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Post by skybright on Aug 1, 2007 22:28:09 GMT -5
Daws chuckled. "We're not quite that suicidal." She paused for a moment, thinking. "There's more than a hundred now at the parish -- that's the center of the civilian side of things. And more coming in all the time." She raised an eyebrow at Major Vance. "Come to think of it, Jerod, I don't think I've ever tallied up how many of your boys there are all together."
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Post by Jordanna on Aug 1, 2007 22:40:55 GMT -5
"Let's just say there's a lot more than you have," Vance replied. "Only they're a little more spread out. Tiernan's got a lot of operations in other cities we've had to at least keep an eye on. Besides which..." He grinned apologetically. "A few of my boys wouldn't really like to be ID'ed by a private eye, even if she is on our side. No offense."
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Post by skybright on Aug 1, 2007 22:49:57 GMT -5
Daws' mouth quirked in a teasing grin. "Fair enough. I guess I can't expect all of your boys to be mild-mannered, law-abiding and property-respecting types like yourself, after all."
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Post by Jordanna on Aug 1, 2007 23:06:59 GMT -5
"So let me get this straight--your group is made up of churchgoers and fugitives." Nate blinked. "I think I've fallen into some interesting company."
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Post by skybright on Aug 1, 2007 23:14:28 GMT -5
Daws threw her head back and laughed. "Oh, you don't even know the half of it, my friend. Caddy wasn't kidding when he called it an asylum -- and believe me," she grinned wickedly, "Anything Caddy would call an asylum deserves the nickname."
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Post by Jordanna on Aug 1, 2007 23:33:34 GMT -5
Nate grinned. "You're not gonna scare me into backing out, you know."
"I'd be trying if I didn't know it was impossible." Vance sighed and rested his chin on his hands. "So tell me something, Nate... How was your mother when you saw her?"
The younger man shrugged. "Angry. Trying to get settled in a strange place with a new job." Then he cracked a faint smile. "Already dating, though. I think she goes for those English accents."
Vance snorted half-humorously. "The limeys are welcome."
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Post by skybright on Aug 1, 2007 23:39:25 GMT -5
Daws crossed her arms. "Anything to keep her good and fixed on the other side of the pond is a good thing in my book." She remarked. "No offense."
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Post by Jordanna on Aug 1, 2007 23:51:03 GMT -5
Nate's smile became a bit more impish as he glanced at his father. "So what about you? Are you, uh...?"
"Ah. Well." Vance grinned awkwardly and glanced at Daws. "It's sort of complicated. But I... have an understanding with the lady."
The younger man glanced at Daws, raising an eyebrow.
"Wow."
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Post by skybright on Aug 1, 2007 23:57:29 GMT -5
Daws rubbed the back of her neck, grinning a bit nervously. "Like he said . . . complicated. Like most everything else in our lives."
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Post by Jordanna on Aug 2, 2007 21:15:20 GMT -5
"We'll have to introduce you to the rest of our group," Vance remarked to Nate. "Between a priest, an undertaker, an ex-mobster impresario, a couple of nightclub entertainers, and a former medical examiner... well, we spend a lot of time using Hubert's favorite word." He grinned at the purple scientist. "Interesting."
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Post by skybright on Aug 2, 2007 21:30:06 GMT -5
Hubert chuckled. "A word I had almost no use for before I fell in with this lot, strangely enough."
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Post by Jordanna on Aug 2, 2007 21:58:44 GMT -5
"I'll look forward to it," Nate grinned.
Vance looked at Daws. "In the meantime, maybe you'd better be prepared for a call from the bat. Since Nate slipped through his fingers, he's liable to make some rumblings to you about looking for him."
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Post by skybright on Aug 2, 2007 22:04:31 GMT -5
Daws nodded. "I'll have Jai drum me up some fake paper trails for him, too. Give me something to show for the effort I'm supposedly putting in." She grinned wryly. "I don't mind the bat thinking I'm a little incompetent -- but it wouldn't pay to look too incompetent."
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Post by Jordanna on Aug 2, 2007 22:27:36 GMT -5
"No, it wouldn't." Vance frowned. "Has Patil's hacking turned up any interesting information lately? My mole has had to lay low, after the shakeup Proteus has caused."
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Post by skybright on Aug 2, 2007 22:35:49 GMT -5
Daws shrugged one shoulder. "Mostly business as usual. Jai's copied down a whole file on just where Tiernan spread around money to get Cole elected -- that might be something else we can use with him if we have to. And Tiernan's back to shipping stuff by truck, but most of the new routes don't have much in the way of bottlenecks or stopovers. Nothing like the bridge."
"Not that that's necessarily what you'd call a bad thing." Caddy remarked quietly.
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Post by Jordanna on Aug 2, 2007 22:41:35 GMT -5
"Hmm." Vance frowned thoughtfully. "We've been pretty passive since the art gallery and the Spook disaster. My boys are starting to get restless. It's about time we went on the offensive again--I just don't see a good angle right now."
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Post by skybright on Aug 2, 2007 22:44:56 GMT -5
Daws nodded. "I'll see what Jai can come up with -- and I'll keep my own ears open." She frowned. "We might try planting a few people down at Lusus, see what turns up there -- but I think it's better if I stay away from the place for a bit longer. I don't want Tiernan seeing me and Sid in the same place anymore for a while."
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Post by Jordanna on Aug 2, 2007 22:55:21 GMT -5
"That's a good idea," Vance replied. "From what I hear, though, he's giving the place a wide berth himself--letting Pink or somebody else handle things right now. I passed by there a few days ago, and he's still got it closed for some renovations."
He tilted his head. "When he gets down to hiring some Spooks, it might be a good idea for us to give him some personal guidance. We know those people at least a little better than he does, and we might be able to catch anybody untrustworthy who tries to slip through."
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Post by skybright on Aug 2, 2007 23:03:39 GMT -5
Daws nodded. "I'll see if I can get a message to Proteus, too -- he definitely knows more about the Spooks than we do." She sighed. "If I thought it'd do any good, I'd ask him to keep an eye out for Tiernan's doings . . . but I've got a good feeling for how well that request would go over."
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Post by Jordanna on Aug 3, 2007 21:52:29 GMT -5
Vance shook his head. "I don't know about that. Remember the way Proteus dropped in to scare the living daylights out of Tiernan. In spite of his caution about geting anyone hurt, I don't think he's unwilling to act."
"Who's this Proteus?" Nathan asked.
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