Hypatia opened up the door about two minutes later, wearing a terrycloth bathrobe. She looked tired, but smiled as she held the door open for him. "It's been a while, Shepherd. Welcome back! Have a seat." She went into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. "For future reference, this is a bit early for someone who doesn't have to be at work until eleven."

"If it's important, I'd rather you break the door down than let me sleep. Or pop one of your little constructs past the shields; if my alarms don't wake me up, either I'm not here or something is seriously wrong. But then you'll want to have a good explanation for The Landlord, 'cause his'll go off too. Cream or sugar? And have you eaten?" Hypatia pulled out a pair of bowls and some packets of instant oatmeal, and put a measuring cup of water into the microwave.

Shepherd smiled.

"Cream I actually ate a quick bowl of Amerikatt's new Cereal Amerikatt crunchies. She left a couple boxes at my room back at the Titan's base, but oatmeal would be nice."

Shepherd signe as he began to relax.

"Well as you know, I have been gone for months. I went back to my home reality to get some things taken care of and upon my return I was sought out by a Mage. I'm sure you've seen the news the past couple of months aout the Goverment officials and Corporate CEOs that have been turning up dead with bullet holes but with no bullets to be found in their bodies."

Shepherd's smile faded with what was about to tell her.

"well the bullets are from some special guns I had that focuses te mystical energies within me the bullets used were made out of ether or heavenly fire. The mage came to me after they lost one of their hunters to a demon and told me that the governments and corporations were being infiltrated by demons, vampires, and other such creatures. the ones that disappeared without a trace were vampires that had turned to dust after they were killed. the ones with the wounds were cultists and some werewolves. The cultists had traded their souls for power and in return the demons would inhabit their bodies."

Shepherd sighed.

"They were all involved in human trafficking in order to use the humans they kidnapped as cattle for food and as sacrifices. The mages needed someone not of this world who's abilities far surpassed that of any mortal with mystical abilities that the demons couldn't kill so easily and had no qualms about eliminating them so they came to me"

Ron was dressing up in his apartment. Fresh pants a new tank, his padded fingerless gloves, his sleeveless trench coat, and to top it off a new pair of shades. "Well hell or high water." He left his place and headed down the hall to Jeremy "Crap forgot to ask if he was working this morning. Oh well if so I just pick him up after shift." When he got there he knocked on the door.

Hypatia was alarmed, and examined Sepherd's aura closely, but found no evidence of a beguilement. "He got the wrong demon? This kid is lucky to be alive and not enthralled. I'll have to talk to him, and Look him over. I don't think it likely that you've been fooled, but where demons are involved it's much better to be safe than sorry. Where do you have him hiding?"

Hypatia nodded as she brought out the steaming oatmeal. "That would be just after eight. I'll use my new quick-change spell and fly back here." She gave him one of the cards she'd printed out with Goldenrod's number.

"That, plus making sure he doesn't get pushed in the wrong direction again. I just hope you got him out of that situation in time." Hypatia sighed, then turned her attention to her oatmeal.

Shepherd relaxes as he enjoys his oatmeal. Hypatia had good reason to be concerned. He had hoped they could help David out.

After finishing her oatmeal and putting the bowl in the dishwasher, Hypatia picked up her cell phone, and dialed up a contact. When the person at the other end answered, she smiled. "Yes, it is a bit early for me, but a situation has come up.... Can you work me up a report on the Lillim? Emphasis on defectors....Six new hardcovers? Deal. I'll see you at the library... Thanks, Karhy."

Hypatia nodded, as she took Shepherd's bowl. "If Karhy has any information about her, it might help. Sometimes I think demons deliberately choose names that are similar to each other to encourage mistakes like that.". She picked up her phone and sent a quick text, then sat down to finish her coffee.

Hypatia thought it better to shift the subject a bit until she knew more; she didn't want her prejudices hurting others who hadn't earned it. "So, you may have missed some of our newer neighbors. Grace is a flying healer, I think Wren's taken her under her wing, so to speak. Then there's Blue, who makes excellent lasagna, he works for a company called 3A, I was thinking about checking out their references. He implied they hire free-lancers on occasion."

Hypatia waited until Shepherd was done with his coffee. "I don't want to be a poor hostess, but I need to get ready for work, and I was hoping to stop by Sarah's office and talk to her a bit before I went in..."

Jeremy finally woke to the sound of talking in the other room. He looked at his old analog clock for the time, and realized something had gone terribly wrong. The old clock had been blasted in the center with scorch marks bleeding from where the hour and minute hands would fit. Looking out the window, it was clear it wasn't even close to pre-dawn and was well into the late morning already.

Jolting out of bed he scrambled to check another clock in his apartment. He saw Kat had already been up and changed, and finally saw the time on the grandfather clock that he had acquired through Theo's connections. Not only had he slept through the morning shift, it was quite literally the time he'd be getting home from work. "AW $#!%"

He looked at Katrina embarrassed and fondly as he called Ludo's. After a short bit of explaining what happened and discovering why it was OK he slept through, he hung up his phone, "Well, good news is I didn't need to worry about getting to work this morning.. bad news is Ludo's was robbed and shut down all day. I'm gonna shower right quick.. Who was that at the door?"

After Shepherd left, Hypatia showered, etc., dressed in one of her Librarian Suits (a pantsuit that looked business like, but provided a bit more modesty for standing on book-ladders), grabbed her purse, and headed out. Her staff and her bicycle were both left behind, as she headed downstairs.

Shepherd headed out to the lobby he was wearing his new costume but without the mask and the hood down. He no longer felt the need to hide his identity as he headed out the door putting the hood back on his head ready for his regular hero duties, but first he would he to Alexandria and check things out.

Shepherd noticed Hypatia and the others before he stepped out the door. He then walked up to Hypatia.

"I was heading there. If you don't mind holding on to me, I can teleport us there."

Jeremy finally appeared in the lobby. His hair was still wet and slicked back just stopping atop a simple leather jacket. The look gave him an almost exotic appearance in his face. He wore a basic cotton shirt underneath and a pair of jeans over his only pair of black leather jump boots, appropriately grounded through the soles. He looked flustered, agitated, and still conspicuously without longboard.

Last night with Katrina had been a whirlwind intoxication that fortuitously hadn't cost him his job, regardless of the dire circumstances that may have surrounded the coincidence. He looked at who had gathered in the lobby, and blushed slightly embarrassed, "I uh, wasn't sure what I should wear... Haven't really ever needed street armor and whatnot. Think this is OK?"

Shepherd nodded at Jeremy.

"I hope you've been keeping up with your training."

Jeremy acknowledged everyone casually, not really responding to any one person. His perception shifted as the amount of magical sources had congregated, sending the marching ants tingling across his fingertips. For once, through the ionic charges, he saw familiarities between Ron, Hypatia and Gideon, and yet he struggled to find the differences. He could at minimum discern they tapped into some scientific bleed-through reality of a magical field, but his limits stopped him there.

The deja vu from Gideon was like the Bell of Discord ringing out against the stillness of his mind. Once again Jeremy regarded the nod and short commentary. The wording rippled up as a warning should he not follow the undertone of instruction. [i]Why don't I trust him?[/i] The distrust broke across his face with narrowed eyes and the flicking curl of his lip. He looked at Gideon to respond but instead answered Katrina, "indeed."

He turned to face her directly now, "Well, if this is fine then let's get going. I haven't eaten yet and could use a coffee."

With a small flare, a form surrounded in flames dropped slowly down the central shaft of the building and came to a stop in the lobby. The flames extinguished to reveal a tall, lightly tanned redhead with pale green eyes wearing a white costume with golden flame highlights. She looked around at those gathered before her eyes settled on Rotten Luck.

"Hey, Deadhead! I haven't seen you in a few months. Not since that fire in Highpoint." she greeted, striding over to clap him on the shoulder and then turning back to the rest of the crowd. "Hey all, I'm Flashpoint. You look like you're about to go find some kind of trouble. Mind if I tag along?" she asked teasingly.

"No trouble at all. Just a simple stroll not looking to do anything major today. That fire at Highpoint... that was a bit ago nearly forgot."

Jeremy's face turned various shades of red before settling on the shade of pickled beet. He remembered both events all too well. The earlier event had so much to spin his head as he regarded the more recent. He silently thanked his his past experience with walking the ever-present grays the world. "I think that needs a different kind of training than walking the streets."

He smirked wryly as he set himself up for the punchline, "I'm just not that kind of girl!"

"hmm want us to go by and check it out. Heck we might get you a mask so you can hide ya identity as we do."

As soon as she grabbed on to him he teleported as the lightning flashed.

Two months? had it really been that long already? And all this time still not managing to actually formally meet any of her neighbors. Although with her new job there wasn't actually a whole lot of time for socializing what with the city rapidly expanding and a new department added to the Marine Medical facility every day seemingly. She came here to titan city to meet more supers so she could better understand the abilities passed down to her that seem to be growing all the time.

And yet she ended up doing exactly what she had been doing when she lived with her father.

Working, sleeping, working, eating and little of anything else.

It was nearing home time and she'd been at it all day not even stopping to have her lunch break as she wanted to just get this completed and move on to the next phase of the experiment. Though like all scientific research there were road blocks every single molecular step of the way dragging out the process for much longer than what it should have taken.

"ARRHH" She grumbles loudly in frustration clapping her fist on the stainless steel bench top slightly rattling the microscope and adjacent tray of agar, the experiment failing, again.

"Why wont you take hold?" She asks of the specimen under the microscope as Donald her superior trots past with a grin.

"Shia go home, it will be here tomorrow you haven't taken any breaks today and you need to be fresh. Come back tomorrow morning with a fresh mind and hopefully you can get the gene's to mesh"

Donald was a mature man in his mid fifties, academically accomplished and well respected in the biochemist field. He was also very much the father type, instantly assuming that role even subconsciously as soon as Shiantar had started at MarineTech.CO she being the very same age as his own daughter.

"Ok Donald your right maybe I need to just go and think it over as I feel like everything I try just doesn't work, maybe I need a new angle?"

Donald without replying gives her a thumbs up as he collects his things and exits the through the adjoining office leaving Shiantar by herself in the lab.

Packing away her specimens and disposing of the used lab shoes covers, gloves, face mask and other various items she rakes a hand through her long thick blond hair tumbling it over her right shoulder as she moves toward her desk in the adjoining office to collect her things, her stilettos clicking on the tiles as she moves.

It had been a very productive two months since her moving to titan city with her work progressing rapidly regardless of other areas in her life. The project she was working on was one of huge importance being directly linked to the phenomenon that usually occurred when so many super powered beings assembled in one area. It had first been discovered so many years ago in Atlas city by accident when a dolphin started talking and then shape shifting. It was discovered when so much concentrated telekinetic energy was amassed in one area the high functioning living organisms were directly affected by rapidly evolving. Sometimes for the good but most times for the bad as was seen in Atlas City with so many feral mutations that had started to attack the other living creatures in the area, humans included.

This was what her work was all about, to avoid it being replicated here in titan City and to allow the marine life at least the chance to evolve naturally.

The wind had picked up by the time she got to her car and made her way back home to the apartment complex indicating a storm had been brewing as dark clouds began their swirl about the skies blocking out the fading sunlight 'Not going grocery shopping tonight then' She thinks to herself looking up at the sky as she pulls in to park.

Collecting her bag from the passenger seat Shiantar adjust's her min skirt after stepping out of the car awkwardly. With her long hair dancing about her shoulders and whipping across her back in the wind as she locks the door with the push of a button she makes her way across the street to the main entrance door, her thoughts straying to her mother as they often do.

"Excuse me miss!" A man calls from behind her startling her with a jolt and sending a blast of icy air out from within her.

The pavement around her had frozen over in a split second sending the man tumbling as he approached dropping her coat that had obviously escaped her bag when she made her way over.

"Oh my goodness I'm so sorry!" She exclaims reaching out to steady the man whilst cursing herself.

Just another day...

To say she had to crane her neck to look him in the eye was an understatement, this man was huge yet moved as though he were half the size with a finesse known only to those well practiced. And what lovely eyes he had too! what an unusual coloring.

The ice on the pavement dissolved as the deluge began, making it easier for them both to make their way into the building. Once inside Shiantar turns to the man to thank him watching as he shakes out his umbrella, tucking her coat back over her bag and noting the amount of water now on her very new shoes she smiles offering her hand.

"Thank you for your help out there that was very nice of you to bring me my coat I hadn't noticed that I'd lost it, I'm Shiantar are you a resident here too?" Her pale blue eyes glitter in the light of the foyer, tiny crystals of frost on her long lashes sending prisms of light dancing.

-What if he isn't a resident? and you just told him which building you lived in? what if he's working for Winter Hold your mothers old faction sent here to exact revenge on you?-

Perhaps not a smart move...

With a smile she nods her head listening to his information with interest.

"So we're neighbors then it seems? Well sort of I live here also up near the top" As she replies the front page of a news paper on one of the near-by coffee tables in the middle of a nest of couches.

"Meet your heroes day? are you going to that this Saturday? how odd..wait what is the date today?" Glancing at her watch her expression changes.

"Oh my goodness I'm so sorry I must get going I've completely forgotten I've a telephone conference with my father tonight! I do hope we run into each other again and thanks once more for my coat"

Apologizing again for seeming to be rude she smiles with a wave turning and heading toward the elevator her heels clicking loudly on the floor of the foyer.

Oksana blinks and stretched as she climbed out of her closet yawning looking around, then back at the hard shell like thing that occupied the space she left..."the hell..." "restoration cycle, it was required for new hosts" she answered herself in a slightly different tone..."great, would have been nice of you to tell me about it before hand!" She shook her head and started to look around the room, things for her lab stacked in boxes and two buckets of that survival freeze dried food were there. "I ordered it with your credit card" she face palmed "those things have interest you know?" She muttered back to herself before sitting down and eating both "six month" supplies of food. once she was done with that she started to unpack and set up checking her card balance with a wince, several months rent, food, glassware, this computers bill...this should be a fun experience...she got redressed spent a moment looking for her keys, the remembered her car was long sold and an ocean away sighing and starting out the door.

She turned to see Rudy and smiled sheepishly rubbing the back of her head +hello! Rudy, um, sooo I am your neighbor, interesting+ she said enjoying speaking her native language. What she did not enjoy was having to explain entering into business talks with someone, vanishing for six months then reappearing as there neighbor....who they have not seen in this whole time frame. she thought inwardly I hate you, and was greeted with the thought of I hate you too...and sighed +so how are you this fine day? night...erm when is it?+ she said glancing around for a moment.

+well, um I was+ She paused looking around a bit +busy? I am not really sure what to say about it. I was adjusting to my new surroundings here and sort of lost track of time+

OKsana smiled +you are still interested? Well yes then I would be of course very appreciative of the funding, the credit system in this country can only be bent so far I am told, and I am sure I am reaching that limit+ She chuckled and looked around +so what are you doing at the moment?+

There was a tall man in a white suit jacket as well and white pants, the jacket was over a blue striped dress shirt with the collar splayed open, revealing a lion head medallion he looked like your typical playboy, only he was white, chalk white, as well as his hair and goatee, and under the sunglasses he had red eyes, that rarely if ever blinked. He was on the phone and he was not happy. "I don't think you understand, You are nothing without me ! I made you! So go ahead and leave it makes no difference to me. You will never work again if I have my say! I will take you for all your worth you piece of trash!" He was loud, really loud anyone inside on the first 3 floor could hear him yelling.

With that he hung up the phone, let out an angry roar that sounded just like a cross between a lion and a bear, and threw it into the brick wall of the building, before tugging at his hair. "Damn him!" He walked toward the doors of the Apartment building and slung them open, standing there for a moment to register everyone there. "What the hell are you all looking at!" He said to the few people who looked at him with a shocked expression.

Ron opened the door to his apartment having heard the yelling. "Someone's loud enough to wake the dead." He had on his day job outfit of the City of Titan's sanitation and clean up crew.

Since the albino was still standing in the doorway, dealing with him was going to be rather easy. Jai reached down and tapped a few keys on a control pad behind the counter. With a HUMMM, a force field popped up a few inches in front of the albino. "If you have abilities and intend to assault that force field or any other part of this apartment complex, you will discover that our defensive systems rival those at Hardlock Prison. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have something to look for."

He then began looking through the records to see if the albino was one of Whitehold's residents.

Ron walked out of his apartment drinking a beer. "Ya stink of high end cologne. Fancy suit as well." Looking at Jai "Snow whine here got some money. Ego to match."

Oksana nodded at him +yes yes of course whenever would be fine, I am keeping you from your door! sorry and thank you again+ (sorry didn't notice your reply in the sea of posts)

Samual scoffed at the comment Ron made about the beer, as well as the fact he just burped. "Please, I prefer the Cros Parantoux Henri Jayer, and in case you didn't know, its French and $7,700 a bottle, as for why I live here is simple, no one would suspect that I live here.." He uncrossed his arms for a moment to rub his chin only to fold them back up. " I don't need protection, trust me on that one."

Rudy nodded to Oksana and smiled again, then finished up the call with his lawyer and stuck the phone back in his pocket. +Alright then. I'll meet you back out here at 3:45?"

Jai nodded at the young woman and spoke in a bass voice that she could feel. "Welcome to Whitehold, Ms. Gordon. I'm Jai Cooper, the owner and landlord. If you'll read over and sign this contract, I can get you set up in your apartment immediately."

Jai smiled and counter-signed the contract, then filed it away. He grabbed his keys from the desk and stepped out from behind it. "If you'll follow me, we have several apartments to choose from. Since we have a large variety of clients with differing body sizes and needs, all of our apartments are built with simple but extensive modulation in mind."

They reached the elevator, a large, heavy-duty model, and Jai ushered her in. The elevator began to ascend slowly and Jai turned to Gail, smiling. "Now, there is something I wanted to wait and discuss with you. I want all of my clients to feel that they can trust me absolutely at all times, but especially when it comes to one particular topic. If you choose to confide in me, you will have my utmost secrecy. I ask this next question because it helps me to find the best accommodations for my clients."

He looked down at her and made sure he had her full attention. "Are you a metahuman, Ms. Gordon?"