(Heroes) Where Knowledge Waits

[Yumyumcrow]

The sun sits proud in an azure sky. Heat radiates from the hard ground. Leaves rustle and tremble in the slight breeze. Shadows mottle the wall of the little house squeezed obstinately into the estate on the expanding edge of town. The building is a little reminder of a lost rural fringe, with its wooden exterior and old sign hanging above the door from a wrought iron bar. Frankly, it looked banal and kind of quaint.

Jebediah's Rare Books.

The trail lead back here. The whole sorry mess (a grimoire; a foolish cultist; a strange possession) started and ended with this place.

A woman in jogging attire bounds by, led by her overly exuberant dog. She spares neither the book store, nor the pair of modern day adventurers, a second glance.

Star West Coco Cayce over to you.

[Coco]

Coco was dressed differently today, a slate grey pant suit with a modern cut clothing her form, thin leather gloves covering her hands, and a pair of round sunglasses shaded her faceted eyes. Unseen by mortal eyes, her antennae were wilting in the heat, yet her mask showed no such signs of distress. Such was the skill with which she schooled her features.

Idly, she leaned upon her cane, waiting for her accomplice to appear.

[Star]

The reliable roar of a Honda motor that sounded more like a two stroke engine than several hundred CC of displacement accompanied the appearance of a motorcycle that had definitely seen Better Days. Bare metal showed where (torn and scraped) plastic fairings had been removed, and the screech of paper thin brake pads heralded another triumphant reduction of speed.

A foot speared out the kickstand in a practiced motion and the rider dismounted. Khakis, an oxford covered by a light V-neck sweater, and a backpack.

And the helmet. Because motorcycle helmets are cool.

"supyo"

Finger flicked up the visor.

"Sup, yo."

[Coco]

"That is the question I have for you, Jack, though my version is not so inelegantly phrased," Coco replied, a slight smirk appearing on her lips. "We stand before another nest," she continued, "yet it is one we know nothing about. Indeed, there's entirely too much that we do not know about this situation. So what do you think that we should be looking for? Or do you believe we should simply attempt to...clean up?"

[Star]

"I know, right!"

Knuckles rapped on the helmet.

"I'm, like, totally prepared this time. In case, you know." Murder Death Kill. Remember, it's always best to be agreeable with someone after you've seen them stabberate someone else. That's right after that whole rule about Sicilians.

"And since when is 'Sup yo' inelegant? That's totally universal. Bah-weep-Graaaaagnah wheep ni ni bong. Anyway. I don't think the Society thing is gonna work, because this guy seems awfully plugged in. Unless." The helmet cocked. Take a look. Maybe. "You think he met Sophie? We could pretend you're Sophie. We've totally got her Society card. You'll just have to, uh...."

Fingers reached out and grasped a phantom dial, twisting counter-clockwise.

"Tone it down. A little? The bouncy thing. You're all, like, haaaaaay, where's the party at."

The hand fell.

"The weird is fine, though, you keep doing that."

[Coco]

The smirk evolved into a scowl at his insinuation. She was not weird! Simply unique.

"There, is that less bouncy enough for you?" she returned archly. "And he's obviously met Sophie, don't be daft. We should simply be customers. Perhaps see if he has any other books like the one she had."

[Star]

"Yeah." Brows furrowed. "You're probably right."

I am Jack's Totally Straight Face.

Ever call a murderer a weirdo? Scratch that off The Bucket List.

"Seriously, let's run through that. Are we Society, wanting Another Book to do another... whatever. Whatever that was. Or did we find out about The Book some other way, and if so, how." That's not a book you peep someone on the bus reading.

"Maybe I'm all super dialed in, but I gotta think there's a use for this Society card. Or. You know. We could..."

Risky.

"We could tell him Sophie's been, uh. You know. What you did. That, that happened. And so we need Another Book."

Bad news means a common enemy. Sometimes, that was pretty good currency.

[Coco]

"That last idea is not bad. No doubt he might be aware of her...unknown whereabouts by now, so we might be confirming what it already suspects. Very well. Let us proceed with that, Mr, Kerrigan," Coco decided, nodding to her accomplice and then turning to stride toward the Booke Shoppe...or whatever the Dragon was calling it.

The cane clinked along with her steps, Coco once more leaning upon it as though it were more than just an accessory, and a deadly one at that.

[Star]

Right.

A bounce like a startled rabbit got his fingers to the door before Le Carrot and pulled it open for her. Kerrigan. Right.

"I totes forgot your cover name."

Hey. It happens. Banishers. GLO. Consilium. Serial Murderers. Grocery shopping.

[Coco]

"Corday," Coco turned to reply, a smug smile appearing on her lips. "Ms. Corday will do."

It was a shame that he hadn't asked before he'd opened the doorway. She would have been quite tickled to tell him the full name. But, perhaps it was for the best. It would be unfortunate if their mark was given enough information to ferret her little joke out, after all. L'ange de l'assassinat was an cover identity which had to remain in a modicum of secrecy to effective, of course, even if that secrecy was only granted by ignorance.

Thus, that smile still upon her lips, she entered the shop...