[i]Brooklyn – alley near safe house[/i]

A tall figure misted into existence, her sudden presence doing nothing to alarm the stray felines currently pawing through the trash. The cats acted as if nothing strange had occurred, which was sort of true. Nilin was cloaking herself from prying eyes – a nifty little trick she used often. The soles of her high heeled boots made no sound as she strode through the alley and stopped a little way from a large building that looked as if it could use more than a few repairs. A few seconds passed as she stared at the seemingly abandoned building, looking quite out of place in her fine clothes in the dilapidated and dead neighborhood. 

[i]<Arrive safely? How’s the view?>[/i]

A female voice piped up inside Nilin’s head, sounding far too amused by half. Then again, Karen found amusement in the strangest of things. Karen’s power allowed her to safely teleport anyone she wanted to, to any location in an incredibly large radius of which they had yet to reach the limits of. She acted as the gang’s transporter – a highly esteemed position. 

[i]<Breathtaking. Could always use a bit more dystopia.>[/i] Nilin replied as she dropped the illusions shielding her from detection, save for the ones that kept her invisible and from making any noise. It would be enough, if Julius Ragnarson’s reputation was anything to go by. The man was rumored to be able to monitor air currents within quite a large radius. She could’ve had Karen teleport her directly into the safe house but that would’ve caused unnecessary complications. Surprising a group of highly powerful unnaturals was never a good idea. Unless one was seeking creative ways to die or get maimed.

[i]<You just mentally rolled your eyes at me, didn’t you? The disapproving thing you without actually rolling your eyes.>[/i]

[i]<I would never. Anyway, I’ve got a meeting. I’ll see you later, Ren.>[/i] 

The exchange had barely taken a few seconds, which decided enough time for the Empowered within the safe house to have detected her presence and strode towards it. The debris and trash littering the ground made no noise as she walked across them and into the building itself. The walls had certainly seen better days and the place had more than enough grime to make her shudder inwards. Nilin walked through the darkened hallways, completely dropping her illusions as she stepped into a large room which she’d heard voices coming from. 

“Good evening, Mr. Ragnarson.” Nilin spoke up only loud enough for those in the room to hear, her cultured tones sounding professional. Her icy blue eyes flickered over the other occupants of the room and gave them a brief nod, choosing not to interrupt the ongoing reunion. “I believe you’ve spoken with my associates before. A moment of your time, if you please?” 

It was an unspoken rule - and proper courtesy - that any Empowered who stayed within another group’s territory for longer than three days were to offer introductions and discuss terms. It helped those who ran things to do so smoothly without ruffling feathers or stepping on toes. War between Empowered factions was something that was far more terrifying and destructive even than the currently ongoing civil war. This was Syndicate territory and Julius Ragnarson and his group were the ‘visitors’.