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Tobias: Exact location unknown. Somewhere in Russia. West of the Ural mountains. April.

I woke up in the back of the old Rv that had been my home for the last few months. It smelt like mold, fish and cigarette smoke. It was an older model made around the time the iron curtain came down. It was pretty small with hunter green shag carpet and peeling faux wood stickers coming off of all of the factory furniture. The walls were off white, not eggshell but dirty from decades of time and the previous owners chain smoking indoors. Mouse was there with me, he was happy to be with me, if not too thrilled with our surroundings. I gave him a few scratches behind the ear and opened a can of what I think was cat food for him. It smelled like fish and had a picture of a cartoon cat on it so... Probably cat food??? I was never too good with reading cyrillic. I had been camping and following a trail of Roma or Gypsy for a bit now. At least they left me alone. I closed the house in Florida and left all my identification and electronics there. I was sick of calls from The Order, I was sick of the news, and most of all I was sick of living. I picked up the tin foil packet off what passed for a dining room table as I sat down across from Mouse while he ate. I opened up the window to the right and fished a lighter out of my pocket. Running the lighter over the tinfoil slowly until white smoke came up, then inhaling the silky heaven through the plastic tube of disassembled a pen. I held my breath until my vision began to swim from lack of oxygen then I exhaled the flowery smooth stream out the open window. Don't want Mouse to get any of this... I started smoking opium many many years ago as a way to enhance my dreams, before I learned not to mess with things. I would only do so on extremely rare occasions. With modern laws and my dreams being too much to handle normally I also hadn't done this in MANY years. With the events of last November, the plague and... ...And losing. Losing her, I... This helps a bit. I still see her every night. It's like she is still here, alive. At least when I'm asleep I can still see her. I smoked a bit more and curled up going back to bed. Hopefully the convoy wouldn't move on without me. O well.

Mouse here: Tobias is NOT doing well. I don't know what happened exactly. He came home and was so sad. He was just broken inside. He didn't eat or even get out of bed except to use the restroom for 2 weeks when he got back. That girl Sam came over to feed me and she saw him there. He wouldn't talk to her. She thought he was dead at first. He just yelled at her to get out and forget she knew him. Then we left. One morning he showered and got dressed. I thought he would be ok but he just picked me up and we ended up in a forest. At least now we don't have to sleep outside. I don't know what to do or how to help him. I just watch over him for now I guess.

Simon. The Order compound. Rome.

Simon had been running ragged, they had stopped the bomb but The Dark Pope had also set off a bio weapon and now the whole world was in a panic. Thankfully in most countries they were able to get a quarantine into effect pretty quickly and modern medicine helped a lot. There was still a lot of death, and things were far from being over. Philip and Thomas were both in America trying to settle the panic. Thankfully the church still holds a bit of sway. Unfortunately some politicians only want to capitalize on panic to chip away at freedom. Reginald had been running facial recognition software programs to help with quarantine. Reginald was different now, haunted almost. Tobias was just gone. He had simply vanished after that night and no one had seen him after that. Simon had called and emailed, even going to his house after trying to reach him for 3 weeks without any success. His room was a mess, the clothing from the battle and all his gear just thrown onto the floor. There was blood all over the bathroom too. His bed smelt like someone had died on it and there were salt stains in large rings on the pillowcase from tears or sweat. He had sent in a cleaner to get the blood and weapons out. Simon hoped that he would be okay, no one had ever gone rogue like that before. People retired, there was a ceremony and the cross was removed. They would age and live out how ever many years they had left, but that wasn't at all what happened with Tobias. For now, all he could do was pray that Tobias would find his way home. The order was as busy as ever, trying to aid a global pandemic, and stopping the many dark things, and men that would capitalize on such global chaos. He couldn't help but feel hunted in some manner as well. The plague wasn't overt but, in his heart, he knew there was something else coming. Quickly.

Tobias: Exact location unknown. Somewhere in Russia.

I dreamt of her again all that night. My heart still breaks when I wake up to realize it was a dream. Stumbling out of my RV I vomited on the ground around the back tire. I wiped my face with the back of my sleeve then patted my pants for Mouse to follow. I think he enjoys walks with me. He's a good hunter and gets us a fat squirrel or a rabbit almost every time. I enjoyed walking through the forest, barefoot and without anywhere to be. Leaning against a massive tree while I was relieving myself I began looking around. I had been to this area before but... I noticed what looked like a short wooden fence, and an old worn stone pathway. Zipping up my fly I whistled for Mouse. He came running over and lept up the tree to about waist height then jumped onto my shoulders. Scratching Mouse behind his ear like he loves gained me a loud purr as he dug his nails into my back and shoulders kneading contently. I walked down the moss covered stone path and between the gap in the short fence made out of woven branches. There was a small clearing inside the fence and an old dilapidated cottage. That was really strange because I knew I had been in this area before but had never seen anything. I could feel an all too familiar clenching burn in my stomach and knew instantly whose house this was. I walked up and knocked politely at the door three times. I waited a few heartbeats then repeated the three knocks. Then again the last three knocks, letting the dweller know that I knew who she was. The door swung inward and I walked into the pitch black, the door closing itself as soon as I was clear of it.

A hearth ignited and provided ample illumination, showing a cozy interior, a small rustic and hand made table with two chairs. On the table was a saucer of milk, a glass of milk and a plate with a steaming T bone steak with a crude knife and fork. Across from the steak was an absolutely gorgeous woman. Looks like I got The Maiden this time, Not that I would be letting her looks distract me. I sat down and started eating the steak, Mouse hopped onto the table and started in on the saucer of milk. “You do NOT belong here. We have no quarrel with The Order.” Said The Maiden. Swallowing a large bite of perfectly cooked steak I took a sip of milk and said, “I'm not with The Order.” The Maiden nodded her head, “We know, but you still do not belong here.” I kept eating the steak, this was somewhat typical when talking with The Baba Yaga. I hadn't met her before but I knew of her, and I had known what to expect to some extent. When I found a house popping up in the middle of nowhere, I knew they wanted to talk. I wasn't sure if I would see the maiden, the mother or the crone, thankfully I got the maiden. Taking another drink from the glass and setting it down to see it still as full as before, I said. “You arranged this meeting, I'm not here for you. I'm not with The Order, I was with the caravan of Roma wandering through the area. So why did you decide to show yourself?” The Maiden laughed, a beautiful sound, unlike the cackle of her counterpart. “I know why you are here. I have seen many things. I saw you in Yellowstone... I saw you in Lakeland. I have watched you cry out for a death that won't come. I saw you love, then lose.” Her voice was sweet and almost seductive. “That's great, why have you been watching me?” I asked her flatly, then popped the last bite of steak into my mouth. There were a few small scraps left and some of the juices from the steak still on the plate. Mouse came over and began to nibble at the bone, removing some of the meat scraps that were left on it. I scratched his back and he arched it slightly as he lapped up his treat. “I like your guardian here, he is a sweet soul.” She said nodding at Mouse. “I know many things about you. I could feel you arrive and I did a bit of digging to prepare myself. Once I knew you didn't come here for me, I figured a meeting should be arranged. There are many things you should know but do not.” This was getting me nowhere, but what else did I have going on honestly. At least the steak was good, I hadn't had a good steak since... Angiola. Dinner. I shook my head and tried not to vomit up the only meal I've had in a few days.

The Maiden continued speaking in her riddles. “It's okay to feel as you do, loss is a terrible thing. The only thing worse is ignorance.” I was confused. I knew this was all a game, but I couldn't see her angle. “Okay, I'm listening, what is it that I need to know?” She smiled and showed off perfectly straight white teeth, almost too sharp. “The woman you mourn... Still walks the earth. Reginald was able to perform her coronation after you left. It was a desperate gamble from a desperate man, but it worked.” I sat there stunned and silent. They were crafty, but even unarmed she knew I was still a threat to her. “I watched her die, what do you gain from this farce?” The Baba Yaga cackled gleefully and leaned forward, showing off a large amount of cleavage. “Why must I have an angle to lend a hand? You said it yourself, you are not here to harm me. I could tell you a lie, or the truth, or both. You still have no reason to harm me.” Then she picked up my plate and shook it. She then held my cellphone in the palm of her hand. The phone was on speaker and rang once before a robotic voice came over the speaker.

 “You have 20 new voice messages. You do not have room in the mailbox for more. First voice message.” Followed by a voice from a ghost. “Tobias, it's me. I don't know where to begin. They told me what happened and I am SO sorry. I'm okay, Reginald was able to bring me back... I'm a full member now. We can... We can be together now. Okay. I miss you... Please... Calling you was the first thing I did… I love you…. Call me soon okay? Bye.” The phone vanished from her hand, just popped like a bubble. I was trembling, my phone was still on the TV stand in my bedroom in Florida. “The other 19 messages are either from her, getting more and more desperate, or The Order. You have several unread Emails as well. I have no reason to lie to you about this. The problem you have isn't that SHE is alive, your problem at the moment is that HE is alive too.” I was so confused, I saw The Dark Pope's charred body. He was almost nothing but ash and bones, there was no way he was still alive. “The Dark Pope can’t be alive. He was bone and ash, and I know The Order has protocols for dealing with the magical dead.” The unearthly beauty shook her head again, “Not him, but his right hand man. The Vampire you tried to question. The Shoggoth quenched the flames, very unlike a shoggoth to deal with fire, but nevertheless It did. He survived the escape and was healing when the battle took place. He blames you and The Order personally. He has made it his mission to get vengeance, your love is in great danger. You prayed for a death that wouldn't come, but he knows how to kill your kind now.”

I would have to do some digging and find out if anything she was saying is true. I stood up and picked up Mouse. He climbed out of my arms and hopped onto my shoulders, laying down and purring contently. I left the small house without saying another word. There are some things you simply do NOT thank for ANYTHING. Yes, I ate the steak and Mouse drank the saucer of milk, but the Baba Yaga wasn't like most Fae. If I hadn't eaten, they wouldn't have talked at all. It would have been taken as an insult and a sign that I didn't trust her. I know I referred to the Baba Yaga in plural multiple times. She herself uses plurals and says things like “We think” ect. The Maiden, The Mother, and The Crone. Three forums, three separate people, one entity. Mystical beings can be… Complicated to say the least. Walking back through the woods, I looked back at the clearing towards where the house sat just a moment before. To no surprise, as soon as I walked past the gate, the home and clearing were gone, leaving only more dense forest. I needed to get back to my home in Florida. I needed to get some answers.