Not Looking For Little Red Riding Hood

[Legione Sumus]

Peter Andersen

Peter wasn't surprised to see the updated security at the mansion.  In fact it was the only time in the last several days that increased security hadn't bothered him.  With the previous issues at Headquarters that necessitated the renovations to the mansion, the increased security had been necessary.  Of course, getting through it wasn't a problem  Peter had all the necessary paperwork and his biometrics were on file.  He wasn't a traitor and was given access. He found a place to stay in the barracks and would check the armory at a later time.  First he needed to figure out where Elyse was hiding.

Peter moved to a common area and got hooked up to the network and began to search through files, looking for anything related to wolfkin.  He hated this part of the job and it was why Elsa had been a good partner.  She hated doing the dirty work, preferring to find things behind a computer screen, and she was good at it.  The fact that the pair had complemented each other had made them a highly efficient team.  It was a pity that Elsa had let her emotions get the better of her.  

Peter closed his laptop and contemplated.  This was a large city with a large population.  He knew there were wolf packs nearby, but he had his doubts Elyse was hiding with them.  It would be too obvious and she always had a weak spot for her friends.  It was sickening that she probably considered the beasts her friends and wouldn't want to put them in danger. Something nagged at the back of his mind though.  Elyse had told Elsa what she was.  Why did that matter? What did that mean?  He smirked.  She didn't want to hide who she was.  If she knew he was coming, Elyse might be taking  more precautions, but she had to be somewhere she felt comfortable being the beast she was.  It didn't give Peter options, but it was surely something to think about.

[Nox]

The first thing Nox did after leaving Elyse in the kitchen was to feed Lily. Then they spent a good ten minutes just chilling on the bed lounging together before he gave her a quick bath in the sink.

He probably should have found someone to watch Lily while he did this but what better cover than a man walking with his baby? Totally inconspicuous. And easily enough to protect Lily from any danger with a shield of air around them.

Nox got himself and Lily ready for a cold day in Moscow and then made his way to where Adrian had stored Elyse's gear. It wasn't quite so easy to check the crossbow as it should have been with only one useable arm, but the power helped with that.

But when he reached for it the first time it slipped through his fingers like it had before. What the fuck was going on?

Nox reached again for the power inside, that dark light that shifted and floated just out of reach. The slick ichor felt thinner as he reached through it and the power curled around his fingers and he grasped it, controlled it and it curled around the draw for the cross bow and he pulled it back. Everything appeared to be in working order.

He prepared a bag for Elyse's possible escape through the tunnels hooking her crossbow to the outside. He put in a pair of landwarriors so she'd have the maps. It was preprogrammed with escape routes, back to Kallisti and essentially his home.

And then he did what he said he was, he made his way to Baccarat through the tunnels clearing any monsters that were on the path, and any down the side paths for a couple of bends. All with Lily strapped to his chest under the big puffy coat he wore and behind a shield of air.

But there were no monsters on the way to the cafe. Where Nox stashed the bag in a nook he created with the power. This time the power came as it should and easily. He wondered what the fuck was going on.

He walked the rest of the way to the Baccarat through the tunnels clearing the path. He stayed in the tunnels while he fed Lily one more time. And made the final call to Wicked before he'd go top side.

"Wicked, you ready to plant the intel that Elyse's at the cafe?"

A message clashed on his screen Will be sent once she's at the table

Nox didn't reply. But he situated Lily against his chest again and wove her shield of air which also came easily. Whatever blip was in the power was gone now. He kept hold of the power as he ascended from the tunnels and started walking slowly bouncing Lily in her sling as he walked towards the Baccarat. It was almost time.

[Legione Sumus]

Peter Andersen

Peter visited the armory.  There were many ways he could do this, but he felt that he could convince Elyse to turn herself in.  If she cooperated, he'd offer her an easy out - one without pain.  It was better for everyone that way.  He certainly had no desire to torture the girl, and that wasn't just because she was his daughter.  He was the same with everyone unless there was information to be gained.  Elyse just needed to be reminded that she was sick and her sickness could hurt other people.  There was the chance she'd fight back.  She had gone into hiding, meaning she didn't want to die.  Peter understood that, but she knew the law.  She had to die just as her mother had.  

Peter went with a concealed silenced pistol.  He could walk around Moscow with that inconspicuously.  On the off chance that he actually met her on the streets.  Urban hunting was never his strong suit, even if he could do it. Denmark was a lot more rural than Moscow.  He included knives as well.  Elyse was good, but as a stealth hunter she excelled more at range.  He also included several vials of poison.  If she was eating, slipping something into her meal would end the situation just as well. 

Weapons acquired, he went back to his laptop and began to search again.  If he found nothing today, he would head into the city.  She was likely wearing colored contacts, but he was sure something would turn up.  He had a lead to follow at least.  Rumors of a "golden-eyed dancer" at some strip club or something.  How disgusting.  If it was Elyse, she had certainly fallen a long way from the girl he had raised.

[Elyse]

((Continued from here))

Elyse left the safe house with Hayden, and she was almost certain one of Sage's drones was following them.  That could have just been her paranoia at work though.  Elyse stopped as she got to the edge of Nox's perimeter.  She had only left once since this started - and it was to get her tattoo.  Now going out was dangerous.  Elyse looked at the drone, sure Sage was watching and took the first step beyond the perimeter.  This was the beginning.

---

They were a block away from Artskaf and no one was around when Elyse put the earpiece in.  It looked just like a Bluetooth device that any person would wear.  "Alright, Wicked can you hear me?"  Sage would be listening and guessed that it might be sent to Nox too.  She really didn't know, but she wanted the comms check in case she needed to extract herself from the situation. 

Her wallet beeped and she checked it to see message from Sage. Always.

She rolled her eyes and ignored the creepiness of the statement.  "I'll assume you can hear me if Wicked can," she said, not expecting a reply from Nox.  She noticed Hayden had a device too and was probably connected as well.

They entered the cafe and Elyse went to the register to order.  She needed to look natural and wasn't worried at all about Hayden. "A caramel macchiato and a cheese danish for me," she allowed Hayden to order what he wanted and paid before taking a seat at a table.  There was artwork all around, although she really liked the painting of a woman with golden eyes.  The artwork reminded her of Nox's tattoo.  He had sent her a picture when she had sent her a picture of his.

She turned to Hayden with a smile "So what are you up to today?" she asked, turning to light coffee house conversation.  She was going to look like everything was completely normal.

[Hayden]

Hayden would have preferred to grab a shower before heading into a simple bait game. He knew only a little of what was going on. He trusted Nox was going to keep Elyse safe. He was 1000% nothing was going to happen, but he offered his help to help keep Elyse calm and make it look like she was just out for coffee with a guy. He ordered a hot chocolate and a piece of chocolate cake which he wasn't going to eat, he asked for it to be boxed to go.

They sat down and she asked him what he was up to today and he chuckled. "My day has been pretty abnormal actually. The bar is almost done and I expected to have to beg my father for some top label booze. But he sent it without my prompting. I think he's happy to have a foothold in Moscow since my brother is not exactly making progress." It was probably the first truthful piece of information he'd let drop since he'd met her. Nothing had been a lie before, but it wasn't exactly personal.

"Work going alright?" It was an ask about things with Mae but he didn't want to pry into that. This wasn't therapy this was just coffee.

Hayden knew this was all a ploy but it had been a while since he'd been out on a casual coffee 'date'. Even if this was just bait.

[Sage]

Elyse and Hayden sat down at a table and Sage made the discreet sighting for the Atharim records. An anonymous tip called in from someone's eyes and ears.

Sage sent a text to Nox, Elyse and Hayden Bait sent. Good luck!

[Legione Sumus]

Peter’s laptop beeped as he received a notification. He had set up that any update to the records regarding Elyse be sent to him.  He went to check it - an anonymous tip that someone matching Elyse’s description was just seen at a local cafe - ArtsKaf. Her smirked. It could be nothing, but it was a start.  He loaded up, got his keys and heading to the exit of the mansion, hoping Elyse would see reason.

he exited the building. There weren’t many people around. Only a man and a baby girl caught his eye, bringing back memories of holding his own little girl in his hands. It was regrettable - all of it. She had always shown promise. She had always been a bright and headstrong girl. He had been proud of her when she had joined their order. Now all those memories were tainted. But soon it would be over. The end would come.

[Elyse]

The barista brought their order and Elyse took a sip before taking a bit of her danish. She checked her wallet when Sage noted the bait had been sent. Elyse took a deep breath and sighed, using it to keep calm. And talked to Hayden after, attaching meaning to the sigh with what she said.

”it can be a little rough at times. Things are still a little awkward and our coworkers are getting used to the change, but we’re still friends and things are finding a balance. My friend Anna and I are working on a routine and that should be fun,” Elyse gave him a smile. She was looking forward to dancing with Anna.

[Nox]

Nox bounced Lily as he walked, she was being fussy, like she knew he needed the reason to pace back and forth around the block. But Nox was pretty sure it just wasn't just her intuition, the horde felt restless too. Like it wanted to run and feed and fight. He felt caged and starving, which meant so did the horde. Something was different and maybe it was just being this close to the horde after a while.

Sage dinged his phone and he didn't bother looking at it, there was only one reason for the hacker to message him. He'd sent the bait and now the game was afoot. The power hovered close at hand. Nox had a weave tied off around Lily already and now he just held one reado to complete if anything were to happen. For now he walked Lily around trying to calm her.

Peter Andersen walked out the side alley of the Bacarrat Mansion wearing a nice winter jacket over what Nox could only assume was a black suit with a matching hat. Typical Old World Atharim getup. Who the fuck thought hunting in a suit was a good thing?

Andersen was heading to his car. Which meant that it had to be now. Nox let go of his other weave and reached for a new inverted weave that would stop Peter Andersen's heart. It wasn't all that hard. The weave blocked the arteries around the heart and it sorta exploded -- just like a heart attack. The power changed easily and Nox wondered if it had anything to do with already holding the power. But it came easily. Nox followed behind him and applied the weave with ease. Peter Andersen should clutch his chest and drop to the ground and no one would think more of it.

[Hayden]

Hayden was happy she picked up the meaning. "That is good. I'd say I'd stop by and watch it when you do get it on stage, but I won't be frequenting the club. There's a whole unspoken rule of fraternizing with the patrons, and since I'm currently fraternizing with two employees I think I'll just watch the rehearsals or hear it from the kids who get to watch."

There was no word from Nox. He supposed that was good news. There was nothing to worry about and he needed to make sure Elyse didn't freak out the longer there was silence. But there wasn't really silence, Nox was muttering on the comms to Lily. "Shhh. It's alright. We'll be outta the cold soon." There was some that made Hayden wonder if Nox wasn't feeling a bit more strung out than he had said before, soft whispers about the demons inside not getting them. They'd be okay. He was distracting Elyse even as he hunted her father.