Bruce Johnson wrote:

> > He leans back and puts his hands behind his head, "I guess the
> > truth of it is, the Hooters have a reputation of taking in unwanted
> > children. Their most, um...devote members don't...um, they're
> > celibate. So, if they want a family, kids, they have to adopt them,
> > you know what I mean? Not all of the Hootish are that extreme, but
> > a lot are. It wouldn't surprise me if some Hootish couple adopted
> > an unwanted child, or what they were told was an unwanted child."
>
>  Ricardo thinks..."hmmm...best we not tell Lessa that little bit of
>  folklore right away. On the one hand, if true, it increases the
>  chance of the kid still being alive. On the other hand, it's sure a
>  good way for a kid to vanish forever."

Arvitis nods, "Yeah, probably so."

>  Ricardo shakes his head. "I don't know if I buy it. These people
>  showed zero compunction about murdering people until now, it's
>  unlikely they'd let a mere child stymie them.
>
>  "They'll need to prove to Lessa that her child is alive to ensure
>  future cooperation unless their aim is to cut their losses and run.
>  That leaves two possibilities that I see: first, if the Hootish
>  connection is real the bad guy will know how to get in contact with
>  the family again. They've got to, to be able to leverage Lessa into
>  keeping quiet. The second, is that those were mere disguises. In
>  that case, I fear the first thing they'll do when they hit deep space
>  is to space her."

"That's nasty." Arvitis frowns, "But I see your reasoning, and no, I 
don't think you should play up that angle to the mother."

>  He rubs his forehead. "Hooters aren't going to be too common around
>  here, that's one avenue of inquiry. As insular as they are, they
>  don't want to get tangled up into kidnapping charges; it only proves
>  the worst folks say about them.

Arvitis nods, "Check to see if there's an enclave here, make some quiet 
inquiries to see if any of them left planet yesterday. Maybe ask around 
the Starport and see if anyone remembers a Hootish family boarding a ship?"

>  OOC> Then there's the Third Explanation: GM ex machina...

OOC: /me smiles!

Eris
AKU GM