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Justice Asylum: - Marc wrestled Jaina back to the ground pressing her chest against the tiles as he locked her arms behind her back and dug his knees into the back of hers. "Someone get a tranq!" he yelled out as Cynthia sat there watching, glued to the scene as if it was a cartoon on TV.

Looking over at the doctor Cynthia grinned wildly. "Never better! This is great!" she giggled and clapped her hands. Turning her head slightly she looked up at Riley. "Can I have some popcorn and strawberry quick?" she asked innocently.

The paramedics arrived and rushed into the room, the other orderly running out to go grab the meds Marc was barking for. "We got him ma'am," one of the paramedics said as they came over and knelt down. One taking over putting pressure on the orderlies neck but it was no use, he was DOA. Felix though was holding in there, his vitals could have been far worse but he wasn't out of the woods yet.

They left the dead man on the ground and turned their attention to Felix, pushing what remained of his eye back some and wrapping his head before getting him onto a board and immobilizing him. Getting him onto a lowered stretcher they raised it as one grabbed the radio mic attached to his shoulder. "Be advised we have one DOA and one injured, about to transport to Justice Memorial," he said before looking towards Felix. "Sir, can you speak? What's your name?" he aid, trying to get Felix's attention.



Zoies Farm: - Zoie leaned back in her chair, letting her feet sprawl out to the side on the ground as she crossed her arms over her chest. She was listening to what Mali had to say but she was eying her brother with a look that could easily be taken as she was about to hit him upside the back of the head. Relic hunched his shoulders forward and sighed as he lowered his head, staring at his plate as he pushed his food around with a fork.

"I told ya to stay out of shit didn't I? Told ya not to go pokin' yer nose around where it didn't belong but naw, yous had to go get your ass caught in the cross hairs."

"I didn't mean to," he mumbled.

"The hell ya didn't."

"Okay, I poked around I didn't think it was gonna go this far! Fuck Zoie, help me," Relic said looking up at his sister.

"What the hell am I supposed to do?"

"Yer one of them!" Relic blurted out. Zoie closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I'm a fuckin' informant! I ain't a higher up. That bitch you are getting mixed up with.... She's upper ranks, I don't even know much about her. Tryin' to but damn!" Zoie said as she got up from her seat and went over towards the cabinet, pulling out a mason jar of clear liquid and unscrewing the cap.

"Well what do you know?" he asked as he turned around in his chair.

"That if she wants you dead, you're dead..." Zoie said before taking a long gulp of the liquid and hissing from the burn. Setting it down on the table she looked over towards Mali and sighed. "My lovely brother here has got you mixed up in some shit you really don't wanna be a part of girl."

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Riley turned her head to look over at Cynthia seeing the woman glued to the scene that she had pretty much caused, she rolled her eyes as she went over at sat down next to Cynthia. "So long as you don't go and stabbing people in the eye with a fucking crayon then sure I can get you, your popcorn and strawberry quick." She said sarcastically towards her, then Riley saw the paramedics coming into the room she then told the 911 operator that they were there and hung up the phone. Riley slipped the phone back into her pocket and watched quietly as the men went to work, then one of them announced that the orderly that Jaina stabbed in the neck was dead.

She let out a sigh and gently rubbed the bridge of her nose, she was starting to get really tired of seeing the bodies pile up before her. Riley leaned back and looked down at her phone once more, she started to wonder how further the day could get worse Riley looked over as the paramedics tended to Felix. Riley was hoping that the man would pull through, she turned to look over at Iris and then over at Marc for a moment wondering what else could happen while she was here.

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Caesar grabbed his newly claimed belongings and paperwork, then followed Cecily out of the morgue proper. It was a short walk down hallways, around corners, and right out the front door. His Harley Scorpion trike was just where he had left it, under a light in plain view, within the watchful eye of a security camera. The venerable man stopped in front the vehicle and breathed a heavy sigh. The past weeks had been draining, far more draining than he remembered anything being, probably in his lifetime. Physically, he'd suffered much worse and always came out on top. Emotionally, he was eviscerated. It seemed the only thing that kept him going was a promise made to his fallen daughter. That, and the sudden, unpredictable flashes of rage and pain that drove him steadily onward. He didn't want to lie to himself; Caesar was old. Much older than when he started down this path. Maybe he should retire fully when all of this was over. If he survived it at all. Perhaps it would be better if he didn't, so long as he took the sons and daughters of bitches responsible with him and there was no other loss of decent human life.

"Hell of a day, huh?" he asked Cecily wearily. He mounted his trike and adjusted a mirror. He tossed his young companion the spare helmet, "Hop on. I'm buying."

The next bit of time was spent cruising the streets of Justice, California. While not a leisurely pace, Caesar didn't seem to be gunning it to their next destination. They had some time to get there, as did Caesar's associate. There was the slightest of holdups coming into the Diamond District; it seems there was a minor fender-bender that needed to be navigated around, but after not too long, the unlikely pair found themselves pulling into the nondescript parking lot of Valentino's.

It was a basic-seeming neighborhood restaurant, nondescript in nature. Caesar pulled his trike alongside a large black Dodge Rancharger near the front and stepped off of his road machine, regarding the vehicle beside them. "He's here already. Just going to warn you, Niña, this guy is like a sack of raw sugar: Large, White, and Unrefined. Good man, though. Alicia and me brought him into the company a while before any of this stuff happened, and a couple continents away. But he's an asshole. Just saying."

Upon entering the establishment, it was apparent that they were not particularly busy. The large man known as Keystone was sitting openly at the bar, facing the doorway. He had a glass of deeply colored red wine, swirling it gently and enjoying the nose of the vintage before sipping it lightly. It was almost comical, a man of his gargantuan proportions engaging in classic sommelier behavior. In his huge hands, the practice looked both clumsy and dainty simultaneously. "Right glad you could make it, I am." he spouted off as the two of them drew closer. "Name of Keystone, little lady. Table's that way." he said, jerking his thumb to point vaguely back behind him. "Mayhap you can tell me a little 'bout what's goin' on whilst we're waiting on the breadsticks to arrive."

"Obvious Facts for $100, Alex. No shit I'd rather not be involved with any of this, but trying to keep to myself didn't work and if I'm marked for death, I would rather not get blindsided by it like some opossum that stumbled onto a road." There was a lot more Mali wanted to say, but she held her tongue. Now was not the time or place to vent frustrations at people she didn't really know.

"Is there anything else you're not telling me, by the way," she asked Relic. "Are you actually from the future and you've just been trying to blend in with the 21st Century crowd?" It was a joke, but there was more than a slight tinge of irritation in her voice. Mali popped another fried tomato slice into her mouth and chewed thoroughly, working out her pent up aggression on the food in her mouth rather than directing it at anyone at the table, as tempting a prospect as that was at the moment. Life would have been so much easier had she just not moved to Justice.

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Jaina cackled, even as she was practically immobilized underneath Marc. It had been ages since she had gotten a good romp, letting herself do whatever she pleased to whomever she pleased. The asylum was so constricting in that way, but the fine mist of blood did serve to bring a smile to her face. It was beautiful, almost like fireworks. "D...O...A...Is that like OCD?" Jaina giggled. "All the acronyms in the world, all the plans...But just have a little fun! Chaos, chaos, chaos...It's the happiest thing ever, agent!"

She closed her eyes for a moment, looking like she was savoring the moment on a spiritual, almost religious level. "Why so serious, agent?" Jaina asked, her eyes opening again. "You don't like this game?" She giggled again, whistling a funny little tune to herself. Struggling a bit to get a better look at Cynthia, from her position on the ground, Jaina's mind then realized the word from earlier. She had been distracted by the acronym, and hadn't thought about what it could have meant.

Tranq. As in, tranquiziler. Her laughter ceased for a moment, as her eyes widened and then narrowed in understanding. She had had plenty of drugs, plenty of medical treatments. And she hated them. "No!" Jaina hissed, before using the only weapon she had left--her head--as she attempted to headbutt Marc as best as she could.

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Iris nodded at the paramedic, letting them take over with the orderly. And as she heard them declare him dead, her heart sank a little. It was a dangerous job, working in the asylum. The orderly had a family--a spouse, kids, dogs, loved ones--that they would never return to. But it wasn't the time to get misty eyed. Turning to the rockstar, Iris nodded. "The other buildings have padded rooms," Iris explained. "But leaving the Ludwig building, c'est pas grave, but...probably not the best. We could bring her to her room, station a few orderlies there."

Fortunately, Cynthia seemed to be fine--almost too fine. Her joy at the death in the room wasn't the best of signs, and made Iris feel a little more bleak about Cynthia's chances of rehabilitation. Her sanity seemed to ebb and flow. Walking over towards her patient, as to not be in the way of the paramedics attending to Felix and the orderly, Iris forced herself to smile at Cynthia. "Perhaps we ought to move you out of here, Cynthia...We can fetch you some strawberries, if you'd like."

It wasn't exactly protocol--but to be fair, there wasn't a protocol for this exact situation. She hadn't been working at the asylum for ages, but still, this was unexpected, to say the least. This was the halfway building, for women who were almost ready to rejoin society. Slaughters on this level were unprecedented.

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Cecily nodded, laughing tiredly. "It feels like it's been a month," she commented. The events of the day all had a way of blending together, into one stream of consciousness characterized by pain and confusion. Her shoulder ached fiercely, and as she put on the helmet and mounted the bike behind Caesar, she felt the pain as she gripped onto him tightly. She didn't want to have evaded death at Queensguard's Private Airfield, only to die by falling off of the trike in Justice traffic. It'd be anti-climatic, to say the least. And make for a poor gravestone inscription.

Cecily appreciated the leisurely-ish pace of the ride to the restaurant, taking the moment to just breathe and watch the buildings and streets rush past them. With such a stressful and eventful day, it was the most quiet moment she had had, and it was nice. She felt a little calmer by the time they arrived at the restaurant, getting off of the trike. At Caesar's description of the man, she wasn't sure whether or not it'd be rude to laugh. "He sounds...charming."

The restaurant didn't look like anything fancy, and Cecily figured there was a reason behind that. Most of Caesar's decisions seemed to revolve around security, in one way or another. It was a bit different from the way she usually lived her life--with her restaurant choices based off of Yelp reviews. As she spotted the gigantic man, who was easily at least a foot taller than her, she glanced back at Caesar for a moment. Yeah, she could see those two being chums.

"It's Cecily," she said awkwardly, uncertain as to whether or not to protest to being called little, when she physically was quite little next to the man. "I'm not sure I understand it all quite myself..." she admitted, glancing back at Caesar. This seemed to be more his area.

Felix looked up the medics tending to him, trying to force a cocky smirk but the pain restricted him from what seemed like his mouth was just mindlessly convulsing. He let out a sigh and a little tense groan. "F-Felix Hausten, my ID"F-Felix Hausten, my ID"" he said, looking about him with his singular option of view now. This was a horrible situation that he'd ended up in, chances were if someone rushed him now, the medics wouldn't save him, since he couldn't very well save himself.

He looked over to see Riley and Cynthia. Was she truly insane? he had to talk to her, while she would be cuffed of course. This was too messy for him. How long would he be in hospital? For as long as he would be in there, he'd be vulnerable. Even if Marc had guards, chances are one of them would somehow be in cahoots with the so-called bad guys. Felix bit down on his tongue, pointing at his jacket pocket, trying to fish out his wallet which had his ID.

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Justice Asylum: - "Hold still before you make things worse," the paramedic told Felix. Taking his ID and strapping him down better. The last thing he needed was the patient falling off the stretcher and making things even worse.

Cynthia was having a grand old time, the thought of pop corn and strawberry quick had her attention and she didn't even notice as Mark took a blow to his forehead from the back of Jaina's skull. Blood pouring out his nostrils as he fell back. His eyes watered as he jumped up and drew his side arm. "Seriously lady? You want a bullet in your skull?"

"Yeah, that sounds nice. Very nice. It does sound nice. I said it sounded nice. Well then we agree. For once," Cynthia said to herself walking out of the room in a haze. "Where's the food?" she asked as she looked around the hallway.

"Alright he's ready to move, anyone coming with him?" the paramedic asked as they started to wheel Felix out of there quickly to get him away from the scene.

"Where is that damn tranq?" Marc spat as he kept the barrel of his gun pointed at Jaina, his finger on the trigger.



Zoies Farm: - "I's wish," Zoie said leaning forward in her chair and resting her elbows on the table. Taking a deep breath she rested her hands on either side of her head and scowled. "There be a lot I ain't tellin' ya. I tells ya everythang and it paints a larger target on yous back. Thang is, is you willin' to be a bigger target or if you'd just likes to walks away from this nows and hope to get throughs it," she said before glancing over at Mali. Her eyes held there for a moment before looking over at her brother.

"Why's you gots to go gettin' mixed up in all this. I told ya's to stays out of it."

"Well sorry, I was just following the pieces," he said before pulling his glasses off and rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I didn't mean to get into trouble Z... I really didn't. It was... well..."

"You and your damned curiosity," Zoie said shaking her head. "You never did know when enough was enough. Always figured behind behind the computer kept ya safe. Well it don't."

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Riley looked over at Iris as she mentioned that there was a room that they had given to Cynthia figuring that it was safest for her to go there for now. "I think that would be the best for her." Riley said as she stood up, her attention went back to the crazy girl Jaina as she started saying how chaos was the happiest thing in the world. She really did have enough of this place, Riley didn't feel safe being in a place with patients wanting to gouge out your eye, or stabbing you in the throat. Riley started making her way towards Felix as the man tried to fish out for his wallet just as the paramedic strapped Felix down tighter on the stretcher. It reminded her of her car accident about a week ago and being hauled off to the hospital, she remembered having Ronnie, Chloe and Cecily there during her time in the hospital.

"I'll go with him." Riley offered, feeling partly responsible for Felix getting attacked by her crazed former classmate. And the guy didn't deserve to be left alone, Riley quickly turned her head just as she watched Jaina rear heading Marc in the nose. She quickly went over towards Marc's side as she took the stun gun, but didn't point it just yet. "I was going to go with Felix to the hospital, do you need me to stay and help?" Riley whispered to Marc, her eyes then started to see Cynthia getting up and leaving the room looking at Iris. "Hey doc lady, might want to keep an eye on her, and get her to her room or something." She called out to Iris.

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The table was near the back of the restaurant, adorned with white tablecloth and (contrary to Keystone's narrative for information) a smallish, centrally located basket of bias sliced bread. There were no other tables seated nearby in the dim light of the dining floor, offering them a fair amount of privacy. Hopefully decent service, as well. Caesar took a seat first, positioned as to see the front of the room. Taking this as a cue, Keystone sat diagonally from him at the table. From his vantage, the kitchen doors and bathrooms could clearly be seen. Under ordinary circumstances, this looked like paranoia. This day in Justice, California? It was vital to continued survival. Both men seemed to treat this city as hostile territory, and for good reason.

Caesar motioned for Cecily to take a seat. Manners might have dictated the older man showing her to an appropriate chair and pulling it out for her, but the griefstricken Mexican's mind wasn't fixated on what Emily Post would have to say about the situation. On the other side, it was very possible that Keystone didn't possess manners to begin with. Only time and reflection would add more light to the discussion as to whether that made his lack of chivalry more or less forgivable, if it was even an issue to begin with.

"Well then," began Keystone. "Bread's already 'ere. I guess one o' you two's late with storytime, yeah?" He raised a hand for a waitress, apparently oblivious to the possibility of either of them actually wanted to answer right that second. The approach of the lady temporarily halted conversation from the two men; apparently it was considered very gauche to discuss sensitive personal or business matters around strangers when people were dropping like flies all over town. Keystone ordered wine service, having his bottle plus another delivered to the table immediately. He waved away the initial pour, confident in his abilities to put wine into vessels designed for the purpose of holding that selfsame liquid until it could be consumed. Preferably with a decent Penne Bolognese or their house made Ravioli. The two bottles held different varietals of grape; Keystone himself had already taken a glass from the Merlot, a pleasant neutral red that went well with many things, the unopened one held a Lambrusco, suitable for heavy sauce, spice, and meat based sauces. "Sorry, already ordered the aperitif, I did, thinkin' on what I was gonna order. If'n you lot're plannin' fish or white sauce, I can get a Pinot Bloody Gris straightaway."

His lack of social grace matched up oddly with his knowledge of epicure. Almost unsettlingly so.

Caesar spoke up, detailing the bare bones of the day. He kept his tone low and even, trying summarize everything that had happened, including the fact that Cecily was presently sitting at the table with a fresh bullet wound. "We're leaving town tomorrow, early. Alicia's body had been released, and the Familia Gonzalez is already gathering back home. We shouldn't be more than a couple of days. I'm talking to some of my people about easing your workload, but until then, you're taking over the account here in Justice fully. Just manage the account. Unless something massive happens that you can handle, or information falls in your lap, just stick to the routine. We'll reevaluate this after more of our people are in place."

The waitress picked that moment to come by and ask if they were ready to order. Caesar shook his head to indicate they needed another couple of minutes. Keystone had opened his mouth to order for himself, but instead settled into an annoyed look that he aimed at Caesar. "I got a couple bounders an' East Enders what's coming in from London town, next couple of days. Folks we can trust, got nothin' to do with this country or anyone in it. Might have to school 'em up on driving the wrong side of the road, though... And you says you got some techies comin' in from Seattle, replace the ones we got 'ere?"

"A few of them. Still need someone to manage that department. People we can trust are coming up short with those qualifications. No one is as good as M'hija." The truth was, he knew someone. One person. But there was no way in hell he was going to ask. Not after the last couple of weeks.

"Right. Glad that's all settled." Not that anything was settled, really. But from there on out, it was very possible that their discussion could plod along and sound very much like a company staffing issue, rather than a counter-plot against an unknown, evil entity. "Now, can we get some eats, prettyfongin'please? And howsabout your pretty young partner here, eh? She's been awful quiet. You ain't 'bout to replace me off the mallet, are ya Boss?" The last two sentences were delivered with an element of airy mirth. He could just imagine the comparatively tiny but strikingly professional looking girl taking over for him beating down miscreants, whipping the security staff into shape, and bodyguarding corporate executives.

Caesar's tone was serious, even if his words weren't. "Don't know yet, Keystone. Better stay on your toes."

"Well, it's a special girl what gets shot in the mornin' and is good for cocktails come evenin'." He addressed her directly, "So what of ya, little lady? How're you fittin' into all this?" He refilled his glass of merlot, motioning as to offer some to Cecily.

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Iris had already followed Cynthia out of the room when Riley called out for her to keep an eye on her. She wasn't going to just let her patient, especially one who just had a violent episode, wander free and potentially cause more harm. As she slipped out the door, she glanced at the agent, who had a gun trained on the other patient--Jaina. If he didn't kill her, there was a chance the orderlies would, and label it as an accident. The girl had killed one of their own, after all.

"Don't kill her," Iris requested. "She's sick. She cannot be held accountable for actions she doesn't understand!" She wasn't one to give up on someone, even as Jaina was cackling on the ground, looking up at the gun as if it was just a water pistol and could do no harm. The stun gun, in Iris' opinion, would be a far better solution than ending the patient's life.

Iris then quickly left the room, catching up with Cynthia. The girl appeared to be in a bit of a haze, asking where the food was and whatnot. "In your room, mon cœur," Iris reassured her. "I had them prepare something for you--it's brilliant, you'll love it." She smiled at her, before attempting to guide Cynthia away from the murder and attempted-murder scene, and towards her room.

But back at the scene, giggling on the floor, Jaina stared up at Marc, her face void of understanding. She didn't fear death, since she could not understand it. To her, the orderly was fine--just taking a bit of a nap, really melodramatic the way everyone was reacting.... "Mm, I haven't tried that before...But sure! Why not?" Jaina laughed, sitting up slightly. "Stick a gun to my head pull the trigger then I'm dead..." She shrugged a bit, pondering the meaning of the last word. She had heard a song before that went along those lines, though she never properly understood it. "Fire away, agent!" she then glanced over at the orderly, and laughed, as if she had shared a private joke with the dead body.

"God, I love that guy! He's so much fun!"

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Cecily, truthfully, didn't mind the lack of chivalry. She could pull out a chair without anyone's help. While other girls might have been offended, it was a non-issue to her. She perhaps would have been irritated if they had insisted on going through every doctrine of chivalry, with each rule, in her mind, infantilizing women. Women gave birth, after all--it wasn't hard to pull out her own chair. She sat down at the table, not quite as paranoid as Caesar and Keystone--she didn't scope out vantage points, she didn't look for exits and entrances. The thought didn't cross her mind.

Given that she had only left the comforts of college two years back, Cecily didn't know much about proper alcohol. She knew about it in a chemical sense, but mostly, her experience came from the few parties she had attended, and whatever alcohol her roommates had decided to purchase. Her uncertainty caused her to be almost entirely unaware of what wine went with what dish--that to when Keystone stated that a different sort of wine would go with fish or a white sauce, she appeared to be either slightly nervous or confused. Her parents might have belonged to the social class that knew all of those items, including which fork to use, but Cecily never really picked up on that information.

During Caesar and Keystone's conversation, she listened for the most part. At the mention of Seattle, she smiled ever so slightly. Despite never spending much time in the city, it was her birth place. She always had a soft spot for it, out of all of the dozens of cities across the country she had lived in. But when the conversation seemed to die down, Cecily wasn't sure whether to laugh or not at Keystone's comment. She shrugged slightly at Keystone's offer of wine, not clear whether it was an acceptance or a declination.

"I doubt you have much to worry about..." she began, chuckling very quietly. "I do forensics down at the morgue--got named acting coroner after Wallace died. And....well, someone tried to kill me during a break in, and then someone tried to kill me again today. Guess that makes me special--people keep missing."

Mali set down her silverware and grabbed ahold of the half-full mason jar Zoie had handed her just minutes ago. She took a large sip and took a moment to savor the sensation of cold water cooling down her overheated body. Breathe in, breathe out. Her heartbeat slowed down and the agitated energy in her muscles calmed. She felt her eyes close, and when they opened anew, everything felt a bit less muddled. Mali sighed. Hopefully, she would be able to properly express herself.

"If I really wanted to just continue trying to keep my head down and hope for the best, I wouldn't be here in the first place. The way I see it, nothing ever changes unless you go out to do it yourself, and just trying to avoid conflict is how you end up being a victim of circumstance. It seems like you're trying to do me a favor by withholding information, and I suppose I can appreciate that, but I'm going to get to the bottom of this one way or the other." Mali turned her gaze towards Relic.

"And you, we're going to have to talk later." Abruptly, Mali stood up out from the table. "Now if you'll excuse me, where's the bathroom?"

Felix could feel pain still as he was strapped down, trying to look at the paramedic that was catering to him. he had his ID, if this medic turned out to be someone he couldn't trust. imagine if suddenly somebody had his ID. He groaned and remained as still as possible. It was gonna be fine, he just had to concentrate on staying awake. He gritted his teeth, knowing that any movement would make his eye socket seer in pain again, a pain he was already regretting. If he had just taken precautions and not provoked the asylum patient as much as he had. Maybe he wouldn't be a pirate.

He tilted his head slightly, against the doctor's orders, to see what Rileyw as saying. She was accompanying him? Well, usually a strangers offer would make him wary but she seemed very trustworthy, hell if the secret agent trusted her he sure as hell could as well. He gave her a light smile, a bit annoyed at himself for getting injured again, only recently he'd been beaten to a pulp, and now he'd lost an eye. Maybe he did need to butt out of these events.

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Justice Asylum: Marc cocked a brow at the doctors words but he kept his gun trained on Jaina. He knew she didn't in a way but he also felt she did. He had seen Cynthia act in a similar manner before. She was crazed but somewhere inside of all that madness knew what was going on. He would not hesitate to pull the trigger if it came down to that.

Cynthia skipped about singing to herself, lala lala lala. She was happy as a clam right then the thought of getting strawberry quick was on her mind right then. Just bouncing around and skipping in the hallway as if nothing was going on as Felix was wheeled out of the room carefully and slowly as to not cause more of a ruckus. Marc nodded a bit. "Go with him; keep my updated. I will be there soon as I can," he told Riley without looking over at her. He wasn't about to take his eyes off the woman.

Then there was a popping sound, like muted gunfire and through the air whizzed something silver with a feather on the end. It planted itself right into Jaina's hip. "Got her," an orderly said as he lowed the small tranq gun. That was unexpected. He figured it would be a shot, not a SHOT. His face looked confused but he continued to watch her. "Sometimes distance is the only way," he said as he lowered the tranq gun.

The dart would not take long to act, Jaina might be able to get off a wobbly step or maybe two but in the end she would hit the ground and be under. Till she did though, Marc's gun remained trained right between her eyes. Felix was wheeled out of the room fully and then the paramedics made haste, rushing him to the elevator and just keeping the doors open long enough to let Riley get in if she followed. Once they reached the main floor it was a mad dash to the ambulance where he was loaded up quickly and the paramedics got everything situated.

Over at the restaurant everything seemed fine but there was a TV on over the bar. "Amy Adams with channel six news: We are at the Justice Asylum where there are reports of a patient gone mad. We have just seen a man wheeled out on a stretcher with what looked to be his eye gouged out. How many more will join him? We don't know but we will keep you posted." In the background there could be seen the ambulance loading Felix up, and in the crowd a woman with long blonde hair pulled back in a taunt ponytail with a black baseball cap on walking into the building.

Zoies Farm: - "No fense but just tryin' to keep my brother alive, he's what matters to me," Zoie said as she stood up and pointed down the hallway. "Down da hall and to the left. Jiggle the handle, the plumbin's a bit wonky here," she said before turning as she heard the new report come in on the TV in the living room.

Stepping over to the doorway she peeked inside and watched it. Relic getting up and standing beside his sister. Mali's words causing him to gulp a bit. She was not someone he wanted to piss off. "Hey, that's that writer," Relic commented as he watched Felix get wheeled into ambulance and then his face went white as Zoie grabbed his arm.

"Zoie, is that?" he asked as his mouth suddenly went dry.

"Yeah, that be her..." she said quietly as she stepped closer to the TV.

"None taken, but I don't think trying to keep him in the dark is going to work at this point." With a nod, Mali headed down the hallway. There was that uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach that always came when one needed to use the bathroom in a building one wasn't familiar with. The sense that one was an intruder upon a space to which they didn't belong. However, given the circumstances she found herself in, Mali didn't bother dwelling on the feeling anyways.

Everything in the bathroom went more or less smoothly. The only real issue she found was getting the damn toilet to flush. Zoie did say that she needed to jiggle the handle, but even then it took her three or four tries before the privy accepted her struggles. Zoie claimed the plumbing was a bit wonky, but in this instance, Mali suspected it was actually the loo itself that was the issue here. Unfortunately she didn't have the mechanical expertise to check it out herself. Maybe that might be something to look into later if she had the free time. As it was, she had no more business there and made her way back to the dining room.

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"I will, text me when you are on your way over and keep me updated as well." Riley said towards Marc, as she looked at Felix and gave the man a friendly nod. It was the least she could do for him. She turned around as the paramedics finished strapping Felix into the stretcher and started to wheel him off. Riley then heard the popping sound, one of the orderlies took the tranq gun to take down the crazed girl Jaina she gave Marc one last friendly nod before turning around and quickly running alongside the paramedics and into the elevator. "You are doing just fine Felix." Riley reassured him, as she pressed the lobby button and started to feel the elevator going down still trying to avoid eye contact with him, the sight of his eye made her want to cringe.

When the elevator door opened Riley started making her way out along with the paramedics, she stared at the news crew that was already at the scene. Though she was pretty much used to the news at this point Riley did her best to avoid looking or paying any attention to the crowd. Walking past a woman with a tight pony tail, black baseball cap and glasses sneaking past her and into the asylum she started to get a slightly weird feeling that the woman was going in there for a reason. Riley climbed into the ambulance once they got Felix inside, taking a seat inside as the paramedics closed the door behind them still with that weird feeling Riley started to take out her phone to text Marc it was probably nothing, but she felt like she needed to warn her friend.

To Marc:
"Marc, not sure but there was someone entering the asylum. Just got this weird feeling."

Riley hit send and leaned back slightly looking over at Felix as they were doing their thing, checking his pulse hooking him up to an IV all that good stuff. "Hey at least you will get a really badass looking eyepatch like a pirate. Maybe get you a pirate costume and a peg leg as well." Riley said jokingly trying to cheer Felix up and keep him awake. Riley's mind then started to wonder over towards Cecily, their phone call had ended up really abruptly which she regretted doing now she did have feelings and cared for her roommate after all and decided to text her as well to give her an update and where she will be.

To Cecily:
"Hey Cece, really sorry for hanging up early, i'm on my way to the hospital now i'm fine don't worry i'm not hurt. Meeting Marc there as well if you still want that meeting."

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Keystone's appraisal of the younger and much tinier Cecily was initially one of skepticism. Caesar didn't have a reputation for taking on younger, female business partners, or any other type of younger, female partner with verifiable intellect. Then again, one's reputation wasn't always the best marker of their personality. He was living proof of that; for some ungodly reason, most people had a hard time believing that a man of his size, breeding, and lack of formal education would know how to properly debone a mallard, let alone transform the animal into a proper French galantine, pistachios or no.

Then Cecily opened up about her recent history surviving a handful of attempts on her life. Now that made sense. The old man had a history of taking women in danger under his wing until either their tragic and inevitable death, resulting in a redoubling of efforts to eviscerate the person (or persons) responsible in a dramatic fashion, else they survive the carnage and provide some manner of dire minute assistance that saves his life, teaching him a lesson of fragile humanity and perseverance in the process. Yeah, that sounded much more likely. Keystone looked upon the junior coroner with a mixture of hope and pity. "Rough go of it, love. Bloody mess, this all is. Lemme know if I can choke a twat out for ya, yeah?"

Now, Caesar himself had something else on his mind. He was in a much better vantage point to see the television. He was transfixed. Slowly, he pushed his seat back and stood, absently tapping Cecily's uninjured shoulder. Five taps in, he motioned to the screen, asking, "That's that puta now, isn't it? Background, walking right at the front fucking door... Bitch must pay."

A thought hit him - this was a seasoned operative, obviously. Why the hell would she intentionally cross in front of a live camera feed and go into the front door of a public building? Hiding in plain sight, maybe? Or was this an elaborate setup? Better question, why the fuck was he even thinking right now? If Cecily confirmed (or even if she didn't, it's not like a metric ton of rational thought went into most of his non-business decisions), he was most assuredly on his way as fast as humanly possible. Caesar fished out a bill and tossed it on the table. Supper be damned, if he actually survived tonight he was going to find a late night sandwich place or order a pizza. "Might want to call your cop friend. Keystone! We're going to need your Ramcharger."

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Jaina saw the confusion on Marc's face before she noticed the dart hit her. Glancing down at the dart that had embedded itself in her hip, Jaina's eyes widened, and a few tears welled up in her eyes. But the smile was still plastered on her face, a smile that seemed to never leave, no matter what emotion she felt. Instead of charging at anyone to attack, Jaina looked up at Marc, her eyes wide and huge, perhaps from curiosity or terror. Or better yet, a mix of the two. "Help...me..." Jaina croaked, before the tranquilizer kicked in, and she fell to the ground, her hands still stained with the orderly's blood.

In the hallway with Cynthia, Iris felt a bit perplexed. She hadn't seen Cynthia this happy before--but to be fair, she had only met her today. She watched as the girl bounced and skipped, almost like a happy little dancer, a six year old being all bubbly and cute before the recital. The more she learned about Cynthia, the more she felt that the Ludwig branch of the asylum wasn't properly equipped to treat her--and the more committed Iris felt towards the girl.

"Come in here, alright? T'es d'accord avec moi?" Iris asked, nodding encouragingly at Cynthia. It would be for the better if Cynthia entered the room willingly, as to allow the orderlies then to guard the door. She felt a bit bad about the trick they were playing on her, but Iris would go and fetch some of the sorbet from her office if she could, and bring it back to her. Trust was important, in Iris' opinion.

She didn't pay attention to the relentless buzzing of her phone, dismissing it as Darcy being overprotective and easily worried. The situation had been controlled and managed, after all. It was perhaps a naive notion to have.

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Cecily felt a mixture of annoyance and understanding, seeing the look of pity on Keystone's face. On one hand, she figured that odds were, the shooter(s) wouldn't miss the next time they took an aim at her. She had been lucky so far, and while she was grateful for that, she felt she was pushing her luck each and every moment. Hanging around Roy and Caesar may provide protection, but it also had a certain vulnerability to it. Cecily couldn't help but muse that the more protection she received, the more danger she would ultimately face.

"Thanks, I appreciate it," Cecily replied with a slight smile. "Though it'd probably be better if I learned how to 'choke a twat out' myself...Or kill them with science," she joked. But with the five taps on her shoulder, Cecily's paranoia picked up. Was there someone in the restaurant that Caesar was about to point out? Had Prosperine turned out to be the owner of Valentino's?

Her worries weren't too far off, as she glanced up at the screen. Nodding, she affirmed Caesar's conclusions. "...Keystone, if you wanted to choke someone out for me, start with her," Cecily mentioned, looking at the blonde on the screen. She was positive it was Proserpine--it had to be. But as her phone buzzed, Cecily's eyes widened slightly. Her cousin, Iris, was there--she was at the asylum. Ignoring the text from Riley, Cecily frantically dialed Iris' number as Caesar paid, but it only went to voicemail. Eventually, Cecily resigned herself to sending a text to Iris, warning her to run as fast as she could from the asylum.

"On it," Cecily replied quickly. As much as she was worried about Iris--it seemed Darcy had a good reason to be nervous, if Prosperpine was going to Iris' place of business--her best course of action would be to get Roy on the scene. Switching contacts in her phone, she tapped out a quick text to Roy, telling him in her own sort of nerdy code that a crazed blonde woman (Proserpine) was heading into the asylum:

His journey to the elevator was stressful. He couldn't move, his vulnerability scaring him. At this point he wouldnt be able to stop a knife aimed for him, let alone a short. Hell, someone could push him over and he'd be screwed. His free and safe eye, the only thing left to give him sight, darted around, trying to gather in as much detail as possible. This was way too unsettling for him, yes he had Riley, but still something unnerved him. Something wasn't right, the worst was still yet to come.

"heh, sure I'm fine" he let out with a sigh, biting down on his lip with a pained expression. Pain still seared through his body and where he was once able to view the world. There was nothing. Nothing but darkness with a few sudden bursts of pain. He needed something to fill that whole. His whole eye...gone. In an instant. That bitch would have to pay sometime. This wasn't her time to change his life. But he'd endure. Hell, if anything this would make him m more popular. As soon as he was patched up, he'd get back to writing.

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Justice Asylum: - Marc didn't know what to think when Jaina said she needed help. His first thought was she really needed help but he wondered if there was more to it than that. The police were arriving as well as the Forensics team. Holstering his side arm he pulled out his phone and took a look as a text message came in. Shaking his head he pocketed it before walking over to Jaina and hoisting her up in his arms.

Carrying her out of the room and away from the dead body and bloodied scene he glanced around. Cynthia was still dancing around and now singing that she had a lovely bunch of coconuts as she followed the doctor. Marc sighed, Cynthia being Cynthia. Stepping over to the Doctor with Jaina in his arms. "Where can I put her?" he asked as his eyes darted about. He wasn't exactly sure what Riley was getting at with the message but something was not sitting right in the pit of his stomach. Right then it was better to keep an eye out.

Cynthia giggled and walked over, placing a kiss on Jaina's brow before heading into the room the doctor wanted her in. "I get strawberry now?" she asked like a child who had just cleaned their room and was waiting for their allowance.

Zoies Farm: - Zoie sat down on the couch and watched the news while Relic went and grabbed his plate before joining her. Shoveling the food in his mouth as Zoie's fingers drummed on the arm of the couch.

Looking over as Mali returned Zoie rose from her place. "Y'all should finish eatin', thinks it would be best if y'all crashed here tonight. Be safer than goin' back to the city," Zoie said which caused Relic to look over to her.

"You sure?" he asked chewing on the piece of chicken he had just tore into.

"Yeah, I'ms sure. You knows where yer room is. I'll fix up the spare room for you," she said as she looked over towards Mali, giving her the once over. "I don'ts have anythang of mine yous could wear but I do have some stuff of an ex, gym stuff. Its clean, should fit ya," she offered as she rubbed her palms down the length of her thighs. "That is if yous will stay. If not, I can drives you back to the city."

Mali thought it over. Zoie had been nothing but helpful so far, allowing entrance to her house, cooking, a bit of information/advice, and now offering a place to stay and even a change of clothes. That last one was really unexpected. Although getting out of her current dirty, sweaty clothes would be nice. It might have been some guy's old workout clothes, but gymwear and (unfortunately) crossdressing were things that she had grown accustomed to wearing. Staying here would probably be the best choice, the less time out in Justice at night, the better.

"What's the catch?" It didn't add up. Looking after her reckless brother was a natural thing to do. That she could understand, but the amount of hospitality she was offering to a woman who was essentially threatening her job just didn't make sense. Based on her attire earlier and what she knew now, Mali guessed that she was likely some sort of "clean-up woman" or someone who otherwise got their hands dirty on the regular, and the paranoid voice in her head couldn't help but scream that this reeked of a trap. Then again, Zoie might just see somebody marked for death and be offering pity, but either way there was another motive behind her actions other than acting out of the kindness of her own heart.