The first time she found Lydia, the woman was in Colorado Springs, talking to some cops. Grace decided to leave her be, because she wasn't bleeding in the street or something horrible, and it was so definitely naptime. Sleep is important, sometimes. When you remember, and all.
The day after next, when her sleep schedule has been repaired, is when she decides to head out again, Chloe IV underneath the driver's side, on a small road trip.
We're going to Colorado Springs to chase down a newb. Or, at least, get close enough to help her out if needed.
First things first, though, she pulls out the bit of tape with Lydia's hair stuck to it. Got to find the newb again, right? Right.
Hair that used to be on her head. Hair that has a connection to her, that carries her DNA. It's just the thing that Grace needs to forge a link to this specific person she's never met.
[Corr 2, Life 1: Track this person! Diff = 5 -1 (Personalized instrument) -1 (taking time)]
Dice: 3 d10 TN3 (4, 4, 10) ( success x 3 )
flux
Grace doesn't have too much problem finding the young lady. She finds her outside of an apartment building. The apartment building itself seems to be a hazy location, difficult to really scry but it would appear that Lydia is far enough outside of the location that she's still findable.
She seems to be headed away from the apartment at that particular moment.
Grace
Apartment with wards, eh? Okay. They could be Trads. Or Disparates. Grace sighs. Okay, time to go meet the woman you've been stalking. No nerves, now.
She starts the car and heads out of the dentist's parking lot that had been her temporary hideout.
She's got Cheetos and canned espresso for the ride (because its suuuch a long trip). Let's do this.
flux
Oh god, and it is a drive. Colorado Springs is an hour and some change away, but with the sheer volume of morons that one has to deal with at any given time it feels like it's an eternity when you are driving. Worse than Missouri (and there's a reason that Missouri sounds a lot like the wordmisery.)
But, soon enough, Grace is able to get to the apartment complex and follow along with her little tracking knowledge to find the young woman that she has ever-so-gracefully been stalking.
Or, well, about where she is. When she gets to the location, she has to really focus. She's looking for Lydia, knows she's at the pool, but Grace no doubt overlooks the sunbather a couple times (despite the fact that she is the only one there). Like the girl is a blip in her memory, like the conversation they are about to have is going to be one that she has to really hold onto.
Grace
Arcane meet Arcane, eh? Grace doesn't want to be found out too often either. She knows how it goes. Still, it's annoying being on the opposite end, isn't it?
Grace isn't dressed like a pool-goer. Dark jeans and a blue jacket zipped up almost to her neck complete her ensemble today. That and a wild mop of hair she hasn't brushed.
She sits down on one of the pool chairs next to Lydia, clears her throat, and says "Hi. Sasha is looking for you."
flux
Grace clears her throat, and it does seem to be enough to get Lydia's attention. She pulls her sunglasses down, looks at her and it takes her a minute before she finally seems to register what the lady just said.
And she is immediately on her feet and trying to make a break for the gate. "ANGELA!"
Grace
"Wait! I'm here to help!"
Fuck it. Grace gets to her feet, pulls her phone out of her pocket.
Tries to make a run for it...
flux
It's a mess out here, ladies and gentlemen. Not a lot of people are home, a chick in a swimsuit is making a break for the gate. Grace is making a break for the gate, and from a nearby apartment, there is a lean Hispanic woman making a break out of her front door.
She's built like someone who has done more than a couple foot chases in her life, runs like she is most alive when she is running. Feels determined, more than anything. What detracts from her general aire of authority and strength is the fact that she has run out in a pair of My little Pony pajama pants and a tee shirt that is three sizes too big for her.
Grace
Run, Grace, away from the women who have gotten the wrong idea. Not hard to see why, in hindsight, but you know...
"Please, I'm not here to hurt you! I know it looks bad, I can explain!"
flux
[Angela- vault!]
Dice: 6 d10 TN6 (2, 3, 3, 4, 6, 7) ( success x 2 )
flux
The older woman jumped the fence, and while it wasn't graceful it was very clear at that juncture that Grace was in a situation that was about to go from bad to worse. Once she's cleared the gate, though, the Hispanic woman stopped.
Regarded Grace for a minute, and tilted her head to the side before something like recognition dawned on her. She nodded.
"... c'mon, let's go talk. You can explain, I can make tea."
Grace
Grace breathes for a second, because she wasn't quite ready to go sprinting today. Angela, she presumes, isn't ready to tackle her anymore, and that's a good sign.
She nods. "Tea. Tea is good. Okay."
Her phone goes back in her pocket, and raises her hands in a bit of a mock gesture of goodwill.
Please don't shove my head into the pavement, lady.
flux
Lydia makes her way through the gatequickly, and seems keen on keeping Angela between herself and Grace. She hadn't come out with anything at that juncture.
Angela walks at a pace that is leisurely towards an apartment whose door is sitting wide open. "So, where are you from?"
Her tone is conversational, and she waits until everyone is inside of the apartment before she shuts the door.
The place isn't terribly big- it's a one bedroom with a small kitchen and a dining room that seems to act as part dining room and part pantry. What should be the pantry has the door open- it looks like a small library/shrine. Books where the food goes, and a rather ornate set up with flowers and offering bowls and candles and an altar table set out for an effigy of a skeleton in green and gold robes. Cloaked in sunlight with roses at her feet. She looks almost like the Virgin Mary, but one would have to think better of it. The door to the pantry locks from the inside.
"And how do you know my guest?"
Grace
"Denver," she offers, when the question comes up. Grace walks along with them, because the only other option is to flee and let this thread of a mystery hang.
It does let some of the tension out of her shoulders though, when she sees that shrine. Okay, definitely not 'Crats.
"The name's Grace. I'm with the Mercurial Elite. And I know your guest, because I found her boyfriend trying to find her via a hack."
flux
The mention of Denver makes Angela's eyebrows knit together. Her mouth press into a line. She continues on with the heating of water and the brewing of tea, because they were going to have tea and this was going to be a conversation. Grace says she is with the Mercurial Elite.
"Angela Avella, Chakravanti," she offers. Takes another look at Lydia and seems to contemplate how to progress forward.
"What's a Mercurial Elite?" Lydia asks, cocks her head to the side and takes a seat on the couch.
"Reality coders," Angela replies, "what turned you on to Ms. Zharkova's case, Grace?"
She handles these matters like a police officer would. In fact, when her face isn't obscured by distance, it's clear that she is one of the women from the greasy spoon she'd seen when she was scrying.
flux
[Lydia, WP: totally not freaking out over that[
Dice: 4 d10 TN6 (1, 1, 8, 8) ( success x 2 )
flux
"Did you get anything about a location?" Angela asked, seeming to pass voer her own obvious confusion when she mentions something about the dark net- there are things she has no idea about. The digital world isn't her world.
"I heard something about Montana?" Lydia offered, "it was all really blurry... I was meeting with someone to talk about mission work."
flux
Lydia looks absolutely horrified by what Grace is implying- all soft hearted things are, "who would ever do something like that?"
There is a little more from Grace, how she says she's making sure that Lydia was okay before she proceeded, "but what about Grant? There's still people out there."
This seems to surprise Angela. brows raise, but she is in the process of managing tea, so she lets Grace lead the investigation here.
flux
"He said he used to live in California," she said, "Grant Kherrington. We had a couple meals together and then he went away and I went away. They seemed pretty pissed that he was talking to the girls there."
flux
"What makes you sure he hasn't already?" Angela quirks a brow, "how did he see what happened?"
flux
"If there is a video floating around of someone teleporting into Colorado Springs it needs to get buried or debunked so fast that the Technocracy's collective mirror shaded heads spin. We heard things were going down in Denver, and I do not want them here again."
Again, Angela said. Again, like they've had to deal with the technocracy in Colorado Springs (more times than she'd like).
"You understand, my only source of information right now is you and a girl who has become aware of the magickal world for about a minute. If you can deal with whatever is going on online, we can handle the offline repercussions."
flux
"Given that Denver has proven itself to be more reasonable than it has been in the past, you can expect to hear more and see more collaboration with the city of Colorado Springs," she says. Calm. Collected. Ready, "and if you could make sure this young lady gets paid for the time she's worked, that would be greatly appreciated."
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