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Chapter 4 - Nose To The Grindstone

Early Morning, November 14th, 2007 - The Dreamscape

Scald-Crow

The moors of my dreams were filled with fog not unlike when I met the Banshee. The fog itself rolled two feet above the ground and as I dashed into the bank it moved around me. My feet were encased in a pair of hiking boots as my legs were covered in a pair of skinny jeans. The extra footing helped me as the tight green sweater kept me warm in the morning chill. I crested the hill just in time to see the sun in my dream rise and flood the bogland with light. The warmth came over me as I walked down the worn zig-zagged trail. Unlike the moor's of Scotland there was open bog everywhere and if I didn't know what lay beneath it could easily appear like the rest of the grass.

I came to stand near a dolmen, two tall stones stood up to bear a third. If you've seen Stone Henge, this was a simpler more primitive version of it. A spiral was carved into one side and I ran my hands over it feeling the carefully chipped indents. Power was suffused into the rock and every time my fingers made contact a small charge of green energy arced to my fingertips.

"Me inheritance is bound inta that stone an' the ring behind me," I knew the voice well. Behind me was Morgan in all her ancient Celtic glory. Her body fitted with a tight leather armored jerkin under a long skirt of chainmail. In one hand was a red-silver headed spear and in the other, a shield painted black with a gold spiral.

"You going to tell me more about who you are? Why you were growling about an ancient elf Queen?" I turned around and crossed my arms.

"Witin reason," she replied before resting her shield and spear against a stone in the large ring we always met at.

"Great, more mystery tropes," I sighed and rubbed my jaw.

"It is hard fer me ta tell you everything," she said as sighed, "I'm still healing fram the damage given ta me when we met."

I gave a nod slowly before saying, "You aren't messing with me?"

"Me folk can’t lie Lil' one. I can twist werds like the best of em," she began to remove her jerk and cast it off beside her spear. Just above her heart was a massive tear in her body, and it leaked a strange eerie green fire.

"When the Dullahan killed Sinead, she wounded me sa deeply it's taken weeks fer me to put together what I remember of me past." She let out a demonstrative sigh before pointing to the area around her.

"What is this place ta ye lass?" she asked me.

"A stone circle and that's a dolmen," I pointed to sculpture behind me.

"No. This be sacred ground," she said to me and walked overturning me to face the full circle.

"This isn't in Eire, Gráinne, we are in Tír Eile, the Otherworld." Her words took a few moments to sink in.

"My dreamscape is in a mystical faerie elfland?" I asked. She smiled at me as she drew me around the massive rock to reveal a small kettle boiling on a fire.

"Yes and no." She replied before she continued her Yoda level exposition. "Yer a draoi my love, a druid, an old-line capable of seeing portents, healing and more. My clan can only bond with yours."

She'd said that before and it made sense. From what I could put together from stories on the internet and a few other things some Spirits were deeply tied to cultural history. I mean it made sense especially with the girl on campus bonded to a Lakota Totem.

"So what are you then?" I asked her, "You didn't say you were the Morrígan, but you sure seem to have a lot of mythological connections to her."

"Morrígan ain't a person, lass, it's a title. Just like Nemain and Macha, my sisters and I earned it before it all went ta shit." She sat me down on a log by the fire and moved to sit across on the ground from me. The pot smelled fantastic and as she placed a wooden spoon into it I could see a thick brown stew boiling away.

"Whiskey and beef stew, with some carrots and other bits added." She murmured.

"That smells wonderful," I commented and found a bowl placed into my hands, "So. Explain it, whatever you can."

"Foine, foine," her accent stressed as she ladled some stew into my bowl and gave me a spoon.

"Whatever you can," I chided her.

Another demonstrative sigh and the seven-foot redhead heaved a deep breath.

"Time broke millions of years ago kid. The high civilizations of then were doing fine in a nice little Empire. Me, I don't remember much, but some terrible idiot decided to do what they do, open up a can of worms not meant for anyone. The literal madness of that little racist fuck Lovecraft unleashed on the world." She took a long draught from her stew and let out a satisfied aw. "So, Aughadhail, an' the other lasses of her ilk burned out- feckin' time."

"Let me guess they call it something ridiculous like the Cataclysm I chuckled," she looked up from her stew and glared.

"No, Sundering, an' it was hell on fuckin eart," she slurred.

"Sorry sorry!" I said.

"IT KILLED MY SISTERS," she growled and I placed up my hands to placate her.

"Morgan, I'm sorry," I felt tears in my eyes.

"I know lass...it hurts me deep to think I, the youngest, am still extant through sheer luck," she moved to sit beside me and I found her hugging me hard enough to press the breath from my lungs.

"So...I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that your family put shit back together," I asked her.

"Yes...my da and his friends wove up a terrible spell that kept us all from going mad and gave us the Otherworld." She said to me with all the sobering emotions of two best friends reliving war stories. I tried to put it all together from what I'd read and heard through my life. The Otherworld was a place of the faerie, and other related monsters.

"If you aren't a god what are you?" I asked her finally.

"I'm what yer ancestors called the Gentry or the Fair Folk," she sighed as she released, "A Faerie."

"I kind of figured with that accent, and the Irish ladened mythological references," I smiled.

"Ye -just- made that connection," she snapped.

"Ye think I be that stupid?" I growled back at her.

"No, but yer too easy to toy wit," she laughed loudly.

I finished the stew and let the taste linger in my mouth. It was heavenly, and it filled me so thoroughly I felt completely at peace after eating what was offered. Wasn't there some sort of prohibition to never take the food of the fae? Perhaps I should do some more research on the subject.

"Isn't there a thing about not taking food from the underworld or perhaps, faeries?" I decided to just blurt out.

"Nah, jus pomegranate seeds," she chuckled.

"Do you remember anything else?" I asked her as she took my bowl from me.

"The Sidhe. They were a powerful people, an' they lorded it above others," she said leaning forward to plant her elbows atop her knees.

"Anything else?" I asked as I drew myself closer beside her.

"No...that's all the lore I got in me, fer now," she said before patting my head. I stared up into the sky and admired the eerie blue color that is just off-color enough to sit in the uncanny valley. Letting my thoughts drift away I decided to just experience my time in the dream. By the gods, I sure needed the relaxation.

Period One, November 14th, 2007 - Laird Hall

Scald-Crow
The impact jarred my arm as I barely blocked a kick from my opponent. My hands snapped up to catch a punch, but it moved so fast it connected with my jaw. Stars blossomed in my field of vision while my center of balance threatened a feeling of vertigo. Again the punch came and I was able to bob my head out of the way. One would think I'd have the increased reaction time to fight against a girl with only a minor energizer rating. Haruko was smiling like a madwoman as she delivered two more quick punches to my face. I was only able to dodge the first as the second snapped my jaw around. Again I saw stars.

"You suck at this," she sneered at me as I kicked her in the solar plexus, hard. The impact barely seemed to phase her beside a minor wince. I could see her jaw straining as Haruko's eyes narrowed to a squint. What the hell was she going to do next?

The woman suddenly rolled to my side and landed a spin kick against my legs sweeping me off my feet. I tried to compensate, but all I could do was land hard with my leg outside the circle. The actual impact left me winded as I hit the ground on my right side knocking the air out of my lungs. A hand was thrust in my face as I took it and Haruko helped me to my feet. The Asian woman offered me a bow with both hands at her side. My face flushed bright red in embarrassment. Tolman-sensei was waiting outside our ring as she pulled Haruko aside.

"She's improved a small margin," Haruko commented her arms crossed. Sensei quirked an eyebrow before giving a slow nod.

"Gráinne," Tolman-sensei caught my attention, "Usually I would have you continue to spar to gain live experience."

"But I'm abysmal," I sighed.

"No, but your Rager trigger places a limitation on who I can have you face," Tolman-sensei said.

"I know," I blushed as I watched her, the woman was thumbing her face. "Haruko."

"Hai, Sensei?" she asked as she glanced at me, "What do you wish?"

"I’m assigning you to work with Haruko and your roommate on the weekends. You can use the sparring arena here during open hours in Laird Hall." She stated the new facts of life to me. I say this because obviously there was no way I would attempt to get out of a woman who dressed like a bond villainess's assignment. when she gave me an assignment.

"Heh, Senpai aaand Kohai!" Haruko pointed to herself and then me. I was about to protest to her when she back away giving me two sarcastic thumbs up.

"DAMMIT!" I growled before turning around to see Tolman-sensei watching me, "uuuh sorry sensei."

"Language kid," she sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Sorry, sensei!" I stammered.

"Okay, Esoteric you're up. I want you two just to do a simple spar, try to hold back your strength Scald-Crow." Tolman-sensei pointed at a blonde androgynous-looking girl who I'd seen around Poe. She stood up and gave me a wary glance before falling into a rough stance in front of me. Haruko whistled loudly as she sat beside our ring and Tolmen called out for the spar to begin.

I made the first move, two strides forward and I just tried a very light strike. Esoteric blocked it, but I could see her stagger a little bit before she recovered. What was she? I tried to remember the stats I'd heard throughout the week and hers weren't coming to mind. SHIT! She delivered a solid kick to my chest. The impact wasn't hard enough to really hurt me, but she was trying. It left me wondering what her traits and class levels could be. I kept running the numbers as I tried to plant my foot against her chest to send her out of the ring. The girl punched my leg away and I lost my balance. Wavering on my feet I hopped back to give me a few seconds to recover.

"Esoteric, hold your arms up to block," Toman-sensei said as Esoteric followed suit as I tried to deliver a punch. Instead, I slashed with my right hand, and just enough force to force her to move. Her eyes winced and I heard a hard intake of breath. Oh my god did I hurt her? FUCK! My opening was seized and I found a foot in my face. I barely caught it and just as anger filled me at my own weakness I nearly threw the poor girl out of the ring. Actually, I was about to do just that when Tolman-sensei stopped me.

"Okay, I don't need you throwing people right now," she corrected me and our spar began again. A minute in I was punching at Esoteric for her only to dodge the first two. "Punch twice, fake the second and kick her hard." The commentary came out from Morgan as I did just as she said. A quick one-two and just as my left fist went to connect with her block and just as I dropped my left foot swung hard into Eosteric's open hip. My opponent spun around and just as she shuffled to retain her stance, I pushed my advantage. Now I was going to attempt a crescent kick with my right leg. Lashing out my leg was arcing well in motion before I caught her shoulder far too hard.

There wasn't a crunch of bone, but Tolman-sensei was definitely not having it with my bravado. Erin spun around once before falling to the ground hard and I heard the loud, "YAME!"

I immediately raised my hands as Tolman-sensei walked over to examine Erin. Haruko glided to wait beside me as I could see the pained look of disappointment on her face. "Dun try too much till ye have bettar control." Morgan drawled to me in my head. Tolman-sensei turned around to face me and Haruko, her mouth was in a tight grim line and her eyes bore into me.

"Haruko," the woman barked just as she rose from kneeling beside Esoteric who appeared to be going into shock. "I need you to go get Chief Jenkins. Now."

My erstwhile tutor and all I could call my "rival" darted across the gym. I watched her leave as my anxiety spiked on the spot. A few seconds later she returned empty-handed, her eyepatch disheveled and almost unmasking her eye.

"Sensei, I wasn't able to find the Chief or any other assigned Corpsman at the desk." Tolmen-sensei scanned the entirety of the gym before pointing to something out of sight as I didn't dare let my eyes wander. "The Chief is likely attending to another injury. Just inside the door leading to the lockers is an emergency line directly to Doyle. Call in a power litter from Doyle, tell them we have a dislocated shoulder and likely a fractured clavicle."

DAMMMIT! My teeth nearly creaked from how hard I grit them as I kicked myself. Sure, I just had to show off right?

"Now, Miss Ní Callaghan," her words have carefully enunciated the words as she drew my attention. "-EVERY- single Saturday and Sunday with Haruko and Sophia. I'll assign MORE tutoring partners until you get a handle on your strength."

"Yes sensei! I'm sorry...I know I'm not as strong as others," I reached up and rubbed my nose. What else could go wrong today?!

"You aren't my first bullheaded student, kid," she said.

"What is Ito-soke going to say," I asked nervously.

"He already knew you were going to do something dumb. We just weren't sure if you'd hurt yourself or someone else. This was just the moment you needed to let it hit you hard enough to get your head out of the clouds," she said nonchalantly.

"Yes, sensei." Dammit, yup I just got my ass handed to me in the form of a batch of wisdom, Mister Miyagi style.

Just Before Dinner, November 14th, 2007 - Whateley, Campus

Scald-Crow
"Watch as we tread, my heart, the quiet at the crossroads means a devil is waiting." Morgan's words warned me as I walked out of the door from my last class before dinner. My insides were starting to ache as my body demanded nutrients and my mouth salivated at the very thought of fresh meat to devour. Yeah, the longer I've been here the more and more I've found myself eating. Biology class did mention some animals had to eat large portions of meat to maintain themselves, and they had a weird name for it. What was it? Obligated predator? Nah that wasn't right. Duh - I'm stupid, obligate carnivore! Yeah, I was - great I'm now the human version of a fucking jaguar.

"Less internal dialog mar situational awareness Luv." Again Morgan shoved me back into the reality of the here and now. I was standing near one of the large trees which decorated the campus along the main walkway. A quick survey of the area showed no red flags flying so I could be a little less "normal" while out and about. Just one look down at my body showed that my skills at dressing myself were getting cleaner. I always had that hot mess angle going though and I gave a frustrated sigh as my skills at 'Girling' were still kind of shitty.

"Dun warry ta much Summer Rose. Ye just aren't fully in bloom yet." The light eastern brogue helped me calm as I leaned up against the thick trunk of what I guess was an oak tree. There was not a soul near me and my personal space was being beyond respected. I could take this one itsy bitsy -moment- to catch my breath, right?

"Great -it’s you-," the contempt dripped from a comment in front of me. What the? My head shook as I immediately became sickeningly aware of the three girls standing perhaps fifteen paces away from me. Only teenaged mean girls talk like that, and only teenaged bitches stand in a sloppy u-shaped formation. Dammit. Not more shit! I just had to tempt the wyrd. DIDN'T I?

"Stupid Frosh," the blonde standing at the apex of the formation said with her hands on her hips. Oh, gods, it was that damn blonde I nearly plowed over a few days ago. Great! Just great! I'm already a target for the drama I escaped back home! Self-deprecating aside, I had to get my head in the game.

"Um....hello, I am Scald-Cro," what the hell why was I talking like Morgan.

"We don't care," one of them said, I think it was the brunette whose skin was starting to seemingly shift before my eyes. Goddamit I was facing a manifestor like Haruko?!

"You seriously think you can just run me over and walk away without -any- repercussions," the blond said as her arms crossed over her chest and she cocked her hip.

"No...sorry I," she let out a loud laugh just as I tried to defend myself and whatever it was it hurt my ears. What was this bint, a fucking sonokinetic?!

"You are going to stand there as we pound the shit out of you," she said simply.

"You know I'm a rager," I pointed at my armband.

"Sure, but it's soooo easy to just blame the attack on you," she replied.

Fuck my life, I was in mean girls.

"I saw how you kept staring at that Bad Seed slut earlier this week," the blond chuckled as the sound shook my head with pain. She was drawing closer, but I could tell she was intentionally staying out of reach. It was about right then and there I connected the color of their tie with their cottage. Each wore a dark purple tie with three gold stripes, and if my "Harry Potter" level of color assignment knowledge is right at least one of these bitches was from Melville. All this did was up the irony of having the rich kids cottage be the source of my torment.

WHY DO I ATTRACT PREPPY BULLIES?!

A Few Minutes Later, November 14th, 2007 - Whateley Campus

Envy
Fina straightened, feeling an ethereal breeze against the back of her neck. 

Turning in her comfortable chair at the study desk in her room, her concern heightened when she saw that the windows are closed. It wasn’t paranoia this time, the watcher she’d placed to keep an eye on Gráinne was warning her. Gráinne was in trouble. Not bothering to change out of her disheveled school uniform, without shoes or blazer and the shirt collar button was undone, she raised her hands, pulling energy into herself. With a slice of her fingers, she opens a portal from her room onto campus grounds, stepping through into the cold outside air.
Gráinne was staring at her, eyes wide. There were three girls facing her, a bitchy-looking blonde, a brunette with a gemstone fist and a moderately attractive redhead. Fina recognized them from her files on the cliques: Yellow Queen, Gem, and Taser from the Martial Arts Cheerleaders, Melville girls. “Envy?” Gráinne gasped, just as surprised as the others.

Fina’s skirt and blouse fluttered in the breeze as she grinned. “Hey, Scald. Stay right there and keep calm, I’ll be with you in one moment.”

"Hey!" The blonde shouted, her voice unnaturally piercing. "Why don't you go work a corner with your slut mother and stay out of our business!" One of her backup groupies did smooth three-finger snaps like she's been practicing.

Envy's smile didn't budge. "Girls, you're provoking a rager with a prominent UV band. For your own safety, I advise walking away before I'm forced to prevent possibly lethal harm to your persons."

The manifestor squeezed her hand into a tight, stone fist. "You and your psycho gimp gonna take all three of us on, frosh?"

"No," Fina said, relaxed, "just me."

The three girls looked meaningfully at each other as they smirked and giggled. "Just you? Against three of us? Can you see your own tonsils from how far your head's up your ass?"

The redhead's face flushed and she took a step back. Her entire body vibrated with anxiety as she was starting to shake with rage. Gráinne's eyes were becoming unfocused as she put at least fifteen feet between her and the other girls.

"So, you've got the sass down," Envy said, beckoning, "let's see if a bitch's bark is worse than her bite."

Snarling, the blonde took a sharp breath, about to let loose a sonic blast. Envy simply took a step forward, thrusting her palm into the girl's solar plexus. Her breath came out as a heaving wheeze, falling to her knees as she struggled to regain her breath. The other two paused, stunned for a moment as their brains caught up with Envy's speed. The manifestor recovered first, her fist sparkling in the street lights as the red stone fist flew for Envy's head. A pained expression burst across the Taser's face and morphed rapidly into a rabid snarl. "ANOTHER STUPID Worthless demon stained tart is not beating us, again!" As the growl tore out of Taser's throat she zig-zagged as she sped right into
Envy to deliver a electric spark laden kick directly at the Italian heiress' legs.

Envy grabbed Gem’s stone wrist, turned with the momentum of the blow until the girl's arm was fully extended, directing it away from her, then twisted and pushed. There was a loud pop as the girl shrieked, her arm flopping uselessly as Envy roughly guided her face to the pavement. As the energizer sped in from Envy's blindside, sparks flickering between her legs and the pavement, Envy continued to twist with her motion, leaping into a horizontal cartwheel. Both bare feet impacted with the last girl's face, one after the other. She spun, her kick arcing wild under Envy's body as she went down while Envy landed lightly on her feet.

Of the three, Gem and Taser went down harder, the sound of their bodies thudding on the ground with the expected "oof" making defeat all the more embarrassing. Yellow Queen glared, her eyes flickering between the Bad Seed and the rager. An idea twinkled in her eye as she regained her breath and let out a blast of sonic energy from her lips. Gem rolled out of the way in panic but Taser was caught in the blast, flat-footed, and thrown to one side

Stepping in front of Gráinne, Envy braced herself. Her mystic shield flared as the blast hit, converting a portion of the energy to light, though the sonic waves tore strips off her uniform. Gráinne shrieked in pain, collapsing onto the ground with her hands over her ears. Peeking up through squinting eyelids, Gráinne felt her heart pound at the feeling of Fina’s power.

Gem rose to her feet, ignoring the writhing and moaning Taser as she reformed her hard ruby quartz shell.

"Dammit not another fight!" someone nearby yelled, "stupid damn Poseies!" Bunches of students were starting to gather outside the surrounding buildings.

Glancing at the small crowd, Envy's clothes morphed into a skin-tight green suit, complete with a mask. Looking at Taser, who was out for the count lying face-down on the lawn, Envy shook her head. "Cut your losses, I can't hold back now."

"Crap." Yellow Queen sighed as she motioned for the other two to back off. Scowling, Gem picked Taser up, threw her over her shoulder and retreated behind Yellow Queen, who quickly followed.

Turning to Gráinne, Envy found the redhead on the ground curled into a ball, crying. Several of the kids nearby were pointing at the freshman as a few of the upperclassmen started to jeer. "Nice outfit Envy, great ass too!" hollered a male Sophomore sporting a purple and gold tie. He was a lean muscular type flanked by several other students obviously from the same cottage.

Turning on her heel, a blast of force knocked the jeering onlookers on their asses as Envy knelt next to Gráinne. "May I touch you?" Fina asked softly.

"Oh my god that hurt so much," she whimpered as she was obviously barely able to focus. For a moment the redhead didn't respond until she gave a weak nod in response to Envy's question. Easily picking Gráinne up, Envy cradled her gently in her arms as she walked towards the medical centre, ignoring the angry shouts from behind.

An hour later Envy found herself sitting outside a hospital room, while one of the physicians examined Gráinne, being grilled by a woman from Security.

"Miss Valocco, I understand you were concerned, but Forsythe is demanding to know why you were involved in a fight," the woman asked.

"I have a ward on Gráinne that alerts me to danger to her, miss, because I inducted her. I’m supposed to look out for her. When I arrived there 3were three girls provoking her, so I stepped in before Gráinne killed anyone."

"You aren't a security auxiliary, Valocco, you aren't supposed to be interceding like a damn hero." The woman gave a demonstrative sigh before tapping a pen against a notepad in her right hand. "You realize you'll be given detention for this. Likely it'll be Hartford you deal with."
Envy gave her a flat look. "Wow, I didn't realize the faculty hired morons. You want kids to die because they bully students with UV bands?
Which one of us was the card-carrying villain again? Wait, I think I've got my membership somewhere in this suit..."

"Haha, very funny kid." She said and growled, "Not all of us are syndicate shrews like Trout. I'm just citing policy at you to follow ye-old-ass-covering."

"Whatever. Detention, fine. I feel like this is the start of an ugly relationship, ma'am."

"I just do what Forsythe tells me to do. If anything you'll get off light whereas Yellow Queen and her friends are not looking too good." She laughed before flipping her notebook shut. "Reminds me of that shit Sara Waite pulled last year with them." The smile was genuine as she sighed, "Just watch your friend there. She's an Exemplar, but from what her file says she's got serious trauma in her past."

"Yeah, don't we all?" Sighing, Envy walked back to Gráinne.

More than a few minutes passed as Gráinne was laying down on a small hospital bed. The stark sanitized room of Doyle was almost torn straight out of a hospital drama. The redhead shifted in her sleep as she covered her right ear and whimpered in pain for a few short minutes.

Mid Day, November 14th, 2007 - North Station, Boston

Maeve
"I let you drag me all the way across the continent Second Lieutenant," Roberto sighed as he waited with Maeve for the train to come to a stop. Maeve dressed in a simple black wifebeater, boot cut black skinny jeans, and short heeled ankle boots. Over her shoulder was slung her leather jacket she'd bought back in Seattle from Nordstrom. She wanted on the blasted train as soon as possible so she could reach the next leg of her journey. The magical trace left along the railroad was very faint, but it was enough for her to know this was the correct line to have been on.

Roberto meanwhile was still in his bloody suit from before, and from what Maeve could tell carried multiple sets along the way to maintain that "suave men in black" look he loved so much. After being with the man for more than a few days she was fairly sure he wasn't the standard DPA Agent. He was always dressed well which made sense for an agent, but almost every day she caught him sitting alone reading terrible romance novels. Maeve concluded they were terrible because she stole one of the small cheap paperbacks from his bunk and it was soppingly painful to read. Now that they were finally arriving in Boston's North Station all she had to do was wait for the transfer to the train to Dunwich. That was all she had to do.

"Thank you for riding with us this lovely week, and have a great day in the fine city of Boston," elucidated the lead engineer of the train over the PA. Maeve snorted before immediately jumping over the gap between the open door and the platform. Baggage in hand she quickly outpaced Roberto who was following her with his own briefcase and small roller case.

"Dammit, I need to eat something," Agent Jimenez grouched from behind her. Maeve's eyes slowly rounded across the waiting area past the passenger platforms. A small foodcourt greeted her with a central area for public sitting. Roberto went straight for the small McDonald's located just outside the passenger gates to the platform. She herself focused on the one thing she needed most at the moment.

"I'm getting a coffee, I'll meet you back here in thirty," she said. The man canted his head before giving a slight nod. He turned around and left her alone. Maeve was immediately drawn to the mass production image of Starbucks. Her body was exhausted from focusing her witch senses out around her. The essence signature beat in this place just enough to tell her she was on the right track. However, she could feel her reserves were already at their weakest and she would need the train ride to recover what she'd lost.

Maeve gave her order to the cute barista at the counter, a quadruple shot tall latte. Leaning against the bar, she waited quietly and scanned the entire coffee shop for a place to sit. Like all dime a dozen places this one had a nice little copse of tables and chairs. What caught her interest was the prerequisite leather plush chair in the corner by the entrance. Walking over to it she dropped off her luggage to stake her claim before turning around to grab when her name was called. The cup itself was steaming hot as she took it and gave the girl tending the expresso bar gave a wink. Unabashed lesbian and Jack the Lass, that's me.

Maeve returned to her seat and crossed her legs, quietly drinking in the first sip of coffee. The latte gave her just enough of a wake up to cause the dulling of her senses to widen around her. Just for a second she felt a familiar trace of life, and just as she did she heard someone sit down in the chair beside her. This aura, nah, it can't be! Her blue eyes widened as she flicked the secret holster on her wrist and a knife was quietly in her hand. Without even really turning her head she took another sip.

"Dia dhuit mo dheirfiúr," a feminine voice greeted her in Gaelic. Red hair tied back in a long french braid as well as eyes as green as emeralds. Same frame and same build, and the same damn voice! Whatever feckin joke this is I will kill whoever is playing it on me.

"Dia's muire dhuit," she replied, "You are no sister of mine."

"Méabh Nic Uidhir! Is that any way to speak to me!" her fake sister admonished her.

"What are you doing here Average Man?" she growled as only the True Fenians would have the connections to know her Irish name.

"Ah, fine, fine - Cailleach Gloine, I am here to deliver a message," he smiled.

"It was yer feckin Provo lot that kilt me sister!" she leaned to her right to draw herself closer to the other mutant.

"Yes, and no, sides - I won't admit it even to you." The fake Sinead spoke with a flat tone and added a knowing smirk.

"Póg mo thóin! Tá tú píosa cac." Her jaw tightened, "FINE! Give me your bloody message."

The clone of her sister chortled lightly before leaning back and giving her a coy smile. "Oh, Mother Mary, this is a delightful little encounter."

"..." Maeve's eyes filled with murderous intent.

"Alright," she stated before giving the message, "Tone says 'Tick-tock lovely. Yer running out of time.'"

"That's all?" She didn't move an inch as the knife kissed the edge of her palm. One more movement and she could slash the terrorist's throat open.

"Yup," the clone smiled before a strange alien distortion started to cover the woman's body. Maeve shot out of her seat in an instant. The knife reholstered as the woman's form was replaced by that of a small child.

"Not gettin' me today government dog," chirped the pretty little blonde haired girl staring back at her. Maeve's eyes performed the cursory glance of the people around her and she sighed that now a few were watching her. The kid smiled before skipping out the door leaving her completely alone. The Irishwoman grit her teeth and inhaled her coffee in one fell chug of its contents. Luckily, it wasn't much, to begin with. What was the name of that chit Roberto met? Fuck, she had the same name as the lass from that stupid pirate song! Mouthing the words of the old Gaelic song of Gráinne O'Malley. The girl even had an 'O' name to finish it off.

"Hey," she heard Roberto speak up from the entranceway. Maeve blinked letting reality sink back in as she strolled past him snorted with impatience.

"What was the name of the redhead you helped again?" she asked, remembering the off-hand remark he gave just a few days before.

"I don't remember saying she was a redhead," Roberto replied as he munched on a few french fries, "I said she had green eyes."

"You - said - red hair AND green eyes," she stated emphasizing each word.

"Okay, Jesus, yes, that's what I said," he said before giving her a perplexed look, "Why are you so fixated on a girl with gem-like green eyes?"
That was new. She smiled. Now that fit's the modus operandi of the asset. From what she remembered from the dossier on the Emerald Soul each and every one of its hosts was redheaded and had brilliant green eyes. But only one, her sister, had been gifted with one's that shined like jewels. She smiled as the half-hour of their wait time was up and she eyed the clock suspended over the entry gate to the passenger platforms.

"Good. Next stop, Dunwich and Whateley Academy," she flashed a determined smirk to Roberto and she sped through the gate as quickly as possible. Agent Jimenez devoured the last of his food like a man possessed. A burger he should have savored was gone in four bites. He rolled his eyes as he called out to his charge.