Drake runs in along the cleared path and finds the Latino guy from the crime scene (not that Drake knows that), with a shining silver sword, cursing up a storm. The players flip out a bit – he’s a Warden? Crap! Save him! They get him out of the building and he looks grateful, though a little confused about why the Cop who was investigating the magic shop earlier is here.
River, having had trouble with a Warden in the past (she may have almost caused a tsunami in Japan at one point in her backstory), hides behind Drake. Aya, who up until now had been mostly operating in the dark (Yay, Lore Score of 0) gets some info about the White Council and what a Warden is. With the cops en route already, they question the man – whom they find out is named Steven Marcos.
Marcos is the local warden in the area. The fire was caused by a red court vampire who wanted to prove something. This is the fourth time his home has been bombed in the last two years. Realizing that the cops were going to be there in only a few more minutes, he asks to stash his sword with Drake – whom identified himself as a member of the Ventori. Drake gives Marcos his home address, and everyone splits before the cops show, because no one wants to explain that one.
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Marcos shows up at Drake’s house and speaks with him briefly. He warns him that, with the Vampire-Wizard war going on, and with a practitioner on the premises, he ought be especially careful that nothing happen to her. Furthermore, he says that she should be tested at the first opportunity. Drake agrees, even though River does NOT want to be a member of the White Council, as traumatized as she was by the last warden she met in Japan.
Marcos leaves, and they turn on the news only to find that three of the guards at the Calvieri Institute were murdered last night. Their bodies were found, flayed, in the woods around the school. Unfortunately, there were no leads – according to scuttlebutt around the police station that Aya hears. In accordance with their wishes, their bodies are being buried as quickly as possible, with the funeral services being arranged by the Institute, so that the students could all attend if they wished. This strikes everyone as rather strange.
They get a letter in the mail, delivered by courier, inviting both families to the service – given that they're now members of the Calvieri Institute Family, it would mean a lot for all involved if they showed. River wants to go. Eve doesn't, but is convinced that she will by an extremely earnest River. They make arrangements for Eve to attend with River and Drake, since Aya has work.
At Aya's job, she begins investigations into the theft at the Magic Shop in earnest. Forensic evidence points to blood from one Dimitri Sevastopol. They were also able to get a handle on the patterning of one bullet – and could match it to the gun that fired it if they had access to both. Aya left a note with records, asking for some information on the murders at the Institute, the Fire at the Arcade, and background on the institute itself. With those requests in, he left for the Sevastopol home.
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Mrs. Sevastopol answers the door, and is extremely accomodating, though she doesn't seem to know much. She seems genuinely shocked to find out that Dimitri is possibly involved in a crime, but admits that he didn't come home last night. She assumed he was staying the night at a friend's house. Aya asks about who he hangs out with and gets a short list. Dimitri spends almost all his time with his brother Christopher, an old friend of theirs named Julie Dettson, her boyfriend Kryp Dittant, and a girl named Diane who only recently started hanging out with them. His mother commented that she thought he might've been involved with Diane, but wasn't sure.
Christopher comes down the stairs, wearing a blacksmith's apron. He's headed to work – up at the local reenactment village. He's the village blacksmith, as if that wasn't obvious. Aya asks him the same list of questions, and gives mostly the same answers. Doesn't know Diane's last name – she's new in town, and he's bad with names in general. He invites Aya to the blacksmith's shop if she can think of anything else to ask. Aya thanks them both and departs.
Aya is getting the sense that this group of five is somehow in over their head, and it all seems to be circling around the theft of the piece of the Temple. You don't need to be chosen of Bast to know that powerful things generally lead to powerful bad stuff happening. Aya makes a break back to the police station to investigate the rest of the names while the others arrive at the funeral ceremony.
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