April 4th, 5 am, just before first light.

Lixi sat up suddenly, confused, disoriented, and a little hung over. She glanced around the room to see Martin, still snoring, who had scooted down sometime in his sleep. She'd sat up abruptly enough that she didn't recall how she was laying, but she figured he must have clung to her like a teddy bear again at some point, for his arm was still flopped behind her. You're lucky I was drunk human... she thought this to reassure herself that she was still a hard ass even with her compassion for this group of people, though in the back of her mind she doubted her conviction.

A noise from the kitchen drew her attention, and Lixi looked up in time to see Jason standing in the archway between the two rooms, smirking at her. You kids have fun last night? See what happens when I'm to drunk to chaperon.

Lixi rubbed the back of her neck as she clambered out from under the one leg her drunken host had managed to drape across her own legs and stretched as she stood up. "Have you seen Sophia or Arminos?"

"No. They apparently went for a walk to watch the sun rise or something sappy like that." Jason said with a note of dismay in his voice. "She left a note on the door. It's definitely her handwriting, though I think she's been around that arrogant piece of shit way to long. She's starting to sound overly gramatic and proper."

Lixi took the note from Jason, a concerned look on her face. "That's because it was him that wrote it. He's a scholar. He can mimic handwriting, and he has known her since the Pharaohs were building the great pyramid of Giza." Lixi dropped the note and ran out to the porch, Jason close on her heels. "Damnit! God damnit!" She cursed as she slammed the side of her fist against the door frame. She turned to storm back in, but stopped as something caught her eye.

A small black sliver of something lay on the porch. It almost looked like a sunflower seed hull, but much larger. About the size of a thumb to be exact. She bent and picked it up, knowing immediately what it was. "Well that's how he took her out of here at least..."

"What is that? Can we fallow them? If he has Sophia we..."

"No. We can't go after them now. For one, we have no way of knowing where he took her, I just know how he took her. It's a scarab wing." She pushed past Jason back inside and marched heavily up to Adja's door. Giving a light knock on it she spoke loudly through it. "Adja? Are you in there? I think I know who we need to talk to. Maybe it's a false end, but I suddenly can't help but think he's involved."