Ceria-Day Two

"Not really. Though you should probably keep an eye on that man. Something's not right about him."

"Who are you and why are you here?" Kaley seems spooked, perhaps because she didn't notice this man sneak up on her?

"All in good time." The man replies calmly.

"I hate you already."

"Nice ring you got there, kid." The man says, sounding amused.

"Try anything, and I'll shoot you, got it?" Kaley says, lowering her weapon.

"Yes, yes, I'd expect no less."

Earan's eye twitches at the use of the word kid. After a brief struggle, he gets himself under enough control not to attack, waiting.

"I assumed you'd know why I'm here, Kaley Renon. For your... friends benefit, though, I'll explain."

Kaley twitches at the implied insult but says nothing.

"Kaley here was poking around in certain databases over the night. Quite a few, actually. She touched mine, and I was intrigued. However, what interests me more is that I saw her hologram. Very few people know about that particular building, considering it's one of the best kept secrets in pretty much everything. So tell me... What's your interest in it?"

"None of your business."

"Nn... Please don't fight!" Eda looks between Kaley and the stranger fearfully.

"She was attempting to manipulate me with information."

"Aaaah. And what's your answer? I've heard things about that building, the things it holds." The man seems genuinely interested, while at the same time speaking sincerely to Eda. "And you little girl. Adorable, but you could be a very dangerous enemy."

"Hey... did you notice that he's not supposed to be alive? Look at him like you would a ghost."

"I seek my information alone. I do not need assistance, nor do I want it."

Eda steps back and shakes her head quickly, plants wrapping around her legs.

"Ahaha! You'd rather stumble in the dark rather than accept a flashlight?" He glances back at Eda. "Hmm? Are you scared of little me? I assure you, I'm harmless. As harmless as... A flower. Yes, that's me, safe as a flower." He grins.

"Okay, that's getting annoying... Either of you about to let me shoot him?" Kaley rubs her head.

Eda shakes her head again, one of the plants attempting to hug her.

"I am not in the dark. I have a starting point. Shoot him if you like, I'm going back inside."

The air between him and the door shimmers slightly. "Not just yet, kid. I'm not done with you. So when did you get that ring?" He asks, his grin, sorta creepy now, still there.

"Three seconds. Three. Two. One." Kaley shoots at him, and the bullet disappears midway.

"Not yet. Sorry."

"I'm done with you. I earned it."

"Earned it, did you?" The man laughs once. "That's interesting. Last I heard, the government had it in high security. How'd you get past that?"

Kaley is now surprised, blinking.

"That was supposed to be high security? Standards must be dropping. Besides, it's easy using Spectral Separation and Manipulation."

"Ahah." He seems less amused. "Why not say the truth?" He grins again. "I'm sure you're not saying something... What else did you take?"

Kaley is still in shock.

Eda pulls herself away from the plants, running off.

She runs into a shimmery, clear wall.

"I have not lied. You inquired about the ring, I told you."

Eda stares at it, biting her lip. "I wanna go home..."

"Spirits can only do so much. One does not use a ghost against some of the highest tech in the city. Sorry, little one, but you'll have to stay here for a bit, I'm not done."

"I wasn't talking about a ghost."

"Just a phrase. Death magic, of the spiritual kind. Not the kind of thing used to counter technology of that caliber... You had help, didn't you? From Kaley here." He blinks. "That makes sense... Hmm... I like it. That puts things in perspective... But what does the daughter of the manipulator get out of this?"

Kaley snaps out of it, slapping the man hard on the face. Whatever he did to the bullet doesn't seem to help against her hand. "Don't ever speak of my mother." she says, absolutely enraged.

"Oh ho ho, I got you mad! That rather stung!" The man laughs and gets slapped again.

"Right, help her out, eh? She might be signing her own death if she keeps this up."