"Ugh, you're making me go out in non-plane public dressed like this? And next to that??" Connie gripes, hooking her thumb at Shin's ensemble. "I'm a freaking pint of Hagen Dasz away from being the centerfold of PMS Stereotype ; its a monthly periodical (fictional)."
Victoria said her sister was a villain. You need to do something villainous to be one. Why is Shin looking at me like that, but it’s totally cool to dump all over my Mother?
She doesn’t bother to point out the double standard. She’s used to it.
“I meant no offense, Victoria. My sister has committed some villainous deeds. It seems your sister was in fact a hero.
“With a name like Siphon, I’m curious to know what her powers were.”
She is only talking to Victoria. That look Shin gave her is annoying and she has actually floated into a position so she doesn’t have to look at him right now.
"Your words are much appreciated, but there are details I would seek before I would say the bargain has been described in full. Was what you gave Queen Millie Seer's Truth? Is that what was given to Princess Femtite?"
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Weather Feya agreed or not he conjured a tea set and pulled some of his blends through a small portal and started brewing it right there on the bridge, taking time to just observe the beauty of Halcyon in the mid-day and let his mind rest for just a few moments. This silence is eventually broken once the tea is finished and enjoyed accordingly showing it's something of a minor ritual for him to help keep his mind clear and quieted. Then he spills whatever's left off the side of the bridge and disposes of the aether-crafted tea set with a wafting flick of the wrist. Then he begins to channel a portal back to Unity Station.
His piercing blue eyes scan over them and eventually fall on Victoria herself, "Hey. You must be the guest Horizon was talking about. I'm Indarius or Indy-" He glances to where Connie usually sits during these sort of team gatherings, "-or other dragon names from media..."
Indy had loathed to be coated in so many layers of clothing to help prevent others from discovering his true nature at the time. Though weather the bulky and hodgepodge outfit actually helped was questionable at best. He went from being a strange Reptoid, impersonating a human to an ever so slightly less weird fella in way too many layers of clothing.
When greeted by Chat Noire and motioned towards the bus he almost seemed to pick up his otherwise lumbering pace in such a manner that it almost looked a bit supernaturally charged. Barely hitting the door of the bus he had already started to strip off the most outer layers of his 'disguise' and by the time he hit one of the rear seats he had shredded a few articles unintentionally with his claws, and sat in a whole seat to himself while the one directly opposite was occupied by the veritable mountain of damp clothing he had worn.
He swore on the heat, even with his naturally cold body temperature literally causing him to radiate little wafts of air which momentarily turned to misty steam he needed to wave himself a bit to cool off as he sprawled out in his currently strained attire. "If I could... just never have to do that again for so long again. I think I'd be happy."
Victoria looks up from her phone as Femtite keeps the conversation going. "Oh. Well, I haven't heard of your sister, I don't think. Not if she's anything like you. Who does she work for?"
Indarius's arrival catches her attention before she's able to answer Femtite's other question. "Hi. Cool portal!"
"I delivered the Seer's Truth unto Princess Femtite herself, as the queen bade."
Chatnoire doesn't pick up on Connie's muttering or at least doesn’t comment on it. "We'll start with the port at Fort-de-France, and then go the the smaller ones if we have no luck," the hero says once the bus is underway.
The A1 highway from the airport quickly takes the team to the largest port and harbor on the island. The views out the windows of the bus are spectacular, with a clear blue sky giving way to rugged, tropical mountains and the dazzling blue ocean in the distance.
That ocean grows ever closer until it disappears briefly behind the buildings of Fort-de-France while they work through the city. Then the harbor again comes into view with the tall masts of sailing vessels and long, clean lines of sleek yachts.
"You all can wait in the bus if you like. I'll speak with the harbor master for you," Chatnoire says after pulling to a stop near a large, official-looking building near the innumerable piers.
Feya clearly is enticed by the offer of tea, so she sits lightly upon one of the railings as he makes the tea. "Thank you, Percival."
She puts more effort into drawing attention this time, since the girl apparently wants to know about her sister.
“She likely works for her queen. Her name is Faetite, but in the city, she is known as the Sugar Plum Fairy.” She goes on, “She tried to murder me and my girlfriend, then overtake my planet, shunting my people into her own doomed dimension. But pixites have never warred with each other or warred at all since the slaying of the Nanite King tens of thousands of years ago! The streak was broken just one week ago—I journeyed to the center of my planet and faced my sister in single combat, exchanging blows under a canopy of laser crossfire and exploding spacecrafts!
“And yet, none were killed. After slamming my sister with a headbutt, we settled our differences for the sake of our people, and with the help of my teammates, we not only thwarted my sister’s evil plan. We saved her people as well!”
Femtite has Bug-Eye display her video, muted so she can talk. Pointing to the grumpy pixite next to herself, she says, “That’s her. And again, I do apologize for anything I said of your sister that was out of line. We’re not so different in that respect. I have little tolerance for others speaking ill of my family, when these unpleasantries needn’t be said at all.
“It’s obvious to me that you love and admire your sister. I would love to know what Siphon is like—her powers, or just what it was like growing up with a sister.”
Femtite peers out the window. She takes in the natural beauty, the boats, the nature of this civilization… how she wishes she could become Maeve to blend in, but that would compromise her secret identity—especially if she returned to Halcyon City with tan lines and/or a sunburn!
But after a minute, she floats over to Percy.
“Hey… umm, how is everything? You used your magic twice now to get teammates to my planet. And twice, it affected you.” Not sure what to say, really, she says, “I am sorry in the sense that I bear some responsibility. But… how do you feel about these changes, if you don’t mind my asking?”
He leans over to Femtite. "I know you don't eat much but you should try a grain of the fried rice at least. And give Victoria a little bit of breathing room, you're throwing a lot at her she doesn't have context for right now." He advises Femtite, hoping she slows down.
Shin looks over to Percy still wrapped up. "Hey, do you have Fuzzbat with you?" He asks, holding up a tiny collar. "I thought this might be a good idea to get the scope of the place without sticking out. The collar has panoramic lenses and links to the Clocktower network so we can store and view whatever is around. I can analyze to find matches to the yacht, or other familiar faces."
Victoria listens to Femtite skeptically. "Then what are you doing here for? People suck. We fight, go to war all the time."
She shrinks a little in her oversized sweatshirt against the chill of the underground base and tucks her legs underneath her. "Valli and me never fought. She really felt bad that our parents paid more attention to her and not me. I mean, I get it. She was sick for so long, and when she got better she... wasn't cured. She drains people now. To live. And we had so many bills that she had to help out to get money. And when they found out that she can drain powers, well, she started working for bad guys." Victoria goes back to her phone and starts flipping through it. "She was 'super hero insurance.'"
She looks cold. She looks bored. Does she want quiet, as Shin said, or entertainment?
Femtite contemplates this as she tosses a fireball casually up and down in her hand.
“Hey, if you want to be alone, it’s okay. But you do look cold, and I feel it would be rude and inconsiderate of me not to ask. Shall I turn up the heat for you?”
She catches the fireball on her fingertip and it spins in place. The air around the princess is getting warmer as her aura brightens.
He nods to Horizon. "I know, but I'd rather not risk it, specially because between my tattoos, Percy's scales, and Femtite's appearance and normal behavior, will draw unwanted attention."
"But don't worry, if we get the chance to go to somewhere to relax, I'll join, because it is easier to sell the idea that I joined my friends in a small vacation than in a suspicious trip while I have no powers." He says.
"And thanks for noticing, anyway."
---
During the trip, Caio looks at the view for some time before losing part of the interest. Being born in Brazil and having visited it at least once a year, he was somewhat used to the beauty of tropical countries.
As the bus stopped, his intention was to remain in the bus while Chatnoire asked around, but then he noticed a "Churrasco" sign. Intrigued, he takes a look and soon after he returns to the bus carrying a couple meat skewers and two plastic cups containing a light green beverage with a lot of ice and lemon edges. Smiling, he sits by Connie's side. "Merry Christmas, they had Caipirinha, and the drinking age here is 18."
Victoria snorts. "Better not let her hear you call her that. Only I get to call her Valli. When I was little, I couldn't pronounce 'Valerie.' She won't let anyone else call her that."
She doesn't look impressed by the fireball. "I don't need a babysitter. I'll be all right. Just, go help find her, okay?"
After a short time waiting, Chatnoire returns to the bus with a smile. "Martinique comes through for the Americans! The yacht was impounded when its docking fees expired a month ago. I'll take you there. The boat is called "The SidesTepe."
He eyes the drinks in Connie's and Caio's hands. "Ah, delicious. But have you tried the Ti' Punch yet?" He grins brightly as he starts up the bus and puts it in gear. "Are you sure you're here on business?" he asks with a baritone laugh.
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Shin's offer of food however was a sorely needed salve to his current alms. Tea was all good and well, but magic and morphological changes crafted their own needs. "Anything you've got to spare, after the other day, it takes alot out of me we'll just say that." If able he'd chew through several bowls of rice and mixed veggies and almost anything else offered with an inhumane appetite. One could start to ask where he kept it all, though the mage had grown significantly taller he hadn't exactly grown much bigger.
Still his gobbling of food would put him somewhere in a similar benchmark as the Wolf and after the fifth bowl he set things down and wore a face of someone trying to not look dissatisfied, "I feel like I'll eat us out of house and home at this rate... there's gotta be something more filling."
Indarius languishes in his seat for a bit longer but interaction from Femtite seems to pull him from his stupor. "Mmm, well that's a difficult question to answer. I tried to tell everyone magic isn't a fix-all when we first got together. Now I find myself relying on it for more constantly." He looks out the window to watch Caio get stuff from a stand. Then leans in to sort of answer Femtite, "The body... I feel fine, but... also alien, er strange I guess. Probably shouldn't use alien with an actual alien. It's new but familiar, constantly hungry probably for all the changes. I can't help but worry about what everyone else sees. And how it'll affect my family."
He looks like he's about to say more before he notices Horizon lean over as if about to speak so he cuts himself off.
"Yeah I can summon him again for recon. That's originally what I had summoned him for. Not exactly subtle, but smallish flying creature is more difficult to pin than gaggle of people." With a swirling flick of his wrist he coalasces some of the drifting mist created in the space between him and Femtite and Fuzzbat appears, clinging to the seat with tiny squeaks. There is a brief silence as Indy and Fuzz communicate silently before he looks at Horizon. "Go ahead and attach it and I'll send him around the marina."
When Caio returns with the kabobs and alcoholic drinks Indy can't help but wonder about food, but he couldn't stress over it during the mission.
Femtite becomes a spark, then nothing.
Maybe someday I’ll repeat the mistake of trying to eat here. But not today.
She decides not to interact with anyone until she has to.
Between the interrupted conversation, underage drinking, and the accusation against her Mother, Femtite is struggling to plaster that fake smile for optics’ sake.
When Chatnoire asks, ‘Are you sure you're here on business?’ Femtite says flatly, “Some of us are.”
Not wanting to just be flippant and shut up, she says what she can actually do. “I can go to the dock and see what a vision might tell me. So is that something you want me to do, and what knowledge do you hope to gain?” she asks mostly-Shin. “—in the form of a question, please.”
"Martinique is such a beautiful place that no one should visit only on business, Mister Chatnoire" He compliments, sipping his drink. "Also, while I wait for the moment my business contribution is required, I think I can enjoy the place."
"And we need some extra team bonding, so..." He says, clinking his plastic cup to Connie's. "And just so you know, I only brought one additional cup because there is so much I can carry at once."
As he sips again, Caio notices how tense he has been lately, remembering how he used to feel pleasure in small things like this.
"Caio..." Shin's not sure what to say. So he goes from the heart. "For everything that's not been right with us lately, I'm sorry. My head is still on my former teammates. That's distracted me a lot from trying to bring the team together." He glances at Caio. "Still, it's more suspicious to have the tattooed guy tailing us than keeping his distance."
While they're in the bus, he looks disapprovingly at Caio when he gets out to grab alcohol for him and Conniw. "Not exactly the time to be drinking. There will be time enough in the future after we've done what we came here for," He points out.
Letting Fuzzbat out to recon the area, he turns to Femtite. "If you can guarantee the visions won't cause another crisis on two Nanometeors, go for it. Look for the Tepes' and for Valerie. Figure out where they went. It will give us a direction at least."
Femtite responds with confidence, “A whereabouts question is objective, so this should be a safe search and the result should be in our own timeline. I think I figured this power out—assumptions are where you run into trouble. I know the name of the boat, where it was last docked, Valerie Tepes as the name. I’ll ask of her parents too, but fair warning… I’m offline until the vision is over. Upside, I have a quantum-locked comm so no matter where you are when I’m done, I can find you.”
She looks to Chatnoire, “The sooner I start my part, the better. Please take me to the dock.”
She shrinks to the size of a flea, so only one who knows to look for her glow will notice her.
As the bus stopped, his intention was to remain in the bus while Chatnoire asked around, but then he noticed a "Churrasco" sign. Intrigued, he takes a look and soon after he returns to the bus carrying a couple meat skewers and two plastic cups containing a light green beverage with a lot of ice and lemon edges. Smiling, he sits by Connie's side. "Merry Christmas, they had Caipirinha, and the drinking age here is 18."
Connie rolls her eyes and smiles. "Wait sorry, did you think I was requesting a booze-free drink because I didn't know how to break a rule? Like with the magic fake ID I have?" She turns up her right wrist and taps the simple black X tattooed there. "That means I'm straight edge my dude. No booze, no drugs."
She gives Caio's plastic cup a clink, but then reaches her own out to anyone who wants to grab it. "Sooooo... if the SidesTepe got impounded then the chances of stuff being left behind is a lot better. Let's get a move on!"
Chatnoire listens to the young heroes and chuckles. "Life is balance, my young friends. You are on an important mission, but I do not fault you for appreciating the beauty of Martinique!"
Chatnoire maneuvers the bus along the harbor to a much less glamorous area that is clearly more for locals and state officials, given the number of vessels flying the Martinique and Fench flags. He pulls up to a gate to a fenced-off area and speaks a rapid French-Creole dialect with the guards stationed there. It's a genial conversation, and quickly the gate is opened and the bus waved through.
The SidesTepe is quickly found amongst the smaller and less fancy boats in the impound harbor. Despite it being abandoned for a couple months, it still gleams white in the midday sun. It is an impressive yacht -- not the largest ever, certainly, but definitely one on which a couple can live comfortably for weeks.
The local hero becomes more serious for a moment. "Let me know what you find. I need to know if there is a threat to this island." He then steps back and watches the young heroes investigate.
What do you do?
Femtite reverts to human size and floats about. She contemplates the helm, the gangplank, various cabins… and if there are samples of hair, she gathers them.
She eventually settles on the deck where the gangplank ends. She is asking a whereabouts question having to do with where the Tepes went aver having last disembarked. If she has short and long hair from one bed, and hair from another bed, she can easily distinguish father, mother and daughter. She entwines the hairs, in this case, though the family members may have gone separate ways. If there are photos, she will find out what the Tepes look like, but if there aren’t, she won’t worry. She can compare the people of her vision to photos later. Her powers work best (she believes from experiences so far) when the query is unbiased and unassuming.
Finally, Femtite sits cross legged at her chosen portside spot. “Horizon, I’ll be unreachable for some time. Just keep doing your stuff, and don’t worry about leaving the ship if you find a lead before I’m back. I’ll reach you on the comms, should that be the case, and you can ping a location. I can fly about without drawing attention.”
She then becomes a spark to humans, nothing to humans, nothing to microscopic creatures, nothing to pixites, nothing…
Where has Valerie Tepes gone? Where has Mr. Tepes gone? Where has Mrs. Tepes gone?
"Thanks to Matariel's gift, rainwater will cleanse me as I gain his power, so even if I'm drunk I'll sober up immediately." Caio explains to Shin and Chatnoire so they don't get worried.
"Oh, that is interesting... did not know that." He admits to Connie. "Is this symbol somewhat universal for that?" He then looks around if any other is interested in the drink, otherwise he sets it nearby on a cup holder.
The interior of the SidesTepe smells of mold and rot inside. Whenever the yacht was abandoned, it evidently was not properly secured and moisture got into the cabin. The lower deck's carpeting is still waterlogged, and the food in the galley has obviously spoiled.
The stateroom has fared much better, with less moisture having gotten into it, but the bedsheets and mattress are still musty. A quick sweep of the decks finds nothing indicating a struggle. The yacht was definitely lived-in, with male and female clothes and toiletries in their expected places.
Femtite finds some hairs both long and short in the master bed, but nothing in the much smaller guest berths. They don't look like they were used at all. She is also unable to find any photo frames or anything to help her with the likenesses of the adult Tepes or Valerie.
"I don't know about capital-U Universal, but yeah, it's an old punk thing; they sharpie people at shows who aren't supposed to drink. Most people put it on the back of their hands, but for some reason Dear Old Dad figured the wrist would be better." She shrugs. "But if I want to get you drunk, I've gotta keep you indoors? Good to know."
On the yacht Conflux's search is twofold. Any actual body fragments (hairbrushes, piles of clipped nails, unwashed sheets, clothes) are her main focus, but beyond anything that might lead her straight to their Where, she also wants to learn Why. Did they leave in a hurry? Did they even intend to leave? Patterns of movement, whatever was left behind, it all could tell a story...
Femtite gathers a few strands of hair and then shrinks down to veritable nothingness. In the meanwhile, the others continue exploring the yacht. Femtite is gone for the better part of an hour.
What do you do?
Falling into the spaces between the atoms of the collected hairs, Femtite explores the aetheric resonances between them. She has seen strands of fate, of faerie geas, and demonic magic in these spaces. This time, she gets a sense of thought and emotion -- psychic energies lacing the atomic structures.
Delving into them, her mind is nearly swept away in the rush. Thoughts like static electricity cling to her filling her with a fear and paranoia! She has to run, to spend her ill-gotten gains in luxury far away, far from prying eyes, far from ringing phones or buzzing alerts, far from contact with anyone from her wretched life. "Or else..."
She wants to. The terror is strong. Hiding here, amongst the atoms where nothing can find her, catch up to her, is for the best. The "or else" lingers in her mind...
"All right, while Femtite is communing with the universe, let's get to some analysis." Shin says as he gets onto the yacht.
He unstraps the leather belt pack from his waist, unzipping it and bringing out the tools of investigation that were needed here. While Fuzzbat was the eye in the skies, he set out some miniature robots that were in the shape of origami birds that hopped and scanned the surroundings. Nothing magical about them, just his mentor's printing forge and inspiration for their design along with Clocktower's input for how to make them work.
The birds would feed him data through his HUD, scanning at different levels to determine what was still there. Locate hidden compartments, stains invisible to the naked eye, hot spots and other irregularities. He also relied on his own eyes and ears to walk down below deck into the moldy interior, a mask up around his face to avoid breathing in the nasty spores.
Connie would find that some the origami birds could in fact pick up samples, as a pair of them pick up hairs presumably belonging to the Tepes and flutter over to her. She can see the delicate circuitry that made the fragile scouts work traced along their planes.
The psychic directive presses down on Femtite, telling her to hide and remain anonymous. Slowly, her thoughts turn from focusing on doing just that to why she had to. It was important, but parts didn't make sense. She couldn't spend her ill-gotten money here in the subatomic realm, and why were they ill-gotten? Methodically, her mind picks apart the suggestion and realizes that the instructions were not meant for her! They were present on the hairs like psychic residue, and she got caught up in their influence.
If those hairs belonged to Valerie's and Victoria's parents, they had been hit with a powerful psychic attack!
Horizon's devices explore the vessel in rapid time, doing the job of a dedicated forensic team in little more than half an hour.
Unfortunately, due to the age of the scene, he can only get an incomplete picture. Almost all of the DNA samples come from two individuals, a male and female. There are other traces from several other individuals, which unfortunately complicate matters because there could have been contamination by the officials who towed the yacht to impound or other social guests.
The birds find a cache of several thousand euros and a similar number of dollars. Clothing, suitcases, and personal effects are all still there, indicating whoever was living on board left with the clothes on their backs or at least a few changes of clothes. Toothbrushes, makeup, deodorant, and other toiletries are a mix of Martinique brands and high-end brands from the States, which matches with the evidence at the house that the Tepes had left in a hurry.
The yacht's bar is well-stocked, though many bottles of liquor are open and partially consumed. An analysis of the spirits show the occupants favored Manhattans, negronis, old fashioneds, and daiquiris, but there is also a well-stocked wine cabinet. The trash shows little in the way of empty bottles. The spoiled food is primarily restaurant leftovers and local groceries.
The best analysis the search can provide is that a couple resided on this yacht for several weeks, and then left it abruptly. Them both falling overboard and drowning is a possibility, but low considering the vessel was found abandoned in a commercial dock. The best probability has them abducted somewhere away from the yacht, given the cash still hidden on board.
Femtite grows back, her aura flickering like crazy for a few seconds before she finally blurts:
She has to run, to spend her ill-gotten gains in luxury far away, far from prying eyes, far from ringing phones or buzzing alerts, far from contact with anyone from her wretched life. "Or else..."
“The Tepes were compelled to run, spend ill-gotten gains in luxury far away, far from prying eyes, ringing phones, buzzing alerts! They needed to flee from contact with anyone from their ‘wretched’ lives… ‘or else!’
“I wanted to flee myself, but the message was not for me. It reminded me of what the Archdeacon did—playing off of my own weakness to compel me.” Femtite concludes with certainty, “The Tepes were struck by a psychic attack. Its residue lingers on the very hairs from their heads.”
"...From what the kami are telling me, they had been living here for a few weeks. Then suddenly left abruptly. So much they didn't seal the deck or preserve food, or take what looks like a lot of cash that was available to them. It makes me think that either they went on the run, which would be strange, or someone forced them out of here and took them, which seems more likely," Shin tells the team. "No indication to where though. Femtite may be able to provide more context-"
Femtite grows back, her aura flickering like crazy for a few seconds before she finally blurts:
“The Tepes were compelled to run, spend ill-gotten gains in luxury far away, far from prying eyes, ringing phones, buzzing alerts! They needed to flee from contact with anyone from their ‘wretched’ lives… ‘or else!’
“I wanted to flee myself, but the message was not for me. It reminded me of what the Archdeacon did—playing off of my own weakness to compel me.” Femtite concludes with certainty, “The Tepes were struck by a psychic attack. Its residue lingers on the very hairs from their heads.”
Shin goes quiet.
He turns away from the team, looking out across the dock. He doesn't say anything for a few moments of deep thought, before finally speaking up.
"Chat, is there a big industry underground here for kidnapping wealthy tourists? Maybe holding them for ransom or something? What I've gotten is that they were forced off the boat."
Femtite understands. He thinks Psyche did this. She recalls her conversation with Shin, when Grace was still sort of his girlfriend. He seemed more in love with Connie—still my girlfriend at the time—and with Psyche.
But Horizon doesn’t mention any suspicion, though his actions make it painfully obvious.
Femtite moves to console him. “Hey, Horizon. I know she holds a special place in your heart, but let’s follow the evidence. Maybe it was Psyche, maybe she had her reasons, or maybe it was one of those creatures from her church.”
Unfortunately, Femtite may have just proven everyone’s point that she just doesn’t get humanity. It’s typical pixite romanticization of defending a loved one or the love for her, even if she has done the indefensible.
Chatnoire gets a sour look on his face when Horizon asks about a ransom industry. "Not a large one, but it happens, sadly. There's a lot of wealthy people who come for their vacations, so I have to be diligent. I broke up a small ring just a few weeks ago, actually."
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Eventually Indarius finds himself getting restless and he peeks out of the bus still hiding his face under the hood formed by the thick sheets he'd worn. "Oh, Mr. Chat when you have a moment I'd like to ask, are there any um. This is gonna sound a bit strange and off topic, but volcanoes in the region that have been 'more' active than not recently?"
With that he looks to the others and their standoffish stances and frowns, "Oh awesome, what's happened now?"
"...focus on finding the Tepes." Shin tells Femtite. Otherwise he doesn't acknowledge anything else she's said.
"You broke up a ring? Were there any victims that were rescued that might still be around?" He asks. "Though we might need to look at some of the larger operations..." Shin mentions.
"If you could use any help with busting up any other local rings, we would be happy to help if it would get us closer to locating them. I'm sure we all bring skills to the table." He rubs his eyes underneath his shades, before heading back to the bus.
"Hey, Indy, I'm feeling a little jetlagged. Gonna take a nap. Make sure no one wakes me up, okay?" He requests.
Connie gives a quick nod. "'Anyone in their wretched lives?' Sounds like Siphon tried to come home for family dinner and it went badly. But uh... yeah. That does sound pretty Psyche-esque, right? I assume all the 'wretched' and 'prying' and'ill-gotten' and other vocab is from your reading, Femtite? Doesn't sound like your typical word choice. So... yeah, did Siphon have dealings with psychics that weren't Psyche, O Fearless Leader? And would Psyche have had a reason to give them the whammy?"
"...Oooorrrr he's gone. Cool. Cool-cool-cool. Hey Indy, do I need to come up with an excuse about prepping some tinfoil in case of psychic attack to transparently follow him against his indirect order? I'm guessing you're not gonna make me make something appropriate up, but I will if I need to. It'll even be true. Ba dum tss."
Femtite is quiet. Awkward. And then, when Shin doesn’t let her have it… she is relieved. More than that. A load is off. This futile attempt to fit in was always complete unnecessary. It’s not that I didn’t try hard enough. I tried too hard, when I should never ha—
Connie interrupts the distraction epiphany. Fortunately.
“Uh, yes… yes! There were very specific words, ‘alerts buzzing’ and repeatedly ‘far away.’ It stopped at the ‘or else.’ It left me wondering what exactly to dread while the ‘or else’ just… lingered.”
"...focus on finding the Tepes." Shin tells Femtite. Otherwise he doesn't acknowledge anything else she's said.
"You broke up a ring? Were there any victims that were rescued that might still be around?" He asks. "Though we might need to look at some of the larger operations..." Shin mentions.
"If you could use any help with busting up any other local rings, we would be happy to help if it would get us closer to locating them. I'm sure we all bring skills to the table." He rubs his eyes underneath his shades, before heading back to the bus.
Chatnoire scowls. "There are no 'larger operations.' We're a small island. We're a safe island. You want larger operations, you'll need to go someplace else."
He keeps a dour expression when he answers the rest of Horizon's questions. "All the folk I rescued are safe. We haven't had another reported kidnapping since. If you want, I can get you in to see the people I arrested. Maybe they know something."
Femtite sees that Horizon is sort of falling out of favor with the Alliance contact. She wonders if the question to Shin, if taken as a question to the team, is a chance to save face. And I do owe him that.
She smiles politely, and adjusts her costume to something that covers much more skin and makes her look more princessy than touristy.
“Chatnoire, I know I am… easily noticed. A question before we change venues. Since there are supers, such as yourself, on this safe and beautiful island, there isn’t a need for me to make myself imperceptible. Is there?
“I ask because I would like to be present in the interrogation of those you arrested.” Almost shyly, she adds, “Y’know… in case I have a question.”
From her innocent tone, it seems the pixite princess is not very likely to inimidate a hardened criminal into a confession, but she sure would like to give it the old college try.
Eventually Indarius finds himself getting restless and he peeks out of the bus still hiding his face under the hood formed by the thick sheets he'd worn. "Oh, Mr. Chat when you have a moment I'd like to ask, are there any um. This is gonna sound a bit strange and off topic, but volcanoes in the region that have been 'more' active than not recently?"
Chatnoire is a little surprised by the off-topic question. He thinks for a moment. "Not in Martinique, no. But Montigua had an unexpected eruption not long ago."
Chatnoire folds his arms and regards Femtite, trying to decide if she's being condescending. "I'm the only hero on Martinique, but help's not far away if I need it. And I rarely do.
"You can be present to meet the prisoners, but I'll have to do the questioning unless you can keep up with the French Creole we speak."
Chatnoire scowls. "There are no 'larger operations.' We're a small island. We're a safe island. You want larger operations, you'll need to go someplace else."
He keeps a dour expression when he answers the rest of Horizon's questions. "All the folk I rescued are safe. We haven't had another reported kidnapping since. If you want, I can get you in to see the people I arrested. Maybe they know something."
"I'm sorry. That was insensitive of me to presume. I just want to find these people, and imagining the worst case is a bad habit," Shin apologies to Chatnoire.
"You can be present to meet the prisoners, but I'll have to do the questioning unless you can keep up with the French Creole we speak."
Shin nods. "I would appreciate meeting the kidnappers, certainly. They're likely our best lead right now."
He rubs his eyes again. There's some deep thoughts behind them, looking at the bus and considering options.
Eventually Indarius finds himself getting restless and he peeks out of the bus still hiding his face under the hood formed by the thick sheets he'd worn. "Oh, Mr. Chat when you have a moment I'd like to ask, are there any um. This is gonna sound a bit strange and off topic, but volcanoes in the region that have been 'more' active than not recently?"
"...Mont Pelée." He speaks up to Percy. "I did some research on the island before we left." He gestures to the north. "Long shot, but this is a volcanic island. Last time it erupted was early 20th century."
He gathers himself now, feeling less unsure. "Let's get going. I don't think there's anything left here to find."
"That's uh... Bullshit though? My dude? Like, in no way are rando kidnappers our best lead. Like, if kidnappers commonly struck without signs of struggle, or y'know, issuing demands or ransom requests, then maybe we could move on to ignoring all the psychic evidence? Tag out if you've gotta, but assuming we actually want to find these people, there are obvious other directions to go."
Femtite lights up at the prospect of not having to shrink to a speck.
When Connie balks at the idea of interrogating prisoners, Femtite challenges that. “We don’t know what information the prisoners will give us. The psychic attack likely happened in Halcyon City, prompting the Tepes to flee here. The command was to ‘spend ill-gotten gains in luxury,’ so the kidnappers and psychic attacker are not necessarily… in cahoots?”
‘Cahoots’ is not typical of Femtite’s vocabulary either, but she goes on, “I’m not suggesting the ‘other obvious leads’ should not be followed. On the contrary, I don’t think we’re in a position to rule out any lead.
“None of us are experts on kidnapping rich couples on the lam.” Femtite wonders if it’s obvious she’s been browsing a thesaurus for detective lingo. “I should hope not, anyway!”
"There's also the possibility that they might have struck a deal to get out of Martinique with their kidnappers. If that's the case, there might be some word of mouth about their coming and goings and that gives us a direction," Shin says in support of Femtite.
He looks at Connie. His face contorts in pain. "...we can discuss the other evidence on bus. If you want."
"Hey." Connie looks very seriously in Shin's eyes. "We don't have to discuss the other evidence inclusive we. But you get that we do, right? exclusive we. And we need to get Siphon's picture flashed around to the different customs agents. My best bet is they're on the run because someone else from their old life is poking around, and she seems like the type to do some poking."
"I don't want to start putting up flags to the wrong people who might assume we're chasing her as a culprit. She's my teammate. I have to bring her back to her sister. But not in chains and a power dampening collar."
He crosses his arms, uncomfortable. "...Psyche...had the means...and opportunity to have done something like this." The words were pulled out of his mouth like glass embedded in his gums. "She was gone the night after Siphon came to Blockbuster base. I thought it was weird, but I didn't press hard about it. And then Siphon was worried about not hearing from her parents. But it's shortly after all that my memory gets fuzzy."
He shakes his head. "...if Valerie came for her parents, and her parents were still under orders from...someone else, then I think that makes sense. Probably would have taken her a while to track them down after everything. After-"
-The void-
"-after I last saw her."
Femtite gladly lets Shin and Connie go ahead on the bus for exclusive-talking.
She turns to Chatnoire. “I’m the only one on the team who doesn’t have a hero name. I don’t know why… I even named my regular Earth car ‘Ladybug.’ That would’ve been a great name for me, because I’m a lady… and I can be bug-sized.
“Oh, but I’d never get used to it.” In part to stall a little longer while Connie gets Shin to say stuff about his ex-girlfriend, but mostly out of genuine curiosity, Femtite says to the Alliance hero, “Is it okay if I ask you how you became known as Chatnoire?”
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"Hey, Indy, I'm feeling a little jetlagged. Gonna take a nap. Make sure no one wakes me up, okay?" He requests.
Indy steps to the side just a bit so Shin can head in, "uhhhhhhhh."
"...Oooorrrr he's gone. Cool. Cool-cool-cool. Hey Indy, do I need to come up with an excuse about prepping some tinfoil in case of psychic attack to transparently follow him against his indirect order? I'm guessing you're not gonna make me make something appropriate up, but I will if I need to. It'll even be true. Ba dum tss."
He looks to Conflux equally confused at the sudden outburst from Horizon, "Uhhhhhhh~" Searching for an out from between two rocks Indy steps off the bus.
"Ohhhhkay, so what did we find anything substantial enough to get a good read on or i dunno something I could maybe just use as a focus for scrying on them? Sorry Femtite, but my magic does seem to be at least a little more precise on directions than yours though conceptually you peering 'behind the curtain of time' is way more flexible for the grand scheme."
Femtite takes no offense. “Nothing to be sorry about, Indy. I’m just a beginner honing her skill. I want to train properly one day, with the Seers of the Amethyst Spike—the ones who called me Harbinger of Doom, in fact. But that is all past now… and technically they were not entirely wrong, or—given some have several millennia of experience—it’s more likely that their council was completely right, and careful about what information should leak its way to me.”
She is aware that this is volunteering unasked information. She just doesn’t care. She’s letting go of even trying to be human when she’s far more comfortable being herself.
But about what Percy is actually getting at: “Please, work your magic. I trust the difference between yours and mine is that you’ll find the precise information you’re looking for. I won’t feel shown up or undermined. We’re a team; we’re looking for missing people. It doesn’t need to be more complicated than that.”
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"Alright uh well let me get everything set up then."
He walks over to the pier and conjures a large bowl which he quickly dips down into the water filling it to the brim. Walking back over to the bus he pulls out a handful of herbs and such to burn, the blackened marks showing they've been partially used at least once.
"I'll need everything we've found so far that should give me the best reading, and I can only really look for one of them at a time but should work out just fine."
After getting his hands on the hairs and a few other personal effects he sits down and arranges them around the bowl in a specific manner, humming and tweaking the position a few times before he feels he's good to go.
Femtite says to the Alliance hero, “Is it okay if I ask you how you became known as Chatnoire?”
"There was a great hero of France named Chatnoire about fifty years ago. I grew up reading his stories and watching retellings of his heroics on television. He inspired me, and now I am the Chatnoire of Martinique." He beams proudly.
The adult hero steps back and watches Indarius from a respectful distance while the ritual is performed.
The scrying proves difficult because of the age of the materials and that apparently the belongings had not been in Mrs. Tepe's possession long. Still, the Nova powers through the spell and before long is able to hone in on his target.
Some sort of metaphysical fog is surrounding Sonja Tepe. She doesn't have any innate defenses that Indy can tell, but the vision he is getting is strangely murky.
Sonja Tepe is on a balcony overlooking a tropical beach winding around a deep azure lagoon. She is in a long, airy dress being blown by the breeze. She stares out over the beautiful scenery, then gathers a towel and moves to a stairway that leads down to the beach. A large, broad-shouldered man in a suit with a corporate logo on his lapel stops her. He looks like a goon.
She points to the beach and her towel, then steps out of her dress, revealing a one-piece bathing suit underneath. The goon steps aside and lets her by. She reaches the lagoon and steps into the water.
Suddenly, the scene is interrupted by a reptilian eye filling Indarius's vision! "Now you are spying on my property? Your intrusions are getting tiresome!"
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As the ritual begins Indarius becomes oddly still reduced to little more than a few mumbled silent words to himself and then shallow slow breathing as he falls into his trance and casts part of him upon the aetherial winds. His entire ritual site is likewise placid until after a few minutes it becomes clear a tension starts to build in his face and limbs. His tenuous grasp on the target of the spell finding little purchase.
Shortly after does he begin to speak in a language alien, but also somewhat familiar to the group that was present for his transformation before. Softly and yo noone present.
The otherwise calm water in the bowl starts to simmer and Indarius's muscles go taught as he speaks, his body beginning to tremble slightly from some force.