Case (Sort Of) Closed ((Open))

[iphigenia]

Her left hand was throbbing now, and it wasn't just that. The tingling had moved up her entire arm. Instead of acknowledging it, she focused on the purple vial. "Well I guess you either messed up or he did. Or maybe you did exactly what you should have." She tore away her gaze to focus on Dusty again. Once again remembering to blink.

"Maybe you got the thing you were supposed to, but you weren't supposed to succeed. Though I doubt it's that complicated. More likely you got the scrolls he wanted, but they are actually someone else's and now he has to figure out what to do. That's more likely depending on how much work you do into background on the thing you look up. When I made pick ups we had done lots of research to make sure they weren't sending me after a copy. Always originals." She sighed.

"Of course another option is that you grabbed the wrong scrolls. Something he wanted maybe but never thought he had access to. Due to a single mistake on your part he now has something he desired, though not what he wanted when he sent you. Or he's just naturally paranoid." Her right hand picked the purple vial up. "I wish I knew what this is. It's very pretty."

[Dusty Dawson]

"Mmm...all possible." Dusty said, "But this is more of a gut feelin'. See, I know I got the job done. Ain't no reason to pay me fer the wrong case. An' he told me what to expect ta find. Which leads me to the conclusion that my pal over there was lookin' for somethin' else aside from scrolls. The shop, itself, is legitimate. And the contents of the crate match the order manifest. Naw, this is more'n a misunderstandin'."

Dusty closed her eyes for a moment, her chin resting on a hand, while a gloved finger tapped at her cheek. She was hard at work, reconstructing a mental image of the man and the shop.

"Hm. Tall guy. Kinda wiry build. Dressed kinda dirty. Obviously not the owner the owner o' the shop. Didn't think much of it, at the time. Figured his nerves were about losing his job." Dusty half-spoke to Iphigenia as she recounted the details, "Had a watch though. Gold. Pocket watch. Nice new chain, too. Not getting money from his job, so......"

Blue eyes shot open as she snapped her fingers, "Got it! At least a theory, anyhow. Gonna need to do some checkin' up on the fella!"

She watched Iphigenia's arm. Something was certainly off. As the sickly woman picked up the strange purple vial, Dusty tilted her head, "Uhh...Pretty, yeah...beyond that, I ain't gotta clue." she shrugged her shoulders, "Say, you feelin' OK? That arm don't look like it's dealin' too well."

[iphigenia]

"It acts up sometime. I haven't taken my medicine lately and the bottles I had with me today disappeared somewhere." She put the bottle down, again, buying something because it was pretty was far from the logical thing to do. She knew that and was disappointed that she did. "Well I don't know this guy and to be perfectly honest I know very little about scrolls and such other than how to find originals and make copies. I wouldn't know much about the value, most rare back home are copies now anyway." She turned to look at the shop, at least she assumed that was the one Dusty was staring at.

"If he is making money outside the job, he is either stupid enough to conduct business in his shop after hours or smart enough to leave and do it somewhere else. Of course I'm assuming he treats his work like a lord treats his mistress." She pulled her hand out from her bag, no reason to hide it anymore. It had become quite pale at the fingers and seemed to be rising up the hand incredibly slowly.

[Dusty Dawson]

"Well, I sure hope ya take some o' that soon." Dusty said, as she watched the pale hand come out of the bag. It was a symptom that she had never seen before. And, above all, was just plain weird. She could see that the pale tone was spreading.

"So, I take it that's what your in the market for?" she inquired. The issue of her client would wait a few more moments. After all, she wasn't going to be able to do anything while he was still there.

[iphigenia]

"Yeah, I had really hoped this place would sell the stuff ready made but they just have ingredients. The fact that I've cut down on the amount I've taken to save my supplies doesn't seem to help either." She looked at her pale hand. It never used to do this sort of thing back at the temple, even when she went off the medicine for days at a time. She briefly wondered if they had lied to her about letting her live when she finished the task.

"It doesn't hurt any, and it's not contagious I know that." She grinned. "If theirs one thing I know, it's disease. not that it helps me any." She thought for a few moments before speaking again. "Are you in a hurry?"

[Dusty Dawson]

Dusty arched an eyebrow and rested her hands on her hips, "Naw..." she said with a chuckle and a slight smirk, "Right now, I'm just waitin' for an opportunity. You'll know when I am, though...I'll be dartin' off like a horse with a spur in it's saddle!"

Until that fateful moment, however, Dusty would not be going anywhere anytime soon. At least not with that store still fully lit.

[iphigenia]

Would it be a problem if I went along. I'm not looking to jump in and take your glory but I'd really prefer to do something other than sit at the castle and do nothing. It gets incredibly boring after awhile." She smiled at Dusty ruefully. I just can't do nothing for too long, after the last few years I'd gotten used to some distractions beyond meeting strange women wandering the castle."

[Dusty Dawson]

"Why, sure!" Dusty grinned, "I ain't got a problem with it. Though, I can't promise much in the way o' excitement. We'll probably just be pokin' 'round their books and the storeroom. Gonna need ta see if anythin' don't match up in the record keepin'. That or some sorta pattern."

Dusty chuckled a little, "So...you a guest up at that castle?" she inquired, "For that princess...Anna? Naw, that wasn't it. Anactoria! There we go! That sure was an odd little matter, they had up that way, wasn't it? What with her just up an' leavin' like that."

[iphigenia]

"Yes it was, opened the floodgates as far for all sorts of people as far as I can tell." Iphie said. "Strange sorts, though I suppose I'm strange to most of them as well." She tacked on the last bit almost as an afterthought. She certainly wasn't normal, but after so long with such mediocre treatment she certainly didn't feel special about it.

"In any case, thank you for letting me tag along, I'll try not to cause any trouble for you." She flexed the fingers on her pale left hand, they cracked a little. "I haven't been there long so I suppose I don't feel quite comfortable looking for entertainment around there. Haven't even stopped by the library though I really should." She sighed. "I'll do it soon hopefully."

[Dusty Dawson]

"Ha ha, no kiddin'? An' here I thought you folks were just havin' a merry ol' time up in that castle." Dusty laughed, "Guess nothin's quite how it looks, now is it?"

So much for preconceived notions. Then again, with the number of people who had arrived, it only seemed logical that there would be a great deal of confusion and very little in the way of activity. Or, at least activity that would be found entertaining. Dusty assumed that there would be a great deal of affairs that would have to put in order. Still, she had to wonder just what that princess had in store for all of her guests.

That line of thought, however, required a back seat. There was a far more pressing issue that faced her in the present, "Now, then...all we gotta do now, is wait. Shouldn't be too long..."

[iphigenia]

Iphie cocked her head to the side and squinted. "Is there anybody else in there, do ya know? If everyone around is closing, you'd think he might be doing the same." Suddenly she realized something. "Hey, what about this store. Shouldn't it be closing too?" She glanced around but didn't see anyone. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen anyone but you around since I came in." She bit her tongue. Her mind jumped to conclusions, traveling to a place she really didn't want it to go. Memories of dark rituals from books she had copied and nightmares she had while unconscious bubbled up from her subconscious. She shivered.

"What is he doing in there?" She muttered, this time more to herself.

[Dusty Dawson]

"That is a bit odd..." Dusty murmured to herself as she took a quick glance around the store they were currently in. But, her attention was soon drawn back to the other shop and Iphigenia's query about the activities of it's current employee.

"Him? Not too sure. But, my money's on closing out the books." she said, "Probably checkin' how much money was made today an' for what. Dependin' on how popular our buddy's store was today, it might take a little while...or, maybe not all that long."

Dusty shrugged her shoulders, "As for who else might be in there...I didn't notice anybody. O'course once they close up for the day, I'm sure anyone else'd just be headin' off home, same as that fella. Or, at least relatively sure."

[iphigenia]

"If you say so, you're the leader." Iphie's hand twitched a bit. She took three deep breathes to calm herself, holding each one for four heartbeats. "Tell me why you're here in Venus." Might as well take up the time with talking while waiting. Dusty seemed nice enough and interesting at the very least. All good qualities in a partner on a stakeout. Back at the temple she rarely got a chance to work with anyone else, and when she did they would never talk to her. She was just a tool to them, of course now that she was nearly free, she could use her talents however she wanted.

[Dusty Dawson]

The important thing to Dusty, was to gather enough information while her former client was unaware of her suspicions. That required some waiting and some sneaking around. As the two stood in the empty shop, Iphigenia struck up some small talk.

"Always heard how nice things were, up here..." she grinned, "so, it seemed as good a place as any to move to. I was feelin' the need for one o' them changes o' scenery. Get out, see the world an' whatnot. Figured the place ta at least start'd be up here. Set up a little business for m'self, meet some different folks."

There were some other details, of course. But, as open as Dusty was, there were some things that she felt were best left unsaid. Additional motives that just did not fit into casual conversation. A door opening across the street snagged her attention. Out stepped Mr. Rathbone, locking the shop as he left. Dusty watched him carefully as he walked down the street and disappeared from view as he rounded a corner.

"OK, then." she turned to her new partner, "Now's our chance. I'm gonna go over an' get us in. Just keep an' eye out an' make sure nobody's gonna be walkin' by, alright?"

With those instructions, Dusty made her way across the street. It was much darker out and only the street lamps provided any travelers with a means to navigate their way around the district. Dusty reached a hand into her pocket and retrieved the tools needed for a little breaking and entering. Once Iphigenia was providing look-out services, the detective went to work on the lock. It was a fairly simple and didn't take her very long to pop it open.

[iphigenia]

Iphie watched the man as he left the shop. He was much like Dusty had described him, it hardly seemed he was involved in some dark subterfuge. Still, Dusty probably knew what she was doing so Iphie was happy with following orders.

She followed Dusty across to the shop and to the door where she was told to keep watch. Iphie stepped back onto the sidewalk and glanced both ways. There was nobody there that she could see, of course it was dark and full of shadows so she couldn't be sure. She held out her arm, which went from pale to a light pinkish color as blood rushed into it. She focused on the sickness and diseases that inhabited her.

Her body grew hot, and she began to perspire. She allowed the disease to pull away, though still kept it tightly tethered to her arm. It tried to pull away, it lived to infect and it could do nothing to her. It yearned for flesh to inhabit, to possess. Much of it pulled toward Dusty, but there was some that pulled in other directions, mice and small animals that had hidden themselves into nightfall were all desirable hosts. Iphie knew what would happen if any of it got loose so she held it down tightly. It pulled in another direction now, somebody else was coming. They were still a ways a way but the pulling grew stronger as the person came closer. Whoever it was seemed especially attractive to the diseases.

Behind her, she heard the click of the lock. "Quickly, someone's coming." She muttered as she reigned the disease back to her. Her whole arm tingled all the way up to her shoulder. "I think it may be a child but I'm not sure." She stepped back up to the doorway.