Caio stifles a laugh at Ling's blunder, followed by a raised eyebrow at Alaris' improvised fix for the hole they carved into the fence. He still stays silent though, looking like he can't wait for this foray to be over.
Nikolai watches Matvey very carefully. "Were you unaware of the coins found near the bodies?" He asks, intentionally allowing his skepticism to show briefly. "That alone speaks of Underworlders. Or mundanes trying to frame Underworlders. That seems preposterous to me, though."
Ling is slightly embarrassed and kicks at the fence in frustration. "Let's get out of here. I can't think of any way to get into those computers without a password. Breaking into the evidence storage area will for sure cause a massive fuss and we already have a picture of the coins, so I doubt we'd find anything more useful." She walks back upstairs and goes to check the entrance, trying to see if it's safe to sneak back out.
Nikolai gives Matvey a dubious glance. "Even when the calling card is an image of Mammon? Come now, Matvey. Surely you cannot be so dense as to not see the signs? If you know something, please share it with me. I know the fey are involved with this somehow. They have already waylaid me once, much to their chagrin." 'I must be careful. Too much poking of this bear could backfire. I must know, though...'
Ling is slightly embarrassed and kicks at the fence in frustration. "Let's get out of here. I can't think of any way to get into those computers without a password. Breaking into the evidence storage area will for sure cause a massive fuss and we already have a picture of the coins, so I doubt we'd find anything more useful." She walks back upstairs and goes to check the entrance, trying to see if it's safe to sneak back out.
"Maybe you should try and use your... other assets..." Alaris murmurs with a twinkle in their eye as the pair climb the steps together.
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Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid,Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions! I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
"You think that face is a demon? Come now, Nikolai, mortals have wild imaginations. That little carving barely has enough detail to be anything specific. I really haven't seen any signs that this is more than an eccentric mundane criminal. I'm sorry I'm unable to help you, but I wish you good luck with your investigation."
Ling grins mischievously, "I think you might be right."
Once outside, Ling examines the different police officers milling about near the station's entrance. She takes her time, until she spots a clear geek: square galsses, mop of unkept hair, eyes glued to his phone while his colleagues are chatting a little further away. Deactivating her glamour rune, she becomes visible to the mundane world as she steps out from the shadow and walks towards him. He doesn't look up until she is right in front of him and his expression is one of shock. Yes, that's right, I am talking to you! It's your lucky day! Ling flashes him her best megawatt smile and says: "Uuuhm excuse me, detective? I have been reading about those murders, you know, that bookdealer couple? Kuznetsov? Anyway, it's obviously really worrying to think that a murderer is running around and I would feel a lot better if I knew what neighbourhood to avoid." She leans forward conspiratorially, her face a perfect mask of concern: "Could you tell me where they lived, so I can avoid that area until you catch him? Which I'm sure you will soon!"
"Uhm, sorry," the poor young man stammers, turning to Ling, his policeman's uniform now clearly visible.
"I think you must have me confused with somebody else. I'm not a detective, and we're really not supposed to talk about what's going on over in Krasnogvardeysky District, uhm, I mean..."
Nikolai shrugs in defeat. "You'd know more about this than me, I suppose. Thank you for your time, Matvey. Good luck in catching these criminals." He shakes the offered hand and departs the office, his mind reeling at the implications. 'If the Bastards have someone on the inside, that will complicate matters entirely.'
Ling winks at him, "You look like a detective, my bad! I don't want to get you in trouble, of course... have a nice day!" She saunters off, leaving the young police officer with his mouth wide open, probably wondering what just happened. After Ling has turned a corner, she activates her invisibility rune again and grins at the others: "Krasnogvardeysky District!" When Nikolai rejoins them, she asks him: "So, anything useful from the warlock?"
When Nikolai joins the others, his brow his furrowed and he looks troubled. When Ling questions him he shakes his head and jerks it towards the street. 'Not here.' he mouths as he starts making his way outside. He remains silent until he and the Shadowhunters were far enough away from the police station he felt they could not not be heard from within by non-magical means. "This is bad. I'm pretty sure that detective, Matvey is his name, might be one of the Bastards or is working to cover for them. He was trying very hard to convince me that these murders are being carried out by mundanes that don't seem to know that their calling cards containing the image of a Greater Demon. We must be careful."
Ling is quiet until they reach the underground platform, thinking things through. As they wait for the train to Krasnogvardeysky, she says: "If the bastards are trying to cover up any connection between the shadow world and these murders, then they could be behind them. Nikolai, what can you tell us about that district? I think there are quite a few warlocks who live there, right?"
When the train pulls in, Ling gets on and plops herself down on an empty seat. She stares at the cheap linoleum flooring. I need to figure out how to get away unseen this evening...
Nikolai nods distractedly. “Yeah, several live in the north section with some werewolves taking residency to the southern end. They haven’t gotten along much, but especially recently there has been more tension than usual. I cannot imagine why.” The dryness of his words and the sardonic slant to his lips betray his sarcasm. “I say we start with the wolves.”
Caio remains standing but leans lazily against a metal pole. "Sounds good to me; at least we have some clout with them. Ultimately I feel like we are just going to have to go to the cemetery though. Whether or not we know exactly what they're plotting, we know we have to stop it and we know where they are so," he throws a hand in the air in exasperation. But then a light bulb seems to go off above his head. "Or, we could lure them out. They're after books right?" he turns to Nikolai with a grin. "You have a whole a stash of esoteric literature. Maybe we could set a trap."
Nikolai turns and gives Caio a very weary look at the mention of using his books as bait. "...there's some merit to that choice..." clearly he's choosing his words carefully. "But perhaps we could exhaust some other avenues first. Some of those tomes I spent more years searching for than you've been alive, young man."
"I'm with Nikolai, of course." Ling winks. "Let's start with the wolves. I'm starving anyway, we could grab some lunch and see if any of them can tell us where that book dealer's house is. They tend to get more talkative when they're eating. But if we don't have something by tonight... maybe we can at least scope out the cemetery tomorrow. Not get too close, but just take a peek. We could look at a map this evening and plan, so we won't be detected in case they've really set up camp there." And that will leave me enough time to get away tonight.
Ling's stomach is rumbling loudly by the time they emerge from the underground station and she drags the group into the first eatery they come across. It's a small chain bakery, but busy with customers having a late lunch. Ling grabs some food and then looks around for any downworlders, but cannot see anyone but mundanes. A group of young students stands out to her and between impatience and hunger, she quickly decides to ask them for directions. Sitting herself down in the booth next to them, she leans over and asks: "You guys from around here? I've read about those murders and my friends and I want to check out the scene. Any chance you know where we need to go? I hear it's like a haunted house!" She takes a bite of her pasty, as if she's simply another young girl keen to take a look at a creepy, mysterious location.
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Caio stifles a laugh at Ling's blunder, followed by a raised eyebrow at Alaris' improvised fix for the hole they carved into the fence. He still stays silent though, looking like he can't wait for this foray to be over.
Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - Vark Galestone | Half-Orc | Storm Sorcerer
Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - Caio Cypherien | Shadar-Kai | Inquisitor Ranger
Nikolai watches Matvey very carefully. "Were you unaware of the coins found near the bodies?" He asks, intentionally allowing his skepticism to show briefly. "That alone speaks of Underworlders. Or mundanes trying to frame Underworlders. That seems preposterous to me, though."
Valaith "Rimehand" Kalukavi - Chronicles of Arden
Matvey waves a hand dismissively.
"Mundane criminals leave calling cards all the time. A wooden coin is unusual, but hardly firm evidence of downworlder involvement."
He looks at his watch.
"Is there anything else? I have an appointment to keep."
The Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - DM for Aiden, Bründir, Jex, Thurston, Valaith and Vark
The Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - DM for Alaris, Astrid, Caio and Shiva
Ling is slightly embarrassed and kicks at the fence in frustration. "Let's get out of here. I can't think of any way to get into those computers without a password. Breaking into the evidence storage area will for sure cause a massive fuss and we already have a picture of the coins, so I doubt we'd find anything more useful." She walks back upstairs and goes to check the entrance, trying to see if it's safe to sneak back out.
Nikolai gives Matvey a dubious glance. "Even when the calling card is an image of Mammon? Come now, Matvey. Surely you cannot be so dense as to not see the signs? If you know something, please share it with me. I know the fey are involved with this somehow. They have already waylaid me once, much to their chagrin." 'I must be careful. Too much poking of this bear could backfire. I must know, though...'
Valaith "Rimehand" Kalukavi - Chronicles of Arden
"Maybe you should try and use your... other assets..." Alaris murmurs with a twinkle in their eye as the pair climb the steps together.
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid, Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck
Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions!
I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
Matvey raises an eyebrow.
"You think that face is a demon? Come now, Nikolai, mortals have wild imaginations. That little carving barely has enough detail to be anything specific. I really haven't seen any signs that this is more than an eccentric mundane criminal. I'm sorry I'm unable to help you, but I wish you good luck with your investigation."
He holds out a hand to shake in farewell.
The Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - DM for Aiden, Bründir, Jex, Thurston, Valaith and Vark
The Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - DM for Alaris, Astrid, Caio and Shiva
Ling grins mischievously, "I think you might be right."
Once outside, Ling examines the different police officers milling about near the station's entrance. She takes her time, until she spots a clear geek: square galsses, mop of unkept hair, eyes glued to his phone while his colleagues are chatting a little further away. Deactivating her glamour rune, she becomes visible to the mundane world as she steps out from the shadow and walks towards him. He doesn't look up until she is right in front of him and his expression is one of shock. Yes, that's right, I am talking to you! It's your lucky day! Ling flashes him her best megawatt smile and says: "Uuuhm excuse me, detective? I have been reading about those murders, you know, that bookdealer couple? Kuznetsov? Anyway, it's obviously really worrying to think that a murderer is running around and I would feel a lot better if I knew what neighbourhood to avoid." She leans forward conspiratorially, her face a perfect mask of concern: "Could you tell me where they lived, so I can avoid that area until you catch him? Which I'm sure you will soon!"
"Uhm, sorry," the poor young man stammers, turning to Ling, his policeman's uniform now clearly visible.
"I think you must have me confused with somebody else. I'm not a detective, and we're really not supposed to talk about what's going on over in Krasnogvardeysky District, uhm, I mean..."
He sweats as he stumbles over his words.
The Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - DM for Aiden, Bründir, Jex, Thurston, Valaith and Vark
The Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - DM for Alaris, Astrid, Caio and Shiva
Nikolai shrugs in defeat. "You'd know more about this than me, I suppose. Thank you for your time, Matvey. Good luck in catching these criminals." He shakes the offered hand and departs the office, his mind reeling at the implications. 'If the Bastards have someone on the inside, that will complicate matters entirely.'
Valaith "Rimehand" Kalukavi - Chronicles of Arden
Ling winks at him, "You look like a detective, my bad! I don't want to get you in trouble, of course... have a nice day!" She saunters off, leaving the young police officer with his mouth wide open, probably wondering what just happened. After Ling has turned a corner, she activates her invisibility rune again and grins at the others: "Krasnogvardeysky District!" When Nikolai rejoins them, she asks him: "So, anything useful from the warlock?"
When Nikolai joins the others, his brow his furrowed and he looks troubled. When Ling questions him he shakes his head and jerks it towards the street. 'Not here.' he mouths as he starts making his way outside. He remains silent until he and the Shadowhunters were far enough away from the police station he felt they could not not be heard from within by non-magical means. "This is bad. I'm pretty sure that detective, Matvey is his name, might be one of the Bastards or is working to cover for them. He was trying very hard to convince me that these murders are being carried out by mundanes that don't seem to know that their calling cards containing the image of a Greater Demon. We must be careful."
Valaith "Rimehand" Kalukavi - Chronicles of Arden
"Well at least we got something after all of that. To Krasnogvardeysky then?" Caio says as he's already stepping back in the direction of the train.
Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - Vark Galestone | Half-Orc | Storm Sorcerer
Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - Caio Cypherien | Shadar-Kai | Inquisitor Ranger
Ling is quiet until they reach the underground platform, thinking things through. As they wait for the train to Krasnogvardeysky, she says: "If the bastards are trying to cover up any connection between the shadow world and these murders, then they could be behind them. Nikolai, what can you tell us about that district? I think there are quite a few warlocks who live there, right?"
When the train pulls in, Ling gets on and plops herself down on an empty seat. She stares at the cheap linoleum flooring. I need to figure out how to get away unseen this evening...
Nikolai nods distractedly. “Yeah, several live in the north section with some werewolves taking residency to the southern end. They haven’t gotten along much, but especially recently there has been more tension than usual. I cannot imagine why.” The dryness of his words and the sardonic slant to his lips betray his sarcasm. “I say we start with the wolves.”
Valaith "Rimehand" Kalukavi - Chronicles of Arden
Caio remains standing but leans lazily against a metal pole. "Sounds good to me; at least we have some clout with them. Ultimately I feel like we are just going to have to go to the cemetery though. Whether or not we know exactly what they're plotting, we know we have to stop it and we know where they are so," he throws a hand in the air in exasperation. But then a light bulb seems to go off above his head. "Or, we could lure them out. They're after books right?" he turns to Nikolai with a grin. "You have a whole a stash of esoteric literature. Maybe we could set a trap."
Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - Vark Galestone | Half-Orc | Storm Sorcerer
Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - Caio Cypherien | Shadar-Kai | Inquisitor Ranger
Nikolai turns and gives Caio a very weary look at the mention of using his books as bait. "...there's some merit to that choice..." clearly he's choosing his words carefully. "But perhaps we could exhaust some other avenues first. Some of those tomes I spent more years searching for than you've been alive, young man."
Valaith "Rimehand" Kalukavi - Chronicles of Arden
"I'm with Nikolai, of course." Ling winks. "Let's start with the wolves. I'm starving anyway, we could grab some lunch and see if any of them can tell us where that book dealer's house is. They tend to get more talkative when they're eating. But if we don't have something by tonight... maybe we can at least scope out the cemetery tomorrow. Not get too close, but just take a peek. We could look at a map this evening and plan, so we won't be detected in case they've really set up camp there." And that will leave me enough time to get away tonight.
A couple of hours later the group have arrived in Krasnogvardeysky district. It's almost two in the afternoon and they are getting hungry.
The Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - DM for Aiden, Bründir, Jex, Thurston, Valaith and Vark
The Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - DM for Alaris, Astrid, Caio and Shiva
Ling's stomach is rumbling loudly by the time they emerge from the underground station and she drags the group into the first eatery they come across. It's a small chain bakery, but busy with customers having a late lunch. Ling grabs some food and then looks around for any downworlders, but cannot see anyone but mundanes. A group of young students stands out to her and between impatience and hunger, she quickly decides to ask them for directions. Sitting herself down in the booth next to them, she leans over and asks: "You guys from around here? I've read about those murders and my friends and I want to check out the scene. Any chance you know where we need to go? I hear it's like a haunted house!" She takes a bite of her pasty, as if she's simply another young girl keen to take a look at a creepy, mysterious location.