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 Posted: Wed May 29, 2013 12:46 pm
Madison still couldn't quite believe it was real, given that she'd left Caelius after he'd literally smacked her head into a wall... but it was. The coat that she wore now bore all the marks of full Hunter rank, and every time she looked in the mirror she felt... strange. Not bad-strange. But strange. As if she was just pretending to be a full Hunter or something, despite the coat and the notices that she could relocate to better quarters whenever she was ready to do so. It was tempting to just throw herself into the much, much more fun task of moving up to better digs, but she had a mission - and like hell was she going to procrastinate on that. She had something to prove, now, even if Caelius was never going to acknowledge it. She'd talked to Gale before, of course, but only briefly - and before he became somewhat of an authority on the Horsemen. It was time to get some information, so she could acquire the crystal Caelius was looking for and dump it in his lap. Or maybe throw it at his head. One or the other. Plus, she could get a look at the town at the same time, see if she really did want to go live there or not... She turned her steps towards the town, looking thoughtfully at the empty houses as she approached Gale's own.
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Posted: Thu May 30, 2013 12:32 pm
His morning had not exactly been productive, really, but Gale had decided having some time off to just relax, read a little, and drink some tea was a good use of his time.
"You could be researching," came Jinhai's voice from around the corner as the golem form of his weapon ambled into view, long tail swishing behind him, a saucer and cup in his hand.
"I am researching," Gale replied, without looking up - and it was half true. He'd spent a bit of time examining certain effects of the golems - hence why Jinhai was not currently a sniper rifle - and now he was fiddling with Mark's tablet, pressing a few buttons to try and see if the Death Assistant had any information on either golems or the Horsemen. "My way of researching is just a bit slower than some."
He did not miss the rolling of eyes, instead pushing himself to his feet. "Let me see how the weather is; maybe I can test the effects of rain on a weapon golem, it was overcast earlier."
Upon opening the door, however, it was not to rainy skies, but to a figure standing at the base of the stairs leading up to his little house. Gale blinked in surprise and straightened, tilting his head.
"Madison?"
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Posted: Thu May 30, 2013 1:00 pm
Oh, good, she'd found him. A smile spread over Madison's face, quickly supplemented by a blush - it seemed she was still sort of shy of revealing her new status, even though the coat made it unmistakable. "Hey," she said, with a quick wave. "I was, uh, looking for you. You busy?"
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Posted: Thu May 30, 2013 1:06 pm
Gale leaned against the doorframe, arms folded across his chest. Behind him, Jinhai had taken a seat in the armchair Gale had recently vacated, casually sliding one leg over the other and sniffing the tea in his hand experimentally, though he didn't drink it (thankfully).
"No, I'm not busy. Come in?" asked Gale, and stepped aside, gesturing for her to follow.
"Nice coat, by the way."
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Posted: Thu May 30, 2013 1:54 pm
"Thanks," she said, with a wry grin. "It looks nice - you comfortable out here? I'm trying to figure out where I want to live... though, uh, that's not what I'm here for," she added, quickly. Jinhai got a bemused look and a nod before Madison turned to business. "Got a mission to do for Caelius - I need an untainted Distortion crystal. And since as far as I know the only places you can get those are off a Horseman or one of their little pets... well...."
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Posted: Thu May 30, 2013 2:18 pm
"Sure," said Gale, and waved behind him at Jinhai, who remained inside as Gale took a few steps forward and sat down on his little front porch, his feet propped up on the top step. "Congratulations - you made it to the final stage," he added, with a slight smile, his tone mildly sardonic.
As soon as the word "Caelius" left Madison's lips, Gale's expression shifted, became slightly exasperated. He laced his fingers together and leaned forward, brows drawing together as he listened.
"Anything involving Caelius and the Horsemen is bound to be a bit tricky," he said dryly.
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Posted: Thu May 30, 2013 2:30 pm
"Hah-" She pointed at his face when his expression changed. "Good. You feel that way too. I was beginning to wonder if everyone who'd made it to full Hunter had just... had it beaten out of them, or something. Not that he didn't try that on me." Her head was still sore, damnit. "Tricky. Right." She sighed. "Still, I need one... maybe from one of the pets, not an actual Horseman. Do you know how many regular-flavor minions they've got? I've only seen a few that I could identify." Like that b***h in Alaska.
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Posted: Thu May 30, 2013 3:19 pm
"Yes, well," said Gale. "Caelius certainly inspires a lot of intimidation in his division. Or rather, a lot of pain, I should say, since he has a habit of sending us out like we're disposable."
Which we aren't, he thought defiantly, absently tugging on a corner of his glove. Madison's question made him tap a finger against his chin thoughtfully.
"Maybe not a pet, no," he said slowly. "But I know someone who could get us some information, perhaps."
He reached into his pocket and dug around for a moment, before pulling out something small and round - a small black pin with a magenta cross across the front of it. Gale held it up between thumb and forefinger.
"Mei-Xiu," he said, then closed his hand around the emblem. "She's my inside contact. She might be able to help us out. She and I, we...we have an agreement of sorts."
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Posted: Thu May 30, 2013 3:30 pm
"... Huh. Nice." She studied the pin for a moment before he hid it again. "I had one of those once - he's Solia's weapon now. It always surprises me when they play nice..." She tucked a stray strand of hair behind one ear. "I'd love to know more about where the pets - er, the non-Horseman allies - came from. What side is your contact on?"
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Posted: Thu May 30, 2013 3:36 pm
Something in Gale's stomach tightened.
"Yes, I know Israfel," he said quietly, and then gave himself a mental shake, trying to get back on track. "At any rate, Mei is on our side. She disagrees with anyone from Amityville siding with the Horsemen, and she hates those prats as much as we do."
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Posted: Thu May 30, 2013 4:03 pm
"Good," Madison said, pleased - surprised, but pleased. If she'd noticed Gale's reaction to Israfel, she gave no sign. "Glad to see they haven't been making any friends over there, either... but god, it's so complicated." She sighed and ran one hand through her hair again. "I mean - in a way it feels like it was easier when they were all monsters. At least the Horsemen seem happy to provide that. It's a good quality in an opponent..."
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Posted: Sun Jun 02, 2013 8:34 pm
"It was easier when there weren't any feelings involved in it," Gale muttered, half to himself, half to Madison. His fingers absently ran along the pin in his pocket. "The Horsemen, at the very least, are stable in their beliefs. We hunt them, they hunt us. They seem to have one track minds, whereas the Halloween students can be malleable; molded, sometimes."
He sighed. "Nothing is every easy, is it?"
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 12:18 pm
"Honestly, if it was, I'd be really suspicious. I'm still suspicious of this, honestly." She lifted one arm and flicked at her sleeve with her other hand, indicating the coat. "Felt like it was too easy to get. Maybe this is the real test - this crystal thing." She shook her head. "How do we contact Mei? Golems, I assume?"
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 7:32 pm
"I'm still suspicious of my own rank, and I've been a full Hunter for almost a year," said Gale dryly. "Especially considering my own disastrous promotion mission."
He leaned back in his chair, thought for a moment, and then shook his head, blonde hair falling into his eyes.
"No," he said. "I've got an easier and faster way."
Digging around in his coat again, it took him a few moments to find what he was looking for, but after a bit Gale pulled out a small, familiar device - a cell phone. He jangled it in front of Madison.
"Connects me directly to Mei," he said. "This is how I get my information."
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Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 12:01 pm
"Huh. That's handy - is it runic tech?" She peered at the cell phone curiously. If it was, the higher-ups must know about his little mole. Well, she figured they probably did anyway, but having something like that probably meant approval. Of a kind. She sat back and thought for a moment, brow furrowing. If they could have immediate communication, right here, right now, then she needed to get her mental ducks in a row. "I guess what I need to know is if she knows of any Horseman-allied students who would either be easy to overwhelm - as painlessly as possible, of course... or who might be agreeable to giving theirs up." She wasn't at all sure if that last one was a possibility, but who knew. Gale apparently had a hotline to a monster, so anything might be possible. "Does that sound feasible to you?" kurotomato gonna ping Livi with info XD
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