Continuation

[Argus Steele]

Giving a little laugh at his enthusiam for the food, she took a sip from her drink, turned toward the black computer that he indicated. And tried to ignore that her cheeks suddenly felt a little warm...

Ask the computer, or ask Amber? Eve dropped down into the wheeled chair casually, taking her time in putting her cup aside. All deliberate; in truth, she'd wanted to bolt toward the machine before he'd even finished what he was saying. The possibility that she might find some kind of answers as to what might have gone on was exciting - that was, *if* anything had happened. More than once she'd given a little thought to the idea that perhaps she'd simply been trying to break free from the illusion the entire time...but if that was so, why did she feel as she did? That oddly delicate feeling was what frustrated her most of all...

For the moment, she'd keep it to herself and go with the computer alone. She had to promise herself that she'd actually ask one of the other three about it, if she couldn't actually find something...even though she'd probably scour everything she could get hold of until she'd exhausted every resource first.

It was a strangely personal thing, and she had a near-instinctive fear now of telling those around her that something seemed to be different; growing up like she did could probably do that to a person.

Tick-tick-tick...She tried to keep her fingertips quiet on the keys, realizing Steele was still at work in the room on something else. Bits of his murmured monologue filtered over to her though, occasionally making her pause to simply listen. 'The Bridge?' Was he talking about....? Leaving off with her search, Eve half-turned in her chair to look back at him, poised to ask what he was up to before hesitation kicked in...and he started to talk again. Quietly, just watching, listening, she spun the rest of the way around to face him and sat still. Had he forgotten she was there....? If he had...good. Eve was getting the feeling that Steele wouldn't have been saying what he was if he'd remembered.

A cold feeling was setting in, the more she heard. Not her body's reaction to something unusual, but a cool fear that made the skin on her arms prickle briefly. Running her left hand along her right forearm, she raised a brow in return to Steele. "Thank you for reminding him, Amber. I think he has a tendency to forget I'm here sometimes..." Granted, she wanted to know, but having someone either forget her or talk about her as though she wasn't there entirely was more than a bit annoying. Reminded her too much of those Stonebridge days...

Eve leaned forward in the chair, resting her elbows on her knees, head bowed for a moment and the heels of her hands pressed against her head as if trying to stifle a headache. An unusual posture for her. "Okay...you've rambled on this much with me here. You might as well come out with what ever else you know - or whatever you *think* you know where I'm concerned. I don't want to be in the dark on this."

"But let me guess - from the frying pan and into the fire?"

[Argus Steele]

Argus would continue to sit there for several more silent moments, just looking into the eyes of one Eve Nora Lizt, as if he was looking for ... Something. His lips would twitch before nodding at her, scooting/sliding his chair over to allow her a better view of what he had been looking over.

"You're more like the rod for the lightning to strike, frail. As I was saying, it may be possible that you may have already been marked, and they were coming to get you that ...Heh, *eve* at the coffee shop. I guess it pays to be at the right place at the right time." Nodding slowly once again, before turning his focus back to the computer monitor.

"Jared's better at the whole conspiracy thing, and his take would be that some folks like yourself are kept in places like Stonebridge to monitor and keep tabs on you, as well try those new age drugs to see what works and what does not. Y'know, like the thing about our government knows about UFOs, and the area 51 thing?"

His smirk would return right then, with her now being directly involved in the conversation, there was plenty of direct eye contact, since Argus was talking to her, not at her.

Rather than getting up, she simply rolled across the room in the other chair, and after a glance at him, looked to the monitor. "So you think the two that popped up in the shop that day might have already known who I was, instead of just a shot in the dark?" Fingertips tapped the arms of the chair, the only movement to betray any apprehension. "...And Stonebridge could essentially be a big guinea pig pen, which doesn't really surprise me somehow."

Not given the nature of the things that went on there. Gaze flickered from the monitor to him, a brow rising slightly. "You think they were already watching me?" A little shrug, and tip of her head. "...Or got hold of my file, like you did? Fifty/fifty shot, right?" It was all she could figure; Eve didn't really believe that Dr. Maxwell would have detailed incidents of precognition and second sight in her file. Just labeled them as abnormalities or delusions. ...Then again, she was having to rethink a lot of things these days, so anything seemed possible.


"Daemons don't need files, frail. They can sense you. The wanna be human familiars though? They can get into places where daemons can't. As for your file? Thank Amber on pulling it up. As for your Doctor ?" Nimble fingers were on the keyboard, the screen would change to display a bio on Dr.Maxwell. "This bugger's clean. Legit. Which could mean someone else is pulling this puppet's strings. Bottom line, there's a connection there, just trying to figure out where. My ..... Voiced concern was that we've all but put you out in the open now, and that makes you a bigger target."

Scratching his chin lightly, he stared at the Doctor's bio again, before rubbing his temples. "Shit, this is so X-Files!! Or Dark Angel with Jessica Alba. Hmmm ...."

"Yeah, Doc's legit. Trust me, after all the years of crap he's put me through, I wanted to hunt up something on him, but I came up with nothing." Eve sighed, dropped her head back momentarily to look at the ceiling. "...You know he'd been 'treating' me since I was a kid? I even knew him before that. 'Friend of the family.' Bastard." Wasn't often that she used profanity, but that made her thoughts on him pretty clear. A deep breath and she raised her head again, lips pursing a little as she eyed the screen. Just letting it all roll around in her head.

"If I was being watched before, I think I'm better off here. At least I'm around people that have some clue what's going on, because I really don't." A little frustrated, a little annoyed that normalcy seemed to evade her. Ah, life. But still, she had to smile a little at him. "...If I didn't know better, I'd almost think you were enjoying this." Okay, maybe that came out wrong..."Having another puzzle to solve, I mean."

-As much as I *hate* to ruin such a tender moment between you two, I was able to ... *look* into camera archives of the bookstore before it burned down ... I'm sending the images to you now.-

The image of Eve's doctor would be replaced by several featuring Mortimus along with a certain pair ...

-Is this where I go ... dun dun duuuuuuuuuun!!!-

"Amber, you oh so rock!! Give the Pirate a copy of this to, okay?" Looking back at Eve, that mischievous grin remained. "Guess that explains why ol' Morty was so taken by you. (m) Even Daemons have good taste, eh? Hey Amber ..."

-Already on it Tommy. Researching background checks on all three. Like a virtual needle in the haystack, but you know how this girl loves a challenge. Almost as much as Nora. Having another puzzle to solve I mean.-

"Well, we could admit you." A sweet, innocent smile followed, but dissolved into a playful grin before fading off entirely, replaced by a thoughtful expression. "If it's just getting in...pay a visit to a patient. If you know the way, it's not hard to duck and dodge around the cameras. Funny thing about Stonebridge is that it's an old place, really old. Updates have been made, but there are still flaws in the system, so to speak." A brief nibble of her lower lip, and she blew out a little sigh. "More than that...I don't know, honestly."

-I have an idea. If Nora still does the annual visit to her Doctor, then that's your way inside. I'm think we go with the total honesty card folks. Nora's part of a group that also helps people that had situations like hers. She made it. She can relate. I'm willing to bet the house that Dr. Maxwell would be all a glow that one of his patients is doing so well. Wink. Wink. Nudge. Nudge. This way, if there are familiars there, they won't get anything other than what you two are there for.-

An arch of the eyebrow... "What? Me? I was thinking about Jared going, y'know with his paranoid theories and all."

- Theo, you're perfect. You fought in wars. You've done the whole shrink thing. You're even on record with the military. They check you out, it's all legit. It's nothing more than a simple visit. Nora can even hold your hand if you get all nervous an' stuff. -

Blink, blink. The next thing that came out of her mouth wasn't horribly intelligent, but it was the first thing to strike as she listened to Amber. "...Why are you calling me by my middle name?" Okay, wait...not important. Opening her mouth again, she just sighed at herself and shook her head before pushing onward. "Annual? Try more often than that, sweetie. It was sort of a term of my release. I'm supposed to see him weekly, every two at the most, and..."

Her brows knitted together as she lifted one hand, ticked days off on her fingers, trying to add it up. "...I'm probably overdue. Not sure." A slightly self-deprecating little smile. "Time flies when your life is apparently in danger." A second of quiet, before she put in, "Besides...these guys give you the feeling they're just *looking* for a reason to lock you up. I don't think they'd think Jared was funny or eccentric. They'd want him doped up and in the nearest padded room." ...Not that there were many of them there, but they *had* been free with the restraints.

"Hell frail, I've said that many of times ... (m) As far as getting him doped up and the padded room thing. No, Amber has a point. As much as I hate, dislike and detest it, if you can do it, so can I. And for the record, there will be no hand holding on the job. Hey Amber, can you ..."

-Already on it, Theo. Jared will be ready if you two need him. Or maybe not. Take a look at your screen. Mortimus and those other two have the whole tattoo thing going ... But several of those tats are cult markings, belonging to some exclusive club downtown. -

Argus' eyes narrowed down until he was almost squinting "... I know the place. It's the same club where the frail gave me the invite. Needless to say we set foot in there now? We show up on a milk carton."

-You and Elf go on ahead and do the do. Jared will still back you guys up, and let me call in a marker or two on this one.-

[Argus Steele]

For a serious sister that had been giving Jared some rather dreamy looks when Eve met her 'in person,' Amber had lots of jokes. Eve just gave a little smile and shook her head a little, shrugging the jokes off. She didn't mind the teasing, so long as Amber could take it in return whenever Eve was in the mood. "Let me ask now, instead of before we actually get there. What exactly are we looking for? Just meeting up with Doc for a little witty banter, or...are we looking for something more?"

Reason that she asked? She'd have to work on remembering the layout of the building, the little details. Her usual meetings with Doc weren't at the institution, even though she was sure he'd be ecstatic for her to show up there. And with an off-kilter friend in tow, none-the-less. If he could try and lock not one but *two* people up for his little mental experiments and medication trials..well, that would just make his year, she was sure. "Trying to figure out where we'll be going and the best way to get there." ...Hopefully with avoiding certain areas.

-Nothing more than your basic weekly overdue checkup, right Tommy? After what you've gone through with being in the *area* where the Frat party massacre happened, you'd need to get that out of your system. As for Theo? I'm sure there are some military type shrinks there that he can ... Talk with. Oh, before I forget, I'm downloading the gothic-daemon markings into your phones, *just* incase you need to know what to look for. Now these were only from the three we encountered so, don't go thinking everyone with tats are ... Well, you know.-

"Not a problem, Amber. That it? If so, me and the Elf here need to go over somethings before we do this. And I'll tell Jared you send your love."

-Wait!! I never said ...-

<Click>

Argus would just have the biggest shit eating grin right then, before inhaling and exhaling. "Alright Elf, the Frat party is a possible way to go as well, if you need something to keep the good Doctor busy."

She tried to keep from laughing. She really did. But the smile turned into a grin and just spread from there, until all she could do was shake her head. "...Amber is going to hurt you one of these days..." But it *was* funny, and it was only fair.

After sobering up a bit, her fingers drummed the arm of her chair again. "...The frat party? I don't have to tell him that I actually Saw there, do I? Because then he really will want to lock me up again." ...Not to mention that the only reason she'd gotten out in the first place was by convincing those that gave her an independent evaluation that she'd made some recovery from it. "I mean, I'm willing to go in and tell him what I saw and that I had nightmares off it, but I don't really want to go in and admit to that again. In the least, he'd try to medicate me again."

"Hmmmm. Good point. Y'know Elf, you know this place better than all of us combined .. Not like I'm saying that's a good thing, but you're pretty much in the driver's seat this time. I have complete faith in you." Giving her hand a reassuring squeeze, he glances over her should at the monitor she had been at ... "Did you find what you were looking for?"

Standing from his chair, then taking a long overdue bone cracking stretch, before collecting and depositing the empty styro in the trash.


"Didn't really start looking yet." A roll of her shoulders, and a lean forward, arms outstretched. Really stretching her back and shoulders, working a little of the tension free. And covering the fact that her cheeks seemed to have colored a little suddenly. Not wasting a second longer, she abruptly gave herself a shove with a sneaker-clad foot, rolling back across the room. She rather liked the rolling chairs. "You distracted me, over there talking to yourself."

"Maybe I was talking to myself, or maybe I was talking loud enough to keep you in the loop, like with what Jared and I did before that last job. " He'd wink at her, while placing his computer on inactive status. "Sometimes, when one is not directly in the conversation, you tend to pick up on more what is being said. You've already proved that twice. It's good to not have to be the only subtle eyes and ears of the group any more. But I promise to be direct with you from this point on. As a sign of respect, okay?"

"You know he's going to ask you about your coffee shop job. How it's still going and all that garbage. What are you gonna tell him? And we can't be sportin' the NWI gear on this one. As much as it is the *in* look, can't do it." Arms were folded across his chest, as he watched her with a small smirk. The *I'm studying you for your reaction* wasn't there this time. Just a casual glance.

Turning in the chair to look at him quizzically, Eve seemed to consider that for all of a heartbeat before giggling. "Keeping me in the loop? Come on, Steele. I saw the look on your face. You forgot I was here." A click of her tongue against the roof of her mouth, and one finger raised. "But it's okay, I won't hold it against you." Spinning back to the monitor, the young woman pursed her lips thoughtfully.

"...Yeah, I thought about that. I know how he is, he'll be keeping tabs, just looking for a reason." A wickedly playful grin passed her lips, briefly. "I thought about telling him I quit to shack up with my 'boyfriend' but...eh." A shrug. "He might expect me to tongue you or something to prove it." Alright...even she had to admit that might not have been a bad thing, but she had bigger things to worry about right now. "So I think I'll go with staying with a friend over the financial troubles, and..." Her eyes narrowed a little as she thought about it. "...I haven't quite decided what I'm going to say about the shop yet." Tap-tap of her fingertips against the keys, but not hard enough to type anything in. Yet.

"You mean ... This look?" "Suddenly getting that *oh shit I've been caught * expression, morphing between that and his normal expression several times to prove a point, before motioning over to the monitors that were either side of him that granted they were off, they still offered a view of what was around him, including a certain female that had been sitting off to the side behind him. "Not buying that, are you? Walking over to her, bending down to where direct eye contact was made, placing both hands on either side of the arm rest of the chair, and keeping a most serious expression ...

"Tongue me? Ms. Eve N. Lizt, I do not know what the others have said about me, I may be many things, but *easy* I am *not!*" That stare would not waver, until one hand suddenly flew up and messed with the front of her head, until her hair was a bit ... mussed up. "Not until the second date anyways." And with that, he marched right on out of the media room, leaving Eve to her own thoughts.

That was just...annoying. A squeak and shake of her head to try and throw some of the strands out of her face, and she called after him, "Never said it would be, and I'd want a painkiller afterwards!" Alright, maybe not really, but she had to come back with something. A snicker, then pulling the ponytail holder from the back of her hair, she gave it another shake and turned back to the monitor. Maybe she could actually run that search now...