Topic: Following the Crumbs

Adalia Dodd

Date: 2008-01-16 20:22 EST
The Inn

Ghent approached the establishment from his usual route. After he moved onto the porch, he stepped around Gareth. ?Pardon.? And then in he went. Dark eyes looked around briefly before he headed to a booth.

Gareth stomped his feet a few times on the porch, nodding to Ghent, then moved in after the gentleman.

Ghent kept the hood of his sweatshirt up, even after he sat. An encounter earlier in the day had him feeling slightly jarred.

Ada looked at her watch as she approached the Inn. She was jogging and trying to read the numbers, and when she finally saw them, she pushed it to a full run. She barely managed to slow down long enough to grab the edge of the porch and swing around, clomping up the steps. She made a heck of a racket and as the door was ripped open, she slid through, looking around the Inn. She looked at her watch again, panting and obviously late.

Tea bags were finally removed from the mug and thrown in the trash before reaching for some lemon. Once done, Rena looked up and paused, quirking a brow. ?Should I call the cops??

Of course, Ghent looked toward the door at all of the commotion. He almost chuckled, but he restrained it to a smile instead. He said nothing though. He was just watching Ada.

She finally sees Ghent and immediately seems very relieved. She turns to look at Rena, shaking her head. "No cops -- thanks -- though." She was talking between breaths. And then she made her way towards the booth, a hand moving to hold her aching side.

?The cop comment was to him,? Rena replied with a chuckle, her head canting towards Gareth. ?But that works too.?

His dark eyes glanced to Rena for a moment when the two women exchanged words, then they shifted back to Ada as she sat down. ?Are you all right? You seemed to be in quite the rush.?

Ada placed her arms down on the table, then her head down on her arms as she tried to catch her breath. "I was running -- late." This was muffled, since her head was down.

He caught the "late" part, anyway. So, he nodded a little bit. ?Late for what, sweetie?? Had they planned something? He definitely forgot, if so. All he could think about was earlier.

She just held a hand up, trying to make him understand that whatever it was, it didn't matter. Finally, she sat up and looked across the table at Ghent. "Nothing. What's up?"

Ghent paused for a few moments, before he lifted the object at his side. He offered it to Ada across the table. ?I found your umbrella.? His tone was far from jovial, though.

Ada?s face lit up at the sight of the pink umbrella. She made an excited squeak and reached out for it. "Where did you find it? Oh, it's been gone forever!"

He wasn't sure if it would have the same effect on her. Maybe if he showed her the note first, but even then, he couldn't be positive. He pulled the umbrella back and produced a folded piece of paper from the pocket of his hoodie. ?Read this first.?

Ada looked like he had taken her favorite toy away, and she actually pouted a little when she took the note off of him. Sitting back in her seat, Ada read over the note and then just stared at it. She was obviously thinking it over.

He figured it was safe to put the object on the table, now. He almost smiled when she pouted, but he had to keep himself on track. So, he waited.

She mouthed one or two of the words, reading the note over and over again. Her expression stiffened as she tried to understand what she was looking at. She's not nearly as good at deductive reasoning as Ghent. But, she didn't remember writing the note.

Ghent was mostly watching her reaction now. Would it work? That was the question. Much of his memory had been restored. He wasn't sure if it was touching the umbrella, reading the note, or both that had actually done it.

It didn't really seem to do anything but confuse her. "Did you write this? I don't remember..." She frowned and turned the paper over, looking at it up-side-down.

?Not me, no. Someone very much like me.? He picked up the umbrella and offered it to Ada. Not insistently, though -- casually.

She took the umbrella and held the note loosely in her fingers. "Was it Lily?" Who else could it be, other than one of his sisters? After all, they were very much like him.

?No, it wasn't.? Ghent sounded a little disappointed when he spoke. Maybe whatever had happened was only meant for him. He sighed quietly and withdrew his hand.

She set the umbrella on the table and looked back at Ghent once again. "What is this? I-I don't understand..." And she didn't, but it was obvious to her that something was up.

?It's nothing, Ada.? He didn't think an explanation would do anything but confuse her more. Ghent got quiet, as he wondered what his options were now.

The umbrella was set next to her, and she picked the note up again. "I couldn't have written this... this is so neat. Like I would have used my right hand. But... it looks like my writing. I don't remember writing it..."

?You didn't, Ada. I did, in the future.? Maybe the direct approach would work. He gritted his teeth a little, though. He figured he had a large chance of her just getting more confused.

Ada immediately stopped letting her mind wander and became very focused on Ghent very quickly. She obviously needed to really pay attention now. "The future..." The last word was whispered across the table to him. "I had a dream last night..."

?About what?? He wasn't quite whispering, but he did quiet himself a little. Dark eyes were locked on Ada.

"You were going somewhere, and I was trying to stop you. But you were older, and you thought I was older." She wouldn't have thought the dream was that important, but when he mentioned the future, she had to mention it.

Ghent tried to think as to what might have related to that. Pieces of his memory were still missing, but maybe there was enough to solve that puzzle of a dream. His hood still hadn't been pulled down. He tilted his head to gaze at the tabletop. ?I see.?

"And then you said, something like, 'how did he kiss you?' or... like, 'well, did he kiss you?'" She wasn't too sure, and shook her head.

Ghent lifted a hand up to his head, pressing against the hood. His head suddenly started to hurt. He squinted hard, as the memory began to come back. ?You were stopping the future version of me from locating me.? It probably sounded confusing.

It did, and it was. Ada reached a hand out to make sure he was all right. "Yes." She was talking about the dream. "That was what happened, and then you said --"

Ghent looked up when Ada's words got cut off. He opened his eyes fully so he could look at her. The pain in his head was constant, but not extreme.

"I think I know who might be behind this. I mean, if it's the future, then it might be him." She didn't recall ever mentioning Theron to Ghent before. "He's a mage, and he can travel through time."

But, of course, Theron was very prominent in his restored memories. ?Yes, Theron.? He didn't hesitate to mention the man's name. His blood already began to boil.

Hearing her godfather's name out of Ghent's mouth shocked her. She looked around, to see if anyone was listening, then moved over to Ghent's side of the booth, her voice a low whisper. "Tell me what you know, Ghent. This is serious..." Honestly, she didn't have any conception of what Ghent knew, but she was certain that if time and Theron were involved, then something bad was happening.

?He wanted a price for helping you, Ada; a price that required something from the future.? He wasn't sure he should say what it was. Ghent's dark eyes definitely matched his current tone.

"What?" She leaned in a bit, her eyes glued on the note sitting on the table. She was starting to understand why everything had seemed so different since the night they had showed back up at the guest house.

?Our daughter.? Ghent spoke quietly. He lowered his head a little, so that his eyes weren't visible. He remembered stealing the baby from their future selves now. It explained why he had been feeling so terrible.

The breath seemed to catch in Ada's throat, and she tightened her jaw. She didn't remember what had happened, but the feeling attached to it rushed back to her. A hand was placed firmly on the bench, and she leveraged herself out of the booth, collecting up her things.

He lifted his head slightly, when he heard the noises from her getting up. ?Where are you going, Ada?? His tone was devoid of emotion, though. He wasn't sure if she remembered and was trying to get away from him, or if it was something else entirely.

"I'm ending this now." Adalia's tone was uneven, and already her hands were shaking, but she looked and acted like someone who was determined. "I-I don't know what this is, but it will end." It felt like there was a ball of ice settled in her stomach.

?I'm coming with you.? Ghent shut his eyes for a moment and then moved out of the booth. He pulled the Jericho out of its holster and examined Ada for a moment.

What could she say to that? She wouldn't turn down his help. "I should have never asked for his help." The note was shoved into her pocket, and the umbrella hung off of her wrist. It just made it seem all the more obvious that she was shaking, though. But, she headed for the door, anyway.

?It's all right, Ada. This isn't your fault.? Ghent cocked the gun and followed after Ada. Negotiation was definitely not something on his mind.

"Come on..." She pushed the door open and held it for him. She would start looking in the most obvious place.

((This is adapted and edited from the public play of January 16th, 2008, in the Red Dragon Inn without permission from all parties involved. For more information, or to request parts of this are removed, please PM Adalia Dodd))

Adalia Dodd

Date: 2008-01-16 20:47 EST
The West End

They would have to cut through the marketplace to get to Theron's home. Ada kept an eye out for anything suspicious as they walked, but she was feeling a bit like she was being pulled in too many directions at once. "Our child? As in, yours and mine?" She wanted to confirm these things, while she had the time.

?Yours and mine.? He nodded a little. The Jericho was held loosely at his side. Now that his memories were almost complete, he knew better than to not watch for Theron.

Ada kept up her pace, gesturing a bit pointedly as they walked. "I can't believe it. I just can't believe that something like this happened." Hindsight was, indeed, 20/20, because she was starting to see signs that Theron was going to double-cross her from the beginning. "I thought it was ominous that he warned me about needing help. That bastard..."

?Bastard doesn't quite fill those shoes.? Ghent was doing his best to remain calm, but he was struggling. He knew trying to fight in anger often resulted in mistakes. ?And to think just the other day I was considering planning how to propose to you. And now all of this returns.? He hadn't actually meant to reveal that, but it was a good contrast.

She glanced over at him, and stopped, reaching out to grab his hand and stop him, too. Of course, it was counterproductive to their immediately mission, but it was something she felt they could lose a minute over. "It's funny you should say that, because I think you called my bluff last night." Ada squeezed his hand and patted her jacket pocket, like she was looking for her keys.

Ghent's expression softened a little bit when she stopped him. He looked over Ada for a moment, briefly considering her words. ?Did I? I wasn't too sure.?

"No, I wasn't, either." Ada reached into her pocket, and for the first time in probably forever, she found exactly what she was looking for right away. She looked at the ring that she had picked up in the market -- it was two-tone and silvery. Probably brushed platinum in the center, and white gold on the sides. "But I think I am now." She held the ring up for him.

Considering the situation, Ghent really shouldn't have even half grinned. But he did. Ada meant so much to him that it really was hard to express. He examined the ring for a moment and then sought her eyes with his own. ?So.. does this mean you're asking me, rather than the other way around??

"I hope so, because this won't fit me, and I can't take it back now." She couldn't help but smile, either. It hadn't been what she had expected when she bought the ring and planned to ask. But it still meant something, even with problems looming on the horizon.

Ghent grinned a little and lowered his head. ?My father would have a fit...? He smiled at Ada and nodded, when his eyes lifted back to her. ?I will, Ada.? And Ghent offered his right hand.

"Oh, thank God for that." She honestly looked relieved, like he would have turned her down. Ada put the ring on and frowned when it seemed too loose for his finger. "Huh. I guess it was meant for someone else." But she was only teasing him, and left the ring on his finger so she could hug him and give him a big smooch.

He actually managed to chuckle a little at her teasing. He returned the hug. The kiss, well, despite the circumstances it was a special occasion. He made sure to add some heat to it, so she would be sure of how he felt. ?We'd better go.?

"Mm." She nodded and started moving once again. There was still some nervousness under her excitement, but the whole moment had done well to calm her down and let her think. "He probably already knows we're coming. He'll be waiting, or he'll be gone." Ada doubted they would be able to surprise Theron.

?I hope he's waiting to die, then.? Ghent was definitely annoyed. And their tender moment, kiss included, probably had his young brain pumping testosterone out at an insane rate. The words were a little arrogant, that was for sure. ?We'll see.?

She took a shortcut through and alley and when they got to the end, she stopped and peeked around the corner. The alley was empty, and from what she could tell, everything was quiet. Her voice lowered to fit the mood. "We need to be careful."

Ghent made sure to be close to Ada. A large gap between them wouldn't be good, as he recalled the last part of the encounter in the future that he remembered. The Jericho was lifted to settle in both hands. ?As you say. I'll watch behind us.?

Before the either of them could really close the half-block distance between them and Theron's house, there was a large implosion. For a moment, it seemed like everything was sucked from the air around the both of them. There was no sound, or oxygen -- only a very bright light. It lasted just milliseconds, before all Hell broke loose and the sound wave and the shockwave knocked them both off of their feet.

If Ghent would have considered it, he would have thought it a flashbang the size of ship or something. He really didn't get that opportunity. His eyes were still trying to readjust and all he could hear was ringing. He was trying to get back onto his feet.

Ada was following Ghent's example, though she was more worried about someone catching them in a vulnerable spot. She scrambled to her feet, turning a complete circle to see if she could see someone nearby, aside from them. "Are you okay?" She couldn't even hear herself talking, so she imagined Ghent couldn't hear it, either, so she held one hand to her ear and gave him a thumbs down with the other.

He understood the gestures quickly. Once he was back on his feet, he shook his head a little. He wondered what the hell just happened. He made the same hand gestures to Ada, to indicate he couldn't hear anything either.

She went to move closer to him, but movement caught her eye and she turned to look and see who is was. In the midst of everything, she saw a coat disappear around the corner of a neighboring building, and she was off, chasing after whoever it was.

?Ada, wait!? Ghent took off after her, he could start to hear his own steps finally. The Jericho was held upward as he ran after her. What had she seen, he wondered? He shook his head and kept on going.

She could see the back of the person she was chasing, by that time. "Stop!" She heard herself say it, and it sounded rather like she didn't know what she was doing. So, she tried again, mustering some force behind her words. "Freeze!" She wished she had a gun and a badge to go with the words. Still it seemed to have an effect on the man she was chasing, who slowed some and was obviously looking for a place to hide.

Ghent was starting to catch up. He could see Ada now, at least. He threw the hood backward so his vision would not be obscured. And then, he broke into a full run. He wanted to be sure they stayed close. He didn't like this one bit.

When the man didn't stop, she continued the chase, and just managed to catch the man's face as he rounded the corner and looked back at them. "It's Jad!" She recognized the Lieutenant Colonel from the picture on his clinic paperwork, and knew that Ghent would do better trying to get Jad than she would.

?What?!? Ghent exclaimed that rather loudly and out of disbelief. His head started to hurt again. He remembered how they finally stopped Theron, now. ?Jad! Wait!? Ghent was running as fast as he could.

Ada hadn't given up chase, either, but when she rounded the corner, she skidded to a halt on the icy road, and nearly slammed into a light pole and mailbox. Jad had turned to face her, waiting on the threshold of what appeared to be a portal. He didn't say anything, just looked at her, and waited for Ghent to round the corner.

Ghent lowered his gun a little as he rounded the corner. His eyes widened at the portal. He also quickly glanced toward Ada, to make sure she was okay. ?Jad, wait! I just want to talk!?

But it was too late. As soon as he knew Ghent had seen him, Jad stepped back into the portal and disappeared. Ada looked at Ghent, and then advanced on the spot where Jad had been. "I thought he was dead!" It was like she was reliving her reactions of the days previous.

For the very first time in his life, Ghent was completely dumbfounded. His arms, and gun by extension, hung loosely at his side. He just stared at where Jad had been. ?No, Ada, he was not. Theron tried to make you pay a debt for something he never finished.?

"And Jad's working with him?" She was trying to work this out, but nothing seemed to click. For the second time today, she had a hand at her side, trying to calm the stitch in her side from running. "I think he wanted us to believe he killed Theron."

?That doesn't make any sense. He was helping me in the future, not Theron.? He was breathing a little heavily, but had little other visible reaction to all the running. He did it every day, after all.

Yeah. She did a lot of walking, and not a lot of running. Although, she was considering getting into the habit, so chases wouldn't be so difficult. "Then he was trying to tell us something. That must be it -- why would he even wait to go into the portal?"

?He wanted to be noticed. I just don't know why.? He turned his eyes from the previously occupied space to Ada. Ghent really didn't understand what Jad had wanted them to see, beyond himself.

She frowned and looked in the direction of Theron's home. She could see the smoke over the tops of the buildings, and they seemed to be at least two blocks away, not too far from the outskirts of the city. "We need to find him, then." But she really had no intentions of searching for him. "I'm going to see if I can find anything at Theron's."

?I hate to split up, but I should probably try to find Jad.? Ghent grimaced a little. He moved over toward Ada to offer his gun. He'd be all right with just his knife, if he needed a weapon.

Ada nodded and took the Jericho from him, keeping it down at her side. "Just be careful. I'll let you know what I find, and if I'm not back by tomorrow, then something's happened." It was rather matter-of-fact compared to Ada's usual mentality. "Please, be careful." She must have thought it was worthwhile to repeat it.

He struggled with the thought of something happening to her. It probably changed his facial expression a little, not that he felt it. ?I'll be okay. You be careful, too.? Normally, he would have left it at that and taken off. This time, however, he came close to Ada and kissed her soundly.

And she's always at least a little star-struck, after he's kissed her. She even makes a sort of happy sigh sound, before stepping back. "I will be. I love you -- I'll see you at home." One last look, and then she turned and headed back for Theron's intent on trying to find some clues.

And he went the other way. Trying to think of where he might find Jad, if he was indeed still in this time.

((This is adapted and edited from the play of January 16th, 2008, with permission. For more information, please PM Adalia Dodd))

Adalia Dodd

Date: 2008-01-16 23:43 EST
Sifting the Ashes

Ada had to go back to Theron's house -- she wasn't going to leave it to chance and assume that there was nothing to see there. She watched Ghent leave, his Jericho held firmly at her side. The robot arm was becoming more and more accurate with each day that passed, and she was even starting to receive impulses back from the circuity. Her fingers moved, and she could feel the texture on the handle of the gun. If it were for the smoldering house that she had to investigate, she would have taken the time to marvel over the cybernetic achievement.

As she reached the edge of his block, she pressed herself against the wall of a building and peeked around to see if there was anyone around. When she saw that there was no movement, she lifted the Jericho and started closing the distance between her and the smoking house. Most of the fire had died down already, but it was very clear that little was left of her godfather's former home.

She made a quick check on the area, and then let the gun rest at her side again. She could feel the weight of the gun, pulling down on her already weighted right side. It made her think about how she would probably benefit from her own gun, at some point.

The house Ada was standing in front of looked like it had been ground zero for a nuclear blast. Everything that had been inside was decimated -- pulled together by the implosion into a heaping pile of black wood and metal. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought it would make interesting modern art.

Once past where the door had been, Adalia started searching for clues of Theron's whereabouts. He hadn't been in the house, but it had been destroyed by magic, so she imagined he must have been nearby. Or, he had set a trap. Either way, no one had been seriously injured by the implosion, and Ada had Jad to thank for that.

Carefully, she kicked aside pieces of charred wood, and sifted through half-burnt piles of paper. She even found some old military paperwork that contained her godfather's service record and accomplishments. And, just because she was feeling a bit spiteful, she kept them so that she could properly dispose of the records later.

It wasn't until she was on her way out that she noticed some color amidst the black, ashy remains of a house. It looked like the edges of a stack of pictures, so she reached down to grab one, and found that one end was sealed closed from the heat.

The Jericho was set aside so that Ada could flip through the stack of pictures. At first, it was difficult to separate top picture, which was completely blacked and unrecognizable. But as soon as she got to the second picture, and then the third, she was already ready to leave. Ghent's gun was picked up as she passed the ledge it had been resting on, and Ada started for home. It was the third time that day that she had to run.

----------------------

When Ada stepped through the door, she immediately started looking for Ghent. A quick search of the house told her that no one was home -- she imagined Lily and Emma were still gone for the day, and Ghent was probably still looking for Jad.

But, this was important, so she went into Ghent's room and scrawled a note, leaving ashy streaks around where she wrote.
Ghent,

You need to see these -- really look at these pictures. Is this bait? I think they're from the future.

-Ada
Underneath the note, she left the flip-book of half-melted pictures. The pictures seemed to be a chronicle of several days in the future, where Theron was traveling the realm with a very young toddler -- a little girl with red hair and dark eyes.

((This was written for play on January 16th, 2008, and reposted here for continuity purposes. Any questions should be directed by PM or e-mail to Adalia Dodd))