Connections, Money and Secrets [Almaz]

[Jacob]

The Atharim database was handy.  Jacob was shit at using it but there was always some snitty little boy or girl standing around to help him out if he got stuck.  And they gladly showed the old man how to use technology and snubbed him while they were at it.  Jacob let it slide for now.  He could have easily tossed these little snits into a headlock or laid out on the floor without a second thought, but it wasn't worth his energy.

The database tracked all the gods to the best of its ability.  The Atharim knew where they were, and what they were doing.  Privacy was not a thing if you walked the streets of Moscow.  Up until recently Nox had been under the radar, only being caught when he wanted to.  Now he showed up in various places on the regular.  Something had changed in his behavior.  Something far more reckless.  If he weren't here to kill the boy he's smack him upside the head.  He still might!

He worked a burlesque club called Kallisti in his free time.  Which was not really alot.  He also consulted with Domovoi -- whatever that was, but it looked like the Ascendancy's version of the Atharim.  The boy was seen coming and going from the Kremlin itself.  And was spotted with the man himself.  Holy fuck!  And he fought nearly every night in a club call Almaz.  One of those prestigious joints that took money to grease palms.  Nox didn't have an active hunter.  Which wasn't surprising after the third attempt failed. 

Jacob was oddly proud of the boy.  Boasting three wins against trained killers was no small feat.  Granted the last one never really came of anything. No one tried to kill him, just surveyed the situation.  But that was his home.  If they had taught him anything growing up it was to protect your base.  He had other places of known friends.  He'd check them out as necessary.  But first this Almaz looked promising and if it came to a fight then it might be the best place to take him down. Provided he could take in the knife.  Only in an emergency would he put a bullet in the boys head.  He'd give him that privledge at the very least -- getting close was important.  Nothing had changed.

Jacob downloaded a video to his phone to lie about what he'd actually first seen.  It was innocuous, there was no power of the gods on display just clip after clip of the boy getting pummeled by another man.  That wasn't the look of a man wanting to live. 

Jacob wondered were Aurora and Bryan were.  They weren't in the records.  Surely Nox wasn't here without his sister.

Bryan he could find later.

Greasing palms was not new.  This was a slightly steep price to get in.  But he managed the funds, and with his name now on the Atharim rooster, he took what he needed to get into the club.  It was rather a good deal if you asked Jacob.  Which they didn't.  Must be nice to have connections.  Jacob owned a few suits and chose the best one and waltz right in with the right hands greased and was astonished by what the rich and glorious lived by.  But he walked around like he owned the place.  That was the only way to do it.  The boy wouldn't be here for a while, so he did what any good undercover man did, he blended in. 

After stopping at the first bar and ordering a chilled sipping vodka as proper in Russia Jacob walked the floors.