[IC] The Bureau of Supernatural Affairs

[Phantomlink959]

@Searat

Argus responded with a chuckle, holding the door for Richard as his partner left the armory, "Okay, so, back in the 80s some fuckin' bear ate about 80 pounds of cocaine. It basically died of mass organ failure, but for the like... call it five minutes it was still alive, that thing probably could've tangled with a werewolf and come out on top." The Djinn began the walk to the garage as soon as they were out of the armory, stuffing his hands into his pockets, "I'm always ready, Rich. Had to bail out and go on the run a few too many times." he noted casually, pausing outside the motor pool, "Not sure how long the drive out will be. Anything you feel like chatting about on the way over?"

[KatherinWinter]

@Searat@Raining
"Good. You can drive Essie. I will meet you outside the Chinese place." Griffin told Astra before he headed to the elevator. He was glad he didn't have to be trapped in a car with them. It wasn't a long trip but it would have seemed that way to him. Maybe the two ove them could bound. That's what women did. They were woman right if only technically. He didn't know. He supposed it didn't matter. They had other problems. He knew enough about shapeshifters to identify and contain them. Hopefully this mission would go better than the other one. Astra and Essie seemed the rule following type.

[Searat]

@Phantomlink959
"Nothing much..." The man pondered for a bit while they walked. "Hmm...I might have one though. Any idea how getting bit by a zombie would affect me? I mean, yeah I know I have regenerative powers to some extent, but what if I'm not immune like you are?"

---

@KatherinWinter@Raining
"Understood, Griffin. I will bring Essie and myself to the site and meet up with you there." The golem woman then turned to face Essie. "Come along now, we have to go to the motor pool and request a vehicle from them. Feel free to ask any questions, I have extensive knowledge from bureau databanks and am only restricted access to sensitive information." Astra tells the little doll while moving out of the room.

[Phantomlink959]

@Searat

Argus shrugged initially before tilting his head at R8chard's question, "Depends what breed we're looking at, I think? I'd say the necromantic kind you should be safe, they're pretty much pure bad juju so I imagine you would burn it off. Wild magic is probably a no as that's an anomaly. Viral it's hard to say, nobody knows where that originated. he offered his insight, pulling the keys from his pocket and pushing the signal button to figure out where he parked. Really hinges on what's causing it I suppose, but let's hope we don't have to find out." the Djinn sighed, glancing over at Richard, "If we do thouhj, and you're not, would you rather I..." he coughed to clear his throat, "Or should I box you up and see if they can work out a treatment?"

[Raining]

@Searat @KatherinWinter

It looked as though he were ditching them, albeit temporarily, but it did grant Griffin some time away from two beings who had no place in the natural world. Essie gave a slight nod in agreement and turned to follow Astra this time, assuming that the trio already had their split after their discussion. She meandered down the hallway towards the motor pool, her smile still remaining and hinting towards her currently pleasant mood - she was more excited than anything, it was her first time out with so much trust invested in her duty, she'd be sure to follow protocol so Essie could attend more adventures like this.

Her glassy eyes shifted to the golem, her head gently tilting to the side in speculation. What should she ask her new friend? She was already aware of their goal; Catch a shapeshifter, there was nothing else to know, nothing more to know even. Essie began to gesture in her general vicinity so the golem could register her movements. 'I am very satisfied with the current information, but I would like to know everyone better. Griffin does not seem to like us much, I hope that will change soon, he seems like he would be very kind once you get to know him. I am sure he will smile and be happy with our work - if we are successful, that is. And I am also sure we will be successful... If I am able to register the shapeshifter while it transforms, I will be able to copy its power and keep pace with its movements, perhaps that will be a good idea to implement at some point?'

She paused nearing the end of her hand signals, taking just a moment to mull over more of her thoughts. 'Aside from that though, do you like it here? Do you have a favorite color? We are technically friends.'

[Searat]

@Phantomlink959
It was a rather grim proposition the dijin offered to Richard. It really depended on the type of zombie they were dealing with, but Richard knew that if he were to get infected it would be best if he were to be put down. He couldn't risk it. "It would be best if I were to be...disposed of if I were ever infected. Too dangerous an event to let an individual such as myself turn." The answer was straight to the point and held conviction and determination. The prospect of dying scared him, but the greater good was far more important than his life.

---

@Raining @KatherinWinter
The walk to the motor pool was almost uneventful to the two, that is until the little doll wished to communicate with the golem agent. She turned her head slightly to get a better look at the gestures and movements made by Essie. "It is possible that Griffin is like that. Though, the burden he carries as a representative of the Elder Council requires him to keep a professional outlook and behavior. One significant enough mistake and the repercussions he and the bureau will face would be dire. Possibly even to the point where the director himself would have to personally intervene. I am aware of your powers and capabilities, Essie. It will surely be of much aid to the task at hand. Though if ever you would need help in locating the shapeshifter, please do not hesitate to tell me. The scrying spells allow me to scan up to 10,000 individuals instantaneously, at the cost of significantly depleting mana reserves as well as raising my core temperature."

The little doll girl then paused momentarily, and proceeded to ask if she liked the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, her favored color, and even stated that they were friends. Astra was still in the process of understanding how humans worked and acted, but she answered the doll as best as she could. "Those are rather complex questions, though I would like to hope that we are truly friends. Camaraderie in the workplace is statistically proven to increase productivity and increase general levels of morale." The golem woman then went silent to think about how she felt about the BOSA as well as a favored color.

It took a significant time to do so, up to the point that she had written up the requisition form for a standard issue vehicle, but she finally had an answer that seemed most 'human' and appropriate to say. "I do like living here. As the human saying goes: "Home is where the heart is." Though confusing as most human anatomies have the heart within their chest cavity, the saying is actually idiomatic to regard where an individual's family or loved ones are. Given that, I would say the BOSA is my 'home' and the people in it are my 'family.' Though for color, I cannot say. Many colors are meant to express emotions and feelings, though I have yet to understand things such as those concepts."

[Phantomlink959]

@Searat

"Death is rare among Djinn, so we always do our best to honor the wishes of those we lose. Considering it's a possibility, I figured it'd be best to know for sure." Argus explained, a hint of sadness in his voice, "The wishes of a dead woman... That's how I ended up here, funny enough. It doesn't always work out for the best, but it's the right thing to do." the djinn scratched his chin awkwardly and pressed the button on his key fob once more. A loud honk could be heard on the other side of a row of agency vehicles, and the red haired man squeezed between two sedans to reach his SUV. "Anyways, let's go kill us some zombies. Hop in Rich, We can stop and grab you some real food on the way over."

[Searat]

@Phantomlink959
Richard notices the small tinge of sadness in Argus' voice. He wasn't sure who was the woman that he lost, but it was clear as day that she was someone significant in his life. "I'm not sure if it amounts to much, Argus, but condolences to your loss." Not wanting to prolong the topic that the dijin clearly was uncomfortable with, he drops it and heads to the passenger seat and waits for his partner to enter the car. "Lets deal with the zombies first, I don't think you'd like to see me hose some poor soul's headstone with vomit." Richard states, hoping to lighten the mood.

[Phantomlink959]

@Searat

Argus gave an appreciative nod to Richard as the human climbed into the car. As soon as his partner was buckled in, the Djinn started the engine and pulled out of the garage, "Thanks Richard. That means more to me than you know." Shortly, the car carrying the two agents reached the main road headed west towards the graveyard, "There's one more question I'd like to ask you about this. We Djinn have a bit of an odd tradition. When a Djinn is dying, they extract their own memories and give them to their friends and family. Generally the memories given to each would be any fond moments they had shared. Those memories get passed down generation to generation, for thousands of years. I can do the same for you, or most of the other agents, if needed. If there's someone who you would want any specific memories to go to, say the word. I can collect them, save them, and put them where they belong." Even Argus recognized it was weird to tell Richard all of this, effectively asking for his partner's living will, but he felt an odd kinship with the god-touched mortal; and his chat with Amaya the night before had dredged up old memories. "Food later, got it. Man, I am depressing today."

[Raining]

@Searat

Hearing such monotonous responses made Essie truly think on Astra's ability to perceive emotion, if she felt any at all to begin with, or if she were still learning about life and its offerings. She gave a slow nod to signify her understanding, her fingers tapping briefly as her gaze flicked forward, then back again to the artificial being. 'We are very much friends, and since we are friends I would be worried if you spent so much energy trying to identify one person out of thousands. They will not be hiding for long, nor will it be difficult to see someone turning into an animal in public... Although I worry about the civilians. Employees will have to go through so much effort trying to clean up messes we make, which may be many. Griffin should not have to worry either, his job must be stressful already.'

There was a consideration in the golem's process, at least Essie could assume so. Her smile raised a little more with a perk in her mood. 'Many things human say are very deep and meaningful, they do not view things so scientifically like you. You think mechanically and literally, not to be rude, it is innocent in a way! When they talk about the heart, yes it is idiomatic, it is also because when they feel emotion their heart thumps faster, or it skips a beat. Poetry describes many feelings through the heart as if it were all connected, in a way it is. Is that not exciting? Beautiful especially!'

Ah, she was getting ahead of herself. Essie began to backtrack, it would be in her best interest to stop her ramblings now... As well meaning as they were. 'Sorry - Life is wonderful. You know, I think blue colors suit you, they are very calm.' Their back and forth discussion allowed time to pass, during which they received permission to access a vehicle from their repository.

[Searat]

@Phantomlink959
Now it was his turn to feel sad. "Thank you for the offer Argus, but I don't have anyone specific. Relatives are no longer alive or don't even know I'm related to them. Friends are old and senile...best place you can give my memories to is probably to someone you can trust in the BOSA. Hell, you can keep my memories if you want." Richard says offhandedly as he looked outside a window, appreciating the peaceful yet busy morning streets of the city as they drove past.

---

@Raining @KatherinWinter
The golem woman nodded in understanding. Though the porcelain girl may look young, her words carried wisdom beyond her years. She understands how such complex things like emotion and feelings worked while she had been struggling with for years, and that earned her the respect from the golem agent.

Updating Databanks...
Favored color set to: "BLUE"

System Notification

Soon after the quick notification, the requisitioned vehicle was soon driven and parked before them. To the untrained eye, the outdated and plain black colored Ford Crown Victoria was nothing more than a cheap looking car. Though in truth, the vehicle's true beauty is hidden with whatever the R&D Division could possibly fit inside of the car but not compromising its plain and nondescript appearance. Though it in itself puts any non BOSA issued land vehicle to shame. She then enters the car and quickly gives the basic specifications of the car. "Standard Issue BOSA Ford Crown Victoria. Magitek engine and electronics, reinforced frame, windows, and chassis, tier 2 enchantments and runes of protection, and user friendly." She looks to Essie. "Shall we go?"

[Phantomlink959]

@Searat

"I'll keep that in mind. Sorry for being so depressing this morning Rich, just had a lot on my mind since last night." Argus gave his most sincere apology, allowing the car to fall silent as they drove out towards the cemetery. If neither of them struck up a conversation, it wouldn't take the pair long to arrive.

The Djinn hadn't spent this much time thinking about his past in years, since long before he joined BOSA; he had always distracted himself by trying to work towards building bridges between his own race and the others, ending the Djinn's isolation. When that went wrong, he had simply worked towards surviving; and now he was doing his part as an agent, protecting humans and the magical races from colliding. "Would you be proud of me, Nerida?" he reflected, glancing away from the road to stare at a bottle shaped silver pendant hanging from the rear-view mirror. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Argus returned his attention to the drive.

[KatherinWinter]

The cemetery used to be on the edge of town at one point but the city had long ago grown and encompassed it. It was a two acre lot on the west side of the city. Like most cities there was a fence around here. When Argus and Richard arrived the scene was quiet. There would be traces of magic be they would be faint. The report said the witness stated they had been at the far right corner of the cemetery when he spotted the zombies.

Griffin parked his bike in the first spot he found downtown. Luckily it was easy to find a parking place for a motorcycle. He didn't think the girls would have such an easy time. Downtown was pretty busy this morning. He winced at the morning sun. He had never been up or out this early. Or late in his case. But the bureau was able to provide things to protect him so he could be of use to them. He wondered if they could do the same for Essie. Her abilities seemed limited from what he knew.

[Searat]

@Phantomlink959
The man steps out of the car and lets out a breath as he scanned the area. The fence in itself looked ancient and the years have not been kind to them. Though all things considered, the graveyard was serene and emanated a sense of rest as all grave yards should. "The report said that the sighting was on the far right corner of the cemetery. We should start the investigation there, but first we need to make sure nobody is within the graveyard and no one would enter the place while we conduct the investigation." The man then turns to face his partner. "Any particular manner you want to do this, Argus?"

---

@KatherinWinter @Raining
The hustle and bustle of the early morning rush caused significant congestion of traffic. Though if it was any merit, the two arrived on scene only a couple minutes off the expected time of arrival Astra had predicted. Though the matter was now locating the vampire agent. It was still relatively early in the morning, but Astra knew that even low levels of sunlight was troublesome to vampires. Parking the car in an alley way half a block away from the what Astra could surmise to be the 'Chinese place' Griffin had mentioned. It was rather inconvenient that the vampire did not mention what specific Chinese place and on what street it was, but the golem agent found a location that would most likely where the vampire agent would be. "The Jade Orchid. Most likely the 'Chinese place' Griffin had mentioned. Location is well shaded and the shop would not open until later this morning, minimizing the event of interaction with regular humans. Essie, would you require some form of disguise or glamour spell to hide your non-human characteristics?"

[Phantomlink959]

@Searat
The moment Argus was out of the SUV, he extracted a cigarette from hi jacket pocket. The redhead tucked the filter into the corner of his mouth and cupped his hands to mimic holding a lighter as he lit it with a small flame at the tip of his finger. ""I'm gonna need to be able to go transform for this one..." he considered, wlking around to the back of his car and opening the trunk. Inside the rear end of the utility interceptor was a seemingly normal secure storage vault, the Djinn transformed his right hand into its claws form, pressing the thumb against a fingerprint scanner to unlock the vault.

With a hiss the bottom most drawer opened and he returned the hand to its human form before removing a locked metal briefcase from within. "Alright Rich, we're gonna need to set up a secure perimeter." he explained, unlocking the case to reveal a set of four carved stone totems, "Take two of these, head over to the east end of the cemetery, and put one at each corner, then speak the command word; zunten. I'll do the same at the west, the four will bind together and generate a perception-clouding filter around the entire cemetery. People will see us, but not really register our presence. The word to disable them when we're done is lesken" the Djinn instructed, picking up a pair of the totems and handing them to Richard, "Soon as this is set up we can clear out anyone already inside, then we should be able to work in peace."

[Raining]

@KatherinWinter@Searat

Essie had no issues sitting in the back and watching traffic through tinted windows. She enjoyed watching civilians go about their daily lives both on the streets and in vehicles of their own, they had no idea that their existence was right under their noses, and that sort of blissful ignorance was... Nice in an odd way. Once their car nestled between two buildings she caught sight of the supposed Chinese restaurant; Quaint, if only she could actually consume human food, she suspected it would be flavorful.

'A disguise would be very nice, I am unable to preform those sorts of abilities on my own at the moment.' Her attention settled on Astra. 'Thank you for being considerate, let us do our best, okay?'

[Searat]

@Phantomlink959
"Understood, Argus. Zunten to activate the totem and Iesken to deactivate them." The man was about to head into the cemetery but chose to turn and ask his partner a question. "Where do we meet up after we clear out the cemetery of civilians?"

---

@Raining @KatherinWinter
"Understood, Essie. Please wait a moment while I retrieve a scroll." The golem agent then exits the vehicle and heads to the trunk of the car and sees numerous compartments and boxes containing gear and equipment used if needed. She opens a compartment containing a number of brownish yellow colored parchment sheets. Blank spell sheets, containing a fundamental sigil but lacking runes for a spell. Simple yet versatile tools. Simple enough for novices to effectively use but potent and versatile enough that experts keep a number on their person. Obtaining one sheet and properly closing the compartment and trunk, she moves to where Essie is seated. "The procedure is simple, Essie. I would write down the missing runes to alter this blank spell sheet into a glamour spell sheet and you simply need you to place your hand atop of the sigil." She writes down the runes and hands the sheet of parchment to the porcelain girl. "Be wise on what appearance you choose. The spell lasts for a month unless dispelled."

[Phantomlink959]

@Searat

"Yep. I think it's Old German or something. You'd have to ask Rost what it means, though." the red haired agent removed the other two totems and closed the trunk, leaving the case standing open inside, "We follow standard operating procedure; start in the far west corner where the report said they were, and work our way from there. I'll probably beat you to it, but that gives me more time to adjust to the air around here before I start tracking." Argus advised, spitting out his cigarette and stamping it out with one foot.

"Alright, let's move. If anybody sees you putting the totem down, tell them you're with the city historical society; these are old boundary markers that had to be restored after some kid vandalized them. Once he barrier is up and we clear them out, they'll forget why they were even here." with that, the Djinn paused briefly, pressing the alarm button on his key fob to enable the security system. As the security engaged, the SUV began to fade away; leaving behind a faint haze which only those possessing magical abilities could detect.

With the evidence of their arrival concealed, the Argus made his way into the cemetery to begin conducting his work.

[Searat]

@Phantomlink959
Richard nodded to the man and headed to the first corner of the graveyard. The few people who passed by payed no mind to the man walking within the grave yard. Ether too busy with their own task at hand or even simply not caring, this made his job significantly easier. It didn't take long for the agent to reach the corner, kneeling down on the still moist grass he began digging a small hole in the ground for the totem. "Zunten." The man tells the totem and the totem activates with the carvings glowing faintly, even in the morning light. "That's one down. One left." Richard was about to turn and walk to the next corner but suddenly stopped when he noticed a little girl, no older than 12, standing before him with a curious look on her face. "Who are you, mister? Cause I've never seen you here before." Richard was shocked at the suddenness of the girl's appearance as well as her question. He looked around to see if he could see the girl's parents anywhere. "Uhh...Hello, I'm Richard. I work for the government, specifically from the City Historical Society." He winced slightly. He didn't like to lie, most especially to children. "Really? Huh. Ok. I'm Emma by the way." She pauses a while.

Richard tries to move from the girl but she speaks again. "Are you sure you're just a government worker, mister? Cause I coulda sworn you were an angel." It was Richard's turn to look at the girl confused. "An angel?" The young girl perks up. "Yeah! Like the ones my mama told me about. I mean you have a halo thingy but its like all around you...then again you don't have wings, so you might just be just a glowy man." Richard looks to his person to see if he was emanating any light of sort but found nothing that would cause the girl to think he had a corona of light. There was nothing that Richard could detect, maybe there was something about the girl? It was then he noticed that the young girl's legs were semi-opaque. It finally made sense to him. She was an earth-bound spirit, possibly disturbed from her rest by whatever caused the undead disturbance. "Ahh...I understand, Emma. I may not be an angel but I can still help you." Richard takes a knee in front of the girl. "I'm going to help you now but you have to go straight to the light, ok?" The girl nods and Richard checks his surroundings to see if the odd passerby was taking notice of his action. Once he made sure there was nobody there to notice, he begins to utter a hushed prayer. At first, there was nothing happening to the girl but scant few seconds later, her body floats up and begins to fade away into particles of light lazily drifting skyward.

"...Lord I send up to you an innocent soul, too young to be taken from this world, but may she find eternal peace in your domain. Amen." The man finishes the prayer and the girl is gone. He lets out a downcast breath he didn't even realize he was holding. This was not his first time sending off a earth-bound soul to the other side...though this was the first time he sent one so young. Picking up the last totem, he heads off to the last corner of the graveyard to put the totem.

[Phantomlink959]

@Searat

Argus walked past a small group of senior citizens who seemed to be visiting some old friends in the graveyard, heading to the first corner and crouching down to set up the totem; quickly digging a small hole to plant the relic, "Zunten" the Djinn muttered the word quietly to avoid drawing attention to himself as the runes began to glow. It was about that time that the agent felt a rush of divine energy and the scent of purified ectoplasm filled the air. It was a familiar smell, but not a common one, "The priest must've met a wayward soul." he decided, moving to the next corner to plant the other totem. Repeating the process was quick and the red haired man immediately felt the barrier surge to life as he triggered the enchantment.

As soon as the barrier was active, Argus returned to the group of seniors he had bypassed previously, now apparently dazed and confused by the effects of the spell. With great care, he began to pick the elderly humans up one at a time and carry them to the gates. It didn't take long to remove them from the perception field and, not seeing anyone else at this end of the cemetery, he returned to the westernmost corner; transforming the entirety of his head into its natural reptilian state."Now, what's happening in these parts?" he asked himself aloud, taking a deep breath followed by several shallow and deliberate ones. The odors or death; embalming fluid, ash, and embalming fluid filled the Djinn's senses, followed shortly by the ectoplasm and divinity that had just recently filled the air. Underneath it all was a much fainter smell: rot and dark energies. "Smells like necromancy, but something's wrong..."