"Yeah. How'd he end up on the supply run, was he recruiting for it?"

"I don't know, I saw it once people had already started gathering - the New Orleans girl, I don't remember her name, might know? She was there when I showed up, so was he."

"You said you were thinking about doing something yourself, what prompted that, just the conversation about malia?"

"That, plus the mal affinity, plus - he was maybe cozying up to Rebecca who's one of the obvious soft targets for a maleficer looking to branch out into people. I think he might've been trying to talk her into Monday morning shop, which is pretty suspicious. He's a maleficer, admitted to it, which is enough reason to think about whether he needs to be put down."

"We started out trying to figure that out and then branched out into trying to figure out the bizarre mal incident which took out the kid who had his spot in Johannesburg and now apparently top-line priority is Sophie. We're pretty sure he's lying about his affinity and it's mal control. I'm sorry to cut this short, but I want to go check on the Sophie situation - let me know if you think of anything else that might be relevant?"

"Yes ma'am. Good hunting."

She actually snaps a salute before she walks out.

- that's one to keep an eye on. But Annaka's very busy right now. 

Elsewhere someone's tracking down Bella in the library.

Studying her book of spells from the Spanish Inquisition! "- hi?"

"Hi! Supply run had a Sophie? Have you seen her since."

"- no, but I have her room number."

"Please."

"May I join you?"

He looks mildly annoyed but mostly just stressed. "Sure."

She gets up and leads the way to Sophie's room. "I do not have her room letter, we'll need to check both."

"Can you tell me, so some combat people can meet us there, just in case."

"196."

He twists some dials on his power-sharer, and proceeds at not quite a run.

Bella's magic shoes let her practically skate along after him.

And they try 196A, and then, if that's locked, 196B.

196A is locked. 196B is locked.

196A, if they listen closely, contains the sound of a person crying.

"Well, fuck," the kid says to Bella. 

And, loudly, "CAN EVERYONE IN EARSHOT COME OVER HERE PLEASE, I WANT WITNESSES."

Someone pokes his head out of 180B. "- what is it?"

(Most people are at the library, at this time, but Sean got tired of Poppy trying to introduce him to everybody who came to sit at Manchester's feet, it's just exhausting.)

"No one's seen this kid in three days, she was last seen in the company of a maleficer, I'm going to ask her to open her door and if that doesn't work I'm going to blast it - New York'll pay repairs - but I want her to know that there's not one kid waiting on the other side who might just want her stuff, there's everyone in earshot and we're not hiding anything. CAN YOU PLEASE OPEN THE DOOR," he yells through it. 

There's a wet cough. "I - I can't - I'm sorry - who -"

Further coughing.

"I'm Asher, New York, I'm a junior, we're worried about you, I won't take your stuff, there's a bunch of people here who would know if I went back on that -" there's actually only three, Bella and Sean and a confused kid blinking out of a room down the hall, but two of them are enclavers, so that counts for double. "Why can't you open your door."