Before leaving Maud's Moon Pies Mortis made a stop at the counter to pick the rest of the order, a set of pork pies he had asked to have to go. After paying Mortis made sure to make his exit as slow and as easy to follow as possible, he was not going to take heed of Jefferson's warnings because, well, he was already well aware he was being followed. The person following him in question was far from subtle, and each motion she made in following him was so laughably bad; in fact Mortis was sure she was not a threat because he knew who she was, not like the other person following them, but that was a different story.
The Detective made sure to walk slow enough to be easy to be followed, but not too slow to know he was being followed. Mortis made Cicero keep tabs on his wannabe pursuer as the charade began. The individual following Mortis took to the streets as good as she could, no amount of coats and scarf could hide the feminine and elegant figure, even a blind man could tell a woman was hiding beneath the long trench coat that hugged her figure with exquisite elegance fit of a top model, she seemed not to be aware that the way she tied her coat put emphasis on her already attractive bust and buttock while leaving plenty to the imagination. Her hair was covered by an expensive-looking wig, a wig that struggled to keep the mass of original hair underneath hidden, it looked like a small dog trying to stop a volcano from erupting. Inside the diner she had been wearing expensive shades and an elegant scarf, elements she had to procure from her own closet, which made her stand out heavily on the more humble neighbourhood she was in; in the streets though she had been forced to take her shades off, revealing a pair of elegant sapphire gems she called eyes, they sparkled magnificently even in the dark, eyes that glimmered like a pristine lake in the middle of a lush forest, eyes no man could ever forget. Her hands were covered in elegant gloves, long and thin the hand hidden by the high quality leather closed into steady fists that aligned with her fiery pacing perfectly, striding confidently, elegantly, and with purpose inside a pair of old workout snickers that clashed with the entire outfit heavily, but where, ironically, the only adequate piece in the ensemble, unmemorable and flexible, perfect for following someone. She may stand like a sore thumb in this are of the city at this time, but there was something about her that made you steer clear of her way, her solid stride, her commanding posture, her cold glare, all attributes that told you in no uncertain terms that she was not to be trifled with for the powers that backed her were powerful enough to make everyone messing with her regret it for a long time, and that she was no slouch either when it came to defending herself.
The pursue began in earnest when Mortis turned the first street to his left, he was quick and nimble in his turn, the pursuing woman noticed and sped up to catch up with Mortis who now was crossing the street to the other side, disparaging into another street, the woman chased relentlessly as Mortis kept himself on sight, but a;ways far away to make the whole thing harder on his follower. On the other hand the woman was confused and flabbergasted, she knew Mortis had a fast stride, but it appeared as if he was walking at three times the speed of and average man without seeming to speed up his pace. She was frustrated and confused, and it was making her focus too much on him.
"Where are you going you bastard?" cursed the young woman, she reached into her coat pocket and tightened her hand inside as she continued to follow Mortis, ready to us the contents of her pocket when needed.
Crossing the street, two turns to the right, Mortis was moving but she was getting closer, she was getting there, the last turn by the Detective she saw her chance and darted after him, she turned the corner ready to catch her man when...
Nothing.
No one stood around the corner,
A small empty alleyway lies devoid of any human interaction.
A few trash cans stood quietly in the urban darkness provided by the poorly illuminated narrow passage, but no man was there. The woman was about to make a run to the other end, thinking that Mortis had caught wind of her presence and ran away.
*Woof!*
The woman nearly jumped out her coat when she finally paid attention to what was under her nose, there sat Cicero, large and affable the German Shepherd looked at the woman with the friendly face of a friendly dog glad to see a familiar human. Cicero did not try to approach the woman, nor sniff her or go around her, he just sat there obediently, panting and slobbering without a care in the world.
The woman looked at the dog confused, she kept her right hand on her pocket, but she did not know what to do, with Cicero there Mortis must have been close, or at least that's what she thought, and she must have been right, after all she knew the man well enough, right? RIGHT?
"Is not nice to follow people Miss Aurora" The voice came from behind, right on her ear, admonishing and authoritative, scaring the living daylights out of Aurora.
The best way to describe the scene was to say that Aurora, overdressed in a futile attempt to not draw attention to herself, jumped like a cat startled by a loud noise. The young woman leapt nearly four feet in the air out of sheer panic, turning around mid-air as a reflex, and clumsily trying to pull a can of pepper spray from her pocket. But unlike a cat Aurora did not have the skill and grace to fall on her feet after such a panicky jump, and in turn slipped as she landed, now properly falling down as the overworked beret and abused wig were launched into the air by an explosion of reddish gold hair that fluttered like autumn leaves and shined like the a fresh dawn. Unlike the grace of her hair Aurora found herself landing on her firm and attractive derrière, causing her to lose grip on the pepper spray, which rolled freely to the feet of one unimpressed Sebastian Mortis.
"My dignity" complained the young woman. Even on the floor she was a sight to behold, her scarf had fallen, revealing a face of beautiful white teeth, full red lips, a small and lovely nose all decorating a face that made models look plain in comparison. Even the way she frowned as she rubbed her elegant rear had charm and appeal, which was part of a vigorous and enviable figure with a bosom to match, all led by a strong sense of morals and responsibility. Aurora was a woman part of a dying breed, a woman of beauty, virtue, and erudition, all to the greater service. Most men would have killed to be able to be with a woman like that, Mortis was not one of those men.
The Detective focused his attention on the rolling can of pepper spray and picked it up to read its label.
"Proud providers of the LA PD, wow, that's a sign of quality" commented Mortis sarcastically as Aurora had replaced her original panic with annoyance. Cicero had tried to make her feel better by nuzzling her, he did not but she did not have the heart to push those big puppy eyes away.
"You are a huge jerk, you know that?" said the woman as she picked up the wig and beret before trying to stand up. Mortis extended his hand to help Aurora stand, she looked at the hand but rejected the hand and stood on her own strength. "I do not need your help."
Aurora dusted her coat, her hair waved in an elegant pendulum motion, with every pat to the coat her hair bounced with attractive rhythm.
"What is an elegant and well mannered young lady like you doing in this part of town at this hour? Does your grandma knows you are going out on school night and visiting places a proper lady should not visit Miss Frigg?" Mortis teased. The Detective knew Aurora for a few years now, granddaughter of the most powerful woman in Tennessee, if not the South Eastern United States, a woman from a lineage of power with the sensitivity to stay away from the limelight, drama, and media with a combination of skill, laying low, and the well placed influence.
Aurora frowned at Mortis, the Detective was pleased with his tease working, showing it in a small smirk that did not affect any other part of his face.
"This is not a pleasure trip Detective, is all business" stated the young woman.
"So, you're going on a trip here for pleasure as well?" further teased Mortis.
Aurora's cheeks reddened like a little girl, she frowned and mumbled trying to not let the tease get to her, which she failed.
"Do you have to be a childish little twat all the time?" She asked, her face too soft to make the frown work as a form of anger.
"I am always professional my dear Miss Frigg" Mortis patted Cicero as the dog obediently trotted beside his master and sat.
"Anyway, how did you get behind me so fast? It takes a while to run around a block" inquired Aurora.
Mortis limited himself to pointing on top of Aurora, when the young woman looked up she saw a fire stair hanging above her head.
"People never look up for some reason," pointed Mortis.
"So, you are half monkey then" stated Aurora, trying to have the last laugh, which she had a very hard time trying to achieve with the Detective; Aurora's tongue could be sharp, but against the detective her edge was as dull as a cake.
"I assume that you have been following me for a far more important reason than to witness my acrobatic skills, although so far the evidence points to the contrary" Mortis remained cool and in control, Aurora could not even make him blink, instead she blushed when she realized she was wasting time.
"I was getting to that" the young woman began so that to cover her tracks, she took her hand inside the elegant coat, revealing a beautiful white blouse that complimented her really well, and accentuated her already charming beauty. From the coat she produced a simple white envelope that she offered to the Detective "My grandmother is summoning you."
Mortis retrieved the envelope with curiosity and handled the paper container as if looking to a strange artefact from the distant past.
"A letter, and some sort of card? Miss Frigg, have you heard of this new invention by Mr. Bell called the telephone? A magnificent piece of technology! Can talk to another person from across town without having to shout or travel, or use a messenger animal or otherwise, the telegram without Morse code, a marvel of science and human ingenuity."
Aurora further frowned, she was not in the mood to let someone who she thought of as a glorified stalker with more skeletons in his closet than an Aztec Priest to make a fool of her; which is ironically, and without her knowledge, why she had been tasked to engage with Mortis.
Aurora's face turned another shade of red, she looked Mortis directly in the eyes with her cold blue eyes as she spoke with a firm but not loud voice: "You should know that my grandmother cannot risk to know she has been associating with you in any way, so she must not leave any traces, phones and emails are too easy to hack and track. We cannot allow that to happen at any cost. Most people of repute in this city, me included by the by, see you as a charlatan with above average snooping abilities, like a fake psychic who actually has very good detective skills. You are all about this sort of magic, occult, and supernatural stuff that no one can prove, cryptids and whatnot. If people knew grandmother was requesting your services or asking advice from you the legal ramifications would be catastrophic. The investors could sue her so she steps down as CEO and owner, and then my family resources are to be used to further poison this nation and their people, and she cannot allow that to happen."
Aurora huffed in her frown. Mortis was impressed, he had let the insult slide for she had really spoke her mind without fear or hesitation, and locked into his dark green eyes showing her full determination. She could not hide her fear though, at her age of twenty-four she was still far from the woman she could be, but it was impressive nonetheless. The Detective mentally applauded the young woman's devotion to her grandmother, she was one of a kind.
Mortis looked at the envelope and replied: "Why then do you accept me on your grandmother's behalf if you think I am but a charlatan?"
"My grandmother wills it, that is good enough for me, and should be for you too" said Aurora, turning away to subtlety indicating that this line of conversation was over.
"Any further instructions? Time, date?" inquired Mortis as Aurora tried to figure out how to get her gorgeous hair underneath the wig, the task proved impossible for the young woman, and should have been declared criminal to hide that hair to deprive the world of such beauty.
"She wants to see you tomorrow, one pm sharp, near the Ezekiel Frigg Estate. The envelope is supposed to contain a map of what entrance you should use to get in, and a pass you MUST show to the person waiting at the place if you want to get in" Aurora gave up on her attempts of putting the wig back over her hair and decided instead to pocket the wig and slide her hair inside the coat, then placing the beret on top. Once the deed was done Aurora turned to Mortis, to the Detective she looked like some sort of old school actress, elegant and full of glamour, Mortis was impressed.
"The Ezekiel Estate? The big house home of the Sarah Firgg/Samuelson foundation? I am honored to be invited to set foot in such an esteemed institution" said Mortis.
"I doubt it, there is a charity event in the morning, you are probably being asked to stay on a nearby building and meet her there. I think there is a restaurant there my dad used to use as a place to meet people privately" said Frigg, adjusting her coat to fit her better.
"Sounds right. Still, it is quite short notice, I may have to check my very packed schedule to see if I have an opening at that time" Mortis joked.
"Maybe you would like to disappoint my grandmother then?" Aurora smirked back.
"I rather disappoint you Miss Frigg" said Mortis, willing to give Aurora the last laugh.
"Then is set" the young woman smiled, happy at her small victory over Mortis.
Mortis smiled back: "Touché! Would you like me to escort you to your vehicle now Miss Frigg?" asked Mortis with professional courtesy.
"I do not need you to babysit me Detective, I am more than capable by myself" said the young woman as she faced Mortis with elegance, dignity, and strength.
Mortis gave a soft smirk to the young woman "Very well, have a good night Miss Frigg".
"Good night to you too Detective" said Frigg as she walked past Mortis, stopping only to pat Cicero in the head with a warmth not available for Mortis. "Good night to you, too doggy" Cicero wagged his tail happily.
Mortis said nothing, he knew a car was close by waiting for Aurora, he limited himself to nod and go in the opposite direction.
"And one more thing Detective" Aurora's words caused Mortis to turn around and look at the woman, looking at him with her elegant cold eyes and a figure that made men drool. "My grandmother has great faith in you, do not dare disappoint her or you will have to answer to me."
And so Aurora Frigg walked away with a stride fit of a model and hips to charm with their rhythm. Mortis saw, and Mortis had to admit, even if he tried not to show it, that she was one fine young woman.
Aurora jumped onto an elegant car that stopped nearby and drove her away. Mortis looked at the envelope and then to Cicero.
"Guess tomorrow is going to be a busy day Cicero" the dog limited himself to yawn and pant.
Mortis checked his phone, more messengers had come, he really had to get on the move.
"When it rains it pours. Better go help this guys out" Mortis put the letter inside his coat and then looked opposite to the street, towards another alleyway where street lights reflected on a camera lens. "But first, I need to have a word with that dick."