((*bashfully smiles* Es needs to stop joining rps. Forever. These need my attention. I'm so bad at saying no.... D: But thank you for your reminders. I appreciate it, and really dont' want it to look like I don't care about some threads. I have so many, that they get lost in the shuffle if I don't reply immediately. Sadly, Es gets too excited and reads the posts while on break at work, and then doesn't remember to post when she gets home.

Also: No, I haven't heard from Dae. :C I'm still hoping she's alright. Likely, life got busy, and she got out of the habit of doing Mene - or she lost internet access, and now has difficulty getting online due to never sitting down for Mene specifically. I wouldn't worry too much - but well-wishes and prayers never hurt. Hope she's alright. ))

The smell of musty wet books wasn't so bad. When her friend mentioned she smelled of it, Isa grinned. Coming from Arix, it wasn't really an insult. It meant he was off and busy with his work again. Look at him! The dark-haired male was so engrossed by the old world objects.

She sat at the counter and continued to watch Arix as he inspected the objects. The clock was a mutual fascination of theirs, apparently. Especially after her comment about the woodwork. It was beautiful - there were vines and trees, branches and roots ... possibly even a few animals lost in the tangle of detail.

Every once in a while she felt Arix's eyes on her, but that didn't seem to bother her much. In fact, she was used to it. It felt familiar, and soft - like the warmth of a dog when it pressed against one's legs, or the touch of the sunlight coming through a window in the evening. Arix was loyal, and a comfort. Hearing his muttered question about being without one another made Isabella frown slightly.

"What would we do without one another? Die of colds and work ourselves to death." She nodded and smiled a bit, loving the amusement in his multi-colored eyes. Still ... the question lingered in her mind after he'd muttered it. What would she do without Arix? He was so familiar to her; he was a piece of her life. Somehow, the picture of the stranger she'd run into on the street popped into mind. What an inconvenient time for that....

She banished the thought the moment Arix applauded her skill in tracking down the bounty. "Thank you. I worked hard to track some of it down." Isa didn't elaborate. Despite the government-enforced peace, there was still the risk of crime. She didn't exactly do anything illegal to get the old world items, but Isa knew she rode the edge between right and wrong when relieving people of their artifacts. "That clock was a killer. I wouldn't stop badgering the man till he sold it to me. Grumpy old fart, despite the fact that he looked like a college athlete."

Isa's grin widened at the mention of the price. She wasn't good at pricing - that was often Arix's job - but she knew value when she saw it. "Half a million," she said, tossing nearly dry hair from her eyes. "I like that number." Reaching across the counter, she touched the carvings on the side of the clock. "At least it wasn't ruined by the rain."

She glanced up at Arix, and slowly smiled again. Her fingers moved to press gently between his eyebrows. "You get this little crease whenever you think too hard." Isa slowly raised her eyebrows. "I think it's time for some tea. For both of us, not just me. You've been at this all day. When you're done here, we should read."

Reading was something Isa enjoyed, and often she would read aloud to her friend. When she was finished, he'd read to her. Or, that was what she expected, anyway. Sometimes it didn't happen that way, but that didn't bother Isabella. Not much bothered her when it came to Arix.
-

"Again?" Cain's pale blue eyes filled with a scorn. "Yes. I haven't received my answer." Of course he was bringing it up. A flicker of arrogance entered the male's expression, but he pushed it away as he took another step toward her. They were inches away from one another now. Looking down at the woman, Cain listened to Odessa's words.

"They miss nothing," Cain's expression was knowing as he continued, "about new surrogates. There is no single server to update the information on - it would be foolish to store all the data in one place. It is not confined to a single building, but to multiple hubs." He knew so much about them ... more than any other avatar. He'd been theirs for years, after all. A flicker of hatred entered his cold gaze. It wasn't directed at Odessa, but she certainly would feel it.

"You are not in the system." Cain's statement was final. With the impossible fact that he'd just been sucking information from the archives, he seemed sure of himself. No one could do what he had just done. No one had access to all the files he did, and no one knew how to siphon like he'd done in the alley.

As the woman before him began to grow tense, Cain slowly forced a slight smile. "They say they don't have glitches." But the government was wrong. Cain was a glitch. Was it possible that Odessa was as well? Did that ... matter? Yes, it did. If she was a glitch, then she was far more useful to him than a closely monitored surrogate body in the clutches of the government.

Cain slowly stepped back, observing Odessa's discomfort. He noted it - she was wary of this topic.

"You did as I asked, Odessa." His voice lilted in amusement. "You followed a stranger to his home ... because he commanded it." Cain seemed ready to smile as he turned toward the small kitchen area. There were no dishes. No food, no drink, no towels or signs of living ... Cain didn't require anything. Even the other surrogates needed to eat and drink. Not Cain.

"I applaud your bravery, even if it was foolish." Sometimes he enjoyed pushing just to see how she'd react. He'd guessed wrong this time.

Cain opened a cupboard and withdrew a silver box. Unlatching it, the male didn't seem to care if Odessa witnessed his actions or not. Lifting one of the delicate-looking syringes, Cain eyed it in a calculating manner. Flexing his fist, the male injected himself with what looked like liquid ice - it was the same color as his eyes. The slightly metallic liquid entered his bloodstream, though Cain didn't seem effected by whatever it was.

He didn't explain what he was doing as he placed the syringe in the case and closed it again. Cain frowned as he fixed the latch and slid the small case back into the cupboard. It was always cold after that initial injection. Perhaps he should have waited until she'd left. It was only logical that he take the serum the moment he was able ... but perhaps it would have been wise to delay until he was alone.

With a scowl, Cain brushed past Odessa and stepped into the small living area. He sat in one of the chairs carefully, as though unsure if he would stumble. He didn't seem to be having any adverse reactions....

((Good. >:3 Then Sarah and Adin were childhood friends till the age of 18. *nods* *checks ages* Adin turned 18 and got his avatar when Sarah was 16. It's possible that she still knew him, but had very little contact with him between those two years. Then she just disappeared.

Hmm. She'd recognize his name.... unless he chose a new name when he changed bodies? Or she may have been hit in the head in the struggle to escape the governmental rules about needing a new body. haha))

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