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[color=DCC0B9]They had sensed her and, from this, there could be no return. The door did not open to their knocks but, to their surprise, Ashon, Abdel, and Johann found it unlocked and beckoning them inside. The house was dark and dingy, curtains drawn, visibility minimal. There was some nice furniture, but it was worn and, in some places, damaged. Recent attempts at cleaning could not mask the deep-set stench or neglect and, a keen eye would notice signs of a recent altercation: a chair missing a leg, a shattered glass lantern swept into a corner, a door restored unexpertly to its hinges with fresh nails, bracing beams, and putty. Only light or a [i]very[/i] keen sense for chemical magic would reveal the bloodstains.

Then, she was there: the one-legged woman who [i]had[/i] to be the Tarlonese agent. She was young - no older than Ashon - and pretty, with freckles and long ever-so-slightly wavy red hair, big grey-blue eyes, and a lithe, athletic figure. There was no missing her dishevelled look, however. Her hair was greasy, hastily swept back, and there were bags under her eyes. A ragged rip showed along one flank of her shirt, and the singular knee of her shiny black tights. She was seated on an easy chair, regarding the interlopers warily. She had been so still as to have gone unnoticed at first. [color=DF3A01]"I guess it was only a matter of time,"[/color] she said, in a distinct Tarlonese accent. [color=DF3A01]"You know, he didn't give me a choice. Please don't be like him."[/color] She was, for anyone who might've recognized her, Thantra'luuren'woi'etaar. She was, for anyone who might've recognized it, brimming with recently-drawn energy.

Niallus, meanwhile, had rebuffed the Resistance's attempt to establish trust and rushed off to pursue a woman who he was certain was Cherii'cola. Upon losing her trail, he had given up and now found himself trying sneak into what had been offered freely and declined. The moment that he made for the basement door, he found at least four sets of eyes on him. [color=CadetBlue]“That's the Tansoan Culture Club down there, elar,”[/color] said one of the people at the tables, firmly. [color=CadetBlue]“You need to be a member to enter.”[/color]

Dory and Lunara stood there on a small street just off of the Searoad, at loggerheads. The latter had ruined a plan of the former with her intervention, and Dory was busy silently resenting her for it. Lunara found herself suspicious of the apparent victims of a yasoi attack. They glanced at each other, the first only responding once his partner was fully healed. If Dory had been a pleasant surprise, this one reeked of Ersand'Enise, the way she questioned them. [color=ffffff]"Just scaring some Resistance spook outta here."[/color] He shook his head. [color=000000]"Ever since the knife-ears started pouring in, they've brought their crime and addiction and filth to our neighbourhoods,"[/color] confirmed the second. [color=000000]"Not even safe for my sister and her kids to go out without an escort anymore."[/color] The first man nodded. [color=ffffff]"We're keeping the place safe, and your friend here helped us."[/color] He shot Dory a tight, appreciative smile. This, then, was where they stood.

The other girls, meanwhile - Xiuyang, Oksana, and Seviin - were not standing at all. After darting and dodging through the busy streets in the shadow of the White Walls, they arrived barely more than a minute after the boys, having seen their allies and counterparts enter the row house as they were still hurrying towards it. They had Maribet with them and, if partially recovered from her stupor upon breaking through her conversion disorder, she was still in something of a haze and vulnerable. More importantly, perhaps, they possessed vital information that Abdel, Johann, and Ashon did not. The former - the only one who might recognize Thantra - was just ahead of them with his skuggvars, reaching out with his senses as they arrived. Whether or not they were too late remained to be seen...

The final chapter of Ransom Demand begins now![/color] 

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