>>"This... This was my favorite jacket. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a jacket in my size? I'll tell you. Its impossible, everything i wear is tailor made. Well, at least you missed my ribcage. Your an awful shot."

Well, this was embarrassing. Utterly and painfully. Sveta but the inside of her palm. Now she was not as much scared of the guy that looked like Death as ashamed of her reaction. So much for being a hardass vigilante. Good job Sveta.

>>"OK, you've gone all weird, have you stopped screaming oh good you have. Its because I'm a skeleton isn't it.?Yes, it can be a little overwhelming for some people. I'll tell you what. While you sort yourself out I'll tell you what I know, then you can tell me what you know and we can meet somewhere in the middle."

And then she was sitting on the curb like a good little girl, gun tucked away, and listening to the mind-bogging details the skeleton guy had dug up on the case. Her case. The case she had been working on.
She looked at the pictures to avoid looking at him.

>>"Do you recognize them? I'm guessing they work for this mutant called Jason Romero. I've never heard of him and have no idea where in the docks I should start looking. Or even why their taking all these women."

She shook her head quietly and sorted through the scant information in her head, trying to fit in the pieces.

>>"Who are you anyway? Aside from being a bad shot and having an awful sense of fashion that is."

What she was, more than ever, was embarrassed. Dammit.

"Dey call me Scarlet Russian" she said, it sounded stupid said out loud "My name is Efimia Nikolayeva." not the real name, naturally, Sveta was not a complete idiot "I... came here like one of dose girls. I'm a mutant. I... wanted to help them."

Clay nodded slowly. "The Scarlet Russian. Well it could be worse. They call me the Skeleton Detective. Which i guess is better the being called that skeleton that happens to be a detective. And my mates used to call me Beetle when i was in the army. Mostly because i was either scurrying around everywhere or flat on my back. Those fields were slippy... Either way that's a lot worse than The Scarlet Russian." He sat back staring into the middle distance, remembering.

"You know, whatever it is your doing. Its nice. I haven't felt this alive in years, not since... Well. Thank you Miss. Nikolayeva, I truly appreciate it." He stood and stuffed his notes back into his jacket. "But lets hope this sudden urge to breath doesn't develop into a need. I'm lacking some of the equipment."

He clapped his hands together making a loud clacking sound. "Right, now tell me. You are a group of criminals kidnapping a large group of girls. Your chosen base is at the docks. But where? And why are you taking them? Come on Miss. Nikolayeva, where you put them?"

>>"The Scarlet Russian. Well it could be worse. They call me the Skeleton Detective. Which i guess is better the being called that skeleton that happens to be a detective. And my mates used to call me Beetle when i was in the army. Mostly because i was either scurrying around everywhere or flat on my back. Those fields were slippy... Either way that's a lot worse than The Scarlet Russian."

"Yeah. At least it's not Red Russian." Sveta smirked bitterly, still processing the fact that she was sitting on a curb talking to a skeleton. That happened to be a detective.

>>"You know, whatever it is your doing. Its nice. I haven't felt this alive in years, not since... Well. Thank you Miss. Nikolayeva, I truly appreciate it... But lets hope this sudden urge to breath doesn't develop into a need. I'm lacking some of the equipment."

It took her some time to catch up and get what he was talking about. She had forgotten her aura lately, especially since it grew a limit, and Jude was not around to boost it out of control.

"Dat." she blinked "Dat's my aura. It's... it should be fine."

Even though he was being all chatty and nice, there was no reason to trust him with everything right away.

>>"Right, now tell me. You are a group of criminals kidnapping a large group of girls. Your chosen base is at the docks. But where? And why are you taking them? Come on Miss. Nikolayeva, where you put them?"

"I'm not... oh." she shook her head, finally arriving to the current point of the conversation "Efimia is fine. Or Effie." she sighed "And I have no idea. I have been trying to figure dat out too. I... came in on an airplane, a long time ago. Never been around the docks. But... I would assume dey check abandoned buildings first. I would probably use a building that looks like it is being used, by some company."

The skeleton paced as he listened to Miss. Nikola-, no Effie. His mind was jumping back and forth, from motive, to location, to Effie and then back to motive. He felt full of energy, senses that had dulled or been forgotten were sharp. He could almost feel his pulse, and that was just weird. He rolled his shoulders and his finger went up to trace the bullet hole in his shirt.

"Airports, docks and auras oh my." Clay muttered paraphrasing Dorothy. Then he stopped pacing and sagged back down to sit back down on the curb. "Sorry, I'm all over the place. I feel like I've just been shot up with adrenaline. Which is weird since my adrenal gland seems to have wandered off."

He lent back on his hands and sighed tilting his head back. His hat shadowed his eye sockets and he went unnaturally still. Clay tried to organize his thoughts and rid himself of the hyperactive feeling that was rippling through his spirit.  What kind of mutation made dead people feel more alive? Maybe it had a different effect on the living? He would like to ask but sensed that the masked woman didn't want to talk to him about it..

When he spoke he was much calmer. "I'm getting paid to be here. But what about you Efimia? Why are you here? Do you know someone who's missing?"

>>"Airports, docks and auras oh my. Sorry, I'm all over the place. I feel like I've just been shot up with adrenaline. Which is weird since my adrenal gland seems to have wandered off."

"I tend to have dat affect on people." Sveta smirked a little. The skeleton seemed to be completely at ease with... being a skeleton. There was nothing about him from the usual mutant angst and sulk. Well, nothing visible anyway. It was hard to tell without facial features.

>>"I'm getting paid to be here. But what about you Efimia? Why are you here? Do you know someone who's missing?"

Yes. Me.

Sveta shrugged.

"Do I need a reason?" she asked honestly "Dere are girls going missing and no one looking for dem. I have the means to help. Why would I not help dem?"

It sounded weak, said out loud like that. People did not believe in plain good will anymore.

Clay watched as the masked vigilante shrugged. She had a point, good people didn't need a reason for doing the right thing. And rescuing these girls was definitely the right thing to do. But he sensed that wasn't the only reason she was looking for these girls. That she wasn't telling him the whole truth. The skeleton found that he didn't mind and decided not to press the point. Everyone deserved a few secrets.

The skeleton stood and stretched his back. He pulled out his scarf and sunglasses and carefully fixed them in place. His hat was adjusted until it was angled perfectly then he fussed at the bullet hole in his shirt. Grumbling to himself he fastened his suit jacket closed to cover it. Once he'd finally finished preening he offered the Scarlet Russian a gloved hand to help her up.

"If you'd like we could work together." Clay offered. "We both want the same thing after all and many hands make light work. I'm going too shake down a few people at the docks. See what drops loose."

>>"If you'd like we could work together. We both want the same thing after all and many hands make light work. I'm going too shake down a few people at the docks. See what drops loose."

"Do I get a cut of the pay?" Sveta asked. There was a moment of quiet before her lips turned up into a shaky smile. Of course she did not expect to get paid for all this. Being a vigilante traditionally paid sh*t, so whatever a skeleton PI was paid was probably still more then her cut. But not everything was about money.

"All right" she sighed, standing up. Her legs were still a bit wobbly with the sudden lack of adrenaline, but she was steadying herself quick. "Let's go. I'll go with you. You can shake, and I can watch. Or, dunno. Bounce ideas. And I also speak Russian."

just in case.