A light rain had started and the cobblestones turned slick. Llyr followed Investigator Dale Garnet, away from the Holt estate, and to a side street. He wasn't entirely certain where they were going, but he trusted the man enough. There was no reason for Garnet to place him in harm's way. If the detective wanted to, he could have already thrown Llyr behind bars. That he wasn't considered a suspect in Emmalee's murder anymore meant that Garnet likely believed him about Llyr's account of what had happened on that night in The Lonely Mark brothel.
Llyr pulled his jacket tighter around him, then lifted the hood to keep the rain from completely drenching his hair. He nearly ran into the older man when Garnet came to a sudden stop. They had paused in a narrow alley between buildings along the curves of the residential neighborhood of the Commercial Circle. The blond waited, and when no explanation arose on its own, he finally asked, "What is it? Why have we stopped?"
Garnet raised a hand and then he said, "I'm dousing."
"Dousing?" inquired Llyr. He frowned slightly, then added, "Attunement, yes?"
"Yes. Have you never done such a thing before?" Garnet lowered his hand and looked at the biqaj.
Llyr shook his head 'no'. He shrugged and said, "I know very little of the domain. I have read about it some, and there are certain things that I feel naturally with the spark, but I have been busy with the others and..."
"It's a basic understanding, kid. Y'know of frequencies?" asked the gruff old detective.
"Yes, frequencies of the soul. It's like... qualities but of mortals, instead?" He flipped his blond hair to the side, a few rain droplets pattered against his pale face. "It reminds me of music, somewhat, yes? That is what it is supposed to be? Notes..."
"I don't know about all that, sounds like necromantic shit to me, but there's two types of ways to use frequencies to find someone or something. If you know their, or its, frequency, then you can hunt them down directly... Us, attuners, call that compass due to the precision of the navigation. If not though, if y'eh don't got their frequency, you can still seek through dousing." Garnet sniffed, glanced up at the rain, though he didn't lift his own hood. He let the rain shower stick his grayed hair to his scarred and bearded face. "Unless you've got the daughter Holt's frequency, all we need is the right note or two. In this case, we're looking for murder. City like this, it'll be tough to sift through but I've been doing it for a long time, can fine-tune it. Probably not through guilt, but remorseless taking of a life. You saw the same thing I did, do you think guilt would be a note involved in the person's frequency?"
Llyr crossed his arms and tapped his fingers against his chin in a thoughtful fidget. After a moment, he shook his head. "No, despite the mess that was made, it seemed like a job to me. Not remorseless, but... professional. A professional kill that was meant to be seen. It was left as a message."
"Good," said Garnet in a brusque approval. "But if we look for a note to do with professionalism, we're going to be headed into most shops in the Circle."
"Can we combine notes to... you said, dousing?... to douse with?" asked Llyr. When Garnet nodded in affirmative, Llyr hummed. He added, "Then why not combine the notes of murder, of... discipline and professionalism... no, wait, detachment! A professional killer separates themselves from the job they perform, don't they? So, a bloody mind that is also detached. Maybe recently paid? Or about to be paid, not sure what that would be."
"Go on and try, why don't you?" offered Garnet while he crossed his arms and glanced down the street. "And hurry up. This rain looks like it'll only be getting worse."
With a sigh, Llyr resisted the urge to close his eyes and hum. Through his soul, he sought connection to channel through his spark of attunement. It almost felt like the others, but he recognized a slight difference about it. Gentler, by far, than his Becoming spark and far calmer than his Transmutation spark. He exhaled, and with the loss of breath, he felt vibrations run through his spine and down his limbs. Everything looked the same as before, but it felt so very different. He turned his gaze in a direction, and then in a different direction. Notes of varying power that matched what he searched for, what he focused on. He sorted through, in an attempt to make sense of it.
Finally, however, he let go and gave up. Llyr turned to Garnet and shook his head, "Murder is far too general. There are too many paths to narrow it down."
"Right, let me tr-"
"I'm going to try and find Emeline's frequency."
"What? You said you didn't know her like that, though?" Garnet frowned, a dark expression on the surly man's features.
"I don't," admitted Llyr. "But if I can seek out murder, as a note, then maybe I can seek her out as a note rather than a frequency, as well. Wouldn't it be better to find Emeline first rather than find the murderer?"
Without waiting to listen to anything that the detective had to say about the matter, Llyr closed his eyes. Raindrops chilled his silvery pale skin as they fell onto him. His gossamer wings outstretched behind him. He focused, best he could, and centered his mind around the memories of Emeline Holt. Of who she was, how he remembered her whenever they'd spoken to each other. He thought of the first time he'd seen her, in the museum, and how they hadn't greeted each other but had looked at each other with the sort of recognition that came from kindred spirits. What similarity he had to Emeline? Youthful ambition. She wanted to rise beyond her born station of a wealthy heiress. She wanted to be more than just another rich inheritor, and that was what he had recognized as to why she might join his business ventures.
After several bits, Llyr felt that moment again, as if reliving it. He heard Emeline's voice in the whispered echoes of recent memories. When he opened his eyes, he could hardly feel the rain... but he could feel Emeline. He looked in the direction and said, "There. She's that way... I think."
"That's the gate," said Garnet. He started walking, though. "Oh'Pee, then. Good enough guess. Let's go, we've already wasted enough time."
As they walked, Llyr maintained the connection to the blend of notes that he'd doused for. It felt unusual, but not wrong. Like something he'd always known how to do, but never actually tried before. For the biqaj, that was how most magic went for him. Even his first initiation had felt so wonderfully intuitive, but he sometimes wondered if he experienced magic unlike anyone else. His body showed the strain of his rapid ascent through his willingness to channel ether through himself, in the halo and wings and otherwise, and he felt compelled in so many ways that he'd never felt before. Still, Llyr felt he had it handled. He was in control of himself, of his sparks, of his soul...
...or, at least, he hoped so.
Llyr kept his gaze fixed forward, as he didn't want to lose the path that he'd attuned to. He suspected that it was also the reason why Garnet wasn't asking him any questions. He tried to not allow his mind to wander, tried to not use the silence to think over the many things there was for him to consider. It was difficult for Llyr. He was so used to allowing his thoughts to scatter and whirl around each other in chaos. It felt odd to minimize and focus them. To ignore the various theories, or possible considerations about problems both old and new that he dealt with. As the rain fell around him, platinum blond hair stuck to his brow, he realized a certain calm enjoyment of this. Of not fixating on problems or concerns, of not aggressively running his thoughts to find solutions, of simply focusing on the attunement and nothing else. It felt... nice, almost. His breath slowly cycled through his lungs, and he automatically walked forward, and he focused only on the feeling in the ether around him.
Whether or not they would actually find Emeline, he didn't bother to hope or fret either way. Of course, he felt worried for his new colleague and he suspected this entire debacle had something to do with his involvement in her life, but Llyr tried to not busy his mind with attachment. If Emeline had died like Emmalee, he would handle it then. If she required aid, then he would try to provide it. If it had nothing to do with him, after all, he didn't mind helping regardless.
Llyr pulled his jacket tighter around him, then lifted the hood to keep the rain from completely drenching his hair. He nearly ran into the older man when Garnet came to a sudden stop. They had paused in a narrow alley between buildings along the curves of the residential neighborhood of the Commercial Circle. The blond waited, and when no explanation arose on its own, he finally asked, "What is it? Why have we stopped?"
Garnet raised a hand and then he said, "I'm dousing."
"Dousing?" inquired Llyr. He frowned slightly, then added, "Attunement, yes?"
"Yes. Have you never done such a thing before?" Garnet lowered his hand and looked at the biqaj.
Llyr shook his head 'no'. He shrugged and said, "I know very little of the domain. I have read about it some, and there are certain things that I feel naturally with the spark, but I have been busy with the others and..."
"It's a basic understanding, kid. Y'know of frequencies?" asked the gruff old detective.
"Yes, frequencies of the soul. It's like... qualities but of mortals, instead?" He flipped his blond hair to the side, a few rain droplets pattered against his pale face. "It reminds me of music, somewhat, yes? That is what it is supposed to be? Notes..."
"I don't know about all that, sounds like necromantic shit to me, but there's two types of ways to use frequencies to find someone or something. If you know their, or its, frequency, then you can hunt them down directly... Us, attuners, call that compass due to the precision of the navigation. If not though, if y'eh don't got their frequency, you can still seek through dousing." Garnet sniffed, glanced up at the rain, though he didn't lift his own hood. He let the rain shower stick his grayed hair to his scarred and bearded face. "Unless you've got the daughter Holt's frequency, all we need is the right note or two. In this case, we're looking for murder. City like this, it'll be tough to sift through but I've been doing it for a long time, can fine-tune it. Probably not through guilt, but remorseless taking of a life. You saw the same thing I did, do you think guilt would be a note involved in the person's frequency?"
Llyr crossed his arms and tapped his fingers against his chin in a thoughtful fidget. After a moment, he shook his head. "No, despite the mess that was made, it seemed like a job to me. Not remorseless, but... professional. A professional kill that was meant to be seen. It was left as a message."
"Good," said Garnet in a brusque approval. "But if we look for a note to do with professionalism, we're going to be headed into most shops in the Circle."
"Can we combine notes to... you said, dousing?... to douse with?" asked Llyr. When Garnet nodded in affirmative, Llyr hummed. He added, "Then why not combine the notes of murder, of... discipline and professionalism... no, wait, detachment! A professional killer separates themselves from the job they perform, don't they? So, a bloody mind that is also detached. Maybe recently paid? Or about to be paid, not sure what that would be."
"Go on and try, why don't you?" offered Garnet while he crossed his arms and glanced down the street. "And hurry up. This rain looks like it'll only be getting worse."
With a sigh, Llyr resisted the urge to close his eyes and hum. Through his soul, he sought connection to channel through his spark of attunement. It almost felt like the others, but he recognized a slight difference about it. Gentler, by far, than his Becoming spark and far calmer than his Transmutation spark. He exhaled, and with the loss of breath, he felt vibrations run through his spine and down his limbs. Everything looked the same as before, but it felt so very different. He turned his gaze in a direction, and then in a different direction. Notes of varying power that matched what he searched for, what he focused on. He sorted through, in an attempt to make sense of it.
Finally, however, he let go and gave up. Llyr turned to Garnet and shook his head, "Murder is far too general. There are too many paths to narrow it down."
"Right, let me tr-"
"I'm going to try and find Emeline's frequency."
"What? You said you didn't know her like that, though?" Garnet frowned, a dark expression on the surly man's features.
"I don't," admitted Llyr. "But if I can seek out murder, as a note, then maybe I can seek her out as a note rather than a frequency, as well. Wouldn't it be better to find Emeline first rather than find the murderer?"
Without waiting to listen to anything that the detective had to say about the matter, Llyr closed his eyes. Raindrops chilled his silvery pale skin as they fell onto him. His gossamer wings outstretched behind him. He focused, best he could, and centered his mind around the memories of Emeline Holt. Of who she was, how he remembered her whenever they'd spoken to each other. He thought of the first time he'd seen her, in the museum, and how they hadn't greeted each other but had looked at each other with the sort of recognition that came from kindred spirits. What similarity he had to Emeline? Youthful ambition. She wanted to rise beyond her born station of a wealthy heiress. She wanted to be more than just another rich inheritor, and that was what he had recognized as to why she might join his business ventures.
After several bits, Llyr felt that moment again, as if reliving it. He heard Emeline's voice in the whispered echoes of recent memories. When he opened his eyes, he could hardly feel the rain... but he could feel Emeline. He looked in the direction and said, "There. She's that way... I think."
"That's the gate," said Garnet. He started walking, though. "Oh'Pee, then. Good enough guess. Let's go, we've already wasted enough time."
As they walked, Llyr maintained the connection to the blend of notes that he'd doused for. It felt unusual, but not wrong. Like something he'd always known how to do, but never actually tried before. For the biqaj, that was how most magic went for him. Even his first initiation had felt so wonderfully intuitive, but he sometimes wondered if he experienced magic unlike anyone else. His body showed the strain of his rapid ascent through his willingness to channel ether through himself, in the halo and wings and otherwise, and he felt compelled in so many ways that he'd never felt before. Still, Llyr felt he had it handled. He was in control of himself, of his sparks, of his soul...
...or, at least, he hoped so.
Llyr kept his gaze fixed forward, as he didn't want to lose the path that he'd attuned to. He suspected that it was also the reason why Garnet wasn't asking him any questions. He tried to not allow his mind to wander, tried to not use the silence to think over the many things there was for him to consider. It was difficult for Llyr. He was so used to allowing his thoughts to scatter and whirl around each other in chaos. It felt odd to minimize and focus them. To ignore the various theories, or possible considerations about problems both old and new that he dealt with. As the rain fell around him, platinum blond hair stuck to his brow, he realized a certain calm enjoyment of this. Of not fixating on problems or concerns, of not aggressively running his thoughts to find solutions, of simply focusing on the attunement and nothing else. It felt... nice, almost. His breath slowly cycled through his lungs, and he automatically walked forward, and he focused only on the feeling in the ether around him.
Whether or not they would actually find Emeline, he didn't bother to hope or fret either way. Of course, he felt worried for his new colleague and he suspected this entire debacle had something to do with his involvement in her life, but Llyr tried to not busy his mind with attachment. If Emeline had died like Emmalee, he would handle it then. If she required aid, then he would try to provide it. If it had nothing to do with him, after all, he didn't mind helping regardless.
