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[indent][indent][indent][color=gray][sub][right][color=dc143c][b]Location:[/b][/color] Laughing Worg Tavern -- City-State of Thorinn, Aetheria[/right][/sub][/color]
[hr]Graves wasn't much of a thinker, even if he'd never admit it. Seele spoke in an excited rush, days worth of careful research and pondering pouring out like a flood. She was shuffling through stacks upon stacks of documents featuring all sorts of information: missing wayfarers, a map of the city, a [i]second[/i] map of the city, then a third and a fourth. It would've been difficult to keep up with her even if Graves wasn't halfway through a sizeable tankard of ale. Still, he did his best to follow her line of thought. People were being taken in some kinda pattern. Certain places in Thorinn where it was easier to nab folks in the dead of night, he figured, were hotspots for these kidnappings. And they were targeted, too, not just at players but [i]specifically[/i] mages from Drox. Why would they go after the hippies of all things? Every Drox guildie he'd ever met was obnoxiously nice and obsessively helpful. 

[i][color=dc143c]'These guys've gotta be real bastards if these are the people they're huntin'.'[/color][/i]

Cowards, too, if the only wayfarers they were willing to fight were supports and healers. They'd be easy pickings for somebody like him, if only they could actually [i]find[/i] them.

But it seemed Seele had a plan for that, too, as she drew a vial from her robes. A cold prickle climbed up the back of his neck at the sight of blood. His heart beat just a little bit faster, and he had to fight the urge to reach out and snatch it off the table.

He opened his mouth to speak only for the words to catch in his throat, his attention drawn elsewhere. Something was on his arm. He glanced down at it, and even on seeing Artemis's hand gripping his he couldn't quite comprehend what was happening. The idea that someone would dare to touch him seemed so outrageous that his first instinct was to dismiss it out of hand. His eyes were playing tricks on him. Or it was an accident, maybe.

Graves looked up to give Artemis a puzzled look as she released her grip, mumbling out an apology about a lack of sleep. The gears in his head turned hard enough to send smoke trailing out of his ears, but he finally got it. [color=dc143c]"Oh,"[/color] he muttered, blood rushing to his cheeks. [color=dc143c]"No, no! You're, uh, you're okay. Its totally cool. We're cool."[/color] Graves assured her everything was okay with a pat on the arm and a thumbs up.

He quickly turned away from her. [color=dc143c]"You don't have to do that. You're [i]not[/i] doing that, actually. We ain't lettin' you out of our sight. Besides,"[/color] he grabbed the blood vial Seele had placed in front of them, holding it up. He gave Seele a long look, trying to read the intention behind her eyes as he spoke. [color=dc143c]"Seele already went to all the trouble of drawing this. You sure you're up to this, Missy?"[/color]
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