Paper Trail

[st_clare]

She should have gotten a last name, because as unusual as 'Rhiannon' was, there was no trace of the girl, at least not in Las Vegas.

Julianna had gone back to her hotel suite and slept restlessly after having a few drinks, and she paid for it the next morning by waking up with a blinding headache that forced her to stay in bed with the heavy curtains drawn for most of the day. She wasn't accustomed to hangovers, but after the confrontation with the Slayer she'd over-done it with the vodka. Terribly sneaky stuff, that vodka, because it didn't taste like anything.

The Englishwoman was currently ensconced at a table at a different bar, her single drink on a napkin in front of her. She had a map of Nevada unfolded next to her, weighing the odds of her erstwhile quarry being in one of the nearby towns. Not in the suburbs, where she had an appointment to look at some houses later in the week, but in the city, where it would be easier for her to hide.

'You're going to have to catch me', Rhiannon had said. Well, she'd tested the wrong woman.

Comments

[mr_boyscout]

"Now I remember why I live in small towns," Elian mused to himself as he wandered up the Strip, hands tucked into the pockets of his black leather jacket. Drunk people wandered in front of him and around him, and tourists flashed their cameras at every landmark they could aim their lens at, the occasional strobe light catching Elian in the eye as he passed.

He didn't get out to Vegas that much, even though he only lived a short drive away. Going to the big city was an outing that he only did on certain occasions; When there was a car show, for example. Or in this particular instance, meeting a friend he hadn't seen for awhile.

The bar he was supposed arrive at was finally located (after getting lost in several casinos), and Elian wandered inside. He immediately felt more at ease once he discovered it wasn't too incredibly packed, and instinctively scanned the crowd for a familiar face. When he was unable to locate one, Elian made his way to an empty table to grab a drink while he waited.

It wasn't until after he had settled in with his beer that he noticed the older woman at the table in front of him, pouring over a map. She didn't really look.. touristy.

"This city sucks for getting lost, huh?" Elian commented with a smile, gesturing towards the big map.

[st_clare]

"Hmm? Oh. Yes, I suppose."

Julianna's first instinct was to put the map away, the gut reaction of the longtime Watcher, but her logical brain asserted itself and pointed out that it wasn't as if she'd been working on something secret. For all the blond man knew, she was looking for the nearest place where they sold cowboy boots made out of ostrich. She rubbed at her brow, cursed the lingering effects of those gimlets, took a sip of her club soda. No alcohol tonight, she was working.

"Las Vegas is very interesting, but it's also very confusing compared to London," she added, and she was already thinking of what story she could tell. If he was from this area, perhaps he could help her. He probably wouldn't have seen Rhiannon, since Slayers were notoriously nocturnal, but if he could give her a place to get started she could get back on the phone and make some more calls.

"I was actually looking for someone, not something." Part of the truth usually worked, and the stranger had one of those open faces. Julianna picked up her map and her messenger bag and carried them over to the man's table, then brought along her drink. Now she wouldn't have to raise her voice. Secrecy was an inherent component of her job.

"Julianna St. Clare," she said by way of introduction. "I work for a barrister in Sussex, and my employer is trying to deal with the final estate of a client who's just passed away. It seems as if there was a great deal of money left behind, and there are a couple of distant relations in the States. I've been dispatched to find the deceased's great-niece."

She resented the subterfuge, but she resented being told to go stuff herself more. And she'd dreamed of Allison when she'd finally passed out. The whole thing made for a very ill-tempered Englishwoman. "I'm terribly sorry to have to trouble a stranger, but I don't know this area at all. Are you a Nevada native, Mr...?"

[mr_boyscout]

"Elian," he offered with a smile. "Elian de Mattéo."

His eyes instinctively glanced towards the front door. No sign of his friend. Elian knew he'd be late. He always was.

"I'm not originally from Nevada," he explained after he diverted his attention back from the door. "But I've lived here long enough to know where everything is. Well, I don't live here.. As in, in Vegas. I live just south of here. Small town, less neon. More dust."

His eyes stole another glance at the door, then back to Julianna. "So, I can try to help you as much as I can. Do you have any idea where you're going to start looking? Or do you need to make some sense of the landscape first?"

[st_clare]

"I've checked most of the low-end motels in the city," Julianna said, folding her hands together on the table top. "Apparently the girl's a bit of a drifter, doesn't stay in one place for long. I'm hoping that if I can have contact with her, her situation in life will improve."

South of Las Vegas. The Watcher looked at the map, but maps were not her friend unless she had someone helping her to read them. It was why she'd been staring at the bloody thing for so long. "I'm terribly impaired when it comes to these things," she admitted to Elian, turning the paper so he could possibly make sense of it.

"It would help if I had visited the state before, but this is my first time in Nevada and I'm completely bollocks at finding my way around without help. I was only able to find this establishment by asking my hotel's concierge." All right, so that was laying it on a little thick, but she could at least pretend to be a batty old dame.

"Where exactly do you reside, Mr. de Matteo?"

[mr_boyscout]

Bollocks..

Elian couldn't help but smile at the woman's use of the English cuss word. It wasn't too often you'd hear any other colloquialisms than your standard American slang and drawl around these parts.

This was refreshing though, as far as hearing an accent that wasn't American went. He wasn't even sure if he really bought the woman's story. She could be some kind of bounty hunter or Narlecc demon for all he knew. But Elian was always the helpful sort who usually kicked things off with the benefit of the doubt.

He grinned to himself.

"Searchlight," he answered her. His large hand hovered over the map and he put his finger down on top of his current home. "It's a.. former mining town. Not exactly suburbia, more of a truck-stop."

But with all it's dust and relics and cemeteries and heebie-jeebie vibes, the town had character like no other.

"There's also Boulder City, too," he offered as he moved his hand to point on the map. "It's east of here. Actually kind of on the way to the Hoover Dam."

[st_clare]

Searchlight. How ironic. And possibly appropriate.

Julianna leaned over the map, her much smaller hand tapping a spot close to Elian's finger, and she picked up her glasses from the table so she could put them on. If the man was correct, it was likely less than a blip on the radar, even for the Council. Vampires congregated in large cities, not in tiny towns in the middle of nowhere. Would a Slayer go there if she was trying to hide?

"It's possible she's there," she mused aloud. "Supposedly she's quite the loner, and if she were seeking solitude she may really be where no one on earth would think to look for her. She must truly have no idea she's in line for an inheritance."

How soon could she rent a car? It was nearly dusk now, which meant she'd probably have to wait until the morning. Besides, she wanted to be on point if she did find the girl again, and that meant shaking off the last of this hangover. And possibly inquiring about this 'Duncan' person, whoever he was. She would have to phone Edmund tonight, a letter would take too long.

"And I've already tried Boulder City," Julianna lied, trying to stick to her story now that she had a new place to start. "Unfortunately I had to do so by phone, so I was unable to properly incentivize the people I spoke to. Americans are so much more cooperative when you offer them money."

[mr_boyscout]

"That we are," Elian agreed with a smirk. He took another swig of beer from his bottle, then knitted his brows together thoughtfully.

Whoever this girl was that Julianna had to find, Elian wondered to himself if it was someone he knew. If anything, he figured that if anyone living in Searchlight was about to come into some money, they'd probably want to know.

Because, you know, big money.

"What's her name?" Elian asked, out of sudden curiosity. However, when he actually thought about it, he saw a lot of people around town but, with a lot of residents who kept to themselves, he realized he didn't actually know most of their names.

Then again, there was that Echo girl he met the other week who just randomly drifted into town.

He shrugged. "It's a big world, but, you never know."

[st_clare]

Julianna just looked at him for a moment, and up this close he seemed older than he had at a distance. Kind eyes, though. She could be a very good liar when she had to be, but she didn't enjoy it.

"Her name is Rhiannon," she said after a moment. "I'm afraid that's all I can tell you as I don't have a last name. It seems as if there was a row in the family at some point, and the girl's mother was estranged from her older relatives. It's all very complicated."

She took another sip of her club soda, wished it was something stronger. But she didn't want to dream tonight, and that meant no over-indulging. "I can count on your discretion, can't I, Mr. de Matteo?"

[mr_boyscout]

A long pregnant pause, and Elian looked at Julianna carefully.

No last name. Right.

"Hmmm, don't know a Rhiannon," he answered her with an apologetic face. "She might be one of those 'know her if I saw her' kind of girls which there seems to be a lot of." Not that he spent a great deal of his time looking at girls, anyway.

He wondered to himself what kind of barrister wouldn't have a documented surname. Didn't these legal eagle types like to make things official and not leave out any single tiny detail? Elian was certainly no lawyer, but he knew enough of them over the years to understand their attention to the fine print.

Then again, Julianna's ordeal was none of his business to begin with, so even if she wasn't being honest with him, he shouldn't have really been privy to any of this information, anyway. He was after all, just a stranger making conversation.

He pursed his lips and conceded to himself that it didn't really matter what her story was, it was keeping him occupied while his unpunctual friend took his time showing up.

To answer her question, Elian smiled somewhat wryly. He thought the inquiry to be a little silly. Not knowing this woman or the girl she sought, who the heck would he tell anything to, anyway?

"Of course you can," he told her with a smile.

[st_clare]

"Jolly good," Julianna said, and the sarcasm was just barely detectable to the average ear. She shouldn't have given him the girl's name, should have said it was confidential information. Too much embroidering of a tale could lead to its undoing, she knew that much from her training. But Elian had been good enough to help her, no matter how inadvertently.

"To thank you for your assistance, I'd like to give you this," the Watcher said, taking her billfold out of her messenger bag to open it and offer him a fifty-dollar bill. She could count it as a business expense. She'd have given him twenty instead, but fifty might ensure that he really would keep his mouth shut. "This way, you can consider your next few rounds of drinks on me."

[mr_boyscout]

Hazel eyes widened at the sight of the bill on the table. His hand didn't move to accept it. "Oh, no.. that really isn't necessary," Elian responded, looking a little surprised. "I know technically I did just agree with you that properly motivated Americans enjoy payment, but i'm honestly happy to help."

He smiled at her, still maintaining the usual playful sparkle in his eye, "Besides. Now that I know there'll be a newly minted rich-girl wandering around town, I can always introduce myself and hit her up for cash if I need to, right?"

The statement hung in the air while he took a sip of his beer. He grinned at her. "I'm kidding."

A shrug. "Thank you, though," he added. "Although seeing as you're in Vegas, I could think of a few funner- not necessarily better- things you could put it towards." He grabbed an imaginary slot machine arm in thin-air and gestured like he was pulling it down. "Cha-ching, if you know what i'm saying."