Balling up her hands and playfully batting one at Adeleia, Lucie uttered a single "meow", a grin on her lips. "Quite right, I'm a cat." She reached out and took an apple, slicing into it with a knife. "I at least share certain qualities like one," she said. She popped one slice of apple in her mouth, chewing quickly and swallowing it. "But fret not about my time. I simply felt like dressing up. No prior arrangements, as it were. Now," she smiled, "you were saying?"

For the next short while she listened to Adeleia speak, noting with some surprise a few tidbits she had not previously divulged. So her parents had disappeared at one point? That did explain the oddity of why the House was headed by someone so young, and completely without the presence of even retired parents. There was a mystery there, but not one that was important right this instant. Maybe some day, they would attempt to find out where Mr and Mrs Ware disappeared to. If they went that route, mayhaps one day she could convince certain individuals of the Society to help Lucie in an endeavour of her own? She also had people she wanted to find.

But right now there were other things that were important, namely Adeleia's ideas for a core group of Society Members who had the time, and interesting, to devote their time to solving... problems regarding the psychic and paranormal. She felt the corners of her mouth creep upwards in a smile; she was nothing if not a problem solver, and however much she might curse the cruelty of the man who raised her, he had done a fine job at equipping her with more skills than any one person should ever be allowed to possess. She nodded at Adeleia's proposition, slicing off and biting into another piece of her apple. What she said made sense, and definitely would make it a great deal easier to keep sensitive issues out of the public's eye. Believing in the psychic was all well and good, but no one really believed in the seers and oracles you found in colourful tents. The problems come when people start to know that psychics exist, and what they are capable of.

She put her knife and nearly finished apple back on the plate, dabbing her lips with a napkin before replying to the latest inquiry. "I don't really need more money, but I would not say no to compensation for performing work, as it were." She looked up, toying idly with one earring. "I agree that there are likely situations where our particular skills will be beneficial for the populace as a whole." Looking between both Lilian and Adeleia, a smile spread across her lips. "Well, when do we begin?"

Lily finished the pear Lucie had offered and devoured another, as well as some more filing food, quickly after. Feeling refreshed she took up a pose that made it look as though she were deep in thought. Placing her elbows on the arms of her chair, resting her head on the backs of her crossed hands, and closing her eyes. With a deep breath she called upon her power and stepped out of her body. With her new, somewhat ethereal body, she carefully stepped over to where Lucie sat and began closely examining the woman. She had numerous holes in her ears, undoubtedly from past piercings Lucie no longer wore. She had, unsurprisingly, a great deal of muscle that was well hidden, until closely examined, by the beautiful dress she wore. After a short examination Lily's was disappointing to find there was nothing physically remarkable about the woman, so she moved onto checking Lucie's vitals, a task made rather difficult when touching the subject was not an option. She checked the woman's heart beat by closely watching one of the veins in her neck and counting every time she saw a pulse (heartbeat was normal). She then checked Lucie's breathing by positioning her head just in front of her subject so she could watch the woman's chest lift and drop as she breathed while also listening to her breaths for anything odd (breathing was normal). Lily continued her examination well into when Adam began to speak and only stopped when she heard something of interest.

"-not simple, or normal." Lily's attention perked up at the mention of abnormal cases and she immediately returned to her body, starting a bit as she did. The prospect of researching something abnormal was thrilling and Lily became immediately excited about finding out what the cases were. Her excitement was short lived however as Adam decided to get everyone's thoughts on the matter before he continued. Lily frowned slightly, somewhat annoyed at being denied the mental stimulation Adam's cases would no doubt provide. Begrudgingly Lily held off on giving her immediate consent to being included, despite her desire to do so, and took a moment to consider the ramifications of putting her life on the line. Her considerations did not last very long; she was used to putting her life in danger for the sake of her research, and she felt confident her sanity would take very little damage as there was not much that could disturb her.

"Well," Lily began, cutting into the conversation just after Lucie. "I have no need for financial compensation, though I much appreciate the offer and your concern for my, our, safety. So long as I am free to study the cases as I please, that is all the compensation I need. Now, I should very much like to hear about these... paranormal mysteries , of which you speak." Lily pulled out one of her many note books and a pen and readied herself to make notes.

Adam leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, searching for how to lay out his thoughts without influencing the thoughts and opinions of the three gathered here. Ren, he knew, was a strange mix of superstitious and stiffly unyielding; out of the box thinking was simply not his forte. The other two however, Adam wanted to present to the information to them in such a way as to avoid any preconceived notions. He tapped the folders in his lap absently then handed one off to Ren. It was yet another string of disappearances, he wanted at least a little more information before he had this newly formed “detective” group delve into it.

“Would you be so kind as to research this a bit more when you are out today? I don't expect your other task to take long and I'd rather have a bit more information before we start studying that particular one.”

He turned to the two ladies and smiled.

“I fear that particular mystery might turn out to be distressingly ordinary” he said with a tone of apology. “I have no interest in wasting your time with the mundane. The other two are considerably less ordinary. I assume you are familiar with the new law enforcement station established along the river two months ago? It was a great triumph for the city. Contains all the most modern forensic equipment and has an attached training facility to ensure that Prague's law enforcement are the best in the world. At least that's what they claim. And yet it seems that the entire building is completely unusable. This isn't common knowledge of course, they still make it look properly used. Since the average citizen isn't supposed to know of this situation we can't exactly question anyone who uses the building or who is supposed to train there and unfortunately I'm not exactly clear on what makes it unusable. The prevailing theory is that it is haunted. But no one seems exactly clear on what, how, or why. A truly haunted building could be a very interesting study...but it could be almost anything else as well. As I suspect that no fewer than two of the current crop of detectives to possess untapped psychical power it's entirely possible that “something” is reacting to their presence. I'm not sure where to begin but some oddities in the pattern tell me that its exactly the kind of thing that would be up our alley.”

He handed the thin folder over to Lucie as she was closest. There wasn't much in there, just a few statements gathered by Adam's eyes & ears, his network of informants. Standard superstitious spooky stuff...noises, flickering candles, miscellaneous things falling off shelves and tables, winds in closed rooms. The one that really stood out was a report by one trainee....revealed when the young trainee got piss stinking drunk in a rat filled tavern one night...he reported that the lower floor of the building flooded...with blood. It soaked everyone who was in the building at the time but when they left the building the blood mysteriously vanished. Taken separately these things were just hookum, nonsense and worthless ramblings. Together Adam's Talent told him there was more underneath. The real problem would be how to investigate it without seeming to be investigating it as they were, of course, suppose to know nothing about the problems.

“The second of these is the story of a sweet innocent little girl. The daughter of Lord and Lady Dovorak.” He named one of the wealthiest and most connected people in the city. “It seems that she has been acting oddly. So oddly in fact that her devoted parents decided to send her to a private “hospital”. The director of the hospital contacted me directly to ask for help. His first concern is for the family, or rather their money, and I know he fears loosing the income from the family therefore I'm sure he hasn't told me everything. He is an old friend of my parents however, I will of course lend my assistance. Something in what he said, or did not say, lends me to believe the good doctor is quite out of his depth. The young girl has taken to disappearing. No one sees her leave, no one sees her return, and when she returns she is completely mute. It takes several hours before she can make a sound. She claims to remember nothing and then proceeds to chatter endlessly on about all the new friends she has found in her dreams. The director is concerned with how she keeps getting away and back without anyone noticing, as well as her mute spells. I think that, plus her dreams are interconnected, and perhaps more. I will not burden you with my suspicions into this matter, but I will be heading there to investigate and would hope to have your accompaniment and input. Unlike the other case, in this one we shall receive a fee for our consulting services.”

He handed Lily the second folder which contained very precise notes by the director psychologist looking after the girl. Written in the doctors precise hand are the very detailed records of the child's disappearances, the fanciful stories she tells each day about her dreams which seem to grow more and more detailed with each day, and the very descriptive list of ways they tried to get her to talk during her mute spells...most of what they tried was designed to make her cry out in pain or fear.

Adam leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes letting the women ponder what he said.

“So...what would you deem the best way to progress. It seems my services are already committed to an old family friend, however I see no reason I must rush to investigate. Yet.”

Lily gripped the folder she had been handed rather tightly, her choice already made as to which case she was going to take. All the same she glanced over at the folder in her companion's hands and read some snippets of the few statements in there. Upon reading the story of the blood flood she made an annoyed grunt and rolled her eyes.

"Adam," she began "I would not bother giving any credence to these hauntings. I have looked into my fair share of ghosts and even when a person with the talent is involved it is always a bunch of Tommy-rot. I can assure you had the drunkard been pressed he would have admitted that he was not actually there to experience the bloodied basement but that he had heard others speak of it. It is most likely he didn't mention it until drunk because his sober mind was able to recognize it for the hogwash it is, an ability a drunks mind is far less capable of." Lillian shook her head and sighed. "My friend, there are a myriad of far better explanations available. The most likely cause is the people who built the building did a poor job of it. Drafts, creaking, all of that is explainable by old buildings or shoddily made new ones. And even if there was blood filling the halls it most likely was regular water with a layer of dirt and rust floating on top. In poorly lit conditions the reddish brown looks vaguely like blood. Further more, as it is just water with a layer of grim, once you left the water it would appear as if the 'blood' had vanished, when in reality it was always just plain water." Lily stopped to take a sip of her tea. "I suspect the reason the building is unusable is the city has realized the building is unsafe and is doing their best to keep that knowledge under wraps so as to not taint the reputation of their fancy new building. I suspect if we wait a little longer there will be reports of banging coming from the building at night, caused by the workers the city secretly hired to make the facility usable." Lillian nodded matter-of-factly and felt she had sufficiently deterred them all from wasting their time. She was about to move onto speaking about the little girl when a thought occurred to her, that Adam was not the sort of person to be pulled into fanciful tales unless it was possible he sensed something bigger behind it. Begrudgingly, Lily added "However... we could surely spare some time to take a look. It would not be very difficult to prove our skill set is not needed there. And you will find that my presence alone gives us a reason to be in the building. I have somewhat of a reputation around the city for poking my nose into things for my own interests. So long as I am there our presences should not raise any concerns."

Lily finished her tea and poured herself another cup. "I am much more interested in the little girl. Even in the event there is nothing fantastical going on, there is a human being in need of aid. Surely that demands our immediate attention."

Lucie listened with some interest as Adeleia described the various oddities of the new station, that the police force had seen fit to erect. Certainly, there was a use for it, as without it more resources they could never hope to get in the way, of people like the Crime Lords of Prague. It sometimes still amused her, that the police thought themselves capable of fighting on even ground, with criminal juggernauts such as them. The things that were supposedly happening inside this building, weren't quite so amusing however.

She accepted the folder Adeleia handed to her, and flipped through it curiously. As she had been told, there was precious little except statements that sounded suspiciously, like fanciful tales. It was akin to the old stories of hauntings that took place, in almost every building older than its current inhabitants. She had to admit that they sounded like things that were made up, but one could never simply discredit something, just because it was unlikely, and she told Lilian as much.

"Don't discard the possibility," she said and flipped a page in the folder, "that things happen that we can't immediate explain. I am capable of knowing things about certain objects, simply by touching them and willing it to volunteer information to me. You can project your spirit from your body and move around as a spectre. Adam's mental acumen and pattern recognising, is to us, what we are to a dog." She looked up at Lilian, quirking an eyebrow at her. "The common folk do not seriously believe that people with our abilities exist, and yet... Here we are. I think it foolish to assume something to be false, just because it is improbable." She closed the folder and handed it to Lilian, receiving the significantly larger one in turn. She open it with a flick of her finger. "A normal person would laugh in our faces, if we told them of our talents," she finished, almost muttering it.

The reason for her slowly going silent became clearer the more time she spent reading the folder, as her expression became more and more devoid of any noticeable emotion. Even her eyes, so often alight with mischievousness or mirth, or any other emotions like anger and annoyance depending on the situation, became cold.

"I believe my choice has been made," she said and turned a page, though she didn't appear to read it, simply staring at a portion of the page. She took a deep breath through her nose and closed to folder, putting it back on the desk with an almost reverent delicacy. She looked up at Adeleia, meeting that mis-matched gaze. "I know a thing or two about torture, and what it does to a little girl. I do have a few questions, however." She placed her hands in her lap, gripping her dress and sitting up straighter; reverting to old teachings and rules, on how to control what thoughts were mirrored on the outside. "Firstly, what are we to do in case we get into an... accidental confrontation with the staff? And secondly, what possible avenues are there, for solving the issue with this girl? Are we to simply provide an answer to the riddle that is her... condition, or will we have a more active role in securing a better future for her?"

Adam closed his eyes as he listened to the two women discuss the cases. It was easier to shut out the distractions and focus on the pattern as it emerged. He too had been leaning towards the situation with the child as being the more pressing. Partly because it Felt to him like it was the more intricate and complex pattern and partly because helping the grown police force came second to helping a young girl abandoned by her parents and left in a mental hospital. Oh they gave it a fancy name, but they basically had written the child off as crazy.

Adam disliked mental hospitals, and psychiatrists, as a general rule. In no small part because he knew he was only a step away from madness himself. He had never learned how the doctor had come to know his parents, and probably would never have contacted the man for any reason, but he would not disrespect his parents by refusing their friend his services, no matter how the doctor's “treatment” of the little girl rankled him.

His conscious thoughts had strayed to his parents as Lucie was talking but his unconscious mind still heard everything she said. It was a testament to his mental acuity that he could follow multiple different threads of thought at once and not find himself lost and it was a simple matter to catch up as she finished her questions.

“Very well” he said quietly. “I will send word to the hospital director that I will be happy to come to his assistance at his earliest convenience. Perhaps in that time more details on the other situation will have come to light, it is always a challenge to attempt to solve a problem when people don't wish to admit they have one.”

“As to the issue of the girl” he paused and did some quick math. “There's a 93% probability that her parents have simply washed their hands of their offspring and would be all too happy to have her disappear. I believe it would be possible to safely engineer some sort of disappearance which would satisfy all involved.”

“All of this is of course based on successfully finding out whatever is affecting the child, whether it's external or internal, and coming up with a solution that will end up helping her.”

“Please pardon me for a moment” he said and stood up. He grabbed a slim cardboard card from his desk, scribbled something on the back, and went to the outer room door and summoned a footman. Speaking quietly to the man he sent him on his way and returned to his chair and settled in again.

“I have just informed the good Doctor Helson that I shall be delighted to attend him in the morning so that I may offer my assistance. I am sure I don't need to tell you that were certain...truths...about myself to come to light I would very likely end up in the asylum myself. Or more likely they would just try to kill me, women who prefer to be men are unwelcome abominations to say nothing of my own sexual inclinations which are equally reviled. Should we come into an accidental confrontation with the staff we shall simply have to extricate ourselves in the most efficient manner possible. Hopefully without the need of lethal force but I will do what I must.”

He said the last with a dark finality that was out of character for his usually calm self.

“As such I don't think all three of us should descend on the good Doctor at once. It would be completely reasonable however if I were to show up with an assistant. Someone who is apt at blending into the background and taking notes. Perhaps you would be willing to take up that role again Miss Lily while Miss Lucie, perhaps you can find a more...subtle...way to make your way into the hospital. While Miss Lily and I distract the good doctor by plying him with questions you can take a more direct approach to the child? I've no description of her so it's going to take a bit of sleuthing to find her as it is. But I would very much like to find her, and talk to her, out of the influence of the Doctor or his staff. Somehow I think it would be far more enlightening, and truthful. 'Tis a pity we can't visit tonight before our scheduled visit tomorrow. I suspect that would be even more enlightening.”

He leaned back after his flood of words and closed his eyes waiting for the two ladies to offer their insights as to better plans or ideas he might have missed.

"Do you ladies have any thoughts or plans to add? If not I suggest we reconvene on the morrow at dawn for a light meal before heading out."

Lucie spent most of the time that Adeleia, or Adam, was talking, simply listening and forming her own plans. She was used to working independently and being told what to do like this was not a common occurrence. Then again, at least she was granted the freedom of choosing, her own point of entry, and her own methods.

She glanced up at Adeleia. To a certain extent at least.

That said she had no plans of killing anyone. To do so would attract unwanted attention, and she–perhaps better than even Adeleia–knew the importance of being subtle, and limiting the attention that one attracted. She would, however, make no promises about inflicting pain or taking a small bits of revenge, of the people who treated a little girl, like a mangy beast. If she saw the chance to return what was owed, so to speak, out attracting undue attention, then she would.

There were many things she wanted to say as Adeleia spoke but she kept her comments to herself for the time being, waiting instead until after all pieces of information have to been given to them.

But will they had finally finished the briefing and were given the option to come with inputs, Lucie put down her napkin and spoke up. " I have a few points that I would like to make. One might be more of a question, or requests if you will, however." She glanced at Liliana briefly before refocusing on Adeleia. "This girl that we're supposed to save, I take it, you want her to disappear in some way. While I could definitely orchestrates a disappearance, in whatever fashion that you desire it, I would instead like to take guardianship of her." she anticipated interruptions and raised a gloved hand to forestall them. "Hear me out," she said. "Out of everyone in this entire Society, I dare say that I know more about what that girl has gone through than anyone else. With that in mind I also know how to fight through it, should get above the surface and see the proverbial sun once again."

"I may not yet have reached my twentieth year, but I am still old enough to be a mother. And with a gift like hers? What place but here could she grow up, without feeling judged, or hated, or feared. That girl and I the share a kinship, in what we have both gone through. I didn't have anyone to help me. I only had my stubbornness, the man who would be my father playing to my pride, to keep me going." She bit her lip, fingers clenching in her lap as her chin dipped. Quietly, she added, "I don't want someone else to feel abandoned."

Adeleia flicked her–or his as would definitely be insisted if Lucie's opinion was mentioned out loud–mismatched gaze toward her. "It is not my concern what you do with your free time, Miss Lucie, so if you truly wish to claim guardianship of the girl then I shall not stop you. However, there is still the matter of the girl's disappearance. Even should we assume that her family has already wiped their hands off of her, to take her with you would not work." He tilted his head, the proverbial gears within no doubt turning, analyzing the most probable scenario, its solutions and ways it could go wrong. "Of course you already considered that did you not?"

Lucie allowed herself as smile. "Why of course. You have mentioned that the girl occasionally disappears, only to reappear sometime later. But what if she did not? Suppose that she simply disappeared, and was never seen again? The commoners have not the slightest clue of the nature of our powers and skills. If one of the nurses reported that the girl has disappeared once more, and we then moved her to this place, they would be none the wiser. They would believe that her... Peculiar affliction had caused her to vanish once more, and then never returned. There might be a Manhunt, there might be search parties. But with no evidence to suggest that she had been smuggled out, there would be no other course of action for them, than to simply say that she was... Gone." She shrugged, the crinkling at her eyes belying the smile she was trying to hide. It wasn't really her concern if the institution was humiliated, or if those butchers and torturers were thrown to the street. She supposed that it would make a certain karmic sense, if the people who took away even the identity of innocents, also had everything taken away from them.

She rose from the table, brushing a few non-existent crumbs from her dress. "But I do not want to keep you. No doubt you have other matters to attend to, Master Ware. Lilian." She curtsied to both and left the room, a small grimace on her face now that she knew she had to undress again.

Her annoyance was alleviated somewhat when in the hallway she found Anna Havel, her green eyes alight, and red lips curving into a knowing smile. "You called, my lady?" She asked, knowing full well that Lucie had done no such thing – It was her talent, again. She had known to show up here, at this moment.

Lucie decided to play along. "Indeed I did," she said. "It seems my current attire is a touch ostentatious for my the rest of my plans today. I find myself in need of your aid to get my out of my dress." She sighed. "Much as it pains me. I had been looking forward to a day of being the centre of attention."

Anna fell in step behind Lucie, following her back to her mistresses' chambers. "Are you not always? Even on your more modest days, you attract glances from most any man you walk past." Lucie shot a look over her shoulder, eyes narrowed. But before she managed even a word, Anna said, "I swear it is not a comment about the size of your posterior, my lady."

Lucie maintained eye contact for another second, then smile and grabbed her maid's hand. "Come now, we should not waste time," she said and hurried them both along.

That impudent little–she was making comments!

---

Lucie shifted her bag from one shoulder to the other, fighting back the boredom by toying mindlessly with the frilly attachment to her handbag. She had been watching the asylum for the better part of, well, the entire day at this point. The sun was nearing the horizon, casting orange and purple rays across the clouds that still lingered.

She leaned back against the corner, melding with the shadow as best she could as yet another nurse, doctor, or whatever they called themselves walked out of one of the nearby buildings, heading for the one across the courtyard. Lucie followed this one with her eyes, noting the slender build and curled hair, brown hair.

Hour after hour she had made note of the various people who worked here, taking a Frame of each and storing it away in whatever places she hid those memories. She hardly even knew herself. Finding someone who looked similar enough to herself was a challenge, as even some men had to look up to her. She had noted one earlier, however, who seemed to be very near Lucie's own height, and had hair of a similar shade, even if it was somewhat shorter. That nurse wasn't here now, but she–Lucie placed a naked hand against the wall of the building supporting her–was still inside this one, gathering the dirty linen from an injured patient.

Judging by the sun's position at this point, it was only a matter of minutes until she would head home and let the nightshift take over. That would be Lucie's time to strike.

---

Diana opened the door to her small apartment, breathing out in relief. Today had been a difficult one, with more than the usual amounts of patients soiling or injuring themselves. She was happy to have the work, and to be able to support herself, but even then she did not want to pretend that it was all sunshine and butterflies. It was dirty work often, and she was delegated the grunt work. In a way it made sense, given she was the same height as most men, but it was never fun.

She sighed and started changing out of her uniform. She would need to have it washed before tomorrow. She instead donned a piece of linen cloth that had once been a pretty enough everyday dress, but had become a victim of time and wear.

"I should do as mother tells me," she muttered to herself as she straightened the dress in front of her small mirror. "Find a nice husband who can support me, and I then can take care of his house." She smiled to herself in the mirror, imagining the life she could have. "Father always told me he knows plenty of strapping, young men. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to marry?" She chuckled to herself, the idea half ridiculous. She had managed to acquire a job of her own, and now lived in her own small apartment, all because she hadn't wanted to tie herself down to a life of servitude to a single man. For that is what it was, was it not? She lived as a glorified maid in the house of a person that might as well be a stranger to her, cleaning and cooking for him, and what did she get as a reward? She didn't have money aside from what her would-be husband would earn, and even that was not truly her own. Another thing would be children.

She met her own, brown eyes in the reflection, saw her own uncertain grimace. She did want children. It was every woman's dream, was it not? Small, beautiful versions of her and husband, running around the house, or reaching for her hand from their crib. She lay the mirror on her cupboard face-down with a grunt, resolving to finish that one on one conversation at a later date. Now wasn't the time for self-reflection.

She went to prepare water to wash her uniform when a knock on her door interrupted her, making her pause mid-step. She glanced briefly towards the singular window, and the crescent moon rising from the horizon. Who would be visiting at this hour? Certainly not her parents. Her father would never be out this late, and no doubt her mother was putting her little brother to bed.

She grabbed the firepoker and inched towards the door. She reached out for the handle with her left hand, right and poker hidden behind her back. Slowly, she pulled the door open, peeking outside hesitantly only to see... Amber? No, not amber, but eyes, hidden in shadow under a heavy hood and cloak. She flinched back as the hooded stranger lifted a hand, the poker now in full view and ready to be unleashed with a fury, should the stranger prove hostile. Her worries were somewhat abated when the amber-eyed cloak-wearer pulled back her hood and offered her a kind smile.

By God she is beautiful, she thought, her breath caught in her throat. She might have said something aloud that was more articulate than her thoughts, but the chance slipped from her grasp when the stranger spoke.

"May I come in?" She shivered. "It is not warm out."

Diana nodded silently and opened the door fully to let this woman in. The poker remained in her grasp, a reminder that she was armed should things get out of hand.

The amber-eyed woman stepped in after a short deliberation, crossing the treshold silently, each movement fluid and graceful. In a way, she reminded Diana of a dancer with the way she moved. She looked up from her feet to find those eyes upon her again, and discovered, to her surprise that they were level with her own. Slightly above, in fact. "Who are you?" She, finally, asked.

A sly smile was the answer to the question, the woman remaining silent while roaming Diana's entire body with her eyes. "You can call me Alena," she replied, curtsying slightly. She unclasped her cloak without breaking eye contact, not even looking at the iron poker that Diana was slowly bringing into view again.

She would be lying if she claimed to not be unnerved by current circumstances. This was a stranger: A woman she had never seen before inviting herself into Diana's own home, and acting as if she were armed with a feather and not an implement that could bring about unconsciousness. And yet, she didn't feel much fear. She had heard the idea postulated, that one was more likely to trust strangers whom they found attractive, and while this Alena was indeed beautiful beyond anything she had seen before – from her bright eyes and fine features, to the fullness of her lips and shape of her body – there was more to it than that she expected. She knew patients who tried to act normal, to win her trust and her aid with honeyed words and disarming gestures; They could for all the wold appear harmless and kind, but hide monsters within. Those were the most difficult patients, and they – one and all – shared one trait with this Alena: They were dangerous.

Whoever she was, whether it was her real name or not, Alena was a dangerous woman. No normal person walked with a cat's grace, and possessed beauty such as hers, and still walked around with the sun below the horizon. With this realisation also came the chilling fact, that she was unlikely to win any physical confrontation, and so amiability was likely to be her best tool to dealing with her guest.

"Very well, Alena, what brings you to my home tonight?" She put the poker back by the fireplace, being sure to keep it in view the entire time until it was where it belonged. She nevertheless remained close by it. Just in case. "I am afraid I do not have much in the way of food or drink to offer. I am not paid much."

Alena waved it off with a gloved hand, the dark fabric matching that of her shirt and trousers, eliciting a frown from Diana, pants? A woman?

"Don't worry about refreshments, Diana–" She knows my name? Who is she?! "–I will only be here a short while. Also," at that point she reached behind her back, making Diana tense suddenly afraid of what she might do, but her fears were unfounded as it was only a small leather pouch. She threw the pouch towards Diana, making her nearly fall over herself trying to catch it. "This is for you. Go on, open it."

She gave the pouch in her hands a cautious look, shifting he gaze between it and the confident stranger. It didn't feel overly heavy, nor did it feel like anything that would be dangerous. It was oddly light, even, considering how full it felt. Hesitantly, without taking her eye off Alena and her patient smile, she opened the pouch and finally took a look inside.

She did not exactly know what she had expected, but this was about as far from it as possible. "What is this?" She asked shakily, tearing her eyes from the bag.

Alena shrugged. "Money, I should think." She leaned up against the wall, arms crossed underneath her chest.

That smile on her lips, that small up-turn of her mouth, made Diana's eyes narrow. She knew exactly what she was doing, this woman. Knew the impact the bag would have. "I barely earn this much in a month, miss Alena. This is not pocket change, even were you a princess."

The smile widened, showing teeth. "Isn't it?" One of her eyebrows rose. "And who says I'm not a princess?"

Bristles rising, Diana continued. "Why are you giving me this?" A thought occured to her, a dark one. "What are you trying to make me do?"

Another shrug, this one somehow more irritating than the last. "Nothing," she said. "I want you to do nothing."

"Nothing?" A preposterous idea. No one handed a month's worth of wages to a stranger without wanting them to do something. Did she want to buy her home? Her services? ...Her? She shuddered at the thought, begging to God above that was not the case. She took a few deep breaths, trying without success to keep her heart from hammering in her chest. She was not afraid, but she was definitely anxious, she supposed to word was. "What does 'nothing' entail then, Miss Alena?"

Alena clicked her tongue once, and righted herself from where she had been leaning against a wall. "Take the day off tomorrow. Stay at home." It wasn't a question. That, Diana knew, was the tone of someone used to getting their way; who gave orders and then had them followed. Had she been facing a man she might have thought her a soldier, but alas she was not.

"Why?" She dared.

Alena sighed. "Because I plan to become you," she said by way of explanation, which only just made Diana even more confused.

"What?"

A chuckle. A chuckle of all things was the reply she received. No doubt her expression was amusing to Alena, but how else was one supposed to react when a stranger with laden pockets, came to one's home and said they wanted to become her?

"What do you mean by 'become me'?" She insisted.

Alena gestured with her hand again, making some attempt at silently asking her to wait while she got over her fit of giggles. "I mean," she said, "that I want you to stay at home tomorrow, doing nothing. Instead, I will go to your work, looking like you. Consider the money payment to ensure your cooperation, and your silence."

The pouch weighed in her hands, a reminder of the small fortune held within. She didn't truly want to anything, and could support herself well enough, but she would be an idiot if she passed up the opportunity to earn this much this quickly, and all she had to do to get it was stay at home and do nothing? It was almost too good to be true. There had to be a catch.

"And what do you intend to do at the institution?" She asked. "If you intend to get me fired, this will not be enough to let me survive."

"Nothing that will harm you or your reputation, I assure you." At Diana's unimpressed stare she continued. "I intend to go about the day doing your work, and complete a job of my own."

"And what is your j–"

"Confidential," Alena interrupted. "I'm not going to tell you what I am there to do, except that you will suffer no consequences from it." She offered her hand, letting it hang in the air between them. "Do we have a deal?"

A part of her wanted to agree to the offer. As per the theory, she felt a certain amount of trust towards Alena, and that she suspected was not entirely because of the large sum she had been so casually given. On the other hand she knew nothing about Alena, and even doubted that was her real name. Beautiful beyond belief or not, she could not deny the feeling of trepidation she felt at this conversation. She stared at the proffered hand, wondering if perhaps it was more akin to a viper waiting to strike. "Why me?" She met the amber gaze bravely, she thought, but couldn't help but wilt under it a little.

"Because we are of similar stature, and we have a passing resemblance," came the reply. Simple, blunt, without fanfare.

They did both stand tall, Diana level with a lot of men, Alena taller than most. But passing resemblance? If only. To have a figure and features like that would be a dream to her. Nevertheless, "and what if you do cause trouble for me?"

Alena motioned towards the pouch still in Diana's hands "In that case there is a slip of paper in that bag, bearing a sealed message with my signature. Deliver it to the address written on it in person. They could use a maid, I believe, and owe me a favour. But," she added sternly, "do not open the letter. Ever. Even if you choose not to take the option of a more respectable profession, the contents within are for the intended recipient. Not you." She extended her hand again, a knowing look on her face.

Diana clenched the pouch in her hands, feeling the money within, coin and notes alike. It served as something tangible to hold on to, to remind her that this was real and not some fever dream, or illusion cooked up by being in the vicinity of the mentally ill. She stood to gain a month's wages from just one day of staying home, but on the other hand she didn't know who this person was, or what would happen if she agreed to it. She pursed her lips, looking up from her hands and into the inviting face of Alena, her patient smile making it almost too easy to just give in. She looked trustworthy. Had they met on the street she would have immediately thought her someone to be trusted, but given the circumstances it was difficult to take her at her word. She needed something. Something other than money.

"We don't have a deal," she said, seeing Alena's face fell, a frown marring her features. She added, "not unless you tell me what you plan to do. I can't let you waltz around looking like me, if that is even possible. If you want me to keep my silence, I want to know what you intend to do." This was it. This is where it counted. In the face of someone as unquestionably dangerous as Alena, impertinence like this was a risk. If she had a short temper, there was no guarantee she would not just use force to coerce her. But if she were more reasonable, she could maybe gain something. She hoped.

Alena, thank God, did not resort to violence or threats. She just drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly and let her outstretched hand fall to her side. "Before I say anything, I want you to know that I can find you again. Easily. This is not a threat, but a fact. So if what I am about to tell you escapes this room, I will visit again. Understand?" Diana nodded, frozen. She had no intentions of speaking of whatever it was. It would never end well for her if she did. "Very well. At your institution is a patient who suffers from nothing. I intend to get them out, and ferry them to a better place. I reiterate, that no one will suspect you, so you have nothing to fear," she looked meaningfully at the pouch, "and a lot to gain." For the third time that evening, she offered her hand, head cocked to the side.

"So you just want to save someone innocent?" Diana shook her head. "I doubt you will find anyone there who does not suffer from one ailment or another, but if you can confirm it, then I suppose we... have a deal," she said finally and took the offered hand, and the strength with which hers was squeezed informed her that the decision had been a right one.

"I will need to borrow your uniform as well," Alena added, grabbing it from where it had been laid previously. "I will return it to you by tomorrow evening, freshly washed. Until then, have a good evening." She curtsied again, grabbed her cloak, and was gone as quickly as she arrived.

Diana stared after her, and then at door. She soon found herself at her desk, pen in hand and diary open on her small desk.

Dear Diary

Today, I was visited by the most beautiful person I have ever seen, and I am still not quite certain what happened while she was here... I am going to try my best to portray my thoughts, feelings, and emotions as I felt them this evening, but do pardon me if I fail to do so accurately, for I have felt both fear, joy, awe, and what feels like everything in-between.

The day started as normal, I woke up and dressed...

Lillian sat quietly, carefully pulling apart a croissant with her fingers and eating the chunks. It had been ten minutes since Lucie had left and not a word had been spoken since. While she was anxious to start on the task of rescuing a child in need, Lily wished to take a few moments to speak with Adam. The events of the last mission had revealed some things about Adam that Lily wished to question him on, though she found it difficult to raise the topic. In part because she felt foolish for not having noticed the subtle hints as to the nature of Adam’s secret that had suddenly become like fiery beacons for how clearly they stood out. But also because the whole affair had brought to light that Lily did not know much of Adam, which raised the question as to whether the two of them were actually friends. She had long felt a kinship with Adam, his powers of observation equalling her own made her feel less alone in the world. It brought her a monicom of happiness that there was at least one other person who saw the hidden threads that tied the world together as readily as she did, perhaps even more so. The reveal of such a well hidden secret made it clear to Lillian that not only did she not know her friend as well as she thought, and that she was not in fact on the same level as him in terms of intelligence.

Lily finished her meal and stood. “I shall prepare for tomorrow. If you’ll excuse me.” Lily gave a small curtsy, doing her best to imitate Lucie. Spinning on a heel Lily quickly left the room, not waiting for a response from Adam. She stopped walking just past the door, turned around, and returned to the room. She hastily grabbed the remaining pears that were on the table “I will need these.” Lillian once again spun on her heel and left, placing the pears in a pouch that could accommodate them. With long strides she made her way out of the manor and headed towards the city to prepare, putting all else from her mind but the task at hand.

A rather painful hour long walk ended with Lillian in front of the cities largest library. She carefully made her way up the large worn steps in front and entered the building. At that time of day the library barely had anyone in it so the librarian was off reshelving books. Lillian had spent enough time at the building that she had long ago memorized the schedules and modus operandi of the staff. Mrs.Farmer, a seventy year old widower who wore an unflattering and poorly made black wig, liked to reshelve during the work week in the middle of the day. She would put every returned book in alphabetical order (by author) and subject on her cart and start in the geology section on the second floor; she would then work her way around the library counter-clockwise. It took her roughly three hours to finish the reshelving, one and a half per floor depending on the book load. If anyone wanted to work unobserved all they needed to do was go to the library during reshelving time and determine how far along Mrs.Farmer was in her shelving.

Lillian swiftly moved to the large sign out book kept at the front desk, closed it, lifted it twenty centimeters into the air, and dropped it. The large book collided with the wooden surface and a thunderous crash echoed through the library. A fraction of a second after the echo faded a loud and shrill “Shush!” drifted down from the top floor. Lillian smiled and headed towards the locked rooms at the back of the library, confident she had roughly an hour and a half at minimum to do what she needed. Plenty of time.
Lillian produced from one of her pouches a rough and misshapen iron key and inserted it into one of the locked doors labeled “Architectural drawings.” She fiddled with the key a bit, wiggling it back and forth while trying to turn it before it finally did turn and the door clicked open. Lillian took a brief moment to assure herself she was not being watched before slipping into the room, locking the door behind her. She had made a copy every key used at the library allowing her access to the sections that most people without official reason were not allowed to see. Her blacksmithing skills left something to be desired as the entire set of keys came out rather poorly; but with a bit of finesse they still worked.

The room was large and yet still terribly cramped as every available bit of space was dedicated to massive drawers that would allow schematics to be placed within without need to fold or roll them. There was not enough room available for every drawing however, so those drawings considered less important were rolled up and kept in wine racks stacked on top of the drawers. These racks reached all the way up to the fairly high ceiling, with exception to one spot where room had been left for the only window. The entire place smelled of old paper and dust, the only signs that the room received any use was a feint pair of footprints in the thick dust made by Lillian's own boots a month prior when she broke in to find schematics for the mayor's house. She was convinced he had secret room in his basement and she wished to determine what was within. As it turned out the room was in fact not secret and was simply a wine cellar that was not used due to the mayor’s distaste for spirits of any kind.

After a few minutes of searching, far less time then she thought she would need given the low light, Lillian located the schematics for the hospital the little girl was being held in. Lillian then spent the next hour transcribing the entire set of plans into one of her books; the process was tedious and took up dozens of pages as there were enough details that she could not simply draw the plans smaller, but had to section them off and draw them full sized. Once finished she returned the drawings to their proper place and started to leave, but remembering how she had spotted her own footprints from last time, stopped. Using the hem of her dress she walked around the room kicking up the dust and hiding the signs that anyone had been in the room. Satisfied she had hidden her actions sufficiently well Lillian exited and relocked the room. Once again her misshapen key became stuck in the door and she was forced to wiggle it about to try and remove it.

“Ahem”

Lillian frooze, her hand still on the key that refused to come out. She looked over her shoulder to find Mrs.Farmer behind her, the copious wrinkles of her face contorted into a disapproving glare.

“And just what might I ask are you doing, Miss McClellen?” The old woman had her hands positioned on her hips with her elbows pointed out, making her look like a humanoid sugar bowl. Lillian looked away and bit a lip, trying to think of a plausible excuse. While she considered herself a highly intelligent woman, improvising was not her forte. For a brief moment her mind flashed back to the battle with the monster and her flaming blunder. “Well, Miss McCellen? I do not have all day.”

Unable to think of a lie, Lily opted for a half truth. “Ah, you see, Mrs.Farmer, I-” she moved out of the way to show the warped key still stuck in the door “-made my own key to see if it was possible to copy a key by sight alone. I used the library as my testing grounds because I am… here… so often.” Lillian didn’t believe herself and most of what she had said was true. Mrs.Farmer did not seem all that convinced either, though the wrinkles made it difficult to pick up on more subtle expressions

“That key. Looks terrible.”

Lillian blinked, “Well… yes. I forged it myself and I am somewhat lacking in that field.” Mrs.Famer shook her head. She then approached the door, grabbed the key, and with a jiggle of her hand and a kick from her foot to the bottom of the door the key popped loose. She then returned the key to Lillian who accepted it sheepishly.

“Come with me,” was all the woman said next and walked off with the speed one would expect of a younger woman. Lillian quickly followed and began to calculate how much she would need to donate to the library to make the incident go away. She was surprised, however, to find that instead of being led to Mrs.Farmer’s office as she had been expecting, the librarian led her deeper into the library. The old woman quickly made her way to a specific section, perused the spines of the books a moment, plucked one from the shelf, and presented it to Lillian who tentatively took it and read the title aloud.

“...Forging for beginners.”

“That key is terrible. You could have broken my lock with that wretched thing. Out of everyone in this blasted city I would think you’d have had the mindset to read up on something before trying it. You are to read that book, make a new key, and return both next month so we can see if you’ve done better. You’ve got a lot of potential Miss McCellen, don’t waste it by picking up the habits of men.” Lillian stared at the other woman a moment, looked at the book, then back to the woman; she nodded ever so slightly, then turned and walked out of the library.

*******************************************

Lillian sat in a private room of La Maison du Beau Café, a French Coffee shop that had opened several years ago and had been doing rather well for itself. Her reasons for visiting the shop had nothing to do with the untouched cup of over priced bean water, but rather because of its convenient position across the street from town hall, and for the private rooms available on its’ second floor. After ensuring with the waitress that she was to not be disturbed for the next hour Lillian left her body and leapt out the window. Her formless body landed like a feather on top of a sleeping dog who only responded to the slight pressure it caused by grunting and kicking a foot. Lillian made her way across the street and into the Town Hall, slipping in behind a couple whose arms were overburdened with papers so a passing gentleman held the door open for them.

Unlike the library whose schedule could easily be discerned and memorized, the hall was a chaotic mess of uncertainty. Dozens of people rushed back and forth, most of whom Lily did not recognise, and all with some clear purpose. The main hall was filled with thirty desks, each with a government worker, most of whom were dealing with multiple people at once. Lillian felt a tinge of pity for the poor souls who had to deal with such a mess on a constant basis.

Not wanting to waste the hour she had given herself Lily took off in a run and made her way toward the records room. The room was positioned at the farthest possible point from the entrance, on the third floor, to make it harder for anyone attempting what Lilian planed to do once she made it into the room. She quickly found the room and walked past it, knowing full well it would be locked. Instead she made her way to a broom closet and, once a rather stressed looking woman with crooked glasses and a windswept hairdo went past, she slipped inside. The room was small and filled with all manor of cleaning supplies, had she had the capacity for an olfactory sensation she was sure she’d have passed out from the opened chemical jars; all of which looked like dangerous concoctions made by the cleaning staff given their homemade -and misspelled- labels.

While the majority of the building had plastered walls to give the place an air of elegance, the broom closets in the building had been mercifully spared that extravagance and sported only the ugly and cheap wood that formed the frame of the building. Lillian moved some brooms out of her way, careful to not make any noise, and pulled a panel of wood off the wall. Who ever had been working in the closet had clearly run out of nails and had opted to press fit the bored in place; their laziness was Lily’s boon.

With some discomfort, but little difficulty, Lillian squeezed her body through the opening she had made and found herself squished between the wall of the broom closet and the wall of the records room. She then began to make her way deeper into the framework of the building, contorting and squeezing her body to fit past beams and pipes. She kept moving until she could see with her non-existent eyes the feint outline of a nail that failed to be driven into the wood, and had bent into the shape of a musical note. The ferrous notation indicated that she was standing near an open ventilation shaft. During a previous exploration of the Library's drawing room Lillian had discovered the town hall was meant to be four floors high, as opposed to the three that it ended up being. Operating under an assumption that ended up being true, Lillian surmised that some remnants of the unmade fourth floor remained. One of those remnants was a ventilation system that was to go one floor higher, but stopped part way. Rather than closing the ends of the open shafts properly, the workers had simply tacked a piece of wood over the open ends. The job was shaudy and Lillian had little trouble removing it, even while her body was semi-ethereal and conorted like a pretzel.

Lillian climbed-contorted her way into the shaft and located the vent register that led into the Records Room. With a small push the register poped free from the vent shaft, and Lily was able to squeeze into the room. Once inside she found it devoid of people, as usual, and well lit thanks to the windows allowing in the afternoon sunlight.

Knowing she only had an hour to get what she wanted to do done, Lillian quickly began searching for Lucie Ruzicka. On more than one occasion Lily had to invent another human being for her own purposes, so she was well versed in how to do it and how to make it not look suspicious. Given that her and her compatriots plan was to kidnap a child and hope she was simply declared missing it seemed prudent to have a new identity made for the young lady. Given Lucie’s desire to adopt the child it only made sense to forge documents that made it look like they were mother and daughter. Unfortunately, that plan would prove difficult to follow through on; after locating Lucie’s documents she was surprised to find that the woman was apparently dead.

Lily’s non-existent face scrunched up in surprise and annoyance. The file she had found on her comrade not only declared her dead for many years, but indicated if she was alive she would only be nineteen. With her original plan thoroughly ruined by unexpected deadness, Lily moved quickly to implement a new plan. She retrieved several blank documents from a box, and a pencil that she kept hidden under a shelf. Writing as fast as she could make her ethereal body go Lily made documents for both the little girl, and for Lucie. “If that even is her real name,” she thought to herself.

It was not easy, she had allotted time for only one forgery, but Lily managed to make documents for the expecting mother and her expected daughter. She listed Lucie as an immigrant from the Ukraine and gave her the name Lucie Anastasia Romanchuk, from the small village of Zaporozhye. She specifically picked the Ukraine as it was the closest country that Lucie possesed physical features from.

Not believing for a second that Lucie was nineteen -and knowing full well a nineteen year old with a ten year old daughter would raise some questions- Lillian made her twentynine instead. She did much the same for the little girl, keeping her first name the same but changing her middle and last names to Natalia and Romanchuk. She listed the girl as having been born in Prague and that her father was a man from the city, one of Lillian’s pre-invented people whom she had killed off for legal reasons a few years prior. Unsure what the young lady looked like she decided it would be best to give her at least one Czech parent, as a means to explain why she did not look like her mother, or look Ukrainian.

Once the documents were finished Lillian forged the relevant signatures and put the them in their proper spots. To avoid raising suspicion Lily used a trick she thought up when she first started forging documents; when she went to slip the file into place she pushed it further down than she needed to, damaging the paper slightly, but more importantly semi-hiding the file. If any staff randomly came across the file and found it odd they’d never seen it before their concerns would be immediately dashed do to the files semi-hidden state. To Lillian’s knowledge that exact scenario had never came up, but it never hurt to be prepared.

Lily returned her pencil to its’ hiding place, put the vent register back into the wall, and willed herself back to her body. Her eyes shot open and she immediately dug into her pouch for the food she had saved from breakfast. She gorged herself on every pear she had grabbed and downed the cold coffee that still sat on the table, cringing from the bitterness but happy for the sustenance. She then sat back in her chair to recoup from using her power for so long; she closed her eyes and took deep controlled breaths. Once she felt better she left her private room, paid for it and the disgusting brew she drank, and set off towards her home. She had one last task to take care of before returning to Ianus, and it was an experience she found herself dredding.

*******************************************

Lillian stood before her mother, who at that moment was smiling so wide there was some serious concern her head might just pop off.

“I wish to make myself clear, Mother,” Lily began. “This is not a permanent change in my thinking. I still find the obsession with one's appearance to be a pointless waste of time. However, tomorrow I will find myself in a position where I need to appear to look professional so as to not raise suspicions or make the individual I will be accompanying look bad by association. Is that clear?”

“Crystal! I am simply so thrilled to get the chance to doll up my only daughter!”

Lillian fidgeted, slightly uncomfortable with the thought of what she was about to unleash upon herself. “Yes… well… I simply ask you do not get carried away. You may change whatever you wish about me so long as you can justify its’ importance.”

Lilian’s mother rushed out of the room, called for several servants, and returned “Let us get started right away!”

“...Is… is three more people really necessary?! I had thought you would only do my hair and perhaps a bit of makeup. I do not t-” Lily was interrupted by her mother gently placing a finger upon her lips to silence her.

“Oh my sweet Lillian. You may know a great deal about bugs, and how fast a corpse can dissolve in acid. But I am a master in an area you have so thoroughly avoided. You are accompanying Adam Ware! A small change in hair is not enough.”

Lily frowned slightly but had to admit her mother had a point “Well… I suppose that is true. But as I said, you may do nothing to me unless it can be justified.” Lilian’s mother smiled and nodded. As it would turn out, her mother was able to justify a great deal.

*******************************************

Lillian walked down the halls of Ianus, her legs were ablaze with pain from all the walking she had been doing, and the rest of her body felt like it had been violated after the experience with her mother. The nice dress she had put on that morning was replaced with an even nicer royal blue dress, and her nails had been painted to match it. The hanging pouches that would normally adorn her body had been replaced with decorative chatelaine bag that hooked onto her waist, and was barely large enough to hold the book with the hospitals schematics. Her usual messy bun had been replaced with a complex braid that reached past her shoulder blades, the hair that wouldn’t cooperate with the braid had been given a slight curl and left to ‘frame her face,’ according to her mother. Lillian’s face had not been left untouched either and had been enhanced with makeup from her mother's personal supply. The face paint had been used to smooth or cover features, and her lips had been enhanced with a burnt pumpkin like lipstick that apparently matched her hair. Lillian was not thrilled about the makeup, but was happily surprised to find she could not feel it on her face like she had expected. “Small mercy’s,” she mumbled aloud. The last features of her body her mother felt keen on fixing was her ears which she adorned with sapphire earrings, and her spectacles which she replaced with a pair that were less circular like her old pair and far more oval like an egg. Her mother insisted the ovular shape was “in,” whatever that meant.

The change in appearance had done its’ job despite Lilian’s unhappiness with it. Even she had to admit that she looked professional, as though she truly was the secretary to one of Prague's richest families. Lily also had to admit she simply looked better, which helped her feel less self conscious about the wounds on her legs that were in desperate need of a re-wrapping.

Lillian continued to walk through Ianus, getting odd looks from members who were clearly surprised to see her dressed up so formally. Lily ignored them all and made her way to Lucie’s room, keen to receive answers to some warranted questions. She gave the other woman’s door several loud knocks and waited.

The sound of the knocks reverberated throughout the hallway, and into the room beyond the door, announcing the arrival of Liliana Catherine McClellen, and her intent to meet the owner and occupant of the room, the enigmatic and peculiar woman known as Lucie Ruzicka.

For several long moments, silence reigned, the owner of the room beyond the door either absent, or refusing to answer the knocking.

Just then, the shuffling of feet sounded from beyond the door, along with hushed, indecipherable voices. Two occupants in the room, then. Whatever discussion occurred within, it soon ended with one huffing, and then more shuffling of feet.

The heavy lock clicked, and the door was pulled open, though only enough for a pale face, adorned with bright green eyes and red painted lips to peek out. The hints of an apron and the simple, blue dress visible through the cracked open door, gave away her station as that of a maid.

“Miss McClellen!” The maid exclaimed, eyes widening in recognition. “I, uuh, Miss Lucie is present, but… I am not certain that now is the best time.” She smiled apologetically, only for something of a wince to cross her features as Lucie’s voice came from farther within, sounding somewhat strained.

“I told you, Anna,” Lucie said to the maid, just loud enough that Lily herself could hear as well, “to let her in. You’re the only one here bothered by it.”

Chagrin edged in every line of her face, few though they were, the maid — Anna — opened the door further. “Come in then, Miss McClellen.”

Lillian raised an eyebrow and hesitated, unsure what she was about to find beyond the door. As usual however her curiosity, regarding both the questions she already wanted answered, and the sudden appearance of even more, drove her to enter the room.

She was met with a sight that was both expected and unexpected. The luxurious furniture was much within her expectations, given Lucie’s previous indications of having quite expensive tastes. The outrageously large bed and sinfully sized wardrobes were both within expectations as well; Lucie was nothing if not ostentatious, and it showed.

Bookshelves lined the half of the far left wall that her bed did not take up, books filling it from end to end, with topics that, from a cursory glance, seemed as varied as the stars in the sky.

Lucie’s maid, who apparently was named Anna, stood by the far wall by the window, cheeks red and looked pointedly away from the floor area beside the bed. Naturally, Lilian herself looked, and was faced with Lucie on all fours, pushing herself from the floor with but her arms, and then rising to her full height.

Anna’s reactions, however, began to make sense as Lily noticed what she wore: A simple piece of cloth wrapped around her chest and securing her modesty, and a pair of otherwise long trousers that had been rolled up to the knees. What’s more, she was covered in a light sheen of sweat, something she did not attempt to hide as she met Lily’s eyes and smiled.

“Good evening, Lilian.”

Lily blinked, and remained still, unsure how to proceed. She turned her head slightly to look to Anna and found that she seemed to be in a similar state of mind. Lillilian returned her gaze to Lucie and looked over her body, taking note of the defined musculature that Lily had only ever seen on men. As with most aspects of life she found herself unable to resist the temptation to study something knew and began to mentally take notes on the other woman’s body. She had been planning to trick the other woman into a more revealing situation for observation regardless, so it seemed like a waste to not take advantage when the opportunity presented itself on its own. Her eyes moved over every inch of exposed flesh, face flushing as she did so, her analytical side unable to overpower her own shyness. A full minute passed before Lily realized she had not responded to the other woman’s initial greeting. “G-good evening. Miss Ruzicka. You appear… healthy and attractive. Congratulations.”

Lucie, who hadn’t said anything since her initial greeting, reacted with a raised eyebrow, and one corner of her lips turning further up than the other. “I think ‘attractive’ is an understatement,” she said, fluttering her eyelashes. “But I appreciate the compliment.” She looked away from Lilian and towards Anna, who was already bringing a tray with cups and a pitcher of water. “Something to drink?” She offered.

Lillian took an empty cup. “Yes. Thank you. Would you?” She took a sip from it, only to immediately realize that it was empty, and grabbed the pitcher so she could fill it. She took a large gulp of water, taking a moment to clear her head, and turned to the maid. “Anna was it? Would you be so kind as to run to my quarters and locate some bandages, and a salve in a small tin box? I will be needing them quite soon.”

Anna’s brows furrowed, her mouth working soundlessly for a moment. “I had a feeling you would ask that,” she said as if it were but a simple matter of fact, “but I am Miss Lucie’s personal attendant.”

“Anna, please do as she requests,” Lucie cut in, waving off her maidservant with a smirk. Anna gave her a look, then a single nod and was off, lifting the front of her dress as she hurried along. When she was gone Lucie went to the washbasin, on the dresser by the window behind Lillian, and dipped a cloth in it before starting to slowly wash her face and neck. “So, what brings you?” She asked, running the cloth over her arms once each before depositing it beside the basin, turning to face Lilian.

“You look quite healthy for a dead woman.”

This time, both eyebrows rose, her mouth forming a small ‘o’. “Ah,” she said at length, “right. You don’t know who I am.” Her brows furrowed. “Matter of fact, only Mister Ware does. That is besides the point, however.” She fixed Lilian with a stare. “You, however, have been sticking your nose where it does not belong. I should be proud,” she added, crossing her arms and leaning against the dresser, “but yes, I am supposed to be dead. How did you find out?”

“I stick my nose where I please. In this case however, it was rather accidental,” under her breath, she added, “In a fashion.” Noticing Lucie’s change in demeanor Lillian took a few steps backwards towards the door, doing her best to make it look like she was simply moving for the sake of it. “I was at Town Hall to forge the relevant documents for the young girl we plan to rescue. Imagine my surprise when I retrieve the future mother’s documents for relevant information, only to find she’s been dead for around sixteen years.” Lillian looked Lucie up and down, remembering that according to the documentation she was supposed to be nineteen. Lily scoffed.

“Town hall?” She asked, head cocking to one side, and ignoring both the scoff and the analysis of her physique. “You mean to tell me that you found documents, matching my name, to the very letter?” She hummed, then paused, brow creasing in thought. “Then you do not know who I am, and yet, you do?” She looked once more upon Lilian, eyes narrowed, but unthreatening. “Tell me what you know.” Almost as an afterthought she added, “please.”

“I found documentation for Lucie Ruzicka.” Lillian spelled both names out, and Lucie nodded to each name. “The only person in the entire city with that name. I had guessed at least one of your parents might be an immigrant based on your physical features, which matched up with what I found. However the age seemed several years off, and of course there is the whole dead factor to take into account. So no. I do not know who you are as you have clearly stollen the name of someone else. You say Adam knows about you, I wonder which you it would be.” Lillian took another step back and instinctively moved a hand towards the pouch that held her firearms. Of course she found no such pouch as both it and the pistols within had been left with her mother.

Lucie shook her head. “No names were stolen. Not by me. But,” she said and let her arms fall to her sides, looking out the window with a myriad of expression crossing her features, “it seems that we misunderstood one another. You still don’t know the truth, a small relief perhaps.” She looked back, her eyes flitting towards Lilian’s side and her hand grasping for a weapon that wasn’t there. “If you need a weapon to feel safe, there’s a knife and a revolver under the pillow,” she said, pointing to the bed. “But I’m not going to hurt you. You can relax.”

Lillian frowned and made a point to move away from the bed, not trusting the offer.

“Right,” Lucie continued, dryly, and sighed. “Let me clear something up. Lucie Ruzicka is my one and only name. It has been mine for as long as I can remember. When I was young, I got lost, hurt, and a man found me who took me in. To my knowledge, he gave me this name when he found me. This happened sixteen years ago, when I was just three.” She drew in deep breath, and slid down the dresser until she sat on the floor, hands on her knees and looking up at Lillian, for a change. When she continued speaking, it was with a much more somber tone.

“I thought you had discovered that I faked my own death, just a year ago, something I did to to escape this man. But if you found documents of a girl who supposedly died that same number of years ago, then that name, was mine before that. Before him.” She paused, biting her lip. “It seems I have died twice in one lifetime, and yet my heart still beats,” she muttered with dry humour.

While a great deal of information had just been given, Lillian found herself drawn to one specific piece. “You’re nineteen?”

Quirking an eyebrow, Lucie looked back up. “You thought I was older?” She asked, sounding amused.

“I would find it difficult to accept you were younger than twenty-four without sufficient evidence.”

A smile showed up alongside the quirked eyebrow, a bit of humour returning to her previously sombre expression. “You are the one in possession of my birth records, are you not?” She chuckled. “It is the one thing I have always certain of. I am no more than nineteen years of age. Does my height and looks truly make me appear that mature?” She fluttered her eyelashes with the last few words.

Lillian frowned deeply. “Truly?” She did not wait for an answer, instead she crossed the gap between them with a few long strides to stand before the other woman. “Open your mouth, please.”

She blinked. “Pardon?”

“Your mouth. Open wide. Come now we don’t have a great deal of time before Anna returns.”

“You sent her away so we would be alone.” It wasn’t a question. “I don’t know what you intend, but very well.” Keeping her eyes on Lilliana, Lucie opened her mouth.

Lily bent down and got close enough to Lucie that she could look in her mouth unimpeded. After a few moments she spoke “Hmmm… do not bite.” Then, unceremoniously, she stuck her thumbs into Lucie’s mouth and spread her mouth a little wider, she also leaned closer still, ignoring the restrained gag, and subsequent glare she received from Lucie. After studying the woman’s mouth for a moment longer she removed her hands and stepped back, a surprised look now on her face “Well… I’ll be. You are nineteen after all. That is… surprising to say the least. It also means that what you are saying is most likely true. Those documents I found, regardless of their incorrect time of death, do seem to be yours.”

Lucie did not reply immediately, instead working her jaw and rubbing the side of her face. “What in the blazes was that about?” She demanded, grimacing. “For the record, your nail polish is not palatable.” She stood up and went to pour a cup of water from the tray, emptying it in a single gulp before pouring a second one, only sipping from this. “Are you satisfied now?” She asked, nose wrinkling in distaste. “Were there not simpler methods?”

“I will inform my mother as to the palatability of her nail decoration. And no, not really. Without access to equipment and a few days to analyze some of your material, the quickest way was to check your teeth. The average child loses the last of their baby teeth at around twelve years of age. It takes many years for the gum line to acclimate to its new teeth, and for the usual build up of grime to accumulate to noticable levels. Your age affects the look of your gums, and the healthiness of your teeth. Tooth care affects this somewhat, but not much. Your gums and teeth appear relatively fresh and healthy, which means you are likely not older than twenty.” Lillian wiped her hands on her dress. “The smell of one's breath is also helpful as even a non-visible build up of bacteria still has a poor effect on the smell of one's breath. Yours smell about average for someone who is young and well-off.”

“I shall take that as a compliment, then,” Lucie consented, still looking none too pleased about the whole ordeal. “I take it you are convinced now? That I am Lucie Ruzicka, dead twice over yet breathing still.” She hummed. “Still it is difficult to believe, that this name has been my own since my birth… It gives me a link to my parents. My real ones. Not him,” she said, the last words coming quieter than the rest. “So what now?” She inquired, turning on a heel to face Lily again. “I seem to have convinced you of my age and the legitimacy of my name. Though I should let you know, that I am not supposed to exist. My second death was quite a deliberate affair, done so that I might come here undisturbed, and with no one looking for me.”

“I am somewhat convinced, not entirely mind you, but I do not feel the need to push the matter. If Adam trusts you, than so do I. Though I will admit resolving your apparent first death has quelled my concerns considerably.” Lillian had calmed down a great deal and once again felt she could trust Lucie. Though she made a mental note to dig into the other woman’s past to find out more about her; one does not fake their own death without good reason. “That said,” she continued, “I will not spoil your plan, in fact what I did today will probably have helped you in that regard. You have a new identity you can use at any time should you desire to enter the world. Lucie Anastasia Romanchuk, from the Ukraine. You’re twenty-nine, an age I think you’ll find will raise less questions when you reveal you have a daughter. You were born in Zaporozhye, and have no living relatives. Your daughters father is Doctor Wallice T. Brodsky, a man I invented some time ago for… reasons. I did not fabricate a marriage for you as that would have been a lot of extra paperwork. So your daughter is technically now a bastard, I hope that is acceptable.”

“I suppose I should thank you for that, then. Although you and I both know I am recognisable, so a false identity would not be foolproof. I could be rather easily recognised, were I not careful.” She blew air through her nose, shaking her head. “Truth be told, I had not thought much of the future beyond giving that girl a safe place to be, with people who understood… Why Ukraine, however? I know neither the language nor do I possess and accent.”

“Making you an immigrant saved some paperwork. You possess a few subtle features that are distinctly Ukrainian that you could point to should you have to. And frankly, your place of birth will never come up outside a governmental capacity, and I assure you even a weak explanation as to the loss of accent is enough to satisfy them. They’re typically so over worked they won’t make extra work for themselves if they don’t have to.” A sudden twitch of pain in her legs reminded Lillian she should have sat down some time again. After locating a chair she gingerly lowered herself into it. “Besides, I did not really expect you to make use of it personally. But should the child want to make her way in the world, being able to point to a mother who exists is quite the boon.”

“Indeed it would be,” she replied thoughtfully, rubbing her jaw with her thumb. “Though I should be able to take care of basic educations. I may not be an expert like yourself, but I do possess general knowledge on many subjects, from politics to mathematics.” She pursed her lips, eyes trailing towards the windows and the moon outside. For a while she said nothing, seeming content to just stare out into space.

Only when a full two minutes had passed did she speak up, her tone more jovial than before, mischievous even. “You seem to no longer be so flustered about my appearance,” she noted, and turned to face Lily, hands on her—now that Lilian was paying attention—very wide hips. “Did you grow used to it so suddenly?”

“I uh...ahem.” Lillian fidgeted in her seat a bit and brushed her dress to remove a few wrinkles, wincing as she pressed a touch too hard against her legs. “Y-yes well. As I said before… you have a fine body. It is an acceptable specimen. I do so rarely see women of your… build.” Lillian pulled her glasses from her face and busied herself pretending to clean them to avoid eye contact.

“Aaaaw, she’s blushing.” She chuckled, stepping closer on light feet and crouching in front of her chair, looking up at her with the look of a cat who caught the mouse. “I hope I am not making you uncomfortable,” she said innocently. “That wouldn’t do at all, would it?”

“N-not at all.” Lillian returned her spectacles to her face and adjusted them “I am merely, flushed with blood. It’s probably happening all over my body and you can simply only see my face.” Lillian grabbed her cup of water and took a big drink from it.

“We should find something for that blush, then, shouldn’t we?” Lucie asked, the cheshire grin still on her lips. She stood up and went to her wardrobe.“I assume your entire transformation is your mother’s work—you mentioned her earlier; she is good, you know—and it reminded me of something,” she said over her shoulder and threw open the doors, revealing the sheer size of her collection of everything from dresses to shoes, and even extended to a few articles of men’s wear.

The clothes were not her goal, however, as she withdrew a large, polished, wooden box from the bottom of the wardrobe, and, muscles in Lucie’s arms straining slightly against the weight, carried it over to the dresser where she set it down. “Behold,” she said with a smirk and a glance thrown Lily’s way, and opened the top of the box, revealing a mirror, then started folding open to box.

It wasn’t an ordinary box, for with every moment that passed more compartments and drawers came into view, the contraption unfolding and revealing a veritable bounty of cosmetics, of every kind and shade imaginable.

Once she had fully opened it, Lucie stepped back, giving Lilliana a knowing look. The thing, now that it had been opened properly, bore some resemblance to an amphitheater in a way: With the floor as the centrepiece, and ‘seats’—in this case lipsticks, powders, and more—rising in tiers the further away they got from the centerground.

Lillian’s eyes widened at the sight. “Oh my goodness. That is...that is a collection. And I thought my mother’s to be extensive, yours is in a league of its own! I can’t even begin to imagine how long it took to acquire all of that. Or the cost!”

“I don’t mean to brag, but, well,” she adopted the look of one who very much was about to brag, “so far as I know, I own a sample of every product in Prague, including the various shades thereof.” She leaned over it, visibly searching for something. She plucked a few boxes and tubes from it, placing them on the dresser beside. “As to the cost, more than I am willing to admit,” she said, looking at Lily through the mirror. “So if you ever wish to experiment, I would be glad to help you. Same goes with clothes, although I think you would be too small for most of mine.”

“And just what do you have planned? I am currently wearing more than enough makeup at the moment. I had to fend off my mother and three maids to escape my home with this much on.” She huffed, trying to stay offended but deflated in the end. “And while I might not be… entirely dissatisfied with the effect, I think I am quite makeup’ed out.”

If earlier she had been a cat who got the mouse, the grin that Lily was met with when Lucie turned around to face her, was like that of a tiger who got the gazelle. “Not entirely dissatisfied you say?” She chuckled. “Then you will have to allow me to dress you up one day. Your mother may be good, but I can make you look like an entirely different person.” Her cheshire grin somehow widened even further. “We’ll need to schedule an afternoon, it should be fun!”

“Fun? I think you and I have a different view of what constitutes fun. And I happen to be rather fond of how I normally look… that is to say I think...I normally look… acceptable…” Lillian frowned, using her cup to hide it. “But,” she pressed on, “I suppose it could not hurt to see what you can do. Considering how I barged in here, one could argue I owe you a crack at this canvas.”

“We probably do,” she replied with a shrug, plucking a few more pieces from the box before setting about closing it. “Teasing others, I find, is a great pastime. And don’t think I didn’t notice your offer,” Lucie added, looking briefly at Lily over her shoulder. “I do intend to take you up on it. You won’t regret it, I promise.”

“Just don’t allow your feelings to be hurt if I’m not taken with the look. I’ve never been one for dressing up in any fashion. My current appearance is so I don’t embarrass Adam tomorrow. “

Lucie let out a decidedly un-ladylike snort, which then turned into a chuckle. She closed the lid-mirror over the box and turned around, offering a wry smile. “When you grow up being told you are to be a tool for someone, because you owe it to them for rescuing you, hurt feelings become a secondary concern. I’ll manage, in the impossible scenario that you dislike my work.”

Lily’s eyes narrowed and she once again looked over the other woman. Everything about her was odd and was contrary to what she herself had learned about people. “You’re like someone out of a story book,” the words left her mouth unintentionally.

“Every life is a story. What we do with this story, and how we try to direct its narrative, is what matters,” Lucie answered cryptically.

“Well spoken for someone so young. It’s good to see your colourful past has not cast shade on your future, or on your present. Not everyone is so strong.”

“I am not sure I would say it was colourful, but definitely eventful.” She didn’t elaborate, but looked towards the door. “And it seems that Anna is about to return. Right about… now.” The final word had not left her lips before there came a knock on the door, and the sound of it opening.

“I returned with the salve and bandages,” Anna announced as she entered, closing the door behind her, and approached. “I hope these are the correct ones for your burns?” She held out the tin box and a roll of gauze.

Before Lily could answer, Lucie had already taken, and opened, the tin box, inspecting the contents. “I may be no expert, but this is not your standard mixture. Smells and looks different.” She looked hard at Lily, the intensity of which was lost on her, as the unbidden announcement and thievery of the tin took precedent. “Sit,” Lucie told her, pointing to the bed. “I will help you, make sure we get it done properly.”

“I will not! Th-that is MY business. This is a private matter!” Lily’s face, even through her makeup, was bright red. Caused by both anger, and more so, embarrassment. “I will be leaving and I w-”

“A private matter announced by you being carried into the manor, your dress half burnt off? I was there, I saw it, and I know how to dress wounds.”

Lillian glared at Lucie, “You..I will NOT….this is!” She gripped her dress tightly with shaking fists.

“This is… what?” She asked, putting one hand on her hip while the other still held the tin. Sighing, she continued. “You lose nothing by accepting an offer of help, Lillian. If it is out of embarrassment, then consider that I am standing before you lighter clad than some courtesans. But if you still adamantly refuse, I will let you be. However, maybe next time don’t request medicinal items be brought to someone else’s room while they’re there, if you don’t want their aid.” She closed the lid on the tin and looked meaningfully toward the bed.

There was a very long period of hesitation before Lillian moved to the bed and sat on the edge of it, making a very clear effort to look neither Lucie nor Anna in the eye.

She could practically feel the smile that crept over Lucie’s lips, though she looked away. Lucie stepped over and knelt in front of her, unscrewing the tin while Anna deftly rolled up the edges of Lillian’s dress, revealing the old bandages from shin to upper thigh. Anna strangled a gasp before it could mature fully, while Lucie muttered something inaudible under her breath.

At an unspoken command, Anna also procured a thick piece of leather and offered it to Lily. “For the pain,” she said. Lillian accepted it and bit into it just as Lucie started peeling off the first bandage causing her to groan in pain, the sound muffled by the leather.

“You know,” Lucie said after re-applying the salve and bandage to the first leg, “you are far stronger than I thought. Surprisingly lean muscles in your legs,” she elaborated, looking up with a smirk. Anna peeled off the last of the old bandage from the second leg and Lucie started applying the salve. “You don’t have to be ashamed of your scars. Everyone has them. Wear them like a badge of pride, I was once told. I don’t have many, but the ones I do…” she shrugged, and continued her work.

Lillian mumbled something about “Lots of walking,” through the leather strap, but otherwise remained quiet beyond the odd groan or whimper. Beyond the simple, though extreme, embarrassment to having two women focus so intently under her dress; she was also embarrassed that the results of her biggest blunder were on such a display. The pain she could bare, the shame was another story, regardless of Lucie’s words.

Several minutes of careful work later, Anna rolled down the dress to cover the bandages again, and she and Lucie stood up. “There we go. How are you feeling?” Lucie asked, leaving Anna to discard of the used bandages.

Lillian took the leather strap from her mouth and placed it to one side. She straightened her dress, but remained laying down. “I am… feeling better. The salve is rather good at soothing pain, at least on burns. Hopefully its ability to speed healing is as effective; hard to tell with experimental medicine how it will work out.”

“One can hope,” Lucie mused, accepting a cup of water from Anna, who also held one out for Lillian. “Did you,” she continued a few sips of water later, “perchance take inspiration from my dress earlier in the day?”

“The dress was not my idea. I was rather content with the purple one I had on earlier.” Lillian accepted the cup and leaned up enough to take a few sips. “My mother insisted I needed something more befitting Adam if I were to accompany him. Turns out she had this one saved for my birthday but felt it was worth giving it to me now. I can’t imagine why she’d buy me something so nice.”

“Motherly love, one presumes.” Lucie smirked then, carefully looking Lillian up and down. “Do you dislike nice things?”

Lillian carefully sat up in bed, and took a large drink from her cup. “I find most nice things frivolous, however, I... simply think they are a waste on me. I don’t appreciate them, and often find them a hindrance to my work. I also—” lillian cut herself off abruptly. She remained quite a moment, taking a small sip from her cup before she continued.

“I used to exclusively wear white. I liked how it looked on me quite a bit and it allowed me to easily collect stain samples. Anytime I got a stain I took out my pen and wrote on my dress where it came from. There was a strange beauty to it, having something I found lovely also serve an important purpose. My mother stomped that practice out not long after I started doing it.” Lillian finished her cup and placed it on an end-table. “Funnily enough, her objection wasn’t that I was ruining nice clothing, or even that I was walking around in stained clothes… it was that white is for poor people—her words, not mine. White clothing is cheap because no dyes are involved. I liked how I looked in white, and she knew that, but she took it away from me regardless so some stuffy buffoons, whose only contribution to society is the fact they don’t contribute to it, wouldn’t think our family low class because I wore cheap clothing.”

Lillian stood and once again straightened her dress, which at that point was in no need to any more straightening. “It’s not motherly love, its protection from rumors of poverty. I know why she would buy me a nice dress, I don’t know why she’d do it for a birthday gift. She knows I won’t like it and will probably ruin it, but she did it anyway.” Lillian shook her head. “Thank you for your time, and your help. Both of you.” She bowed her head to both Lucie, and then to Anna. “I will see you in the morning.” With that she made for the door.

Lucie let out a derisive snort, her expression set in disbelief. “White is a sign of poverty? Please.” she waved her hand in front of her face, as if to dispel some foul odor. “Forgive me, but I question your mother’s intelligence. White has been in fashion for the last century. Go ask the aristocracy of France, and you will see the staggering volume of white they employ in their clothing and fashion.” She smiled and sat down on the bed, Anna suddenly hurrying to procure night clothes from the wardrobe. “If you ever wish to delve into fashion properly, with someone who can be trusted on the matter, do not hesitate to ask.” She nodded. “Good night, Miss McClellen.”

“What matters is that it is expensive, and everyone knows it,” Lilian replied, not turning around. “If she buys what's popular, it’s more to do with the price than fashion sense.” She shrugged “Wealth changes people.” With that she exited the room and ventured to her personal quarters in the manor.

---

Lillian locked the door behind her, pulled the drapes across her window, got a fire going in the fireplace, and sat in a large cushioned chair in front of the fire. Concerned she would be unable to replicate her mothers work should it be undone while sleeping in bed, Lillian opted to sleep in a chair. She rested her head back into the softness of the chair and closed her eyes, letting the warmth of the fire lul her to sleep. Her mind wandered between the events planned for the next day, but more so on Adam and Lucie.

Breakfast the following morning was a small, but still quality, affair. Coffee, tea and savory stuffed pastries were laid out on the desk and Adam's study was arranged comfortably for 3 people. Adam, however, was conspicuously absent.

It was nearly 30 minutes past the agreed upon time when Adam tumbled into the room. And tumbled was a pretty accurate description as well as looking fairly rumpled. Very much unlike his usual, well put together self, he gave a brief nod at the two ladies, mumbled an apology, and disappeared into his private quarters.

Adam was grateful that Ren had taken over much of the running of the House; he hated to admit it but the volume of details involved in maintaining the investments, member lists, supply orders, member needs, and everything else was far greater than he had anticipated. But even with Ren's help there were other things that needed handling directly, things he had to handle personally, reports he needed to investigate directly. Not to mention it had been long, far too long, since he had visited his lady love. Last night had been the first time in many days he had enough free time to join her. It had vastly improved his mental state, it did him good to relax his focus even for a few hours.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, when he left her flat his thoughts returned to the reports he had been looking at earlier and the pattern he had suspected now glowed in his mind like fire. Instead of returning to the House Ianus as was his original plan he had to take a few detours to check up on pieces of the pattern. If all the threads linked up it was something they would have to address quickly, threats to the Society could not be allowed to fester.

a dragon to slay another day Adam thought to himself as he changed quickly, ordering his mind for the task ahead as he did so. He hated looking so rumpled when he walked in; he took the time to put himself to rights before joining the ladies in the outer study. They would just have to be late, sometimes physical appearances mattered.

When Adam returned he looked a heap sight better, save for a few signs of tiredness around his eyes. Pressed and dressed he strode into the room and proceeded to pour himself a cup of tea and hurriedly ate one more of the croissants.

“Terribly sorry about my disarray ladies” he said with a polite nod and a briefly raised eyebrow at Lily's appearance. “And for my tardiness. It seemed I had more to do last night than I had at first expected. There are also one or two important matters that might bear further investigating after we have handled the current issue. It seems there is no shortage of problems that our small detective group will need to handle. Those however, are dragons to slay another day. I can assume that we are ready to head out?”

“Miss Lucie, I have obtained for you a rather detailed drawing of the child in question. It occurred to me that perhaps the staff might not be overly helpful in directing you to the correct child and we don't want to make an error. I doubt it will be necessary however best to be prepared.” He handed Lucie a drawing of a child with short dark hair and a rather tired expression. “Good luck!”



Adam rose leaving his partly drunk tea on the mantle.

“Well Miss Lily it appears you are more than ready, I trust you are armed slightly as well, shall we depart?”

Adam's personal carriage was waiting at the house steps, with his personal driver, not the House staff. After all he was attending the physician's request as a personal family friend. He didn't want to come off as anything other than just that.

He assisted Lily up into the carriage as any proper gentleman would and soon they were off. Adam was silent during the ride, something that Lily was used to. He was thankful she didn't require chatter, it was a blessed relief. He would work with her every time he required a partner if he could; few people realized how important silence was. He closed his eyes and sunk into the seat to think things over ignoring the city as it passed by.



When they arrived at the hospital Adam was a bit surprised. It looked like anything but a hospital; the grounds pretty and tended, not unexpected as he assumed they would hide the place behind pretty landscaped trees and bushes. The building, however, was an ordinary manor without the institutional feeling he had expected. His eyes swept across an ordinary manor house, white walls, stately front door, nothing to indicate that it served as a private asylum. He didn't see a thing out of place, this place could stand unnoticed next to any other wealthy manor of the city and no one would be the wiser.

He placed a hand on Lily's arm, stopping her before they could get out.

“I know we are coming as invited guests, and as a favor to a friend. As my assistant you will be ignored by everyone, including me, and will be in a unique position to learn far more than they think they are telling you. However, should the situation arise, be prepared and do not hesitate to do whatever you must to keep yourself safe. As you might recall last time I visited a friend I found it to be a bit of an unpleasant experience. I've no wish to repeat such things.”

With that he descended the stairs of the carriage, a stiff proper young gentleman as expected. He assisted Lily down and then proceeded to ignore her as he had said he would.



A footman greeted them at the door and led them through an expansive entryway to a tastefully decorated parlor. Adam followed the man's quick steps never looking back to see if Lily was keeping up. His quick eyes caught glimpses of a much more institutionalized series of buildings out the rear windows. They reminded him of a school dormitory; rows of windows in a colorless building. That was obviously the real hospital; this was just a front. He wondered if they good doctor they were waiting on to meet would be the same way; a pretty front hiding a drab and institutionalized interior. Adam took up a spot at the window, staring out into the back yard. He looked deep in thought and he was a bit but mostly he was scanning the yard to get a feel for the layout and where a wandering child might actually go...people, like water, usually took the path of least resistance.

“Ahh Mr. Ware” said a warm voice and Adam turned and smiled at the older gentleman who entered. The man looked exactly like any other wealthy doctor of the city except he had a rather more pleasant demeanor. “I'm so glad you could visit. I feel at a loss.”

“Of course” said Adam nodding at the doctor “I would be delighted to be of some small service to you, my parents spoke highly of you.” It was a lie, his parents had barely mentioned the man in anything other than an average acquaintance but Adam was determined to be, at least outwardly, helpful.

“I hope you don't mind, my assistant has accompanied me this day” he waved his hand vaguely in Lily's general direction “to take notes and whatever else.”

The doctor glanced briefly at Lily, looked her over with a slight frown, then dismissed her from his mind almost instantly leaving Lily to be unnoticed once again.

“Of course of course” he said and gestured for Adam to sit.

Adam did so and looked politely at the doctor waiting in silence. People tended to dislike silence so if you waited long enough you could sometimes find out interesting things. He didn't look at where Lily settled herself but he felt her presence not far off. The doctor wasn't even looking at her. He was pacing in a tiny circle looking agitated and puzzled.

Finally he spoke.

“The child I spoke of, you realize her parents can't know of any of what I'm about to tell you correct?”

Adam nodded benignly and concealed his distaste. He wasn't sure if it was the doctor or the parents who deserved it but it was clear already the child was nothing more than an income stream to the doctor.

“Every night she disappears. We have no idea where she goes, how she gets out, or how she gets back. I've assigned orderlies to watch her all night...it doesn't help. She always vanishes and no one knows how. They don't fall asleep, and it's not like she just...poofs...or anything. She's just there asleep one moment, gone the next, stays gone all night, morning comes and there she is but now awake.”

Adam frowned. That was a bit stranger than he had anticipated. He had assumed the child was using a Talent of some kind to sneak off but this almost sounded like she was vanishing into thin air. Not impossible but not very probable. The doctor kept on talking not noticing Adam's frown.

“I've tried having our groundskeepers keep watch. I've tried tying her up. I've tried drugging her. I've tried locking her room. Putting her in a closet with only a single entry way. I even bought a scent hound to track her once she vanished; it was unable to pick up her trail. Nothing seems to change no matter what I do. I haven't mentioned anything to her parents because she always turns up again. And that's the other problem. She never talks when she gets back. Just sits and stares at nothing. It's like her body is back but not her mind.”

That Adam thought might be closer to the truth than the good doctor realized

“Eventually she seems to return to normal, or as normal as she ever gets, but along with it comes long detailed fanciful stories. I remember how good your father was at unraveling puzzles and solving what he termed 'armchair mysteries' and I had hoped you might be the same way. I just want to be sure she won't..uh...vanish...permanently and figure out some way to keep her here.”

Adam nodded hesitantly. His father had a talent similar to his, but his mind ran on along the ideas of circuits, currents, architecture, physics, drafting, and engineering. He could basically build anything or invent something to solve any problem.

“I need to ask you some questions if you don't mind?” said Adam quietly. He didn't exactly agree with the doctor's plans but for now he needed the man's help. He suspected if the doctor had his way a lobotomy would be in store for the child and Adam wouldn't wish that on anyone.

“Why was the child brought here in the first place?”

“Her parent's thought she was too...imaginative. She created massive fantasy worlds with her dolls and claimed she lived in them. She refused to 'live in the real world' as her parents put it. When she was here she had no such dolls and up until the last few months conducted herself in an appropriate manner.”

Adam gritted his teeth; how idiotic that one could be considered crazy just because you could imagine. His opinion of the doctor was not improving.

“Do you know the names of any of her imaginary friends? Or where she says she goes?” That information had been absent from the file and Adam wanted to find out if any of the names matched anyone or any place attached to the family in the past. Adam was working on the theory that the girl had a variation of a past-sight Talent; such a Talent would manifest first and most clearly with things connected directly to the person.

The doctor looked surprised but nodded. “She only has one that she talks about at all. His name is Edward . According to her he lives in a house about an hours walk from the east edge of the city.”

Adam kept his surprise concealed. Firstly there was no Edward in the family's history and secondly while the family was one of Prague's old families they were never purported to have property outside of the city. Of even more note was that young girls tended to covet their dolls as extensions of themselves; very rarely did they have male dolls. These facts put flight to all the simple possibilities he had been working on.

“I assume you investigated wherever she said her “imaginary” friend lived? What did you find there?”

The doctor looked surprised.

“Why would I bother? We have enough to do here at the sanitarium and I'm positive no such person exists. Besides how would she even get an hours walk from the city? She's only a little girl. Even when she disappears it's doubtful she could get that far and back in a single night.”

It was only years of keeping his emotions under strict control that allowed Adam to conceal his annoyance. Clearly the doctor was lazy as well as an idiot.

“No of course there's obviously not anyone out there” he said with only the faintest touch of sarcasm. “But it would still be a good idea to check. I suppose you had better take me to the child so I can find out directly from here the directions to her “imaginary” friend. I've no doubt I can get to the bottom of this and allow you to provide a satisfactory report to the child's parents. That is what you need correct?”

“Well, I” the doctor looked hesitant. Adam's words were mild but it was clear that he had spotted the doctor's real agenda. Keeping the girl's parents happy and keeping the money flowing.

“I'd be glad to take you to the child, however your assistant must remain here. Privacy issues you see.”

“Of course” said Adam mildly as if everything that was just said wasn't already an invasion of privacy. “Though I do prefer to have my assistant available to take notes as needed I understand the need for patient confidentiality.”

He wasn't keen on getting separated, not after his last encounter with a “friend” but he was pretty certain this man cared about nothing except money. That was a pretty simple motivation and could be manipulated as needed. He didn't so much as glance at Lily as he followed the doctor to the back door but he hoped she would find a way to follow.



They crossed the grounds between what Adam had thought of as the “facade” building to the dormitory style quarters at the back and the doctor led them to one of the nicer buildings, these all had open air portions to allow the patients to get sun and fresh air while still being contained.

The doctor led him down an interior hall and stopped at a room, knocking briefly before unlocking the door and entering. The girl's room was empty and from the good doctors expression it wasn't supposed to be.

Lillian sat quietly next to Lucie and indulged in the delicious meal, taking dainty bites and small sips so as to not upset the little makeup her mother had managed to smear on her. She had assumed the odd and careful manner of consuming meals and drinks was to appear sophisticated (regardless of if the individual were actually sophisticated) though it would appear there were a more utilitarian reasoning. Lillian mentally scoffed at that thought and waved it away, accepting that it was simply a coincidence the rich did something mildly intelligent. Regardless, the new form of eating she had been forced to adopt was just another reason to be annoyed with the concept of makeup.

Lily picked up the one and only watch that she was wearing from its' place dangling from the chain around her neck -opting to wear only one, as that seemed more "normal"- and confirmed that Adam was indeed late. In light of recent events she found herself beginning to worry, however it was a short lived state of being as Adam crashed into his office and quickly made his way to his private quarters. She was surprised to see the man so disheveled and tired and turned to Lucie to ask her thoughts, but stopped as she saw the smirk on the other woman's face. While Lillian would normally presume more mundane reasoning for Adam's appearance and tardiness, it would seem her companions intuition was leading her elsewhere. When it comes to the matters of late night liaisons, Lily trusted Lucies' intuition. For the most part Lily felt happy that her friend had an evening of, hopefully, pleasurable and passionate company, however she also found her heart rate pick up in an unexpected manner that confused her. It was either jealousy or too much caffeine, and she was not experienced enough with the former emotion to tell the difference. Under the circumstances she switched to drinking hot water with a touch of honey, just in case.

When Adam returned he looked more in line with what Lily had come to expect, though noticeably tired. This brought a bit of a smile to her lips as she mused at how his sunken and dark eyes mirrored her own most days, however on that day her own tiredness was concealed beyond her makeup; an amusing reversal of roles to say the least.

“Terribly sorry about my disarray ladies” he said with a polite nod, pausing for a moment to give Lily a curious look. It was clear he had noticed she was dressed for the part. It was unclear of if he approved of the new look or not, but the fact he noticed was significant to Lillian as it meant her minor metamorphosis was working. She hoped he appreciated the effort she had went through to look the part, let alone the indignity of being assaulted by her mother and three servants who seemed far too excited to man-handle their mistresses daughter.

Adam quickly went over the events of the day as they all finished their meal. Lillian made a point to grab a few scones which she placed deep within one of the pockets of her dress, which she had spent the early hours of the morning adding to her outfit once she realized her chatelaine bag was not sufficient to hold all the tools she felt she would need. The pockets themselves were rushed but robust, and had many small sub pockets with enough padding to hide unwanted sounds while not ruining the shape of the dress. She had managed to fit two of her single shot pistols, a few tools, odds and ends, as well as half-a-dozen scones deep within the dress without adversely effecting the shape.

“Well Miss Lily it appears you are more than ready, I trust you are armed slightly as well, shall we depart?” Adam inquired. Lillian took one last moment to commit the picture of the young girl to memory and nodded. The pair left together and headed towards the asylum. The cart ride was quiet, of which Lillian was thankful. Far too many people feel an uncontrollable social pressure to fill voids of silence with useless prattle and conjecture. Adam felt no such pressure and was one of the many reasons she felt so comfortable around him.

*******************************************

Once inside the asylum it became very clear Adam had not exaggerated regarding the extent to which Lily's presence would be ignored. Had it not come at the cost of being ignored by Adam as well she would have found the experience more enjoyable. Being ignored would be a talent of which she would get much use, as that is one of the main reasons her actual talent received so much use. It is hard to not ignore someone who, as far as you can tell, is not even there.

Well decorated and furnished, it was rather clear, even before the view from the window of the less ornate buildings on the ground confirmed it, that the house they had entered was not the main facility and simply a facade. Having spent some time in an asylum during her formative years Lillian couldn't fault the obfuscation. After all, if the people who brought their loved ones to such a building realized that there was little help to be found and it was just a place to lock away and hide the rough edges of society, they might think twice about giving money to the so called doctors.

Though Lillian doubted the parents of the little girl would care either way.

After being lead to a parlor Lillian took a seat on the least ornate chair in the room located closest to Adam. She slipped a journal and a pen out of her bag and began to take notes. As she did she looked around the room, at the doctor, and periodically at Adam. As the doctor spoke more and more Lily found it more difficult to keep up the facade of taking notes as she became upset by some of the things the Doctor had to say. She could tell Adam was bothered as well, though it was clear the Doctor failed to notice the subtle shift in couloration of Ware's knuckles as he squeezed his fist ever so slightly tighter. Social ques were a mystery to her, but Lily could spot a change in persons physical state from across a room. It was quite clear, and to Lily came as no surprise, that the doctor did not actually care about the well being of the girl and simply wished to line his pockets.

When it came time to actually visit with little girl it was shown the doctor had some level of sense to limit how many people saw the state of the facility he ran. He seemed to be under the belief that he could trust Adam, but was less certain about Lillian. That is the most intelligent thought he has probably had in months, if not ever. Lily thought to herself.

Adam spared no glance towards Lillian as he got up to leave, clearly trusting her to find her own way. Once the door was closed the red haired woman sprung into action, quickly grabbing a large chair and angling it more towards a window. She sat in the chair and tried to position herself appropriately before activating her talent. She spared only a moment to look at her physical body, noting that she sufficiently looked as though she had simply fallen asleep in her chair waiting for her master to return. She did not like the idea of leaving her body alone in the parlor as it was unclear how much use it received, but there was little time to contemplate it. Rushing for the door she opened it just enough for her less than physical body to slip through and closed the door behind her. She searched for the direction Adam and the doctor went, noticing that a servant or worker of some kind had seen the door open and close on its' own. Lillian paused for a moment, the man stared right at -or more accurately, thorough- her. There was a brief moment that dragged on for hours as she starred at the man and wondered what he would do, if she had ruined their chances of rescuing the girl before that had even really begun. Thankfully, the man shook his head, turned, and walked away; clearly doubting what he just saw and deciding resuming his duties was better than chasing after the mundanely impossible.

With everything in the clear, Lillian located Adam and chased after him to catch up, her ethereal feet carrying her quickly as she had no mass to slow her. From that point she stuck as close to the pair as she could, making sure she could pass through doors before they were closed. A few times she was forced to divert and catch back up less she risk bumping into a worker or a patient. While she appreciated having the ability to manipulate the world around her while being invisible, Lillian often wondered if having regular astral projection would have been preferable to her actual talent. Both talents had pros and cons, and while on the whole she was happy with what she had there was still the odd time she found herself wishing she could simply fly like a ghost through walls or people.

She was surprised to find that some parts of the grounds had buildings that were, comparability, rather nice. Open, bright, and lacked the soul crushing feelings of entrapment most asylums bore. Lillian briefly wondered if she had misjudged the doctor and his facility, but then remembered that they were visiting a patient whose parent's were rich. It was clear the nicer of the buildings were reserved for those of wealthy families.

When the duo -trio- made it to the child's room they were all surprised to find it empty. Whether via her talent, or some other means, the little girl had disappeared once more. Lillian hoped that it was the latter, hoped that Lucie had beaten them there and had already gotten the girl out. The alternative was that the girl's talent had activated and she would not be back potentially for hours.

When the duo -trio- made it to the child's room they were all surprised to find it empty. Whether via her talent, or some other means, the little girl had disappeared once more. Lillian hoped that it was the latter, hoped that Lucie had beaten them there and had already gotten the girl out. The alternative was that the girl's talent had activated and she would not be back potentially for hours.

While the moronic Doctor began raving at Adam, practically begging for a miracle, Lillian peered into the room. She did her best to stretch her neck so she could get a good look, but she could only alter her form so much despite the fact it was basically non-existent. She had long hypostasized a brains mental map of its' physical form was such a powerful image that even when she would use her talent to become a cloud of thought it insisted on keeping that cloud in a shape that matched that map as close as possible. Most inconvenient at times.

Wanting a closer look, but blocked by the two men, Lillian carefully grabbed a few strands of hair on the doctors head and pulled sharply. All the strands were successfully removed and the doctor screamed out in pain, jumping into the air a bit and backing away from the door. He looked around in a panic "I think a spider just bit me!" he screamed like a child. He began to rant at Adam about how the day was getting worse as it progressed, but Lillian only cared that the path had been cleared and stepped into the room. The room was more spacious then anything she was used to, but still drab and depressing. The walls were white, the bed was white, the frame of the bed was the only colour in the room as it was made of brass, but it was still rather plain. There was a white bedside table, something Lily was sure the staff felt was a luxury, which had two drawers. Lillian planned to ignore the drawers as she didn't want to draw attention to the room, but noticed something odd that quickly changed her mind. The area around the drawers had a strange feeling of static around it, as she moved closer it was as if she were standing in the lab of Nikola Tesla, whose machines spat electricity into the air. While that on its' own was peculiar, what stood out more was the fact that Lillian could feel it at all. While her talent was active the only sensation she could experience was that of physical pressure, and she did not feel it in the traditional sense but felt it in a manor akin to trying to push magnets of the same polarity into one another. You did not feel physical resistance so much as the strong opposing force resulting from the interaction.

Lillian decided exploring this was worth someone spotting the drawers opening on their own and pulled open the top then bottom drawer. There was nothing of note in either, just some papers covered in child's drawings in the top drawer, and a few pairs of undergarments, gowns, and socks in the bottom. A quick sift through the clothing revealed nothing hidden within the folds. Lillian glanced back towards the door , which consisted of her inverting the focus point of her non-existent eyes, and noticed that Adam was standing in the door way with his back to the room. Whether he had noticed the drawers opening on their own or his talent was leading him to hel her was unclear, regardless it meant she was free to be a bit more thorough.

Lillian did not need to think for long to determine what to do next. When children were in new and scary place they hid things, and in such a sparse room there was only one place to hide anything. Lilly pulled hard on the bottom drawer and pulled it completely out of the table, setting it aside carefully and quietly. Unsurprisingly the space behind the drawer was filled with nick-knacks and treasures. Most seemed like items the young girl had swiped from around the facility, but two stuck out to Lily immediately as they were exuding a strange purple aura that looked like fire. She grabbed both items, a stuffed rabbit wearing a suit and bow tie, and a glass ornament for a Christmas tree with a dancing ballerina trapped within, and immediately dropped both; at the mere contact with the items a flood of terrible emotions washed over her mind as if someone had collected memories in liquid form and doused her with them. Fear, anxiety, confusion, paranoia, vulnerability, sadness, depression, loneliness. Each feeling came with a flash of a memory as though she were reliving moments of her past; A woman crying over the forms of her dead children which she had drowned herself; a man afraid of his brother who raved and screamed terrible things at him as the doctors of the facility pulled him away in a straight jacked; a child curled up in the corner, eyes squeezed shut tight, afraid of things that no one else could see but them. She had only touched the items for the briefest of moments, but she received the memories of hundreds of people in that time. Luckily they were brief, and but flashes, as Lily was unsure if she could have dealt with more than that.

Lillian precured two of the drawings from the upper drawer and used the paper to retrieve both items. She carefully placed the drawer back in its' place, and had a better look at the toy and the ornament. Once in the light, she realized the flames didn't have a colour at all but were simply an aura that warped the colours around it, like heat waves coming off the rooves of Prague on a particularly hot summer day. It was also much clearer that the strange static field was coming from the two objects. Lily could feel the tiny pin pricks of static all over her non-body, with exceptions to her hands which felt as if they were going numb from the shocks despite the paper barrier -numbness was another feeling she was unused to feeling while her talent was active-.

Both items were charged with intense negative emotions, a concept Lillian was familiar with, though she had never before seen it so such a degree. It were as if the toy and the ornament were reservoirs that the little girl had been filling with the negative psychic emanations of everyone in the asylum.

Doubting there was much more she could do with the Doctor so close, Lillian slipped the ornament into one of Adam's pockets. He felt the sudden shift of weight in his pocket and placed a hand against it, feeling the new addition to his person. While his hand was partially out of view of the doctor Lily pushed the rabbit into it and hoped Adam could think of something on the spot that would allow him to hide the toy. With the girl missing, the rabbit and the ornament might be a way with which to locate her.

Thoughts, good and bad, raced through Lucie's mind that morning. Some that she were used to, and many more that she was not. The rhythmical thudding of her heart was of no help in calming her mind, and instead just reminded her that things were different this time. Different because, when she had been riding the calm before the spawn in the past, idling away the final hours before a job, the only things she had had to contend with were tangible. Things like information, weapons, clothes, various tools of the trade. She would know which doors to open, which ones to lock, which keys went where and which route the guards took on their patrols.

That day’s job was an entirely new beast. It was not just her own heart and mind that she had to calm, but also a small girl’s, if everything went to plan.

It was these thoughts that had Lucie uncharacteristically demure, nibbling away at her pastry while waiting for Adam to arrive. She brushed a few crumbs off of her skirt, not wanting her newly-acquired nurse uniform to be smudged. Anna had made quite the effort in making it clean and presentable, and it would be insulting to dirty it already.

The companionable silence she had with Lillian was broken, and any further musings pushed to the back of her mind, when Adam unceremoniously almost crashed into the room, throwing open the door in a disarray.

’There is a look I recognise,’ she thought, a slow smirk tugging at her lips. No noble woman or man would ever admit to affairs. Marriage was a holy thing, and intercourse outside of it was unheard of, of course! And any rumours that Mr. Matthews was having an affair with the cleaning lady? Absolutely, positively false. Baseless rumours at best.

But no amount of powder or adjusting of ties, could hide the bedazzled look of someone who had had a bit of amoral fun, and with Lucie’s previous line of work, she had seen that face often enough.

A minute came and went, and Adam returned, now looking much more collected and refined. Lucie had managed to still her thoughts in the meantime, using the thoughts she had of Adam’s escapades as a distraction.

“A dragon to slay another time indeed,” Lucie replied at Adam’s mention of other problems to solve. She was mildly curious, but pushed it aside. The girl was still their main priority at this point in time.

She accepted the drawing with a quick ‘thank you’, and looked it over, committing the image to her memory. The empty look in the girl’s eyes had Lucie frowning, wondering what exactly had made someone so young seemingly lose that spark than most people had. That every young child should have.

“I will see what I can figure out,” she said and handed back the drawing. “If I can, I’ll get her out. I will find some way to rendezvous with you. I will go by, and answer to, the name of Diana while I am there.” She rose and brushed the last of the crumbs off of her apron, grabbing the nurse cap hanging off the back of her chair. “Best of luck.”

---

The smell of the dirty laundry faded with every step Lucie took away from the laundry room. She had had some ideas of what she would encounter in this place, but even her previous scouting had not prepared her for the results of borderline torture.

It made her wrinkle her nose in more than just disgust at the smell she was currently trying to escape. Every second she spent in the asylum lessened her opinion of the institution, and this ’medical’ field as a whole. Schooling her expression, Lucie continued down the hall, offering a quick greeting to a passing nurse, this one carrying a similarly soiled set of sheets.

She had already learned where the girl’s room was, but lacked a key. She might be able to force it up, or even pick the lock, but she didn’t dare be so brazen about it. If someone saw her in such a situation, she would at best incriminate Diana, and at worst put herself, the girl, and Diana in serious trouble.

She sighed, resigning herself to some petty theft. Her fingers brushed against the wall, and as the rough texture of the stone registered to her, she sent a pulse through it, and asked: ‘Head Doctor’s Office’. Images flashed before her eyes, showing her hallways, turns, exiting a building, then into another, before her Talent settled on the image of an unremarkable door beside two potted ferns.

She made it all the way outside before a frantic, middle-aged woman came rushing towards from an adjoining path. She stopped just short of Lucie, grabbing her by the arms.

“Oh Diana, I found you, good!” She said, pausing only shortly to gulp down more air before she passed out from the effort of running to her. “Olivia’s gone, in broad daylight! We must find her before the Doctor finds out, or it’ll be on our hides!”

Unfamiliar though the name was, it was a safe assumption who this woman was talking about. Nevertheless, she took the woman’s hands and asked the questions.

’Girl. Young. Olivia. Disappears at night. Wealthy parents.’

An image of a bored looking girl, staring listlessly at a bare wall, flashed through Lucie’s mind, and she was certain. Olivia was the girl she was looking for.

She released the woman’s hands and offered her a reassuring smile.“It will be alright, Laura. I’ll go and look,” Lucie said in her best imitation of Diana’s voice. She realised widespread panic might not be in her best interests, so she added, “but keep it quieter. Tells others you can trust, but no more.” She straightened up and with a final nod to Laura, she was gone, walking quickly to the building housing Olivia’s cell.

With her disappearing, and with no knowledge of where to find her, that would be the place to begin. ’And,’ she thought, removing her gloves, ’I have plenty of questions.’

---

The door closed behind her with a muted clang, softened by one of her own gloves and with the dual purpose of serving as a clue for Adam and Lillian. With any luck, their individual talents would allow them to deduce why it was left there. With that, she hurried towards the edge of the grounds, keeping to the shadows.

She had made her way to Olivia’s room with but a minute to spare, her own Talent telling her that Adam and Lillian were already on their way with the Doctor of the establishment leading them. She had asked as many questions as she dared, before scurrying away and out of sight.

Olivia was definitely gone, and it appeared that she had vanished through neither door nor kidnapping. It appeared that she had simply gone, vanished in thin air. As for the time frame, she only knew that it had happened within the last half hour, which was outside of the usual. Hadn’t they been told she only tended to vanish during the night? Poor informants were always a risk in her previous line of work, and it aggravated her no less now, than it did two years ago. It was even worse when she dealt with something as treacherous as a disappearing person.

Any and all plans she had to get Olivia out under the noses of everyone, and bring her to a safer place, where her talents would not be treated like some sort of sickness, had gone down the drain the moment she had made her vanishing act. But she would not let that stop her. She would make sure that she wouldn’t be tortured or used for monetary gain by people who never truly cared about her again. She would bring her to a place where she wouldn't be abandoned. A place with her. With Lucie.

As olds thoughts and grievances threatened to resurface, Lucie re-centered herself and steadied her breathing. She had not the time for pity or what-if’s. The girl was gone, seemingly vanished in broad daylight, when such a thing was outside of the established pattern.

She had at least gained one clue. A brief glimpse of a manor. It didn’t feel connected to the girl, as if she visited there on a regular basis; not like a friend’s home or a frequented store. It had something to do with her location, but what she couldn’t be certain. For perhaps the first time, she cursed the vagueness of her own Talent. At times it could give her incredible amounts of information with no effort, but every once in a while it was frustratingly cheap with the information it gave, and the specific circumstances surrounding it.

She was too far away from the manor to reach its precise location, but she had a direction at least. She glanced at the sun overhead and changed direction slightly.

She had no clues but the manor, and no way of delivering a message to Adam and Lillian without arousing suspicion. She had to trust her glove pointed them in her direction, and that her talent pointed her in the right direction.

The parlor where Lily left her body remained deserted. It was rarely, if ever, used. Like so much of the place it was a front; a fake designed to put people at ease to believe the institution was well funded and well maintained.

Adam noticed a lot of fake involved in this place. He had seen sanitariums before but never one that was so catered to the wealthy. The patients were clearly unimportant; only the money they came from. He wondered why his parents were ever friends, or even acquaintances, with the doctor that ran it. Everything here felt so shiny and polished; and so very false. He concealed a frown as he began to see threads of a pattern building. He couldn't deal with it right now and quickly slammed the door in his mind shut. He would revisit it later.

Right now he needed to redirect the doctor's attention, his intuition told him that Lily was the “spider” who bit the doctor and spotting the movement near the bed confirmed it. Fortunately the doctor was a bit easy to manipulate and he was quickly able to redirect his attention outward.

“Perhaps the child is still on the grounds, simply hiding or playing somewhere?” he asked turning to look out on the grounds. The doctor instinctively turned to look too and Adam shifted his weight to stand a little more blocking the doorway. He wasn't a big man, but at least he could offer a little cover. And he continued to converse with the doctor he learned that the staff had checked every conceivable hiding place, at one time or another, when the girl had disappeared in the past. Adam thought it highly unlikely the girl remained on the grounds; and judging by the nature of the hospital and the staff it didn't seem likely that any of them were helping her escape. It actually puzzled him why the girl kept coming back...was life here really better than what life she could manage as a street urchin. As far as he could tell the only thing this place had to offer was food and shelter. A clever child could find that on the street if they wanted; and this girl had to be clever if she kept vanishing and reappearing.

“Come” he said to the doctor “she's probably not on the grounds but lets look anyway” and he gently tugged the doctor away leaving the room unattended. As he did he casually pocketed a stuffed rabbit that had appeared in his hands while at the same time gently leading the Doctor away from the bit of white that had caught his attention...Lucie's glove lay on the ground half hidden in the shadows, kicked there mostly likely by the Doctor himself as they walked up to the room, Adam certainly hadn't seen it before. He also didn't dare stop to pick it up...Lucie would have to loose it. She had obviously come, and gone.

His own psychic sense tingled a a bit, like having an itch in his eyes, and he blinked rapidly in response. He didn't see anything odd but it was a bit like walking through some of the archives of psychic artifacts. He was ashamed to admit to himself it took him a minute to realize the sensation was coming from the two small keepsakes that Lily had smuggled to him.

He mulled that over as he and the doctor searched the grounds. He was mentally trying to riddle the problem out, not paying much attention to what was going on around him. Even so he caught glimpses of angry faces, scared faces, and forlorn faces. So much emotion could be found here if one was Sensitive to such things. He began to think the girl they were seeking might just have some sort of empathic Talent. That would explain why she kept coming back; she felt tied to all the emotion that could be found here. And it might explain why she kept leaving...if she was being pulled away by strong emotions somewhere else. Perhaps generated by the “friends” she would talk about when she returned. Excessive emotional influx could easily be the cause of her mute state when she returned as well.

Lucie had a bit of skill at finding things that one might not wish found; he hoped it extended to children. As they looked it became abundantly clear that the child was gone; and while it seemed logical that she would return it would be prudent if she didn't. He wondered how long the Dr. would gaslight the girls parents into believing she was still there and collect his fee for “caring” for her. But that was not his problem. He had no warm fuzzy feelings towards the girls parents any more than he had towards the Dr. But if the child was an empath of a sort she could very easily be considered a madwoman, and legitimately go insane with the constant barrage of everyone's emotions. He was also concerned about what kind of force could draw the girl away, the more he worked through the maze in his mind the more he was sure that she wasn't leaving of her own free will. Or rather she was being called by a call she couldn't keep fighting. Did she want to go? The idea that she considered she was meeting “friends” suggested she liked going. He absently stroked his fingers over the little christmas ornament in his pocket, feelign the little prickles of psychic energy, and another thought struck him. What if it wasn't emotions that were calling her...empaths were actually rather common. But there were other things besides emotions that they could be Sensitive to. The girl had kept these two objects as special to her...but they were certainly not emotional things. However he remembered studies in the past of powerful psychic artifacts; weapons were the most common but toys were also quite common; that were almost sentient in their power.

“Damn” he hissed to himself as he realized that Lucie might actually be in some unexpected danger going after the girl. As he “searched” the grounds with the doctor he had looked for the most likely mode of egress a small child would take. Children viewed the world from a different angle, literally, and paths adults might not think were usable, could be completely logical and clear to a child looking at them from a lower viewpoint. Adam had spotted two such paths and had no way of knowing which one the girl was likely to take. Or which one Lucie was likely to take. He would be better off trying to head them off, or beat them to the goal. For that though he'd have to reunite with Lily and ditch the doctor.

“Tell me” he said, hoping the doctor hadn't noticed his earlier swear, or had at least put it down to not being able to find the child. “Are there any close neighbors, or even empty buildings, to which a child might run to hide? After all it seems obvious that she isn't here on the grounds...therefore the only thing to do is to the nearest place that a little girl might find inviting...neighbors who she could beg sweets from? Buildings she could play in? Maybe even caves?”

“Nothing nearby” said the Doctor with a look that said he'd obviously already tried that.

“Well then something that is not nearby?” asked Adam with a mildness he did not feel. He was now cursing himself in his mind, worried about Lucie's saftey...if there was an unknown psychic force calling the girl who knew what it could do to Lucie who's Talent involved connecting with objects on a psychic level. Maybe nothing, maybe completely take her mind over...or anything in between. They simply didn't have enough study on how powerful psychic artifacts affected various Talents.

The doctor told him about the nearest neighbors; Adam dismissed those as possibilities almost as soon as he learned about them. The pattern in his mind was starting to tighten, to glow as he began to see it clearly. Edward he thought to himself. The girl's “imaginary” friend. Most likely less imaginary than the doctor believed. He recalled the man had said that the imaginary Edward lived in a manor about an hours walk from the east edge of the city. That was some distance away but he knew with his Talent that they had to get there. The girl might not be there yet but he had no question she was on her way. Lucie might not be there yet but he was pretty sure Lucie was trailing the girl. It was probably unlikely he and Lily could beat the others to “Edward” but hopefully they wouldn't be too late to help with...whatever. Too bad he didn't have more clues to where the house was.

“Excellent” he said when the doctor stopped talking. Adam raised his voice loudly as he continued “My assistant and I shall go question them in person, see if the girl is anywhere on their estate.” The doctor stared at him oddly when he raised his voice, Adam just hoped Lily heard him and would be back to her usual self when they returned to the sitting room. They would ditch the carriage and grab riding horses and head to “one hours walk from the east edge of the city.” A vague and fairly useless clue but for now it was what they had; particularly since he quickly recalled all the maps he had of the area and couldn't figure out any property that might match. Didn't mean much...maps were made for wealthy people and wealthy people rarely cared about poor people so all they really had to go on was the walking distance and the fact that they were likely looking for a poor residence or small property or even a squatter somewhere.

Lillian carefully bent down and picked up a discarded white glove once the Doctor's back was away from her. It was clearly Lucie's, and was most likely meant to signify she had already found the room then left once more. Knowing her, se was probably well on her way to finding the girl.

Lily carefully rolled the glove up to make it as small and unnoticeable as possible and followed the Doctor and Adam, clenching the glove tight. She followed the men around, and eventually they all ended up in the middle courtyard of the building. Adam seemed lost in thought, and the Doctor was still in a panic. Lillian wandered around the courtyard looking for ways one might escape the facility, doing her best to think as a child might. The blueprints she stole helped her locate several small, and out of the way areas a child might hide in. Vents, ducts, grates; anything that would be an option for a child that an adult wouldn't consider, but nothing panned out.

She thought back to her days as a child, hoping a memory might spark an idea. Having spent a great deal of time in asylums herself as a child she was no stranger to hiding in them and sneaking around. She once snuck from the 4th floor to the basement by climbing down a laundry shoot. A massively dangerous endeavor that almost broke her neck, but at the time it seemed perfectly fine.

A spark went off in Lillian's mind. As an adult, you don't see the world the same as a child. Lily had taken that thought and focused on the physicality of it. Small, or low areas, that a child would be more likely to find because of their height, and fit in because of their size. But it wasn't just a physical difference, but a mental one as well. Children were more likely to attempt things that an adult wouldn't because they would deem it too dangerous. With that thought in mind she immediately began checking the large pipes that drain rain water collected from the roof directly into the sewer system. On the third pipe she checked, she found tiny muddy finger prints, and tiny muddy toe prints. The girl had clearly used the pipe to climb all the way up to the roof, what was odd however was the pipe in question was on the far east side of the building, which was farther from her room than she needed to go to get onto the roof. There was plenty of closer pipes.

Before heading up the pipe, Lillian quickly checked under some bushes that ran along the walls under the windows. Sure enough, she found numerous indentations that could only have come from the hands, knees, and feet of a child. She had to move on her hands and knees as even for a child there was little space under the shrubbery. What was strange was there was no tell-tale signs the girl was wearing footwear or even clothes. One would expect to find indentations of the folds of fabric, or the fabrics cloth pattern in the mud. Lillian found no such patterns, however in the indentations that were most likely the girls knees, she found small scale like patters that were unmistakably skin. Either the girl made her journey in the nude, or she temporarily removed her garments for the dirtiest parts of the journey. Lillian furrowed her invisible brows at that thought as either option raised a great many concerns. She made a mental note to warn Adam he made need to sacrifice his coat once the girl was found.

Not wanting to waste any more time Lily quickly climbed the drain pipe, a reasonably easy task for someone with no weight. At the top she lost sight of the muddy prints the girl was leaving as they were obscured by the speckled asphalt shingles that covered the roof. She made a bee line towards the nearest drain pipe on the front of the building, but found the roof partially overhung making the drain nigh impossible for someone with short arms to reach. The girl had already proven she was more than willing to subject herself to dangerous conditions, so it was always a possibility she had hung off the edge of the roof and swung to the pipe, but that seemed a touch too extreme —not to mention wouldn't work in reverse— so Lillian took a moment to mentally review the blue-prints she had copied the day previous. If the goal was to get from the roof to the ground as quickly as possible, there was one obvious candidate. When the building was first being designed, coal burning furnaces where going to be used to heat the facility. After the chimneys for the furnaces had been built they decided to switch to steam heating instead, so the chimney's became a purely aesthetic feature. They most likely would have sealed the unused architecture off, but it wouldn't be difficult for a crafty young child to figure out a way past that. To Lillian's surprise, they had 'sealed' the opening with a brass door. There was a small slit on the front for some kind of key or tool to open it. Lillian easily lifted the already unlocked door and looked down into the dark depths of the shoot and found herself both impressed and horrified. Right near the top just beyond the brass door a pipe as thick as her wrist had been jammed into the opening. Tied to it was a makeshift rope fashioned from the sashes of house coats and patient gowns. If anyone heavier than a child attempted to climb down there was no way the pipe would remain in place. Lily moved to climb down, but stopped as she heard the echo of Adam speaking loudly. She couldn't catch everything, but heard the words "My assistant" and " shall go" which were enough for her to realize Adam was warning her they were preparing to return to the parlor.

Needing to know more but in a hurry, Lillian jumped into the dark tunnel. The brass door at the top remaining open gave a small amount of light, but it was still quite dark. Given that Lily had found the door closed it meant the girl had descended —and presumably ascended— the chimney in total darkness. The determination of the young girl was impressive.

Lily landed a few seconds later at the bottom with a painless and almost inaudible thud. The bottom was totally dark, so she began searching the walls for something she expected to be there. Sure enough she quickly found another door, and pushed it open with ease as it too was unlocked already. It was a door specifically for chimney sweeps to use so all the coal dust would go outside rather than in. Once there was some light at the bottom Lillian noticed that the latch that was meant to keep the door closed —a thin, insubstantial, piece of iron— was badly bent out of place. A good few kicks from both legs of a child would be more than adequate to bend it. Lillian had managed to determine how the child kept escaping and returning without anyone ever noticing, but still had no clue where or why the girl was leaving, or why she kept returning. The best she could figure, the girl was headed somewhere east as it was the only thing that explained why the girl would go out of her way while trying to escape.

Knowing she didn't have much longer before the Doctor and Adam returned, Lillian tossed Lucie' glove into a nearby bush and allowed herself to return to her body. One moment she was outside, the next she was back in her body doing her best to work out a knot that had formed in her back while her body sat unused. Once the knot was gone Lillian, for the first time in her life, wished there was a mirror near by to check her appearance. Though something she normally would never care about, she did not want to embarrass Adam by appearing disheveled. She checked her pockets to see if there was something shinny enough to use as a mirror as there was no such item in the parlor, and to her surprise found a small compact. She slid the protective and overly decorated ornate cover off and used the small mirror to adjust her hair and outfit. Satisfied she looked decently hoity she returned the mirror to her pocket, wondering how it got there. The most obvious answer was either Lucie or her mother had snuck it on her person. Though is was impossible to tell which as they both had similar tastes. Expensive.

Lillian exited the parlor and as she was closing the door heard a gasp from behind her. She turned to find a familiar and rather corpulent nurse carrying a bundle of towels. Siobhan Walsh was head nurse — or perhaps more accurately former head nurse— of the Carlow Asylum in Ireland back when Lillian had been a patient. Though Lily had not gotten on with anyone there, she had especially disliked Siobhan as her world view on mental health was that 90% of those in the asylum were simply trying to get attention or a free bed and meals. Lily had performed more than one cruel prank on the woman before her family had her transferred to a different institute.

Even while speaking German the woman had an impossibly thick Northen Irish accent. "Ah'knew it was odd I could smell pears so strongly in the halls. Never thought I'd see you again, and looking half decent too. "The woman looked Lillian up and down, moving the towels to under an arm so she could use the other arm to place a fist on her hip to make a show of the fact she was taken aback by Lillian's look. "Wearin' a proper dress, no stains or notin'. And makeup too! After all that resistance you had to even the tiniest attempt to make you look like a proper woman I thought I'd never see ya like this. So what happened? Did your father finally take mah advice and take a cane to you till you knocked off all that nonsense?" Walsh the Whale —a nickname Lillian exclusively referred to the woman as— had in fact made the cane suggestion to every member of Lillian's family on more than one occasion. Thankfully, Lillian's family had a good load more sense than the poor excuse for a health care provider that stood before her at that moment.

Not wanting to cause a scene, Lily simply smiled, and nodded her head. She then made to leave when the other woman stopped her by grabbing her arm. "You fought me tooth and nail you did. Everyday." the woman had switched to speaking Gaelic. "You kicked, and screamed, and bit. Spat both medicine and food in mah face. And don't think I don't know it was you who kept sticking beehives in the tree by my favorite place to sit and eat. I don't know how you kept managing it but I know it was you." Lillian turned her head in an attempt to look ashamed, but really she did it so she could smile without Walsh seeing her. The beehives had in fact been Lillian's doing, a task that was rather easy when you didn't have a body that could be stung. What the other woman said next however wiped the smile, and any pleasant thought from Lily's head; it made her heart clench, and her skin go cold. "You're livin' proof that I was right to beat those nutters back at Carlow like I did. Attention seeking buggers the lot of you, and a cane is exactly what you all needed. After everything you put me through, you owe me. Send a letter to Carlow and tell them I was right so they give me mah job back and I can return to actually doing some good in this world. Its the least you can do, after what you put me through." Lillian responded to the woman by introducing the fat cow's left temple to her left elbow. The woman's head must have been made of boulders as the strike caused a shooting pain to travel through most of Lillian's body. It was however a successful hit as Walsh crumpled to the ground like a sack of potato's.

"...damnit..." Lilly sad louder than she should have. As quick as she could, though not easy with the size of the nurse, Lillian dragged her across the ground back into the parlor. She found a spot off to the side that wasn't terribly noticeable and left Walsh there. She then quickly refolded the towels that had become unfolded when they were dropped to the ground post elbow-to-head, and placed them under Walsh's head to act as a pillow. As a final touch Lillian placed the nurses hands on her stomach, the effect being it now looked like the woman had decided to take a nap in the parlor. Though the sizable welt was bound to raise a few questions Lily reasoned there was nothing she could do about it on such short notice, and once again left the parlor. As she did she spotted Adam and the Doctor returning.

She turned to face them and gave a small but properly respectful curtsy. The specific movement caused a small flare up of pain from her leg wounds, but was well received by the Doctor who gave an exacerbated nod in return.

"Are you ready to depart Ad-Mr.Ware?" Her slip-up thankfully went unnoticed. Adam nodded and mentioned he had a hunch he desired the pair of them to look into. He and the Doctor made their final goodbyes, Adam assuring the other man that they would find the missing girl and that there was no need to panic any longer. Whether it was Adam's confidence in the statement, or the reputation of the Ware family, the Doctor seemed to immediately calm and acted as though because Adam had said it, it was now a certainty.

One last round of good-byes were said, and Adam and Lily began to make off. However Lily stopped for a moment and addressed the Doctor "Oh and by the way, I thought you should know that before you and Mr.Ware arrived a rather rude nurse had entered and demanded I leave the parlor at once. She refused to give a reason, but made it quite clear I was to find somewhere else to await your return. I do hope your staff doesn't treat your patients, or their relatives, in such a manner." Lillian did not turn to see if Adam was doing anything, but could tell the Doctor was looking at him, rather than her, and he looked most worried.

"A-ah!" he stammered "That is most unacceptable! We hired some new nurses the other day, must be one of the new gals. I can assure you such treatment will never happened again." he nodded matter-of-factly, and stood up straighter. Lillian smiled and nodded in return, then departed the asylum with Adam, extremely anxious to ask what their next plan was and to share what she had learned.

Faces rushed past Lucie as she rushed through the dark alleyways and streets of Prague. She paid attention to none of them, and kept her head low so as to not be seen herself. Diana’s uniform still clung to her, and her hair was still done up like one would expect a nurse to be, but even with a functioning disguise chances were not to be taken. If but one person saw her and recognised who she truly was, a great many things would go wrong.

It was for this reason that she took the slower routes; avoiding the main thoroughfares and faster roads, in favour of the places where she would remain unseen by most. Under normal circumstances the small ways would have been the faster route, but she knew that those were watched by people she did not care to meet again. And so she was forced to take the truly abandoned ways to avoid the hubs and gathering points of the less scrupulous members of society.

An urchin followed her with his eyes as she walked past the boxes he sat on, eyeing her curiously. She stopped by him, and keeping her eyes trained forward so he only got a vague profile of her, asked, “where are they looking?”

The urchin sniffed, and opened his mouth to utter something obviously self-important, but the flash of the sun hitting a silver coin silenced him. “Noon, wheat, and Sun-Up,” he said and grabbed the coin from her hand.

A muttered thanks, and Lucie was off again. ‘Noon’ and ‘Sun-Up’ meant two things respectively. Noon always referred to the Prague Orloj, or the astronomical clock tower, Sun-Up was east, and Wheat meant a bakery. Together, it told her where the next checkpoint was. In this case, it was east of the Orloj, by a bakery. There was only one such place, so she knew to avoid it. She kept her head down and continued on her way.

It wasn’t long before she found herself past the checkpoint, and with relatively free reign to continue. She paused in the shadows underneath an old, gothic bell tower, intent on getting her bearings. It was a relatively simple matter to gain access and climb up to get a vantage point. A few words here, a coin to beggar there, and she had a distracted steward whom she slipped past, and then up the stairs and all the way to the attic, and even amidst the rafters.

She didn’t dare risk climbing out onto the roof, fearing unnecessary questions, but fortunately the view was enough. She found a relatively secure nook to sit in, and closed her eyes to concentrate. While it might not be necessary to be at a vantage point, it helped her to concentrate and center herself for what she was about to do.

While she most often used physical contact, such was not actually necessary for her talent to function. She could look at any object, connect to it in a fashion, and glean information from if she so desired, guided by her own intent and inquiries. The human mind wasn’t entirely isolated within the skull of a person, nor were humans and animals the only things which had minds. Every rock, every tree, and whatever else inbetween, had a mind—a presence—in the world, and as such carried with it wisps of anything and everything it had come into contact with.

Lucie’s talent was in finding these wisps, and plucking out individual threads of information, in the grand web that was the world. Any intelligent mind was guarded against unwanted intrusion, whether deliberate or not, and so there she required physical contact. But a stone? A piece of wood? They had no such protections.

But what was a stone but a collection of pebbles yet broken apart? A stick other than a shattered piece of a tree? She could see the wisps connected to and from a puzzle, despite it being made up of several different pieces, for it was a whole despite being multiple pieces.

By that logic, what difference was a city?

Air filled her lungs, and she held her breath as she let her mind open, and with a deep exhalation, reached out for the threads that would connect her to Olivia.

Babaroga’s teeth tore at her mind. A startled scream escaped her lips and the air was knocked from her lungs before she even registered a falling sensation.

---

Lucie awoke with a start, panting and with the distinct feeling of cold sweat, with a single spot of warmth on her forehead. Before she managed to regain complex thought, instinct kicked in and she performed a quick inspection of herself.

Sore, several bumps and bruises she knew would make themselves known to her in the morrow, and a small cut just below her hairline, which also caused the warmth: Her own blood.

Blinking the figurative stars away she gave her surroundings a quick look. She had fallen from the rafters, hitting her head on the way down, and landed squarely on her back, and was knocked momentarily unconscious. Judging by the light still shining through the small windows she hadn’t been out for any significant length of time, a few minutes at best.

She sat up with some small effort and a groan, wiping her forehead.

“Lesson learned,” she muttered, “don’t use it on a whole city.” In the past she had never sought to glean information from anything larger than a single street. She hadn’t even guessed that there would be a limit to how large a thing she could connect to. Was there a limit? Never before had she felt resistance when asking about anything from any object, or any person, no matter how large, old, or complex. Was it just because she had never approached her limit, and now far overstepped it by accident, or was there some other cause?

She stood up and resolved to find questions for those answers later. For now, she had a girl to find. She knew there was a connection to some mansion on the east side of the city, but beyond that she had no clue, and she was unlikely to gain anymore until she reached the mansion, as her most recent attempt at pinpointing her location proved.

She counted herself fortunate that the beggar had remained his word, and kept the steward busy for as long as they could. Otherwise she would likely have been found when her body had dropped to the attic floor.

She sacrificed her second glove to wipe the blood from her face, and was once again on her way, headed eastwards.

---

About an hour later, Lucie found herself outside of the city proper, now walking across old, beaten paths, rather than cobbled streets. She had acquired a cloak since the bell tower, trading it for a few coins with a traveller—She feared that walking about in a nurse’s uniform would attract too much attention.

A lone wanderer still attracted attention, but there were very few hiding places nearby, and though she could hide part of the way, more questions would be raised if someone saw her appearing from hiding, than if she just kept walking. So she trudged along, keeping her head down and her senses sharp.

She passed a few farmsteads, sharing a quick greeting with the farmhands that happened to trudge along. This far out, she was expecting Adam and Lillian to show up soon. She might be able to outrun them in the city, but out here horses and wheels reigned supreme. She directed her talent at the road underneath her, and queried the direction towards a grand building, all the while paying careful attention to whether she strained her skills or not. Straight ahead, it told her effortlessly. No stress, or difficulty.

She was still able to locate the mansion, it seemed—or at least something akin to it—but that raised the question of what the feedback earlier had been caused by. Was it truly just the size of the area she tried to affect, or was the mansion itself protected in a fashion? Her previous attempt had been focused on the girl’s precise location, so if the mansion was protected to keep people from seeing inside, that would explain that. At the same time, her inquiries in the room she stayed in were directed at where the girl disappeared to. Again, the general location, an area, not as precise a query as the one that had knocked her from the rafters, but also relatively small in scope: She had merely searched the room for the location the occupant went to when disappearing—remarkably smaller than the entire city, after all.

She contemplated making another attempt, but thought better of it. If she feared her being alone would attract attention, then a lone stranger falling over would doubly so.

So she instead hurried along, heading towards the old mansion, and hoping Adam and Lillian would soon catch up to her. A knot in her stomach had her hesitate to continue on entirely on her own. There were too many variables for her liking. A girl that vanished seemingly without trace, imaginary friends, difficulty detecting where the girl was, and then the possibility of protections of an arcane nature. She was no slouch in the mental department, but prideful as she were, even Lucie conceded that Adam’s mind was needed here.