Board Thread:Role Plays/@comment-26104528-20150531022109/@comment-26130256-20150804055756

"How tragic," Azulius muttered sarcastically under his breath before his mental filter could activate. Blackstone simply shot him a Did you just say that out loud? look before continuing. Given his romantic hang-ups, especially the one involving the stab wound, he always mentally compared people complaining to him about their love lives to the rich man complaining about his burnt toast while the beggar next to him is starving. And despite his jokes about losing "it" in a game of poker, he was still very much a virgin.

"However," the man in black explained, "I feel that the more important notice is the photograph I sent you both." Azulius checked his scroll and squinted at the image.

"I see a burned-out dumpster, filled with recently burning trash," the blue-suited one remarked, looking closer. "I can see shreds of fabric, some metallic fragments, and... are those bits of circuit boards?"

"It would seem so.  Not exactly typical fare for a dumpster in Vale, especially in the warehouse district."

"You think there's a connection to anything?"

"I refrain from assuming what I have no evidence with which to assume," the magician said finally. "But it does raise a proverbial eyebrow that someone would seek to destroy that much equipment in such a manner.  If it was the Black Dawn, I would assume they are withdrawing for the time being to focus their efforts elsewhere.  Like a schoolyard bully, or a predator, they will probably focus their efforts on those with less capability of resisting.  I worry for whoever they choose to target.  And having delivered my omens, I must now be going." The man stood up, but not before Azulius called to him again.

"Really, boss?  Knowing Copperfield and his old lady, they're halfway through a bottle of scotch by now.  What's the big rush?"

"The world is moving, Azulius," Blackstone said, even more cryptically than before. "And we must do the same, lest we risk falling behind.  I bid you both farewell, and hope we will all live to share that dessert some other day." A waitress passed by, leading a small group of friends to another table. By the time the area had cleared, Blackstone had disappeared.

"I hate it when he does that," Azzie sighed, looking at the menu. "I want to try their Patch apple pie a la mode, but the lava cookie is amazing too."

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"That might not be a bad idea," Ochre agreed, writing down the bookstore's contact information. "Trigo needs to do something more with his time than train new family members and drink.  Get out of the house, in a way."

"You mean like go kill bad guys and drink?" Trigo raised an eyebrow. "If being a director is like being a caporegime, it's bad form to get your hands dirty all the time.  That's why you have underlings in the first place."

"Call it a training exercise, perhaps?  If it gets you out of the house and making new friends--or enemies, I don't care what you phrase it as."