undergrounds | Out of the Frying Pan (CLOSED)

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Out of the Frying Pan (CLOSED)

"Scotland Yard continues to search for Ellis Harvey, the seventeen-year-old wanted for questioning regarding the three fires in the Havering borough. The young man was last seen on August 4th, according to his mother. He is likely driving a 2005 blue Audi RS4. He is believed to be armed and dangerous."

"The Night Council seeks to bring Ellis Harvey, a suspected metahuman, to justice for the arson of three buildings in the Havering borough. Citizens are advised to contact Guardians if Ellis is spotted. He is rumoured to have powers connected to fire, which include being able to summon it at will, hot enough to burn blue."

Two reports, ultimately very similar. If Harvey was found by Scotland Yard, there could be no doubt that it would be officers who were also involved with the Night Council. They had their ways, after all.

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Ellis is finally found, holed up in an abandoned warehouse and thoroughly traumatized. Surely he can be talked down and reasoned with to turn himself in to the Night Council and beg for mercy. Or else convinced to leave the country if those who find him are of that frame of mind.

If Clara had to describe the situation, the first word that comes to mind is yikes.

It had been bit of a shock for both that Ellis Harvey had seen her when he was hiding in an alleyway and she had just phased through the wall as a way of a shortcut. It had been bit of a scare for her that he lashed out in fright, fire surging forward at her direction. There are times she's glad she isn't alive as the fire does her no harm, noting morbidly that fire was brilliant blue in colour.

After talking him down and learning of his problems, there's not much Clara can do besides send him off to a warehouse that was located in Richmond while she looks for help here in Hounslow. Hopefully a Redbright Outreach member is nearby or maybe Dr. Morgan is around the corner. She just needs to find someone else to tell this. Anyone will do right about now.

Maera's been all over London lately - sometimes in more dangerous locations than others. Hounslow is one of the safer boroughs she's been searching through, in hopes of finding the boy, or his car, or even someone who had seen either of the two former.

She's so focused on her search, frowning at her phone as she waits for any news from Ekko, that she nearly walks through Clara, coming to a sudden stop just centimeters from her ghostly form. "Clara! Oh- goodness, I'm so sorry. I'm just-- I'm all over the place." Maera waves her hands wildly before shaking her head. "Have you heard about the metahuman?"

Maera!

The pensive expression on Clara's face clears up at the sight of a familiar and friendly face, almost phasing through ignored. Then the concern and furrowed brow comes back, full force, at the question because oh dear. Looks like Ellis' exploits are well known. (Burning three buildings in one location can be a bit memorable.)

"Does he happen to have the ability to use fire?"

"Yes, Clara, that one. I have to find him. If the wrong people turn him in, you know he's going to get an unfair sentence. He's just a kid - he probably doesn't even know what he's doing." Her words come out quickly, practically tripping over each other in her impassioned haste to speak. "Have you heard anything about where he might be?"

"I can vouch that he has no idea what he's doing," she said in worry, recalling the panicked expression and breaking voice. He probably didn't mean to burn down the buildings. Something triggered his powers or he got into a fight or a whole slew of things that can wait.

Right now they had to focus on getting him somewhere safe. "I ran across him earlier by accident earlier. Spent most of my time with him assuring him that he wasn't going to burn to death or something among those lines.

"Right now he's hiding in Richmond at the moment." Redbright territory if she remembers it correctly. A safe zone where people could not be hurt. He should be fine there. "A closed down warehouse. Poor thing was shaking when we had to part ways so I don't think he'll be wandering off anytime soon."

Maera does something like a sigh of relief, though it's more of a full-body motion than just an exhale. "Clara, once I find you a ghost coat or something, remind me that I owe you a huge hug. He's alright, then? I mean- scared and everything, but not physically hurt? Where's the warehouse? Can you show me?" Maera finally pauses for a moment to take a breath. "Oh, dear lord, I hope he won't be badly affected by this mess."

She smiles at that, shaking her head, "Let's focus on him for now. He's a bit roughed up from whatever happened earlier but he should be fine with some medical treatment. Preferably in the Redbright institution itself, safe from anymore harm. "It's somewhere in Richmond, near the river."

Meaning she can't get to it all that close without being forced back to the coffee shop since she used up all her reserve energies, so to speak, on that outing in the beach. "It's not hard to miss. The warehouse was closed down years ago and its state isn't the best."

"Alright, in Richmond, near the river. I got it." Excuse her as she pulls out her phone real fast to text Ekko the location. "God, Clara, thank you so, so much. He's going to be okay. I'll make sure of it." She clasps her hands together after putting her phone away, in lieu of hugging her. "You take care of yourself, okay? I'm sure we're not the only people looking for him."

"Be careful, please." She has no idea if there are other people looking for him or if they're worried for him like they are but it never hurts to be careful when powers like these are involved.

"I-I'll look for a senior Redbright member to help us," she adds, knowing it's the most she can do in this situation. Besides fuss over the others but that isn't as useful. "I'll tell them what's happening, they'll get him to the school, and-- and everything will be fine. I swear."

"Thank you. I'm- I'm going to go now and find him." She almost starts walking, then holds herself back. "The warehouse has been abandoned for a while, right? It's not a dwelling, is it?" Because that would be the worst-case scenario - reaching the boy but not actually being able to go in and help him.

"No one is using it from my understanding, I promise." There's no way she was going to send him to a place that had a lot of people. What he needed is some peace and quiet, time to recollect his thoughts and himself. "When you see him, tell him that Clara let you know. He isn't angry or anything."

Only confused and frightened, not talking a lot. Having your powers manifest like the ways his did is rather traumatising.

"Alright, I'll tell him that." She nods, trying to think if there's anything else she's forgotten, before quickly walking in the direction of the warehouse. "Keep safe, Clara, okay?" she says as a goodbye, raising her hand slightly to wave. "This is going to turn out fine!"

Hopefully.

Mortals were never nearly as good at hiding as they thought. Not from someone with thousands of years of experience looking for things and people. Hounslow was her recent stop. The boy had a cousin here who owned some kind of shop he might be hiding out in. That had turned out to be empty -- it was so easy to get permission to enter a place during the day then return and search it at night. Everything suggested, though, that he had been there.

The scorch marks on the wall told her of a confrontation. The bricks were still warm to the touch. Which meant he was capable of as high heat of flames as the news claimed. And not far from them--

A familiar sight. A familiar ghost.

"Hello there."

"Oh. It's you." Well that isn't the nicest thing to say but Clara is rather frazzled at the moment, expression annoyed and almost fearful while she fidgets where she stands. "Hello."

Short in both words and temperament today? Strange.

Usually she's always up for a pleasant chat with anyone, anyone, but the fearful expression on Ellis' face is fresh on her mind. The sooner she finds a Redbright member, the sooner they can get the boy to somewhere safe so they can explain the situation to the Night Council in hopes of getting him some leniency.

"Don't you look rattled," Azula murmured. It was interesting, certainly. After all, ghosts had little to fear. Exorcists, yes. Some fae, certainly, but. It was still an odd thing to see.

"What's happened?"

She didn't want to hope that it was related to the information she wanted. That wasn't very likely. But, well, she could hope, certainly.

"--I'm looking for someone," is all she says, not wanting to divulge too much but, at the same time, she can't exactly lie. Clara knew she had the world's worst poker face. There's no way she can say 'nothing' or make a story up and keep her ~~fear~~ face in check.

The best she can do at the moment is just be honest without speaking too much about it. "Redbright matters is all. I'm sure you wouldn't be interested in any of that."

Looking for someone. Redbright.

A metahuman?

"Ellis Harvey?" she suggests, one brow arching. If this woman is looking for him... Well. That will make her life much easier Because there are ancient compulsions. Magic even she is bound by. Promises made to and by a fae... They last.

A look to the left.

A look to the right.

".... Nooooo." It isn't a lie, she's looking for an Outreach member at the moment, but it is and she she winces at how terrible fake she sounded there. Clara; You and your terrible lying skills. "Whoever I may or may not be looking for won't be a great interest to you, I'm sure. You must be very busy and all."

"If you're looking for Ellis Harvey, that is of great importance to me. After all, I'm looking for him, too."

She would love to claim she wants to help him learn to use his powers, but she can't lie, and there's no good way to twist that into a half truth, so, for now, she'll leave it at that.

Oh no. Oh no no no no--

"Why are you looking for him?" Clara, usually, would feel awful for being so blunt and to the point but right now? She doesn't.

Last thing Ellis needs is getting dragged into any more dangerous situations than he already is in. Maybe Akane does mean well and wants to help him out in her own way like how she did with Clara in the past but the ghost doesn't want to take any chances.

Not when someone's life is on the line with both Council and police breathing down their necks.

"How many buildings has he burned down with his blue fire?"

Evade a question by asking a different question. Fae Tactics 101. After all, it's not lying if she never answers them.

"Do you really think it's safe for him to be out here with no idea how to control that power?"

Not that she was going to help him, no. But she was going to stop him.

"A few," she says, seeing no point in dancing around the subject. "I admit that he's not one you can call one with control of their powers.

"Which is why we're going to help him." She doesn't stress the word but the 'we' definitely hints to not only her but the Redbright school itself. As this is actual official business since she and a few others are involved in this. "By taking him in and smoothing things out soon as possible so he can get the help he needs."

Without any interruptions.

"Of course he can't control is powers. That hot of flame with poor control... Well. You've seen what's happened so far."

So, she smiles. After all, she knows she has the upper hand, and she knows the ghost has no idea. But an agreement is an agreement. And she considers it binding.

"Choose carefully. Who matters more: you or him? Because you owe me a favor, and I want to know where he is. Refuse me, and, well. I get a meal of a ghost tonight."

Clara freezes at the threat. Before, she could have feigned genuine ignorance of that threat and scoffed at the notion of someone trying to eat her.

Now? Not so much as she… just stands there, too frightened to move but not frightened enough to be able to teleport away and hide. Not much it would have helped her. What would stop Akane from hunting her down?

"He's in Redbright territory," Clara said, trying one last time to dissuade the fae from harming the poor boy. "It's an acknowledged safe zone. When I report this to the Council and the school and they find out you so much as harm a hair on Ellis, they'll--"

Do something?

Out of the Frying Pan (CLOSED)

The Finding

The Finding; Clara and Open

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