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Scott locked eyes with the man who had been pursuing the girls, and that was when he knew that this man was far more than he seemed. The man only stood about six feet tall, and if he had to guess, Scott would say that he weighed about one hundred and eighty pounds. Yet, there was something about this man who made him seem far more imposing than his physical stature would suggest. The man was sharply dressed in a designer suit and wore a white glove on his right hand. He had sharp features, though they were mostly hidden behind a short, scruffy beard. However, there was something strange about this man, something almost inhuman about him. And then, Scott realized what it was.

His eyes. 

They were not the eyes of a man. There was no sclera, there were no pupils. The man’s eyes were empty, silver voids with a thin black outline that were where his pupils should be. But as he looked closer, he noticed that the thin black line swirled in the man’s eyes, almost as if there were a storm raging within. 

“Come, now!” the older of the two girls called to him, grabbing his arm and pulling him with her as she began to run. “He’s seen you with us, you’re not safe!” She told him as the girls lead him into the crowd. They raced down the crowded street, taking a number of turns down side streets which lead back to other crowded streets, until they were sure that they had shaken their pursuers. 

“Who were those guys, and what did they want with you?” Scott asked once he was sure they were in the clear. Scott could almost sense their hesitation as neither girl said anything for a long moment. 

“It’s better if you don’t know.” The older of the two girls finally said in surprisingly perfect English. 

“I’m involved in this now, I should at least know what I’m up against.” Scott told her.

“You got yourself involved. You should have stayed away. Américain stupide.”

“Be that as it may, I’m involved. So again, who were those people, and what do they want with you?” Scott replied.

“Fine, but not here. It’s not safe.” She said after a brief hesitation.

“I know where we can go.” Scott said after a moment. “Follow me.” He told them as he began to lead them back toward his hotel.

Scott led the two young women to the front entrance of the Le Grande Peninsula Hotel. As Scott and the two ladies traversed the last several blocks to the hotel, there had been an uneasy silence that hung over them. It was almost as if the girls were afraid to speak about their attacker, as to do so would summon him to them. 

“Bonne journée.” The doorman said with a smile and a nod at the three travelers as they walked passed him.

“Bonjour.” Scott replied as he led the girls into the lobby and to the elevator.  

[center] ***[/center]

Once they were safely inside Scott and Alexa’s suite, Seline and Sophie were more than happy to open up about the situation they found themselves, and by extension, Scott, in. Sophie tearfully told him about how Etoile and his underlings had forced their way into their home and slaughtered her cousin Tanya, as well as her aunt and uncle. As terrible as her story was, it was Seline’s tale that really got Scott’s attention. 

She told him about the man who had slaughtered her family, and who Scott had nearly confronted on the crowded Parisian street when they had first crossed paths. She told him that this man,  Etoile, was not a man at all, but a magical being, a fae. According to Seline, Etoile believed that the Fae were the rightful rulers of the Earth, and that it was only a matter of time before a war between Man and Faekind would erupt and then the Fae would take their rightful place. She had explained that Etoile was a militant force in the Paris underground, and while many dismissed his message as the ranting of a madman, he was still accumulating a number of followers. When he pressed her on how and why she would get involved with someone like that, she told him that she was only involved with him from a business standpoint. 

“Money is hard to come by these days. Some of us have to do whatever we have to do to get by.” She told him. “I am very good at what I do, and it his kept my sister fed and clothed. So I make no apologies for doing what I have to do.” 

She went on to explain that Etoile had had contacted her to recover an ancient artifact for him. It was something called a Divinity Shard, and from what she had learned about it, when combined with the other two shards it was supposed to give the wielder great power. She did not know what kind of power it held, or what Etoile wanted with it, she just knew that he was willing to pay a small fortune to get it. However, when she went to take the shard, it was not there. She didn’t know if someone had beaten her to it, or if she had been set up, all she knew was that it was not there, and she had to evade the owner’s private security force in order to get out of the pace alive. Unfortunately, Etoile was not known for being forgiving, and dealt with and failure harshly. Her failure to get the shard had doomed her, and unfortunately, her family had already paid for that failure with their lives.

Suddenly, there was a click as the lock to the suite door was disengaged and the door opened. Scott could see that the girls were nervous and ready to run, but he did his best to calm them as Alexa walked through the door. As soon as she stepped into the suite and saw Scott and two young women that looked utterly terrified, she knew that somehow, Scott had gotten them dragged into something that they probably had no business getting involved in.

“Scott, babe…what’s going on?” Alexa asked as she stepped into the living area, putting her bag down on the coffee table.

“Oh, hey Honey…” Scott said innocently as he began to recount the tale of how he had met the two sisters.

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Etoile paced the center of his subterranean lair. The woman, Seline had escaped his grasp, and as such, so had the Divinity Shard. He had been seething over her failure to produce the shard, as well as his own inability to get his hands on her. She had proven to be every bit as slippery as her reputation had claimed, and she had, at least up to this point, eluded him. Suddenly, there was a flash of blinding light, and from that light stepped the shape of a man. As the light faded, his features became visible. The man was petite, with sharp features that were covered in make up and glitter. His hair was short and well sculpted, and comprised of a multitude of bright colors. 

“What have you learned, Julius?” Etoile asked as the man stood before him.

“I’ve heard from some of my contacts, and I think I have some good news.” He responded.

“Have you found the Divinity Shard?” Etoile asked, perhaps coming off more hopeful than he had intended.

“Sadly no. But I do have something that could be just as valuable.” He said with a grin. “I may have found the girls.”