Gathering again.
As his cab pulled up, Jason's phone buzzed.
"Jason?" Orli's voice.
"Speaking. We are on our way to the airport." A moments pause as he got into the cab, then "The flight is in an hour, and we didn't want to be late."
Silence for a moment. "I had almost forgotten."
"Well a good thing you called then! What's up. did you find out anything new?"
"Oh yes," her voice was considered, and heavy. "I'm just trying to decide what to do here, and whether we should try to switch to a later flight. Maybe if I just tell you, and you can give your opinion?"
Another brief pause, and she sighed. Then turned more businesslike.
"I think I know what happened to Nat. He fell, but it was a nasty set-up job with a Shedite -- I remember Karen mentioned one at the church. Do you know if she destroyed it or if it is still around? I.. ahh.. found one of it's hosts. It was the doctor."
Jason said, "I'm not sure if she killed it, I don't think so. Hmmm, I just spoke to a man who saw the whole thing and I figured the doctor for a demon or at least one possessed by one."
Lynne kept her voice down at this point, turning away from the woman.
�Basically -- the woman had been set up for years by the corruptor. She had an abusive, murderous brother who had been stalking her. It sent her into the church and made sure Nat resonated her .. and he killed the brother to protect her. I don't know what Nat has done since then, but I have a contact number for him and she says he spoke to her this morning. I'm trying to decide if I should chase him up or not.. but if you or Karen want to follow it then you could. I think the doctor is a good woman, and she DOES need to be protected -- I hate to ask but is there any way you could...?"
Jason cut in before the request was even a request. Without thought he replied "Of course, where are y...check that, I am near the church and if there are any demons about they could easily pick up our conversation on a pair of cell phones. I think you might want to hang out in New York for a little while. I think that Karen or I better attune ourselves to the other person I mentioned, I think they are next and might be a good link to whoever is behind this."
Jason held the cab door open for Josh and put a hand up for the driver to wait a moment.
On the other end of the phone, Lynne let out a breath. "Thanks Jason. I... you'll understand when you meet her." There was a certain amount of emotion behind the words. She paused a moment, and continues more steadily.
"I hadn't been too keen to delay but.. under the circumstances I think you're right. We may need to hang around a while longer. I.. there's something I have vaguely in mind, apart from the rest I mean. I think now may not be the best time to discuss it though. We can head back to your place and debrief?"
She added, after a moment. "I don't want to push you or Karen into overextending.. so if I can help at all, let me know."
"OK, we'll be there in about 30 minutes. I'll let Karen know."
After hanging up Jason told the cabbie to take them back to his place and fills Josh in what Lynne said.
"It appears that Lynne has found the Doctor, she was apparently used by a Shedim to get at Nathaniel. She is going to meet us back at my apartment. I've got a bad feeling about this. Too many Shedim, or an all too active one. I want to let Karen know what is going on."
Josh nodded, eyes wide.
Jason called Karen up.
"Karen, we seem to have some news, Lynne found the Doctor who saw Nathaniel, and it seems that a Shedim was involved in a pretty elaborate setup. We're going to meet back at my place in about half an hour. Do you want to meet us, or should we give you a call? I think we are going to have to get some more help soon."
Karen seemed somewhat disturbed and distant, as if her concentration is focused on something else, but she said "That's great...but did you find Nathaniel himself? Or any sign of him? Oh and sure...I�ll meet you there, although we still have a flight before us before we reach New York. I should be back at about 7 pm. Oh and I�ll be bringing someone with me...the man Denis Shiel, who I may or may not have told you about."
"I'm not sure, I'll know more when I see the Doctor. Talk to you tonight."
Jason then moved Lynne/Josh's reservations back by a day.
Lynne got off the phone to Jason, and gathered herself together. The doctor, in no mood to object, was easily directed to get the rest of the day off, and Lynne then bundled her into a taxi, and back to Jason's place.
She arrived to find both Josh and Jason in the apartment, obviously having just arrived a few minutes before.
Dr Willis was a small woman, apparently in her early thirties, with short cropped black hair and deep brown eyes. The last of these were red rimmed from tears, and deeply troubled, and she seemed to have a faintly dazed expression, and an air of crushed confidence.
Josh, highly intuitive about mood, immediately offered coffee in a gentle, reassuring voice, which the doctor nodded her acceptance of, then he headed straight for the kitchen.
Lynne and Jason exchanged a look. The doctor did not really seem to have taken in her surroundings.
The Mercurian was hovering around her newest friend with a worried, proprietorial air, which was probably more obvious to the people who know how collected she usually was than it was to the woman herself.
"Let me do some introductions," she said quietly, projecting reassurance. "Evalyn, this is Jason. He's a guardian angel, and a healer, and a good friend. You can trust him."
Lynne waved a hand at between the two. She considered her words, settling for "This is Evalyn. She's a doctor, and a good person who is capable of giving and deserving a great deal of love. And she has been through some very bad times, and done some bad things... and been judged."
"She's been fighting that Shedite for years now. It took /years/" she added, voice pitched for Jason.
It seemed almost a matter of personal pride for her that humans could keep battling like that.
Jason smiled broadly and chuckled at Lynne's emphasis. "Don't worry Lynne, I know *Doctor* Willis already...if not directly." Jason took her hand, attuning himself to her in the process....
... Jason was immediately aware of the fact that Evalyn would come into great danger in six and one half days time. The danger would be of some moral or spiritual nature, as well as a physical one. That would place it around next Sunday morning. Aside from this, she should be safe until then at least if she lived her life in a normal fashion ...
..and shook it warmly. "I was in the Emergency Room the night you saved Gunter Weharn. If I didn't know better I would have thought that you were the Angel, and not I. But the really impressive part was your follow through in getting him into a rehab clinic and helping him to turn his life around. If everyone cared as much, and was willing to help as much, as you do I would not be needed here. I really appreciate what you did for him and the many other lives you have saved."
Leading her to a comfortable chair, he motioned for her to sit as Josh brought out the coffee.
At the contact of their hands, Evalyn started as if having received an electric shock, and stared at Jason with highly perceptive eyes. There was a brief moment, and all in the room sense the faint Tone of Attunement stretching gently through the room. The three of them became aware of an image superimposed upon Jason�s mundane body, translucent, yet strong.
He was a large, powerful lion, midnight black with silver eyes, mane and claws, and a silver tuft at the end of his tail. He had a halo of gold that glittered off his fur as he moved, making his whole body seem to shimmer.
Then the moment passed, and all was normal again. Josh walked back into the room with coffee mug in hand.
Lynne nodded to Jason, in a semi-formal acknowledgment. She also mouthed a 'thank you,' and stood back quietly to let the pair talk. As a vague relief swept the concern from her face, she was left with a hint of the unbending aspect of judgement. She glanced to her servant and even that was gone, as if it were never there.
Jason's comments brought Evalyn back to clarity. "Thank you..." she said softly, without clearly articulating what for. There was a moment more of silence from her, then, "I almost killed Gunter, you know. /It/ was with me that day..."
Josh, by some supreme effort of agility, managed not to spill the coffee. He raised an eyebrow to Lynne, as he set down the plunger.
"I think the general idea is to keep the hot black stuff inside the cold china object," Lynne advised Josh brightly, taking his arm after he had passed over the coffee.
She lowered her voice. "Things been OK? I hadn't forgotten that I said I had a few things to explain, if you had any questions... if you feel up to it, now might be the time." Catching sight of her reflection in the glass of the window she interrupted herself, and extracted a comb from her pocket, tidying her hair. Her gaze fell on the reflection of the other two for a long moment and she hummed atonally to herself.
Josh shook his head mildly. "No, 'm fine... just the murder comment caught me off guard..." he muttered. "I don't mind, fill me in when things get organized..."
Jason patted Evalyn's hand reassuringly, smiling warmly. Handing her the recently delivered coffee he said "Here, this will help." As she looked down to take the cup Jason winked at Orli and gave a quick smile before turning his attention back to Evalyn.
"Don't worry about that, the past is past. You are safe for the moment. What can you tell me about 'it'? I see a choice in your future, and maybe some danger as well. The more I know about the adversary, the more help I can be to you. A name, mannerisms, or a description of any kind could help. In fact, I would love to hear the whole story if you can bear to tell it."
She nodded, then paused and shook her head. "Maybe... later? she said, voice trembling a little. Her eyes lowered, and from this angle she did quietly speak. Not the whole story, but a description of a kind.
"It... It always spoke of me and it as if we were the same person... 'we' or 'us'. And ... and I remember It. From a nightmare... or maybe I saw It really, and I thought it was a nightmare. I am not sure. It had mouths... many mouths, and thick tongues with mouths on the tongues and teeth... And it looked everywhere with eyes that opened out of the wrong places..."
"I never had a name for It. I was not even really sure it was not just me. A part of me that I kept suppressed."
Jason gently asked, "Did it mention 'Despair' as a possible name for itself... or seem to summon up feelings of despair frequently?"
Jason senses a faint harmonious echo, as of thought made light made thought, and then, like gentle brushstrokes through silken hair, Orli and Jason were sharing thoughts.
*Jason. I Thought We Might Speak Quietly So As Not To Disturb The Others.*