Chapter 1 - A night at the Electric Labyrinth

Connor loves passion in a woman, and regrets having to make such a choice. He goes back to the bartender, Nadia and fetches a couple of champagnes, and then whimsically asks to have them with cherries.

Max, feeling a hint of unsecurity, keeps an eye out for potential company should Seo-ah fail to reach out within the hour.

Meanwhile, in their secluded nook, Tav and Selvie revel in each other's company, laughter and affection filling the air.

Marcel exits the venue in the company of two talented musicians from a local band, their laughter echoing into the venue as they depart.

Naomi finds herself instantly besieged by a throng of affluent suitors, each vying for her attention with offers of wealth and charm, far surpassing Connor's presence.

Over at the bar, Tony engages in lively conversation with Nadia who engaged him in conversations since he was alone, their rapport flowing effortlessly amid the bustling ambiance.

Meanwhile, Connor waits patiently, his gaze fixed on the archway that lead to the nearest restrooms, two glasses of champagne sitting untouched before him. It's been fifteen minutes since Anika left, leaving him to wonder about her whereabouts.

Connor downs the first champagne after five minutes, then the second after ten. He chats amiably with those around him, but then it occurs to him that if she isn't with Nexus, maybe they're after her too. It's a paranoid thought, but a real one in his mind.

Confident, the man of the hour if you will, he strides to the ladies restroom where he saw her go. Pushing the door open, he enters that unfamiliar ground. "Anika?"

Connor strides down the corridor branching off from the main venue, passing four doors along the way. One leads to the women's restroom, another to the men's, the third to the stairs, and the last to the staff area. Despite the no-smoking policy, a couple of punks linger in the corridor, puffing on joints with nonchalant disregard.

Disregarding societal norms, Connor boldly enters the ladies' restroom. Immediately, he notices several disconcerting sights. Anika's bag lies discarded on the floor, its contents scattered haphazardly around it—makeup, a phone, and various other feminine accouterments. A single black shoe, possibly Anika's, sits abandoned nearby, but Connor's attention is usually fixated elsewhere. Lastly, he spots an unfamiliar young woman sprawled unconscious on the floor, her long black hair splayed around her. Her dress is disheveled, as if there were signs of a struggle. She appears to be of Asian descent, but her identity remains a mystery to him.

Upon closer inspection of the floor, fresh drops of blood come into view.

No trace of Anika...

He blinks. And blinks again. What happened? He's seen shapeshifting, so he checks if the Asian woman is missing a shoe. Are we still linked? Anika has been kidnapped from the ladies room. There's blood. Max, I need your mind magic. There's a witness. Please hurry!

He panicking. Anika! He feels pulled apart. His heart has stopped. He's floating in a void of despair. The light reflecting off of him dims as he subconsciously absorbs power, his features as if in shadow. Focus.

He pulls out his phone, recording what he's seeing.

Connor swiftly captures the scene with his phone, ensuring to document every detail meticulously—the scattered objects on the floor, the black solitary shoe lying abandoned, the blood, and the unconscious victim.

As he surveys the area, a sinking feeling settles in his gut. Both shoes belonging to the victim are accounted for, indicating that the abandoned shoe likely belongs to Anika. It's a chilling realization, heightening the urgency of the situation.

Unconscious is never a good sign, but does the girl look like she's in dire need of medical attention? He doesn't really know how to answer his own question

While he's hyperfocussed on Anika, and waiting for his friends to respond, he leaves the bathroom and starts checking the other doors in the hallway. Maybe blood drops will lead the way. Yeah, right, what am I, a bloodhound?

Max has just picked through Naomi's mind to find her favorite drink and the song she most wants to hear, then looked it up on his phone to find quotable lyrics. He was right behind some blowhard trust fund rich dude talking about taking Naomi out on his boat and rolled his eyes when the guy said come out on my boat for the eighth time. He was about to make his move, had the perfect opening to use the line from the song, when he heard Connor in his mind.

Dammit.

He reaches past boat boy and pushes the drink at Naomi. When she takes it, he searches the guy's mind and laughs when he finds out the one fear he has about the boat, he laughs out loud. It ruins his quote of the lyrics.

"I don't wanna get in the way of your dreams or change who you want to be..." He forgets the rest of the lyrics and shrugs, then grins, all confidence, but also knowing he's giving up. He doesn't really have a chance with her anyway. He jerks his thumb toward the guy who's about to say something about being interrupted. "It's his dad's boat."

Then he turns and heads toward the hallway to the restrooms. He bumps into Connor coming out of the bathroom, clearly searching for something.

"What can I do?" He looks around, but he doesn't know what he's looking for.

As Max approaches Naomi with her favorite drink in hand, he notices her engrossed in conversation with the blowhard trust fund guy. Despite his efforts to engage her, she seems preoccupied with the man's persistent chatter about his boat and other superficial things.

Just as Max is about to interject with a clever line from the song he found, Connor's voice disrupts his thoughts, causing a momentary distraction. Regaining his focus, Max pushes the drink towards Naomi, trying to regain her attention. Eventually, Max has to give up to go help Connor.Connor stands still for a moment, his gaze scanning the dimly lit corridor for any signs of blood. Finding none, he shifts his attention to the adjacent doors, noting their potential significance. One leads to the men's restroom, another to the stairwell entrance, and the last to a staff-only area. Just as he's about to make a decision on his next move, he's startled by the sudden appearance of Max in the corridor.

Connor is headed to the stairwell when Max appears. "There is a girl in that bathroom, unconscious. Can you scan her mind and find out what she saw?" He leads Max back in, and starts collecting Anika's stuff, even her shoe.

"See the blood? Something happened. Maybe Anika took her down in the fight. " His mind is desperate for answers, but he knows that he knows nothing.

"If she was conscious, I could convince her to tell me what she saw, what happened, but I can’t really go digging around for stuff inside her head."

Max shrugs. "You sure you want to find Anika? She’s trouble, man."

Connor is tempted to wake her, splash water in her face, but is that dangerous? He doesn't know.

"My brother, she is exactly the kind of trouble I need. I--" he stops, sifting through his feelings. "I owe her big for what happened in Nexus. It's more than that but that is enough."

He nods to Connor. "That's all I need to know. I'll help in any way I can."

He opens the door to the ladies room, ready to head inside. "Just in case, it's probably better for you to not be hovering over the unconscious woman in the ladies room? You have a good reputation, me...?" He shrugs. "You know what everyone thinks about me. This will just seem like I'm more of a creep than everyone already thinks I am."

He heads into the barthroom, looks at the unconscious woman. He gives her body and face an appraising look. Not bad. If he doesn't hear from Seo-ah, maybe she'll decide she likes her rescuer... nope. Stop it. You're working.

He runs some water from the sink, fills his hand, splashing it toward the girls face. Yeah, her rescuer, he thinks, imagining how ridiculous that prospect is when he's standing over her tossing water at her face.

Very much involved with Selvie during these latest developments, Tav continues her makeout session in the comfort of the private booth tucked away in the back corner of the VIP room. She has pushed out the telepathic interference so she can focus on her girl. Her priority is to give attention to Selvie and keep her safe during their outing to The Electric Labyrinth this evening.