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[hider=Mood Music][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX3bN5YeiQs[/youtube][/hider][/center][right][h1][color=f49ac2]Edict[/color][/h1][/right][right][sub][hr][color=f49ac2]Mentions: [color=CD5C5C]Linqian Han/[@FernStone],[/color] [color=f4eb93]Britney Williams/[@Punished GN][/color] |[/color] [color=f49ac2]Direct Dialogue: [color=7ABBFF]Layla Hyacinthus/[@Estylwen][/color] |[/color] [color=f49ac2]Location:[/color] Festival Grounds, Cracker Island Historic District [/sub][/right][hr]
[/indent] When he'd asked her about the meeting, he realized she was talking about the Church. Lucky for her, she hadn't gotten wrapped up with the Feds. Unlucky for her, apparently she'd lost her inherited buddy. From what he gathered thanks to Linqian's handy information gathering, her situation went something like this: The night of the first meeting, Alizee Altieri gave up the ghost in a literal and metaphorical sense. The ghost, as vicious as it once was, didn't die... It was problematic for people like Auri who saw what Alizee did that night and thought that Void Heart would be best if he was out of the way. Edict hadn't known the girl too well, and he [i]really[/i] didn't know this girl. But he did know that they looked similar. Lithe, pale, platinum hair and bad attitudes. He could only reckon the old Nut Ghost had a type.

[color=7ABBFF][b][i]“Only Anya seemed to agree with me. She's got her head on straight, I'll have to talk with her again.[/i][/b][/color]
[color=#f49ac2][i]God in Absence, she's beyond naïve.[/i][/color]
Edict made a strong mental note to contact Anya and get her working this case with him. They were, he recognized, tools for one another's games. But he kind of liked that, and it made Edict feel similar to how he felt about Linqian: [color=#f49ac2][i]You can live, maybe.[/i][/color] She unwrapped her hand, showed him her wound, and Edict did his best mimic of a surprised face. At the same time, he had to keep a straight face as he saw two tiny eyes cresting up over the side of one of the canopies holding a festival booth. Two golden eyes, sitting perfectly like two cresting suns over the horizon of canvas lining. One little... Hand? Paw? Foot?

A tiny, bright gold tree frog stared at the two of them with a discerning and judgmental stare. It wasn't there long, however, and before Edict could do anything about the strange creature, it was gone. He thought for a second it was wearing clothes. His head shook, and he cleared his throat.
[color=#f49ac2]"Auhh... You... You don't sound so good Layla. Maybe... Maybe I can help you?-"[/color]
He sincerely had no recollection of what her abstraction entailed, but he couldn't see many consequences present in giving her a quick magical once-over. If she had any serious cracks, like he thought she may have, she'd be a sitting duck for his powers. But, he stopped himself short. It was always easier to get permission for these sorts of operations; Once he was in with permission, it was hard to stop him from getting back in later unless you had some serious assistance or were somewhat used to the basic entry. 

[i][color=7ABBFF][b]“We should… uh… move to the Haunted House.”[/b][/color][/i]
Edict nodded in agreement, the perfect chance to see if that little frog was really who he thought it was. But she stopped again, held still.
[i][color=7ABBFF][b]“Were… there any more leads given during the meeting? Anything I missed?”[/b][/color][/i]
Pulling out his phone to rattle off a text to Linqian, Layla gave him reason to pause and smile. [color=#f49ac2][i]Fire, flames, chaos, property damage...[/i][/color]
[color=#f49ac2]"Well, long story short, we were raided by Police Officers. Federal police, actually, government agents more like. Magical people, like us. They attacked. I can show you if you don't mind me using my power."[/color]

That was a far more casual, far more devious way to suggest letting him in. Edict wasn't keen on leaving the spot he told the others they'd be in, so he was hopeful that she'd take the bait and he could drag the line into the boat so he could get a nice long look at his catch. He waited for her choice with phone in hand figuring that if for some silly reason he was denied, he'd still have to text someone to let them know there's movement. All he needed to really know was what the hell happened with the Sealing. He wanted to see what Britney had to do with it that would make her a target for [i]anyone.[/i] It just didn't make sense in his mind that something so drastic could've happened, but the way he figured things made him feel like he was the only one who could get to the bottom of it. 
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[hider=Mood Music][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UL7GHN6dC64[/youtube][/hider][/center][right][h1][color=C67C12]Leon[/color] & [color=577d06]Casey[/color][/h1][/right][right][sub][hr][color=C67C12]Mentions:[color=ffffff]Nobody Relevant[/color] |[/color] [color=C67C12]Direct Dialogue: [color=fd8a6c]Adora Phoenix-Prescott/[@Punished GN][/color], [color=ffffff]Trisha Vanburen/[@FernStone][/color] |[/color] [color=C67C12]Location:[/color] Festival Grounds, Cracker Island Historic District [/sub][/right][hr]
[/indent]Having managed to pull both parties off one another with ease, the two Jotun sized men stood across from one another. Leon specifically held Adora in a tight clutch under both arms, his massive forearms squishing Adora's chest while she vaguely struggled to get back to the punching. Casey didn't feel the same struggle from Trisha, and rather than holding her arm locked behind her back like she was part of the problem, he let her go. At first, Leon was a bit confused at the identity of the person bitching at him, but after a few moments and a few words through fat lips, he knew this wasn't just any victim of assault: It was a [i]perpetual[/i] victim. The damsel in distress herself, the Queen Bee.

[color=C67C12]"Oh, wow... Trisha? God, what's the city coming to when a Vanburen can't walk safely among her people?"[/color] he asked sarcastically, the still struggling Adora beginning to mellow out. 
[color=577d06]"Dude, she's fucked! Look at this poor girls face, who are these two?"[/color]
Leon took a long deep breath as he avoided saying [i]That's a Bee.[/i]
[color=C67C12]"Well this here is Adora PP, Phoenix-Prescott, or Appie, she hates all those nicknames. And she's a Vanburen so that really sums things up."[/color]
Casey's eyes widened a bit as he got a slightly better picture of things, and he turned to Trisha. 
[color=577d06]"Oh my God, Ms. Vanburen!? I'm so sorry about this, holy hell..."[/color]
[color=C67C12]"Yep, welcome to Sycamore Hell my favorite Little Brother. Ladies, my brother Casey. He's handsome [i]and[/i] available. Speaking of, Case, could you please bring our lovely Ms. Vanburen to the place with the food? Have Andrade get her the jelly roll from the ice chest, I think that'll do the trick for the blood and broken bones."[/color]

Casey, still wide eyed at the carnage, frowned. 
[color=577d06]"Uh, sure Lee.-"[/color] he replied, looking at Trisha with a great deal of empathy. [color=577d06]"Do you mind? Its just down the way, our Uncle has some food that can heal you. Videogame shit, but that's magic right?"[/color] he tried to be as polite as possible in offering the help to the woman whose family was St. Portwell Royalty that his mom and dad had spent his whole childhood striving for. He didn't know why he felt compelled to treat her like a princess; maybe it was the inherent respect for authority and hierarchy that filled his heart, or maybe it was the sight of a wounded woman that put him out of sorts.

Meanwhile, Leon had already begun moving Adora into a different direction. Speaking to her in a low voice as he let her go, Leon smiled down at Adora.
[color=C67C12]"When I saw it was you, I was gonna let you keep going. But I figured if it was good and right, we could both get some shots in together... Come on, let's not be near her now, and maybe we can get a beer. God [i]damn[/i] look at that face..."[/color] he said, looking back one last time to wave his little brother and the young Vanburen off. 
[color=C67C12]"What the hell brought all that on, huh?"[/color] he asked Adora, still laughing and shaking his head as he tried to shift the attention ultimately away from what had transpired.