[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/ngXB6GX.png[/img][/center][color=gray][h3]Front Office, Silverside[/h3][/color][sub][b]Mentions:[/b] Many (in passing), Ezra, Ezra, Ezra, EZRA— [color=gray]||[/color] [b]Interactions:[/b] -[/sub] [hr] When Swift finally arrived back at the office, it was already late. She found that she'd missed a lot of things. She'd missed Eagle's on-boarding (probably for the best, she wouldn't have wanted to ruin Griffon's fun), the delivery of the equipment her coworkers had picked up from Merryland, the absorption of Omakase, and apparently a dinner spread. Someone had set aside some of the food for her though. The office was all familiar faces at the moment, so the men from Omakase -and their leader Poppy- must have come by and gone already. She picked at some shredded pork and let people catch her up on the day's events. Then she departed down a separate hall, rapping her knuckles lightly on the Silver Canary's door. She waited until she heard a vague noise that was probably Adel acknowledging her before she went in, quietly closing the door behind her. He was not sitting at his desk, instead he stood leaning against the side of it with his arms crossed and his brows furrowed. He glanced at Swift when she entered, offered her a quick half-smile in greeting. She looked like she'd had a long day. If he had to guess, it probably hadn't gone well. Hopefully she didn't get hassled too much while on the job. He tactfully didn't bring up how tired she looked, but she was not so polite. "You seem stressed," she said bluntly. Adel scoffed. [color=silver]"Thinking about how to negotiate a hostage situation."[/color] That was... interesting. Swift smiled briefly, recalling how she and Adel had met. "I don't suppose it would be as easy as undoing their bindings and unlocking the door this time." [color=silver]"Unfortunately not."[/color] Even if he knew where said hostage was, there would most likely be way too many moving parts for him to try and just break them out directly. He'd prefer brokering a deal for their freedom instead, as he usually did. He looked at Swift again. [color=silver]"Did you run into the Blue Bloods?"[/color] "Oh yes," she said. Her face pulled into an expression of disdain that amused Adel, though he didn't let that show for long. "An interesting couple. I mean, a couple of interesting... people." She hoped she wouldn't run into the duo again, truthfully. They seemed a little unhinged. Though she was clearly less than enthused as she slid Emily's business card onto his desk, Adel didn't want to pull her out of the area for now. [color=silver]"My condolences. If you don't find anything after a couple of days we won't keep looking–"[/color] "I did find it." [color=silver]"–I'll probably move you to..."[/color] he stopped. She found it? Had he heard her right? [color=silver]"Already?"[/color] Swift nodded. "I happened to just be in the right place. The officers I spoke to mentioned something about some radiation in the area too. It's a plain looking warehouse from the outside. And on the inside, really. But the way the air moved around it, and how it felt with my gyft... like extra space, more than logic would allow. Shifting and folding." It was a bit hard to explain to someone who couldn't see or hear the same way she could, so she didn't continue trying. "I didn't see it with my eyes, but I can confirm what you're looking for is there. Locked in an unassuming room in an unassuming warehouse." [color=silver]"That took a lot less time than I expected."[/color] While it might seem like a stroke of luck at first, Adel didn't trust anything that came too easy. He unfolded his arms, gripping the edges of the desk on either side of him as he considered what Swift had said so far. [color=silver]"What did the lock look like?"[/color] "The folding space's lock was set in the center of a standard wooden door. A hidden panel covered a deep circular indent with ten evenly placed notches along the inside of it. The notches were approximately the size of a standard Nocturnian gold bar." That sounded exactly like what was described in the note Webb had. [i]'The door to power, wealth, and whatever your heart dreams,' huh...[/i] [color=silver]"So yesterday we get a stranger who says they're running from Ezra, who found a note about this 'folding space' on a dying man, and just thought to bring it along instead of getting rid of it. Today, we find the same folding space just like that."[/color] Adel tapped his fingers against the wood. It all seemed a little convenient. [color=silver]"What else was in the warehouse."[/color] "Debris and offices. One of the rooms on the upper level seemed to have recently been in use. There were computers, however I opted to see if they had any physical files." She sighed, and as not to leave Adel in suspense she finished with, "a copy of the property title said the building is owned by one Ig Notus." Honestly Adel wasn't surprised. If Ezra apparently not only knew about this mysterious door but also had some kind of password to get around the gold lock, there would be no reason for him not to buy the property. Of course, there was the question about why something like that was even there in the first place. Did Ezra build the warehouse around it or had he just stumbled upon the whole set up? ...and if he had wanted to keep its existence a secret so much that he would allegedly kill a man and come after whoever knew that he knew, why would it be so easy to access? Hiding in plain sight wasn't a bad idea in general, but the city was full of people with gyfts like Swift's. Something about this whole thing felt bad. Adel felt a prickling sensation begin to climb up his back. [color=silver]"...were you seen there, Swift? How did you even get that close?"[/color] Swift shook her head. "That was the oddest thing, I think. There is clearly something important there, but there was no security to speak of. I got into the building with just a lock pick... there were no guards, no alarms, no cameras. And yet people had come and gone." What the hell? That didn't make any sense. [color=silver]"It's almost like they wanted it to be found."[/color] "...maybe, but I don't think so. Or I can't see why they would," Swift replied. What benefit could there possibly be in letting something like that just... able to be stumbled upon by any overly curious passerby? She looked back at Adel, about to inquire into his theories, but she paused when she saw the expression on his face. One hand had come up to cover his mouth in thought, but though the lower half of his face was concealed his eyes were wide and dark, his brows pulled tightly together as if he'd just considered a horrible new possibility. Which he had. Ezra [i]had[/i] wanted it to be found. He'd wanted [i]Adel[/i] to find it. There was no kind of coincidence that could explain the events of the last few days besides this. Ezra had threatened Adel directly under the guise of a job to make sure that he would be in the forefront of the Canary's mind. He had nosed around Pennystakes and forced Poppy, Adel's closest ally, out of power and stripped her of any ability to come to Adel's aid. Knowing that Adel would look into him, he sent snide little notes reminding the Canary that nothing he would find would help, making him feel cornered. He must have sent that kid, Webb, to Adel - the one who had pleaded to stick around and so happened to have 'found' that envelope. The one that Ezra had most assuredly given him. And with that envelope in hand Ezra had to know that Adel would investigate. Ezra had led the canaries to Smoke Risers on purpose. Blackheart didn't have some secret password to the door to wealth and power - [i]Adel himself[/i] was his fucking password! Adel broke out into a cold sweat. He felt like he was about to be sick. Why was this happening [i]right now?[/i] He was getting so close to his goals. He had amassed a lot of money, he'd managed to make connections outside of the wall, he'd even gotten those military contacts. With just a little more time he could buy his way out of Nocturnia, but now? Now he saw darkness coalescing around him. He was standing in the palm of Ezra's hand, and the man was about to close his fist. He'd been so [i]stupid[/i], gotten overconfident and fell for every single one of Ezra's manipulations. If he'd realized any later then- what would have happened to him? [i]Just why-[/i] and what was he supposed to do now? Could he fight the Dark Aces? Of course not- but then- why had they chosen now- He couldn't go to ground, but- He had to look after Pops and her people- Antonia- Would they kill him after opening the door? Keep him as a living key? Could Antonia even help- He didn't have proof, just that feeling like his stomach was about to drop out of his body, and she'd be tied up in bureaucracy, and Ezra would target her, and- Khor- they hardly- was she lying to him? getting close to him on purpose, just another- no- but could he really rely on her or would it just put her in danger or- god damn it, how did he end up in this situation? was he going to be trapped here the rest of his life? an ornament on someone's key ring- why, [i]why did it have to be him--[/i] [i]"-on? -awson? Adel–!"[/i] He didn't seem to hear the voice, but he felt the touch. A hand closed around his forearm, and though the grasp was gentle it sent electric alarm shooting through his entire body. Adel twisted violently, slapping the hand away and stepping back with a sharp inhale. He stared at Swift with wide eyes as the world filtered back in, and she stared back with even wider ones. He fought to breathe normally, grounding himself. He'd been spiraling as his brain came up with the worst case scenarios, conjuring visions of the past and premonitions of the future. But he wasn't huddled together with his father in a tent as they waited for the proverbial storm to pass, wasn't hastily ushered into a closet while the mafia sampled their new merchandise in the form of his mother, wasn't alone and trapped inside of a suitcase among a dozen other kids en route for God knew where, wasn't bound in shadows in front of some ominous passage, wasn't... He was in his office. Behind the gallery in Silverside. With Swift, someone he could depend on. Swift, who'd brought that bug with the note here. [i]Here[/i], after he'd told her not to. A dark, ugly feeling flooded through Adel's chest. His heart reminding him that he couldn't truly trust anybody. Seeing and sensing the change, Swift went very still. She'd never seen Adel like this. Normally he was calm and collected, maybe some exhaustion and irritation showing through the cracks at times, but this... he looked wild, desperate. And she honestly didn't know what to do. Console him? Go get someone who could? She gathered her courage and opened her mouth to speak– [color=silver]"Get out."[/color] "...what?" [color=silver]"Get out,"[/color] Adel repeated, his voice harsh as he pushed his gyft into it and moved towards Swift, crowding her backward. [color=#C0C0C0]"[/color][color=#CDB270]O[/color][color=#DAA520]p[/color][color=#CDB270]e[/color][color=#C0C0C0]n[/color] [color=#C0C0C0]t[/color][color=#C4BBA5]h[/color][color=#C8B78A]a[/color][color=#CDB270]t[/color] [color=#D5A93A]d[/color][color=#DAA520]o[/color][color=#D5A93A]o[/color][color=#D1AE55]r[/color] [color=#C8B78A]a[/color][color=#C4BBA5]n[/color][color=C0C0C0]d get the hell out right now!"[/color] She flinched when the door behind her crashed open on its own, slamming against the wall outside. That, at least, seemed to soften the look on Adel's face a little - that, or the further grounding that the confirmation of his gyft brought. But he still didn't look [i]normal[/i], so Swift backtracked through the threshold. When she did Adel turned away, and the door closed, blocking her view. Swift stared at the office door. Multiple people had peeked around corners to see what was going on, and both Griffon and Eagle had appeared to investigate the commotion. Griffon put a hand on Swift's shoulder, spinning the shorter woman so she could look at her face and parse what the hell had happened from it. She shooed Eagle away as she did. "... I... messed up, I think," Swift said softly. She could easily trace her employer's logic from here. In his mind, she had invited Blackheart's spy right into their home. She couldn't have known, and in fact she had questioned the bug's motives herself, but she'd wanted Griffon to be present at the meeting just in case. So she'd taken Webb to the office. And she was the one that had found Blackheart's warehouse, a little too easily, no matter if Adel had asked her to do it or not. To the volatile state of mind Adel had found himself in now, it painted a picture of betrayal. Griffon stepped behind Swift and took her other shoulder in hand, steering her away from the boss' office and toward the break room. "[i]You[/i] messed up? I don't believe it. Don't worry about it, alright? Tomorrow the boss will apologize, and if he doesn't I'm gonna make him." A smile ghosted across Swift's features. It was just as likely that tomorrow Adel thought better of letting her go, and in addition to firing her had her detained somewhere if not outright killed. ...no, he wouldn't have her killed. He wasn't that kind of man. That was why she'd followed him in the first place. The building briefly rattled. As though possessed by spirits everything within it moved slightly. The interior window shades flickered, door handles turned, cabinets crept open, the locks swapped themselves back and forth. The phenomenon passed quickly, and Griffon reached out to slap the break room's fridge closed. She glanced up at the ceiling with furrowed brows, and Swift turned to leave. "Wha- where are you going?" Griffon called after her. She answered, but kept walking. "Just giving Mr. Dawson some space. I'll be close by if you need me." She walked by Eagle, who despite having almost no idea what was going on had enough sense to determine something serious had happened. He took post by the entrance, expression hard, as though expecting someone or something might try to come charging in at any moment. He wasn't about to let the new place he found himself in go up in flames too. Griffon clicked her tongue, watching Swift leave the office from the doorway. She exchanged a glance with Eagle, but unfortunately she was nearly as in the dark as he was at the moment. [hr] After more than an hour of stewing in his thoughts and trying to force the worry of being trapped as little more than a tool from his head, Adel emerged from his office. The desperate man that Swift had seen was gone, and in his place was a Silver Canary that wasn't quite the usual. He only looked blank, but it was easy to see the roiling of his emotions under the surface if one knew how to look. He hadn't changed since earlier, still in loose sweater, and he walked towards the exit without so much as a glance at anyone or anything else in the office. As he entered the wider area that might be called their lobby, Griffon spotted him from her security desk. She was alone in the room, and without a second thought she shot up and made her way over to him. "Boss~ are you done brooding?" she asked, and didn't get a response. Her lips twitched. Was he actually pissed at Swift? She was like the best person they had, what the fuck could she have done? Plus she was Griffon's friend, and she felt like she had to defend the other woman a little. Griffon's face turned more serious and she swooped around, putting herself in Adel's way. "What happened between you and-" She stopped, bewildered when he came up so close to her that they would have collided only a second later. Adel didn't look at Griffon, pushed his forehead against the taller woman's shoulder and delivered his orders. [color=silver]"Do another full bug sweep. Everything. Get Darter and the rest ready in case of a fight. Anyone suspicious shows up, get rid of them."[/color] Griffon scooped her hand under Adel's forehead and lifted him off of her, checking his temperature as she did. He was pale and felt clammy, though once exposed he found her eyes, meeting her pale gold with his own cloudy brown. She frowned when he said, [color=silver]"Did you hear me, Griffon?"[/color] "Uh- yeah, boss. Got it." She stepped back out of Adel's path. "Are you okay?" He made a noncommittal hum and brushed by. He would be. There wasn't any other choice than to be okay. Right now he was just going to get out for a while, where the walls didn't feel so much like they were pressing in on him.