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[soft_focus]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, CCC-REDHORSE. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 134.64.202.69 *** CCC-REDHORSE has joined 134.64.202.69 <CCC-REDHORSE> This is Reira Akaba! <CCC-REDHORSE>I'll try to answer you but sometimes I'm busy or sleeping, so I don't think about the message right away.

Comments

[soft_focus]

Okay! And thank you.

[The address is given- along with times when she'll be 'free'. He gets to pick one and send that back, but the point is they'll be meeting at a cafe at some point.]

[evilopportunityemployer]

You are very welcome.

[There's no sincerity at all in it, but that's not noticeable over text. Black Hat replies back with the earliest date possible - no time like the present to begin.]

[EVENTUALLY...]

[soft_focus]

[Eventually, it's time for that meeting. Reira will be there, and punctual for that matter- all six foot of kelpie kid, with some kind of cold drink to pass the time. It occurs to her she has no idea what Black Hat looks like.

Bugger.]

[evilopportunityemployer]

[Fortunately, Black Hat isn't hard to pick out in a crowd. Tall, gray-skinned, and inhumanly-faced - even without the elegantly folded wings and the slender tail swishing gently, the hat alone gives him away.

Black Hat arrives a few minutes after the scheduled time - late, but in a socially acceptable manner, and not because he hasn't quite mastered the layout of Bavan yet. And it certainly helps that the cafe population is mostly human - any monster would stick out like a sore thumb.

He's actually caught a bit off-guard by how young the girl is, despite her height. It gives him the briefest of pauses; not out of any guilt for bringing a child into this scheme, mind, but from wondering if she is up to snuff. But shortly he's sweeping over to the kelpie. Children have a unique capacity for cruelty, he's found.]

Reira, I presume?

[The accented, harsh rasp clashes with his gentlemanly appearance.]

[soft_focus]

[Oh- He's noticable indeed. But the hat. The hat is the clearest part, and Reira nods as he approaches.] Right, [she answers, partly falling to old mannerisms from home as the other approaches. She does, for the sake of being polite at least, stand up to offer a hand.] Black Hat?

<BlackHat>

[evilopportunityemployer]

The one and only. [Black Hat gives his hat an ever so slight tip, not enough to reveal anything beneath it, and takes Reira’s hand in a grip that’s ever so slightly tight. This is a business meeting, as far as he’s concerned, and he’ll be treating it as such.

He takes a seat across from Reira, not bothering to order a drink. With the initial pleasantries dispensed with, he begins.]

I’d prefer to cut straight to the matter at hand. If you would…? [Black Hat gestures at the bustling cafe around them. These humans don’t need to be privy to their conversation, after all.]

[soft_focus]

I'm already doing it, [Reira answers proudly, taking her seat.] Watch-

[For proof, she gives a shrill whistle- one half of a couple at a nearby table immediately remarks to the other that 'he doesn't need to be so loud,' in reply...not once looking in their direction.] No one can hear us now.

It's good to meet you. ...So, where do we start? [They're straight to business sure, but she Is new to it.]

[evilopportunityemployer]

[The demonstration satisfies Black Hat. Adjusting his wings for a bit more comfort (and to slightly inconvenience the man behind him - any and all grumbles will be ignored), Black Hat proceeds with this little meeting.]

With the phylactery. [Black Hat leans forward and steeples his fingers in front of him.]

Obviously any lich who values their 'life' won't keep their phylactery on them. That's begging for trouble. Keep it stashed away, where no one can find it.

[And now he smiles. There's always an edge of danger to his smiles.]

But we don't need to find his hidey hole. We just need to find Aunamee - at the right time.

[He raises his eyebrow - he wants to see if Reira can follow.]

[soft_focus]

[Reira nods, but for a moment squints. Not at the smile- she's known others to smile similarly. A smile lile this if anything is good. It's forward. It TELLS someone the other is a threat.

But that is not the point. The phylactry. She knows it would be hidden. She also knows Black Hat is not likely a fool- he mentions it for a reason. Which means...] ...He needs it for something, doesn't he? ...He would have to take it with him for that- and then be vulnerable.

[evilopportunityemployer]

[So she can follow. Black Hat doesn't always have the delight of dealing with a person who has half a brain cell to think with. It does also mean he'll be more cautious to not let anything slip that he doesn't want out there. His smile stretches wider.]

He can't eat without it. He needs it to feed - find out when he feeds next, follow him, and catch him by surprise.

[Black Hat drums his fingers on the table.]

This is where you come in. I haven't been here long enough to know the man. But you... you seem quite familiar with him. [On account of, you know, him murdering you.] What kind of man is Aunamee?

[People fall into patterns without even realizing it. Knowing the quirks of a man's personality can help pinpoint his behaviors.]

[soft_focus]

Hmmm... I don't know him That well...

But he likes his 'image'. Or...he likes to look 'right' at least. He's a coward like that- when he killed me, he said Sorry. He didn't mean that he was sorry- he definitely wanted to do what he was doing, and wanted me to hurt. But even though no one there would believe otherwise...or even I guess be upset with him about it, he pretended that he had no choice and didn't want to do it.

I guess that means he won't eat in public though... [she mutters, furrowing her brows in thought.] ...I hate people who lie like that though...

[Just admit you like killing things, it's easier!]

[evilopportunityemployer]

[Reira's painting a picture of a man that, in another situation, Black Hat would be courting to sell to, one he'd throw his considerable support behind in any endeavors. It's almost a shame, really. As it stands he's only useful as a tool in a larger plot.

None of this crosses Black Hat's face as Reira speaks, though. No, she doesn't need to know about it at all.]

And with a mask like that he'd stick out like a sore thumb. [Not going to make it easy, are we, Aunamee? Black Hat likes a challenge.] We'll have to do some digging. No one's perfect [Except Black Hat] so he'll have left a tell of some sort. A too-perfect kidnapping, with no traces.

[He's musing out loud a bit. It might take time to find that, but they're not necessarily on a timeline at the moment.

And he certainly notes that little quip about lies. Especially how it's about direct lies.]

[soft_focus]

[Reira nods- albeit a bit slowly at points until the meaning of certain tones and words sinks in- but she's following along at least and that's important.] ...It'd be a lot easier if humans used the network...I can look through that with my head, so I'd have been able to see if anyone was worried about someone missing. But I guess the radios and news papers are the best idea there...

....He might not eat in Bavan though. There's also Vandare. ...Or the side that lets monsters in at least. Only half of Vandare lets monsters in. [A cool challenge for Black Hat later, maybe, but hey.]