[[ @"Elyse" you can jump in here for the interview ]]

Sterling hadn't been to school in three days. The first two days she spent wandering the streets looking for ways to learn how to use this gift she didn't know much about.  Today she was tired of trying to find a better way to do it and headed back to Kallisti. Her parents were already pissed she was missing school.  So it wasn't going to make things any worse.  What were they going to do?  Stay home and make sure she didn't leave?  Take her to school and watch her the whole time?  They both had lives and neither of them really cared anyway.  Her brother was all in and they had diverted their attentions to him -- the good kid now.  Sterling rolled her eyes.

Raisa was pissed too -- Sterling hadn't invited her on her outings, and she wasn't about to take her down here and meet her cousin.  She'd fawn all over him and embarrass her even more than she already did.  Raisa was so into hot boys... Too bad Nox liked boys too and had his own boyfriend.  They were cute, but Sterling was hardly interested her cousin's love life.  She wanted to learn to make illusions and bend fire like Juls did.  Or even half of what she'd seen Nox doing.  He was amazing in comparison.  But he couldn't teach her no matter how hard she tried.  He didn't even try though which pissed her off more than anything.

Sterling slipped down the alley and into the side door.  

The moment she was inside Juls was standing there hands on her hips and tapping her foot like she was her mama. "Why aren't you in school?"

Sterling grinned, "I can't think so why should I be? I'll die if I don't get this mastered."

Juls rolled her eyes. "You aren't going to die. You know how to do the basics."

Sterling giggled. "But I will."  She started gagging and holding her throat.  "See."

Juls sighed. "Be glad Nox isn't here.  He'd march you back to school and tell your parents."

Sterling shook her head. "No he wouldn't.  He'd make me in enroll in some stupid online school and make me do work before I can touch the power.  You won't tell him I'm here will you?"

"We'll see." Juls said. "Come one, you can watch while I practice and then maybe after the interview is done you can get up there and try."

"Oh. Thank you." Sterling said following Juls into the lounge area where the rest of the girls waited with smiles and waves and a hug from Mae.

He’d finally returned to Kallisti to shower and change his clothes. The hot water soothed his muscles, which seemed to have been aching for days now, but any relief he felt was utterly transient. His head still felt like cotton clouds. The dull ache in his chest was also unchanged, but he refused to dwell. Tears pricked his eyes every time he did, burning until everything blurred, but under the deluge of cascading water they never fell. Carmen had caught him on the way out of the club, hair curling gold about his ears, skin still damp under the shirt he dragged on. Something about a new girl and a message she’d received from Nox. But as soon as she saw the tight lines of his face she frowned and let him go. Usually Raffe would have soothed her concern, but today he just wanted out. Emotion swamped him the moment her fingers relaxed away from his tense arm, threatening to drown him. Even her expression was too much to weather. As he burst out the door he heard the muffled call of his name from behind. Raffe didn’t stop.

Kallisti and the girls would find out eventually.  But it didn’t have to be today. It didn’t have to be now.

His travels took him to an unfamiliar part of the city. Sweeping skyscrapers and grand, luxuriously fronted buildings towered like he’d stumbled into a city of the gods. Even the pavements were wider and cleaner. When Raffe reached his destination he paused, wondering if they’d throw him out before he’d fully passed the threshold. His jacket was shabby. An old wool scarf wound about the scar on his neck. He didn’t look anything like the few pedestrians passing on the street.

He ran his fingers over the edges of the appointment card Ekeziel had given him for a long while before he headed up the manicured walkways that led to the impressive glass-fronted building. It felt blindingly clean inside, all sinuous modern lines and highly polished white details. The company’s logo and slogan revolved everywhere like a glossy promise: PARAGON: Build a Better You. Raffe’s gut clenched for how out of place he felt. No wonder they called Ekeziel the Angel of the Undercity. How on earth did he have contacts like this?

There was a holobank offering tours of tech and services, but a living breathing person behind a pristine, chest-height desk. Raffe stuck his hands in his pockets, afraid to touch anything. On his way to the desk he passed an artificial hand sat in a glass case, sleek and futuristic. The plaque said something about Africa.

It only reminded him of Nox, and he blinked away, jaw hard.

The receptionist gave him an appraising but not entirely unkind look, like he might be lost. As soon as he gave his name, though, her demeanour changed. She smiled warmly. “Ah, Mr. Janssen, please come this way. Welcome to Paragon.”

[[I have updated the wiki to include some more info on the building, and will probably update further as the story progresses. Paragon's page can be found here]]

Adrian’s office was lit by morning sun. His empire operated within these floors. An umbrella organization that covered the many smaller hubs of his businesses. Adrian knuckled his shoulder after he shrugged from an overcoat. Arm and shoulder day hit harder this morning, but the soreness was a welcome sign of growth. It made him feel alive.

His usual protein shake waited on his desk. He downed it greedily, eager to get about his day when the ding of an upcoming appointment drew his attention to the time.

He was dressed professionally. A crisp white collared shirt was decorated with green-flecked tie and a black blazer. The gray of his eyes were bright. His hair flowing from his brow in perfect waves. In the few additional minutes that remained, he studied the open files on the myriad screens. A picture of the woman that was slated to get his attention hovered near. She was Latina, with cinnamon brown skin and dark chocolate hair. Her gaze was seductive, her poise precise. A former model, the file read. Though she was many years past the fame of her youth. She’d mothered a child since then. Deceased. And became a widow. The queen of a fallen empire, Adrian shook his head as he swiped through the images of destruction that followed.

All such research was powered down by the time she was shown in. She wore a black dress that accentuated the width of abundant hips. The bustline was modesty befitting a widow in mourning, but the curves were apparent in the designer label. Expensive earrings decorated her face, although Adrian noted the lack of a matching necklace. She had to be low on funds, and a message from a certain consultant informed him of the sale of a recent set of jewels.  No doubt they helped fund this trip to Moscow.

“Señor Kane,” she said in English. Her accent was heavy, her voice musky and seductive.

Adrian stood, rounding the desk to greet her with a shake of the hand. She still wore her wedding ring. Not so desperate enough to sell it yet. So she had money and the connections to broker his time. Though, to be honest, Adrian was quite intrigued by her request.

“Mrs. Amengual,” he replied and stepped back to offer her a seat.

“Please. Call me Yasmine,” she said.

"I am sorry for your recent losses," he responded. Her eyes tightened at that. Perhaps not expecting him to open with the obvious.

She was strong, he realized. Without a flicker of pain to mar that porcelain face, she explained her situation. "My husband murdered. My child murdered. My home ripped apart. My husband's legacy gone in hours. Loss is not a powerful enough word to describe what I have endured, Señor. Kane."

He accepted the correction without comment, unsurprised to hear anger in her tone rather than grief.

"So what can I do for you?"he asked. His sources told him she had come to Moscow the week before asking for another man entirely. One that went unseen for months. Adrian had never met Ryker, though their exchanges were frequent. Even a mediator between cartels and the Yakuza needed a mediator. Someone to move shipments and smuggle weapons, drugs, humans, and every other kind of illicit trade. Such big machinery of organized crime always required grunts. And grunts for hire, trucks, forklifts, pallets, storage facilities. Adrian controlled those. He went on, the politeness from before fading to business at hand. "You have no shipments to move. No need of my services. So what could you want?" 

She nodded, sitting taller in the chair. The stem of her legs crossed, flashing him with the line of feminine muscle contained in her exquisite heels. A woman of fallen power, indeed, but Adrian wasn't a narco-baron like she was accustomed to manipulating. When the moment passed without reaction, she spoke plainly. 

"I want revenge," she said. 

Adrian nodded. "There we go," he said, his interest genuine, but not in helping her. "Of course you do," he added, but with a sigh, he continued. "But I am uninterested in giving it to you. What else do you want?" 

"I can make you rich," she said.
"I'm already rich."
"I can do things you can't imagine."
"I think you are a small fish in a big pond, Yasmine. This is Moscow. You are dancing with the big devils now."

She tensed at that, but when she laid a device on the desk, and powered up a hologram, Adrian's attention was successfully captured.

"What is it?" he asked. 

"It's called the oculus. There are only a few of them made, part of my late husband's legacy," she said with no small measure of pride. It was only a hologram, but Adrian turned the projection about, studying it. "But that's not what I am offering," she swiped the projection to the next one in the cue. A stick and ball image illuminated her face. A chemical structure that Adrian was clueless to interpret. "That's the chemical composition of a very special serum that the Oculus can deploy to anyone who wears it."

"A drug?" he said, studying her. He wasn't in the drug dealing trade. 

"Muy especial. A very special drug," she smiled. What she explained next was unfathomable. She brought the offering to the right altar, he decided when he learned what it did. A light shone his eyes to silver. This combined with the newest venture with Natalie was breaking him into the channeler business. A very special drug indeed. 

The future.

"You have possession of both?"
"Perhaps. You will be to discuss my revenge now?" 
"I'm listening."
"The man who took everything from us. I want his head in my Birkin," she toed the bag on the floor. Violent. Adrian should not have been surprised. The wife of one of the world's worst drug lords. The rumors said they were legitimately in love. A bullshit emotion that drove people to incredibly bad decisions that Adrian was happy to profit from.
"Done. Who?"

The next hologram she produced was a face that Adrian recognized well. He was probably somewhere in the very building. Yasmine had no idea how close she was to her goal.

His frown was thoughtful as he scrubbed his chin before he could catch himself. He did not respond right away. 

The events with the Yakuza had failed to an utmost extreme.  Allies and enemies were made and Yun still wasn't sure which was which these days. 

The Syndicate's ties with the Yakuza were on perilously thin ice and she had others handling things for the tenure.  But it wasn't that folly that plagued her mind.  There were rumors going around the Precinct that the boy god of Dorian's had returned from the depths of the underworld with a great victory.  Though no one had really said what it was he did -- they didn't know and Dorian Vega was tight lipped as usual.  More so than usual actually.  His family was still in her cross hairs, though it seemed as if the Vega's had little concern for their wellbeing as they scattered to the winds.  Even Dorian seemed less inclined to protect himself from the bullet that could land between his eyes.

But the man hadn't crossed her yet -- he was forthright with everything including her invitation to her domain yet again.  He sat across from her in his gray suit with a smirk on his face. 

"Tell me Detective what your boy god has done?"

[[continued from here]]

 

The tears building in Raffe’s eyes only made the decision to leave all the more right. He couldn’t watch Raffe in pain, and he couldn’t make watch Raffe watch him fall apart. It took all he had to walk down the steps and out the side door. The music from the club pounding to a comforting beat but Nox didn’t stop to listen or watch or even paid it much mind as he headed down the alley towards the tunnels. His heart pounded in his chest. Tears burned his eyes as they fell on his cheeks. The release of emotion raw and powerful in his chest. But he didn’t make a sound.

Everything he touched fell apart. His world had shattered, and he walked away. Nox reached through the grime covered power and grappled with the one tangible thing he could fight. The power raged inside, it tore through his body and he wanted to let it. Anger and hunger collided with one another. He was starving and the power pulled at the earth and Nox wanted to dump everything into the ground below. He wanted to let it burn him up, but that was giving up and he wasn’t about to let his feelings win, his demons weren’t every going to fucking win.

Nox pushed it away and collapsed against the nearest wall. Tears fell and Nox just let it all out. It was his turn to grieve.

***

The tears ran dry and Nox didn’t know how long he’d sat in the shadows. It was even later now and his stomach rumbled. Nox pulled himself off the ground and down the street. He wanted food. Needed food. Every other avenue of his outlets was out of the question now.

Nox headed for the nearest place to eat. It was a hole in the wall, barely open with barely anything of note to eat — mostly fried food and gross things that would make him feel even worse later, but he’d deal with that later.

Nox sat down at a table and ordered a burger and fries with a chocolate milkshake.

And then a second and third burger, he ditched the buns and just ate the burger and limp lettuce and tomatoes. His stomach still rumbled but his cash was thin. And he was nodding off as he ate. How long had he been up?

He grabbed a forth burger to go and headed for the nearest motel. He’d have to get with Sage soon and get a new wallet.

Sleep was next though — maybe a whole fucking week.

***

Without an alarm Nox had no idea how what time it was, what day. There was a knock on the door. That must have been what woke him up. Nox climbed out of bed and answered the door in the same clothes he’d been wearing when he left Kallisti. A courier handed him a clip board. ”Nox Durante?”

”Yeah.” Nox signed his name and took the box that came with it. ”Thanks.”

Sage being on the ball. Nox looked across the street and up and down the side of the motel and looked for any cameras. Finding one nested under the roof Nox gave the camera a wave and a nod in thanks and went back inside. Nox sighed as he opened the box and shut the door. Connected again.

The screen flicked on and Nox glanced at the time. It wasn’t even more than 8 hours. No wonder he still felt like shit.

Nox growled as looked at the empty recent call list. Nox wanted to send Raffe a text. But that wasn’t space and surely wasn’t even time.

But life went on. There were a lot of things he had to do and sleeping in motels wasn’t on his favorite things to do — promises he hadn’t fulfilled. Jobs he hadn’t finished. Obligations he needed to complete.

His stomach growled and his head was pounding. Food and more sleep were necessary, but that might not happen in that order or for a while.

He checked his schedule with Kallisti and check in the precinct since he’d gotten back. His mind reeled with all the things he needs to do — all he wanted to.

First thing he did was send Carmen a text.

Elyse is a good egg. She is like Kasun but in control always. Former hunter like me. Cuts the mustard for extra help in a pinch if the girls like her or not.”

Raffe had mentioned the refugees and there was a lump in his throat when he thought about losing the only place he had called home. He had to do that too, make amends there. He’d ordered deaths — that was going to be hard to handle if anyone remembered him.

So many things. Nox’s stomach rumbled again. Food first and coffee. Nox yawned, he was going to need that too.

***

Nox stopped at his storage unit where he kept all his dad’s old gear from America. Restocked some jerky and rations in his pack with some water and put the rest of his hunting gear sans the land warriors in their storage box. Salvation came with him, but Nox put Damnation back into the storage locker for the guns. He didn’t need the temptation so easy at hand. Took a lot more effort to hurt yourself with a knife than a gun. At least if you wanted to do it right. He’d given it thought a few times in his life, but right now wasn’t one of those times he wanted to even entertain it. He had enough ammo to hurt himself, but on weapon outside the power was still necessary for survival.

It was too early to hit the Almaz right now. But it wasn’t too early to scope the surrounding area out. Nor to late to find a safe spot to spend the next few nights in the tunnels. Sleeping in a bed was nice, but right now Nox didn’t feel like pampering himself.

His father would have made him sleep on the rocks without a sleeping bag if he’d broken a promise. The thoughts still fueled Nox’s own thoughts though he knew better. But it was his plan.

Nox looked on the lotus with a frown. ”What do I do with you Lily? Carry around the pretty flower or lock you in here with the rest of my treasure?” He sighed and sprayed the petals with water before wrapping her back up in air. He couldn’t leave her here anymore than he could have at Kallisti. His last hope to cling to.

Got Bored.Also needed a Dabble Cover for my First Age Project cause it doesn't have one.  So I finished up a project I started.

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...happy holidays, and happy New Year everyone!!!

Here's to a great 2023 at FA. 

You all are awesome!!

Ian

Elke’s arrival in Moscow was on a day just like any other day. The train station linked up with the main Moscow terminal, which Elke wandered lost for quite a while. The trains all looked alike and the symbols and boards were confusing. Eventually, she was deposited at a station that someone said was good for tourists. She smiled and thanked. them for the advice. There was a big lake in the distance that drew her fancy for a while, but when someone bumped into her, it pushed her attention to the view ahead.

The bridge leading to a cookie cutter outline of buildings was full of people. Some had packages tucked under their arms. Others were distracted by devices. A girl was currently videoing herself posing in front of the pretty buildings.

They were all pointy and painted with designs that reminded Elke of the quaint buildings of the Alps. She smiled to herself and followed the flow of the crowd into the interior. It was an open-air market and Elke smiled broadly as she wandered the stalls. She paused in front of a display of hand-painted nesting dolls and picked one up to examine it.

She offered to buy the doll, and pulled out a cheap, single-use wallet to make the payment. It took her half way traveling across Europe before she learned that money only worked on these devices. She picked one up at a local corner pharmacy store. It was all beat up and cracked. The battery was almost dead. But she held it out for the worker to scan when someone bumped into her.

She fell down with an oof, realizing that the assailant had grabbed her bag and ducked into the crowd.

“Hey!” Stop!"