(IC) Dersei Angels [M]

[Highland Sniper]

"Dersai something. I think the second word started with an A." she said with some effort of remembering. then she proceeded to pull out her phone. "do you have a number? I'll make sure you have as good descriptions of my missing family as I can give."

she seemed to have gained some hope, making her seem the more determined. her words seemed almost confident.

Her food soon came and she took a bite of her wrap and a sip of her milk before returning her full attention to Dorian. her phone was in her hands, and she was ready to tap away once he gave her his contact info.

[Nitestrike776]

"Dersei Angels most likely."

He responded, his mind whirring and filling in the blanks as he did likewise on his notepad. He smiled slightly at the reassured and more confident quality that entered her tone as she spoke.

Let's hope it isn't misplaced, I'd hate to disappoint in this kind of case...

He silently swore to himself to do everything in his power to reunite this woman with her family.

Dorian gave her his number after their food was placed on the table, moving his notebook aside to accommodate. He then picked up his sandwich and took a hearty bite, closing his eyes for a moment to fully appreciate his first actual meal of the day, and to remind himself to pick up some ACTUAL food for his home.

[Highland Sniper]

"great. I shall get you those descriptions soon." she said after she had received his number. "is there anything else you need? or that I should be aware of?"

she took another bite of her wrap and another sip of her milk as she listened to whatever he had to say. She was gaining some confidence that everything would be alright, and she was helping it along. she seemed to sit a little straighter as she ate, a little more assured.

She brushed her hair aside, as it had gotten in the way, and looked at him with a new hope since when her parents and brother had disappeared. Her tail gave a light thump with the feeling of slight joy in the knowledge that she was making a difference, this showed a little more with a slight smile.

[Nitestrike776]

Dorian chuckled lightly. Appreciating Garana's enthusiasm in wanting to get down to business. It spoke well of her ability to adapt to this stressful situation.

"Let's eat first, and we can talk more business after, don't want to let good food go cold."

He said with a wink.

He led by example, digging into his sandwich with gusto and punctuating his bites with a few fries or sips of water every so often. Once his plate was clear, he steepled his fingers, interlacing the tips and resting his elbows on the table, his chin on his thumbs, and the innermost index fingertip against his upper lip, a comfortable habit he'd fallen into for times when he took opportunities to organize his thoughts.

As Garana finished and a server came to remove their plates and refill their drinks, he had a course of action ready. He decided to lead in with the option of full disclosure, or sugar coating. He rarely offered this and tended to use his own discretion for most clients, but this woman was in a serious predicament, and he was not about to make it worse by deciding for her, she deserved that much.

"I can give you my initial observations and information I have now, un-filtered, and un-softened. I'll be honest and up-front with you. It may be hard to hear, or be a great weight, but I won't lie or hide anything. Alternatively, I can give you simple answers, a plan of what I can look into, and that will be that. In either instance, you can decide, after hearing what I have to say, whether you'd like to hire me, or whether you would like someone else to look into it, or even pursue it on your own. I won't be hurt if you decide to look elsewhere, though I would advise against going it on your own. When it comes down to it, it's your family and your choice on how you'd like to proceed."

He sighed quietly and leaned back, allowing her to process his words, as he took a sip of water. He slid over his notebook and opened it, propping it up against the table and on his lap and looking at the notes and markings he had made, and making it apparent he wasn't going to proceed until she came to her decision.

This one's on you Garana...

He thought silently

I can point you to the doors, but the choice of which to open is yours alone. It may be the hardest and most important choice you make in this matter.

[Highland Sniper]

She had finished her food shortly after Dorian had finished his. She listened intently, her face grew a bit serious at his words as he went on.

She seemed to stare at the table for a moment in thought.

what he has to say could be serious. she thought to herself. her mind racing with them, taking less time to think than to say. he could tell me there is little hope. but I'd want to know if there was nothing to be done.
she looked up at him. there is only one choice.

"give it to me straight. is there hope?" She asked. her face was set, her eyes fixed on him. She had to know that much first, or anything else would be all for naught.

She leaned forward in her seat as she asked her question, some of her hair falling to her sides.

[Nitestrike776]

Dorian waited patiently, sneaking a glance at her as she sat in pensive silence.

She's actually considering it carefully...

That spoke volumes in and of itself. Many chose immediately to hear the full truth without so much as a moment of consideration. These same people often found themselves unprepared for even the most obvious of potential negative outcomes he stated. Others jumped straight to the second, less informed option. These tended to want themselves more removed from the potential harmful truths, electing to stay in the dark rather than have their resolve tested. Garana was of a different sort. She weighed the value of the truth with the knowledge that it may not be what she wanted to hear. This, to Dorian, seemed the wisest course of action.

His intent gaze remained on her as she glanced up, catching him mid-thought as she gave her response.

"The whole truth then. That seems fair."

He nodded slowly, then began to speak again.

"First, to answer your question; yes, there's always hope. That's not naivete talking. Just as something has the potential to go wrong in so many ways, it can also go right. While I can't say for certain whether or not we'll find your family alive and well, I can tell you that we might. Hope isn't built on certainty, but it's the desire for a specific outcome that has the potential to play out. Hope is why we will operate under the assumption that they are alive and well, and that we will find them, and until we find evidence they're not, we'll keep looking for them."

He let that sit for a moment, waiting for her reaction before continuing.

[Highland Sniper]

She looked at him, then nodded before moving back. She seemed to know that there was always the chance that they were gone, but she had to face that possibility.

She looked at him with resolve and motioned him to continue. she had to know what leads he had, and what could be done. without that, she would be lost in the dark.

This is the best way I can make a difference. she thought. And I will make a difference. I will find them, dead or alive.

Her thoughts seemed to reflect a little on her stern face. her eyes as fierce as ever.

[Nitestrike776]

Dorian gave a small smile and slightly inclined his head for a moment, an acknowledgement of respect that she understood what she was asking for.

"I'll tell you what I know, what I suspect, and what I can only guess at. Afterward, you can ask me any questions, and ultimately decide how to proceed, either with or without my assistance."

He paused for a beat to assemble his thoughts, then took a breath and began.

"There have been rumors circulating through communication channels I'm a part of about the Dersei Angels church. Most of it, in all likelihood, is wild theories and conjecture with scant evidence to support it. However, if you look at it with a more critical lens, there are potential indications that the church may not be entirely what it seems. Going out a step further on this limb of assumption, if any of the rumors are even close to the mark, then the weirdness is of the occult variety, and could be extremely dangerous. This opens up a variety of unpleasantly dark possibilities. Again, nothing is concrete, these are just musings based on the information I've seen."

He gave her a few seconds to process before continuing.

"If your family is caught up in something of that nature, it may be complicated and dangerous to get information on their whereabouts, let alone to actually get them out unharmed. Groups like that tend to be tight knit, and keep their dark intents closely guarded. Now onto some more solid information. The law enforcement in this city is heavily put upon by having to serve such a large population. They are not, however, prone to pushing aside reasonable requests and concerns, such as missing family members. There are few reasons for which I think they would have dismissed you as such. The most likely, is that, if this mystery surrounding the church is as widespread in its effect as the rumors indicate, then it's possible that they're already following dozens of other cases and linking them together. That takes alot of manpower, and makes for alot of stress, especially when nothing's been stated publicly as of yet. My guess, is that the person who sent you away from the department was either trying to keep things seeming 'business as usual', preferring to wait until the news goes public so they don't start a panic prematurely, or not wanting to take on another case to their potentially already staggering load until they can form a single case linking all of these disappearances. In any case, I am willing to follow any leads I can get to help you find your family."

As he finished speaking he relaxed slightly, not realizing how tense he was getting as he delivered what information he had to her. Now it was up to her to decide how to proceed.

[Highland Sniper]

She stared at him for a moment. Her eyes hardened in the small strain of processing everything.

Then, she spoke, still looking in thought. "so, what you are saying is that there could be a heavy load on the police department already, if anything else is going on that is. And there rumors that this 'cult' may not be what it seems, possibly hiding something more dark and sinister if everything adds up the way we think it does. Yet, none of this information is entirely reliable, is it." She listed these few points on her fingers as she spoke. She put them down before continuing, seeming to change the subject. "I do have a few questions before we go on. Is there any black market trading of any kind in the area, reported or otherwise? Does this state accept Kansas forearms permits? Is there anyone else in your circle that would have more accurate info? And do you have a partner?" She once again numbered the questions on her fingers.

She looked at him intently, and waited for an answer.
I hope this pays off. she thought. if anything has happened to them, I want to see it with my own eyes.

[Nitestrike776]

Dorian nodded as she worked through what he said, glad that she was taking his guesses for they were and appreciating the murkiness of the situation as it stood. His mouth twitched slightly toward a smile as she mentioned firearms and black markets within the same breath.

So she's literally willing to fight if that's what it takes, and seems to view the law as a consideration not a hard boundary... I'm not sure if she's formidable or just plain trouble... At least she isn't lacking in courage, and that's probably what she'll need most...

"In regards to your permit question, I believe they are not honored in the state of California, as for the question of unsavory businesses, I'm sure there are a dozen within a few blocks, though I'd need to do some digging to be sure. In regards to my circle, I'd need to make some calls, but I believe they could shed some light on a few things, and no, I have no partner. It's usually easier for me to take care of matters on my own, though I have worked with others in the past and am not shy of asking for help if I think it necessary. I take it you want my services then?"

He slid his bag onto the table as he spoke, and began rummaging through it, pulling out odds and ends. A few notebooks of varying sizes and conditions, a planner, a few cables for various devices, several writing implements, a small velvet pouch that resounded with a few plastic clacks as he set it down, and finally a stack of papers, which he sorted through until he produced a typed, slightly wrinkled, contract. He wrote on it with his pen in a few open spaces he reserved for negotiating prices. He wrote down his usual expenses per day on the case, the more generous hourly rate for work done on cases for repeated or personal/non-professional clients who may not have much means of payment. He also crossed out the printed consultation fee, leaving the grand total at a very reasonable sum varied by the days and hours put into it. The other terms were general liability statements, and assurances that he wouldn't charge for hours spent on other cases, and that he wasn't responsible if the client didn't like what he found, or if they knowingly misled him in any way during the course of his investigation, as well as his legal responsibilities. One of his lawyer friends drafted it for him as a favor and made it understandable to non-lawyers so clients knew what they were getting into.

He looked over it, then slid it across to Garana, rotating it toward her as he did so.