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The Gift

Stephanie's Storyline, Chapter 8.3

copyright comidacomida 2018

"He moved here from the Midwest at the start of summer. Nice fellow... quiet, but good at what he does from what I understand... the report I received, as I said, was completed with an attention to detail."

Kyle's feathers puffed up and he stated simply "Moved from Wisconsin."

There were any number of additional questions I could have asked at that point. Taking in a deep breath, I had a name of a possible lead, and decided I should focus on this 'William Smith'. Addressing the coroner, I said simply "I appreciate your time. Thank you very much."

The coroner watched as I stood up, seemingly surprised by the fact that I wasn't going to try and get any more information from him. He held a piece of paper up for me. "Did you want the copy request form to send in to the OSME?"

I held up a hand and shook my head. His statement hadn't been wrong and, although I wasn't sure I was quite ready to take the plunge and have 'that talk' with my family, I knew the best way to make a hurried-but-non-descript exit would be to agree with him. "No thank you... I think maybe you were right... I should probably talk to my parents about it and not take up any more of your time."

The coroner had the kind of face that made it hard to tell what he was thinking and the way he nodded knowingly made me think that he may not have believed me, but at least he didn't press the issue. "Alright, Ms. Brenner... but if you change your mind you can always find the form online."

I stood up and carefully pushed the chair in. "Thank you."

I'd made it to the door and had just opened it when he added "I hope you find what you're looking for."

My answer was honest and to-the-point. "I do too."

Heading down the long hallway toward the exit, I began running over everything I'd learned in my head which, granted, wasn't much. Billy had been picked up from the river by paramedics and brought to the hospital where the corner went to collect him. The paramedic who'd handled the medical side of the incident report had recently moved from the mid-west-- Wisconsin specifically according to Kyle. I paused in my thoughts as the Raven conversed in Coptic behind me.

I waited until we were outside in the parking lot before I questioned them. "What are you two discussing?"

Anapa glanced to Kyle and asked him something; the Raven responded to the Jackal before addressing me. "Anapa and I were comparing notes. I think it might be a good idea to see what we can find out about that William Smith guy."

Medved let out a grunt as he added. "He has the same name as Billy."

Tom snorted. "There are only so many names, but ritual magic CAN be stronger when practitioners share something in common."

Kyle nodded. "Right... and neither of you believe in coincidences..."

I thought about Kyle's suggestion, but there was one major problem. "Well... if we WERE going to go look into him, we'd have to figure out where to start. The EMT service is a private company so we can't just walk into the hospital and ask."

The Raven tapped the end of his beak in thought and he got 'that look' in his eye. "Well... maybe we can... I mean, he IS a paramedic so it's only a matter of time til he shows up... right?"

Medved seemed to like the idea. "Yes, Lapushka.... and you may take the opportunity to have someone look over you."

Kyle didn't agree. "Actually, considering how far we are behind schedule maybe we should split up."

Tom's scowl went immediately deeper than I'd ever recalled seeing it before. "That is a horrible idea. It is safer for my Nekh'dah to have all of us."

Anapa asked something of Kyle, who paused to relay an answer, at which point the Jackal shook his head and held out a paw, jamming his index finger from the other paw into his palm, gesturing in a way that gave the impression of him trying to make an important point. When the Raven looked back he focused on me. "Anapa thinks that having all of us with you all the time will make you more of a target."

Tom objected immediately. "It keeps her safe. Four of us can mount a better defense than three."

Anapa shook his head, holding up four digits. "No... four, many." He dropped a finger. "Three weaker, and too many..." He dropped two more, holding up just his pinkie. "One... just one. Not too many... small. No see."

The Rhino shook his head. "Absolutely not. No. Until we figure this out my Nekh'dah needs as many protectors as she can get."

The Jackal offered an argument after Kyle translated the object; the Raven shrugged and provided the statement in English. "What about getting her back home? The ward is still in place... if we bring her home and only have one of us with her that'll mean she'll be safe AND subtle."

Tom made to object again, but Medved interrupted him. "Lapushka... we have finished with the coroner, and now we are adrift. I would prefer you see a doctor, but if you are certain that you are fine then--"

The Rhino interjected, addressing me directly. "Nekh'dah... it is getting late, and your parents will start worrying... returning home is wise. You have money to get a ride, do you not, my dear?"

I did, but, at the same time, it didn't help that I was still a little uncertain about where I should go. Kyle picked up on that. "You know, Stef... Spirits probably won't try anything in public. Maybe it MIGHT be a good idea to follow up on Aiden's invite for going to the movies and everything."

Medved shot a glance at the Raven. "You get extra Sprit Essence from that Human you used to Skin Ride when he's around my Lapushka... don't you?"

To Kyle's credit, he didn't lie. "That's not the ONLY reason I'm thinking she should go! Stef can't do much else tonight once it gets dark, and I'm sure Aiden's mom'd give her a ride home when it's all over, so it's a win-win."

He was right, but he was also wrong. "We still have more rituals to complete tonight... Anapa said there are a lot of ways to keep everyone safe and we've only done one of them."

Although I left the coroner's with no real direction in mind, as I stood in the parking lot I found myself with too many from which to choose. A lot of the Spirits' suggestions were perfectly valid but I had to figure out how to continue moving toward my end goal; I was running out of time to figure out what happened with Billy and the whole sacrifice thing. Taking a deep breath, I made my decision. I--