Inconvenient Meetings and Disturbing Conversations

I watch as near a half dozen survivors disappear into the shadows of my coat while others back away and flee into the no-mans-land created by some ungodly force. Liam watches warily as strangers vanish, shooting me a concerned look as a few of the less savory characters we've tended choose the refuge of the Barrow rather then brave the hunt by Walker's men. The last fades away and I turn to him, indicating he go first. "I have to close it or it'll just hang here for Walker to follow us." He nods briskly and ducks in. I turn to make sure he's the last and curse my delay; Walker is almost upon me. Gripping the coat by the collar, I prepare to duck into it when a voice etched with power cuts through the wind and updrafts caused by the fires, locking my limbs and numbing my brain.

"DO NOT MOVE."Despite the strength of the voice, the man himself seems quite ordinary; a dapper gentleman in a suit and bowler hat, an umbrella on one arm, he looks like a city gent out for a coffee, save for his eyes; his eyes are cold and hard.
"Well well, Mr. Djhuety," he says pleasently, "I do seem to find you in the most unexpected places."

Through gritted teeth I manage a blunted curse before attempting to answer, "Not my fault you can't keep shit from happening around me." I attempt to straighten, but my muscles refuse to respond.

Walker shakes his head. "Tut tut. Such language from a boy of such good family." He smiles slightly at the look on the younger man's face. "Oh yes, I know about your antecedents. But back to the matter at hand. What do you know about this little untidiness?" he asks, waving a hand to encompass the decimated street.

"Hard to have a civil conversation with your feet, as well shined as they are. As for what I may know, my friends and I discovered the city aflame after conducting a business arrangement; we believe we could help the wounded, so we ventured in."

"Oh yes, your friends. Was the charming miss Na Sruth with you, perhaps? She must be quite good; several people are implying that she seems to have brought them back from the dead. Really quite miraculous." he studies the man in front of him coolly. "And then of course there's that charmingly polite saxon you keep company with. He seems to have a taste for destruction." Walker stares at the surroundings. "But no. None of you have quite this much power. But your names do seem to crop up quite a lot these days, in the Nightside. Can you really change the world with a thought? Or is that just more idle tittle-tattle on the street?"

I bite my tongue to keep from a venomous reply; three deep breaths and I whisper myself straight so I can actually look Walker in the eye. "Not a thought, no."

He smiles very slightly. "Ah. I see. And you really have no idea what might have happened along here? No...annoyed relations coming to town?"

"I have but one blood relation of which I have any knowledge, and I do not believe this is her style." I glance around the smoking ruin and bloodstained streets. I grimace as my eyes take in the sights of Walker's men pulling quartered body parts from three different sets of ruins and start to reassemble them in an unmarred section of road. "Surely you can find someone that actually saw what did this? It couldn't have obliterated all witnesses, could it; not something as powerful as this must have been?"

"You would think so, wouldn't you?" Walker says conversationally, "But apparently that doesn't seem to be the case. In fact, no one I have spoken to yet who is able to speak seems to have any idea whatsoever." Then he glances from the man to the body in the street. "Someone you recognize?"

I shake my head. "I think I recognize the clothing, but without a head, I don't think I could make a positive identification." I shrug on seeing the black clothing trimmed in white. A slight smile plays the corner of my lips as I see a heavy leather bound book clutched in the right hand that one of the goons has rescued from the rubble. "What are they doing with him?"

"Oh," Walker says airily, "We make a point of finding all the body parts before we take bodies to the City Morgue. Otherwise, unpleasant things tend to happen." Then Walker tips his hat. "Well, if you have no more to discuss, I've got a lot of work to do. Good evening."
Just as Djhuety began to turn, Walker called "And say hello to Miss Lilly, will you? I understand she's staying with you these days. Do keep an eye on her; she's not what you think she is." Then he is gone, calling out orders.

I start, then recover, folding my coat over my arm and studying Walker's profile as he walks down among his men, quietly admonishing and directing their activities. One shouts and lifts and all to familiar head from the rubble and Walker flashes a disturbing smile. "That will do it. Wrap it up and get it out of here."

Shaken, I turn from the scene and picking a compass point, wander into the gashed city, in a direction I hope to be away from the carnage.

Twenty minutes later, I stop, leaning heavily against the remains of a large chimney. "Damn my sense of direction." I breath before sinking down the wall into a seated position, my coat draped across my knees. Reaching through the exhaustion, I look around. Nobody is evident, but my nerves jangle anyway, the ambiance grating on me as I try to dig up what little energy I have left. I try to whisper myself home, to bed, but the words catch in my throat, causing me to grimace.

"Sylus," The word sounds exhausted as I say it, but not withstanding, my friend steps from behind a mot of dust floating in the air, followed by the tawny form of his lover.

"Can't leave you be, can I," He says, rolling his eyes as his companion looks me over. "You have no idea what you've interrupted."

I swat at him. "You didn't have to deal with Walker." Sylus tightens at the name, his wings spreading slightly as he crouches, ready to leap; his eyes narrow and he surveys the ruins. The sphinx slips nimbly up the side of the chimney and gazes out over the scared city.

"Nothing to see... No Walker," She sings down and Sylus relaxes slightly.

Sylus appraises me, "You're spent and I doubt we could drag you, even between the two of us, back to the Barrow." He looks up at the tawny silhouette, back-lit by the moon. "Emma! Could you follow the tree back to the Barrow and get some of his companions?" She spreads her wings and slides noiselessly into the night air, drifting down to Sylus's side.

"I'm jealous," She purrs into his ear, loud enough to insure I hear. "You taught me the branches that support the Nightside well enough, Love. I think I could manage." and she slides back into nothing, leaving me behind with Sylus, who then promptly settles in my lap an closes his eyes, though his ears remain alert. I allow my eyes to close and a moment later, I'm asleep.

I nod. "Right." Reaching out, I take Liam's hand. "I think I can manage this with a little help..." I glance at Lily, holding her dark eyes for just a moment. "We'll be back soon. As soon as we can." Then I glance from Mathias to the sphinx sitting on the table. "Whenever you're ready. You show me the path, m'lady, and Mathias, I'll open the gate but I won't be able to keep it open; you'll have to do that." He nods slowly, thoughtfully. I take a breath. "All right. Let's go."
The lithe body of the sphinx seems to step into the air, and I move quickly to do what I think of as wedging my foot in the door between worlds. The next few minutes are a mess of sparks, language I don't understand, and for some reason the feeling of sunlight through tree leaves, the shifting gold light and shadows I remember from the woods around the River. I keep my eyes tight shut, and keep my focus. *Djhuety. Djhuety.Djhuety*
The scent of forest loam is gone, and smoke and city assails my sense of smell. I open my eyes, holding a hand against my brow to steady the dizzily spinning world. We're in a street, actually more of an alley. And Djhuety is lying slumped against the wall, Sylus in his lap. The sphinx trots over, rubbing up against her beloved. I drop to my knees beside Djhuety. "Hey. Djhuety. Wake up." I lay a hand on his shoulder, and shake him slightly. His eyes open, showing grey behind his glasses. "Hey," I say, smiling, "You well?" Then another wave of dizziness hits, and I have to lean against the wall. Damnu ort, how many people did I heal to get me this weak?!
"You look as bad as I feel." I say, blinking to clear my vision.

Digging my heals, I push back into the wall and sigh. "You know opening those doors drains me... then I had an oh, so very pleasant conversation with Walker who got as good as he gave." I look up and around, "And ended up in the scared backside of the Nightside, dog tired and more emotionally worn then my coat."

I nod. "I noticed." I lean against the wall beside him. "At least Walker let you go...we were beginning to make rescue plans, and I'm quite glad we didn't have to use any of them. What did that creepy bastard have to say anyhow?"

"careful Liv, if he was here his eyes and ears may still be about" I caution them " though it is good you were let out, need a shoulder?"

"Nothing useful," I grumble. "He figured I might know something and seemed a little upset I didn't know any more then he did." I wave Liam away and climb to standing position, draping my coat over my shoulders.

I snort. "Trust him not to give anything away." I stand, putting one hand against the wall to steady myself. "Come on. Let's get home."

"Why on earth would we want to do that." I say, rolling my eyes. "It's not like this isn't homey."

I shoot him a look. "Your sense of humor leaves something to be desired when you're tired, you know....let's get out of here."

"shall we be on our way then?" tapping the spear lightly " you are both to zonked to do magic and well catbird and tawny i think want to get back to their alone time so shall we walk, and see if we stumble on in the nine realms happened?" looking at their weary expressions "if we need when we find a payphone i will call for one of the carriages ok?"

"After what happened the last time we rode in a carriage?" I say, raising a brow. "I'll walk."
The destruction goes on for another two blocks, and after that three blocks of shops are shuttered and dark. In the Nightside, that's a really bad sign.
Mathias's eyes are darting back and forth as we walk back into the living part of the city, passing a long-pig shop, a few bars and dance studios, a body-switching studio, motto 'just let it all hang out', and a tattoo parlor where a troll is getting designs carved into its rock-like skin. I watch his eyes grow bigger and bigger. Liam stops for a moment to stare into a weapons-shop window, and I poke him. "You don't need that; just borrow something of Ignacy's." I'm finally beginning to recover, feeling less worn and more or less clear-headed again. But there's not a lot to think about; all there is is the picture of the destroyed street, sitting like a rock in the middle of the current of my thoughts. I don't understand it. I don't know if I even can.
I watch Mathias's eyes widen at the frankly pornographic movie posters. "Get used to it lad; that's normal in the Nightside."

I shoot Liv a dirty look after she prods me away from the weapons shop, holding my tongue. Along our progress Mathias seems to be oogling posters that no longer faze most people. Chuckling at him causes me to begin paying attention to the up coming movies, one catching my eye. it looks like some god awful Pirate movie, "hey, I remember posing for that" pointing at the image of the zombie pirate with a small feathered serpent curled around his shoulder with it's wings splayed behind him "that little bugger was fun but if i hadn't been dead he would have killed me"