[center][b]Coincidences[/b][/center]
Vigilance and her five companions hurried towards the misshapen shadow that was Yuri's Books and Baubles, the blue streetlamps of Miracle Square transforming the store's parking lot into a mosaic of shadows and teal-colored light. The ljosalfr couldn't understand why spellcasters seemed to take such delight in being inscrutable and eccentric. What was the point of having blue streetlights? Did they actually benefit anyone? It probably had something to do with the convoluted bylaws written by the Thirteenth Cabal, a formidable group of seven magi that controlled the district, but the bounty huntress found the lights irritating.

Obnoxious streetlights notwithstanding, Narcissa was genuinely impressed with how quickly Baruch, Puck, and Shar had reached Miracle Square. Like her own group, the light elf's other three bodyguards had been stopped by the SSPD on their way out of the Hotel Imperius' parking lot. Thankfully, Puck's license and registration had been enough to get past the blockade. It was ironic that Allister had been forced to wait half an hour while the cops ran his license, but the green-haired faerie was allowed through without hesitation. Especially since Puck's license and registration were expensive forgeries, but Allister's paperwork was real. The Latino had a surprisingly clean record apart from a few unpaid parking tickets. At least both teams had escaped Southwind Park relatively unscathed.

When Narcissa asked Puck and Baruch what they'd done to hide Shar Goodfellow, they'd simply asked the blue-skinned faerie to climb out of the SUV. Shar emerged, wearing a massive pea green trench coat and a wide-brimmed black hat, and twirled around like a model on a runway. He looked like an idiot, but apparently the rank and file of the SSPD was still as unobservant as ever. Some things never changed. 

At any rate, the Syndicate members had gathered around Allister's Volkswagen so they could put on their work outfits and retrieve their weapons from the bag of holding. The sun had gone down by this point, and Narcissa decided it was safe to go into the shop. All the customers were gone, though there were still two other vehicles in the cobblestone parking lot. One was Yuri's gas-guzzling Ford pickup, and the other was a white van with the words 'We Like to Move It, Move It Moving Company' painted on the side in bright orange letters. Why was there a moving van in Yuri's parking lot at seven o' clock at night? Narcissa made a mental note to ask the Russian about it once he'd located the [i]Blood Atlas of Akhmat Khan[/i].

The she-elf approached the tinted glass doors leading into the hideous brick building. Yuri's Books and Baubles, which used to be called Sokolov Antiquities, was one of the older shops in Miracle Square. It was also the district's biggest eyesore. The structure was mostly cube-shaped, but there were a few weird angles and half-finished additions that made the building look far more ramshackle than it was. Thanks to the Fat Boy's Burgers across the street, the raised sidewalk leading to the store was littered with discarded burger wrappers, empty cups, and enough vomit to fill a bathtub. While most shop owners would be appalled by this state of affairs, Yuri carefully cultivated his store's dilapidated appearance to keep the [i]kiskas[/i] away. [i]Kiskas[/i] was the Russian word for "pussies." The Russian hacker preferred to deal with people that were ready and willing to get their hands, and possibly their shoes, dirty. He had no patience for anyone with delicate sensibilities. Or morals. Or anything approaching human decency.

Narcissa raised her gloved hand and knocked on the door, which immediately caused a deluge of red sparks to pour from the brickwork overhead. The little specks of light swirled around and formed the word 'Closed' in front of the elf's face for a few moments before fading away. A simple spell, but one the ljosalfr would never be capable of casting. Some magi might view this as a waste of mystical energy, but it impressed the tourists so the Thirteenth Cabal wholeheartedly supported it. Every shop in Miracle Square had similar enchantments placed on their main entrances and exits. Luckily, Vigilance had learned long ago that closed signs only applied to other people. Not her. She pounded forcefully on the door, ignoring the repetitive magical lightshow, and tried to see if anyone was coming. It was hard to see anything through the tinted glass, but what looked like a dozen cardboard boxes were stacked just beyond the door. There was even a roll of bubble wrap leaning against the boxes. It really did look like Yuri was planning on leaving Santa Somabra. Had the gang war brought this on or was there something else at work here?

After a few more minutes of pounding on the glass, a bearded man wearing a wife-beater and black sweatpants staggered into Narcissa's field of vision. Glaring at the fully-armed Syndicate members standing outside his door, Yuri rummaged around in his pockets and pulled out ornate copper key. He unlocked the door and said, his words muddled by a thick Russian accent, "We are closed, [i]idioty[/i]. Can you not read the magical, glowing sign, eh?" 

Smirking beneath her ceramic death mask, Narcissa shoved past the groggy shopkeeper and her graysuits followed. The interior of Yuri's store was dark and smelled like expired sour cream, but the light elf could pick out a dozen more boxes and roughly fifty wooden crates scattered around the main showroom. As her security detail spread throughout the store, occasionally poking things with their guns, Vigilance faced Yuri and tilted her head to one side. This wasn't what she'd expected to find. Not at all.

Groaning, Yuri ran a hand through his tangled silver beard and said, "Da, da, you got me, Deathbringer. I'm leaving this fucking city." The heavyset Russian swallowed, his face screwing up in disgust, and said, "I would...I would greatly appreciate it if you did not tell your boss about this." When the light elf didn't respond, Yuri threw his hands up in the air and stomped over to the slab of rotten plywood pretending to be the store's checkout counter. "Things are getting too damned crazy around here, elf! First this Somabra Slayer [i]der'mo[/i] then the attack at the Red Windmill Cafe' earlier today and now Nyxvira fucking Bloodbloom is being investigated by the SSPD?! One of my regulars even told me she'd heard there was a gang war coming! [i]Bezumiye[/i], Deathbringer, total [i]bezumiye[/i]. I just think..."

The computer engineer paused again, noticing for the first time that Narcissa and her graysuits were staring at him, and then he lovingly patted the counter. "This shop means the world to me, Deathbringer. But, what is that charming expression I am always hearing? When the going gets tough the tough get going? Well, things are getting too tough for me so my tough ass is going. I may be an old bastard, but I have no desire to die. Not yet. So, do what you must," Yuri snarled, his icy blue gaze daring Narcissa to try and stop him from leaving.

Chuckling, the light elf stepped closer to Yuri and said, "Hello to you too, you old bastard. Honestly, I don't care where you go or what you do. I'm only here to call in that favor you owe me for helping you get rid of Ivan. I won't tell Nyxvira that you're planning to leave, though. I'm not a total monster. Now, I want you to hack into the internal database of Barrow and White. Just like you did when the queenpin wanted to learn more about that Kurtz fellow, the one who killed William Haggerty in front of all those witnesses. I need to know where they keep the [i]Blood Atlas of Akhmat Khan[/i]. Can you do that for me?"

The grizzled Russian snorted and said, "That's it? Easy as blinking, my [i]smertel'noye tsvetok[/i]. I was smart enough to keep all my decryption algorithms from my last visit to the Firm's database. This should take less than fifteen minutes or I'm a goblin. Come with me, Deathbringer, and tell your thugs that if they break anything I'll gut them like [i]lybras[/i]. Got it?"

The five graysuits nodded, and Baruch signaled for them to take up defensive positions around the store. If anyone else decided to pay a late night visit to Yuri's Books and Baubles they'd be in for an unpleasant surprise. Grunting in satisfaction, Yuri led Narcissa to a wooden door at the rear of the shop and opened it, revealing his foul-smelling back office. The rancid sour cream smell was worse in here and, combined with the unmistakable odor of sweat, created a truly breathtaking stench.

Narcissa swallowed the bile rising in the back of her throat and leaned against the wall while Yuri shuffled around his redwood desk and sat in his rolling chair. Humming what sounded like a Russian marching tune, the hacker produced a battered silver laptop from the desk's main drawer and set it on his lap. Cracking his knuckles, Yuri turned on the machine and said "I will have your answers soon, Deathbringer." Eyeing the elf for a moment, the shopkeeper cleared his throat and said, "So, besides asking me for a favor, did Nyxie want you to ask me about the tally? Because I may have some thoughts on the matter."

"Oh?" Narcissa asked, trying her best to sound like she hadn't completely forgotten about the tally. Essentially, before any major conflict between Santa Somabra's criminal organizations, the leaders of the gangs involved would send gifts and invitations to other influential powerbrokers. They'd wine and dine these potential supporters in hopes of gaining their assistance for the battles ahead. Once promises were made and contracts were signed, the gang or business in question was added to the initiator's running tally of supporters. And these bargains could become quite intricate depending on the faction being wooed. 

For example, if the Nyte Kyngs declared war on the Rats they'd definitely reach out to Nyxvira to see if she could be persuaded to help them. While Nyxie would never work with such a low-class gang, one of the Nyte Kyngs' members, a withered vampire named Claus "The Carver" Stanton, was considered by many to be the finest chef in the United States. In exchange for the faerie's support, the Nyte Kyngs would more than likely pay the queenpin a shit ton of money and allow her to use Claus as she saw fit. If Nyxvira decided she still wasn't going to help the leeches, she might simply promise not to assist the Rats. Sometimes convincing a powerful group to stay neutral was just as good as buying their support.

Again, this was just an example of how tallying worked. The current gang war was shaping up to be an interesting one for the Bloodbloom Syndicate. With Nyxie under heavy police scrutiny, nobody was issuing commands as to who needed to be pressed or persuaded to assist the Syndicate against the Nyctari. Narcissa was curious to hear what insights Yuri, who typically remained neutral in situations like this, had on the subject.

"Da," Yuri said as his fingers danced across his laptop's grimy keyboard, an expression of contentment and determination spreading across his face. "I am not thinking your boss will find many people willing to help her fight the Nyctari. Not this time. Ach, the first firewall is different than it was last time...let me just..." For about five minutes, the only sounds in the office were the groaning of the ceiling fan overhead and the pounding of Yuri's nicotine-stained fingers on his keyboard. "There we are. Amateurs. Where was I? Oh yes, look, I liked Marius. Really, I did. We once had a three hour discussion about laptop brands. How in the name of God could an ogre know so much about computers? It was like something out of a fever dream. But Razorhallow? Ted fucking West? These aren't men to go to war over. And with everything else happening in the city right now...I think Nyxvira is going to be disappointed by how many people plan on remaining neutral. They won't help the Nyctari, obviously. Nobody is that stupid, but they won't help her either."

Yuri had a point. While they might not support Concetto and his bloodsuckers, there was a chance many of the wealthier businesses and criminals would be too busy dealing with their own problems to get involved in a gang war. On top of that, the Hotel Imperius had been invaded by the SSPD. One of the Bloodbloom Syndicate's most important strongholds had been compromised. Would loyal Syndicate supporters, like Nick "The Archmage" Conti and Victoria Lovelace, see this as a sign of weakness and also declare their neutrality? The Bloodbloom Syndicate had enough manpower and resources to wage this war alone, but it would be incredibly costly.

Narcissa frowned beneath her mask, wondering how this would play out, when Yuri said, "Ach, I'm in! Let's see...the Bandersnatch's Athame...no, no, no...here it is. The [i]Blood Atlas of Akhmat Khan[/i] is...oh, it's still in the vault at the Firm's main office in Tranquil Valley. Sucks for you, Deathbringer. I can tell you the name of the last person who handled the book. It was some freelancer named Valorie Pierce. Do you want me to open her personnel file?"  

The ljosalfr sighed and stood up, shaking her head slowly in response to Yuri's question. Fuck. Now, she'd need to come up with a plan to infiltrate Barrow and White's offices so she could access that goddamn vault. Yuri was one of several emergency resources Narcissa had been saving for a special occasion, but this job was starting to make her feel like she'd be tapping the rest of those resources sooner rather than later. This was going to be a colossal pain in the ass. The light elf started to walk towards the door when Yuri said, "Huh. I clicked on this Valorie girl's file, and it looks like there's a video in here along with all her personal information. It's labeled 'Gish's Workshop Battle' and it was apparently filmed about a week ago. It looks interesting. Do you want to watch it? Maybe you'll learn something about the book?"

Narcissa stopped in her tracks. A shiver ran down her spine and she said, "Play the video."

"Alright," the Russian said as he resumed typing. "There's some minor encryption blocking the video, but I can break through. For some insane reason, the Firm keeps files on almost everything. They probably have entire folders filled with documents about what their employees eat for lunch. Now, Valorie Pierce is something they call a 'potential.' Someone who may end up working for the Firm one day, but is considered a freelancer for now. It's interesting, though, because they don't usually waste time making psych profiles for potentials. Valorie's file has one. Also, Kurtz, that [i]ublyudok[/i] you wanted me to look into before, has authorized this girl to borrow the [i]Blood Atlas[/i] again if necessary. As long as she returns it to the vault within twenty four hours. Strange...anyways, the video is ready now. It looks like some Barrow and White flunky filmed the fight on his phone. Let's see." Yuri hit a few more keys and Narcissa walked around the desk so she could see the screen.

Whoever had filmed the battle in Chinatown had arrived about ten minutes before Cain had. The Barrow and White goon was watching everything unfold through a broken window on the street side of Gish's workshop. He'd had the perfect angle to see what transpired. How had Baruch and the others not seen this jackass? Narcissa's breath quickened as the recorded image of Valorie Pierce, which was helpfully labeled by a red graphic, snapped Justice in half. The light elf wanted to put her first through Yuri's laptop, but she forced herself to keep watching. The girl was now staring down at Narcissa's crouched form and saying, "Just give up! The things I could do with your body. Oh, the things I will do with your body." Apparently, the onlooker decided things were getting too intense, because the video feed cut a few moments later. 

As the video ended, Yuri looked up at Vigilance and saw the ljosalfr was trembling. For a brief moment, the Russian thought he was about to die. He shouldn't have been concerned, because there was only one thought rattling around Narcissa's head at that moment.

What were the odds the putrescent piece of shit that had broken Justice was the same putrescent piece of shit that could help her retrieve the [i]Blood Atlas of Akhmat Khan[/i]?

"Yuri, is the girl's current address in her file?" Vigilance asked and the hacker nodded slowly before tapping a series of buttons, which minimized the video and printed all the information Barrow and White had on Valorie Pierce. Yuri handed Narcissa the paperwork and she said, "Thank you. We're even now. Oh, and good luck getting out of here in one piece. I have no intention of telling Nyxvira that you're running away, but this is Santa fucking Somabra. City of coincidences. If even one member of the Thirteenth Cabal hears you're trying to leave they won't be pleased." 

With that hopeful sentiment, Narcissa practically sprinted out of Yuri's office, her mind whirling as she barked at her graysuits to follow her. The six killers made their way back to their cars and Narcissa explained what she intended to do. Kurtz had authorized Valorie Pierce to take the tome out of the vault again. That's how Narcissa would complete this job. Of course, she needed to get her hands on the drug addict first.

Time for a little vengeance.