Slow Night's Doorstep (Open)

[Sablerose]

Calla landed deftly on the edge of the roof of the building the pair had just left behind. She did not do anything to get Dusty's attention; right now, that was not needed. However, if they went indoors, the problem would be keeping an eye on them. An owl or other creature of the night would be attacked potentially if it tried to enter. And he was already under the impression that Calla was hunting him, so going to human form now would cause him to flee, probably at an even greater speed than he had been before.

No, for the moment, watching and waiting was going to be the order of the moment. So, she did.

[Dusty Dawson]

Dusty paced. It was hard to look inconspicuous, but at this hour there was little point in trying. So far, no one was present. Not even her two companions. But that much she was grateful for. If she couldn't spot them, then there was even less of a chance that Rathbone would either.

Confident there wouldn't be interruptions, Dusty went to find her client so she could finally get some answers. Ducking down an alley, she found a small stable with a carriage. It was a modest mode of transportation, but one that would suit the businessman's purposes nicely.

Almost knocking her over was the businessman in question. He was hauling two large suitcases towards the carriage and haphazardly tossing them inside.

"We're clear? Good...here's you're money, Miss Dawson." he tossed a rather heavy bag of coin, her way. Dusty caught it, as Rathbone went back inside.

"Woah, hold up!" she said, "Ya ain't told me who ya work for."

"Hah! No one would believe me...but, then again...." he walked back out to the carriage with one last large trunk, dragging it against the ground behind him.

"You're not from here. So I doubt you know her. Blasted half-demon. Wish I had never found out." he paused a moment, "Then again, I also wish she had never found out."

"Uh-huh, great...now who is she?"

"I've been working for the Spider! And she is none other than Madame-"

His answer had been cut short. Dusty was about to turn on the irritable detective routine one more time when she noticed how awkwardly he was slumped over his luggage. And then the handle of the throwing knife out of his back indicated that no routine was going to be getting answers out of Mr. Rathbone.

"Ah, hell...." she grumbled and rushed over to the body. Footsteps echoed in the night, but Dusty was not pursuing. She rifled through the dead man's pockets and searched for anything else that might give her some indication of what he had been getting at.

[Sablerose]

From her angle, Calla could not see the pair easily, so she took to the wing to try to see them again, now that the carriage was in the way. For a moment, though, she thought that there was a third shadow in the alley. An owl's night vision was excellent, but separating details was not always easy. As she glided closer, though, she was nigh certain of the fact, though she could not make out who it was specifically. It wasn't Greystreak, that was certain.

A glint of metal caught Calla's tawny eye, and she let out a shout of warning...

Which came out as a very loud hoot, as she forgot that she could not speak as a human in her current form. Helplessly, she watched as the blade slammed into the back of Dusty's now former client.

Damn it! Grey, we've got a problem. Someone just murdered Dusty's client. We're going to need your nose now! To hell with keeping secrets.

I'm on my way. We will have to be careful, Calla. There's not just Dusty at stake now. You're a Royal Princess involved who just witnessed an assassination. Your status might be able to protect you to some extent, but it will be harder to protect Dusty.

I know, Grey, I know, she replied quietly. But I'll worry about that if we have to, later. Either way, we're going to need to catch you did it.

Agreed. Do what you can. I'll be there soon.

Calla glided into the alleyway, making certain not to shift form until she was in the shadows. When she was human again, she moved quickly and quietly toward the carriage. "I could see someone about to attack, Dusty," she said as she approached. "But I couldn't give you warning. That owl you heard was me, making that attempt."

[Dusty Dawson]

"An owl?" Dusty looked up from the dead man, "That's a handy lil' ability."

An appointment book slipped out of his pocket, as Dusty flipped through the pages. Her eyes squinted in the low-lit area as she deciphered the cursive writing of her ex-client. Mostly, it seemed to be tied to legitimate business contacts. But, every so often, he wrote down "S's Contact". The last entry had been tonight at the tavern they had just fled.

Whoever the contact was, they had been marked at several locations around Night's Doorstep, "Well, nothin' we can do 'bout it now." she said, getting back to her feet. She pocketed the small book and looked back to Calla, "OK. We might be able to catch up with 'im. Got any other handy tricks up yer sleeve?"

[Sablerose]

"Well, one thing's for certain. We're standing here, over a dead man that you were seen with earlier this evening. Your hat might not let me be easily recognized, but a woman with a wolf is still going to stand out."

She turned away from Dusty. "And I haven't exactly been completely straight-forward here. Yes, I am a Druid and, yes, my name is Calla. However, my full name is Princess Calla Valerian of Laurelmoon."

[Dusty Dawson]

"Huh...a princess." Dusty said, "Well ain't like no princess I ever met. 'Course, I ain't ever actually met a princess before!", Dusty grinned and gave a hearty pat to Calla's shoulder, "Well, next you're gonna tell me that wolf 'o yours ain't no ordinary wolf, neither?"

She had been guessing that there was little more to Greystreak than Calla had let on. For one thing, Dusty was quite familiar with wild animals and wolves typically were not very domesticated. And the way he followed direction was a better than some of the more well trained dogs that Dusty had seen.

"C'mon...if we're gonna chase down our pal, we better get goin'. If we ain't, it don't matter how well disguised ya were, City Watch finds us pokin' 'round a dead body they gonna be askin' questions." Dusty said, as she took a slightly more serious look, "An' I don't want ya to go through that on my account."

[Sablerose]

Actually, Ms. Dawson, I am in truth not a normal wolf. Greystreak came to a stop and immediately began sniffing the ground. But these senses of mine do come very much in handy at moments like these. And yes, before you ask, I am a telepath, but, no, I do not read minds unnecessarily. I will only read your surface thoughts unless either given permission or the need outweighs the need for privacy. Trust me when I say that it is a promise I do not make lightly. He stopped and turned in one direction.

This way, ladies. He has a good lead on us, but nothing that can't be made up for if we move now. Then he took off.

"I can explain more later, if you'd like," Calla said hurriedly. "But for now, let's catch your client's killer."

[Dusty Dawson]

"I knew it!" Dusty grinned as she heard the wolf. In her head. OK, so that was a bit odder than she would have guessed, but at least it confirmed her suspicions, "Alright. Bust the murderer first, then get answers later! You got it, Cal!"

Dusty took off after Greystreak. While whoever the assassin was, was fast, he still couldn't lose his newly acquired pursuers. Dusty bolted in the direction the wolf was leading him. Faintly she could still hear his heavy footsteps. In the tight corridors of the side streets on Rosae Crucis, the echo lingered in the air. And in the still of the night, that just seemed make it sound all the more louder.

[Sablerose]

After a number of twists and turns through the streets, Greystreak said I think we are closing on him. The scent is fresher. And, there is something odd about it. I cannot place it for certain, but there is something odd about the scent. There's a second one 'under' it. Sweet, almost cloying. Perfume maybe.

A woman maybe? Greystreak's telepathy did have its advantages, such as not having to waste breath speaking while running. Calla hoped that Dusty picked up on the trick, since he was broadcasting to both of them. He was afraid of some woman, that was for certain.

I cannot say for sure, but it is strong enough to almost make me want to sneeze. And this time for real.

[Dusty Dawson]

'Could be...' Dusty thought, 'Only one way ta find out, I guess!'

She would have to bring along telepaths more often. As the trio zig-zagged through the city, she rolled a few thoughts around. It was possible it could be a woman, but she was pretty sure it wasn't the woman. If she was in charge of something as big as Dusty thought she was, then there was no reason for her to go out and get her own hands dirty.

After all, she contacted her employees through a network of agents and contacts. That created a nice little buffer zone for herself. And the way the case had been progressing, something that simple just seemed too far out of reach.

Dusty took a quick glance around. She had been around this part of town before. It looked quite familiar.

'How far behind are we. Got a rough estimate?' she thought.

[Sablerose]

If the age of the scent is right, we can't be more than a hundred yards or so behind the person. Dusty, when we were following you, I picked up the scent of someone tailing us. It wasn't this individual I'm sure, given the perfume, which was not present before. But your late client did mention that someone was likely after him. Could it have been more than one?

[Dusty Dawson]

'Oh, most definitely.' she thought, 'My buddy's been involved with some nasty characters for some time. Said he was workin' for some woman called the Spider. And boy do they got one helluva set-up. Probably headin' to one o' these shops. They been storin' some bad stuff in some of 'em. Poisons an' whatnot.'

[Sablerose]

I guess we will find out soon enough, Grey said, coming to a halt. The scent leads toward that large warehouse. He or she is only about a minute ahead of us. They're likely inside.

Calla was happy that they had come to a stop; running at a fast, if steady, pace was something that wolves were good at. As a human, she had her limits and all the running from earlier had taxed them. So, Dusty, what's the plan? We have to assume that they know we're following them, even they don't know just how close we are. Whoever's inside is probably going to be read y for us.

[Dusty Dawson]

Dusty, too, was glad for a break in the action. As she collected her breathing, she took a look at the warehouse where their trail had come to an end. Inside, her client's killer was likely preparing for an encounter with the detective.

'Yeah, that's a good point.' she thought, 'S'far as anyone in there's concerned, the only one on the chase is me. I mean hell, you an' Grey didn't show up 'till after they started runnin'.'

Dusty paused and thought for a moment, 'OK. How 'bout this. I march right up to the front an' go pokin' round inside. You two slip in through the back. I keep our buddy chatty and then we got 'im surrounded.' There was another pause in her thinking, 'Unless, o'course, they got back up, themselves. Grey, you able to sniff anyone else in there?'

[Sablerose]

The Familiar shook his head slightly. I'm afraid not. The perfume's too strong for me to sort out much more than where he or she went. And my telepathy is not particularly useful here. For an initial contact, I either need to see or touch the target. After that, I can search for them, though my range is only so good with anyone other than Calla.

Actually, let's take advantage of that, Grey. It's a warehouse. There are probably a few other ways in. That is if you're just the right size.

Just what do you have in mind?

I doubt that I can get in as an owl. They aren't going to have any windows open, and I can't imagine them leaving a spot open on the roof. But a rat can get just about anywhere, and at this time of the night, I won't stand out as much as, say, a squirrel.

You do realize that you're going to be very vulnerable in that form. Unless you change back to human, you can't cast spells or speak out loud other than as a rat.

Worth the risk. If they spot me, they'll just see a rat in a place probably full of them.

Might work, Grey agreed, though his voice showed just how reluctant he was to admit it. She can relay her finds to me, and I'll link us together for conversing. What do you think, Dusty?