Part 5~Lacroix
Lucien Lacroix studied the boy closely. There had been no one there seconds before. Now a strange young man with a ridiculous haircut and odd clothing stared across the switchboard at the Nightcrawler. Long ago the vampire ceased searching for reasonable explanations. They were unnecessary. Things happened. The reasons behind events rarely supplied anything in the way of illumination. "Who are you?" he finally asked.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi."
Nodding, Lacroix turned to the mike as the last song he had put on the air finally drifted into oblivion. "Well, gentle listeners, it seems that we have a visitor. One... Obi-Wan Kenobi is with us tonight. Say hello."
Looking more confused than ever, the boy hesitantly complied. "H-hello?"
"The Nightcrawler is going to play some more music for you while he tries to figure out what has brought this young man into our lair." He turned on a second melody and returned his entire focus to Obi-Wan. "And so, why *are* you here?" Lacroix gestured toward the chair facing his and the boy sat down quietly.
"I-I don't know. Where exactly is here?"
The ancient vampire chuckled, the sound more disquieting than merry. "I have been lost at many points in my existence but rarely to the point where I was completely unaware of my location. You are in Toronto. That is in Canada, should you also be ignorant of its location."
The boy's brow furrowed. "Thank you. I... Who are you?"
Extending a hand, he replied, "Lucien Lacroix, known to my listeners as The Nightcrawler." A long, measured gaze covered Obi-Wan's body from head to toe. "What are you? You belong in this place and this time no more than I do."
Hesitating again, the Padawan finally offered, "A traveler."
"More."
A command, not a request. "I am a Jedi. A Padawan. I am training."
"Better. You are searching for something?"
"My Master. He... he disappeared from our ship."
"Ah. I see." Obviously Lacroix believed the boy to be completely insane. "Then perhaps I can help you find him." Another languid, unsettling smile spread across the pale face.