"Yes? Oh, it's you again." Thelik looks around to confirm Allura is alone. "...Got a message from Maraki...?" he guesses.

"No, I am here on my own, though he told me you might be able to help me." She smiled a bit.

"Help you? With what?"

She leaned close, "Investigate a murder. You in ?"

Thelik is (so far) interested, at least... "...Whose murder?"

"If I tell you a friend of mine would that be enough ? Sometimes people just don't give a damn when they find out that it is a demon and not a Lord or Lady." She studied his face.

Thelik appears sympathetic. "I dunno... Demons are better people than a lot of people, in my experience. Some of 'em, anyway. I mean, I was raised by demons, really, more than my own family had to do with it... Weren't you? Or was it different in your family?"

"Same, I guess it was easier for our parents to just dump us on the laps of demons then to raise us themselves. So, do you think you can help me ? Even if you can't, I need a place to stay do you mind if I stay with you for a few days."

"Yeah, see. Some things never change, I guess. When I'm 500, I hope I never get to feeling like demons don't count as people..."



"Well... with doing what, exactly? Assassination? I'm not sure I wanna get involved in another House's vendetta-war..." It's not that he sounds like he wouldn't help with an assassination, just that he's wary of the consequences...



"Oh, well... Sure, that's all right. I have people stay here sometimes. And if you're a friend of Maraki's, then... then that's all right, I guess..."

"I wouldn't ask you to get involved in anything like that. I don't even know if I will get involved in something that lethal. I am just investigating right now and Maraki said that you could help with that.  It's something boring though we would need to look into some accounting your families accounting might have an indication he thinks of the hire of the assassin."

"Wait... my family's accounting? This involves Sawall stuff?"

Nods, "Yes, it does. It even involves possibly your dad. I would understand if you want to lock step with your family and protect your dad. As I said though my goal isn't lethal I just want to investigate my friends death because it means something to me."

Thelik chuckles a little. "Heh. Heh-heh. Now I see why Maraki sent you to me. Though maybe he didn't tell you much about me if you think I'd want to protect my father. So this is Dad's accountant guy at work? We can pay his office a little visit tonight..."

Allura nods, "He told me a little about you, said your kind of like an adopted son to him. He didn't speak much about your relationship with your father though." She wanted Thelik to talk about it himself since she knew the young man liked to talk and reveal things and she was in a better mood feeling there might be some small justice for Squig.

She still had no idea how to help her families greater interests though and this really bothered her.

"Yeah, well..." The idea that Maraki had said Thelik was like an adopted son to him made Thelik get a little shy and quiet. "Well... well, anyway, come in. No point in making you stand out there all day..."

Allura comes in.

"Thank you Thelik, I appreciate it."

Allura enters Thelik's shack.

...While "shack" is an appropriate name for it based on the outside, and based on its age and the quality of its structural integrity, it is actually fairly large, composed of multiple large-ish rooms. This may have been a fairly decent place for humans to live at some time in the past...

"...So, what d'you wanna do until it gets late enough to sneak into the office we're gonna sneak into?"

"Let's play some games, or you can run me through being sneaky, I don't think I have ever needed to really be sneaky before. You saw how I messed up earlier here. So Maybe you could run me through some stealthy tests."

"Ooh, that's a good idea... let's see..." He frowns. "My inhuman form is stronger and faster than my human form... but I think my human form is better at hiding and not-being-noticed than my other form. I mean, who pays much attention to humans? So... what's your human form like?"
This message was last updated by the player at 19:35, Sun 25 July 2021.

"It stands out more then my inhuman form, I Mean do you think I might maybe pass as a servant demon or do I just stand out too much ?"

"You kinda stand out... at least for most situations. You got a problem with showing me your human form?"

"You sense that huh ? I can I guess but..."

Looks kind of not even kind of looks worried about it.

"It is kind of dangerous for me to do so, or at least I think it is. I guess if your going to help me though." Frets a lot about it but changes to human form.

"Ah, dark skin and hair, excellent-- you'll stand out in the shadows and darkness even less than I do in this form. We should use that."

"All right, all right, let's see... What would be a good practice test... Let me think... All right, yeah, yeah, I've got an idea. C'mon, let's go!"

Thelik heads to the front door of his shack... then he turns. "...Uh, if you're afraid someone's gonna recognize you in that form, you can change back to your inhuman one for now, just while we're walking around..."

Changes back to her inhuman form and goes with him.

Soon, near the docks of the black lake, Thelik stops about 40 yards from the open doors of a large warehouse. Now and then, a demon or human will walk in or out of the huge open doors, more often than not carrying something-- a keg, a box, a large sack of something.

"All right, see that warehouse? You can't see it from here, but there're doors on the other end of it of the same type, and this time of day, they're always open. So here's what I want you to do-- change forms-- because looking like you look right now, anybody would notice you-- and then when I give the signal, duck inside there. Then I want you to make your way to the other end and out the other doors-- I'll go around and meet you there-- without anyone saying 'hey, what're you doing in here.' You should be able to do it... it's pretty dark in there..."

"If you mess up and someone spots you, you could always just run for it... but my advice is to change form and tell them that Lord Cabalzar sent you down to test security. That'll shut any humans up instantly, and if you really sound snotty enough, even demons should back down. But you know, however you feel like playing it."

"When you're ready, let me know, and I'll get you to the doors..."