(IC) Dersei Angels [M]

[Highland Sniper]

"thanks" she said as she stepped through the door. "My father is Vuk. Rather tall compared to other people. Black and grey fur and the same amber gold eyes. He does look a little rough though." she said. "Mom's human, great tan, short brown hair, green eyes. She is just shorter than my dad and has a few scars as yell. My brother is going to look a bit more like me with shorter hair and he'll be younger by a few years."

She stepped over to the car she had driven and got in.
The engine started and she pulled out with a wave.

[Nitestrike776]

Dorian quickly took all that information in as he walked her to her car, then nodded.

"That should be enough to go on for now, but pictures will be helpful too when we start asking around in person."

He turned as she got in and headed to his own vehicle, waving over his shoulder as he opened the driver-side door. He climbed into his car, tossed his bag into the seat next to him, then pushed the 'Engine Start' button. He belted himself in, and backed out to follow her, using the touchscreen on his dashboard to start dialing the first of his contacts he planned to check with.

His name was Marus, and he was a half-orc detective at one of the local precincts, and was a good friend of his. Dorian had helped him out on a few cases, as well as gotten help from Marus on his own cases in the past. Marus was a shrewd detective, and good-natured, despite his deceptively gruff manner. If anything was going on, Marus was sure to have caught wind of it, and would be straight with him about the facts.

[Highland Sniper]

She drove the small distance back to her aunt's house. She went inside to drop off the keys and gave them all a hug, saying that she had found someone to help find the rest of the family. There were a few protests at her leaving, but she was adamant, and walked out the door.

Seeing as Dorian had followed her well, she walked over to his car and hopped into the passenger seat.

She sniffed and lightly rubbed at her eyes. She didn't like crying, but there where times the body needed to cry. She looked straight ahead, her eyes still lightly glistening with hidden tears.

[Nitestrike776]

Dorian followed carefully, paying attention to the road as he spoke quickly to Marus, asking the questions he'd prepared, and new ones based on the information he received from his friend. As they neared their destination, the call drew to a close.

"Thanks Marus, I really appreciate it, also I might miss game night this weekend if I'm still caught up with this case. I'll be sure to pass along anything we find if it helps with your investigations. If you hear anything else related that you think might be important, let me know."

"Yeah sure Dorian, you know I do my job simply to help you do yours." Marus said with a note of dry humor, before continuing in a more serious tone. "Honestly though, keep your eyes open. This sounds like it might be a more dangerous case. I know you'll be watching the kid more than your own back, so try not to get in over your head. You call me BEFORE you get into anything remotely dangerous this time, got it?"

Dorian smiled. "If I didn't know better I'd say you were worried about me. I'll be sure to call you if I need the cavalry to ride in, but this may be a delicate situation, so I'm going to see what I can see first before bringing down the hammer of the LAPD. Take care brother."

Dorian hung up as they rounded the last corner, parking on the street in front of the house. He quickly pulled his notebook from his bag again, adding the notes of the information he got from Marus, and circling a few things that stood out. As he saw Garana exit the home, he stashed his notebook and moved his bag to the back floorboard to make room for her. She seemed out of sorts as she climbed in, her eyes threatening tears. Must have been hard to up and leave like that after her family had just lost her parents and sibling.

All the more reason to get started on finding them then... He thought to himself.

He pretended not to notice her tears, and instead navigated through his phone to the mapping app and bookmarked her address for future reference, taking his time doing it to give her time to collect herself.

"Do you have any supplies you need to grab? We may be gone until evening, or the next day if things get interesting." He spoke as he fiddled with his phone.

[Highland Sniper]

"I think I've got everything I need" she said. "It wouldn't be the first rough campout I've had. Nor will it be the last if things work out."

She looked forward and rubbed her eyes a little more, her ears still drooped. She knew everyone must be upset. They just didn't understand that this was something she had to do.

"so, where to first?" she asked, straightening up a little, trying to look more resolute.

This was going to be a long day. And maybe even the whole week or more. But she knew that, as much as it would be long, it would be full of stories and ideas she could use later, or tell her friends and family. She still had the feeling that this may turn to something darker.

Her face seemed to set a little more after recalling that feeling, and she went a little deeper into thought.

[Nitestrike776]

Dorian stowed his phone and shifted from park. He was glad that she seemed to have found her resolve again. She might need it before the day was through. He thought for a moment on her question before responding as he pulled into the street.

"For now we'll head to my place, do some research on this church. On the way here I got in touch with a detective friend of mine at the police department. Turns out I was correct in my assumption that there are many missing, and the police are pretty busy trying to find them all. He said no one matching your family members' description has turned up, which is actually good news. It means they are likely still alive. He has their names and descriptions should anything come up though. His name is Marus. He's a half-orc, and is someone I trust. If he learns anything useful he'll fill me in."

Dorian paused for a moment to let her process the information before continuing, as they made their way through the slowly building traffic.

"He gave me a lead on another missing person who has a direct link to the church, as they were last seen going in. They're a higher profile person, more likely to be noticed by someone, so if we can follow that lead we might get somewhere."

They made their way onto the freeway as he spoke, merging into a slow-moving stream of vehicles.

"For now though, we have some time to kill since traffic is setting in, so tell me about yourself. If we're going to be working together we should build a working rapport."

[Highland Sniper]

She nodded when he talked about his friend in the department. She nodded a little more when it came to the possible lead. and then it came to getting to know each other.

"well, I'm an average student just graduated from high school, eighteen, Half Vuk, obviously short." She said, giving a little more infuses to her hight. "I've averaged around third in both martial arts and shooting tournaments. I enjoy airsoft and other games. I'm even in a nice roleplay group."

[Nitestrike776]

Well at least she can handle herself, but she really is barely more than a kid...

Dorian nodded as he listened, merging into the carpool lane as a spot opened, allowing them a little more speed. He smiled as she mentioned roleplaying.

"Oh so you play RPGs? I'm a fan of those myself, have a group I play with pretty regularly at a friend's bar in town. I remember you mentioning being from Kansas, what brought you out here, just visiting family?"

He kept his eyes on the road, but his mind was clearly working, painting a clearer picture of Garana as she spoke.

[Highland Sniper]

Her spirits seemed to lift at the mention of another that roleplays, and seemed to be the slightest bit annoyed about not being able to talk about it.

"ya, my mom's side." she said. "most of my dad's side are Vuk and clump together in Kansas. My mom's side is still mostly human. What system do you use?"

There were times she hated her friends for introducing her any kind of roleplay. But right now, it almost felt like a small anchor, or a distraction.

[Nitestrike776]

Dorian shot her a sidelong glance, a hint of a grin on his lips.

Good, she doesn't let things slip by in a conversation. She shifted it back naturally and put the ball in my court so I can't avoid the subject without making it obvious. That speaks well of her instincts.

"Currently I'm playing a game in the newest edition of the Mazes and Monsters system, but I've played on some of the preceding versions as well. We've been at it almost since I moved here a few years ago. I also play a variety of video games as I get time. What about yourself? What does your group back home run?"

He decided finding common ground would aid in trust building and communication, plus, if she was an RPG veteran, she would be no stranger to strategy. That and it felt good to geek out with someone in the midst of such a serious situation.