[Dead Heading] It's Complicated.

The nature of Rick was met with a suspicious glance from the Pale Dragon, but the apparent trust of Archie in him seems to soothe things over quickly. When Rick grants his piece on his group's findings, Ivory would do the same.

Notably, Ivory was very clear in noting the many contributions of Agrippa in the matter. They were a team, after all, and Ivory wanted to ensure the Beast was given their due respect.

An outlier in the employee records who deviates from the background of the rest exists by the name of Maria Melnyk. Whether the information was relevant or not, Ivory was unsure. They also possessed some knowledge of employee records.

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• For a small property management agency, Ivory and Agrippa were able to uncover that a significant amount of money was being spilled into the building and, presumably, the investments in Whitney. The pair suspected money laundering, but neither had the background to say for sure.
• Incentivized by the initial payouts, tenants were quick to leave, but the exodus had tapered out within a few months. Agrippa uncovered news of violent altercations and a homicide, which seemed to be linked to gang violence. Tracking the names of the victims revealed that they were family members of those people who chose to leave Whitney.
• Those who remained were being incentivized to continue working lest their family suffer similar violence. Most of the businesses on the block were home-run, such as estheticians, fortune tellers, and masseuses. The main families remaining in the area are Vega and Silva, should the team wish to track them down and press them for information on who was targeting them.
• The primary developer is attached to Chugunkin himself and the project has nothing to do with housing, instead consisting of the building of a stadium, convention center, and business district to pour more money into Whitney. Most importantly, the city is actively working against the remaining population via new zoning issues designed to screw them over.

Looking to Agrippa, Ivory would ask if she was forgetting anything and grant the Beast some time to voice any clarifications or new information they desired to share.

Only after Agrippa has been given some allotted time, does Ivory speak again. 

"Agreed," she says as Rick speaks of the need of support, "The reality is we are facing two visible paths, one is changing the mind of they city and Chugunkin's, the other is dismantling whatever localized threat is forcing the tenants to stay. The odds are better to deal with the local element and convince them to bend."

There was a nod at the desire to speak with Watch Tower. 

"Then we should make use of that rapport," she agreed, "In terms of the bureaucracy, I'm unsure what we can stall, if I'm honest. The new zoning guidelines support the investors of the business district project rather than the residents. One way or another the people here will lose. Whether Spring is involved or not."

She let the statement hang. 

"I believe it is best for us to focus on one of the paths I've described and it seems we are in agreement that the local criminal element present here needs to be removed or incentivized to allow the residents to leave," she said, "I am open to other ideas, but right now what I'm hearing is that we need to focus on their excision from the district. I am, admittedly, ill-suited for this task, but will help where I can."

Ivory had a very basic knowledge of the streets, slightly more than the average outlier at least, but she was no expert. Further, the Pale Dragon was, despite the fierce nature her nickname might imply, decidedly not a terribly physical being. 

Agrippa's head was spinning- this was a lot of information for one unicorn to take in all at once, even if they had known a portion of it going in already. They nodded to Ivory appreciatively as she left space for them to speak up

"Uh, no. No, I think you have it right. That's everything as far as I remember it. I have my theory that there's a Lost puppet-master behind the criminal violence, but I have nothing to support that notion aside my gut. Either way, I believe it might be prudent to keep an eye out for potential court connections while we look into the criminal element. We want to tug this problem out at its root."

Archie's suggestions prompted nodding, accompanied by a brow increasingly furrowed in thought and worry

"I am certainly onboard to accompany Riley for a pleasant little chat. Those do tend to be my specialty. Of Eurydice... I believe she is aware that Chugunkin is attached to this project, and is less than interested in involving herself because of it. I have spoken to her before, she knows my name, but I would not say that I am much more to her than a pretty face. And considering the last time we saw her motley mates-"

They shot Archie a very pointed look

"-that might be an optimistic measure of things. I could make the call, but I would not count on her cooperation, and I'd urge she not be plan A. As for investigating the criminal element, I'm afraid I am similarly ill-suited as far as street smarts and criminal intuition are concerned, however I am always available to be an invisible fly on the wall if needed."

There was a slight nod at points made and plans drafted. Notably, it seemed Ivory was not a factor in Riley's or Archie's plans going forward. Even if that was the case, she wanted to make a few things clear.

"I want this to succeed," she affirmed, "My relationship with Eurydice has largely been in passing, but it seems Agrippa is confident to see that part of your plan themself."

Ivory was not one to try to rain on Agrippa's parade. The Unicorn Beast was not an enemy and Ivory believed they could coexist in the same space. Therefore, there was little reason for the dragon to stir trouble with them.

"As there seems to be a consensus on how to proceed, I am willing to assist in whatever fashion you find appropriate," Ivory continued, the statement addressed to the group as a whole.

Despite her misgivings of associating with Chugunkin, the Lost before her stood to gain from the success of this endeavor and their Desire to gain some favor with the Knight of Coin. Ivory stood to gain from it as well, though she was unlikely to admit it.

Rick frowned, looking down at his phone. Either Mitch had blocked him, or the dancers signal was terrible. The oath hadn't suggested Mitch was any danger yet, so he wasn't overly worried. But it was frustrating.

"Pen, mind texting Mitch, his number is XXX-XXX-XXXX. I might be having signal problems."

Rick glanced towards Archie for a moment. Having someone who was not involved in these morning's events might have a better chance of Mitch responding than Penrose or Archie. So it was worth the shot.

Standing around in Whitney left Rick feeling a bit fidgety. Rick was realzing now that the longer they stood around in this area talking the more awkward it was for Agrippa and Ivory that 'he' was here and Riley wasnt. An issue he'd handle later.

"Checkin' in with Mitch is one thin'. But even if we clear roadblocks, that payout isn't enough to keep the folks around here afloat. If we are honestly tryin' to do best by them. A more substantial support infrastructure will be needed. Abigail, do you think that is something you can look into? "

Ivory gave a short nod and a smile to the Unicorn Beast.

"We saw great success in our last collaboration," Ivory offered, "I see no reason not to continue. We can go to Eurydice. Worse comes to worse, we can't get through the door and need to find another angle."

Ivory looked Archie and Rick to give them the space they needed to offer their own piece of mind.

Riley finished their phone conversation and indicates they will be meeting Cailleagh at Winchell's Donuts.