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"No." John muttered simply, looking about himself to gather his bearings. Whilst Samantha had the leisure of humanity, John didn't like teleportation simply because it messed with his senses. He had an acute awareness of electrical signals within the air, and moving from one place to the next for him was like smelling a rose before smelling a rotten carcass - the change was abrupt and needed time to process. Slight disorientation didn't cover it.

The doormen at the doors of the casino sighed, one turning to the other. "Oh great. Teleporters. Ten bucks says they're kicked out for 'porting into the vault."

"Nah, not these two. They've got more of a Bonnie/Clyde thing happening...if Bonnie was Punky Brewster and Clyde was He-Man."

"Hopefully they'll just leave. I cant stand it when the partons get rough."

John sighed. He needed to get cleaned up before entering the casino proper. "...You haven't got a shower and a VXL sized shirt in that backpack, do you?" He asked the girl with a smug smile.

John simply allowed her to lead him, bemused by her quick thinking. People had too much reliance in magic these days - it was good to find someone steeped in realism. Even if she was a little young.

Moving into the hotel, the doormen glancing them up and down - but silenced by a glare from John - and they moved to the front desk.

"A room for me and my...niece." John said to the lady behind the desk.

The woman looked the two of them up and down. One, a man who had barely fit through the door and was covered in bandages, the other, a slight teenager who looked more at home in a library studying then in the company of a walking juggernaut.

She said nothing - she simply accepted the coin John placed down and handed over a key. "Anything else?"

"Yes - a change of clothes for me and the girl, and some food." John replied, taking up a pen in his finger and thumb and writing down his measurements, pausing for a moment to look Samantha up and down before writing down hers as well. "Something smart, dressy. We'll be going to the casino tonight."

"You do realize that minors are not allowed into the casino..."

"Without supervision. Which i am. Being her uncle."

"Right. Your items can be ready in a few minutes. You can wait in your room, if you wish..."

"Cheers." John said with a smile, snapping up his key and, still holding hands with Sam, walked into the elevator leading up to their floor. He released her hand as the door closed, turning to look down to her.

"You may not need this talk, but i'm going to give it anyways, so listen up - we're going to move into dangerous situations now. Asking about a person, even someone like your mother, is a difficult process, especially in a place like that hotel. Lots of money floating around, which means lots of fat-heads who would sooner spit at you then talk to you - or just kill you because you're in the way. Sometimes all it takes is asking the right person, and sometimes it takes asking them...hard."

The elevator doors opened, allowing them to walk out into the corridor. It was a short walk to their room, nothing fancy, simply a hotel room with a big bed, a TV, and a shower. All John needed. He kept talking as he opened the door, allowing Sam entry first. "Normally, i'd tell you to stay behind...but that usually never gets me anywhere, so i'll just ask that you keep close, dont draw attention and above all - stay smart."

He sniffed and swiped his thumb across his nose, a short puft of dust erupting from it. It tickled his nose, and he sneezed, hard enough to push Sam off-balance. He sniffed nosily as he chuckled, embarrised. "Sorry...i'm gonna get cleaned up. Knock when the togs and food arrives."

And with that, he wedged himself through the door of the bathroom and shut it behind himself. A short burst of Tribal swearing emitted from the closed door as John tried to figure out how to get into the glass shower cubicle, before the shower finally started.

"Yes, yes...liten nese avlytting..." John muttered to himself, soap and steam surrounding him. She was pushing it.

The hot water and soap stung his numerous wounds, but the bandages held. They were good quality, and John savored them.

It wasn't long before he finally exited the shower, looking about for a towel. Spying one, he quickly dried himself - before realizing he couldn't wrap it around his waist. Sam most likely wouldn't want him wandering around naked, so he took it upon himself to actually brush his hair, buying time.

"Those clothes get here yet?" He called. He could smell the food from here, but he couldn't leave till he had clean clothes. It took him almost ten minutes to get into the shower cubicle, and he wasn't going to try again.

"Taking out half the criminal element in the city would do that." John muttered from the door, accepting the clothes before shutting it quickly, before she could spy him.

He looked the clothes up and down. Pressed black slacks, a nice leather jacket and a black shirt tucked neatly in the coat hanger. His boots, kicked to the side when he was undressed, could be polished enough to seem sophisticated enough. And, of course, a pair of sunglasses in a little pouch.

He smiled. It was rare he wore clothes of this caliber. He would savor the opportunity whilst it lasted. He didn't expect any of these clothes to make it through the night unscathed.

He wondered about Sam's comment as he dressed. It had been years since he'd killed Alita and all her lieutenants. A lot had changed since then. Most surveillance footage of John, if there was any, would be useless now - he'd transformed completely from the lithe, slim figure he had been back then. Bigger frame, bigger muscles, longer hair and the beginnings of a beard showing on his face, only someone who knew him could tell the difference between him and that shadowy killer, all those years ago...

But then, he'd stayed out of Durem. He'd caused enough property damage to entail a citywide search in case he ever showed up again.

"What does it say about me?" He asked as he exited the bathroom, rolling up the sleeves of the silk shirt. He was happy with the fit.

He actually looked presentable for once. He'd spit shined his boots quickly, rubbing out any scuffs or marks with his towel. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail, a few strands framing his face. He'd even trimmed his beard a little, taking away the unsightly stubble about the cheeks and under the chin and around the neck. He crossed his arms and leaned gently against the wall next to the bathroom door - it wasn't load bearing, but it took his weight.

Old Ghost...

A fitting choice of words.

He moved out of her way as she flitted past him, before moving over to the bed, sitting himself down in front of the laptop. Picking it up, he placed it on his knee, before cracking his knuckles.

He downsized the DPD website and opened up another box, finding a web browser and typing in the name of the casino they were going to go into. When that came up, he moved through the regular areas such as contact information to find a user login. It was a typical one, with a user-name and password.

John clicked the girl's start menu and quickly read through the programs she had on it. When that was done, he went to her hard-drive and checked through the files within. She was ordered, meticulously so - which was why it was easy to find the cracking program she'd hidden away.

Activating it, he placed a hand underneath the laptop, feeling for the wireless snub. Finding it, he closed his eyes for a moment - before opening them again. Now he was the antenna, and all the information going out into the world was being amplified by his own electrical impulses.

He went back to the casino's login and typed in a small jargon username and a useless password. The computer beeped, the cracking program doing it's job, and the screen signified that he was logged in. Scrolling through the information before him, he quickly found the list of rooms occupied and reserved, and searched for Honoraven's name. He also opened the folder containing the information on previous visitors of the hotel - this he also did a scan on.

John hadn't always been pumped full of muscle. There had been a time when he had done the worst of wetworks, where the skill with a computer was necessary. Whilst he wasn't a programmer of any calibre, he did know how to use a cracking program to unlock a server's information. Like opening a locked door, all you needed was to find the right pick.

And from the way Sam knew so much about her mother's whereabouts - and his time in Durem - she obviously had hacking skills.

"Then i'll make him get you another one...you look lovely, by the way." He said, looking up and smiling at her. She cut a pretty figure. She'd be a heartbreaker when she came of age.

He growled at the computer as it beeped at him - Honoraven's name hadn't come up on the registrar. "Your mum wouldn't be going out under a false name, would she?" He asked.

He couldn't see why, but it was safe to ask. Both searches had come up blank. This meant that she had asked that her name be kept confidential, or that someone had removed her information at some point between her disappearance and now.

John rolled his eyes. That was the problem with amateurs, they get caught up in the excitement, in the thrill of the chase. That can lead to danger...to trouble.

"Stay focused." John said, closing the laptop with a 'click'. "We're here to find your mother, after all. I intend to make this as painless as possible. The less heads i knock about, the better..."

For himself and for Sam. Why else would he order the clothing, searching for information, and not just barge in? If he wished he could literally tear down the entire building with his bare hands, but then what? There would be no gain.

There had been a time when this would have been easier...a wink and a smile to the right person would give him all the information he could muster. But now, thanks to his size, thanks to his appearance, that option was gone.

The most he could hope for was that Sam would keep her wits about her, stay cool, stay smart.

He set the laptop to the side and reached out for her hand. "Here's the plan...You are a princess from a faraway land, looking for a healer of great import. Her name is Honoraven, and it's urgent that you find her. I am your personal bodyguard, and i do not leave your side, not for a moment. Act important, act aloof - you're used to getting what you want, and nothing less. If you ever feel scared, or dont want to continue, just tell me and i'll take over. Any questions?"

Her input was important. If she felt she could not do this, then there was no point. There was always different avenues. All she needed to do was say so.