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"I- Jeez, I know what I did before was- jeez. She shouldn't have done that to me." Noir shook his head. "She knew didn't she?"
"About Black Anna setting this whole thing up?" The Wolf took a sip of his coffee. "Yeah. The USMS knew all about that. They are good at knowing about things like that."
"What?"
The Wolf smiled. "The USMS is a survey. They aren't as ignorant as others. The veil is weaker for them. But they still miss some things."
"Like you."
"Yeah. But it also means they can't do anything about dangerous things. And they are underfunded, so they get conjoled into having to aid people they either don't know are bad or they'd rather avoid having any contact with." The Wolf explained.
"Black Anna couldn't have that much pull to get a federal agency to trick me." Noir tried run through it in his head. He thought he had a answer. "Which Power wanted me to be working for Black Anna?"
"Ah." The Wolf's eye twinkled. He smiled, nodding that Noir had the right answer. "You know about the Powers. Good. That'll make it easier to explain I think. Have you heard of the Hornes Foundation?"
Noir shook his head. "I thought powers were more occultish, not organized or what not."
"Depends on how you define Power. Sometimes that means something mysterious, or small I expect. Powers for others, like myself, are blocks of influence. They try to affect change. They have goals, their own games they play."
"And the Hornes Foundation wanted what here? Why?"
The Wolf shrugged. "No clue. Political machinations and all that."
The Wolf put a folder on the table. He nodded at Noir. "Here is a gift for you."
Noir looked at the folder. "I don't get this. Why have such a interest me? I'm just a guy, really. What do you want from me?"
"You've been working for the wrong guys, not the Hornes Foundation- they don't like me. They'd like to see me dead and replaced with their own ancient thrice-damned gods. Others, like your Dark Man, well, they are competitors of sort too."
"That still isn't a answer." Noir told the Wolf.
The Wolf got up from the table. He dropped a crumpled twenty dollar bill on the table.
"You don't need an answer, Noir. You need Elle. Think about her, and I'm sure you might consider joining my side the next time your Dark Man calls."
Noir grabbed the folder. He flipped the folder open quickly, almost tearing the papers inside. Details, photos, information were inside. All about Elle.
"How?" Noir asked. He looked up, expecting to see the Wolf. But there was no sign of him. Noir looked down at the folder.
Noir gripped the folder tight. This was more than the Dark Man had ever given him. He could find her. He could use it, he didn't know how yet, but...
"What now?" A tired familiar voice knocked Noir out if his revelry.
Jesha looked down at him, leaning more on one leg than the other. Noir hugged her.
They embraced tightly. In that moment Noir wanted to share his elation with her. A tiny part deep in his heart, one he thought belonged only to Elle also yearned to be with Jesha now, after all they had been through.
He wished he knew what to do about it.
"We hunt, I think."
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