StV: Clothing as Evidence

The clock on the computer screen said 3:01 AM when Dave opened the door for Dianna, who'd either taken time to pull on slacks and a blouse, or (more likely) was still wearing yesterday's outfit. "Okay," he said, "I was on call. Why are you still up?"

Dianna raised her eyebrows, but allowed herself a small smile as well. "How about I tell you once it works out?"

"Big secret, huh?" Dave stepped back as Dianna came into the room, and motioned towards the kitchen. "All right." He didn't mind Dianna keeping a secret or two; she was the auxiliary headmistress, after all, as well as a friend. "Kid's clothes are in the sink. They were absolutely soaked."

Dianna sighed and followed him across his living area, ignoring the scattered clothes and computer equipment. It wasn't that Dave didn't clean; it was just that he tended to do it in bursts, and with the latest security updates he was running behind. Dianna knew him well enough not to comment.

"Well," she said, looking down at the sink, "it's all very black."

Dave fished the jacket out and started going through the pockets. Dianna started to reach for the shirt, then paused. "That jacket still has a tag on it."

He turned the wet leather around. "It does."

"The shirt is very new, too. So are the pants. No signs of wear at all."

"Oh, good. So he stole this whole outfit in order to break in to the school." He hung the jacket on the back of one his kitchen chairs. It might be stolen, but it at least deserved the chance to dry out. 

"I'd say so," Dianna said, running a quick hand over the cloth. "No wallet, no keys, no phone... nothing in the boots..." She paused then, set the clothing back down. "You said he called himself Lucian?"

Dave nodded. "Yeah. More importantly, he said he was looking for his sister: Sophia Antonius."

Dianna stopped. "And you're just mentioning this now?"

"I figured it could wait, since she's away." He yawned. "Sorry. Tired. Possibly not thinking straight."

Dianna made a thoughtful little hmmm noise. "Just a moment."

Dave had never been sensitive enough to actually feel it when Dianna reached out with her power,  but he knew that shift her in attention, that slight re-balancing of the way she stood. "Are you sure-- no, there he is. Sort of."

"Sort of?" asked Dave. Did he run? He'd thought the kid would stay the night, but maybe he'd misjudged. 

Dianna blinked twice, and was suddenly fully present in Dave's kitchen again. "He's a blank. Completely walled off. I can't read him at all; I can barely find him. And on that basis alone, I'm entirely prepared to believe that he's Sophia's brother."

"Oh," said Dave. It had occurred to him that the boy's arrival might cause some problems with -- or for -- Sophia, but he'd forgotten just how much the girl had not wanted any further contact with her family. It was coming back to him now, though: Team Dragon's return, Sophia's arrival with them, her explanation of the Preserve and of Imperia, the last colony of the Roman empire, where she'd been born. She didn't want to go back, she'd explained. She didn't want anything to do with her heritage, her city, and especially her family. He shook himself, trying rattle his thoughts into full wakefulness. "Yeah, that might be a problem."

Dianna tapped her lip. "You left him with Charles?"

Dave nodded. 

"Just a second, then," she said, and he watched her fade out again even though physically she was completely present. She was back a moment later. "Charles says he's still there, and snoring." 

"I'm not surprised," Dave admitted. "Relieved, but not surprised."

Dianna smiled at him, the sort of full expression that she only offered in private. "So, walk through this with me?"

"Sure."

"This child, Lucian, comes to the school looking for Sophia. He says he's her brother."

Dave nodded. "There's a definite physical resemblance."

Dianna tilted her head, considering that. "Assume, for the sake of argument, that it's true. He shows up, ready to break in, but Cloudburst finds him first. Only they don't fight, and somehow she tricks him into waiting in the girls shower while she goes to get you. Right?"

"I don't think she tricked him, exactly," Dave said. "Maneuvered, maybe. But I think he went along with her."

"So he wanted us to find him?" Dianna frowned. "That would be one way to infiltrate the school, I guess."

Dave shook his head. "I don't think so. I think he really meant to break in, look around, and leave unnoticed..." 

"Optimist," Dianna muttered. 

"But, well... Maria was quite taken with him. I think it's more that when his plan went awry and she took charge, he decided not fight it. Maria's cute; I wouldn't be surprised if he found her attractive, too."

"Attractive enough to let her put him in a shower and steal his clothes," Dianna said. "He's not shy, this one."

Dave chuckled. "No. He seemed wary, but not hostile, and he went along with me the same way I'd imagine he went along with Maria: curious, cautious, but not too worried. I think -- from some of the things he said -- that he expected this place to be much worse than it is. Honestly, I don't think he's going to be any kind of a problem until he decides to be one -- and I think that's most likely to happen when he finally meets up with Sophia."

"If we let him," Dianna said frostily. "We'll need to consult with her before that happens. Would you let Bridge know?"

 "Already done," Dave told her. He'd forgotten just how much of a problem this might be, but not that it might be a problem. "I'll send him a follow-up to emphasize how important it is."

"All right." Dianna shook her head. "I'll tell Jonathan what we know, and try to set up an interview between classes. Tomorrow is... Friday? All right. If I can't find an empty spot in the schedule, I'll have Sarah swing by and look him over, see what she thinks." She shook her head. "I keep telling myself that we've taken in more troubled, more dangerous students, but..."

"Yeah," answered Dave. "With that family, I worry about surprises."