spite and giggles. He growled quietly with suppressed anger and began to crack his knuckles until he calmed down enough to trust himself to light a cigerette without throwing a fireball after the baron. He sighed slowly as he blew out the black smoke and calmed down, just when Walden introduced himself.

He turned around and quickly studied Walden. Oh good. he muttered through his teeth as he recognised him. Hello Walden, I think everybody here is okay apart from a possible concussion or mental trauma of some kind. Kevin was mainly okay with Walden, he dealt with his own problems at the brothel and had got rid of the other brothels around the city, which had always caused a daily routine of trouble. He was a bit suspicious of him but he hadn't got anything to go on and hadn't had any trouble before so...Oh, the door's gone now as well...Actually, yeah, she probably needs help. He jerked a thumb at Penna. You got anywhere to stay kid? he asked, turning to her.

_________________
“One day you wake up and realize the world can be conquered.”

Marcey/Marr - Viggio Clocks - Status: Delighted - Just Whistle While You Work

Didn't you have somewhere to go dear? Marcey smiled. So fucking adorable! Marr gushed.
Well if you don't have to go right away, you can start with the sweeping. She walked to the broom closet, passing a green rimmed mirror with the inscription "Magic Mirror On the Wall", and pulled out the broom, Then you can help me cut some apples for pies. Maybe Grandfather will bring some more rabbits for meat pies. He's a great huntsman.
She looked at the girl, Can I come with you to your appointment?. Just for protection?

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You... you really don't get it... do you? I... I love him... I'd die with him. Or for him. That's what you do... how you feel when you love someone. - Impulse

Gerard "The Raven" Escalen

Gerard looked down at the papers and frowned slightly. This was a fortuitous deal for him for it gave him two things he wanted: An in with the Imperium and to know more about the imperium. However he was unsure what he would do with the girl, not to mention her powerful abilities. Unsure if his eye would be able to detect her, he knew this would be a challenge. Then he saw the price tag and his eyes widened a little bit. He'd be able to retire on that much easily. Not that he would, but that was a nice number. Perhaps working for the Imperium wasn't as bad as he thought. Clearing his throat he asked a pair of questions, "Well, I can see this being a beneficial relationship for both of us, but of course I have some questions. First off, how will I be able to come into contact with you again? and Shall I receive any form of Carte Blanche, a way for the police or to ignore my movements if I accidentally attract their attention?" Although unlikely that he would get caught doing anything, it was always good to cover your bases.

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The beast had emerged from the scalpel in the nick of time to shield Billiam from the blast, protecting his essential areas. The only damage sustained was to his shoes and lower pants legs, which were now scuffed, scratched, and dirtied. Billiam withdrew the entity into his utensil with a flick of the handle. It made the appearance of smoke sucking under a door during a backdraft in a fire. He peered down at his shoes. He was not pleased.

"Is this the sort of service you provide here?!" he exclaimed to the attendant. "It's 'service with a smile,' not 'service with conflagration.'" He brushed his jacket in a simultaneous attempt to smooth its crinkles. "I suppose I should attend to anyone who may be injured. Any takers?"

Then he heard Angelo mention that they may not be able to find the funds to reopen.

"Balderdash! Despite your questionable business practices, every local business deserves a chance. I will fund your reconstruction. Not your personal reconstruction, mind you, though that could possibly use some work, but the renovation of your shop." He stamped his can on the ground before him, placing one hand over the jewel, with the other over that hand. He stood, affixed on Angelo, expecting his approval.

Minara Kali Kaur--Merchurdon/Market

The demon felt her skin crawl as someone behind her stared at her with such an intensity it really wasn’t easy to ignore. Glancing to the side she noted that a wealthy looking man—magician from the Magic signature he omitted—was giving her body a once over with his eyes. Either he was interested in her body as a female or it was because she was a demon that the Magician felt he could gain something from her acquaintance.

She felt glad though that before she could ask him if he liked what he saw, he returned his attention elsewhere. Minara made a note of his companion and her own senses were on edge. It wasn’t a coincidence that the woman at the Magician’s side had rabbit ears. Not to mention that their little tour guide had hidden abilities as well.

It was all very odd.

Whomever the informer was, they were watching her from somewhere in the city. She figured that they couldn’t be too far from the route of the tour and she would find a confectionery shop soon. Such a cryptic message wasn’t needed but to protect her Master she would follow any silly hunt to secure his safety. The tour was informing.

This girl knew about the city more than the Aristocrats that claimed to be the ones with the highest selling map in the tow. Very useful for future conquests, Minara made sure to imprint the girl’s scent to memory. Otherwise the demon enjoyed the tour as her eyes scanned the crowd.

She was far more observant of her surroundings, hoping to catch a glimpse or smell of someone following her but even at the somewhat back of the tour group she couldn’t make out a scent that stayed consistent other than those in front of her and that of the city. Sometimes her job was harder than it was granted. But she knew for certain that the tour guide was only being used as a distraction.

The poor thing had nothing to do with any of the mysterious courier’s mischief. The young girl deserved much better than any of what Merchurdon. The history to Vanisher’s Lane was interesting. Her master’s father was a man of the law then. Young and idiotic he called himself; the Vanisher’s Lane case alone was reason enough for him to fear ever walking onto the street.

He still strongly believes that the Vanisher will return; but of course it would be childish to tell him otherwise at his age. The Market Square didn’t come to as a surprise. Demons were known for their strict way of upholding the law. Imperium was the type to publicly hang anyone, against their will; that much even the young tour guide knew.

The park Minara had already known. Her clan was very apt to anything to do with forest and there were 2 foxes that were as old as Merchurdon itself. Spiritual creatures indeed, the center of the forest—now turned park—was one of the last places were the presence of the old beasts still lingered.

Minara arched her eyebrow at the tour guide’s next statement. Yes the church was a place of unsettling mystery but it was odd to see it front door ajar. It was only slightly but Minara noticed the way the little girl paled and hurried the tour elsewhere. It was over fairly quickly, and they were back to Vanisher’s Lane.

“Thank you for such a wonderful tour, here, have some more for the trouble of having to deal with the unforgiving floor. I’ve chosen to walk around barefoot but you shouldn’t be forced to do so.” Minara said as she bent down and placed in Elizabeth’s hands, enough coins for food and shoes. Looking up, Minara saw someone staring at her from the shadows of Vanisher’s Lane. She returned her gaze to the little tour guide, smiling as she pat Elizabeth on the head. “Have a nice afternoon.”

The demon waved before she was off to follow the retreating form. From the smell of him, he had been following only meters away before detaching from the tour completely. He was the man Minara needed to figure out the courier's cryptic message.

The man looked back at her in a panicked manner before breaking out into a run. The shadows of the Lane danced around Minara as she followed, catching up with him fairly quickly even as he swerved and attempted to throw things in her way.

She jumped, the Runes on her thighs and natural gift sending her high into the air before she came down on his shoulders. Feet made contact with backbone and the man went down quickly with a terrified yelp. His fear was everywhere, it ebbed off him like a disease.

Scoffing slightly she stepped off him only to grab the back of his collar and drag him up with one arm, pushing him roughly against the wall. Demonic nature or not, the man had been scared of her before he knew she had such powers; now he was shitting himself.

"Why'd you run?"

"Don't hurt me!" He shouted, ignoring her question. Mira glared at him before asserting her power again by pushing him harder against the brick of the building.

"You are thinning my patience. Why'd the courier send for me on the tour and seek out the honey seller after spotting the Magician with a rabbit at his side?"

"It was supposed to be a distraction." He admitted. She stared at him confusedly.

"The tour? I knew that already. Why are you here though? What's with this whole underhanded nonsense?"

"No, you don't understand. It was all supposed to be a distraction. Even me. They expect you to kill me."

"What?" Minara's brow furrowed, "Now why would I do that? Who's they?"

"W-w-we....We...we've taken something of yours. Ask for Sherman's, his brand of jam will give you the answers you seek."

"More riddles? Honestly just tell me what you've taken. I don't do kindly with those who touch my possessions." The man ceased to speak, avoiding it all around really as he dug worriedly into his pocket. He took out something small, it caught the light and jingled like bells. Glaring down at him, Minara took his wrist in one of her hands as the other held his body still.

At first she thought she was seeing things. But when she wrenched the jewelery from the man's hands, everything began to fall into place. The courier, the tour guide, this man; all distractions to give the real culprit enough time to take what she had vowed to protect.

"Who do you work for?" She asked sharply, all kindness escaped from her voice as she held up the broken bracelet littered with Gothic crosses. "Where have you taken him?"

"I-I-it's no use! You won't find him where they went. Hopeless, you are lost without a purpose." Minara growled and the man whimpered at the pain that began to grasp his neck. He could feel her nails digging into his skin as she pressured him to cave but he would suffer worse than death if he were to give her anymore information. Minara could feel his resistance, knowing full well that entertaining him any longer would remove any chances she may have at rescuing her Master.

"May the Goddess damn your soul." She whispered, before her nails punctured his skin into his neck.

He made this garbled sound that was stuck in the middle of his throat as he stared wide eyed at her. She was holding back the anger that filled her from being so foolishly lead away from her Master. Taking her hand from the man's neck, who was nothing but a scum of the earth for participating in the kidnapping of Julian, she stared down at his body with no remorse.

He deserved death but he would suffer before her sweet embrace grabbed him. Glancing around her surroundings, Minara made her way back towards the Market, ignoring the way the shadows wrapped and twisted to touch her from the walls. Vanisher's Lane would not take her, but the man's body was a gift that the shadows took in stride. Meanwhile she pondered her situation.

How much time had passed since Julian was taken? Where had they hidden him? Who was they? What did they want? Would someone ask for a ransom of some sort? Was the price larger than money? Why had they waited until now? What was so important about Julian Demour?

Minara shook her head in frustration. Too many questions, too short a time. Finding the confectionery salesperson would answer all of them. She began walking around the market, smelling the air from time to time to find the vendor she needed. Sometimes air in the city was filthy.

Hot and heavy; just breathing would almost make her lungs feel constricted. But just as she was becoming frustrated with the various scents blocking the one she needed, Minara found the confectionery stand and approached it; her resolve clear. She was going to find her Master and bring him back home.

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Perhaps you are asking the wrong questions?