"Right, I'll see what I can do." Alex turns the computer back and works some more magic. A couple minutes later she has a marked out map with some red circles and dots on it.

"So I've cross referenced all the news reports on violent crime in the past few months, filtered out all of the things that don't seem to fit what we are looking for and marked the sites on my map. As far as I can tell, there has been an unreported spike in crime in this area. I mean, it's been reported but nobody has really noticed how focused things seem to be around here. This line here more or less points towards Chinatown, while this one here towards the downtown core. I figure that we are sitting in ground zero, with the bad guys working to expand their power."

Alex seems to be positively bubbly with excitement. "And look at this graph of the growth rate... this fits almost perfectly with the typical pattern of a new infestation by a master looking to establish a powerbase. I'm just impressed at how no more bodies have been coming to light drained of blood. Whoever is in charge must be keeping a tight reign on it's minions." She bit her lip, chewing on it thoughtfully.

"Hmmm... the pattern breaks over the last two weeks. Huh... I wonder..."

[OOC - Cinematic Hacking and Info dumps for the win! It wasn't ALL wiki-walking earlier.]

Should I mention she's channeling her inner Buffy again? No, not right now - derailing her train of thought wouldn't be good. Not when we're on something of a roll. "I can confirm some of those points." Quickly, Jiro pointed out the spots where the otaku had mentioned attacks. "Also, the places they mentioned gang violence overlap this map... too well for me to consider it coincidence. Here-" he pointed at an area near Chinatown almost exactly along her line; "And here." He pointed at an area nearby. "That one, I must say, is annoyingly close to our hotel as well. I begin to think, Alex-san, that even without the... incentives we've been offered, we would find ourselves pulled into this mess before long."

Oh merciful Kami-sama, what have we gotten into now?

"That's it! A power struggle! That's why the body was found, it's sign that the master has lost some control. One of the more ambitious and powerful fangs decided that it wanted top spot and made a move, splitting the group. The slight flattening here, and then the sharp growth. They're gearing up to take one another head on. I knew I was missing something. I guess you aren't just a pretty face Tommy." Alex flashes Jiro a flirtatious look. A very well practiced one.

"Okay, this is going to be a hard one to tackle and you haven't been hanging around me long enough to be able throw down with what's in store for us. I think it's time to get the band back together." She leans in to the computer and starts making notes. "Gabe should be up for it, he always is and don't look at me like that Tommy, he and I have been done for a long time." She sighs, but doesn't look up to see any expression on Jiro's face.

"Anyway, I'll also call Sarah and Josh. They're such a cute couple, and we'll need their magic brains for this. Hmmm... who else... How about Glenn. He's... someone I've never met before and I have no idea who he is..."

Alex reaches up and places both hands on her face. She starts taking a series of deep breaths.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:49, Tue 22 Mar 2011.

Oh, this is subtle. Kuso. Kuso, kuso, kuso. Jiro glanced around worriedly, wondering for a moment what to do. Then he reached out and gave Alex's shoulder a squeeze.

"Breathe, Alex-san. Breathe."

What the hell do I say now? There's no simple answer to this... "I know how disturbing it can be to have unfamiliar thoughts in your head. I suffer something lesser in my cursed form. You are still Alex. You are still you. This... I think it came out just now because you are reading about things, thinking about things, that your gifted memories touch on."

Jiro took a breath of his own. Think, genius. Think fast. What can I do to help? A slow blink. Oh dear. Well, I could, but... Hell with it. A little embarassment will not kill me. "It seems a bit unfair that you must shoulder this alone. I can do only a little but perhaps... what is the phrase... misery would like some company?"

Alex takes a very deep breath, then glances at Jiro. "I always hated that phrase... but..." She looks away, then continues softly. "I think this might be easier if I didn't think you looked like my current boyfriend."

"Oh god..."

Don't say a damned thing about her having excellent choice in boyfriends. Jiro gave her shoulder a squeeze. "In that case, I would be happy to help." I am going to regret this. Probably a lot.

Standing, Jiro headed for the washrooms. I... think I just noticed a problem. No nice, neutral, handicapped washroom, just mens and ladies. Well, I am committed. Nothing to lose but my dignity.

Glancing around, he picked his moment and darted into the mens. Nodding to the man at the sink, he headed for a stall to, well, stall a moment. Listening closely, he heard the taps shut off, waited for the sound of the door, and ghosted out of the stall. Doing his best to resemble a hole in the air, Jiro ghosted across the bathroom to the sinks for a dash of cold water.

Then, ever conscious that she was now, rather thoroughly, in the wrong bathroom, she ghosted for the door, prayed a mental prayer that any nearby god or kami might keep anyone from looking at said door just this moment, and slipped out.

She kept up her stealthy tread until she reached the customer area, then relaxed into a casual gait, giving the barrista a quick smile as she walked past and walked back to the table she and Alex were using. "This better?"

[OOC: GOGO Hide In Plain Sight and Skill Mastery: Stealth. Array is in ki focus for the Speed - moving at half rate to note take a penalty to the stealth check; skill mastery give me a 22 on the stealth.]

The patrons had no better chance of spotting Jiro then they had of beating him in a straight fight.

"Yeah... it is. Thank you. Oh that was fracking strange." Alex says, her breathing still strained. "I think whoever I borrowed this body from had a thing for football players. Blond football players. I really don't know how the frack I was confusing a guy who could have been on a Nazi recruiting poster with a little Asian dude. All the while wanting to get this done with so I could drag him back to my room and jump his bones. Again."

She looks Jiro in the eye. "You said you have strange thoughts from time to time. About men."

Kuso. Well, I suppose I was asking for this. Jiro nodded, feeling her cheeks heat a little. "I... yes. I... I notice them more in this form. It's... I know the stereotype of young men is that they always look at pretty girls, but never in the eye? I... I trained myself out of that, more or less, in my normal body. Discipline. In this body..." She took a deep breath, felt her cheeks grow hotter. "You remember last night, when we walked into the arena of iron and Zhang Peter and Chen Ming were waiting for us?" She waited a moment for a nod. "My first thought was 'Kamis, those boys take good care of themelves.' Well, my first thought after 'oh dear.' I... I know I checked out Zhang's ass when he lunged past me, too."

She took a moment to try and force the heat from her cheeks; fruitlessly. "I find it... embarassing. Both for the lack of discipline and the... specifics of that lack." And now my cards are on the table, and she likely thinks I am a hentia. But she asked. And I answered honestly. That, I hope, should count for something.

Alex's cheeks heat to match. "I had the same thoughts. I kept squelching the idea that I should pin Chen for a bit, maybe see how good he was with ground work. It's more then just her thoughts though. I... I'm not as good at not staring at attractive people as you are, but I'm better then many people I know. That's gotten harder since... well..." Alex points at herself "Now I find myself looking at both. I notice, and then I get creeped out. I... I'm not homophobic, got a few friends who are both gay and not shy about expressing their love, but I've known that my preference was straight without any bi-curiosity. That still holds true... only she also knows she's straight without any bi-curiosity either. You ever check someone out, only to realize they weren't what you thought? The oh god, that's a guy thing? I'm getting that and 'oh god, that's a girl' to."

Alex's looks like her face is on fire, and her voice is very very soft. It goes even softer when she mutters. "Doesn't help that you're hot as hell in both forms..."

"I... know what you mean and... Alex-san, I know this will probably be uncomfortable but in the interests of honesty... You seem attractive to me as well; in both my forms. You are fiercely intillegent, you have strong physical gifts, you learn very quickly and, well, I find you fun to talk to. And... this sort of... condition seems tailored to create uncomfortable situations."

A pause. "I, too, know a few people who'se preferences are... broad. It is not the most comfortable thing, but it is nothing dishonorable. Believe me, I do not think less of you for it, Alex-san."

Jiro stood, giving her friend's shoulder a light squeeze and smiling. "Come on. We have some investigating to do."

Waiting a moment for Alex to fold up her laptop, Jiro heads for the exit, intent on giving that first alley... a very thorough look.

Alex nods sharply. "Yeah. Enough angsting about my life being screwed up. Let's go find some undead heads to break."

The alley where the pair met is much as they remember it. At first glance there are no signs of anything unusual. A brief rain last night washed away the blood, and the SMG fragments have been cleaned up.

Alex starts looking around, trying to find if there is anything of interest.

[OOC: 14:31, Today: Alex rolled 20 using 1d20+9. Search Check. ]

At first there doesn't seem to be anything worthwhile to find. In frustration, she kicks an empty plastic jug. It bounces off the left wall of the alley then hits the right one in a higher spot, and bounces back to the left. Instead of hitting the wall, it hits something else. A previously invisible glowing circle, hanging in mid air about twenty feet from the ground. Strange symbols are visible on the outer edge of the circle.

"Woah... Jiro? I think I found something..."

Eyes widening at the circle of runes, Jiro stared. "That you have," she said in English, then, squinted at the runes, muttering in Japanese as she tried to make them out; wracking her brains.

[OOC: 19:44, Today: Jiro Koji rolled 16 using 1d20+8. arcane lore check.]

Jiro looks up at the runes for a few moments before they vanish again.

Jiro took a long moment to gather her thoughts, then said, "Well. This is... probably not a good sign. I have seen magic circles like that before, inscribed in mid-air. It is a style favored by many magic users in my country." She looked at Alex. "But the runes themselves appeared to be of european extraction. They ususally are used for summonings."

"But in my experience, and from what I have heard, they should not be... sticking around... like this. And they tend to be a tool of powerful mages."

"I was just thinking that looked like something I'd seen when researching the Goetia and the Keys of Solomon for a Dark Matter game I was running back in high school. Once again geek knowledge from another universe proves to be somewhat accurate. So, we have a strange powerful magic sitting in the same place that a Vampire killed someone and..." Alex pauses.

"Wait a second. Summoning. Jiro, when I woke up I saw a bright flash of light and a falling sensation, before hitting the ground." She walks right under the circle and lays on her back.

"Yep... This looks pretty much exactly where I landed when I arrived here." She leaps to her feet. "Are you pondering what I'm pondering?"

Jiro felt the corner of her mouth twitch upward in a smile. "I think so, Alex-san, but where will we find three gross of twinkees at this hour?" I have no idea what Dark Matter is, but I at least caught part of it.

Then her brow furrowed in thought. "I know of the Keys of Solomon. The circle was similar, but not, I think a match. A related seal, I believe. As to landing here, given its apparent power, I can see it being used to... pluck someone from another world, but I cannot be sure. My knowledge of magic is... not as great as I would want, given the givens. But it certainly seems a good theory."

I wonder... Briefly Jiro gave the alley's walls and assorted trashcans and dumpsters an appraising look. I could do it easily... should I? "I wonder what would happen should I try to hit it..." A pause, then, "It would likely be better if we contiued our search. I would like to check some references, and take another look, before I do anything... rash."

Alex giggled at Jiro's knowledge of the Brain and his minion.


"Uhhh... I'm not so sure about poking things. It might be a portal or something and you could end up going somewhere else. Or it might break and that could be my ticket home. Of course it could fade away before we figure anything out if we don't poke it. So... you're the expert here and I'll back you one hundred percent."

Thank you so much for that non-answer. "As you say, there are too many chances of things going... badly... if we do something rash. I would not want to strand you. It has persisted this long.  I think it would be safe enough to let it wait another day or two. I can do most of the research I wish to do on the internet... actually, I could use your help with that - you seemed much more adept with computers than I am earlier."

"For now, I would like to see what there is to see near here; see if we can find any hints of the bloodsuckers and their activities. Soon enough, we will have to meet up with Chen Ming."
This message was last edited by the player at 04:14, Tue 22 Mar 2011.

"The fact you think you can find reliable magical information terrifies and excites me. It's... wow." Alex's mind seems blown.

She soon shakes it off. "Let's see what we can find then."

[OOC: 00:45, Today: Alex rolled 12 using 1d20+9. Search Check. ]

"You would be amazed at what one can find on the internet, if one knows where to look." Jiro looked around for a moment. I need another point of view here.

With a cursory glance at the walls, Jiro bounded upwards; bounced off one alley wall to the opposite one, then up and across again, coming to rest grabbing hold of a fire escape and looked down, trying to take in every detail.

[OOC:Up The Wall and Skill Mastery: Acrobatics to walljump to a good viewpoint

 21:47, Today: Jiro Koji rolled 21 using 1d20+2. Search check.]
This message was last edited by the player at 05:09, Tue 22 Mar 2011.