So you've got a proposition? (Melanie)

Owain was, as usual, sitting in the commander's office; his office.  The was where he could be found on most days and most times of the day for that matter.  He was busy with correspondence, paperwork, issues presented to him and which he had to make decisions on how to solve them, and approving or declining missions and other extensive endeavors which needed his approval.

And there he was, sitting at his desk in his office, looking over a recent report from some scouts who were spying on the enemy camp to see what they were up to.  So far, nothing much was happening, and the temporary peace was a good thing, although Owain wasn't taking his chances by keeping his eyes off of those malicious malcontents, not even for a quick moment.  He had his stealthy soldiers go out and scout at them to the best of their ability without being caught, of course, on a regular basis and giving him updated reports.

Walking through the door, Melanie nodded at the secretary before taking her usual seat. She had made an appointment, since her most pressing issue wasn't sanctioned yet, rather than simply barging in and demanding to be seen. A few minutes passed before the woman looked up at her and gestured her into the familiar office. She hadn't been there in quite some time due to her busy schedule, the mainland seeming to always call her away. If she didn't enjoy being off island so much, she would probably be annoyed.

"Commander Craddock." She said with a formal salute before approaching the desk. "Thank you for seeing me at such short notice."

While Owain was waiting for his agent to come into his office--yes, Agent Thorn had scheduled a meeting with him and he was expecting her anytime soon--he decided to look over his other work.  But then the secretary escorted her in and Owain put the report down, smiling at her while returning her salute and giving her a firm nod of his head.  "Good afternoon, Agent Thorn.  How are you doing?"

He gestured to the seat on the other side of his desk.  "Please, have a seat and tell me what you've come here to speak to me about."  Did she have any new quest proposals, or did she discover anything unsettling about Camp Bast and its recent activities that he needed to be aware of? So many possibilities, but he would wisely and calmly hear her out.

"I've been looking in to a case for Magister Mercurio." Melanie started, sitting down while she was still talking. Pulling a file out of the bag she had been carrying, she slid it across the desk to the Commander before continuing. "He's looking for his younger brother, Thomas. I didn't think it was our kinda thing, especially because the boy went missing when they were toddlers. I did a little investigating though and there is a chance that he is not only still alive, but that he's a Demi-God as well."

Taking a moment to pause, she looked up from the file she had been leafing through to look him in the eye. "Not just a Demi-God though. A son of Jupiter, whose been missing for a very, very long time."

Owain listened to what she was saying, and yes, he had been a little skeptical.  Well, more interested than skeptical, but there was some of the cynicism nonetheless.  After all, he was a commander and had to think like one.  That was all until she mentioned that this young Thomas was a demigod.

He raised his eyebrows before glancing down at the file that she slid to him and opened the folder, glancing at some of the papers and reading them while she continued to speak.  He was even more intrigued to hear that it was a son of Jupiter.  He knew that Di Mercurio was a son of Mercury, so if he had a younger brother by his mother who was a son of Jupiter, that meant that his mother had children with two different gods.  That wasn't exactly a rare case, but Owain found it strange how a human being could bear to do that.

Case in point, though, a son of Jupiter who had been kidnapped and missing for over a decade was something.  Of course he had to be retrieved from wherever and taken back to Concordia.  Owain glanced up at Melanie again.  "I do see the importance of this," he ceded.  "And of course I believe that Mr. Douglas should be found and taken back to Concordia as soon as possible.  Do you have any idea of his current location and whereabouts?"

"I have a few suspiscious leads that we were attempting to attribute to a rogue demi-god. It's not Thomas for sure, but it wouldn't hurt to check it out regardless." Reaching over the desk to point something out to the Commander, she continued to speak. "If you look here, we've got some strange activity in the weather patterns up near Ohio. It looks like an Atmokinetic." Of course, it was a long shot. Either way their chances of bringing home a Demi-God were high, but would it be the one they were looking for? It was way too early to tell.

Owain immediately glanced down at the part of the paper that she pointed out to him and read it, all the while listening to her.  Atmokinesis; the ability to change the weather.  That was a power of both the children of the sky go and sea god.  Definitely suspicious proof that a child of Jupiter would be there.  "So he's close to Ohio," Owain murmured.  He looked at Mel again.  "Alright, Agent Thorn, you have my approval to find this young man and bring him back to Concordia, and to execute any action as you find fit to do so."  He nodded before asking,  "Who are you thinking of bringing with you for the task, or do you think that you alone would be fine? Did Magister Di Mercurio ask to come along?"

"Thank you, Commander." She acknowledged with a nod. Getting clearance was the hardest part. Now all she had to do was actually organize the trip. Pausing for a moment, she finally decided how to answer the last part of his question. "Currently I've asked the Magister to get his affairs in order so that he may join me. At this time he is the only one accompanying me, unless he has another person in mind."

"I don't think you'd need a lot of people.  In fact, you and the magister or any other individual skilled in fighting should be enough," Owain observed.  After all, finding a missing demigod and fighting monsters along the way in the process wasn't that hard.  Or, at least it wasn't hard enough to call for a party.  They might have trouble locating him, but that could be accomplished by a resourceful agent like Melanie.  As for the monsters, it was enough that Geoffrey fight alongside her.  Owain knew that any former Legionnaire would have powerful fighting skills, no matter their parentage.  He remembered Geoffrey.  Geoffrey hadn't been a shiner, but he had the basic fighting abilities that kept a Legionnaire alive.

Anyway, he supposed that there was nothing to discuss.  He handed her back the file.  "I believe that our plans should be enough for now.  Is there anything else you wish to discuss with me?"

"I agree. Technically I should be able to go on my own, but this is personal for the Magister." Melanie conceded, replacing the file back into her bag before standing. "At this time, I don't believe we have anything further to discuss that couldn't wait until the formal meeting. We've had an increase of monster attacks and a few bad leads, but everything else has been quiet." For a moment, Melanie almost added that the field had been too quiet. When was the last time she had been all out attacked by an enemy? It was odd, something that she hadn't seen since she had been in the field, but it was also just a gut feeling. She had no evidence, no reason to cause alarm.

Owain nodded, his expression hardening when she mentioned the increased monster attacks and false leads.  That sounded alarming, and even if it wasn't anything big, yet, Owain was suspicious.  He was ready for it to lead to something bigger.  "Thank you, Agent Thorn.  I'd continue to keep an eye on them and use your resourcefulness to discover the cause.  I will be sure to put more focus into that as well."

"I have people working the case already, but we aren't getting far. Dead ends are popping up more and more. We may need to face the fact that we've been compromised. Colonel Rockefeller and I have discussed a few tactics that he would like to propose at the next meeting." Maybe bringing up some of them to the Commander on his own would help when they got into the room with some of the...less open minded officers. If Captain Walker shut her down one more time, she was likely to clock him. Plain and simple. Wyatt would just have to write her up.

Owain nodded grimly.  "Yes, that is the reality that we must face," he agreed.  Being compromised.  Being duped.  Not gaining the upper hand.  He was disappointed and fearful of the consequences, but knew that as a commander he had to keep his mind level and be proactive.  He had to be brave, innovative, and open-minded at all costs, and would not give in easily.  He would do everything he could to get down to the core of this trickery and put an end to it.   

"That would be most wise.  I'll hold a meeting very soon.  Before that happens, though, I would like to discuss these tactics and matters with you and the Colonel, alone."  He smiled slightly.  "You see, I trust the two of you very much.  I need open-minded and inventive military officers like the two of you.  My sister Angharad and Captain Walker are loyal and courage, but that alone will not serve our purpose."

"Captain Gwyn is a talented soldier and I trust her judgement." Melanie conceded. "Captain Walker has the thought process of a table spoon, but you already know my opinion on that matter." Okay, so most of the Garrison knew. The last meeting had not went well and there was a reason she wasn't allowed around the minotaur guys any more. "Colonel Rockefeller and I should have no problems with meeting at your earliest convenience and I'm sure we'll be able to come up with a few worthwhile solutions."