Another one bites the Dust.

Akriel blinks a lot.

Akriel says "I didn't expect this." Pause. "Not that you aren't a very good car, car."

Ohab says, fervently, "I, for one, am pleased."

Ohab says, "This should be reported to someone."

Akriel says "Yes. But who?"

Akriel says "Michael?"

Ohab reflects. "It depends," he admits. "If we believe this was related to Jean's actions, then yes. Otherwise, -- perhaps Laurence?"

Akriel says "Perhaps we should start with Laurence. I will let you explain things to him, since I suspect you understand them better."

A cherub, its body a large winged porcupine, studies the Jeancar with some puzzlement.

Akriel tells the cherub, politely, "Hello."

Akriel notices that his shape is an overlay of his real form and his Vessel -- normal in Heaven for angels returning from Earth, but not in his experience.

Akriel pauses. Looks down at himself.

Akriel says "WHAT?!"

Akriel frowns.

Akriel eyes Ohab, and asks him "Is this *supposed* to happen?"

The porcupine suddenly scurries away like it was on wheels. Ohab says, thoughtfully, "Which exactly?"

Akriel says "Looking like *this*?"

Akriel sounds perhaps faintly horrified.

Ohab shrugs, looking over Akriel. "Ah. It happens; it takes a while coming completely off of a Vessel. Or concentration." He smiles. "For me, I find it useful; hands, you know."

Akriel says "Oh."

Akriel says "Well, let's go see Laurence then. Car, can you take us to ..." Akriel pauses to think. "To Laurence's headquarters."

The Jeancar roars off through the streets of Heaven.

The car pulls up in front of a great citadel in the Eternal City, and parks.

Clouds swirl about in the immortal and perfect sky.

Ohab slips out of the car, his eyes thoughtful.

Akriel disembarks with Ohab, collecting the keys and thanking the car. Then he follows Ohab.

Ohab walks into Laurence's Cathedral, and the Malakite guard at the entrance takes his name and Akriel's. "Business?" the black-winged creature asks.

Appointment Roll: 5.

Ohab answers, curtly, "We wish to report a manifestation of Kronos, Baal, and possibly Malphas, sirs, and certain distressing events surrounding that."

The Malakim nod, and one fades away into Laurence's Cathedral.

An Elohite, skin glowing with contained power, enters Laurence's Cathedral after Akriel and Ohab.

The Malakite nods his head politely to the Elohite. "M'lord Jean. Your business?"

Jean senses ...
Akriel's emotional state is awe, but some growing nervousness when Jean is named.

Jean glances at Akriel and Ohab and murmurs, "I require an audience."

The remaining Malakite vanishes at once deeper into the Cathedral.

Ohab says, with great and nervous calm, "Akriel, perhaps it is unnecessary for both of us to report."

Akriel gives Jean the sort of "Sir" that one gives an Archangel when he shows up completely unexpectedly, and after a few moments adds "The car is really nice."

Akriel blinks at Ohab. Pause. "OK."

Jean glances at Akriel. "Yes," he says, "it is. I am, I confess, at a loss to account for its presence outside."

Akriel says "It drove us here. It's a very good car."

Jean considers this. "I see." He hesitates, and his eyes narrow. "May I ask how it came into your possession?"

Akriel blinks. "Its key was part of the possessions of this Vessel that I was assigned when I was sent to Earth."

Akriel says "I assumed that it was part of the equipment of my Role there."

Jean smiles slightly at Akriel. "This answers certain questions." He hesitates, as the Malakite comes back into view. "I would be careful," he says, "while driving it. It has been known to exhibit -- personality -- at times." Then he follows the Malakite, after a moment of unspoken communion, into the Cathedral.

Akriel tells the departing Jean "Yes, sir. Thank you."

Ohab says, to Akriel, "Listen carefully." His Vessel has almost entirely faded, leaving only three linked wheels of fire. "He will be aware. He will follow, when we return to Earth, if we return together. Therefore, one of us must stay. It is your choice. I can tell you where a Tether of War can be found --"

Akriel says "Um. The car can just drive me back, I think."

Ohab nods. "Then do so. Have it take you there, or back to the Lindel House. I will report to Laurence, and then attempt to lead -- that one -- astray."

Akriel says "OK."

Akriel says "I'll tell the others what happened."

Akriel goes back to the car and gets in. He thinks. "Can you drive me to where Cassia and the others are?" he asks the car.

After a moment, the car pops up a holographic view of -- it looks to be Shephi and Jewel running all-out.

Akriel blinks. "If they're running, they're in trouble! We can pick them up and help them! Drive as fast as you can!"

The Jeancar races down towards Earth.

Akriel thinks . o O ( Telling the Jeancar to drive as fast as it can may not be a *good* idea ... )

Meanwhile, on Earth ...

Jewel picks up the Heart from where she threw it on the floorboards and hugs it tight!

Jewel says "No, let's not!"

There is a little Symphonic quiver, back in L.A..

Cassia blinks at both of you. "What happened?"

Jewel says, a tinge of panic in her voice, "I don't *know*!"

Cassia then just keeps driving away, though.

Jewel says "What happened to Michael?"

Jewel twists around to look in the back seat. "Stephie, are you okay?"

Shephi shrugs placidly. "I suffered minimally."

Cassia says tightly, "I have no idea. I'm wondering if it was something thato do with the station itself."

Jewel says "All the weird stuff stopped when we got far enough from it. Or maybe all the weird stuff just stopped."

Cassia nods tightly.

Cassia sighs.

Jewel says "Cassia, should we try to call Michael again?"

Cassia says "I don't think so, now that things are okay."

Cassia says "I'm not sure, though."

Cassia says "I really don't want to waste his time, but maybe I should report to the local War Tether about what went on."

Jewel nods. "Okay, let's go."

Cassia says "Though there is still the nasty that's loose at the station and he might help clean that up."

Jewel says "Unless it's gone, and that's why everything turned normal again."

Cassia sighs and nods, looking a little releaved at the 'let's go' and floors it in the direction of the War Tether.

Cassia says "Yeah. That's true."

Cassia rolls the dice and gets 2.

Jewel tucks the Heart between her breasts and strokes it with her fingertips.

Cassia is still kinda shaky, huh?

Eli's Heart is strangely quiet.

Jewel looks worried, and fetches the Heart out again, eying it nervously. "Eli? Sweetie?"

Soon the War Tether is coming into sight -- an abandoned studio that participated in the first *movie* version of "the War of the Worlds."

It is well-kept, for a structure with no official mortal purpose at the moment.

Jewel says "Cassia, don't tell them about the Jean stuff."

Cassia says "Jean stuff?"

Eli's Heart is growing cold. And, Jewel notes, less creative.

Cassia parks by the studio, a bit more slowly than usual and hops out of the car.

Jewel clutches the Heart and wails, "ELI! What's wrong? Where are you?"

Jewel remembers ...
It's happened once or twice before for a few seconds, but she was never actually certain that it happened until now.

Cassia blinks at Jewel.

Cassia says "Is Eli the man we met up at that house?"

Jewel says "Eli's in trouble!"

Cassia says "We should go there, then?"

Cassia hops back into the car.

Jewel says "Maybe..."

Cassia says "Or?"

Cassia sighs, "Let me report, then I'll come back out and we can do whatever you think we should do about the Wanderer?"

Jewel says "Okay. But remember, Michael drafted us because he didn't want to tell even his own people about this mess."

By studying the Heart the proper way, Jewel notices that -- Eli is *nowhere*. It's like looking at Mariel, or into the space between galaxies. She'd think he was dead, because she can't even see him, except that -- well -- the Heart's not broken.

Cassia says "Right. But the mess he had us working with had nothing to do with the body of the murder suspect or oddities happening at the police department, so far as I know."

Jewel says "Right."

Cassia nods and runs into the studio.

Jewel holds the Heart up to her eyes, as though she could see her lover in it. "Eli, darling, where *are* you?"

Cassia salutes as necessary, gives the right passwords at the right places with Ofanite efficiency...

A homeless man "squatting" in the building smiles at Cassia with perfect teeth, and waves her in to a perfectly dusted office, where a severe-looking woman sits behind a desk and a pile of papers that, if they were all on top of eachother, might be half her own height. She is moving, signing, and shuffling papers at near-Ofanite speed, dropping some of them into a slot on their desk.

The woman behind the desk, one Abdiel, smiles up at Cassia. "Good day, Wheel."

Cassia salutes the woman quietly, and says, "Thank you for the wish. May your day be much better than mine's been today..." She grins wearily, but continues,"Ma'am, I've got odd demonic activity to report by the [local] police station. Sightings of what appeared to be several Demonic Princes and a body that appeared to go Zombie..."

Cassia says ".. and something which reaped a lot of mortal souls all at once, with much impact on the Symphony."

Cassia shivers quietly with the memory.

Jewel raises the Heart to her lips and kisses it lingeringly and adoringly...

And sends 6 or 7 Essence Eli-wards.

The Heart shimmers with calm pleasure.

Abdiel nods. "Do you wish to report by voice, paper, or the Song of Opening?"

The Song, Cassia has heard, can be used to skim off surface thoughts -- at least, the Ethereal Form of it.

Cassia says "Song would likely be fastest."

Cassia says "Most efficient would be nice."

Abdiel nods, and begins to Sing.

After a moment, Abdiel nods quietly. "Interesting."

Cassia thinks through the entire sequence of events that happened as they approaced the police station, the oddness of the body, the call to Michael, the appearacne of a fight betwen it being Baal and Michael and finally ending up as Baal! The whole thing of the body leaping up as a creature and the odd man with the crutch...

Cassia sighs quietly.

Cassia is just focussed, Ofanite-thorough tracking on that whole sequence.

Abdiel adds, "You have been greatly honored." Her eyes are closed. "I will evaluate this information. Continue with your current assignment; I do not believe you can be expected to successfully intervene."

Another series of Symphonic ripples, distant and powerful, in L.A..

Cassia says "Do you recognize the man on the crutch or the other that showed up? And what was that creatue that went into the station?"

Cassia says "What?"

Cassia says "Ah."

Cassia says "Yes, with what was happening at the station."

Cassia says "Thank you."

Cassia looks puzzled still at the 'greatly honored.'

Abdiel reflects. "You have described Baal and a typical Malphas form -- I believe. Yet this is atypical for Baal."

Cassia says "The fight between forms was very odd."

Abdiel explains, "Baal does not typically assault human lives -- he considers it beneath him."

Cassia nods quietly at that.

Jewel curls up around the Heart, crying quietly.

Cassia says "It is odd. I'll think some more on the sequence and go on with my duties. Thank you."

Abdiel reflects. "Perhaps," she says, "either Baal or Michael was cloaked by an illusion of some sort?"

Cassia says "Oh."

Abdiel adds, "It would be an extremely hard illusion to maintain -- on either of them. They are, after all, -- diametric opposites."

Abdiel considers. "And both are powerful."

Cassia nods, quietly shaken.

The Heart suddenly stutters, as if something very strange has just happened.

Jewel jumps!

A form begins to coagulate near the Heart, as if a Vessel had just been killed.

Jewel watches wide-eyed and motionless, tears drying on her face...

Cassia says "Now I don't know if my orders were given to me by Michael or by a disguised Baal."

Cassia says "I need to check, I think."

The shape, Jewel notes, is distinctly not Eli. In fact, it's looking an awful lot like --

Cassia says, "Michael, Michael, Michael."

No, that's not the shape! :)

It looks, Jewel, an awful lot like Andrealphus.

Jewel shrieks and dives out the window!

Jewel rolls the dice and gets 10.

Out the window she goes, as athletic as an Ofanite!

The pieces of the car window, hardened plastic, fall to the ground and into the car, depending on the piece.

The air splits, like double doors opening, and Michael steps into the Seneschal's office. He is bleeding in a number of places, and his axe is covered with vital fluids.

Andrealphus does not immediately emerge from the car.

Cassia says "Sir."

Jewel picks herself up and yells, "Stephie, RUN!"

Shephi rolls the dice and gets 1.

Shephi struggles with her door, the lock sticking.

Jewel backs away from the car, not quite turning and running, but clearly on the edge...

Michael says, "Cassia. You have called?"

Blood, like sweat, rolls down Michael's sides onto the floor. The Seneschal almost looks like she might protest. But not this month.

Cassia nods. "Yes, sir. I actually called about half an hour ago as well."

Cassia sighs quietly, "And was answered by Baal, it seems."

Cassia looks up at Michael. "I am quite capable of failures of perception, my Lord, and needed to be certain that I hadn't erred."

Michael sighs, and rubs his forehead. "You were right to call me, Cassia. And it is forgivable that you were confused; Novalis was as well."

Cassia blinks quietly.

Michael says, quietly, "The Prince of Fate was present. He -- is the second-greatest liar in existence, and if one can be deluded, one will be. I was nearly misled myself ..."

Michael shrugged, and his teeth are momentarily bared. "He was able to escape me, even so, casting up humans in his visage ..."

Cassia nods quietly. "So it was you?"

Shephi finally makes it out of the car and stumbles away. Andrealphus is fully formed, but has not yet -- moved from being curled where the Heart was.

Michael nods to Cassia. "I said I would come, did I not?"

Cassia nods. "You did."

Jewel grabs Shephi and *runs*!

Cassia says "So any of the Superiors may appear to be one of the Demon Princes?"

Jewel runs toward the Tether of War!

Michael hesitates. "Around Kronos, perhaps -- or Lucifer. I would not expect it to affect," with a tone of distaste, "Yves."

Cassia grins at the tone and nods. "Thank you. That does help me greatly."

A homeless man rises from the floor like a combat veteran as Jewel and Shephi burst into the building, a gun falling naturally into his hand. "I would stop," he says.

Cassia can hear the outer door burst open.

Cassia whirls towards the outer room on hearing the outer door burst open...

The Jeancar squeals up next to the empty Cassiacar -- one back window shattered, and a sense of evil presence radiating from inside, but nothing visible.

Jewel says "Don't shoot *us*! Shoot HIM!"

Jewel does stop though, and gestures back toward the car with the hand holding the Heart.

Cassia peers out, "They're with me." to the man, "Who, Jewel?"

The Jeancar stops with absolutely no physical 'jerk' -- but there's a sort of metaphysical snap-forward like squealing to a stop at a light.

Jewel says "ANDRE!"

Jewel dives behind Cassia, dragging Shephi along!

Cassia goes out the front door towards her car.

Akriel tells the car "I think we should park away from that car. There's something bad in it."

Michael steps out of the office, blood running down his shirtless chest like sweat. Axe in hand.

The Jeancar backs away slowly.

Akriel stares. "Definitely", he tells the car, "we should park away from the car."

Michael asks, "Andre?"

Akriel thoughtfully examines the controls of the Jeancar. It might have (obvious enough) weapons.

Jewel says "IN THE CAR!"

Cassia lets Michael go by her, as she's sure he's better set to deal with Andre than she is...

Jewel puts her back to the wall by the door Michael and Cassia came out of, pulling Shephi to her and clutching the Heart to her chest.

Michael tilts his head for a moment, listening, and then smiles. "Well," he says. "This might make up for the last one." Then he walks out of the building. (Akriel can see him emerging.)

As for Jeancar weapons -- there's a single button that says, "Offensive Applications."

Akriel asks the Jeancar, thoughtfully, "Maybe this is a bad time, but you probably have a name, and it'd be rude to just call you car or something. I'm Akriel. What's your name?"

Cassia is outside looking at her car... lets Michael by.

Michael looks around, then paces over to the car, and looks into the back seat.

A word flashes up in the rear-view mirror. "Beneberak."

Michael scratches his nose.

Cassia walks up just behind Michael, "Uhm... what, Sir?"

Cassia peers in?

Jewel watches Michael raptly, eyes huge.

Andrealphus is curled, eyes closed, on the back seat, still infinitely desirable even in repose -- probably, given his habits, *better* -- and radiating a soft heat.

Shephi appears to be struggling internally.

Akriel says "Thank you, Beneberak."

Cassia backs up a bit on seeing that it is indeed Andrealphus...

Jewel shrinks back when she catches sight of Andre, reflexively clasping Shephi tighter.

Cassia whispers to Michael, "Uhm... could it be anything like the disguise that was on you, Sir? Or are we well out of possible influence?"

Akriel opens Beneberak's window so he can wave hi to Cassia et al. He stays silent, since he wouldn't want to distract them at the moment.

Cassia peers at the man waving from the car and then grins and waves back.

Michael mulls. "I do not sense such an influence."

Michael says, reflectively, "There are Malakim in my service who refuse to assault an enemy who is 'down'. It seems to be a part of the definition of honor."

Cassia says, half reflexively, "Sounds like Laurence..."

Michael shrugs, grins slightly, and hefts his axe. Two seconds pass. Then he begins a huge circular blow that cleaves the car and the curled Andrealphus in half from above.

The world, momentarily, goes white.

Cassia hides her eyes reflexively.

Jewel feels her tie to the Word of Lust explode into nothingness.

Jewel squeaks and sags against Shephi!

Jewel feels, for a moment, a chance to follow the edge of the explosion *upwards*, fill yourself with the violence of Andrealphus' destruction -- or simply *away*.

Jewel clings psychically to the Heart.

Akriel blinks more than usual.

As the whiteness fades, the two halves of Cassia's car thump into the ground.

Cassia sighs quietly on seeing her car.

Michael frowns thoughtfully, holding one hand over the halves of the car.

Cassia tries to sense anything as well, like the misma that was there before.

Jewel feels, when it's over, dizzy and lost -- but much the same.

Jewel leans on Shephi, dazed and weeping again.

Michael shakes his head. "Enough. I would ask how this providential event came to be --" He hesitates. "But I must rest." His eyes are almost haunted. "If Andre was no opponent at all, Fate was too much of one."

Michael pushes open the air, walks through, and lets it close behind him.

Cassia nods quietly.

Cassia senses ...
The miasma is strangely -- neutral.

Cassia says softly, "Thank you, sir,' as he walks away.

Cassia peers over at Akriel, "I guess you're our transport for now..."

Akriel opens his mouth, considers, and closes it again. Then nods. "Do you want a lift back to the House?"

Cassia nods, "Yes, please."

Jewel straightens up, blinking a few times. "He's... gone?"

Akriel gestures everyone to the car (and hopefully the doors open, too).

The Heart grows colder.

Cassia goes back to Jewel and Shephi and gently starts to herd them over to Akriel. "Yes. He's gone from the back of my car, now. Along with most of the capability of my car. Poor thing.

Cassia says "Maybe I should requisition a motorcycle sometime..."

Jewel goes where she's pushed, and plops into the seat. "But where's Eli?"

Akriel makes the introductions: "Everyone, this is Beneberak." (A gesture at the interior of the car.) "Beneberak, this is Cassia, Jewel, and Shephi. Could you drive us back to the Linden House?"

Beneberak honks musically.

Cassia says "Eli?"

Jewel says "His Heart is cold..."

Akriel then asks Cassia, "What happened? Beneberak took Ohab and me to the True City."

Cassia nods at the interior of the car, befuddledly as Akriel does the introductions.

Jewel isn't paying a lot of attention to anything except Eli's Heart.

Cassia says "Ah, the car? Keen. Glad to meet you."

Cassia says "Uhm. We escaped the various nasties from the station, turned out that Michael really did show up, but was somehow disguised by Kronos as Baal, and he did fight Fate for us..."

Shephi reflects. "That noise in the distance must be what put Andre in Trauma," she offers. "But it seems to be continuing."

Cassia says "That noise?"

Jewel says "If Andre was in Trauma, why was he appearing at Eli's-"

Cassia says "Yeah, that's what I'm wondering, now, too."

One of the several Symphonic noises mentioned earlier does seem to be reinforced now and again with extra booms.

Akriel asks Jewel "Are you sure that is Eli's Heart?"

Jewel says "I've had it ever since he gave it to me!"

Jewel says "And if it was Andre's, it would have shattered when Michael killed him, right?"

Cassia says "I think so."

Akriel considers.

Akriel says "Did Andrephalous appear in his Celestial form or as a Vessel?"

It was celestial. But vivid enough to be obvious to even a 0 Per mortal.

Cassia says "Celestial."

Cassia says "Uhm... Jewel, did Eli ever appear in Celestial form arund you? Or do you know?"

Jewel says "And... I can tell he's dead, or at least badly damaged. I can't feel the strings anymore."

Cassia blinks.

Cassia says "Should we go back to where you last saw him?"

Cassia says "Maybe rescue what we can?"

Jewel says "No, I never saw Eli Celestially."

Jewel says "We should go and see, at least."

Jewel peers into the Heart again.

Akriel looks puzzled and thoughtful. Fortunately he is not driving. "Where was that, Jewel?"

Jewel gives the address.

Jewel senses ...
Just darkness. Void. Not even Eli's shape.

Akriel asks the car to take us there.

Beneberak zooms off, after offering Akriel a choice of routes.

Jewel says "But he's somewhere... dark and empty. Limbo, maybe?"

Akriel says "Hmm. Beneberak, can you take us to Eli?"

Cassia says "Show the car Eli's Heart?"

Holographic letters pop up. "Archangels exceed operating parameters."

Cassia says "Beneberak might be able to use it for guidance?"

Cassia says "Ah."

Akriel says "A pity. Keep on going to the address, perhaps we will find a lead."

Jewel holds up the Heart. "Can you take us where this leads?"

Holographic letters pop up, as the car drives. "I/O error. Location does not exist."

Cassia says "Does not exist."

Cassia says "Is there a way to Limbo?"

Jewel says "The hard way."

Jewel says "Maybe he's really okay and is just cutting off communications..."

Jewel doesn't sound very convinced, though.

Akriel says "Where the Heart leads doesn't exist, or the address doesn't exist?"

Cassia peers at Jewel.

Jewel hugs the Heart tighter, as though to feed it with her own Vessel's heat.

Beneberak answers, "Address exists. Heart leads to invalid location."

Cassia thinks quietly.

Akriel says "Let's see what's at the address, then."

Jewel says "Well, let's go to the address and I'll try calling him again."

Akriel adds "We saw Jean in the True City."

Cassia listens to Akriel.

The Jeancar winds up into the hills.

Akriel says "We both went to talk to Laurence at the same time. Ohab stayed to tell Laurence about things, and I came back."

Lingering Symphonic disturbance is greater in the hills, although it doesn't seem to be from the *really* big disturbance.

It would be fair to say that the Symphony is unhappy in this city today.

Cassia nods quietly at the report. "We went from the station to the War Tether, so that I could make a report and then on realizing that the Baal there may have been either trying to disguise himself as Michael or something tyring to disguise Michael as Baal, I had to ask.

Cassia says "So you saw Michael."

Cassia says "And the Baal at the station was actually Michael, warped by proximity to Kronos."

Jewel says "Laurence? I thought Ohab worked for Dommie."

Akriel says "Ohab thought we should report what happened at the police station to someone, and suggested Laurence."

Jewel says "Why Laurence?"

The Jeancar rounds a corner, and Eli's House comes into sight, or at least a pile of bluely smoldering ashes does, with a fire truck in the area beating down small blazes at the two fairly distant neighbors.

Cassia says "Oh, ow."

Jewel squeaks!

Akriel says "I didn't ask Ohab. Perhaps because Laurence coordinates things?"

Cassia nods at Akriel. "That makes some sense."

Jewel says "Or because Ohab is selling us out."

The Jeancar neatly pulls up before the ex-house.

Akriel stares a bit blankly at the house. "What now?"

Cassia peers at Jewel. "Suspicious mind."

Cassia says "If yuo want to try and call him here, I'll help out the firemen..."

Jewel looks back at Cassia. "There's a war on."

Cassia grins.

Jewel says "I don't think it will work, but let me look around. See if the firemen know what happened."

Jewel gets out of the car and goes over to the wreckage of the house.

Cassia nods and hops out and cheerfully uses her resonance to figure out how best to help out the firemen.

Akriel looks ... disturbed. He passes the time by seeing if there is an instruction manual in the glove compartment or something.

There is no instruction manual.

Jewel walks slowly around the burning Eli house, eyes half-closed and Heart clutched to her chest.

Jewel uses every sense she has: resonance, attunement, Mystic Eli Sense, the works.

The fires are mostly under control, which is why there's only one truck left and two houses. -- patches of smolder and such, which have to be eliminated one by one using hoses or ladders. However, it's hard work, and they cycle out a fireman at a time to rest -- Cassia strikes up a conversation there, and gophers water to the firemen.

Jewel senses ...
Eli was here recently, but -- no trace of him now. No obvious 'trail' away, either.

Akriel emerges from the car to watch the fire from a distance with a sort of fascinated dread.

"Damndest thing," a fireman admits. "According to the maid in the house next door, lightning exploded down into the house, which was what started the fire -- but it didn't actually catch for maybe an hour, when it suddenly just went up in a *fountain* of blue lightnings, throwing sparks towards the sky. I wouldn't believe it, except that the ashes are," and he indicates Eli's House, "still glowing blue."

Cassia says "Wow."

Cassia says "That is pretty amazing. Blue lightning. Kinda like fireworks."

The fireman nods. "It was pretty contained, too -- only a few sparks strayed onto the other houses."

The fireman says, "We've only been here a few minutes; it should be completely taken care of in another twenty."

Cassia nods. "So the fire isn't any harder burning than a normal one?"

The fireman nods. "Not on the other houses."

Cassia blinks quietly at that.

The fireman shrugs. "L.A. Go figure."

Cassia nods.

Cassia says "Thanks."

Cassia gives 'em a proper salute and then trots back towards the car.

Akriel asks Cassia, "Did you find out anything?"

Cassia says "Yeah. The house was hit by lightning... started a slow burn and then fountained out in *blue* lightning."

Cassia says "The ashes are glowing blue."

Jewel finishes her circuit and returns to the car. "Eli was here, but now he's not, and I can't tell what happened to him."

Cassia shakes her head quietly. "And it destroyed the targetted house entirely but has been kept pretty well from the others."

Jewel says "Lightning. Sound like anyone we know?"

Cassia nods at Jewel, "Yeah."

Cassia says "But."

Akriel looks disturbed.

Jewel says "And does anyone think the car isn't recording everything for his benefit?"

Cassia frowns quietly, "But *blue* lightning doesn't sound like Jean."

Cassia says "Too showy."

Akriel scowls at Jewel. "Benederak wouldn't do something like that."

Jewel says "Machines do what they're made to."

Akriel looks for a soul in Beneberak, and doesn't find one -- but it does, of course, have a celestial aspect of a sort.

Jewel says "Well, it might not have been himself."

Jewel says "Is there an angel of Pyrotechnics?"

Shephi says, "Yes."

Jewel nods.

Shephi says, "A Malakite of Creation in service to Lightning."

Jewel says "Hm. I wouldn't think he'd be in on bumping Eli off, but you take my point. Lots of people work for Jean who aren't himself."

Akriel looks grumpy about something. "Perhaps we should go back to the House."

Cassia nods quietly and gets back into the car.

Jewel piles back into the car, looking extremely unhappy.

Akriel asks Benederak to take us back to the House.

Across the hills, the sun sets.

Beneberak zooms down the hills and back towards the Lindel House.