Isaac goes to Jr.'s: Enough said.
Sighing Jr. puzzled a bit. The wordage as he reviewed for approval the dally requests. He rubbed his brow tired of it all. "These new business requirements are going to be the end of me." He muttered. Shifting his focus to the weekly inventory, he made sure that the orders for all the things needed for his nightclub were being handled as they should be.
Lighting a cigar he reflected on how he had had to update the building codes during reconstruction, still, place wasn't doing so bad with the new look, he had thought with the hunters compensation law he could get the place just about rebuilt after that Xiao Long kid had thrashed everything in sight. The paperwork he recalled had gone through swimmingly. Jr. grunted with a mix of emotions. Had Yang not sexually attacked him it would have been a different story. Yet the charges he tried to bring up against Yang were denied, the hunters board saying he, and his employees had been fully compensated, siding with a hunter rather then a civilian.
Then an offer, someone Torchwich knew with a proposal, they wanted a hit, one person. At first he balked, doing anything close to that was not his style, you have to be geared to do wetwork, even kidnapping, and he liked information. Once he learned who it was, well, all bets were off. They wanted Yangs sister alive but too damaged to even say what happened. Then found a day or so later, a massage being sent, he understood that, and he didn't pry as to why. Simple enough, bonk someone hard on the head enough times IQ goes right down, drug em up and they won't know what happened.
Leaning back in his oversized office chair he half smiled thinking about Yang. It had taken almost no effort to find out who she was, he reflected on all she had done, to him, to his place, to his men. Even the twins, Jr. was all but muttering to himself. "Oh, ya, when Blondie comes to save her little sister she's going to pay in full." Jr.s face twisted into a smile, even with all the hunters in her family he knew how to throw them off. With a grunt he wondered, thinking maybe he should just make Yang vanish. With what she did in the arena everyone would think she was hiding. His smile twisted even more, imagining what she would be like a year from now.
One of his employees knocked on the door derailing his fantasy's of pay back. "Doors open." Jr. called out taking a big puff and letting it out slowly as one of his men entered. One of his black clad enforcers walked in. The mans red sunglasses looking out of place inside a building.
They were more then shades it allowed his men to get text massages should the radio fail, allowing them to organized using a small HUD display in the lens, showing the building outline and where the trouble was. Should anything happen in the club they could deal with it quickly. When activated his men could also see in complete darkness, they cost, but he didn't want to hire any faunas, especially with the White Fang still going crazy stealing every shipment of dust they could lay there hands on. Jr. leaned forward focused on the enforcer. "So?" He asked.
Only when the door was closed did he answer. "That kids back. The faunas who started Grimms Bane. He's out by the VIP door, asking for you." Jr. cocked an eyebrow. "He dressed in that foam rubber?" The enforcer shook his head. "Hunters garb."
Jr. leaned forward to rest his elbows on the desk, waving his cigar like it was doing the talking. "Well, we have an understanding. Let the kid in, be polite, set him up in one of my booth's." Then he pointed the cig at the enforcer like a gun. "Non alcoholic drinks only." The man nodded heading for the door.
Jr. leaned back as the enforcer left, then started muttering to himself. "Wonder what the kid wants now?" He recalled the first time he had seen Isaac. The disguise was good, but anyone talking to him for more then a minute could see that everything was off. The face was good he admitted, but it was some kind of hood, even had facial hair, he looked like a pudgy midget in his forties belly rolling when he walked and everything. It was a good set up. Doorman let em glide right in, even his barkeep didn't think twice about handing him his order. Then he made a beeline to him.
"I represent a private party interested in your services." He told Jr. The big man had scoffed slightly irritated. He hated that kind of double speak, he heard it too much in his line of work. "Ya we get that a lot, you want to rent a private room for a discreet party?" The midget shook his head and despite the high collar around his neck Jr. saw, because of his height, the neck folds behaving like twisting cellophane, not flesh.
"Ok, I'm interested." Jr. Admitted. Studying the man. "Lets go into the VIP room, relax a bit and you can tell me what your needs are." He turned to his lead enforcer. Aure take care of the room." With nothing more to say, and a head nod form Aure Jr. stood and walked knowing the midget would be fallowing and keeping up.
Sitting at a round table Jr. lit up. The midget became interested so Jr. offered him one. As soon as the guy touched the cig Jr. knew. "A full suit? Someone's got a lot of lien making something like that."
The midget produced a lighter and lit up. Drawing deep and slowly exhaling. "Nice smoke, never tasted this brand before. Go good with a brandy sniffer." He speculated. Jr. chuckled almost darkly before explaining.
"Family brand, Dad and my younger brother have a tobacco farm not too far from Mistral." He made a jab with is finger at the cigar. "That's private stock, hand rolled." Jr. told him feeling rather prideful, one of his few family's legit business that wasn't a front for something.
When his father retired the task of upholding the other end of the darker business became his burden. Jr. had stepped up knowing what needed to be done. He had done fairly well in it. It suited him, so he'd been told. Gathering information was like a puzzle to him and this guy was like a knotted up ball of yarn, something he had to unravel.
"I'm going to need to include a box of these." Said the false midget. Jr. loved this part of the job. He knew he was a fake, and Jr. bet the midget figured out he knew, he tried but knew he had not completely hidden his surprise, yet the two of them were going on, talking like each had fooled the other.
"Don't know about that, not many made each month." Jr. took a puff then ordered drinks from the tables communications unit. A short time passed before an enforcer with tray quietly came in and set the drinks down along with two table snacks, leaving just as quietly. Jr. watched as the midget chewed the table snacks. It was a light bulb moment as Jr. shook his head in wonder. Now to blow it wide open.
"Kid, I got to say, that is the most realistic suite I've ever seen." To Jr.'s delight the kid had moxie, he didn't even flinch. He puzzled for a bit as if trying to understand what failed, before asking.
"My mouth, too small?" Jr. nodded. You can fill out, pad all you want, but, teeth are teeth. "Takes a lot of lien to make something like that. I'm guessing, but I'd bet you're that kid who runs Grimms Bane?" A nod back is all he got as the kid stood.
"Glad this farce is over, I want out of this thing." He took the vest off and reached up behind his head and pulled. Jr. thought the head would peel off. Instead there was a hiss of air and the thing expanded like a balloon. Then he reached back grasped and pulled a long piece of plastic out, it looked like an oversized zip tie. Standing as the costume deflated he seemed to shoulder shrug the outfit, pulling the head up like a winter cap sending the whole thing falling forward, a big split showing down the back. Then Isaac stepped out of it like a par of pants. "That thing is hot." He complained before retrieving the cig and drink.
Jr. reached his hand out covering the drink before Isaac could pick it up. "I don't serve minors, especially young ones. Seen the news so I know you smoke, I'll let ya have that." The faunas didn't even push it Jr. noted. He let go the glass and leaned into the chairs back.
"I was given false ID and medical records. It says I was a victim of time dilation, but I really don't see any reason to pull that on you, so. On to business?" Jr. nodded with a smile liking that the kid wasn't being pushy.
"I need phosphorus delivered to Mavideniz, twice a month. He dug into the vest and pulled a ledger out handing it to Jr. "These are the requirements."
Reading the paper Jr. put his thoughts together. "You need a shipper, not me." The kid shook his head. "Grimms Bane needs a smuggler. Mavideniz declared it's self an independent nation a bit ago, Vale put some pretty ham stringing restrictions on our supplies. Then embargoed us."
Laying out his scroll Isaac called up the new law concerning Vale and Mavideniz. "The powers that be in Vale wanted Grimms Bane under there thumb, mostly to tell us what we can hunt, and not hunt, and how much were to be paid for it. In short, driving us out of business."
Jr. scanned the display a bit to get the jist of it. "So, lots of roadblock's and Vale is the closest major phosphorus producer? They're using, that?" Jr. motioned to the script. Isaac nodded. Jr. leaned back took a sip and remembered he'd taken the kids drink. Using the table comm. Jr. called in another order for a non alcohol one. The kid seemed direct so… "So, were at the part now where I say. What's in it for me?"
The kid shrugged and spread his hands out shoulder high palms out. Reminding him a bit of Yang when she came back. "Why you get a toe hold into the sea lanes, to Vale and anyone looking your shipping out legal cargo. You can start getting to know the sea smugglers. Now. When the ship gets within transmission range of us, we send a small escort to make sure no grim attack it. Then they unload in Mavideniz west."
The next page is your cut. One half the cost after shipping. We based that from the cost of what it would take to ship in from another source, so half that. Should pay off the smugglers, leaving you a good chunk, its low risk to them."
"The data we have on you, and your integrity to unwritten contracts is why we approached you." Jr. saw the kid look down and he seemed frustrated. "Were doing it this way, because. Going to another source. With no grantee the same shit won't be dumped on us, again? No thanks. If we have to side step we will."
The conversation stopped as Jr. read and Isaacs drink arrived. Isaac seemed content to wait and smoke. Normally the customer started getting a little antsy not to mention nervous. It seemed off that a kid could be more at ease with this then Torchwick ever was. Jr. thought for a bit. Maybe it was just his flippancy. Who ever heard of a semblance that only got you high.
Jr. almost whistled when he saw the amount after shipping costs. "Well, I can see you want discretion and loyalty in this. I can set something up, take a few weeks?" Jr. asked. Isaac nodded adding. "I'll toss in an extra grand from my own pocket for a box every four delivery's. This are exceptional." He told Jr. raising the half smoked cigar.
Jr. frowned there was something odd about how this kid talked, but the money was more then enough. A legal operation too, well nothing wrong with, depending on where the ship was going to too tuck in a bit more. Jr. could see some good opportunity's opening at the shipyards. There clannish nature had road blocked even his fathers attempts. Becoming a regular would make quite the difference.
Falsifying the cargo, or destination paperwork was a snap for any good smuggler. Jr. daydreamed a bit as he wondered if after he learned the ropes, what he could get away with. Perhaps make a trading hub for himself. Might be nice for when he decided to retire. Juggling commerce going from place to place for the highest price sounded like it was right down his ally.
They talked some more as they finished their smoke. Jr. learned quickly the kid had a pretty good head on his shoulders. When he left by way of the VIP door with that suit folded up and stuffed in a bag. Jr. wasted no time setting things up. The quicker this was started the sooner the lien would roll in.
Jr. leaned on his desk his mind coming back to the present. Now after months of successful smuggling the kid was back and somehow he didn't like it. Something must have gone wrong, enough to send the kid here in person. Jr. stood. Stretching a bit and standing to his full height. "Lets get this done." He said to no one. Out the office and down the hall, grabbing a drink at the bar on the way to his personal VIP lounge.
Jr. found Isaac in one of the more discreet booths. Smoking one of his brand no less. "You must treat those like gold." He said plainly to the youth as he slid into a chair. Isaac nodded smiling. Took another puff letting the smoke come out as he spoke. That smile he had completely vanished. "Got some real dirty business coming down on my family." Jr. straightened, thought about it and frowned puzzled. "Your orphaned, right?"
Isaac shook his head. "Was adopted a few months back, happened just before that dust up with Children's Services. The court case tried to put a gag order on the names of those involved, but, someone found out."
Jr. shook his head admiring the kid, he took no shit. First the school board and now this. With admiration coloring his voice Jr. asked. "I take it they wanted to vanish you?"
Rolling the cigar on an ashtray to knock off some ash Isaac spoke quieter. "Yep, wanted to tag me as a psycho, drug me up and keep me institutionalized. A friend adopted me to keep that from happing. I don't like name dropping, but you need to know just how severe it was, Ironwood was there, he's a general from Atlas, he helped by bringing in some kind of special operations teem."
Jr. leaned back thinking as some of it fell into place. Grimms Bane had sent out a huge info dump on the world, killing grim was becoming easy for the younger hunters. If the updated travel zones were an indication. New weapons were being made, and that huge grim had been all over the news, and Isaac had been in the middle of it all. Yet, something troubled him.
"Grimms Bane is working with Atlas? I thought you worked for the White Fang? News says you are. Declaring the proof is that over half the town is faunas." The kid nodded as if he was expecting Jr. to realize the rest. "So, a smear campaign?" Jr. guessed. Isaac nodded again.
"Grimms Bane kills grim, it's what we do, and Ironwood has been financing some of the research for that end. Mostly providing defunct lab equipment. He also wanted some of the less popular faunas out of Atlas and Mantel. There is so many faunas wanting out of those places. So because of that we have a group fund we use, donations only, to ship faunas out of Atlas, Mantel, and Minstrel." Isaac saw Jr. put it in one sock as he paled a bit.
The idea of faunas with those kind of feelings about there former nation's, now, controlling an area from Mavideniz to Ménage, and then the White Fang with there attitude, it was a huge area and getting larger every day. With those weapons. The balance of power between the city's would shift and not for the better if Grimms Bane used those weapons for war. Jr watched Isaac take out his ID as all these thoughts rolled in his head.
With some unease Isaac looked at his plastic identity card and knew this would make Jr. all but faint, run, or try and include him in the kidnappings. Isaac looked up, his thoughts were stymied by a commotion at the door.
"Excuse me. Miss! This is a..." There was a loud whack ending the enforcers actions as the man sprawled practically bouncing on the floor, a short woman with odd hair was looking happy with herself as she walked smoothly around the enforcer and towards them. Jr. stood and seemed to swell up and was almost growling like a bear at the woman making a grand hand gesture. "Neo, this is private. Get out!"
Isaacs muscles in his head and back went ridged. Then he stood. This small woman had her eyes locked on him. "Neo? Neapolitan?" Isaac asked. "The one with Cinder Fall in the tournaments first round? You?" Isaacs ears folded as anger boiled in him, an unnoticed hiss left him. Jr. half turned hearing that noise as Neo closed the gap.
"You? Know her?" Isaac tossed his ID to Jr. like a Frisbee "Read." He irately hissed coming around the table. Jr. caught the spinning ID by reflex.
Neo stopped just a step away, grinning at Isaac just a half a head, little above eye level to him. "Damn, you're a short one." Isaac told her visibly calmer. Then reached for Neos umbrella. Neo's expression had been a quirky smile that almost shouted I'm kicking your ass. Now she was frowning her eyes alternating in color as she rapidly blinked.
"Isaac don't." Jr. warned. "Just, get some distance from her."
Turning his head Isaac told Jr. "Read." Pointing at the card. To Neo he pointed at a chair. "Sit." Then took her umbrella as she stiffly walked past and sat on the chair next to the booth. "I wouldn't struggle to hard." Isaac warned. Holding up her umbrella for inspection. Smiling as he found a small latch. A soft click and he pulled out the rapier hidden in its center. "I may rupture something trying to keep you still." He warned her again.
Neos face was starting to shift into the red as Jr. finished reading Isaacs ID. The mans reaction was a slow slouch, making him look a bit like an old man. "I, I didn't know." The large man quietly said. He focused on Neo who was turning red faced and looking at them with a mix of anger and panic. Jr. knew why she was here, the ID said it all. What he didn't understand is why was she was just sitting? Isaac, he realized, it had to be his semblance, Jr. wanted to be sure so he asked approaching Isaac holding out his ID to him. "What did you do to her?" Isaac didn't answer right away he seemed completely focused on Neo.
Jr. handed Isaacs ID back before sitting and taking a huge gulp almost finishing his drink. A commotion at the door heralded the arrival of more enforcers, all with weapons drawn. Jr. gave them an emotionally tired wave. "It's settled." He told them disappointed. A few hesitated eyeing the room and Jr. while another picked up the one Neo played whack a mole with. As they filed out Jr. told them to bring in more drinks with a bottle.
"I don't believe in coincidences." Isaac said eyeing Neo as he set the two parts on the table. "Nothing happens without a reason." He walked the short distance to her asking. "Having trouble breathing?" Neo eyed Isaac moving her mouth, one of the few things she could move. Her face coloring was becoming a tinge of blue and gray."
"She's mute." Jr. offered. "Has been, I guess her whole life." Jr. scoffed a bit surprised seeing Isaac. Isaac had placed his hand on her belly next to the strum. "What are you doing? If you need..." Isaacs laugh cut him off.
"Too young for that bullshit, but thanks, no, I can't fully control what I'm doing to her, so contact, touching a point, I can free up some of the paralysis, allow her literally some breathing room." With that said Isaac moved his hand away and Neo started hyperventilating, just about panting as her diaphragm worked to get fresh air into her lungs. Isaac moved to her side laying hands on her lower then upper ribcage on both sides.
Jr. quietly snorted holding in a laugh as Isaac hesitated his face starting to redden before doing what looked like flat palm groping Neo, a hand on the front and back, repeating the motions on each side. Isaacs face continued truing almost as scarlet red as Neos had been. When he finished Neo gave a shuttering gasp as her lungs started working. Neo was acting as if she had held her breath for a long time.
"Sorry." Mumbled Isaac before going back to the umbrella. Jr. watched as Neos face turned back to its normal color, unlike Isaacs red face, he Jr. saw had yet to make any eye contact with Neo. After there drinks arrived Jr. rolled the ice in his and put the pieces together.
"So? You know." Jr. stated. This part of the job he also liked, half words and sentences, minor movements said it all. Isaac nodded. "Almost as soon as you did. The people you're dealing with we keep a watch on, we believe they're working with a cult that worship the grim. We know the pay offered is less then what we give you in a month, so most of us believe you will drop this and get on with business." Jr. Nodded somberly in agreement if a bit disappointed with Isaac.
"As much as I would love." Jr. emphasized. "Some solid payback, I don't bite the hand that feeds me." He looked at Neo knowing what was probably going to happen. "You're going to be lucky if he lets you live." Neos expression said it all. You're not going to do anything? Jr. made a motion to Isaac who had taken some small tools out from wrapped leather and was taking apart the umbrella handle.
"News broadcasts." Jr. told her with gravity. "Remember what they said about Isaac? He can twist around thousands of tons of water. The body is mostly water. I'm betting your aura hardly delayed what he did to you, and you think I'm getting involved? I'd like to see tomorrow thank you. Another thing. I'd have a better chance with your colleague's then with Grimms Bane." He took another hard hit from his drink before looking down into the glass. "Dad said there would be days like this." He knew after this he needed to find someplace to vanish too, just until things cooled off. He hoped his bar would still be standing when he got back.
"The Bane call what I'm doing puppeteering and no." He eye Neo. "Doesn't look good." Neo saw the cold unforgiving look, in a child's eyes no less, someone who knew death. Had seen and given it. Then the kid looked away working on disassembling her umbrella talking as he worked. Neo tried to move, she could, a bit, but nothing more then a bit. "You work with Cinder Fall, Mercury Black and that green haired esper. You work for the grim." He told her his voice devoid of emotion.
"Grimms Bane kills grim." He turned facing her. "Understand?" Isaac caught a quick double image shimmer where she sat then Neo's eyes widened. "Echo Teleportation wont work, but you know that now. If it did, a big chunk of you would be left behind." Isaac almost growled at her. "When my sisters got mixed up with Torchwick I did a lot of study, a lot." Isaac kind of laughed. "I probably know more about the wiring in your home then the electricians."
Sighing through his nose Isaac remembered Neo couldn't answer. Turning back to the table Isaac turned to Jr. "The fact that she showed up, so soon after I did tells me someone is monitoring this place, from outside or inside I don't know." Isaacs voice turned calm as he was setting the parts neatly on the table. Then he started working on the main body. "So, as a favor, I could have a contact I know come over, give the place and surround a good once over. They may charge ya, a lot, but there good." He explained.
"I'll think about it, try some people of my own first." When Isaac nodded Jr. kept on. "I have to ask, from what I've read and seen of you. Just why is touching a woman like that difficult for you?"
Isaac eyed Jr. as if wondering if he even had the right to know, then seemed to shrug. "A man kidnapped and raped me, at age three, experimented on me. He was a sadist too, tossing me into pits to fight animals, even grim. Finely I had enough, killed him and almost forty others before I got away, don't even remember what my real name was. I was a number designated D. Short for disposable. Isaac turned to face Jr. and lifted his shirt. "I've known pain the likes no one here knows. So fondling her without permission was like a trip down dark memory lane."
"Is your back?" Jr. asked. Isaac gave him props most would blanc when he lied this story. So he pulled up his shirt even farther and turned. Jr. whistled between his teeth. Despite it all he couldn't meet Neos eyes as she stared. "Was, he human?" Jr. asked. Again Isaac nodded adding. "As were his costumers." Pulling the shirt down Isaac went back to the table and finished disassembling the umbrella laying everything out neatly then taking three pictures of it from different angles.
Sitting, to rest a bit Isaac drank Jr.'s non alcoholic while slowly putting Neos weapon back the way it was, smoking the rest of his cigar occasionally eyeing Neo as if he was trying to figer out what to do with her.
Jr. shifted a bit stiffly he knew asking this next question would be touchy. "I've seen faunas with far less abuse then what I've seen on you turn to the White Fang, don't you hate humans?" Isaac looked at Jr. somewhat surprised.
"You didn't do this, she didn't do this." Isaac looked a bit stressed when he said. "I can't wrap my head around this, I hear this all the time, like it's suppose to be a normal reaction. The grim are out there, killing anyone they can get. A small group did this, there dead for it. Other humans didn't do this to me, so, other then the jerks I run into, why should I hate them as a person or a people?"
Jr. leaned back making a kind of ok that makes sense head tilt. "Just asking, hate is an easy road, one I travel down a lot." Isaac chucked low understanding him a bit more. "Ya, I feel ya, having her do that, in public, then come back? Ya, I get it, but she's family now, and I've never known family, so I had to come." Isaac looked like a thought just bolted through his head. "Hang on a minute, no one has two semblances. Neo can shape shift and do a teleport that leaves a combat glass statue behind."
Jr.'s expression twisted in confusion. "Just what brought this on?"
"Got to test something." He stood walking to Neo whose eyes tracked him with hate. Neos eyes kept flickering from pink to brown as the boy reached for her. Isaac took her cheek and pulled. Jr quietly watched the whole thing sipping from his glass, curious as to what Isaac was up to. Neos facial expression contorted enough that there was no doubt, Isaac was not being even close to gentle.
When the pain became too much for her a colored ripple happened like folded paper and the cheek stretched to an impossible length. "Thought so!" Isaac declared in triumph letting her go. "This is why she looks so completely different then what was recorded in the tournament. She a faunas, an octopus faunas, that's why Neo can shift form and can't talk. She needs to be underwater to speak."
"What?!" Jr. made a time out T with his hands excited to the point that he almost stood on his chair. "Your saying she can breath underwater?" Isaac nodded. Adding "There's a bunch of em and other water faunas scattered along the shore from Ménage to our city, we trade, and most of the close ones, they work with Mavideniz West, but some of the aquatic hunters in Grimms Bane have been unlocking there auras, teaching them to become effective ocean hunters. They come back sometimes with some pretty interesting story's.
When octopus faunas come on land which I'm told is not often. Something to do with box lungs. They can shift their skin and bone I guess to mimic, well, anything, and they can't talk. Underwater I'm told it's like hearing twitters. whistles and clicks." Isaac watched Neo trying to read her reaction, it would show him if he fingered it out right.
Instead Isaac was seeing only confusion. He started smiling then laughing. Slamming a small fist on the table exclaiming loudly. "By all the makers in all the worlds! She doesn't know! Not a clue! Oh, I have to let you go. This is too good to waste."
Isaac made a motion like shooing away a fly. Neos was fuming, just down right livid that this kid was acting like this to her. Then it all vanished when he candidly told her. "Go, jump in a lake and drown, that's what it will feel like the first time."
Isaac started laughing, like a switch had been thrown and finished off his cig, put his tools away chuckling the whole time, then headed for the door. "Ta ta everyone. Jr. As always with you it's a good time. And Neo? I have your scent. You come near me or anything I care about I guarantee, you won't feel a thing, it'll be that quick. You mess with Jr. Grimms Bane will come for you. They're not above blowing up a crowded square or an entire building just to get you." Then he stopped adding without any emotion in his voice. "If there dead when I get to them, your goanna take a long time dieing, when I do find you."
To Neo, watching and reading people, especially in fights was something she was good at. Everything she saw said that this boy had done something like that, to someone before. His actions, shifting emotions were that of a psychopath. To her there was no faking a look like that. With a smile that said looking forward to seeing you again, he left.
Neo bolted onto her feet as soon as the VIP door shut, glared at the exit and grabbed her umbrella by the handle, which promptly fell apart in her hands. Jr. stifled a laugh letting Neo know before she could do anything. "The kid like's me." Neo didn't seem to hear him as she sighed. Pulling out a hard case with a jewelers tool kit inside. She started arranging her weapon trying to find the parts to put things back the way they were. Most of the screws she found were in Isaacs almost empty glass.
Not wanting to hang around until Neo finished reassembling that umbrella Jr. discreetly left. Leaving a glass, ice, and the bottle for Neo. He had a lot to think about and some serious information to gather before he would feel comfortable dealing with Cinder or her followers. A grim worshiper? Wonder who the head honcho is? Jr. wondered aloud.
Before the day was done Jr. had sent feelers out, keeping things as quiet as he could. Quite a few wanted to know where the info came from. When he traded that information a small stream started coming in the next day. Jr. felt a bit cold after a week of getting info from informants about people, laws, and infrastructure. Two worshipers were on the counsel in his own city. Others scattered in the infrastructure. From law enforcement to sub municipalities.
Common people by the end of the next week started talking about the rumors floating about, saying some people were grim worshiper's. Vocal residents started saying it made sense. Look at the new laws. Others wanted proof, of which there was none.
Jr. would find in time that this was a dirty little world, even by his standards, he had stumbled on another culture, a hidden society that wanted to stay hidden. So he kept his distance keeping to just a rumor at most, he wanted to stay a ghost on this one. Rather then become one. To that end he seriously considered a contract on Neo, it would be steep, she was no slouch, but she seemed to have just up and vanished never coming back to his bar. After three weeks of laying low, Jr. went on a private vacation.
At a night pub in Mavideniz East called The Shadow Realm. A place where the Buzz liked to go and well, let go in safety. Their world was also becoming a murky one as the interesting random facts and events ground down to long time study or waiting for the other shoe to drop.
The small bar with eatery made for an oasis in a dangerous environment, it could hold about three dozen and the shifting puzzle lock at the front door kept most out that were not members.
The backlights lit up the random patrons shifting from one color to another. As the music played just loud enough that anyone talking wouldn't reach five feet. The furniture and walls were painted or lacquered to shift and change depending on what light's or combinations of lights were on them. The effect on the eyes was people blurring in and out of sight. Or looked like the were only partly there. One mans hair shifted into random neon colors depending how he moved his head. He was talking to another who kept hidden in a dark full body cloak with hood that seemed to resist the color strobbing from the backlights.
"He did it." Said the cloak. "News is slowly trickling around from the bottom up, all the city's, even the towns are taking now, trying to get info, but he did it." The strobbing haired man nodded hardly a movement, but enough to see if you were close. "It was a long shot, but Jr. loves information, so he'll dig, and be a ghost?"
"Were making sure. There's no turning back now." Said the cloak. Strobbing haired man again nodded. "The parallel tower?" "Working around the clock. Not much time left." Answered cloak. The two finished talking and started working on their drinks, then had a meal and another drink. Leaving the pub having never said another word to each other.
And now, a word from Salem.
"Bring him in." Salem spoke to the room. Knowing someone would be bringing to her the head of The Emerald Forests expeditions. She waited in her chair looking down as he walked the long hall getting more and more nerviness as he approached. After prostrating himself as was proper Salem asked. "Why have you come before me?" The man did not look up as he spoke to the floor.
"My Goddess, My Queen. The door has been found."
Salem felt her heart leap, hammering in her chest as she leaned forward. "I desire to know." The man nodded to her will. "You may raise your head." She offered as a reward.
"My Queen. The explanation given by the boy. A door opened. He stepped through and it vanished. It is a gate My Queen. Even now your devoted are tracking it back to its origin, it is a shifting gate My Queen." He said no more awaiting her command.
"You and your team have done well you have my gratitude." Salem told him and waited as the man cried with joy. "But, but." She compelled him to pay attention. "I want a small discreet base built. See the Keeper of the garden, take twenty of the stones, my servants will know you do my will, and will pass you unmolested."
Salem waited for the appreciation to die down before speaking again. "When you are ready. Inform me. This is something I must attend to personally." After two heartbeats Salem looked down on the human saying as a parent to the child. "You may go, work well in my name, use what you must, find the origin point."
Salem smiled as he left. Knowing he was sneaking a peek at her, knowing her face smiling, showing approval would spur him on. "Soon." Salem murmured. "Soon." She left the audience hall to a much smaller and more familiar room which was more window then wall. Relaxing in familiarity until a seer came to her. She commanded her grim to gather in even greater number's. "Non will disturb your research." She vowed.
Well, looks like someone's going to kick someone's ass.