[ Outside Mary's Studio ]
"Oh... quite the place," Morgan whistles, arms crossed in front of Mary's white flat-topped studio. An orange haze spreads across it and the surrounding buildings as the sun sets in from the West.
Luna fidgets by her superior's side. "Council—"
Morgan narrows her eyes.
"Ah—I mean, Morgan," Luna corrects, straightening. "They've clearly left, so why are we here?"
"Why?" Morgan cocks her head, sliding a hand to her hips. "To gather evidence for our precious fallen Brother, of course."
Luna frowns. "In the first place, how do we know for sure that he encountered the remnant?"
Morgan snorts. "Let's ignore his final word for a moment. He was nearly seven feet—one of the tallest in our Order, weighing close to 300 pounds. Not only that, he's someone I raised and taught personally. To be put into a position where he had to struggle, stumble his way out using our goddess' flames, and cut so cleanly?" She shakes her head. "At the very least, I think it's fair to say we're not dealing with a human."
"Ah..." Luna lowers her gaze. "Yes, you're right."
Yet, her stomach twists again.
If her former boss really encountered a remnant, why would it attack him? As keys to the prophesied Flood, surely Nico didn't make a bad impression. After all, they're the closest to Isis one can only hope to obtain. Further, they are supposedly malleable, intelligent beings according to the records she's read. While there are details about them have been lost, their status among humanity is unquestionable.
Luna burrows her doubts for now, seeing how critical it is to gather more information. To that end, she scans the building. "There are cameras around, though. It'll be bad if we're caught. In fact, wouldn't it be better to project ourselves into this place instead?"
Morgan sighs. "If only. We can't do projection. This isn't like the hub and bar where we've set up an inscription. While it would have been nice if Nico set it up inside, he probably didn't have the luxury to do so."
The blonde swallows, thinking of the split Italian. Before she might grow queasy again, she leans forward. "So, what is the plan?"
"Well, we can't just barge in there like Nico did, so I made a call."
"A call?"
Vroooo...
Just then, a police vehicle silently rolls up to the curb in front of them. Despite its easy approach, Luna stiffens like a deer in headlights. She hurriedly snaps her gaze to Morgan, but to her horror, the French only smiles expectantly.
"Aha, right on time!" she claps her hands. "Cops sure are responsive around here!"
"YOU CALLED THE POLICE?!" Luna screams, raising her hands to her head. "WHY!?"
"Why?" Morgan blinks for a moment before huffing. "Obviously because one of our own was murdered so coldly!" However, she winks, tilting her head. "Better to report things legally if we can, no?"
"Wha... but.... isn't this..."
Luna's eyes swirl. She's regretted a lot of decisions in her life, but not leaving Morgan sooner in the cave might be the one that cuts the cake.
Sadly, there's nothing she can do as Morgan freely waves to the officer. "Bonjour~!"
"Good evening," the man in blue uniform greets simply as he exits the car. "I'm Officer Ray Tornell, Keystone Police. Are you two the ones who called about strange noise?"
Morgan closes her eyes happily as she receives the dark-haired man. "Yes, I think I heard a scream in this building! I was just a bit concerned while passing by this studio, but I may have been mistaken. Not exactly a local here."
"I see..." He switches between her and a frozen Luna, then looks past them to Mary's studio. Raising a brow, he notes the closed sign on the entrance. "When did this occur?"
"About thirty minutes ago." She turns to look at the door. "The artist here has closed up shop for the entire day too, so I've learned."
Luna keeps her lips tight, her hands shaking. 'What is she thinking?'
Ray hums. "Alright, let me take a quick look. Please step further back, just in case."
Morgan smiles. "Of course, officer, but before that..." She raises a hand, a bright violet flame bursting into existence within her palm. The officer's eyes glaze over instantly as the French woman's gaze narrows with a smirk.
"It's better to give you my statement ahead of time, no?"
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[ Unknown Remote Area - 200 miles North of Keystone ]
"So, let me get this straight. You're basically telling us that Rose Lane is Layna Moore?"
Mary's aghast British tone adds to the crunches of their group's footsteps. Surrounding them, pine cones and leaf litter have marked their way since turning their cars at an unmarked gravel road. As far as highways to hideouts are concerned, it was both an inconvenient drop and one that could be easily missed.
Lecia certainly chose well.
Luckily, Anne's catch-up to the others distracts away some pressure of their uphill climb. While carefully manuevering among trees, Rachel leads with her phone's GPS and instructions Mike sent her. The rest follow while listening to the slime mother.
"I'm...75% sure," Anne clarifies. "First, I'm not seeing any moments of her childhood where her parents called her by her name. In fact, there are parts that feel...missing, similar to Viviane."
"Surely she's called her parents, though. You said they're in Minnesota currently?" Daniel asks.
"Yes, and in more recent memories, they do call her Rose, but it's just...weird. Not only that, I'm not seeing any instances in her memories where Layna was physically present. I have a vague memory of Victor calling Layna's name in class, and that's probably what Rose is going off of, but nothing concrete. It's like she has enough memories to know she was in university at Egypt, but not enough to remember specifics beyond understandings that add to her knowledge."
"Haa... Seriously, what the fuck," Mary breathes. "So, we're assuming Victor tampered with her and family's memories, just like how he did it with the staff of the clinic that Daniel visited. It's also what we assume Nico was going to do for us?"
"Pretty much."
"What do you mean 'pretty much'?! How can these... goddess flames or whatever, allow for someone to completely changes someone's identity?"
"That's my line." Viviane's eyes narrow. "At least I held onto my name, but this fog in me would have kept me in the dark. Whatever the intentions of the sealing by Merlin's designs, and Rose's own by Victor, it's there for a reason."
"At least for Rose, maybe it's to protect her?" Marlin offers. "Since the Order was after Layna Moore, this might have been the way?"
Mary frowns. "That seems a bit excessive, don't you think? Erasing someone's entire identity? Not only that, how is it possible that Rose went under everyone's radar. Does nobody know what Layna looked like or was that wiped too?"
"Let's wait to consider Rose later, please," Rachel calls, glancing back. "We're getting close to the safe ho—Oh!"
Her words are as caught like her next step, hooking into large root sticking out in her moment of looking away. In the next breath, Marlin is closest as he plants himself ahead, stopping the astronomer, his hands to her shoulders.
"Whoa, are you okay?" he asks.
Rachel stares blankly for a moment before shrugging him off. "I'm fine." She clears her throat, stepping over the root and keeping her eyes ahead. "As I was saying, we should be coming close. There are two cottages that existed here which Lecia had renovated a few years ago. They're pretty much side by side, so it's not like we'll be far from each other if anything happens."
Daniel sighs. "Let's not jinx it. By the way, why is this so far up?"
"Aww, are you getting tired?" Mary teases, grinning. "Actually, I'm surprised how good I feel!"
"No, you're just fucking enhanced right now," Daniel counters. He snorts. "Take off that clone of yours and what are you?"
Mary harrumphs, lifting her chin. "A goddamn work of art!"
Daniel sighs, shaking his head. "You're a piece of work, alright."
...
..
.
After ten more minutes of steady climb, two cottages peak over an edge just as the sun finishes its dip from behind the ridge. Everyone turns their phone's flashlights on, their beams cutting through the gathering gloom to illuminate the structures.
Whoever was contracted by Lecia, their handiwork is unmistakable. The roofs were slanted steeply to shed the winter snow, but their southern faces were armored in matte-black solar panels. Along the foundations, meticulously arranged flower beds defied the rugged altitude. Even in the silence of the woods, the faint, rhythmic hiss and click of an automatic irrigation system pulsed through the soil. It was a bizarrely domestic touch for a hideout—one that indicated the intention of being lived in for an extended period of time.
"This looks pretty maintained. Doesn't that mean someone is aware of this place?" Daniel asks.
Rachel hums. "I don't know the details, but according to Mike, there are cleaners hired. All of this is under a property management company that one of our members handles." She turns to them. "Remember, the official story is that we're an extended family on vacation. We'll be given privacy, and it will be hard for the Order to find us. This place is only one of many investments on Lecia and her company's sheets."
Daniel frowns. "But, not impossible."
The astronomer closes her eyes. "Well, a cult which can wield magical flames was never considered. Still, I think it will be enough if we can stick around here for a month and safely gather information."
"Let's hope." Daniel returns his gaze to the houses. "Since it's already late, how do we want to split up?"
"Well, they both have three bedrooms." Rachel glances at the two slime mothers, thinning her lips. "You two don't sleep, but I'm guessing you'll want to be with Daniel?"
Viviane hums. "Actually, one of us will be sleeping. There's some place we have to go to."
"Ah, yes... To visit Nimue and read more of the Book of Isis, right?"
"Hold on a second!" Mary objects, huffing. "I have a huge ass forest and cabin that I dreamed into. Shouldn't we investigate what's in there?"
"There's also my domain," Anne adds softly, lowering her head. "There might be more memories from Merlin that could help us, along with Rose."
Daniel stares up at the night sky, groaning. "Oh, man... I looove choices."
Marlin clears his throat. "Well, at the very least, I can just take one of the cottages alone. The four of you can stay in the other."
The astronomer's eyes widen as scoffs. "What? And, leave you alone?"
"Rachel, please," Viviane cuts firmly. "I have literally assumed him, so I know more than anybody that he means well."
Crickets chirp among the grass fill the air before Rachel finally breathes out, rubbing her neck. "Fine... Sorry."
Marlin raises his hands, his lips crooked. "It's fine."
Rachel lowers her hand. "At the very least, I'll join you in the other cottage."
"Ah, but—"
"I'm trusting everyone here, and I'm trying to trust you. Don't make this hard."
The uncle closes his lips before nodding.
With living arrangements forcibly settled, Rachel turns to the rest, clapping her hands. "Dreams aside, how about we all have dinner first. I'd also like to take some time see these merges Anne told me about."
"Oh!" Mary's smile widens as she turns to Daniel. "I almost forgot, I haven't seen yours and Anne's form! I heard it was a bit different for you two, huh?"
Daniel gulps, then scans the group. "Is... is that necessary?"
The group only stares at him expectantly, their faces illuminated ominously by their phones.