Central Library, Sacramento.

Elata noticed the very beautiful woman finally and waved excitedly to her and the man she was talking to. She was hoping to give her some free circus tickets. Especially if she could change the show to a more japanese theme, it would be brilliant to see! She dug some tickets out of the pockets of her shorts for the rest of them. Her theatrical experience told her they weren't wearing contacts to make their eyes appear odd, or makeup to make their bodies appear odd, no they were naturally that way. The redheaded one seemed to be mostly normal, though a little off. She handed him and the black haired man a ticket anyway. "I'm part of a travelling circus troupe! I'd love it if you'd all come see it."

Ivan took a seat roughly seven feet from the group at the table, thumbing through his book uselessly without actually reading the words on the page. He was good at eavesdropping, always had been. It had served him well and even helped him get Michael in trouble, back when they were younger. Back before the Objects.

Careful not to get too lost in old memories, however, he tunre into the group's conversation, paying particular attention to his original target and the red haired man.

It seemed an innocent enough conversation, but there was something amiss here, as if there was something else going on behind the scenes. And quite a lot of talk about this 'Muramasa', if Ivan was hearing correctly today.

At the mention of her eyes Harley looked down. She muttered something about contacts and made a dismissive gesture. She'd rather not get into the subject of her eyes. She'd have to wind up providing some elaborate and often nonsensical explanation. Really, Harley didn't quite feel like doing that. She raised and eyebrow as she watched the woman wave to her. How she managed to retain that much energy Harley would never know.

"Come, let's chat over here."

The man's voice, it was odd. There was no demonic over tone or odd frequency. No, he seemed human. Besides, what were the odd that she'd run into so many freaks in one day? What bothered her was the way the words snagged her. She wasn't entirely sure that she liked it.

Not to mention she couldn't just mosey on away from Praetorious. She still didn't have any answers and no answers meant Lafayette would be unhappy with her. And, Lafayette being unhappy with her meant no surgery. And, no surgery meant. . . Well, you get it. Even if he wasn't willing to give them to her she had a feeling if she hung around him and the red haired man long enough something would happen.

"I'd love to stay and talk, really." Harley said in an almost sad tone coated over with a voice sweet enough to give the man diabetes. "But. . . I have this. . .thing, that I have to do. Over there." She pointed to her table, making a bit of a face as if to remember the unfavorable company she was keeping. "With them."

Lucas was taken aback, for a moment. It did not show on his face, though.

How? he wondered, But, of course, she has been in the company of Jack and such creatures as... that. The locked-out man has no doubt provided her with some mental protection and Jack's esteemed presence must have strengthened her. I must remedy this.

He looked with distaste over at the group, "Surely you don't want to spend time with those pigs. Especially that annoying little girl. How ugly she looks next to you."

Harley seemed unmoved.

"Let me accompany you. You could do with some worthy conversation."

While observant and innocuous he was, Ivan was certainly not a patient young man. His naivity would not be rewarded, as he discerned that he had been wrong in his suspicions, and there was nothing going on here at all. Just in case, he pulled out a small wireless microphone device discreetly, placed it in one of the pages of his book, and went to put his useless book down.

A small, sharp pinprick of pain hit him suddenly; however totally mundane the paper cut he had acquired on his fingertip was, it sent waves of pleasure through his body. The Tatto was acting up, and he couldn't help himself- he allowed a small moan of joy to escape his lips.

Hoping he had not been heard, he clutched his coat around himself, and stood up, slightly hunched over from pelasure, turning to leave the Central Library quickly.

"Let me accompany you. You could do with some worthy conversation."

Now the man was bothering her. The compliments, while nicely worded, were too much. She knew she was pretty, she didn't need anyone to assure her of this over and over again. Granted, she wanted someone to assure her of such every now and then. It was quite clear that he probably wanted to sleep with her. Which was also great, but not right then and there. She had other things to attend to.

Normally, she would have asked the man for his number. However, her phone was amoung the many things ruined in the recent car crash. Harley shuffled her feet and looked over at the table. Then back at the man, then back at the table again. Then, once more, at the man. She flashed him a weak smile and took a step towards the group.

"You see, I would let you." Harley began, thinking up an excuse. "But, you see, it's a private thing." She noted weakly. Her argument wasn't all that valid. A private thing? How ridiculous. Still, she was at a loss for an excuse. She couldn't help but wonder if it was because she didn't want an excuse. Perhaps she did want the man with her. . .No, that was idiocy on her part. He would be a horrid hindrance on her work.

Elata stared at the hunched retreating figure. ".....musta been a really good book!"

Lucas was bothered. Perhaps angry. No, furious, why was a woman able to resist him. Hatred buried deep inside he pressed himself, his will, upon her. His thoughts of sex, of wild animal things, pressed against her mind.

"Really, because I think I can help you. You see I think I heard something you said earlier about;" the next word was whatever she needed help with. And it would seem perfectly normal that he should be able to help her with this. She'd use the word in her reply so then he'd know what they were talking about.

"Besides, I was wondering if I could maybe see you after this. We could go over to my place after your 'private business'." he smiled and winked.

Arousal was the undertone. You want me. Need me. If I was to leave you, you would die.

Elata noticed the pale woman's looking back and forth between the group and the man. Actually, that was the person she'd seen outside! The pale woman did seems slightly distressed though. Perhaps she could go say hello and see what was happening. Besides, it's always good to make more friends,especially ones such as these. Also, she was eager to give the woman a circus ticket.

She skipped over to them brightly, " I've been waiting for you to get back but i couldn't any longer. I gave the others one so I thought you'd like it!" She handed her a shiny ticket, all white with a red star in the center. "and hey! I saw you outside sir. You can go ahead an have one too." she handed the man one as well. "I'm planning to make some great changes to the show so i hope you can make it!"

Praetorious was downright relieved to have the overly chipper girl leave them, skipping off toward Harley and the man she seemed to be talking to. People who were excessively happy like that irritated him. At any rate, with her gone, he could continue his discussion with Argyle.

"Interesting people we have at the library today," he said,cocking his head toward the obnoxious girl. Just then, a man sitting roughly seven feet away from them moaned in pleasure suddenly before excusing himself and exiting the library in an embarrassed fashion. Praetorious flicked his wrist, fingers outstretched, in a sort of see-what-I-mean gesture.

"So tell me, Argyle," Praetorious began, glad to be getting back to business. He was sick of waiting to analyze Muramasa and understand exactly what it was. Anything that could wound him as badly as that thing did had and deserved his attention. "What did it look like? How did you stop it? And did you notice any sort of wound or laceration on its neck?"

Lucas smiled at her. He wondered if she'd be more responsive. She hadn't met Jack nor did she have the raw emotion of Harley but Lucas could always do with another girl to blow off steam on.

He noticed the scars and imagined running his knife along her legs.

"I might consider it. But you are a preformer, no? I'll have you know I have an acting troup that is quite popular in Paris. You should give me your number, maybe come over tonight."

Perhaps he wouldn't have them in the same night. The woman, Harley, would probably not mind but the girl didn't seem to be... was she? It was so hard to tell. He'd been expending to much of himself. He hoped he wouldn't need to stop by Paris till the job was done, but now...

He'd air on the side of caution. Once he had them both converted he take them together. Until then he would use them one at a time. But which first?

He'd been working to hard on Harley to let her slip away. Her tonight, the contact will break her, and then the girl tommorrow.

"Actually stop by tommorrow," he handed her a card, "I'll see you then."

"Really, because I think I can help you. You see I think I heard something you said earlier about Muramasa."

The statement took Harley aback. Just how many people would she run into that day that knew of the creature. It was oddly coincidental. Perhaps too coincidental. It made her uncomfortable. She wasn't sure if she should be elated or suspicious. She would have asked him how he knew of the creature, but he began to speak again.

"Besides, I was wondering if I could maybe see you after this. We could go over to my place after your 'private business."

These words sent a chill down Harley's synthetic spine. Not the pleasant kind of chill either. It was akin to someone dropping a tray of ice cubes down her back. The small woman felt an odd amount of pressure at the forefront of her consciousness, so much so that she could feel a headache coming on. For some odd reason her thoughts shifted to Sylvia.

"That private thing may last for quite a while." Harley noted. As if to come swoop in to save her the other woman bounced over and offered her a ticket. For a moment Harley had to repress the urge to throw her arms around her. Being alone with the man was making her increasingly uncomfortable. Considering he knew about Muramasa Harley equated it to him being a Seeker and thus having some hidden ugly face or something along those lines.

"Thank you." Harley beamed at the girl, taking the ticket. In turning away from the man Harley instantly felt the pressure on head flutter away. "I hope I can find it in my agenda to go." She smiled. Truth be told, Harley most likely wouldn't go. She had a creature to hunt down. She then turned to the man, and back to the girl. Once again conflicted.

"I suppose you should come to our table." Harley said skeptically to the man. "Considering you know about Muramasa." She then walked back to the rectangular structure, taking a seat.

Argyle sighed as well, already weary from the excessive amount of company. Finally, Praetorius addressed him again.

"It was grey, it had no mouth." he started bluntly. "It had a black kimono. I stopped it by shooting its ankle with my rifle. I don't know if it hurt it, but it caused it to collapse long enough for the bus to get away. I didn't notice any obvious neck wounds."

He paused for a moment. After the company had left, he let himself get too releived. He looked back up and refocused directly on Praetorius' golden eyes.

"I guess that means there should have been. I hope you'll reveal what you have to do with this monster in exchange for me doing the same."

This guy was AWESOME. "Well unfortunately I don't really have a cell phone," Elata said beaming. "or any phone really." She was very flattered by the man's request to see her. Lust wasn't one of her characteristics usually but she was feeling it a bit right now. "What time tomorrow, I do have that show you know, and I'll have to be practicing. Oh! I want to hear more about this murmasa!" She followed them both back to the table, bouncing a little with excitement.

That is better. thought Lucas, although it upset him that Harley hadn't made a sexual advance yet. He thought he had made it perfectly clear she should lust after him.

Women were getting more rebellious. Especially this one. He could usually get a woman thinking about what how to make him enjoy it best that night after three words. He couldn't believe that a girl like Harley wouldn't have snuck off into a corner with him.

He turned back to the girl who gave him the ticket, he got a comfortable feeling in his lower extremities with the way she looked at him.

You'd look good with black hair, he thought. He wasn't sure it made it through, though.

Praetorious processed the information for a moment. He was right. His theories about Muramasa were correct after all. Now arose the question- how much should he share with Argyle? What could it harm? Argyle had confirmed his questions about the creature.

"Of course. Quid pro quo. I have as much involvement with that creature as you do. It appeared in my..." Praetorious paused a single instant, "apartment, and stabbed me in the stomach with a blade that sort of grew out of its arm. I managed to slice open its neck, but obviously that did nothing, assuming you're correct about it not having neck wounds."

He gave Argyle a moment to take it in before continuing, leaning forward a little and speaking in a low voice. "Obviously, it can enter that semi-vapor state at will, and become the humanoid creature we saw whenever it pleases. It seems to be comprised of those small chunks of flesh- they fit together like puzzle pieces. While I don't know how it came to be that way, I would say that that means it holds itself together. That would explain why it had no neck wounds when you saw it."

He saw Harley walking back to the table, taking a seat. Noticing the irritating girl and the strange man Harley was talking to, he spoke quickly, trying to finish what he was saying fast. "However, it can't instantaneously regenerate itself- otherwise your shot to its ankle wouldn't have slowed it. I guess it regenerates when it's in cloud form. I would also guess that it seems to favor being in one shape, as your description almost perfectly matches what I saw."

Argyle's mind spun.

"A cloud of flesh?" he breathed. "I never saw it like that, if what you say is true. I just heard screams and turned to see it running at me. Well, I've seen plenty of strange things already. And if--"

He stopped as Elata and Lucas joined the two, and he looked up at them. The man... the hairs on the back of his neck stood up just at the sight of him, but he quickly turned his attention back to Praetorius. Their brief conversation was cut short again, and now he had to wonder if talking here was really any use at all.

Furthermore... he had another piece of information to dwell over. He was stabbed in the gut, he says. The way he held himself didn't indicate any discomfort. His suspicions about him grew; he was clearly more than met the eye.

"Hello, friends, I over heard you talking about Muramasa. I believe I had an incounter with it," he assumed they were talking about the Japanse blade. Had these idiots mistaken one of the swords for it?

"Now maybe you could tell me what you know."

Harley was more than happy to be sitting next to Praetorious once more. Which, oddly enough, she thought she'd never be. If the odd eyed Prae made her uncomfortable then the new guy made her feel down right dirty. The kind of feeling one needed to shower to get rid of. Thinking of the new guy Harley couldn't help but realize that she hadn't gotten his name. Which put her off even more.

Catching a good amount of the conversation when she walked into the conversation Harley was pleased to know at least a small amount more about Muramasa. However, it still didn't tell her where the godforsaken creature was. She waited for Praetorious to finish talking before speaking up, she didn't want to interrupt during any possibly important phrases.

"So, where is the damned thing?" She asked, tapping her fingers on the table in a rhythmic motion. Somehow she had a feeling that neither of them knew. Nonetheless, there was no harm in asking. Absently Harley turned around to face the man again. He was paying too much attention to the perky girl. That bothered her. The perky girl whom he called ugly. In fact, by paying attention to that girl he was cheapening Harley's worth. It made her scowl. Despite being focused on her job, Harley was still able to allow herself to be a creature of vice.

"Oh I dont' know much about it at all. Just that I'd like to do a show about it. But if we're all gonna be friends, what are your names anyway? I'm Elata." She bowed in her seat. The guy from outside was so easy to talk to. She smiled and waited patiently to learn the names of her new friends. Then she perked up at the pale woman's question. 'Oh! are you all looking for it? What an adventure!"

"I'm Lucas nice to meet you," he extended a hand for her to shake, focusing his power into it.

You love me. You will do whatever I tell you. Worship whoever I tell you. You love me.

It would not be as whole as if he said it but the thoughts would get into her head. A few more contacts, a word or two. She'd beg for him by the time he was done.

Lucas spoke, and Argyle felt as if an invisible rope tugged on him. His face raised a little, and he looked up to see him and the hyper Elata shaking hands. His attention was fully on the girl, but the sudden seizure of his attention struck him sideways. He glanced back at Praetorius and tried to give him a meaningful look, but was in too much of a hurry to make sure it worked.

It was time to go.

"This has been fun," he started, rising from his seat and turning his back on the group. "Yet, draining. I have things to take care of."

He started away without waiting for any replies.

Elata blushed a little as she shook Lucas' hand. Despite her energy it wasn't an overenthusiastic handshake. It was perfect, nice and firm but not too hard. She thought breifly about the things she was SUPPOSED to be doing right now, but she was a very hard worker and could finish them in time, no matter how little she had. Hopefully she could spend some more time with Lucas and the others later. Maybe they'd all come to her show. She was sure Lucas would love it, her costume was very tight . As the redheaded man left though, she didn't want to lose a chance to get his name in case he came to the show. "No wait! Can I at least get your name?" She said giving him her best smile. He seemed like a grumpy person but she was good at cheering people up.

Turning his head slightly, he was momentarily considering replying, but he was still filled with trepidation. The man with the golden irises, and the other girl didn't worry him nearly as much as the man with the strong words. He wouldn't mind talking to anyone else but him... and this annoying girl.

"Buzz off," he grumbled, before turning to stare into her eyes. "And I mean it."

Elata looked hard at Argyle. She had seen him somewhere...Ah hah! She pointed at him enthusiastically.

"Your wife went missing didn't she?" She remembered the story on the news. Elata watched the news very frequently. She spoke as she remembered more of the story. "It's been a long time, they must not have been able to find her from the looks of you. No wonder you're so upset." Elata's face saddened for the poor man. He must be going through a horrible time. She hoped she could do something nice for him.