Date: 10/23/1997 2:43 AM Central Daylight Time
From: Ash Lowell
Ashly moved along the dirty street. Her high-heeled boots occasionally scraped the cobbles revealed under the paving by the passing of countless wagons, horses, motorbikes and other vehicles. The cold wind of autumn danced in swirls of dead leaves and motes of dust. She plucked a brown, crackling leaf from the drift of her blonde hair.
She had been to the Outback in the employ of David Elan many times, watching the caller named Kellian and it had gotten old pretty quick. Same old stuff most of the time. Kelli was nice enough and seemed to remember her which didn't hinder Ash's watching any, actually. She'd made her reports, collected her money and yet David kept her on retainer.
She had found other things to keep her eyes on in the Outback and as she left the unkempt path and came into view of the long building where the Fists duels were held, she smiled. Maybe one or two of those 'things' would be at the duels that night.
Hired Eyes ((Ash Lowell))
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Re: Hired Eyes ((Ash Lowell))
Date: 1/23/1998 1:33 PM Central Daylight Time
From: Ash Lowell
AppetizersSitting in her dirtside office blocks away from the RhyDin starport and the small Star's End bar and grill, the detective sorted through her papers and reports on the Elan case. Her mind wasn't on that however, and soon she was sitting, coffee in hand, booted feet up on her desk, staring deep into the hound's tooth pattern coat in the portrait of Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes which she kept on the wall. It was an eccentricity.Her thoughts were on her most recent employer and overgenerous benefactor, David Elan, who had vanished from Red Star Station. She was determined to find out where he'd gone. It was her opinion that the investigation had been over months ago. That Kellian Elan was going to marry Stof Anders and keep David's son with them. End of Story. Relationship over. Still, David had kept her on, insisting she keep an eye on Kellian and everything relatedto the Outback. Then, the day of the birth of David's son in the med center hospital on the Station, David had contacted her. He'd left a vid message for her. He seemed happy in a way she'd not seen before as she reviewed the message, but haunted and she'd tried to get back to him to see if he was alright. Neither David nor his cyborg sidekick could be found anywhere. Odd that he should vanish so absolutely just after terminating her retainer and settling herbill to date. She was positive he wasn't ready to give up access to his son so easily.Sure, he was too good a meal ticket to lose so completely, but the job had been over months ago and she wouldn't take a man's money when she'd done nothing to deserve it. She'd encouraged him to get on with his life several times in more personal chats they'd had. He had been far, far more than generous in his compensation for her time than necessary. He'd given her double her fees and since it was close to the holidays when he had dismissed her,he'd thrown in a bonus. She already thought she understood some of the *why's* of his leaving, if he had left on his own. David had just become a father; but the mother of his child was marrying another man and there was little room in her life for the estranged ex CEO of Crestelan Mining Corporation. His brother had taken over the company. Why put himself through that pain and hang around? She kept coming back to his son. He had said over and over he wanted tobe a father to his son. Could he have snapped, given up, left depressed? It didn't set well. Couldn't be right. Ash frowned, pushing her hand through her straight, shoulder-lenght blonde hair. No. David hadn't left on his own, Ash was certain. His ship was here. Well, had been berthed at Red Star. It was gone now, twelves hours after it had been there, it was gone. She didn't believe David wouldn't answer her messages. And according to the dockmaster's manifest, David hadn't taken Corsair out. Even if he was cutting off all ties with Crestelan and his brother Darien, he would have taken the ship. Starting freshwas harder with a ship a pilot didn't know. David was a pilot at his core. Even if he wanted to sell the Corsair, he'd have taken it initially, she was sure. He'd need something familiar if just to get a new life started. Flying was something he knew that could turn a fast cred almost anywhere he went. It wasn't adding up yet, but it would. She'd find him. He'd been decent to her; visiting her in the hospital after that bomb blast at Crestelan. If he was in trouble, he deserved her help. Ash hated puzzles without pieces and this one was missing several large ones. She glanced away from the Holmes portrait and the time changing on her wall chrono caught her eye. God, time to go to dinner. She'd need to walk because the streets here were conducive to horses and little else. Ash and horses could get along if she had pockets full of apples, but riding one was something out of the question for her unless someone was paying her BIG creds. And the shuttles only went to certain, wealthier sections of the cities onthis world. The Outback wasn't exactly in the backyard of the Rich and Famous so... walking it was. One of these days, she'd get herself a motorcycle. Not so fancy as a speeder or a shuttle, but something to feel the world around her from instead of shutting her off from it. She pulled her jacket on over her green sweater and tugged on her leather gloves. She brushed some potato chip crumbs from her pantleg and belatedly checked for grease spots. None. Cool. She already possessed the typical leather biker's jacket because it was heavy, could conceal a shoulder holster well and looked so damn good on her. As she shut the door and locked the office, the wind was picking up and there looked to be the threat ofsnow. Great. Just great. Ian would meet her in the Outback he'd told her, so she turned her collar up to the wind and slid her gloved hands deep into her pockets. She thought as she walked, her mind less on cases still and more on personal relationships. In the months she had been flitting in and out of the Outback watching her subject Kellian Elan, Ashly had come to know several of the duelers. Some very well, because her instincts insisted she do that very thing. It was easy to read people, learn what she needed, and to give away very little about herself. Most of them were so young! Boys and girls ratherthan men and women and she laughed to even imagine herself in the rings. These 'kids' had fought for years in this style of competition. They knew the moves. She smiled. She had her own moves. Ashly knew how to defend herself on the street. (This was a good thing considering the walk from the seedier spaceport streets to the even more secluded Outback not far from the public inn.) She'd taken the sort of self defense courses with the local law enforcement that taught you how to use the things you had with you, your vehicle keys or keycard, money, whatever was handy to distract a would be attacker andescape a dangerous situation. She knew how to walk with purpose, how to throw that key or cred stick one way and run like hell the other, how to kick a groin with a pointed heel boot and how to wear flat soled shoes on long walks into seedy neighborhoods; good for running.She'd looked at the Outback as a way to meet people of her own interests and persuasions in a dog eat dog world where people formed packs and watched out for one another. Funny though, she'd never imagined that she'd meet a man who embodied the pack mentality to the extent Ian had. It was fascinating. Sure, he had an ex and a lot of kids. Ash didn't care. She hadn't split them up and she was interested in the man, not his past. She'd been curious about the Cowboy who ran the show at the Outback but that had been a few flirtatious conversations that led nowhere very fast. He seemed to like women he could control, or ones who would bend to his every whim. Ash wasn't like that. She was tough, she knew it, sometimes hard to get along with. She didn't fawn over anyone one, ever. When she loved, it was subtle, private and intense. When it was over, she hid it deep and cherished all the best memories. Lazarus had understood that, and their time together had been sweet, deep, quiet and all too short. His was a world of hexidecimals, circuits and out of body experiences. Several times in pursuit of his past, and in helping her in the Elan case when there had been sabotage at Crestelan, he'd taken Ash with him. This had required leaving their bodies behind, unprotected. After a while, she couldn't handle that. She wasn't a Netrunner, she was aUser. Eventually, he'd slipped into the net and was gone for good. There had been no good byes - it was easier for them both that way. That was the way she liked it. Well, hell. Relationships weren't meant to last forever, right? She ducked her head against the chill wind but was glad the cold air was blowing in her face. It dried her tears for her.
From: Ash Lowell
AppetizersSitting in her dirtside office blocks away from the RhyDin starport and the small Star's End bar and grill, the detective sorted through her papers and reports on the Elan case. Her mind wasn't on that however, and soon she was sitting, coffee in hand, booted feet up on her desk, staring deep into the hound's tooth pattern coat in the portrait of Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes which she kept on the wall. It was an eccentricity.Her thoughts were on her most recent employer and overgenerous benefactor, David Elan, who had vanished from Red Star Station. She was determined to find out where he'd gone. It was her opinion that the investigation had been over months ago. That Kellian Elan was going to marry Stof Anders and keep David's son with them. End of Story. Relationship over. Still, David had kept her on, insisting she keep an eye on Kellian and everything relatedto the Outback. Then, the day of the birth of David's son in the med center hospital on the Station, David had contacted her. He'd left a vid message for her. He seemed happy in a way she'd not seen before as she reviewed the message, but haunted and she'd tried to get back to him to see if he was alright. Neither David nor his cyborg sidekick could be found anywhere. Odd that he should vanish so absolutely just after terminating her retainer and settling herbill to date. She was positive he wasn't ready to give up access to his son so easily.Sure, he was too good a meal ticket to lose so completely, but the job had been over months ago and she wouldn't take a man's money when she'd done nothing to deserve it. She'd encouraged him to get on with his life several times in more personal chats they'd had. He had been far, far more than generous in his compensation for her time than necessary. He'd given her double her fees and since it was close to the holidays when he had dismissed her,he'd thrown in a bonus. She already thought she understood some of the *why's* of his leaving, if he had left on his own. David had just become a father; but the mother of his child was marrying another man and there was little room in her life for the estranged ex CEO of Crestelan Mining Corporation. His brother had taken over the company. Why put himself through that pain and hang around? She kept coming back to his son. He had said over and over he wanted tobe a father to his son. Could he have snapped, given up, left depressed? It didn't set well. Couldn't be right. Ash frowned, pushing her hand through her straight, shoulder-lenght blonde hair. No. David hadn't left on his own, Ash was certain. His ship was here. Well, had been berthed at Red Star. It was gone now, twelves hours after it had been there, it was gone. She didn't believe David wouldn't answer her messages. And according to the dockmaster's manifest, David hadn't taken Corsair out. Even if he was cutting off all ties with Crestelan and his brother Darien, he would have taken the ship. Starting freshwas harder with a ship a pilot didn't know. David was a pilot at his core. Even if he wanted to sell the Corsair, he'd have taken it initially, she was sure. He'd need something familiar if just to get a new life started. Flying was something he knew that could turn a fast cred almost anywhere he went. It wasn't adding up yet, but it would. She'd find him. He'd been decent to her; visiting her in the hospital after that bomb blast at Crestelan. If he was in trouble, he deserved her help. Ash hated puzzles without pieces and this one was missing several large ones. She glanced away from the Holmes portrait and the time changing on her wall chrono caught her eye. God, time to go to dinner. She'd need to walk because the streets here were conducive to horses and little else. Ash and horses could get along if she had pockets full of apples, but riding one was something out of the question for her unless someone was paying her BIG creds. And the shuttles only went to certain, wealthier sections of the cities onthis world. The Outback wasn't exactly in the backyard of the Rich and Famous so... walking it was. One of these days, she'd get herself a motorcycle. Not so fancy as a speeder or a shuttle, but something to feel the world around her from instead of shutting her off from it. She pulled her jacket on over her green sweater and tugged on her leather gloves. She brushed some potato chip crumbs from her pantleg and belatedly checked for grease spots. None. Cool. She already possessed the typical leather biker's jacket because it was heavy, could conceal a shoulder holster well and looked so damn good on her. As she shut the door and locked the office, the wind was picking up and there looked to be the threat ofsnow. Great. Just great. Ian would meet her in the Outback he'd told her, so she turned her collar up to the wind and slid her gloved hands deep into her pockets. She thought as she walked, her mind less on cases still and more on personal relationships. In the months she had been flitting in and out of the Outback watching her subject Kellian Elan, Ashly had come to know several of the duelers. Some very well, because her instincts insisted she do that very thing. It was easy to read people, learn what she needed, and to give away very little about herself. Most of them were so young! Boys and girls ratherthan men and women and she laughed to even imagine herself in the rings. These 'kids' had fought for years in this style of competition. They knew the moves. She smiled. She had her own moves. Ashly knew how to defend herself on the street. (This was a good thing considering the walk from the seedier spaceport streets to the even more secluded Outback not far from the public inn.) She'd taken the sort of self defense courses with the local law enforcement that taught you how to use the things you had with you, your vehicle keys or keycard, money, whatever was handy to distract a would be attacker andescape a dangerous situation. She knew how to walk with purpose, how to throw that key or cred stick one way and run like hell the other, how to kick a groin with a pointed heel boot and how to wear flat soled shoes on long walks into seedy neighborhoods; good for running.She'd looked at the Outback as a way to meet people of her own interests and persuasions in a dog eat dog world where people formed packs and watched out for one another. Funny though, she'd never imagined that she'd meet a man who embodied the pack mentality to the extent Ian had. It was fascinating. Sure, he had an ex and a lot of kids. Ash didn't care. She hadn't split them up and she was interested in the man, not his past. She'd been curious about the Cowboy who ran the show at the Outback but that had been a few flirtatious conversations that led nowhere very fast. He seemed to like women he could control, or ones who would bend to his every whim. Ash wasn't like that. She was tough, she knew it, sometimes hard to get along with. She didn't fawn over anyone one, ever. When she loved, it was subtle, private and intense. When it was over, she hid it deep and cherished all the best memories. Lazarus had understood that, and their time together had been sweet, deep, quiet and all too short. His was a world of hexidecimals, circuits and out of body experiences. Several times in pursuit of his past, and in helping her in the Elan case when there had been sabotage at Crestelan, he'd taken Ash with him. This had required leaving their bodies behind, unprotected. After a while, she couldn't handle that. She wasn't a Netrunner, she was aUser. Eventually, he'd slipped into the net and was gone for good. There had been no good byes - it was easier for them both that way. That was the way she liked it. Well, hell. Relationships weren't meant to last forever, right? She ducked her head against the chill wind but was glad the cold air was blowing in her face. It dried her tears for her.
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Re: Hired Eyes ((Ash Lowell))/ Surprises
Date: 1/27/1998 2:12 PM Central Daylight Time
From: Ash Lowell
SurprisesThe night had gone so unexpectedly. She had planned a dinner to get to know the tall, verrrry attractive Ian Munro and all had gone as planned right up until the time that some woman had insisted Ian give her "five minutes" of his time. Five minutes had turned into two hours and Ashly had slowly lost her temper. She could understand that someone might try to salvage Ian's relationship with his ex; but, when five minutes takes two hours, it makes agirl wonder if there isn't more to 'salvage' than meets the eye. She and Ian hadn't talked all that much. She liked him but Ash wasn't sure if she should jump into anything more than friendship with someone carrying that much baggage. It was too easy to get her legs swept out from under her. She'd waited for Ian and while waiting got to learn a bit more of those who fought in the Outback. Leaning against the Munro deli's front counter somewhere about 2 am, Ashly twirled the "assault weapon" in her hand. It was quiet and she reflected on the previous night's events. She smiled and thought of the well known paladin, Percival. Talk about getting your legs swept away! He had made her curious after the events of that night when the woman Banda had dueled him and totally trashed him. Ash tried to find out more about Percy, as mostfolks called him. After asking around, she wondered if he was really some sort of Grail Knight or just a looney. If he were, the legends said he was cursed to be immortal until he found the reputed "holy cup of Christ." It would mean he was THE Percival. Man. It was really REALLY hard for Ash to believe. She had grown up with a cynic's view of the modern world in the post "space age" era of "Earth." Grail Knights, Vampires and Werewolves were things of the past mythos of civilization. They were tales you told kids to keep them in bed at night butno one seriously believed in those things. It was akin to believing that Mars had once sported "little green men." That there could be a relic called the Holy Grail was easy to accept. Many icons of the religious community she had experience with were "holy" to those who were blinded by their faith in such things to start with. But to presume any such icon had any sort of miraculous powers ... wasn't that bordering on the ridiculous? This Opal challenge between the cowboy she called Texas and Ian was to her way of thinking, equally crazy. Another creature of myth (one she'd actually met) called an orc (she didn't buy that, he was too cute) had, if the tales were so, brought to the Outback some five magical stones. They'd set a whole new rank in the sport for these "magical stones". Just another set of rocks. Ian didn't seem to think so, however. This black Opal he carriedwas alive to him. If it meant that much to him, had a hold that strong, Ash wondered if he were even sane.That was all she needed, a crazy boyfriend. But he was cute, and she enjoyed his company so she'd give him the chance. Why was it that a normal seeming cowboy like Texas want the thing? Prestige, okay, that made sense. To be considered the best of the best if you couldn't make diamond would appeal to Texas, she figured. Ash laughed. It was good to have something figured out. Status was all the cowboy wanted. A man's status was often judged by the size of his ... ambition. The paladin she'd met and "seen something of" had a very healthy "ambition." The "assault weapon" of the evening against that ambition had been feather given to her by a guy named Bryan. Note to self: she scribbled on a piece of paper. Learn more about Bryan. She set thefeather down and laughed harder. That salve Bryan had concocted had covered *most* of Percy's ambition, but there was enough to give her a wide smile and to wonder if he'd consider sharing. Tickling him with the feather had been Bryan's idea, but Ashly had reveled in her bit of deviltry. Waiting for Ian would have been boring without it. It wasn't until after Bryan had left the dojo that Ash realized she was hearing louder voices outside. She made her way out, leaving the paladin to recover from her tickling and found Ian and Bryan in conversation. Ian looked awful as if he'd lost something. He'd looked to Ash for help and she went to him immediately. She was in it now and would see it through. There were children about; she could only assume they'd been his. She saw no signsof the woman who'd asked him to come outside. Instead, there was another woman on the ground. She gathered from the talk that this woman was the mother of Ian's children and that Ian had somehow hurt her. Ash thought that it had been an error to stay. These were personal proceedings between family and close friends. But Ian seemed to be under emotional attack both from his children and from Bryan. She considered him a friend and she wouldn't let him go through it alone. Then again, she might have stayed because he had looked at her with those smokey eyes and pleaded-- appealing to something nurturing in the soul of the PI. Who the hell knew. She traded quips with Bryan and was sure she had offended him. Weird things had happened, enough to make her doubt her own eyes and ears. Still, her center had been Ian and trying to make him smile. When she had succeeded, she knew that the discomfort of the moment was nothing compared to that. Finally, the children stopped badgering their father about why he'd hurt "mama". Ash could see the pain in Ian's face and knew he'd had enough. He couldn't remember what happened and pulled away from them all, looking like a lost puppy. She did what any other woman would have done with a lost puppy. She took him home. His home. After he'd fallen to sleep, albeit restlessly, she sat 'guard' with her 'assault weapon' feather at the Deli counter until 5:30 am when she had to get up and go to work. There was another case she'd taken on dealing with yet another member of the Fists Dueling community and she needed to do some footwork on that one. She made her own breakfast. Ian wasn't up yet, but she left him a note that she'd meet him in the Outback for thechallenge that night. "Babe, Made my own breakfast. Sorry about the mess. God! I love your kitchen! Don't worry about last night, Sexy.I judge people not by hearsay but by what I see and how they treat me. So far, that makes you a Diamond in my book. Don't worry about tonight, either Ian. You'll kick ass. I'll meet you there.-A.L."====He'd lost the Opal he had so longed to keep. Ashly stood in his corner and rooted for him through sheep and free for all. From what she saw, Ian just couldn't seem to put aside his fear to defeat Texas. Texas on the other hand seemed to have no problem *wanting* to obliterate Ian. When she took Ian home this time, it was a long while before either of them slept.
From: Ash Lowell
SurprisesThe night had gone so unexpectedly. She had planned a dinner to get to know the tall, verrrry attractive Ian Munro and all had gone as planned right up until the time that some woman had insisted Ian give her "five minutes" of his time. Five minutes had turned into two hours and Ashly had slowly lost her temper. She could understand that someone might try to salvage Ian's relationship with his ex; but, when five minutes takes two hours, it makes agirl wonder if there isn't more to 'salvage' than meets the eye. She and Ian hadn't talked all that much. She liked him but Ash wasn't sure if she should jump into anything more than friendship with someone carrying that much baggage. It was too easy to get her legs swept out from under her. She'd waited for Ian and while waiting got to learn a bit more of those who fought in the Outback. Leaning against the Munro deli's front counter somewhere about 2 am, Ashly twirled the "assault weapon" in her hand. It was quiet and she reflected on the previous night's events. She smiled and thought of the well known paladin, Percival. Talk about getting your legs swept away! He had made her curious after the events of that night when the woman Banda had dueled him and totally trashed him. Ash tried to find out more about Percy, as mostfolks called him. After asking around, she wondered if he was really some sort of Grail Knight or just a looney. If he were, the legends said he was cursed to be immortal until he found the reputed "holy cup of Christ." It would mean he was THE Percival. Man. It was really REALLY hard for Ash to believe. She had grown up with a cynic's view of the modern world in the post "space age" era of "Earth." Grail Knights, Vampires and Werewolves were things of the past mythos of civilization. They were tales you told kids to keep them in bed at night butno one seriously believed in those things. It was akin to believing that Mars had once sported "little green men." That there could be a relic called the Holy Grail was easy to accept. Many icons of the religious community she had experience with were "holy" to those who were blinded by their faith in such things to start with. But to presume any such icon had any sort of miraculous powers ... wasn't that bordering on the ridiculous? This Opal challenge between the cowboy she called Texas and Ian was to her way of thinking, equally crazy. Another creature of myth (one she'd actually met) called an orc (she didn't buy that, he was too cute) had, if the tales were so, brought to the Outback some five magical stones. They'd set a whole new rank in the sport for these "magical stones". Just another set of rocks. Ian didn't seem to think so, however. This black Opal he carriedwas alive to him. If it meant that much to him, had a hold that strong, Ash wondered if he were even sane.That was all she needed, a crazy boyfriend. But he was cute, and she enjoyed his company so she'd give him the chance. Why was it that a normal seeming cowboy like Texas want the thing? Prestige, okay, that made sense. To be considered the best of the best if you couldn't make diamond would appeal to Texas, she figured. Ash laughed. It was good to have something figured out. Status was all the cowboy wanted. A man's status was often judged by the size of his ... ambition. The paladin she'd met and "seen something of" had a very healthy "ambition." The "assault weapon" of the evening against that ambition had been feather given to her by a guy named Bryan. Note to self: she scribbled on a piece of paper. Learn more about Bryan. She set thefeather down and laughed harder. That salve Bryan had concocted had covered *most* of Percy's ambition, but there was enough to give her a wide smile and to wonder if he'd consider sharing. Tickling him with the feather had been Bryan's idea, but Ashly had reveled in her bit of deviltry. Waiting for Ian would have been boring without it. It wasn't until after Bryan had left the dojo that Ash realized she was hearing louder voices outside. She made her way out, leaving the paladin to recover from her tickling and found Ian and Bryan in conversation. Ian looked awful as if he'd lost something. He'd looked to Ash for help and she went to him immediately. She was in it now and would see it through. There were children about; she could only assume they'd been his. She saw no signsof the woman who'd asked him to come outside. Instead, there was another woman on the ground. She gathered from the talk that this woman was the mother of Ian's children and that Ian had somehow hurt her. Ash thought that it had been an error to stay. These were personal proceedings between family and close friends. But Ian seemed to be under emotional attack both from his children and from Bryan. She considered him a friend and she wouldn't let him go through it alone. Then again, she might have stayed because he had looked at her with those smokey eyes and pleaded-- appealing to something nurturing in the soul of the PI. Who the hell knew. She traded quips with Bryan and was sure she had offended him. Weird things had happened, enough to make her doubt her own eyes and ears. Still, her center had been Ian and trying to make him smile. When she had succeeded, she knew that the discomfort of the moment was nothing compared to that. Finally, the children stopped badgering their father about why he'd hurt "mama". Ash could see the pain in Ian's face and knew he'd had enough. He couldn't remember what happened and pulled away from them all, looking like a lost puppy. She did what any other woman would have done with a lost puppy. She took him home. His home. After he'd fallen to sleep, albeit restlessly, she sat 'guard' with her 'assault weapon' feather at the Deli counter until 5:30 am when she had to get up and go to work. There was another case she'd taken on dealing with yet another member of the Fists Dueling community and she needed to do some footwork on that one. She made her own breakfast. Ian wasn't up yet, but she left him a note that she'd meet him in the Outback for thechallenge that night. "Babe, Made my own breakfast. Sorry about the mess. God! I love your kitchen! Don't worry about last night, Sexy.I judge people not by hearsay but by what I see and how they treat me. So far, that makes you a Diamond in my book. Don't worry about tonight, either Ian. You'll kick ass. I'll meet you there.-A.L."====He'd lost the Opal he had so longed to keep. Ashly stood in his corner and rooted for him through sheep and free for all. From what she saw, Ian just couldn't seem to put aside his fear to defeat Texas. Texas on the other hand seemed to have no problem *wanting* to obliterate Ian. When she took Ian home this time, it was a long while before either of them slept.
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Re: Hired Eyes ((Ash Lowell-Munro))/ Changes
Date: 2/27/1999 1:04 PM Central Daylight Time
From: Ash Munro
Changes
It had been over a year since Ash had moved into the apartment Kyttnayah had left to her care. The felinoid had occasionally kept in touch via electronic mail over rhydinet.com, but not in several months. Ashly and Ian Munro had married over the course of that time – the best decision she’d ever made – and her case-by-case business, while still in the black, was extremely slow. That was just as well, because she and Ian were going to be parents and
the entire concept of children muddled her considerably.
Still, the retainer from Kyttn and the one from Darien Elan, established upon discovery that his brother David was officially missing, had allowed Ash to keep her offices. She felt Elan was over-paying her, but Darien insisted that it was worth it. If she could find any clues that would help him locate his brother, he’d told Ash, it could help save lives. As a result of that commentary, brief though it had been, Ash insisted on visiting her
offices every day and working on the Elan case. She’d gathered file upon file of information. Useless, dead, information. None of it had lead her to finding David.
He has to be out there, somewhere, she told herself, packing up for the night. She straightened from closing her brief case, and her small hands went to the small of her back. She had remained fit through the pregnancy, usually quite energetic, but that evening she felt so tired. Thoughts of a warm bath and some soup enticed her and she smiled, lifting a hand to run it through her blonde hair.
Bright eyes regarded the picture of Ian on her desk and her smile overflowed with a sentimentality that Ash would have gagged at if she could have seen it. She adored her husband; something she had never thought would happen and she was intensely happy.
She wrapped her hand around the handle of the brief case and switched off the desk lamp. Ash walked slowly to the door and set the case down to slip into her jacket. It barely closed over her abdomen, but it didn’t matter. The winter weather had broken and spring was just around the corner. Biker jackets weren’t supposed to be worn by pregnant women anyway, she reminded herself with a laugh. Gathering up her helmet and gloves she put them on and
fastened them in place. The case slipped easily off the ground and with the door shut behind her, Ash mounted the Fat tail Ian had given her. She felt a kick and a punch simultaneously. "Easy kids …" she murmured to her tummy. "Home to Daddy soon." She tucked the case into the saddlebag and roared off into the cool night.
From: Ash Munro
Changes
It had been over a year since Ash had moved into the apartment Kyttnayah had left to her care. The felinoid had occasionally kept in touch via electronic mail over rhydinet.com, but not in several months. Ashly and Ian Munro had married over the course of that time – the best decision she’d ever made – and her case-by-case business, while still in the black, was extremely slow. That was just as well, because she and Ian were going to be parents and
the entire concept of children muddled her considerably.
Still, the retainer from Kyttn and the one from Darien Elan, established upon discovery that his brother David was officially missing, had allowed Ash to keep her offices. She felt Elan was over-paying her, but Darien insisted that it was worth it. If she could find any clues that would help him locate his brother, he’d told Ash, it could help save lives. As a result of that commentary, brief though it had been, Ash insisted on visiting her
offices every day and working on the Elan case. She’d gathered file upon file of information. Useless, dead, information. None of it had lead her to finding David.
He has to be out there, somewhere, she told herself, packing up for the night. She straightened from closing her brief case, and her small hands went to the small of her back. She had remained fit through the pregnancy, usually quite energetic, but that evening she felt so tired. Thoughts of a warm bath and some soup enticed her and she smiled, lifting a hand to run it through her blonde hair.
Bright eyes regarded the picture of Ian on her desk and her smile overflowed with a sentimentality that Ash would have gagged at if she could have seen it. She adored her husband; something she had never thought would happen and she was intensely happy.
She wrapped her hand around the handle of the brief case and switched off the desk lamp. Ash walked slowly to the door and set the case down to slip into her jacket. It barely closed over her abdomen, but it didn’t matter. The winter weather had broken and spring was just around the corner. Biker jackets weren’t supposed to be worn by pregnant women anyway, she reminded herself with a laugh. Gathering up her helmet and gloves she put them on and
fastened them in place. The case slipped easily off the ground and with the door shut behind her, Ash mounted the Fat tail Ian had given her. She felt a kick and a punch simultaneously. "Easy kids …" she murmured to her tummy. "Home to Daddy soon." She tucked the case into the saddlebag and roared off into the cool night.