everyonelives | as we pass through arrangements of shadows

He isn't here. He wasn't here. Not in decades. I suppose you could check the room he used. But, he preferred his work done off our premises. He was always particular. The older order is rarely ever questioned.

( Which may clue the group into what Allura is looking for. Or, the partners above her.

"Sounds like Barnet lives his life on radio silent, what's changed?"
Ezra asks. )

I'm willing to bet he went pissing in the wrong pot.

[Picked up a witch or chose a target that the true heads of power weren't fond of. Even the most connected fuck up eventually. He turns back to Allura.]

Send us any of his last knowns and we'll look into it.

( Allura neither confirms, nor denies. )

We can give you a few hours of respite. I'll send what we have, and the key to his room should that prove fruitful. And to make it clearer, Ms. Melroux, we'd like you to find him alive and keep him alive.

( It's the most pleasant threat she's probably ever gotten, but it should strike fear into her heart.

Arrangements are made, Jacqueline and the boys given adjoining rooms. The rooms are as ornate as the lobby. They would think that they were staying in a historic B & B meets this house's interpretation of Versailles with the random luxury. (Nobody needs gold fixtures, but they have them!)

An hour into their relaxation, a signature knock sounds at each of their doors. But, it's not a person, just an ancient acknowledgment spell (and a hoot to amuse the children), when opened Jacqueline and the boys will have two halves of a file (one the first half of his 'rein', second the fall of Barnet Hallewell and his ... retirement, and then a small old fashioned key will slide out of a small envelope. The room is in another wing.

His last knowns include snaps of this guy, but he's adorned in an obnoxious scarf and a collection of necklaces with stone pendants. He looks more like a wellness guru might think he should look for his adoring audience. A few miscellaneous pictures of various, what look like, civilians. A coffee shop meeting here, a tete-a-tete in a diner there. Nondescript people who have that 'nothing more to live for' look with a glint of hope in their eyes.

A brochure for the Horseshoe Casino and a key card for a room at a hotel across the street from the casino.

They can do a research check to see what they might find, do a search check to find his room, or decide to see either location. Or, discuss their options, of course.

When the Colony has felt like they've gotten sufficient relaxing time in, a familiar wake-up call, a light appears that burns brighter and brighter that culminates in a chirp and then disappears completely. A familiar, and very old school, call to action spell. )

Edited 2022-03-06 16:01 (UTC)

[David does opt for sleep, but Jaqueline doesn't getting to work so they can finish this and go home as soon as possible. She hates being out in the cold, especially when where she's most useful to this plot is in the inner circle.

But that's a problem for future Jaqueline to worry about. Current Jaqueline needs to find this middle man. She plugs the unknown's picture into her facial recognition program on her phone, pulls up a list of Hallewell's last knowns to browse through (16) and any other research she can find.

And while she's waiting for all that to populate, she texts her partner in crime, saved in her phone under some random name just in case. She sends over her picture of the photo with the message:]

This look like someone you know?

Vaguely, but only because he looks strikingly similar to an actor I like. ( she got a (6) for knowing Luke Mitchell

as for Jaqueline's (16), there is nothing in her facial recognition program from the past twenty four hours, but several hits pop outside of the hotel she has the address for, and the casino most recently, but nothing past that. Hallewell's current stint in humanity has him at a generous 47 years of age. Luke Mitchell's facial recognition seems patchier than Hallewell's, like it almost finds him but changes its mind and keeps reconfiguring. With a (17) for knowledge, it's clear whomever Luke Mitchell is, he has high level magic on his side. Whether it's old or powerful or both, she doesn't know. )

Is he a person of interest?

Ezra insisted on following protocol so if I want to go home, I have to ruin Hallewell's day. Unfortunately I'm not allowed to kill him, I just have to bring him in but David got the sense that he's pissed someone off.

[Which she might still enjoy, but she's still annoyed about it.]

The photo is connected to him somehow, but he's got major magic and is not one of Hallewell's usual lackeys.

That mansplaining mummy?

I can see what I can find out, get back to you.

You're doing the Colony's dirty work? Which outfit did protocol take you to?

Baltimore. Allura met us at the door. Apparently a lot of the higher ups are running scared.

[Which means things are working exactly as they intended.]

But not Allura.

Be careful with Hallwell. He's got a mysoginistic streak hundreds of years long.

Oh, I know. I'm more than willing to let David and Ezra be the face of this. The less I have to deal with him the better.

[ ... For Hallewell's likelihood of staying alive, not necessarily for the world.]

Don't fade too much into the background. Help just enough, then get out of dodge when the time comes.

I know. I'll be fine.

Everything okay on your end?

Like clockwork.

Good. I'll keep you posted how things go here.

[And in the interest of not having things get sappy, she checks her algorithm for any news before heading to see what the husbands are up to.]

( Her algorithm has only found more blurs, but because of the spell, she doesn't get places or times because the algorithm reconfigures continuously.

Ezra, having also been woken up in the middle of the night, chooses sleep, so when Jacqueline comes-a-calling, he answers bleary-eyed, blond hair sticking in every direction. He opens the door just enough for her to let herself in before he turns the light on. )

[She slips inside, closing the door behind her before pulling out what she does have.]

The cameras are a wash - Hallewell got wise to security cameras, but I reached out to a few contacts to see if I can get any info on his middle man.

( Ezra yawns, sitting on the edge of the king size bed. )

Any recognition?

[She shakes her head.]

But that's not uncommon for Hallewell, he likes his unrecognizable middle men.

There's a metaphor in there somewhere.

( He collects the folder at the foot of the door and drops it down on his husband's resting form. )

We should make a gameplan.

We should.

[She makes her way over to the bed and shoves at David's sleeping shoulder.]

Rise and shine. Time to get to work so I can go home.

[David flips her the bird, before pushing himself into a sitting position.]

You're not the only one following protocol here.

( He pats his husband leg over the covers, yawns and opens the folder so the two of them can peruse.

Still wiping sleep from his eyes, his vision blurs and returns, something that happens after a nap and when it centers, none of it means anything to him (1), as he did not grow up in Maryland and doesn't know the area. He also married into the crazy. )

[David pushes up and peers over Ezra's shoulder, and stops him before he flips the page.]

Looks like we've got a pretty clear schedule for him. And wait.

[He pulls the file towards him gently.]

This hotel isn't really a long term stay kind of situation.

( That doesn't make any sense. But, Jacqueline noticed he returns to said hotel every night. ...Ezra noticed nothing. )

Maybe he puts his victims up there?

["That makes sense. Most don't last long once he has them."

David nods, as he considers.]

Ez and I could go poke around while you go distract the middle man?

[Jaqueline considers, then shrugs. "Could be a good idea? Do you trust me to talk to the middle man?"]

Do we have anything else to go by except for his picture?

( The middle-man, that is. )

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