The Red Lion Hotel, Sacramento.

Praetorious noticed the nervous smile on the woman's face as she spoke.

"I'm sorry. You seem like a very respectable man, but really, it is quite funny."

He attempted to smile back to be polite, but it didn't work, coming out strange and awkward. He wiped the expression off his face quickly.

"I suppose I should be in a better mood. You did get me away from those creatures. I guess I'm just not used to being carted around in a wheelchair. And you'll have to understand that my hand is not something to be shown in public."

They reached the hotel room, and the woman and Elata, if that's what she was called, wheeled him inside.

"Let us know if you need any help moving anywhere at all. Oh, what's your name anyway, hm?" The woman sat on the bed, obviously wanting an answer. Inquisitive as she was, Praetorious knew he was in no position to deny her. She had watched him stand up after being shot in the head, after all. He sighed in resignation.

"My name is Praetorious. You've probably figured out already that I'm not human. And, since you were talking about it-" said Praetorious, slipping his hand out of his pocket, "this is why I hide my hand."

Elata closed the door as Praetorious held up the skeletal hand for her to see, flexing it to show that he still had control over it.

"oh yeah, I mean we saw it before you hid it. It's obviously...uh..." She didn't know what it was really. Magical? She didn't want to say magical, the logical part of her mind was still fighting to explain the things she had seen, and losing horribly. "Well I don't know what it is, the point is, after seeing the monsters, the hand wasn't really that shocking." She smiled kindly. "Does it do anything aside from...move when it shouldn't be able to?" This man was a giant puzzle. What kind of name was Praetorius? She had thought that she had seen so much in her life just yesterday, had been comfortable in her little world, had been enjoying herself. Now everything was shaken up. Odd creatures rained down from the sky and fought each other, Elata was in a bad mood for once, people had golden eyes and skeletal hands. Really it had started that day Elata had left and randomly come back with scars covering her entire body. After that every once in awhile she would leave and come back with some random thing. What on earth was going on in this world anymore? Her troubles showed on her face as she frowned worriedly. She wished someone would wake her up.

Pulling his hood low over the ridge of his skull's eyebrows, Michael swaggered pridefully into the Red Lion Hotel, his head swaying back and forth in search for Elata. He spotted her in the corner, striding over.

He took a seat, spreading his hands like a king and remaindering silent and majestic for a few moments. He was wearing a mask which hid his bony face and gloves that hid his hands.

Finally he broke the uncomfortable silence, speaking quietly for Elata. "I despise having to hide my true form. But these dispicable humans shoot at whatever frightens them. Now, let us discuss my brother. What happened to him?"

Praetorious wiggled his skeletal fingers. It wasn't for her sake, but rather his own- he hadn't moved his left hand in quite some time. Even bones needed stretching.

"That's quite true. To be honest, this is more my way of articulating a thanks. I can't say anyone's ever saved what could quite possibly have been my life before. And very few living people have seen my hand before."

He tried to get up from the wheelchair, putting his right hand on the armrest. When it seemed firm, he put weight on his right leg. It spasmed once, but he kept it under control, not falling over this time. Removing his hand from the wheelchair, he took a tentative step forward on his left leg. He stood for a moment before putting his right down. It spasmed again, but he once again stayed upright. Perhaps he'd be able to walk normally again by tomorrow. He turned to the woman again.

"And no, by the way, my hand doesn't really do anything else, except become a nuisance to hide. However, there is something I'd like to know from you: Where's the red-headed man you also rescued from the battle?"

"Oh, I think his name is Argyle, that's what Elata said." She peeked aroudn Praetorius as Elata skipped out the door. "Hm." She looked back up at Praetorius with a pretty smile, he was getting back to walking again, that was good. "We took him to the hospital. He should be back soon, if you can wait."


---

"I already told you what happened to him." Elata said with a weak smile. Being nice to this man was exceedingly hard. "Also I'M not shooting at you. I'd advise against calling all human dispicable in front of one if you want information from that human. You really should try being nicer, I honestly think you're life would be easier. " She sighed and rubbed her forehead. Hurting herself on the rock had given her a horrible headache. "Well, like I said. He got ripped in half by this...monster. I think they're calling it Muramasa. It ripped his tatoo off and then when I tried to save him it ripped him in half. I.." her eyes squinted a bit as she fought off a small crying fit. She had never felt this bad when someone died, not even her parents. She didn't cry at all at their funeral. Why was she so upset over this? It was causing her to be cruel towards others and she didn't like it. "I'm sorry for being so bitchy," She said brushing her fingers back through her hair. "I'll show you where he is." She put her book in her purse and led Michael out of the hotel.

"Yes, that would be it," Praetorious said, pretending he didn't know Argyle's name. He wasn't sure he should freely give it out. And besides, he was sure Argyle was doing the same for him. Praetorious might have been a horrific killer, but he wasn't without common courtesy. He straightened himself up, pacing around the room. It elicited a smile from the woman, who seemed to be pleased that he could walk.

"I think I can wait a while. After everything that happened today, an hour or so's sleep might not be the worst thing. And-" Praetorious paused for a moment. It wasn't the words themselves, but the physical act of saying them was hard for him. After a second, he managed to shake how awkward a phrase it was to him. "-thank you."

Suddenly, he was aware of a fluid running down his cheek. No, they weren't tears of gratitude- Praetorious wasn't at all moved, per se, he more just recognized that the actions of the circus people deserved his thanks. And besides, he wasn't sure if he had tear ducts.

The lenses, he realized. His contact lenses had been in for a long time now- they must be running or melting or whatever it was they did. Normally, Praetorious was diligent about not having them in for long. He wiped away the fluid, realizing what an odd sight it must be to have the white bleeding from his eye. His other eye started to run as well, and he finally said to the woman, "could I be alone for a while? I've got a lot to contemplate." He didn't want to offend her after she and her troupe had saved him. On the other hand, his statement was true.

Ingrid was once again caught off guard at odd fluids coming from odd places. She stared with her mouth slightly open and shocked eyes. Luckily with all that had happened, she was getting a little used to it, so she blinked a couple of times and shook it off. "Er...of course, but..uh," She looked at him confused and unsure if she should ask what exactly was going on with his eyes. Surely it was just some other odd feature of him but why would they change in such a manner? She put on her best smile, she got up to go but paused at the door. She didn't want to leave the hotel room. She felt strangely insecure. Well she did have a bit of a reason, what with everything happening lately, the last thing she wanted to be was out of the safety of her room alone. The other problem was Ciaran. If he was drunk he'd be looking for tail, and if he saw her...well she didn't want a repeat of last week..or the one before...or the one before, etc. She turned back to the man, her anxiety quite apparent. "I-I'm so sorry. I'd really not like to leave but, I can go in the bathroom or something, or sew. It's not that I want to watch your every move I just don't want to leave." She looked down at the floor embarassed. She was so weak, this wasn't the first time this had happened to her. She hoped he wasn't too angry.

Olivia gathered her things up as the bus arrived at the hotel. People let her and Argyle down the aisle first. That was a benefit of being handicapped, less crowding. She kept her eye on a late boarding passenger though. She hated to admit it but she had a bit of a thing for blondes and he had her attention for most of the ride. He got off the bus as well, perhaps he was staying here. As she and Argyle made her way to the entrance she watched him to see if she could catch his eye and throw in a wave and a pretty smile. They made their way into the doors and checked in, taking the elevator up to the second floor. They found their room and went on in. It was very nice. Elata moved to the bed and securing her blanket around her hoisted herself up onto the bed, stretching her legs. "Ah, this is the life," she sighed, closing her eyes, and leaning back into the pillow. This bed felt so good. She noticed the pad on the stand next to the bed had been written on. Ciaran's drunken scrawl proclaimed the numbers of everybody's rooms. She pointed it out to Argyle. "Here's the numbers if you wanna find goldeneyes." Now she wanted to watch a James Bond movie...

Marnin stood outside the hotel and stared up at it with slight interest. As he looked up, someone waved at him, and he looked over to see the handicapped girl smiling and waving. Inwardly, he sighed. This wasn't the first time; he was attractive, despite his demeanor.

He forced the corners of his mouth into a smile and waved back, and followed them inside. Another being in the lobby caught his attention, someone heavily disguised and wearing a mask talking with a very animated woman. He mentally noted the figure and climbed into the elevator after Olivia and Argyle.

Up above, he felt the presence. The only significant figure in this entire building, a very old man named Praetorius. He focused on the presence and watched it with his mind.

The elevator doors opened, and Argyle exited first, Olivia following. His eyes were drawn to a can tied to the back of her wheelchair. His eyes widened; this was no normal cane.

Finding out why it isn't covered in blood is only the beginning.

Olivia didn't even notice the cane slip from its spot, as Marnin deftly and silently snatched it away. The doors closed immediately, and he stepped back against the wall as the elevator continued to rise. One lone passenger beside him began to eye him accusingly, but one pink-eyed stare silenced him quickly.

As soon as that passenger had left, he pressed the button to the same floor Olivia and Argyle had disembarked and waited.

---

Argyle sat on the bed to rest, letting out a sigh. He picked up the pad and looked at the room numbers.

"As much as I'd love to relax, I've been wanting to talk to him for a while now. Hopefully, he's not too occupied. Thanks for bringing me here."

He smiled at her, an expression he hadn't given in a long while.

Praetorious recognized that it had been rude of him to ask. It was her room, after all. And he had forgotten what kind of effect the events of the last twelve or so hours must have had on her. Among many things, being a slave of Edo Edi Essum for more than a decade had left him with a weary resignation toward events. Very few things fazed him. But Ingrid (if that was her name) obviously hadn't had such an experience. He tried to soften his expression as he wiped away more of the fluid of his contacts.

"Of course. It's not my place to impose upon you like that. If you can put up with my... irregularities, then I'll try to stay out of your way until I can talk to Argyle. I'll leave after that."

He didn't exactly feel guilt, but he knew that it wasn't fair to Ingrid to be a nuisance. He had already heralded what was probably one of the more horrifying events in her life- it was surprising that she was treating him with the hospitality she was. Praetorious stumbled to the bathroom, right leg almost pitching him over. Supporting himself on the sink, he soaked a towel in water, pressing it to one eye, and then the other. He repeated the process a few times, until the lenses washed away, leaving only his black sclera. Satisfied that he had purged his eyes of the solution, he limped awkwardly to the small cushioned chair by the bed, where he sat down, drawing a long breath.

"Of course, do what you gotta do," she said waving him off kindly. She hadn't gotten a whole lot of sleep at the hospital. Partly because of her nerves and because she was too lazy to hoist herself up into the hospital bed. She reached for the pack on her chair when she realized the cane was gone. "Oh, um...that cane...is it dangerous in some way?" she had to ask the question. If she had dropped it somehow she couldn't just leave it lying around. "I think it fell off along the way or something, but it's gone." She did a quick scan of the hotel room just to be sure. Nope, nothing. She cursed under her breath as she began lowering herself back into her chair. Her blanket fell off...lovely.


---

Ingrid smiled a huge smile of releif, accompanied by a sigh. "Oh, thank you so much," She took out some sewing supplies as he limped into the bathroom to wash out his eyes. She watched him carefully, ready to spring out and catch him if he fell, but he made it just fine. As he exited the bathroom she took a look at his eyes. Once again, she was shocked. She couldn't help but stare, perhaps it was everything compounding upon each other. The eyes, the hand, the...blood? The fact that he was still walking. She smiled. "I don't mind putting up with your irregularities at all, it's um....exotic." She laughed to herself. This was becoming a bit too much. She decided to concentrate on sewing something before it started raining meatballs or something.

The cane was gone? Argyle looked around too, but to no avail. He knew he had seen it before they entered the hotel... Had someone grabbed it? It was an Object, which were notorious for pursuing the the Seekers that collected them. Yet, how could someone have grabbed it so easily while they were tending to it?

Was it dangerous? Of course, all Objects were dangerous. But unlike the Rifle, he didn't know it to bring harm to others. The only harm in it was dependence and addiction. If someone had taken the Cane, they took its risks with it. Their problem.

"No, it's not dangerous," he muttered as he limped toward the door. He was simply glad to not have the danger of depending on the Cane around anymore. "Good riddance. I'll see you later."

He smiled at her one last time before stepping out of the door. Praetorius' room was just down the hall, and he hobbled there in only a couple minutes. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

On days when he hadn't been attacked by a fleshy monster and shot in the head, Praetorious considered himself an excellent actor, able to simulate almost any emotion and demeanor. Unfortunately, today was not one of those days. Today Muramasa had attacked yet again, and a filthy man had randomly shot him, damaging his left frontal lobe and optic chiasm. Needless to say, his acting skills suffered. All he could manage was a pathetically half-hearted smile.

"Thanks," he said. Praetorious could see that the shock of the recent events was getting to Ingrid. "You might want to lie down. It seems like you need sleep more than I do."

He closed his eyes, trying to think. The thing that had intervened in Muramasa's attack. It was a man, a man who was part human but mostly gleaming metal. A horrific blend of organic and inorganic. It was something he remembered. Or perhaps Essum remembered it. He didn't know, and he didn't care. He had to find answers. He squeezed his eys shut-

-and felt another familiar presence. Not in the room, but in the hotel. And not the hybrid man, either. This was someone completely different. If he were still Edo Infectus, he would have been able to know exactly who or what the presence was, what its intentions were, what its purpose was. But all he had to rely on was the residual power of Edo Edi Essum. His sense of the being was vague and indistinct, hard to place. However, he didn't need Essum's power to tell him that the being did not possess good intentions.

Suddenly, he was snapped from his reverie by a knock on the door. He opened it, and felt a twinge of relief seeing Argyle there. He ushered him quickly inside, shutting the door behind them. He wasn't sure what the presence was, but he didn't want to take any chances. And for now, it was good enough that he and Argyle could have some peace to talk. Or some approximation of it, at least.

"Good to see you walking. How's the leg?"

Olivia didn't bother covering herself back up as Argyle had left, though she was embarassed. She lowered herself into the wheelchair. Even though she didn't need to look for the cane, she wanted to lock the door. It would be silly to leave it as is, with all that had been happening. She decided to take a shower, since she was alone once again, she could go around as nude as she pleased. In the bath though, she had time to think. Even though he had said it wasn't dangerous, he still didn't want it, and that meant there was probably some danger, if not immediate, she probably still didn't want anyone picking it up. She pondered what she should do about the situation, back and forth between staying here and going to look for it, and decided on something in the middle. She would wait for Argyle to return and tell him what she thought, so at least she might get some more information. Also then, if she had to look by herself, at least someone would know what she'd gone to do. She exited the bathroom and dried off, turning on the tv as she set to the task of applying lotion to herself. She might as well TRY to sleep. Argyle would probably be gone for a long time. She lay down on the pillow and the next thing she knew sleep had taken her.

---

Ingrid looked up as the red haired man entered. She smiled and waved before going back to her sewing. She wondered what they would talk about, she hoped it wsn't too much for her. She was beginning to feel a little nauseus, and with the two in here she couldn't lay down to sleep. She of course wouldn't bother them though. She bent down to take off her shoes and as she was setting the white high heels on the floor she noticed something on the bottom. She squinted and carefully used her manicured and painted nails to pick it off. 'Oh God!' she thought, her mouth agape. It was... a peice of flesh, ohgodohgodohgod. She immediately began to cry and let out a pained sound as she ran to the balcony. She ripped open the door and tossed the shoes over as hard as she could. She almost vomited, but she held it back. She closed the door and stayed outside, her face in her hands, crying like an infant. Her makeup began to run a little. She was scared and worried and embarassed. She didn't know how much longer she could take this.

"Been better," said Argyle shrugging. "The hospital helped."

He stepped in with his crutches, when he noticed someone waving at him. Another circus girl. Damn it... He had hoped for some more privacy, but it seemed there was always an eavesdropper.

He spoke too soon. The girl looked at something at her shoe and suddenly began to cry. Was she having a panic attack? Either way, the girl scrambled from her chair and escaped onto the balcony, slamming the doors behind her. He raised his eyebrows, confused. Yet, this was good. They were alone now.

He sat down on one of the beds to let his leg rest. Now that they had time to talk, he could finally get some answers. He had almost given up on those.

"How are you?"

Underneath his mask, he frowned a little bit in thought, following Elata from the Red Lion Hotel. 'Ripped in half...?' This saddened Michael, for resons he knew related to his fallen brother. 'Not even a body left to bury...' The musing gave him an achy feeling in his chest, so he quickly dismissed it.

"Where are we going, Miss Elata? Need I remind you I am a very busy Leader, I cannot bide my time here for long." Michael adjusted the Staff of Hubris tied to his back, having made sure to disguise it as an ordinary hockeystick.

This deeply wounded his pride, and he sneered in disgust with the idea. His pride and joy was the Staff, and he couldn't bare to lose it. It meant more to him than anything.

He turned back to Elata, hunching over so he didn't seem so abnormally tall above every other being in the vicinity. Of course, he knew he shoul dhave been towering over them, lording it over as their supreme King, but for now, he had to deal without conquest.

"I'm taking you to the Red Star circus," she said, laughing at the creature, she refused to think of him as human, that was Michael. She liked watching him try not to be full of himself. Hunched over and looking so odd. None of the humans walking around would even think about respecting someone who looked like that. She enjoyed this. She hustled him onto a bus simply packed with people. The next one was coming soon and would probably be less full, but she wanted him to squirm. As they rode standing up people jostled them from every which way, as they were packed in like sardines. Elata smiled happily and hummed to herself. "I bet it's been awhile since you've been on a bus. Isn't this fun?! I just love watching all these people." she exclaimed looking around. Eventually they reached a bus stop a few blocks from the circus. "Well have to hoof it for a bit, but we'll be there soon, don't worry. " she said, patting him on the arm.

Finally they arrived. The circus was a little creepy right now. It was very quiet as they were far from the city, and trash from the day of the attack was still everywhere. She led him past the first few tents and around the back of the big top. Elata stopped dead. Where was he? She blinked a few times and scanned the area before running to the spot. The ground was still stained with all the blood but where was the body? She took a moment to think before the logical conclusion came. "Oh! Ciaran must have had it moved!Silly me! I'm sure it's probably in the morgue if you haven't claimed it. Sorry to waste your time."

Michael was intelligent as he was blunt. The bus ride had clearly been an excuse to embarrass him, her delight with the cramped and unruly conditions infuriated Michael. He scrunched up, so as not to be touched, and protected his Staff as if his life depended on it.

When finally they reached the Circus, the scars of war and battle were obvious to someone as 'old' as Michael. Hetook a few glances around, before they got to a patch of earth that was covered in blood.

"Oh! Ciaran must have taken it! Silly me! It's probably in the morgue if you haven't claimed it. Sorry to waste your time." Elata's sarcastic, phony bright attitude grated on the skeletal man's nerves, and he leaned down, growling right in her face with an inhuman quality.

"Do not take me for a fool. I will not have my dignity undone by the likes of you."

With that, Michael straightened himself up to full height, peering proudly around at the ruined circus before him. Lashing out at all was unlike him nowadays, and it reminded him of passed days, days when he and Ivan were younger. Before the Staff, before Seeking, before...Michael's whole body winced a little, responding to the overflow of recent emotions that hit him as he thought of his kid brother.

"Poor boy..." he looked about at the blood on the ground, sadness in his voice. There was not a chance in hell Ivan had survived, with all the blood that seemed to be splashed like paint on the earth.

"Oh but HOW could the likes of me undo your unapproachable levels of dignity, sir?" Elata layed the sarcasm on quite thickly. She really hadn't realized the body would be gone though. She motioned for him to follow her and they waited for the bus, boarding it again, it was much emptier this time. However upon arriving to the morgue, there was another shock. There was no body there even close to the mutilation Ivan had suffered. They were even allowed to examine the unidentified bodies and he wasn't there. Elata quickly thanked the employees for their time and exited the morgue quickly. "I-I'm sorry!" she said when they were outside the morgue, with a horrified look on her face. "I'm really not joking with you at all, I have no idea where he went! Oh dear where did he go?" She paced as she tried to think. She fought off another fit of crying. If he was going to be dead she could at least bury him, but now she couldn't even do that?! She lost the battle with her tears but quickly put her face in her hands to cover them. It didn't help to hide her crying any but now she was the one who was embarassed. "God dammit!" she yelled in a voice thick with tears as she kicked a trash can over. She started running in the direction of the circus. He had to be there, he just had to be there somewhere.

"Likewise," said Praetorious, waving his left hand nonchalantly. He sat down on the opposite bed, across from Argyle. "It would seem that I can walk again, so my brain must be on the road to recovery."

His skeletal fingers drummed on the bed, although he didn't know why. Perhaps he was still nervous about the presence. He could only feel it in the fringes of his mind, and knew nothing about it save for the fact that it was in the building. It could have been right outside the door, and the only way Praetorious would know would be if it knocked. The lack of information irritated him. On the other hand, this meant that he could finally converse with Argyle in peace. A normal person would have tried to console Ingrid, he supposed, but emotional support (or emotion in general, for that matter) was not his forté. For now, he'd try to get some answers.

"By the way," he said after a pause, his now-black eyes staring directly into Argyle's, "it's good to see that you've let go of your Object."

"Good to hear."

What insanity... The wound to his brain was healing in under a day? If the simple fact that he had survived the shot in the first place wasn't enough to prove he was abnormal, this was the nail in the coffin. He sighed inwardly.

"By the way, it's good to see that you've let go of your Object."

Argyle blinked in surprise, but quickly calmed himself.

"So you knew. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I think it was trying to make me dependent on it, so I refused to touch it again. However..." He paused. "Olivia had it, but I think someone stole it from her some point after we entered this building."

Stolen? It must be the entity that was making Praetorious so uneasy. If it stole the Cane, could it have followed him? If it had, could he defend himself? Could Argyle? He plotted and discarded various courses of action in his mind. After a second's pause, he decided there wasn't anything he could do.

"I'm rather good at figuring that sort of thing out. And good job, by the way, in discarding the thing. If you hadn't, bad things would probably have happened to you."

Praetorious neglected to mentioned that he was the bad thing of which he spoke.

"And now it's stolen? Good riddance, I suppose. At least whoever it was didn't kill you first. Seekers killing each other is rather pathetic. And gruesome."

He was trying to think. How much should he let Argyle know? If Praetorious wanted to know anything about him, he knew he would have to trade information. Quid pro quo. On the other hand, Argyle probably wouldn't take well to the fact that he scooped out Seekers' bones and organs for fun. It was a matter of moderation.

"But I digress, and we have things to discuss. And you no doubt have questions. Fire away."

Good riddance.

"That's exactly what I said. I'm glad to be rid of the thing. I don't envy whoever must have it now."

"But I digress, and we have things to discuss. And you no doubt have questions. Fire away."

Finally, the opportunity was here. He wanted to know so much; about him, about the monsters, about Lucas and the white woman. He knew he would have to give up some information about himself as well, but it was a price he was willing to pay. Praetorius was offering to answer questions, so he wasn't wasting his time. First up was the matter most directly concerning his probability of survival.

"I suppose first off is, what do you know about the monsters? The fleshy one and the metal one?"

Praetorious took a deep breath, exhaling again. It was mostly for him, in order to concert his thoughts and theories. Speaking them aloud would help him piece things together.

"I can't say I know a whole lot, and what I do know is based off of theory. It would seem that Muramasa- I can't think of anything else to call it- is more or less mindless. It's powerful and coordinated, but it doesn't seem to think for itself. Whenever it had to do something new, those hissing voices seemed to get louder. I'd guess that's what controls it. Of course, I have no idea what in hell the voices are. It also seems to be held together by its own will. Or the voices' will. Even when the other creature tore its head off, it was still very much alive."

Praetorious paused for a moment, letting Argyle take it in. It wasn't much, obviously, but it was all he had. He continued.

"Which brings me to the other creature. I haven't the faintest clue what it is, but I've heard rumors. A creature called the 'Artifice', or 'Artificier' or something like that. They say that it's the 'god of flesh, bone, and steel'. I don't know about you, but I'd say that monster fits the bill."

"Great... Well, that's something for Muramasa at least. You probably also haven't the faintest idea how to stop it either, by the sound of it. As for the metal thing, that sounds about right. I don't know where you heard the 'rumors,' but in the world of Objects, rumors seem to go a long way."

He paused for a moment in thought. He didn't get much in the way of answers for that, except that Muramasa seemed to be possessed, and the metal creature's pseudonym. What was next? Praetorius didn't seem to know anything about Lucas when they had talked before, so that only left one more pressing question.

"Thanks for the information. I really only have one other question that has been bothering me, and I apologize for it being intrusive. It has been bothering me, and I figured it was worth asking, even if you didn't want to answer. What exactly are you?"