A lot had been going on.
Between the varied responsibilities of their lives, Joshua hadn't had much of an opportunity to see Animus at all; and as he thought of the text he'd received, and the note still on the table, he realized there was a lot going on in the city that he wasn't aware of. And with new developments, there were things the Herald wouldn't know as well.
Time to correct both of those situations, then.
Waiting for Animus, he gets himself a glass of water and thinks about how quiet its been here the last couple of months.

Animus walks in and heads for the kitchen. He fills a glass for himself and takes a couple gulps before sitting down at the table. Finally, he speaks. "It's been too long since we've had a chance to sit down and talk like this. How have things been going?"

Joshua shrugs, collecting his thoughts. "Things have been interesting," he says after a few moments, moving to a chair. "Our old friend from the Hostel is named Vector, and he's been making waves. Not only did he approach Theo once after we met him at the Hostel, but an expeditionary group out by the Tower Bridge saw him as well. Also, a Guardian investigating that mess at McClellan ran into him."
A thought comes to him then, and his face falls momentarily. It takes a lot of effort not to facepalm himself. "McClellan. He was at the Air Force Base... he probably stole the weapons and bodies, then, and gave them to whomever was guarding that pit in Granite Park. Stupid," he says, this last bit addressed to himself. He pinches the bridge of his nose with one hand.

"You can't beat yourself up over every clue that you miss, Josh. None of us grasp the full ramifications of everything immediately. It's what we do moving forward that matters." He sighs and shakes his head. "Besides, you're a good deal farther along than I am." He takes another gulp of water while he collects his thoughts.

"So, going forward, where do we stand? Is anyone else working on this, or is it just us for now? Do you think there's any sort of pattern to where he's been showing up? We know where his talents lie, at least."

"It's just... it's so obvious. I should have realized sooner." He's quiet for a moment, thinking the other questions over. "The Guardian I mentioned, Henry, is looking to see if he can find anything, maybe through the DMV--try to track that crotchrocket he rides. I've put out feelers to Arrows outside of town on the off-chance that he ever trained with them or associates, but with the scant info I put out I'm not expecting anything.
"I don't think there's been a pattern to his appearances. But he did tail Falx's group when they were at the Tower Bridge, and later that day they found themselves outside of the Kruegan's old Sanctum. So I don't know. Maybe he's connected to that somehow.
I need to investigate that bridge. Falx said there was something funny going on there."

Falx. Animus' gaze briefly flicks over to the letter still sitting on the table. What set that off? Dee's still too much of an unknown. He turns back to Joshua. "We should investigate the bridge together. Going alone is just asking for trouble. Besides, I think at this point the bridge may be the closest thing we have to a lead on Vector. Speaking of which, do you know when they explored the tower bridge? It could give another angle to come at this from."

Joshua almost opens his mouth to say he can handle the Bridge, but stops himself. Animus is right, and more to the point, Joshua trusts him; even more than some of the Arrows. He'll be able to take care of himself, Joshua thinks, And may offer a different perspective on things. Not to mention that he had a stake in Vector, too.
"You're right. We'll have to hit the Bridge together. They examined it... I think about two months ago now. It was mentioned to me, but I... dropped the ball on that one. Didn't get out there then. Hopefully it's not too late."

Animus chuckles. "Time is mutable. Even if we are too late, I may be able to catch a glimpse of the past. It won't be easy, and it won't be much, but it might reveal something useful. But hopefully, we'll be able to tell more from the present. The more
angles we cover, though, the more likely we are to come up with something."

Joshua crosses back to fill his glass again. Returning he asks, "What do you know of John Dee?"

"His letter caught me completely by surprise, and for more than just his heavy-handedness. It seems the Hierarch acted behind the scenes to convince him to join the ladder, and that she appointed him Lictor, but when I first read his letter I knew none of this. But he should not have the authority to dictate another Order's membership. If this is the way he handles judgement, I have to wonder what Andrade saw in him."

Joshua nods, glad he wasn't the only one who didn't know. "He over-reached by trying to rescind Falx' status in the Arrows. The boy..." Joshua sighs and shakes his head. "The boy made a mistake, a stupid mistake, but not a major one. Dee hit him with a mind bolt, kicked him out of the museum, and then sent out the notes. I went to see Falx not much later and he had only just stopped bleeding.
"A secret move to the Ladder though, that's interesting. I don't know what to make of that."

Animus, about to take another drink of water, pauses in mid-motion. "Mind bolt? Falx made a mistake, and Dee attacked him? That's inexcuseable."

Joshua, somber as ever, nods. "I agree. It was an extreme over-reaction. I was going to say something in my official capacity, but was told not to. Not sure why, but I may not have the backing necessary to try to levy the Lex against a Provost, even if he is in the wrong."

Animus sighs, slowly calming down. "Given the lengths Andrade must have gone to to put him where he is, we can probably assume that he has her protection, in addition to his own considerable immunity as a lictor. I can't help but wonder what effect this will have on the Consilium. If he continues to throw his weight around ..." A small part of him wonders if that's exactly what the Hierarch wanted, but he quickly dismisses the thought. It just didn't seem to fit in with anything he knew about her.

Joshua picks up the thread of the conversation. "We're in an odd position, with a Consilium forming almost completely from the ground up. Actions now will be used as precedents in later discussions of the Lex. The tone that's being set by someone in his position using force to enforce something like this..." He shakes his head. "I don't like where it could lead."

Animus sighs heavily. "Then it would seem we have a choice. Do we let it go, hope this doesn't become a pattern, and keep our entire focus on the external threats? Or do we try to divert the stream, and if so, how much are we willing to risk?"

Joshua echoes the sigh with one of his own. "At this point, I don't feel we have any choice. There are too many external threats to the Pentacle to waste time dealing with problems inside. Which may be what he's counting on in the first place. But there's simply too much to be taken care of."

Animus nods. "Then we should be ready to look into the bridge. Just to keep our options open, can you pin down the exact time Falx's group was there? If I could see them, even for a few seconds, I might find something useful beyond what we can see from the bridge itself. Any extra angle that we can cover is good."

"Right," Joshua says. "I'll talk to him about it, see if he remembers. If not I can give Errant a call as well. We'll pin it down and see what turns up."
Just making plans to do something went a long way towards making him feel better; that it was Animus he was working with eased his mind more.