undergrounds | BACKDATED TO JULY 3; CLOSED TO NATASHA

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BACKDATED TO JULY 3; CLOSED TO NATASHA

A Guardian has been murdered. Simon may have been young and inexperienced, but there is still something about the scenario that does not sit will with Faolan. Even if Sylvia had not instructed him to be investigating the case, there is a part of him that would have had him out on the streets, sniffing about for trouble anyway. It's just as well that his fieldwork here and now is officially sanctioned.

Of course, there's the small part of the fact that he doesn't know exactly where to begin. He finds himself wandering around near the scene of the crime, hoping that he'll come upon something new. It had been violent. Brutally so. Faolan didn't need to be an expert in vampires as he was to know that it had been one of them that had done the deed. But that was where the trail went dead. And considering the number of vampires in the city, and the fact that the entire population of them had been officially sanctioned to commit crimes like this by their leader... It isn't getting him very far.

On what is probably his third time circling around that area on that day alone, Faolan knows that he's going to have to adjust his tactics. But he'll be damned if he knows which direction to start in first.

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Natasha was ready to track Faolan down as soon as the sun set. In the end, it wasn't really that hard; she could pretend it was because of her training as a spy but in this case that would be a lie. Investigating a murder and no leads to speak of? It's where she would have been too.

"Hey," she says from the alley's mouth, not too close. This wasn't the situation for a vampire to take a hunter by surprise. For the first time, she was going to have to deal with him without the luxury of pretending that she didn't know who he is and that he didn't know what she is. "Find anything?"

Faolan is wary about the sudden presence of a vampire in an area where he knows that another man has recently been murdered by one. And he knows that's what she is, of course. There are parts of him that will never completely trust her for it -- and that's not her fault, really. It's his. But he swallows them down as he looks up at her and shakes his head.

"Not really," he replies. "Nothing new, anyway." He cocks his head to the side at her, raising an eyebrow in turn. "You've heard, then? About the murder, here?" Had she done it herself? Faolan didn't think it was much her style -- not that he really knew what that was, but. He's hoping not at least.

Natasha clears her throat, her lips flexing in a slight, unhappy smile. "You could say that," she says. "I worked with Simon at the institute. It would have been hard to miss."

Not exactly the most subtle way to let him know her affiliations, but it did the job. She wasn't trying to be sneak anything past him. Just warm him up to the idea that they might be on the same side here before letting him know she's on the case. "I've come by here a couple times already, actually. Almost surprised this is the first time I've run into you, considering."

Faolan raises his eyebrows slightly. He hadn't known that, of course. That Natasha had been with the institute. But then he supposes that their conversations thus far had somehow managed to revolve around his own situation rather than Natasha's herself. Of course, he'd known that Simon was affiliated with the institute from their relationship in the Night Council, so at least he could make that connection and hope that she was telling the truth, in that regard.

"Sylvia has me looking into the matter," he replies. She already knows, at least, where he stands in the whole matter. The whole city knows Faolan's affiliations at this point, he supposes, but that's neither here nor there.

"I know," Natasha says, sounding a little like she regrets having to admit that. She doesn't really expect he's going to welcome what she has to tell him. At least, not most of it. "That's why I'm here."

Taking a breath, she stands a little straighter, raising her chin just a little. "There's been a development. I was here the other night, and I ran into Simon. He's..." She hesitates, wondering how he'll take the news, before continuing from her false start. "He's still hanging around. The murder has him here."

"Ran into..." Faolan repeats, trailing off as he tries to wrap his mind around what exactly it is that she's telling him. Ran into him the other night, still hanging around. If he didn't know better he'd ask just what exactly she would mean by that, but. It isn't the first time he's heard of ghosts, even if he can't see them himself.

Still, he feels that he should at least confirm what she's saying. He glances around the area, making sure they have no eavesdroppers before he speaks up again, more quietly this time. "I take it you mean... After he died?" A delicate way of putting it.

She would have rather been a little more discreet in public, but it's just an extra precaution. She's confident there's no one listening in. At least not the old fashion way.

"I mean after he died, yes. A ghost. Sylvia and I talked to him again last night." Here came the fun part. "He gave us some intel that might be a lead in the investigation. I'm here to help you out."

There. Maybe framing it as supporting his investigation rather than joining it, strictly speaking, would soften the blow.

If Faolan didn't trust her not to be taking the piss in this, he would have thought... Well. That she was taking the piss. It sounded a little far-fetched, after all. The ghost of their murder victim meeting with them to give them clues as to who might have committed the murder.

"Some intel," he repeats, trying to wrap his head around the whole thing. "I take it that... He doesn't know who it was then." Because they could have had things wrapped up a lot faster if that were the case. He would assume that she wouldn't be waiting around for him like this if it were, after all. Especially not if Sylvia had been there with her besides.

"No such luck. But he thinks he could identify the guy in a line up." Which is better than nothing, in Natasha's opinion. It's not the best case scenario, but whatever is.

"We know it was a vampire. Shorter than Simon. And we know he smelled like campfire smoke." Natasha smile slightly, a little sadly as she says that last part. "He was very specific about that."

That, and the fact they should trust his nose.

"I'm still turning over just what that might point to, so if it means something to you..."

Faolan doesn't ask aloud how Simon -- the ghost -- could identify a vampire in a lineup, when he can't remember what he looked like. Is he going to get up close and personal to smell him or something? But he doesn't ask. Some things are better not to.

"Smelled like campfire smoke," he repeats, going over it in his head for a moment. Did he mean literally, or figuratively? Campfire? The words are foreign enough to Faolan in concept that it takes him a moment to figure out just what other smells could fit the same description. "Like woodsmoke?"

A vampire that smells like woodsmoke... Faolan glances up at Natasha suddenly. "No other description. He didn't say whether this vampire might have looked like he could have been a squatter, did he? Like a vagrant?"

"Nothing that specific. He said the guy was in dark clothes." Natasha's not without a little concern about whether or not Simon will actually know the killer when he sees him, but she tries to keep a positive outlook about it. "I think the details might be coming back to him more. I could visit again, ask if he has anything new—or if the suggestion means anything to him."

A pause as she considers the question, then, "Should it mean something?"

He makes a soft noise of confirmation at the question, pondering it for a moment longer before responding. "It could," he says. "If they did look less than put together, that is. There's a group of vagrant vampires who have a tendency to do things the old-fashioned way. Lighting fires in bins and the like. That could be the smoke. Especially since it was a vampire who did it." Of that, at least, there's no mistake.

Faolan runs a hand over his chin thoughtfully. "I know the area, if they're still in it. Male, dark clothes with a smoke smell about him won't narrow it down much, but. It's worth looking into."

"If we know it's a vampire and we know who he runs with, that's a pretty solid start." It's a better lead than they'd had a few days ago, or working separately. Natasha has been paying attention to the local vampires, but she'd been looking for a social climber, someone out to exploit their kill to rise the ranks. Not the kind who build wood fires in derelict buildings and hung around with street kids.

"We could keep an eye on them. Get some pictures or video. Simon might be able to pick him out that way."

Simon, she keeps mentioning Simon being able to do things, but it's odd to Faolan to factor Simon himself into the picture given the fact that it's his murder they're investigating in the first place. Still, if it would help, he supposes. He's not going to be any use to Simon, nor is Simon to Faolan himself, but if there's someone who he can communicate with along with them then he doesn't see why not.

"If he can identify the man, then we've got him," Faolan agrees. "It's worth a shot. They're vampires, not international spies. I doubt they're going to be on the lookout for anyone looking into them, all things considered."

Natasha clears her throat at his comment about international spies, then murmurs, "The two things aren't always mutually exclusive, but I take your meaning."

The plan is good, though. Not too many moving parts, which was the case with the best plans. And Faolan is most likely right. The vampires behind this aren't subtle or careful. If she had to lay a bet now, she'd guess street kids.

"And once he's identified?"

He raises an eyebrow at the correction, but doesn't comment on it. Point taken, he supposes, though he doesn't feel he needs to elaborate to suggest that these particular vampires aren't exactly brainiacs.

Once he's identified, though? He shrugs, slightly. "Sylvia would no doubt like him taken in to answer for his crimes, I'm sure. But I'm a hunter. If it's his life or mine, you'd better believe what choice I'm going to make," he says, matter-of-factly.

Natasha nods. In that event, they're on the same page. Sylvia had seemed interested in t trial, but while Natasha appreciates the spirit, she doesn't much see the point. If a vampire is found guilty of murder, there's really only one possible outcome anyway.

If they can identify the killer with a reasonable degree of certainty, then it's safest and most streamlined just to remove him. If a hunter does it, all the better.

"Understood."

He knows that she's a vampire herself. There's something curious about heading out to spy on and eventually potentially hunt down a vampire with a vampire for company. Faolan isn't exactly complaining about it. She's no doubt a capable woman, and Sylvia wouldn't have enlisted her help if she didn't think that he could use it. But he would never trust her. Not being what she is. He hopes that won't get in the way of things.

"So what's our next move?" he asks. Because they're on equal ground here, at least as far as the planning stages are concerned.

"Now?" Natasha shrugs and takes, flashing a quick smile. "Now, I figure we start taking pictures."

As far as she was concerned, that was the first and most important thing. Everything should fall into place once they'd identified the members of this gang.

"As long as you don't mind having an extra set of eyes on the job. Otherwise, I suppose I wait until you have some photos to run by Simon."

Faolan shakes his head. "I don't mind at all," he replies. "The more the merrier. The sooner we get an answer to this, the sooner we can get an answer for Simon I suppose, yeah?" It's still odd to think that he's still hanging about in some capacity, but that's neither here nor there. Besides...

"If you have a camera for taking said pictures, that would come in handy." Faolan hadn't thought he'd need anything of the sort when setting out for the day, and while he has something in the way of said equipment back at his flat, it's still back at his flat and no use to him in the here and now.

"I have my mobile phone," Natasha says with a shrug. She didn't have much with her in the way of supplies, but she did always have that. What they would have given fifty years ago to have a camera that no one questioned someone taking everywhere. Spy cameras had become largely a thing of the past these days.

"No one should question that too closely."

Faolan glances at her a moment, before shrugging slightly. "That works," he says, after a moment, before gesturing them forward. He has a better camera than his mobile for the PI jobs he'd gotten that had needed a better photograph than his mobile would provide. But this would work in a pinch. And the sooner they found the answers, the sooner they could help Simon.

"It's actually not that far off," he says. "We can walk it, if you're up for that?"

"I could walk," Natasha says after a short hesitation. "Lead the way. The sooner we get this out of the way, the better."

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BACKDATED TO JULY 3; CLOSED TO NATASHA

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