Jeremy thanked Pat for the suggestion before taking the elevator up to his floor. A quick grab of his longboard and a scribbled note and he locked it back up and left. The note he left on Ron's door detailed he wanted to speak to him about some girl trouble he might be having. Satisfied Ron would get it, he headed out with his Phoenix painted longboard and skated off the Whitehold property. He rolled down e sidewalk into the less pristine parts of the neighborhood and stepped inside an electronics shack.

It wasn't the first phone he had owned, but he still didn't trust the wristbands to not protect it completely. The added benefit of this store was a static-grounded case that was guaranteed to protect the phone from electrical shock. With very little cash in his pocket now, he headed back to Whitehold with a new phone and contact info to start passing out to people. First, the last few bucks had to be sacrificed for a chili dog.

Ron reached over and replayed the video stopping it where he can see the woman's face. "She enjoys the kill, the thrill of it, she doesn't have minions she has followers... Anyone we run across wouldn't be there to kill us. Just slow us down so she can study our tactics and prepare. She would want the joy of killing you herself. Any lead we find would lead us to a trap she got planned." He then turned to look at Talan "I'm correct on that, or have I finally missed my mark?"

Hypatia took the coat rack up to her apartment. She set up her workroom and invoked the guardians, tying the shields into those of the building.

She carefully took off the arms and stand, and examined the staff. Then she took off her gloves and grasped it in her hands.

The power in the staff bonded to her, and the shields vibrated. Magically sensitive beings throughout the building could tell that something had happened.

"She would expect you to fight. Trying to sneak in that's your MO and what she would do as well. Those bow and arrows is that her preferred weapon? War arrow tips the type that does major damage with serrated edges so it rips if someone yanks them out... She would want high ground someplace with plenty of line of sight. Loading docks, perhaps a construction sight. Such a fighter would always be on the move a shoot and dash tactic. I say get plenty of spike balls, glue pellets anything to slow or stop her tracks perhaps even means of delivering oil to where she's at so she might slip. Of course that tactic only applies if I'm right about her choice of weapon."

"Over all combat like I said she be expecting you to try to sneak in to get her, you prefer sword attacks so expect range anyway. You bested her once that be nagging her in the back of her mind. Use that to yar advantage taunting her, draw her out into the open. She prides herself on being deadly, ya already proven yar deadlier. She would have spent all this time between then and now to push herself to her limits to get back at ya. Both of you rely on speed for defensive means so she's going to be dodging often she would know this, so change tactics go get yarself some stronger protective armor. Don't expect her to fight fair, yeah yeah kind of obvious, but I mean expect gas bombs and even dirt thrown into yar eyes if ya two get close. It's what I would do. Lets me think... She wouldn't expect ya to bring in help the problem is how to get that backup to ya. If they are spotted ahead of time ya loose that element of surprise needed to turn this trap back onto her. Shepherd might work, but given yar.. well you go see if Sin up to the task."

"He's trying to build a network and establish himself. So he be willing to assist thinking it would bring ya into his list of associates." He looked at the video again "This location is it important? She took the time to know where to place that camera and plan it all out for display. Wouldn't surprise me if that where she want you to go. It just dawned on me I just let ya know I'm one hell of a Tactician." He relaxed then looking at Talon. "Now here's the question ya really want me to assist ya fully as in being there?"

That's when the door knocked and he closed the lap top and moved out of view.

What any one person noticed about Mouse always varied. It could have been that she was what could definitely be called 'tiny' - under five feet, and very slim; it could be the pale, almost translucent skin or the eyes that lacked pupil or iris, and showed only a pure white. It could also be the small white ears and the tail that swished behind her as if it had a mind of it's own. There were all kinds of theories about her; no matter where she went, rumors and whispers followed. Luckily she was used to it, and paid it no heed.

Currently she was curled up, tangled in blankets in a deep sleep in her apartment. Chinese food containers and empty bottles of chocolate milk were strewn about the small living room along with her working supplies. Under the carpet, inscribed on the bare concrete floor, an intricate circle glowed with a faint pulse. those with mystical abilities would be able to sense a secondary layer of shielding melding with and augmenting the building's natural protections.

A surge of energy touched her apartment's shielding and woke her with a start. She scrambled out of bed, running like the Savannah Cat she had been modeled after to the living room. Crouching on the floor, she uncovered the working circle on the floor and squatted next to it. She pierced her index finger with one of her canines, and with the other hand removed a pinch of her silky-fine fur, letting three drops of blood fall, painting the fur red.

She mumbled a few words of Latin, and watched the mirror that formed. The fur formed a frame for the blood as it spread out thinly to meet the edges. A faint red light gre, barely lighting her face and body as she concentrated. Clouds formed on the lit surface of the mirror and she let out a very soft 'Damn' at being balked. A few moments and mental nudges later, numbers finally came to the surface. She wrote the number down so she'd remember in the morning, and broke the 'frame' of fur, dismissing the mirror. She had no idea what the number meant, but she'd have to consider it in the morning. For the moment, she collapsed back into the dreamless sleep of the exhausted.

Ron moved then moving so it seemed he came from the hallway leading to the bathroom "As I was saying Katrina, ya friend be fine and get what she deserves in the afterlife. I know there are those who don't believe in the after life. They will get what they expect ya not forced to live after ya die." Looking to the door he blinked "Hmm Ya said ya looking for me? Oh I understand Katrina here only knows me by that Hero handle. Katrina my real name Ron Bolton."

He looked to Katrina "If ya need me ya know where I live." looking to Roxanne he swiped the card and glanced to it. "Ya with the city clean up crew? Did some nut job spill toxic sludge in the sewer again? I don't think even I wanna clean up that kind of mess again. So what ya need toots?" He moved out into the hallway standing so he can point to where Cutting Edge was. "I think Katrina you need to call ya friends, misery loves company ya know."

@Gladitoria

Cutting Edge emerged from his hiding place, his cloaking field dissipating.

"And then there were two." He said. "You know your enemy well, my lady. What is your plan of attack for us?"

Roxanne stopped when the woman used her callsign and replayed the conversation they'd had, then chastised herself. "Never mind, Rott, I found her."

She turned and stepped back over to Talon, speaking quietly. "Hello again. I find myself requiring the skills of... how shall I put this... a covert acquisitions specialist. Can we talk?"

"I see..." Roxanne said. She sized the boy up and down. Suddenly moving faster than the human eye can track, she leapt up and caught the upper doorjamb, then levered herself over the head of Cutting Edge and landed neatly behind him. As she landed, she grabbed the heavy steel door with her left hand and slammed it closed with enough force to shove him out into the hallway. She then stood back up, casually straightened her jacket, and looked over at Talon. "Now, as I was saying..."

"Hope you got the money to pay Katrina back for her lost security deposit, Sparky." Roxanne answered, not even turning to look at the cyborg.

"Katrina, call off your guard dog before he makes an even bigger ass of himself."

"As I matter of fact I do. Regardless, this is your last warning, wench!" Cutting Edge raised his sword. "Think what you will of me, an imprecise, unintelligent, brute; but I protect my charges in the light of day and with purity of intent. Your order has forced upon Katrina a life she doesn't want. Bring all your shadows and darts upon her and it will be for naught! . . . For I will be there." The cyborg's eyes glowed and his tone carried sincerity.

Roxanne was about to respond when Katrina beat her to the punch and yelled at Anthony.

"Actually, I prefer Mercenary." she said, smiling brightly at Katrina, attempting to lighten the mood. Roxanne then stepped over to Anthony's side and gave him her thousand-yard, under the battleship's guns, crush you like a bug stare and spoke very quietly, her voice as deadly sincere as his had been just a moment ago. "Speak to me with such disrespect again, whelp, and I will leave you screaming in agony, wishing you could die."

She looked back over to Talon, smiling again. "Don't worry about the door. I know a Ferrokine who can have it looking like brand new in just a few minutes, if you want?"

Anthony snuffed at the mercenary, unimpressed, but convinced she meant no harm. He let his friend and her associate talk as he got to work repairing the door.

He crossed his arms "Alright I better get going. Katrina I gave you what advice I could and I be a brainless husk if I didn't think you were going to try to kill that woman. I maybe light on criminals given I was one I know not all thieves and crooks are bad. Like I said I won't be involved with killing. Take her down, bruise her a bit, knock her out and arrest her sure. Killing I'm out."

While Roxanne had originally come to solicit Katrina's assistance, it was rather obvious she was very upset, so Roxanne sat down in front of the laptop and watched the video file. While gruesome, it wasn't anything she hadn't seen before, so it phased her very little. But Katrina had very useful skills and Roxanne was even beginning to like her, so she would be damned if she was going to let this woman push Katrina around.

Roxanne watched the video several more times, expanding her perception, taking in every little detail. She turned the volume up slowly, trying to hear a sound in the background. By the time it was audible to her enhanced hearing, the woman's voice was being broadcast at a rather distracting level. "Da-ding ding... ding-da-da-ding."

"Can you two hear that sound in the background?" she asked after pausing the video.

"Damn it I missed something. Oh well I was focused on the killer then the sounds."

"I suppose we should wait for night fall then to head to the docks, or will she be expecting that?"

"No, not the dripping water. That's too commonplace. This..." Roxanne said and started the video again, turning the volume up until the ding-clang sound was plainly audible. "That's a harbor buoy."

As if to underline her point, a ship's horn was suddenly heard. It was the low, mournful bellow of a very large ship, most likely a cargo vessel or a tanker. Roxanne pulled a pouch out of her jacket and unzipped it to reveal a saucer-sized disk with a raised glass eye in the center of it hooked to a small box. She plugged in a portable SSD and then booted up the computer she'd just assembled. The disk projected a holographic user interface the size of a 70-inch monitor and she immediately accessed the Internet, breezing through the Promethean WiFi security with a master password.

Accessing the Titan City municipal website, it was simple to determine which Steward Bay docks could handle very large ships. She brought up a map of those docks, then began searching for information on all the harbor buoys in Steward Bay. Once she found a reliable source, she began putting circular red markers on the map to indicate the position of each buoy. Lastly, she did a search for abandoned buildings in that area of the docks. Each time she found record of an abandoned building, she'd tap one of the buildings on the dock map and it would shade green. There were twelve buildings within acceptable distance of the docks to qualify. She then ranked them by distance from the waterside.

"Katrina, would your "friend" be likely to put anything dangerous on that flash drive?" Roxanne asked, looking over at her.

"As I said her fight style would hint a place along the docks or construction site. Archery would prefer a high ground location plenty of cover for return fire. Well anyway good luck like I said I can't be more involved then this. Sin might help and might even know a few others who could aid you. If you want you could contact Ratz, but dealing with him would cost you however he does have connections to some good mercenaries. As you already know." With that Ron headed out of her apartment and for his own where he saw the note on his door. "Woman troubles? Really he's asking a dead man for advice on women?"

Shaking his head he headed to Jeremy's place. There he knocked on the door.

As he walks down the hallway, Klade doesn't regard Rott, but acknowledges his presence by altering his path so as not to run into him. Quietly notices a slightly damaged door and frame. Looks like the neighbors might be rowdy. Unlocks and enters his apartment.

Jeremy invited Ron in, revealing a resoundingly antique-touched living space, the stench of old books almost hitting the senses like a wall. The longest wall is completely lined with bookshelves. Some adorned with hard-copy classics, newer editions, and box sets. Other shelves showcased a ecclectic collection of tchotchkes hinting at heirlooms and ages decades old to centuries old. The furniture was simple, possibly reclaimed, definitely well used. Notably, there were no electronics anywhere except in the kitchen. "Not so much about asking one out. I at least got a first date, but then...well, she ran into a friend and then the friend died suddenly."

"I'm ready to be used in whatever capacity you wish my lady." Cutting Edge said with a fist to his chest and a quick bow.

"Crying woman in lobby getting into elevator with me. Of course I asked what was wrong she told me her friend died. Now here ya are basically telling the same thing." He shrugged "So what you need me for? Want to know how to comfort her?"

"Well I found that gut feelings are often pointing in the right direction even if they are wrong. So sit down and tell me what you saw step by step. More importantly tell me what you think of what you saw. "

"There something about being paranoid. Being so doesn't mean your wrong. Okay so you believe Amber was murdered so how did the killer know she was there? Next is why, few people kill for no reason and even then they have a reason only they understand, but it's a reason." He folded his fingers together "here a question was Amber the target? Could she have got what was meant for Katrina, you said Amber's drink got spilled did she drink from Kat's by mistake and the two figured it was poisoned Amber left hoping to get someplace before it took hold?" Of course Ron knew the truth by now. Thought if he said it out loud it might be instantly rejected by Jeremy.

"I do, and if you relax and let it come to you. So do you. You said it yourself Kat wasn't surprised by her friend's death, Amber seemed to show up out of nowhere randomly." Sighing "The reason you can't think it, is because you don't want to. However you already know it."

Jeremy grimaced. He really didn't want to jump to the conclusion, but the possibility was too strong to ignore it. "She kills on the first date...I sure know how to pick 'em!"

He cursed under his breath, looking around for options, "don't suppose there's a good way of telling a potential killer girlfriend type you're not interested is there?"

Jeremy out his hands out in a gesture that he needed to catch up or Ron to slow down. "Whoa there...one thought at a time - my memory gets fuzzy if I'm not careful. Um... It was my idea for coffee at Ludo's, but Kat showed up setting the when... Hmm, so Amber was there by pure coincidence or her intention. Didn't see their faces so dunno how much of the conversation was subterfuge. ...hey! I'm not that ugly...just a bit boring! Speaking of, I think all I have is water."

Jeremy gulps his water. The reality of his situation hitting him harder than he realized, and it shows on his face. "A lot of what you're saying makes sense. Maybe deep down I knew I couldn't stay away from that life forever since I live here too. I've never killed anybody and I don't want to start just to stay alive. Still, I've seen some friends head down that path realize they're in over their head, and then embrace it instead of turn away. They were good people, Ron. Good people that killed and lied to protect and in the end others needed protection from them. It's like, at some point even a drowning man will let himself sink. It bothers me a lot that her first instinct is to kill, plain and simple. I've been considered collateral damage in the past when capes have been reckless."

Another gulp of water, and a soft blue glows underneath the leather braid of the wristbands. "I can't be a passive bystander anymore. I see that now."

Another gulp, and the soft blue glow fades a bit, "I can't help her right now, and while I respect that she may have kept me alive, I think it's too dangerous to be close to her until I can hold my own."

Jeremy nodded. "Y'know, as much as I've been on the fence about capes and even the Titans, I gotta respect the drive to protect someone. Its clear to me I could get killed no matter what I do, but I can't shake this feeling I'd get killed faster if I got involved."

He got up to refill his water, and he craved something stronger. "I knew this chat was gonna be heavy, I wasn't expecting I'd be the one feeling the gravity of it. Thanks, Ron. I think I need to schedule some time at the Maul after work tomorrow. Pretty sure my life just got too dangerous to stay a civilian."

Before Ron left, Jeremy made sure to get him his new number, explaining it was his first so he may take a bit to answer. After Ron had left, Jeremy sat down on the couch and took off his wristbands. He spent the rest of his evening focusing on learning to generate a controlled charge in his fingertips. By midnight, Jeremy was exhausted and only managed once to generate a controlled spark between his hands for longer than a second. He finished his night crashed out on his bed and the wristbands still by the couch.

From outside Oksana's door would be heard a particularly heavy tread as someone passed by the door and headed down the stairs. After a few minutes, the same tread could be heard moving back up the stairs.

Just a few seconds before, a very large, very muscular man had stepped out of his apartment. After locking the door, he turned and spotted Oksana. As he approached, it became obvious how handsome this guy was. Standing 6'7" and weighing at least 295 lbs, he looked like the love-child of a male model and a main battle tank. The irises of his eyes were a captivating gold and they studied her as he stopped only a few feet away.

More awe-inspiring than his impressive size or eyes was the fact that he exuded a presence of power and solidity, almost seeming to fill the hallway. He spoke in a booming, but friendly voice. "Hello. I'm Rudolph Barnes. You must be my new neighbor." He extended a large hand to her.

Rudolph shook her hand and noticed the odd dense feeling, but was not one to pry. He also noticed her thick accent and switched to flawless Russian. "<< If you'd prefer, we can converse in what I am assuming is your native language? >>"

Returning to her circle, Hypatia reset the wards, and then doubled them to make sure the walls wouldn't rattle. She tried some spells, normally very hard for her but of limited effect. They were now easy. Encouraged, she tried some quick and dirty enchantment, binding an illusion disguise to her pendant to make her hair look like its normal dark brown and her eyes look like their normal light brown. This worked well, and in far less time than it would have using slow-but-sure methods, but it did take some of her energy. And she was reminded she hadn't eaten in a while.

She closed down her spells, made sure the staff was not in her hands, and set out to collect orders for Famous Ray's.

(what I usually do if a post turns out to be very different than what I thought I was posting, is repost correctly (as you did) and then delete the remains of the eaten post. My apologies everyone; this note should be in the [url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/whitehold-apartments-ooc-thread]Out-of-Character Thread[/url] since we have one for this thread, but I wasn't sure if Oksana new about it yet ^_^)

Hypatia proceded downstairs, stopping at each floor to let anyone she saw know she was placing an order at Famous Ray's. "More orders they get, the sooner they'll send it out. We're at the edge of the service area."

Mouse rose from her stupor, weaving about her tiny apartment like a drunkard. Her tail occasionally being used to catch her balance, she stuck her head into her pantry and sniffed in the darkness.

"Hnnf... nothing..." she muttered, grimacing at the old dishrag taste in her mouth before moving on to the fridge. On opening the door, she winced back from it, the light sending sparks of pain to her head, and starbursts of color against her eyes. Opening them again grudgingly, resentful that the fridge light was so bright in her curtain-darkened apartment, she looked over the offerings on the shelves.

Various desiccated fruits and half-empty chinese food containers met her eyes. There was even a dried out half of a hamburger on one shelf. Condiments. for some reason her phone was half-buried under a pile of pickles from her favorite restaurant. Grumbling further, she nabbed her phone and stumbled to the front door where her clothes were in an unsanitary jumble. She pulled on her loose-fitting cargo shorts and tank top, stuffing the phone into her pocket, and opened the door.

The wards on her apartment bowed outward, like a curtain in the wind, and snapped open to permit her to leave. Seeing that Hypatia was walking the floors, she mumbled something about the biggest, meatiest pizza ever built, and thrust out a handful of money.

" 'nd a few bottles of coke. Cold as ya can get 'em. Please?" The last came out with a small whimper and the loud complaining grumble of her stomach. Too loud a sound for something to small. It wouldn't be the first time denizens of the apartments would have seen her... but it was still a rare occasion.

Hypatia made quick notes on her phone of who wanted what and how much they had given her. When she got to the ground floor she dialed and when she was answered she started ordering. "Bunch of orders for the Whitehold. Ron in 2B wants two extra large pepperoni lovers, two extra large sausage, an order of bread sticks, and two liters each for Pepsi, Coke, Dr. Pepper, and Sprite. Jeremy wants a small Supreme and a Coke. Mouse wants your largest meatlovers and three two-liters of Coke. And I want the next size down meatlovers with an Amerikat Kola if you still have them, and Coke if not. And a bag of ice cubes, please. I'll meet the driver in the lobby." After being told the total, she looked at the cash she was given, and nodded. "OK. See you then!"

Ron was paying attention and he heard mouse door and his nostrils flared catching the scent... fear? Ron followed the chemical trail to the door and knocked. "Hey hello in there. We be having a little get together down in the lobby. Ya be wanting to be joining us?"