Seyta had expected her apartment to be sold on her. God knew where all her stuff ended up. Tracking it down after three years would be impossible anyway. This of course did leave her with no where to live. She didn’t exactly have the money for a hotel with her. She probably could find a mattress in an alley somewhere… a risk even with her mutation. As if to emphasize this a METAbot stopped and turned towards her. Scanning her most likely. Those things freaked her out enough to force her into her withdrawn state. Just let it do its job. I’m not doing anything wrong. Not exactly true, the Ka-bar on her belt was not exactly legal to walk around with. She shifted her duffel bag to hide it from view. This seemed to satisfy the META who turned and walked off.

”Not the streets… Not safe enough.” After a few deep breaths to calm her nerves Seyta trudged onward. There was a potential place fr her to stay she had yet to consider. The Sanctuary. Secret headquarters of The Order, mutant safe-house and homeless shelter. The only reason to be cautious about it was the chance of repercussions for leaving. Still it would be a better option that the streets with the METAbots.

Getting to the Sanctuary took a few hours of walking. Longer than she wanted but understandably buses and taxis stayed out of that neighborhood. As for the neighborhood, it had seen better days. The Sanctuary was never in the nicest part of town but things seemed to have fallen on hard times. People tended to know better than cause trouble anywhere near there, but Seyta kept her mind withdrawn anyway. It was getting close to Seven o’clock pm. Not a good time for unwanted surprises.

As the golden doors came into view Seyta was glad to see them open and shining. The Sanctuary was in good repair it seemed, despite the less savory buildings around it. Even so, she wanted to be ready for anything she could be. Shifting her duffel bag and violin case was a bit awkward but after a few tries she got them into a position behind her back leaving her arms free. And more importantly her Ka-bar accessible.

Stepping through the doors and foyer panic struck. Lisa was not at her desk. Lisa was ALWAYS at her desk. Seyta gripped the Ka-bar tightly, not drawing the blade but clearly ready to, as she frantically looked around the room. If Lisa was gone then something was wrong.

Things had changed and things were indeed still changing.

Much of the exterior had been cleaned, fixed, even upgraded where stone or wood needed tending. The interior was brighter, cleaner, and more open. More teenagers dwelt here, a larger portion of the fraction of Sanctuary members who had a home in Sanctuary, and their voices carried through the halls. All were welcome though some were visitors for the community center it had become. Oh plenty were wary, but more came each week. They had crafts, food, good TV, someone to talk to, even friends here.

The programs and training were helping. Interior watches roamed the halls, especially in the evening. They had classes in self defense, first aid, and public speaking. They had community outreach too, trying to help those residents who dared stay here. They fixed park benches and painted over graffiti. In time, Tempest hoped the picture their efforts painted erased all images of something like Odessa happening here.

It's hard to escape the past.

Devon was working in the office he shared with a few volunteers. There were some scheduling matters he was trying to figure out for the following week due to the need for some shared space. He heard the doors and after a moment realized he hadn't heard Lisa's voice greeting the person. That was strange. Had that ever happened in the months he'd been present? She was always around. He stood quietly, moving toward the doorway after a brief darkness passed his eyes before returning the bright blues.

The tall, darkly featured, and perhaps broodingly handsome but warmly besmiled form of Devon emerged from the door into the hall-like foyer. His gaze went first towards the receptionist's desk and indeed Lisa was not there. It immediately jumped to the woman stepping warily forward, hand on a weapon of some sort with bags behind her. He glanced about quickly a moment more before settling again on the woman. It was a bit hard to focus upon her.

"I'm- I'm sorry," Devon said slowly. Clearly this woman was anxious and his tone remained calm in response. "I've never known Ms. Wilson to not be at her desk. My name is Devon. I don't think we've met. Is there something I can help you with?"

>> "I'm- I'm sorry. I've never known Ms. Wilson to not be at her desk. My name is Devon. I don't think we've met. Is there something I can help you with?"

Seyta’s eyes snapped to the source of the voice. A young man had stepped out from a side office. Lori’s old office to be precise. Her nameplate was no longer next to the door either. This just proved that things where wrong. Wrong meant danger. Danger required action.

In a moment of panic and instinct Seyta drew her Ka-bar from it sheath and rushed the man intending to pin him to the wall. She had done it dozens of times, or would do it anyway. Prophesy dreams made details confusing to her. Not that it mattered. She knew how to intimidate when needed. If a blade across the neck made them co-operate during the apocalypse it would work just as well before the world ended. “Answer slowly, clearly, and don’t make me repeat myself. Where is Lori? Where is Lisa? Are you with the Order?” Her mind was still withdrawn but Seyta figured she had is attention well in hand. Anyone else who came by of course would be rather confused as to why this guy was awkwardly pressed against a wall and talking to himself.

When a woman draws a blade and rushes at you, it's hard not to want to focus on her. You're going to watch her because that sort of thing just screams 'I want attention' and really it's for the best considering you probably don't want to meet that blade up close. It wasn't so easy this time however. While Devon was suddenly concerned, he was fighting to not pay her any mind. The blade was easier to be wary of and thankfully he found the sudden shift in the air easy to recognize thanks to his mutation.

Despite readily pumping moisture into the air and starting the brew of a confronting high and low pressure front, Devon did not call for wind or lightning. He could have rushed out a temperature change as the humidity was building in the foyer so that a cloud of fog could spread over them. Instead, he relied on some the martial arts training that now in hindsight he felt might demand some of his attention again.

As the blurry woman rushed him, Devon crouched slightly. His left arm snapped up and its hand went for her forearm, pushing and encouraging a bend at the elbow. His right hand shot forward to grab at her hand with the intent to turn the blade away, though instead it whacked it with almost the extent of his personal strength. It was hard to target her precisely. The ka-bar went flying through the air and skittering down the hall of the foyer as she made her demanding questions.

Disarming an opponent of a gun or blade was one of the more important lessons of both styles Devon had learned after all.

Yet he couldn't keep her off him as she still managed to get him up against the wall, right beside the door to the office. Devon was far taller and thankfully trained in some close combat melee, thanks to jujutsu anyway. His sensei would be proud - in a way - as Devon embraced the woman, one hand at a shoulder blade and another at her solar plexus. He didn't push or even squeeze firmly. She had come at him wildly, untrained and unprovoked, and there wasn't a need for that yet. Devon had always thought he'd need to be ready for an unruly patient but it worked just as well for unstable visitors to a homeless shelter.

Still, with his grip on her she wasn't moving either.

Devon's voice was calm as he answered, staring down into the woman's eyes. "I don't know Lori. I'm surprised Lisa's not at her desk. I'm not with the Order; they aren't here anymore," Devon clarified. Clearly she'd either been their target before or was with them. It was hard to tell but considering the sudden violence, it certainly didn't paint her in the picture of an X-Man.

"My name is Devon, and I'm willing to help you if you release me," he added.

That did not go as planned. Stupid stupid stupid. Distract then attack. She could have thrown her bag. Made him look away, lose focus. Instead she charged in blind and was in the most awkward and unwanted hug. And her Ka-bar is now several feet down the hall. She did manage to get him pinned though. Not a total loss?

>> "I don't know Lori. I'm surprised Lisa's not at her desk. I'm not with the Order; they aren't here anymore. My name is Devon, and I'm willing to help you if you release me.”

Lisa should be there, he knew this, and that was good. Lori was not and he didn’t know her, that was bad. The Order was not here… Relief, fear, pain, and anger all swirled around in her head. He didn’t mean gone did he? They relocated. Went underground. They couldn’t be gone. She needed them.

She kept her glare trained on those blue eyes of his, even as tears melted down her cheeks. Keeping her jaw firmly clenched shut she took a deep slow breath and relaxed her mind. There was no point in trying to hide for the moment. They where at a bit of a physical stalemate, and the way he had blocked her meant he knew what he was doing. If he really was willing to help she’d take it.

The glare didn’t soften much but Seyta did let go and pushed herself away from him. “What do you mean by ‘not here anymore’? I need to know where to find them.” She kept her eyes trained on him as she went to collect her knife. While attacking again was clearly a bad idea, she wasn’t about to stand there defenseless.

She started crying and Devon's gaze softened. He frowned but stepped in between her and the knife, stepping back rather than toward her but still in the way. He lowered his head as he spoke to reply to the obviously distraught woman. "I'm sorry, but I don't know how to find them. I'm not going to keep you from your knife, but please understand there are children and innocent adults here," he spoke quietly. "You are in no danger that I know of."

Honestly, where was Lisa? She was always there, deliberate and attentive. This mean she wasn't here on purpose. Was it that she was in trouble and playing it careful because of this woman or was testing him?

"Were you with them or are you looking to hurt them? Again, they are not here, so please put your knife away once you retrieve it," he said slowly as he stepped out of her way. His eyes did not leave her. It had gotten easier to focus on her and now he wasn't going to stop. Until she calmed down and they got on a level, it would be most unwise to do so.

Devon knew one of the volunteers or one of the wandering patrols, maybe even a cleaning patrol bot of Richards would be by soon. He hoped things calmed by then. Something was wrong and all the training he'd ever had said hurting this woman wasn't the right approach. Make friends, as Ghost had said, seemed best.

>> "I'm sorry, but I don't know how to find them. I'm not going to keep you from your knife, but please understand there are children and innocent adults here. You are in no danger that I know of."

Innocent? That was cute. They where all guilty of something. Devon here just didn’t know it yet. As for being in danger, no she probably wasn't, yet. If things had gone badly for the Order she could be in a lot of danger. Her name had been on record with them somewhere.

>> "Were you with them or are you looking to hurt them? Again, they are not here, so please put your knife away once you retrieve it."

With that he stepped aside. As she retrieved her blade their eyes remained locked, like two cats in a turf war. Devon did seem like he wanted to help. That didn’t mean she trusted him at all. Help always had a price after all. “That is none of your business. And you still haven’t answered my last question. What do you mean by ‘not here anymore’?” Seyta slid her Ka-bar into its sheath with a hard snap to accent the point. “Since Lisa still works here you have to know something about what happened. I need to know to.”

"It may not be my business," Devon started, "But I'm certainly involved now. It would seem Sanctuary and the people here are going to have to worry about the Order for some time. Everything they were or did seems to draw danger." He inclined his head, eyes remaining on her.

"I'm sorry, though, I didn't mean to deflect your question. Apparently some other group posed as police officers and came in here. There was also a METAbot attack that was either a large accident or someone's plan. I don't think all their members died, but they aren't here anymore. I'm not sure if the police arrested them all or what," Devon shrugged slightly, frowning.

"I moved into the city a few months ago. I found out that Sanctuary helped mutants so I figured I'd put some time in helping and volunteering here. Lisa was eager for me to come down," Devon explained, his tone remaining calm. "Things were dirty, in disarray, not much organization. So I've been cleaning things, fixing things, helping gain volunteers and setting up some classes like first aid for students. With what happened in Odessa, we're being even more careful and trying to get out to the community more."

He cleared his throat, "Lisa's been otherwise mum on the Order. She seems to be focused on supporting what Sanctuary is. Maybe the Order gave her that as a final order or something? The fact that she's not here right now I can only conclude is on purpose so that we'd have this interaction."

"And thank you for putting the knife away," Devon nodded slowly. "Do you mind giving me a name or nickname I may call you by? I could perhaps share that or some message should another Order member come here asking around unless you'd prefer they not know."

>> "Lisa's been otherwise mum on the Order. She seems to be focused on supporting what Sanctuary is. Maybe the Order gave her that as a final order or something? The fact that she's not here right now I can only conclude is on purpose so that we'd have this interaction."

Seyta listened watching him carefully. Her grip tightened on her knife hearing about the attack, though she did keep it in its sheath. Devon himself was just trying to be a good Samaritan and do his part. Fair enough. Lisa was also keeping him partially in the dark. That seemed like Lisa.

>> "And thank you for putting the knife away. Do you mind giving me a name or nickname I may call you by? I could perhaps share that or some message should another Order member come here asking around unless you'd prefer they not know."

A note, or message, to leave behind. If there was nothing after three years it was unlikely that anyone else would come looking. But it wasn’t impossible. Seyta gave a quick nod and moved to Lisa’s desk and rummaged for a pen and paper. “My name is Sey...” She stopped mid word. If the Sanctuary had been raided then the Orders files could have been searched. That meant whoever had attacked could know her name. “Call me Geist. Give me just a moment here...” She quickly jotted down a note for anyone who was looking for other members like herself.

If you are reading this then you likely know what happened.
This place is still safe, for now. Keep quiet and stay low.
Talk to Devon or Lisa and I will come find you.

“If anyone comes asking around looking for the Order give them this.” She held out the paper for him and pulled out her phone. "Also I’ll trust you with a number. Don’t give it to anyone.” She had to trust him somewhat, but that didn’t mean she had to trust anyone else. Hopefully he would understand.

Devon noted the knife gripping but didn't react to it. It seemed things were fine and he wasn't going to escalate. She was on edge. Why he didn't know exactly but the absence of the Order certain seemed upsetting to her. She had to be sympathetic to their ways then. If she'd been out for their blood then hearing of the attack would likely have made her happy.

He followed after her to Lisa's desk. She started to say one name but he had to guess that was a real one. Again he said nothing, but nodded when she said, "Geist. Cool." Like a Ghost, though he'd already met one of those. Ghost was hard to hit. Geist was hard to see. Sneaky.

Devon accepted the paper from Geist as he heard the whirring of one of Richard's bots coming from another room into the hall. "Okay, I can do that, and don't worry about the whirring sound coming in. It's like a glorified roomba," Devon smiled faintly. "And sure about the number. I won't write it down," he shook his head.

"There are a lot of people that come through, quite a few that stay though they are primarily teenagers like run aways though some adults and some kids. Some may have some checkered pasts, but we're not here to judge. It's about having a place to sleep, eat, and maybe find someone to talk to," Devon nodded slowly. "So if someone comes mentioning or looking for the Order, I'll give you a call."

As soon as he had her number and the paper Seyta withdrew her mind. With the Order gone she had no reason to stay. Former members where potential targets so the Sanctuary offered her no safety either. One of the abandoned buildings nearby would have to be her lodging for the night.

A mechanical whirring sound echoed down the hall as she slipped towards the door. Devon, still focused on the paper, seemed to be talking to her. But by the time he had finished his sentence Seyta. No... Geist. Geist suites me better Geist was already walking down the street, The golden doors standing oddly closed to her.