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    Nora Sheeley

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    Inwood Park at the end of Bayview Avenue was in South New York proper and housed far too much exposure during the day for anyone worth their salt to consider if they had any iota of brain cells. Playground equipment, open areas and the like made it the most unlikely prospect for a crime. Yet, still. Here she was, investigating the unlikely - something she would not be doing pre-Nevus. Post-Nevus, it took on an entirely new meaning. Sadistic serial killers were chalked up to psychopaths before the big change. In this day and age, they were pinned on shapeshifters like herself or someone infected with one of the viruses that had appeared with the Nevus. 


    There was no jurisdiction deferred to her this time. A new world with new rules and players. The CIA had been disbanded and absorbed into something Nora Sheeley had not been entirely on board with believing in after the Event. She knew the politics and how they shifted even before the catastrophic event. That did not mean she could embrace it. It was almost a fresh start. Bittersweet as it was with no family and few friends spread out in the devastation over the long years since things changed. 

    Artificial lighting was already being set to provide illumination for the Medical Examiner - a new criteria evolved which held them to a broader standard in order to ascertain the definitions that led to such an atrocity. The man began to give a preliminary exam on the victim. Poking, prodding and letting the method lead to discovery of the madness which had become normalcy. Nora watched from outside the bubble with perceptive eyes roving the scene until the set themselves on important things of note.

    She had driven her Black Nissan GT a short distance from an apartment she rented in the Woodmere area near New York City. She had her access to nature and a balance of the cityscape at her disposal, engaging and promoting the balance she so coveted. It was both a blessing and a curse being a freelance consultant to investigations. Her aptitude and skill set had Nora adapting swiftly to the new age of investigative techniques and now the local police had called her in to consult with the lead homicide detectives on the case. 

    Already feeling the bite in the air, the elemental earth shapeshifter held to the warmth of deeply rooted substance enveloped when stone still held heat. Mind wondering briefly to the hinted nucleus beneath the layers of scientific reference to hold its heat for her own as the open black leather jacket moved with her steps and the wind beneath the onslaught of plummeting rain. It was a night not fit for man nor beast as the old saying had gone. It lost the pack of its punch after the Nevus.

    Tarps had been resurrected but they did little good as Nora moved within the perimeter. Her careful footsteps did not do enough to preserve the crime scene she had been hired to consult on this dark and abysmally stormy night. The victim was already pronounced dead and the Criminal Scene Investigation Unit was taking photographs of the surrounding area. Canvassing already had begun and Nora used her sensory perception to glean whatever factual evidence she could in lieu of official access to the tools that made facts v. fiction black and white. 

    In short, what they had was a dead body killed in ritualistic fashion by what appeared to be a shapeshifter beast of the animal persuasion - a mountain lion by her guess if it were before the Event given the gashes where the vic had been mauled to death, though that could very well be something else intended to mimic it thereby pinning the crime on someone else. These were indigenous to the Catskills, but determining if this was done here or if the body was dumped was yet to be discovered. Rather than dwelling on the past, Nora became present in the moment and picking up clues which might help profile their perp before she spoke to the official lead detectives on this case.

    Nora was squatting down and squinting as her gloved hands picked up a small, sharp bone knife that looked as primitive as it was functional. Strange carvings were etched into the hilt which made her think she would have to tap into her resources a bit further and call in some favors to determine if or how much of the occult, magic and animalistic shapeshifting influences were prevalent enough to be genuinely pursued and how much of it was just a sloppy fabrication, perhaps, of another politically based blame game in the killing fields. No crime was cut and dried and rarely as it appeared anymore.

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    Morrigan slowly crossed her arms as her golden eyes slid to the side at the officer whose head turned in her direction. She lowered her chin an inch to accentuate the challenge in case the man was too dense not to read it in her eyes alone. Thankfully the creature remain blissfully silent. As if she hadn't heard the demands for the crowd to stay back already. Most of these creatures were Human -- barely thirty or forty something years old -- who were they to scold her like some tongue-lolled youth?

     

    Part of her thought of summoning something to cover the area to preserve the precious 'evidence' present. The other part, however, won out. Why should Morrigan get involved? Her interest was entirely academic and it was interesting to observe how these 'law enforcement officers' dealt with their evdence being washed away in the rain. Her golden eyes shone with inhuman light as she swept over the scene from where she stood; a few light graces of magic made her present position suitable enough to visually survey the scene. The Magess even took the initiative to shift into checking for magical remnants of whatever had occured -- though she hadn't bothered to inform those lacking in ability of this yet. No one sought her assistance; what she did, she did to sate her own curiosity and to better evaluate the effectiveness of the 'Law.'

     

    From beneath her rain-free invisible umbrella, Morrigan blinked as her motionless stance shifted. A woman found something and was examining it in her clutches. Morrigan's magically-enhanced vision focused on the object and tried to make out the markings on it. A soft sound of annoyance followed the way the woman moved. She wasn't holding it properly for Morrigan to examine the entire thing.

     

    At first she thought of remaining sadly unsatisfied with knowing what markings were on the instrument; in exchange she would see if these officers produced more than a shrug. It was important to understand the usefulness of this world's resources for when their assistance might be necessary. That's what everyone told her, anyway, when it came to team work. In a round about fashion it was true; even on her own at times she had to barter to get some local group's involvement. She wasn't all powerful, simply long-lived. As the moment drew on, however, there was this itch deep within her very being as it became apparent this 'Officer' wasn't equipped to properly analyze the knife. Her body language didn't suggest she understood the markings, and there were no spells being cast to probe it for secrets. Would they just bag it and review it later? Who knew if Morrigan ould ever see it again.

     

    Breaking the strictly observational status she'd held, the raven haired woman strode toward the scene of the crime without a word. An officer reached out as if to touch her. Morrigan's hand shot up and presented her credentials for the man to read before he laid a finger on her body. "This is a crime of magic. I am a Mage." With that she continued on her way; the shouts to alert the others of the intruding mystically inclined woman didn't interest Morrigan in the slightest. They'd stay out of her way or she'd knock them out of her way.

     

    Although not fully aware of the Human method for analyzing a crime scene, the Mage did avoid trampling into areas obviously marked for preservation. "Tis curious why a knife would be left at a scene where an animal should be blamed," she said by way of announcing her approach to the woman studying the blade.

     

    [Outfit]

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    "Tis curious why a knife would be left at a scene where an animal should be blamed,"

    Alec had arrived at the scene shortly before Morrigan, whom he recognized from around the ARMA HQ at times. [walker]Probably because the knife is part of an animal. Shifter may have dropped it to cover their tracks. [/walker] Deft fingers produced a book from the leather briefcase at his back, flipping it open to a page labeled in an odd runic language. Odd to just about anyone else, but second nature to the magus holding the text. Elder Futhar was a confusing language to learn, but it did reveal much about the nature of the ancient Norse world--how simple the letters had to be for carving, how clean and precise they could be, given the chance to be refined. None of that mattered, though. There was something more pressing. 

     

    Settling on an illustrated page, the mage's voice boomed out. [Walker] Ratatoskr, the bore-toothed or blade-headed squirrel of Yggdrasil, according to legend. Likely an otherworldly creature in reality, hunted and skinned for its tusk in this world. [/walker] Alec spun the book in his hands, presenting the image of the rodent to both Morrigan and the lady with the knife.  He'd nod to his fellow magus at this point, by way of greeting.

     

    By now, Alec had made his way over to the pair, squatting down to investigate the knife with his own eyes. [walker] Alec Walker, ARMA Magus and expert on all things ancient and Norse. [/walker] Alec laid the open book down on the ground under some cover, taking a moment to ensure he could easily reference the page of interest. A pair of leather gloves were pulled over his hands, which extended to take hold of the dagger. [walker] Got the call about this about an hour ago. Murder blade looks like rune-carved bone, ARMA gets a call. May I?[/walker]

     

    A glance down at the book, and back at the blade. The length seemed fitting, at the very least. [walker] Someone probably trapped poor old bore-tooth and killed him for this. Nasty piece of work, whomever did that. Certain shifters need a piece of the animal to transform. Culprit may have dropped this. [/walker] Alec was aware of how frequently and quickly he was speaking, but he was a newcomer, and he did have plenty of information about the weapon to disseminate. He'd make sure to give pauses in the conversation going forwards.

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    The light had been developed to aid in some manner of defining certain elements that were unseen to the human eye, but still lead to an entire plethora of possibilities when it came to narrowing it down to a species. They did not worry too much as they would have with a strictly human world of crime as the rain continued to pelt bullets of water down with a wind that seemed almost supernatural, whipping violently against the tarps as it raged. There were things at play in the 'new world' which withstood the elements.


     


    Still, the night chill at that moment was something Nora was not immune to as she zipped up her black leather jacket and stood, the thin gloves as cold as her hands beneath as she examined the knife. Nodding to the detectives as they moved away to question any person of interest that the uniformed officers had gotten statements from which were few. The only three had been up to no good at the Inwood Park in the rain and dark when they had found the body.


     


    Her gaze cut to the approaching figure, a confident woman that was saturated with command and imposing aura. An aura, that did not require on bit of magic to discern. It was the way she carried herself - her body language - it had a sense of authority about it. Then, of course, there were her eyes and that hair which made them practically pop out of her face. Nevermind that there were shouts of protest. Nora was just about to make steps towards one of the officers to get a plastic bag for preserving evidence when Morrigan blew onto the scene.


     


    "Sure is, cher," Nora said matter-of-factly though her N'awlins accent still eased strong and true from her lips as she took in the measure of Morrigan. "You here to lend your expertise on the matter, Miss … ?"


     


    In the same moment, it seemed, they had been approached in-progress by Alec. Nora turned to give the man her attention and split the information. What she was gathering was part of what her own conclusions were developing into by way of a different method. It reeked of set-up to her and she was inclined to nod her head in agreement with the other mage. She hoped he had some magic that kept his book dry, because it would be a damn miracle in her humble opinion, if the woman shared whatever was keeping her dry as Nora stood with drenched black locks.


     


    Should have grabbed a hat, cher. Nora thought to herself with a grin. It was cold, it was wet, but it did not bother her as much as it would someone less accustomed to methods of sleep depravation and extreme environment training. She careened her neck to look at the illustration Alec offered, blinking against the rain and squinting. She was no expert, but she knew a little about this and that and had been studying everything she could to get up to speed and educated on what had become a part of the normal world and it was never-ending.


     


    "Scandinavian, idn't it, " she uttered without thought and nodded when he confirmed and introduced himself, offering her free, plastic-gloved hand to him and then to Morrigan.


     


    "Mah pleasure. Nora Sheeley," she said, handing him the dagger for further investigation as she observed. "Ya'll are dah ARMA folks on the case, den?"


     


    This left an opening for Morrigan to speak her piece, which Nora had set just to see what the woman might say - as if she could stop a headstrong vixen like that. It was clear that the two were not together, or if they were, there was some lack of communication at the old ARMA Mothership. As for Nora, she listened attentively and watched even more carefully the body language of the two while absorbing the information like a human sponge.

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    Morrigan slowly turned her head toward the Mage that strode up on the scene with an observation already rolling off his tongue even as the woman had been in the midst of extracting information from the female Mage present. Of course that wasn't the end of it. With his nose in his tome the man began to describe some ancient Earth lore -- presumably given how matter of fact it came off and was soon accepted. Something about a 'squirrel.' This planet had many such squirrels did it not? She hardly recalled anyone hurrying away in fear at the mention of the creature. Obviously this mythical 'squirrel' must have been much more fearsome.

     

    The female Mage cocked her head a bit to the side acknowledging the male's nod.

     

    She watched as Alec set his book down and then set to work to examine the blade personally. A quick note explained his presence -- apparently ARMA proper had gotten a 'call' about this. How wonderful. Part of  Morrigan wanted to reassume command of the situation and shove Alec back out of the 'investigation,' but the other part -- the one not ruled by instinct or habit -- kept her peace. She was a member of ARMA now. They had procedures. This idea of  being a permanent member of a 'team' was something she had  not entirely embraced after decades of wandering battlefields alone.

     

    "Alternatively someone has planted this blade here. Unless other evidence has ruled that out?" Morrigan's golden eyes turned to the Detective curiously. "What better way to start a race war?" There were creatures of this world that would gladly capture or kill every inhuman they could. It might speed up their agenda if they could demonstrate how vicious and dangerous the inhuman 'monsters' were, would it not? She had no reason to presume it was a setup, but Morrigan felt it was necessary to point out they hadn't shown it was in fact a Shifter yet. The evidence seemed to suggest as much, but there were still beasts of the world that could have been used on the victim.

     

    The Detective, Nora, introduced herself after Alec had; she sought Morrigan's input on her presence and relation to the investigation. Wisely so, of course. Wouldn't want to bring the wrong person in on sensitive details -- not that Morrigan was that suspicious. She'd shown them the credentials... which the inhuman Mage still didn't understand how they proved her identity. "Morrigan." She curled her lips up at the corners for Nora's benefit. "I am with ARMA. Field Researcher." Well there were many titles she could pick. What was her official one again? Oh it hardly mattered. Field researcher suited  her just fine; there was more to studying magic than cloistering one's self in a room uninterrupted. Other creatures came up with unique ways of bending the energy of the world to their will and she'd only bear witness by walking the streets in person.

     

    Oh, yes. "A pleasure to meet you, Nora." Was there an honorific Morrigan had forgotten? Miss? Misses? Mrs? Detective? These people had so many ways of addressing each other and more than one could apply. Well, at least she tried. Cassandra always said Morrigan should be more outgoing -- in a genuine sense. Morrigan could easily lie to someone's face and make them feel like they were companions; but that went back to being part of teams and society in general. Genuine interest in others over false platitudes. It was terribly exhausting. Had she been able to  do this years ago? Certainly had been a lifetime ago.

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    • 2 weeks later...

    Morrigan Asara, right. She had joined up with ARMA in a role similar to that of an "external adviser." It was his job to know everyone ARMA dealt with, and to dig into their alliances and allegiances. 

     

    [walker]Definitely a possibility, Morrigan. Looks to me like the blade was ceremonial, never intended for use in battle, and probably too fragile to use in that sense. [/walker]

     

    Alec paused here, eyes flitting over the blade. It was well preserved. He wanted to undo the bindings on the hilt and look at the end of the bone obscured underneath, but that would be tampering with evidence.

     

    Morrigan spoke up, here. She voiced the same concern Alec had. [walker] Could definitely be a plant. Vanguard, maybe? No. Too clean. Too precise. Walking baboons couldn't do this. [/walker] 

     

    [walker] So, what exactly happened here? Murder, ceremonial blade left behind. Any idea on timeline?[/walker]  Alec needed that kind of information to better understand the situation. He would just wait until the required information was provided. "Ain't much of a use in speakin when you don't know shit." as his grandpa had often said.

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    Nora nodded as one of the pair of lead detectives approached the threesome. Couldn't beat that kinda timing, could a girl? Though, in regard to Alec's internal musings, it might have been poor timing at that as one of them seemed to sense his intention and fished a plastic evidence bag out of the interior pocket of his jacket with a quickness and gave Alec a 'look' that betrayed nothing by way of demand.


     


    "Mm," Nora mused aloud. "Vanguard."


     


    It was food for thought and she was chewing on it with some serious consideration. Though the AMRA had their perceptions, it wasn't Nora's practice to dismiss anything, no matter what the reputation. Worst thing, she had learned, was to underestimate her enemy. And it was something she shared aloud to the two agents from the organization as the evidence was bagged.


     


    "Maybe that is exactly what the Vanguard is counting on everyone thinking, too."


     


    The detectives were there for his question, and in fact, was a query Nora was going to be putting to them at some point when she had stumbled upon this blade. The homicide detectives had just come from the medical examiner on the case. They were probably hard-pressed for evidence or exact fact just yet, and some M.E.'s were purists - unwilling to share their guesses or estimates and stuck strictly to the book.


     


    Nora didn't want to wait around for the report or to have to go down to the precinct to find out either. The two men eyed them and finally Billy's eyes found Nora. She gave him a desperate frown and batted her lashes against the rain still pouring down and must have presented quite a sight, at that. Now, Murray - he was the hardass of the two. But, good old Billy had a know-it-all complex and Nora Sheeley knew it as sure as funerals in the Quarter had a jazz parade to the cemetery.


     


    *NPC* "Think it happened in the last three hours, but we can't figure on how that could occur in broad daylight and if it wasn't raining yet …" Billy trailed. "Looks like the body was dumped quick."

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    Morrigan glanced at the Examiner before she turned her attention to Nora once more. "Futile to speculate as to those responsible of their motives given the evidence." Surely the woman had some general leads in mind to bolster their understanding of the crime. Groups that might participate in ritual crime, or racial groups seeking to start a war. Her golden eyes slid to the one with the bagged blade now; their possession of such an instrument did not sit well with the raven haired Mage among them. The blade should hold some meaning to the crime even if it was planted. Perhaps they could determine its former owner and from there who'd stolen it (if it were stolen)?

     

    In short order her gaze turned back to the corpse. "Why? Tis just as easy to die under the sun as the moon." Surely they must have some logical to their evaluation of the deceased's time of depature. Morrigan could roughly tell how long someone had been dead as well, though her specialty was in the longer-term rather than with any sort of immediacy used in criminal investigations.

     

    Ah, but then she'd forgotten to inquire about the obvious having been too interested in the blade -- which unfortunately Alec had stolen and now lost. "Do we know who they were?" Most direct means of finding a killer would be to look for the personal connection; unless the killer had been a roaming mad-man there some be something in this creature's life to provide context. Identity could help them determine who last saw them and where that'd been; an especially important fact if they were suggesting the body had been "dumped" here rather than this being the place where the stroke of murder occured.

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    • 3 weeks later...

    It was Morrigan who asked the next question that was on Nora's mind as well and the independent investigator's eyes sparked with life. A ghost of a smile teased the corner of her lips as she nodded just a minute fraction in the downpour. Her gaze cut from Morrigan to Billy for a moment. Just as he opened his mouth, Murray spoke up.

     

    *NPC - Murray* "You got any credentials?" He said, eyeing Morrigan and Alec.

     

    Mostly, his gaze lingered on Morrigan who had garnered attention for asking all the questions as the more talkative of the two. Nora, he knew. He didn't like her, but he suffered her presence because of how they used her as a consult on cases sometimes.

     

    As Murray gave Morrigan and Alec the stink-eye, Nora inclined her head off to the side and her and Billy stepped a few paces away from the distracted lead detective who was currently engaging the two mages. One-on-one, Billy gazed down at Nora and crossed his arms. Both brows shot up slowly as a smile tugged at her mouth.

     

    *NPC - Billy* "You been busy, huh?"

     

    "Busier than I'd like."

     

    Billy snorted and shook his head.

     

    *NPC - Billy* "Your phone broke?"


    "You keeping tabs on me now, darlin'?" Nora cooed. "Tell ya what. My phones all powered up, so why don't you drop me a text when you are done and we can meet for something nice and hot in the city - my treat - on my honor, cher."

     

    Nora smiled, but she didn't apologize. She'd been busy as a bee lately, though her downtime consisted of hot tea and old blues music as of late as she fought off the hammer of nostalgia. The rainy season that came with autumn was hard on her. There were a lot of solitary fires by the hearth where her brain just spaced out as she watched the rain fall for countless moments.

     

    Billy leaned down to her level and whispered in her ear, breath comforting; warm against the frigid air.


    *NPC - Billy* "I know this is a private matter and you aren't working this case through the department - at least not yet, Miss Sheeley, and most of these guys just accept your being here like they assume you are," he almost hissed playfully. "Preliminary evidence and gut feeling lead to a renegade mage with a bone to pick with both the Vanguard and the Order. Our guy likes his ritual relics. First was some voodoo shit, next Native American in origin. This is the third one. They started upstate - found that out after the second one that happened nearer the city."

     

    Nora nodded.

     

    "You got any names yet?"

     

    Billy leaned back and smiled. Nora shook her head. Damn sure she wouldn't be getting out of their 'little date' anymore. She snorted and flashed him a smile, silently conceding his wont. She still rolled her eyes as she turned and took the lead, sauntering with a confident sway back towards the trio as Billy rejoined them, his long legs easily in-step with her.

     

    *NPC - Billy* "Pleasure," he quipped with a departing nod to the group and walked away with a red-faced Murray not far behind.

     

    Nora waited until the two detectives were out of hearing range and looked at the mages.

     

    "Suspicions point to a butt hurt mage with some hate on the Vanguard and Order with a penchant for the occult - the other two ritualistic relics were Voodoo and Native American  in origin. This is the third one like this - sloppy, unprofessional near as I can tell. Started up North and trickled down. We lookin' at the third one. Ya'll find out anything new? I see old battle-axe kept the blade..."

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    Morrigan turned her head aside to look at the gruff man with the demanding tone. Credentials? "I can conjure a ball of fire and not demand you kneel before me, tis enough to identity me, is it not?" Her golden eyes held fast to the man for a moment. With a soft sigh, the Magess extracted a badge from her not-entirely-modest outfit. "Oh, if I must. Does this prove my identity? A tiny thing a creature without a shred of magic could flash. It helps lighten the burden on your Human mind, no doubt." Humans. Morrigan couldn't begin to imagine how a badge proved her identity. They sorely needed a method that was so much harder to feign; sadly their bodies and society were not designed in the same manner as her own.

     

    Unfortunately for Murray, Morrigan was going to be another hard-ass woman in his life. Belittling people that wasted her time was a hobby. Now if the man would like to contribute something worth occupying her mental faculties, the Magess would be far less inclined to insult him to his face. Truly, in the right environment even Morrigan could be amicable. Few managed to figure out what that environment was, however, before opening their mouths.

     

    "A crime that is made to appear as a ritual. A blade obviously used in a ritual. However, I must say," Morrigan visually surveyed the area, "this is perhaps the absolute worst place I would imagine performing a ritual. As for disposal of a ritual sacrifice I, again, find this far from ideal. I would except neonates to do better." Perhaps she expected too much of Human criminals. Or, perhaps, they weren't Human. Obviously not from her world, however; her kind would know how to properly dispose of a body. It involved erasing it from existence. Easier than it sounded for people engaging in real ritualistic casting. On this planet, however, with its limited supply? Real ritualistic magic Morrigan did not expect to find.

     

    Oh, perhaps that would be why there was a body.

     

    No. No, it seemed more likely this was staged. She refused to believe someone could be so sloppy. Refused. It would reflect poorly on real Mages if someone could fail so completely at their task.

     

    Morrigan's bright eyes turned toward 'Billy' as he wandered off with a single word in passing. Pleasure? She should hope so. The detectives might be fine at performing their jobs when magic was not involved, but when it was they were out of their element. That was not a judgment -- it was a fact.

     

    Then there was Nora. Morrigan blinked and furrowed her brow at the use of 'butt hurt.' Slowly the tips of her right hand rose to touch her forehead as the woman explained. "By the Ancestors, a 'Mage' did this?" Now that was insulting. "Unprofessional does not even begin to describe it. Even the youngest of Acolytes know how to properly stage a ritual; and they certainly know how to clear up after themselves." Her tone wasn't half as acidic as it'd been with the detective. No, the not-so-Human woman simply struggled to accept the terrible news.

     

    "I would very much like to look into this matter further," Morrigan said, not the least bit troubled at working with others to put an end to such a shameful 'Mage's' plot. If they didn't stop them they would ruin the image of what it meant to be a Mage. More to the point, people would fear them for all the wrong reasons. "I trust you will be continuing on this effort?" Her gaze was with Nora in particular, but she did spare a look over at her fellow Mage. The sooner they 'wrapped this up' the better off they'd all be.

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