I1 - Calling the Dragon

[Nailah Weaver]

John's phone rings, the caller ID showing Professor Weaver.

[John Hino]

John answered the phone.

"Hello Miss Weaver. To what do I owe this pleasure?" he said politely.

[Nailah Weaver]

"Ah, Mister Hino. I apologize for the interruption, but I understand that Hino Industry stock still hasn't recovered from the recent crash at the market?"

[John Hino]

He raised a scaly brow.

"It has been slow yeah. Why? Do you have some?"

[Nailah Weaver]

"No, I prefer short-term binary options. But that's beside the point. Are you aware of any large decisions your father might be considering? Because I have reason to believe that Hino Industries stock is about to take a much larger hit."

[John Hino]

"He hasn't shared any with me."

He sighed.

"This is a precog thing isn't it?"

[Nailah Weaver]

"It is. The Page of Shadows stands to lose the family fortune to the Jester and the Queen of Flies."

[John Hino]

"Wait... what?"

[Nailah Weaver]

"It's what the Tarot cards said. I may have had to create some new ones. This spread may have gotten a little out of hand, but I'm fairly confident that this particular part relates to you."

[John Hino]

"So you think Page of Shadows represents me? And the other two are...?"

[Nailah Weaver]

"I don't know. It's easier to match these to people I know. The Jester could be someone who refuses to take things seriously, who does things for the hell of it or someone who plays the fool in order to mislead, possibly a comedian or at least a jovial person. It could also mean someone who may not wish to be in the position they are in, subservient to a higher power. The Queen of Flies implies almost a certain aristocracy, but fading. Presiding over a crumbling empire maybe? The suit of Flies seems tied to refuse, possibly a cycle of the old being replaced by the new but also those that take advantage of it, feed on it. I haven't quite gotten my thoughts on these in order yet, but that's the general idea."

[John Hino]

John had a bad feeling about this.

"Damnit... this has Hellfire Club written all over it. People like those were all over the place."

"I knew that party was a bad idea, but I went anyway."

[Nailah Weaver]

"Did something happen at that party?"

[John Hino]

"Not really. Mostly just met people who gave Bear the creeps. Especially that Japanese diva."

[Nailah Weaver]

"That doesn't sound like anything happened there." she says. There's the sound of rustling paper before she adds, "And the drop in the company stock predates the party anyway. I suppose it's possible they had a telepath present that tried to glean information from you they could use to compound the already dropping stock. You probably know more about how stock markets work than I do and whether anything you know could let someone facilitate this. You might have to talk to someone more versed in these kind of things."

[John Hino]

"I'll be sure to," he answered, "Thanks for the warning."

"What... were you doing a reading for when this came up anyway?"

[Nailah Weaver]

"Still trying to figure that out. There were some strange occurrences that the teams were looking into that are connected to this somehow. If the Hellfire Club is involved that would explain a lot about the connections I'm seeing between these clusters."

[John Hino]

"That weird cockroach thing?"

[Nailah Weaver]

"Yes, that weird cockroach thing. Anyway, I thought I should warn you. This doesn't feel like it's imminent but you should probably look into it before it's too late."

[John Hino]

"I will. Though as to how my potential financial woes connect to that, I've no idea."

[Nailah Weaver]

"If the Hellfire Club is connected to both they might not be otherwise related."

[John Hino]

"I hope not. Though why target my family's money I wonder? There were far wealthier people there to rob."

[Nailah Weaver]

"If someone is robbing your father then the money might be traceable. My suggestion would be to try and find out why the stock dropped and who might have profited from it."

[John Hino]

"Good suggestion. I'll be sure to bring it up. Thanks again."

[Nailah Weaver]

"You're welcome. I will let you know if I come up with anything else."

[John Hino]

"I appreciate that. Have a nice day Miss Weaver."

[Nailah Weaver]

"Thank you. You too, Mister Hino." she says before hanging up.