Greek Antiquities (Search for Chryseis)(invitation only)

C'mon Joe, hurry it up.

Sir Mountain had moved around the building, and Novak kicked himself for not saying to hell with it and leaving his post to talk to the huge dude. He wasn't feeling much like stomping around through the bushes, and supposed he would just have to find Lord Grey and The White Lady and ask them what was up.

A crackle of static brought him back to the present. "Alright, I'm back, go 'head."Â?

About time. "Thanks man. Hey, can you keep asking around?"Â?

Another crackle. "Yeah, I'll call around."Â?

Novak headed inside and made his way down the hall toward the Egyptian Artifacts. It looked like his buddies had not quite made it inside yet, and he quickened his pace when Mr. Grey looked up at him.

"Hey, Mr. Grey...uh, looks like no one else has heard anything about Ms. Angelique so far. We'll keep poking around though. Is there a reason you asked?

Thaddeus nodded his head.

Yes, I would like to speak with her and have not had much luck in tracking her down. I was hoping perhaps you could help us to determine the last time she was seen.

He looked over the guard once more, wondering how much he ought to reveal.

It is concerning that we have yet to contact her. I think it would be helpful if you found out as much as you could.

Mai noticed that the guard had returned but Thaddeus looked up as well. She listened to both of them but continued to look around. Talon was nearby, she could sense him but Cyrus was further away. Wondering briefly whether they had found anything, Mai continued to stay near her clansman.

She wondered if Thaddeus had one of those talking boxes to call up the Manor and at least inform Morrigan that he believed Chryseis was ok. Mai was not certain how long this search might take but that would be the first thing the Elder of the Rose would want to know.

Looking at the guard thoughtfully, she pondered whether they should ask if there had been any unusual messes that the cleaning staff had cleaned up and if so where because if there were no signs of a disturbance left then they would have a hard time knowing what to try and sense.

Thaddeus might not appreciate the guard's involvement however, so she kept silent. If they found nothing on their own then they could always come back to ask Officer Novak.

Cyrus had prowled around the three storage rooms along the east wall. He quietly made his way to the west wall of doors. The first room appeared to be a janitorial closet. The second resembled the eastern counterparts, boxes, crates and spare art or packaging materials.

It wasnt until he opened the lock of the third room that he found anything interesting. There was a tub with pottery shards inside of it. He wondered why they would leave a broken piece of, what appeared to be asian pottery, in a tub. Why was it not being repaired or discarded.

Carefully he picked up a piece, using a cloth nearby to wrap it up in. He placed it into his jacket pocket. He found it odd that there was a tiny feather in the corner of the tub, almost wedged completely under a shard. With another rag he picked it up and placed it in the same pocket with the shard. Perhaps they ment nothing more than the museum had shoddy housekeeping but he would take them to the elder just in case. Looking around the room, he wondered what else was important to this puzzle before exiting the storage rooms.

He worked his way through the building towards the scent of Mai. As he got closer the overwhelming odor of canine made him sneeze. He always seemed to be sneezing around the clansmembers, how very odd and annoying.

Noticing the Guard Nov-something chatting casually, like he didnt have a post to be at, with Thaddeus made him glare daggers at the man, as he came to stand silently beside and slightly behind Mai. There was no way Cyrus was going to say a word in front of that incompetant snack. Crossing his leather clad arms over his chest he willed the man to leave.

Officer Novak frowned at Thaddeus's statement, disturbed. Concerning in what way? Something fishy was going on here. He looked up as the Black Pirate joined them, and wondered vaguely what this strange company was up to.

"Yeah, I'll look into it more...you're right, it is disturbing. I can check with maintenance too, though there really hasn't been anything going on around here that requires her personal attention."Â?

It really wasn't all that weird that he and Joe hadn't seen Ms. Angelique in a while; she came and went as she wished. Mr. Grey, however, seemed to find her absence strange, wrong in some way, and he wondered if foul play were afoot. Yeah, he'd check closely indeed now.

He wanted to press the matter, actually, and ask Mr. Grey what the deal was, but he was interupted by a hiss of static.

"Hey, Nate, we got a minor little problem here. Little help? I'm in A2."Â?

Novak rolled his eyes in frustration. This wasn't a code red or anything like that, or he would have gone running, and it was irritating to be jerked around the building for something that probably wasn't important. "Dammit Joe, who's watching the front?"Â?

There was a long pause in which Novak decided to cast Joe as a hideous hunchback ogre. "Steve's got it, we're good. Just uh...little bit of a situation here, could use a hand."Â?

Novak nodded to the museum guests. Excuse me. He walked around the party briskly. This was clearly more serious than Joe was letting on, so why was the other guard speaking so slowly and calmly, as though nothing were amiss at all? "What's up, Joe?"Â?

Another long pause, and this time Novak caught a little shake to Joe's voice. "There's a huge assed dog in the museum is 'what's up.'"Â?

Novak nearly turned right back around, but he knew Joe got a little jumpy around the dogs and felt a little bad for him. "Jeez Joe, don't freak. Which one is it?"Â?

The pause this time was mercifully short. "What? No, no, not one of Ms. Angelique's. A strange dog."Â?

Novak's shoes slapped on the tile as he picked up the pace. There seemed to be an awful lot of weird problems with that section, come to think of it; first the window and the vase, now this.

Watching as the inept guard left, Cyrus bared his fangs in a silent snarl at the man's retreating back. Blanking his expression he turned and kneeled at the elder's side. He reached into his pocket and presented both items to her.

"I found this in a tub in a back storage room. Odd that the broken vase had not been repaired nor discarded. There was also a feather in the rubble, which seemed very strange."

He held back another sneeze and wondered why the canine scent did not seem to ever dissapate now that they were away from those dogs. Blasted canines.

Mai looked down at Cyrus and smiled. He was such a good huntsman and she was glad that he joined the family. Touching him lightly on the shoulder and nodding her appreciation, Mai then turned to Thaddeus.

"Ba-di-kun, perhaps these would be of use to the search?"

Mai stepped back and let Thaddeus come closer, not touching the pieces in the cloth herself and staying at the blonde's side in case he needed her aid.

She noticed that Cyrus looked more calm and figured that he had found something in the way of nourishment in the course of his search. Her fellow huntsman was efficient and she felt a brief swell of Eastern pride at the economy of effort and practicality that seemed to be standard among her cultural relatives.

A sneeze behind him precluded Cyrus's presence, though Thaddeus kept his attention on Novak. The guard seemed to understand that this was an urgent matter and was willing enough to help before he was suddenly interrupted.

Thaddeus watched Officer Novak walk briskly away, wondering what could be wrong and if it might be in any way relevant to their investigation. Hopefully he would remember to follow up; they could be here all night at this rate. The thought made him anxious. While he knew Chryseis was alive, he had no way of knowing her condition. And meanwhile, Morrigan and Alfarinn were waiting at the Manor, both going through their own deep frustrations.

Right, no pressure here. Thaddeus reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose, and again stopped himself. The guard had picked up on the anxiety behind the situation, he was reasonably sure of that, and would do what he could. The hunters were doing what they did best, and that is exactly what he should be doing as well.

He looked over at Cyrus and Mai, watching their exchange quietly. He was well pleased with Cyrus's care with his findings; that would certainly make sensing easier. And this was the sort of out of the ordinary thing they were looking out for. Thaddeus cleared his head, wanting to be calm to sense.

He walked forward, looking at the shard of pottery and the feather in the cloth, then met Cyrus's eyes. Deciding there was no disapproval there, he reached up and selected the shard. Inanimate objects not closely tied to a living being were oftentimes easier to sense for specific events; things like hair, oft-worn clothing, and feathers were too closely tied to the person or animal to sense beyond that association.

Upon picking up the shard, though, he felt such a rush of mortal fear that he immediately set it back on the cloth, his heart racing. There had been the slightest glimpse of two unknown women clinging to one another, but he had not sensed long enough to get any more information.

He raked his fingers through his hair, and took a deep breath.

Something happened here. He looked over at the bench in the center of the hall. I cannot be certain of its relevance as of yet; I will need to sense again. His gaze turned to Mai, then to Cyrus, before picking up the white cloth by the corners and taking it with him to the bench. He sat, set the cloth down beside him, and considered for a moment before looking up at Mai. He would have preferred not to mention it, but it was unwise to give no warning.

I may need you.

He imagined that Mai likely kept an eye on him while he sensed in any case. Saying that he would want her help out loud, though, would be proof enough that he knew this sensing would be of particular difficulty.

Mai watched Thaddeus pick up the shard of pottery and then place it quickly back down. Whatever he sensed seemed to be stressful and she wondered briefly if he saw something of Chryseis.

She watched him pick up the cloth and head to the bench and thought this a wise idea. It would not do for him to drop the piece if the sensing went badly and have it shatter on the tile.

Kneeling on the floor next to him, Mai placed on hand on his knee and nodded her head solemnly, she would watch him and pull it away if the need arose. Her Ba-di had picked up some terrible things in the past and it was never easy for him to relive such experiences. She hated that it was necessary for him to do so in this case.

"Hai, I am here."

Thaddeus smiled gratefully at Mai before turning back to the white cloth. He reached down and carefully took the shard between thumb and forefinger, lifting it off the bench as little as possible. His eyes slid closed.

The fear was expected now, though it only increased, and the images came quick and blurred. Two women, crying, holding on to each other. A broken vase. An advancing shadow, features barely distinguishable. The terror was tangible and all-consuming, and Thaddeus could only barely sense anything beyond it. Some anger. Surprise. A feeling he couldn't place. And...

He wasn't certain if Mai pulled him or he jerked back himself; it was a moment before he came back to himself.

It was another moment before he opened his eyes, and yet another before he spoke, looking at the floor, continuing to collect himself by reciting what he had seen.

Two women I did not recognize were killed here. I did not see who killed them. I believe they may have been responsible for me holding a shard instead of a whole vase. It is possible the vase breaking is what pulled Chryseis from the other room. There was a conflict of some sort. I believe the killer knew the women...there was recognition.

Talon took his time memorizing the scent of the unfamiliar vampire, it might come in handy later..

he stepped back away from the door and resumed his human form. Standing up from the crouched position he walked over and carefully tried the door leading out to the main part of the museam.
he opened the door carefully and peered out. in the distance he could sense the others..

'wonder if they found anything useful' he thought and headed out twords the sounds of thier conversation.

She watched Thaddeus closely and when he seemed calm once more she relaxed. Mai listened with interest at the story he told of the shard and tried to make sense of it. Two women who knew their attacker or attackers.

"Thaddeus-san could you sense whether they were looking at one person or more than one? It would seem unlikely that just one human could over power Chryseis, especially not with her ability to change forms and simply escape but one vampire might."

Her mind turned once more to the length of time this might take. There were at least three other people involved besides their clan member this could be a long night of sensing and searching.

"Thaddeus-san, perhaps we should tell Morrigan that you feel Chryseis is alive?" In her long life Mai was rarely given over to concern for others in a very personal way, not to the point of extreme worry on their behalf but her Ba-di had changed that and she knew that if Morrigan felt for Chryseis as much as she felt for Thaddeus then she'd want to at least know that there was hope of seeing her again.

Standing with his back to the pair, he guarded the door. Trying to afford them the privacy required for this delicate task. He resumed doing what he knew best, glaring at people that dared to come into his field of vision.

Glad he didnt have that kind of ability, he focused on his job at hand. Wishing he could track did not make it so. He was blessed with only the skills he had and should be happy for them.

He snarlled at the thick scent of canine but could not withhold another sneeze. That was getting annoying.

Talon entered the egyptian hall and met up with the others..

entered just in time to hear Mai say "Thaddeus-san, perhaps we should tell Morrigan that you feel Chryseis is alive?"

'well thats changes things, that means time is now against us' he thought.

he enetered the area and gave a nod to Cyrus, then turned to Mai and Thaddeus..

"There was another Vampire here" He thumbed over his shoulder the way he had come
"and I can smell Cryesis's Blood in there too, not a great deal, but some. I think whatever happened, happened in that storeroom"

he paused then continued..

"I have the Vampires Scent, and its not one I recoginize..."

Thaddeus thought for a moment before answering, remembering the images he had seen.

I could not say for certain, but the images I saw could indicate two sources.

He took his small notebook out of his pocket and twisted his pen open.

I will want to see the room; I have a few guesses as to which it could be, but...

He opened up to a blank page and drew a line across the top. Underneath, he made a small circle. The vase. It was on a stand, but fell to the floor. He drew two points next to the circle. The two women. Now in the first image, the two women were looking he drew a line from the two points in an angle off the left hand side of the page here, with their backs to the vase. In the following image, they were looking he drew another line running parallel to the horizontal line at the top of the page here, along the wall. He looked thoughtful for a moment before adding two short vertical lines to the top line, marking a space about two inches long. There might have been an alcove of some sort here.

He continued to speak, jotting down notes at the bottom of the page at the same time. I can think of any number of scenarios, but it may be safe to say that Chryseis heard the vase break and went to investigate. Possibly, likely even, a third party interfered in some way. The two women ended up dead and Chryseis disappeared.He snapped his notebook closed and looked to the feather, hoping for another piece of the puzzle, but Mai's question gave him pause in his train of thought.

He debated for a moment, wondering if calling Morrigan would only make matters worse for her. He naturally decided that Mai was right; Morrigan should know what little information they had, though it would likely not be nearly enough. He would have liked to have called her with more definate and positive news than 'she's not dead,' but he nodded his head in agreement.

It was at that moment that Talon arrived, having apparently found something that aligned with their current theory and had hopefully found the room in question as well. He inclined his chin to Talon.

Perhaps this will soon fall into place then. He turned to Mai. I will give Morrigan an update, and then we can investigate the room? He looked down at the cloth. I suppose I might as well sense the feather first; if we can afford any optimism, there may be more to tell Morrigan when I call.

With that, he reached down and picked up the feather, holding it firmly between thumb and forefinger. He could not help but smile a little as his eyes slid closed; this was, without a doubt, Chryseis. It was difficult to sense beyond that knowledge, though by concentrating he got the briefest image and a flash of emotion. He rested the feather down once more. This sensing had been much more filtered, less intense, and though that was a relief, he would have traded the worst possible sensing if it meant just a bit more information.

The feather is one of Chryseis's in her nightingale form. She is most definitely alive, though I cannot account for her wellness. She turned to her bird form in an enclosed part of the museum with dark fabric walls. There was agitation, and recognition; again, a known attacker.

He looked up to Cyrus. You mentioned finding these two items together, though the incidents associated with them took place in separate rooms and different times...it would appear someone is trying to cover his tracks.

He nodded his head once more as he catalogued possibilities in his mind. I will call Morrigan, and then if Talon he turned and nodded at the giant huntsman would be so kind as to show us the room you found, perhaps we can begin making sense of all of this.

He stood up, moved forward, and handed the cloth, held by the corners, to Cyrus. Thank you for keeping those safe; it does make the sensing easier. He pulled his mobile out of his pocket and dialed the number for the manor, walking a distance away from the group as he went.

Thaddeus paced back and forth further down the hallway as the phone rang. As he waited, he pulled his notepad out of his pocket and hastily wrote a reminder to find Novak and follow up with him before he was at last connected.

Thaddeus Grey for Morrigan Kinsey, please.

After an equally terse reply, he was put on hold and awaited the Elder of the Rose's response.

After escorting Alfarrin to Thaddeus' quarters, Morrigan returned to her office and began to pace absentmindedly. She was not normally one for this type of idle behavior, but then few things put her on edge like Chryseis' disappearance. The worst possible scenarios flashed through her mind and her eyes began to blaze as she thought of tracking down whoever was responsible.

Her head whipped around and sent her hair into a dramatic sweep the instant the telephone in her office broke the silence. Barely a ring managed to fill the air before she was at her desk with the receiver at her ear. The flat voice of the staff attendant announced the caller and inquired if she would choose to accept. She was slightly relieved at the name and gave the attendant her reply.

Thaddeus, what news?

Thaddeus shoved his notepad awkwardly into his pocket at the sound of Morrigan's voice and gave her his full attention as he spoke, not wasting time they did not have on pleasantries.

We are still searching, but you should know that I am certain Chryseis is alive. We are presently going through a few leads in the museum; at this point there are just a lot of details to evaluate. We will do so as quickly as possible, but it may take time.

What we do know at this time is that she is alive and was involved in an incident at the Museum, one that involved a person she knew, or recognized at the very least.

He pinched the bridge of his nose.

Beyond that...there are numerous possibilities. We are doing everything we can...but we wanted you to know.

Morrigan listened intently. Alive. This was comforting and yet there was still the possibility that Chryseis was in danger or badly injured. The confirmation that someone had attacked her child sent her blood aboil. Morrigan began to search her mind for any memory of someone who would seek to harm Chryseis, but stopped herself. She could not keep Thaddeus on the line too long and delay the search.

You have my deepest gratitude. I shant keep you long, but I do wish you to know your guest is resting safely in your quarters while you are away.

Finally noticing her chair behind, Morrigan sat and tried to keep herself still.

Thaddeus felt a little of the tension go out of him at the mere mention of Alfarinn. It was kind of her to mention his whereabouts in the midst of all of this, considering what she was going through right now. He had felt it would be rude to ask and could be patient until he got home.

Thank you. I need to get back, but should you think of anything we should know, or have any questions, feel free to call. I will update you as we find out anything of substance.

I wish I could tell you more.