Have you seen this boy?

[Anonymous]

Nadia was trying to not panic, she really was. There was probably a really good reason that her brother hadn't been seen since yesterday. Maybe he had been sent off somewhere and forgotten to tell her. Pacing her room, Nadia picked at a loose strand on her sleeve, fidgeting and unable to focus.

Aidan might be a spoiled brat, but he would have told her he was leaving. He and Avery had been servicing a client the day before and that was the last anyone had seen either of them.

She couldn't take this anymore. Something was wrong. She knew it and she couldn't take this anymore. Mephista might know what was going on and at the very least, would be able to do a lot more to try and get him back than Nadia could.

With a goal in mind, Nadia moved quickly through the building, heading to Mephista's office, knocking at the door. Please, please, please let Aidan be alright.

[Tally]

"Come."  Mephista was seated behind the desk in his study, frowning down at a paper in his hand, but he smiled at Nadia as she walked in.  It was a genuine smile but touched with weariness.  He'd been up for longer than he should, and not for any good reason either.  Not for any pleasurable reason, for which he didn't mind missing out on a few hours of sleep.  No, this was all tithes and taxes, and now this business with Aidan and Avery...

"Nadia," he said, "how are you?"  He rubbed his eyes then laid the paper down on his desk with all the others.  "Any word of your brother and Avery?"

[Anonymous]

Entering carefully, Nadia did her best to retain her composure. Hysterics never helped anyone. Moving into the room, Nadia quietly closed the door behind her before she took a seat across from Mephista. She gave a small shake of her head, "No sir. Not a word. And that just isn't like him. Aidan can't do anything without help. The boy can't even get dressed without proper supervision."

Which, she knew was her own fault and a slight exaggeration. She spoiled her brother more than she should have when they were younger and now she was stuck with his poor habits, "Have you sir? Heard anything about where they could be?"

[Tally]

She was so calm.  This manner of solemnity rarely weighed down the brothel, even here in his office.  He knew this must be trying for her, and it was that knowledge that had thus far kept a somber tongue in his mouth.  It was getting under his skin, this restraint.  He found it so much easier to concentrate when surrounded by din and chaos.  He was getting out of here at first opportunity and finding a tavern.  Some music and some dance would clear his head.

"Ah.  That's unfortunate.  I had hoped some news would come to light."  He tapped his pen upon the desk.  How unusual, to hear nothing, to find no trace.  "I've put out the word among my own sources but I've received no information.  I'm sorry, Nadia."

[Anonymous]

Working a handkerchief between her hands, Nadia wanted to pace the room, but she forced herself to stay in the chair, "I just...I don't understand. Why would anyone want him? Or Avery. They're whores. It's not like someone couldn't pay for their time. And just...what if-"

Biting down on her lip, Nadia shook her head, not wanting to go there, "I'm sorry. There isn't really anything else that I can do and it's driving me mad."

[Tally]

"You certainly don't have to be sorry, Nadia."  He hardly held with formality around here, business or no business, and he wouldn't begrudge her some moments of worry and weakness.  Anyone would feel as she did, were they in her place.  He only wished he knew what to say to comfort her.  What comfort could there be, when one's brother were missing?

The room had become dark, its candles burned nearly out.  Mephista rooted about in a drawer for replacements.

"Are you certain you knew your brother well, Nadia? There is no chance he might have had enemies you did not know of?  Or Avery for that matter?"  What his peaches did when not working was not something Mephista made his business, save that it did not interfere with their time here, and a whore in a city as large as Ketra could find all manner of untrustworthy people to involve themselves with.

[Anonymous]

"Well fuck. You know Aidan. He has plenty of people that don't like him. Anyone that talks to him for more than 5 minutes tends to want to throttle him." Nadia flexed her fingers, wishing she could rake a hand through her hair, but her hairstyle prevented it.

"I don't really know of any enemies we have that would pull this. A jealous wife maybe? But none come to mind that I think would resort to kidnapping him."

[Tally]

"Mm."  Not much of a response, but then there was little he could say to that.  Aidan had those who disliked him, same as anyone else.  Mephista hesitated to even use the word enemies, for it was hardly that dire.  Such brutal hatred simply had not surrounded Aidan, not that any of them had seen.  None of this made much sense.

"Nor do I.  If anyone harbored such damaging ire, I would have heard something of it beforehand."  Or he would hope so.  Angry wives tended to be most vocal of their anger.  They made damn sure he and everybody else knew they were furious and why.

There was still hope for some answers.  He had ears listening in all the right places and one of them may yet hear the right piece of information.

[Anonymous]

"Just...fuck." Nadia never swore around her clients, but with just Mephista around she didn't really feel the need to watch her language, "You don't think it could be slavers or anything? But why grab from here?"

There were brothels with people that were much less likely to be missed than the Randy Peach. It didn't make any sense and for all Nadia was often frustrated with her twin, she loved him more than anything else on this earth.

"Did Avery have any enemies you know of?" Nadia really couldn't think of any, he was easier to get along with than Aidan was, "Or obsessed clients?"

[Tally]

To hear the elegant Nadia curse so had a smile tugging at one corner of Mephista's mouth.  A weary, half-hearted smile, but a smile nonetheless.  It was short lived.

"It would have been my first assumption if they had been taken in an alley somewhere, but not here."  No slaver broke into homes for their trade.

"If he did, he didn't share it with me and I never knew about them."  And keeping something like that a secret from Mephista would take a measure of determination and brilliance that he rather thought Avery lacked.

[Anonymous]

"He isn't clever enough to keep something like that from you." The stupid twit could hardly keep anything to himself. It was how she had found out all about him and Sita and their annoying trysts. Pacing around the room, her hands fidgeted with her necklace, "I'm sorry. I know you are doing everything you can but I just...he can't survive on his own! You know him! He can hardly handle picking out what outfit to wear. What if he gets lost? Or hurt?!"

[Tally]

"What about you?"  Mephista rose, and circled around to lean against the front of the desk.  It was a modest piece of furniture, plain and small, which surprised those who didn't know him.  He enjoyed extravagance, yes, but at the right times and places.  Even frippery had its uses.

"Have you slept?  Eaten?  I don't want you running yourself ragged and coming down ill on top of everything else."

[Anonymous]

"What? Oh, no, I'm fine." Nadia waved her hand in the air absently, "I've been keeping up with my clients." Most of them were pretty easy, Nadia having a knack with the ones few people liked to deal with. The weird ones, the ugly ones, the awkward ones, the shy ones. She was very good at making them feel special and adored and most of her sessions were enjoyable conversation and wine, sex taking up much less of her time with them.

"Just, um, let me know if you hear anything, please?"

[Tally]

Mephista nodded along.  Work was good for worry, kept you sane.  Kept you tethered to the here and now instead of flying off into frightening possibilities with your imagination.

"Of course.  You'll be the first person I come to when I receive word."

When, not if.  It may not be good news, but he would find something.

[Anonymous]

"Thank you." Nadia gave him a small nod, then slipped out of the door, her stomach in knots. She wasn't used to being away from her brother this long. For all he was annoying, he was also her security blanket. It was always them, never just her. And now she was missing that part of herself and she hated it.