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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rybaer" data-source="post: 2453864" data-attributes="member: 118">Crosstown Café, Downtown, Coast CityJune 1612:07For the first time in a couple months, Lawrence was finally starting to feel comfortable with his lot in life.  Following the incident with the fungus, Lawrence’s father had found a way to reconnect with his son.  They’d been meeting once a week for lunch, at the least, and Lawrence was making regular visits back at the house for dinner.In the meantime, he’d used some of the money that Aztechnology and the feds were putting up (salary) to get a modest apartment in town, conveniently close to both downtown and what would eventually become the team’s headquarters.  Yannick was a frequent companion and Lawrence had even spoken with Jennifer a few times.  She still hadn’t visited him face to face, but Lawrence felt he was close to a break-through with her.His father was a few minutes late for lunch at the Crosstown Café.  That wasn’t too unusual, but Lawrence tended to feel awkward sitting alone at a table during the busy lunch hour.  A waiter stopped by his table, carrying a large brown envelope.“Excuse me, sir,” the waiter said.  “I was asked to give this to you.”  He hands over the envelope.Lawrence takes it hesitantly, glancing around the room.  No one seems to be taking much interest in him.  The envelope has his name scribbled on the front.  He opens it and finds two folded pieces of paper and a cell phone.Lawrence’s heart skips a beat at the sight of the first piece of paper – it’s an inkjet photo print clearly showing his father, in uniform but bound and blindfolded.  The second sheet is a note:Mr. Thorn.An item of ours was recently stolen.  You managed to aid in the perpetrator’s getaway.  An acquaintance of yours who witnessed the incident was finally persuaded to explain the nature of the presumed shape shifter, the thief.While we have been unable to track down the thief proper, we have learned that the item has since been sold.  You will retrieve it by 4am.  Your father will be held as collateral to ensure your cooperation in this matter.  Return the item and he will be released, and we will consider the debt incurred for your role in aiding the perpetrator’s escape repaid.Keep the phone handy.  We will contact you at 4am with instructions on how you will turn over the item.  Don’t contact the police, your family, or anyone else.  If we feel you have lost control of the situation, we will disappear and your father won’t be seen again.The item is believed to be on the premises of 415 Marigold, in Rollingwood.  It should be in a brown case, slightly larger than a briefcase with hard sides.  The contents are a matched set of statuettes, one black and one white.</blockquote>

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