The Shattered City: Second Interlude

[DocBeard]

"Shucks." Tomas says, because why waste perfectly good insincere flattery? He rubs the back of his head, looking embarrassed. Okay, so she has a job that supports her enough to afford books and housing, and its probably not prostitution. Who knew she'd be so good at deflecting questions? "You are going to be making me blush. What sort of chance are you waiting for, if I may ask?"

Tomas then blinks, looking to the left. Was that a dramatic chord he just heard? ...nah.

"Sorry, thought I heard something familiar." Tomas instead puts the flowers in the vase, smiling at the waiter. He has no idea what to order, not being an expert on Dementiluese cuisine, "...ah, the 742, I think. Unless you wanted the fish?" Tomas looks at Marie, scratching his head.

[NeoTiamat]

Fair-on-the-Red, Quartier Marchand, Port-a-Lucine; Early Evening, March 25th, 770
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"Actually... can I just have a salad?" Mary asked, then smiled coquettishly. "I need to watch what I eat."

The waiter took your orders and departed, promising to come back with wine and food. Mary watched him go, then turned back to look at Tomas.

"You know. My big chance. Fame, fortune, the possibility of someone actually reading something I wrote." The red-headed young woman said. She shrugged. "It'd be nice to go from aspiring writer to actual writer, though there isn't a lot of market for descriptions of the urban poor."

"I'd write adventure stories." Mary said, fluttering her eyelashes at Tomas again. It worked no better than the last time. "But I don't think I could do it very well."

The waiter returned, bring Tomas's meal, a salad for Mary, some wine and a thick, crystal pitcher of ice water.

Boisson House, Quartier Savant, Port-a-Lucine; Afternoon, March 27th, 770
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"...Because I have heard that she has expressed a likewise interest in the Levi mirrors. It is the only reason I ask, you understand. We are...acquainted." Celeste fidgeted a little. "Was it she?"

"Why, Mlle. Viardot, you've no need to bother the young gentleman so," an elegant, cool voice came from down the staircase. "I am right here."

There was a dissonant, dramatic chord. Cerise picked Grimmalken up from the piano keyboard he was walking on.

The Duchess Marie-Claudine von Auerbach descended like the guest of honor at a grand masquerade, favoring Celeste with a perfect smile. "What an unexpected surprise to run into you here. Looking as charming and quaint as ever. And I see you've made another new friend," she said, her ocean blue eyes falling on Cerise. "It is so nice to see that in this time of turmoil, there are still plenty of the lower class who wish to be friends with the nobility."

???, ????, Port-a-Lucine; ????, March 27th, 770
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"Have you been able to find out anything about him, or has just keeping him isolated been the priority?" His question directed at the Marquis, and if he didn't exactly make eye contact out of no small degree of nervousness it was probably the kind of reaction that Le Marquis had come to expect and quite likely enjoy.

"The latter," M. Gauvain gave in reply, stroking his fingers across the razor-sharp beak of the raven skull. There were mountains of subtext behind that statement, Kerrian sensed, but it remained, as it always did, with the Marquis.

"What do you require?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.


Cafe David, Quartier Marchand, Port-a-Lucine; Lunchtime, March 27th, 770
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Nerit hits the woman with the knife for 24 damage, then heals Nicolas.
Nicolas hits the woman with the knife for 15 damage and slides her next to the woman with the gun.
Agale forces the woman with the knife to attack the woman with the gun, dealing 18 damage. (She doesn't move until the start of her turn, so I guess we'll say he readied an action.)

Muttering something profane under his breath in pain he circles round the the table, directing his words at the one with the gun. "Come now ma chere, I think perhaps we got off on the wrong foot, whatever grudge my dear sister holds against me, I would be happy to discuss with her in person, let us not involve these good people unduly in a family matter."

"No grudge," the twin with the gun said calmly, even as bullets ripped by her wildly and her own sister attacked her. She didn't seem surprised that the knife-wielder's insane rage had gotten out of control, wincing slightly at the heavy wound, but little more. The woman with the knife stumbled a bit, looking around in a blind fury to try and catch her bearings; the one with the gun took the opportunity to walk by, intercepting Nicolas' path around the table with a cocked pistol. "This is a gift."

The bullet ripped across his cheekbone, cutting a bloody swath and leaving Nicolas seeing stars. The woman calmly began to reload her weapons, while her sister turned back to the poet with death in her eyes.

Cafe patrons decide to stay away from the frothing manic, open fire, dealing 8 damage to the woman with the gun and 4 damage to the woman with the knife.

Woman with the gun uses Bullseye Shot on Nicolas, dealing 16 damage to him and he is dazed (save ends).
Woman with the knife can't reach Nicolas and stays pat, saving against the compulsion.



Sister Nerit Doherty (nd): 47/47
AC 18, F 14, R 17, W 21
Mr. Agale (A): 48/48
AC 18, F 16, R 19, W 21
Nicolas Etienne de Castaigne (N): 40/56, Dazed (save ends)
AC 21, F 18, R 20, W 21

Woman with Knife (currently at Q14): -48 HP
AC 19; Fortitude 20, Reflex 17, Will 19
Woman with Gun (currently at M15): -42 HP, Bloodied
AC 19; Fortitude 18, Reflex 19, Will 17

[NeoTiamat]

Hazlani Consulate, Quartier Savant, Port-a-Lucine; Afternoon of March 27th, 770
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"We will leave the calming of ruffled egos to you," Darius says, smiling a little more broadly now. "Our talents do not lie in that direction, Mumaz Agha, as you know. As for the gendarmerie, your tale is of interest. Do you believe that we and the others in the house where we reside are to be made scapegoats if or when our investigations perturb the wrong people?"

"If it has not been done already." The consul said, with a broad shrug. He fixed Darius with a baleful eye. "You two have a talent for the irritation of powerful people. Eternal Lawgiver knows you irritate me."

"So then, those who are irritating in the Eyes of the Lawgiver." Mumtaz Aksoy said. "What do you aim to do next?"

Guignol Museum, University of Dementlieu, Port-a-Lucine; Late Evening, March 26th, 770
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"I'll be careful. Cross my heart and hope to die. Or not to die, as the case may be." Andre said, making a small sign over his heart. He smiled a little sadly. "I'll ask around the brotherhood and hopefully get answers that don't result in magically augmented golem hit squads sent at us."

"Oh, speaking of which. Probably a bit less life-and-limb important, but you should probably hear it first." Andre said. He ran a hand through his hair, his hand coming away slightly darker than before. "But Lord de Casteele had to some concessions in order to keep things from getting bloody, especially after that damn elemental escaped."

"Long story short, there's some growing anti-mage sentiment, and I think the Council is going to be passing some more restrictive magic-regulation laws. Licenses, more spells being put on the restricted list, that sort of thing." Professor Theroux sighed. "Pretty soon we're going to be like Tepest, but Simon isn't going to fight it, not if he wants his brother back and the Government not breathing down our necks here."

"Charles is furious. Or as furious as he gets, anyway." Theroux said. "The crowds are using characters from his book as anti-mage propaganda."

[DocBeard]

"Not enough of a middle class." Tomas nods, "You'd need some other angle...like, I don't know, the conditions in a meat packing factory. Something that would appeal to an everyday injustice that people sort of block out because they don't realize just how bad it is."

Or something, Tomas thinks, munching on a bit of bread and wondering if she was calling his work drivel. "It must have been quite an adventure, getting back from the Monastery. You could write about that."

[NeoTiamat]

Fair-on-the-Red, Quartier Marchand, Port-a-Lucine; Early Evening, March 25th, 770
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"It must have been quite an adventure, getting back from the Monastery. You could write about that."

"Oh... it... it was really pretty boring, to be honest." Mary said, her face going rigid. She broadened her smile, even as her eyes seem to stare very intently at a point just somewhere above Tomas's shoulder. "I was... there were these desert nomads, you see."

"Blond desert nomads... and... they rescued me..." Mary said, picking up the pitcher of ice water to pour herself a drink, affording herself a few moments in which to think.

CRACK!

The cold pitcher shattered as she touched it.

Heavy shards of crystal went everywhere, and water soaked the table, soaked the food, and soaked Mary. The red-headed young woman stared at the former pitcher, dumbfounded for a moment.

[Nathan of the FoS]

"So then, those who are irritating in the Eyes of the Lawgiver." Mumtaz Aksoy said. "What do you aim to do next?"

"Irritate the powerful," Darius says dryly. "We may be given more opportunities to assist the gendarmerie, in secret or openly or no, and we will take them. Of course, we are here principally as missionaries, and Law is never so desirable as when chaos reigns. We have an opportunity to make great inroads among the common folk...especially if the Lawgiver can be shown to be a strong father who provides even for the meanest in his household."

Darius pauses and gives a significant look over his glasses at the Ambassador, steel-grey gazes meeting.

[DocBeard]

"Blond desert nomads." Tomas repeats, allowing for the fact that she may have made an error during the trip, and might have met the kindest tribe of bandits ever. She looks nervous enough as it is.

CRACK!

Tomas's eyes widen and, in spite of years of knowing better, his mind speaks in the secret language of his people.

"Rapid changes in temperature cause a given object to become unstable. The more properties of the temperature the material absorbs, the more dramatic this instability. Crystal becomes very cold when holding ice water, and if suddenly exposed to heat, can very easily crack, or even explode. That is why, son, we wait before putting our test tubes on the burner...."

"Oh, golly! How very clumsy of me!" Tomas moves on auto pilot, standing up, whipping his coat off, throwing it around Mary's shoulders, and kneeling on the floor to start picking up the larger shards of crystal. This allows him a good view of the room(possible escape routes and hiding places are noted), a glance at his companion(Who is oddly dry, considering...) Tomas closes his eyes, forcing the dirty joke out of his head.

Wait a second.

"Is that what they told you? My boy, that has...well, mostly nothing to do with why the fishermen wear rubber, or wax their boots if they can't afford it. You see, matter is, in its own way, like a person; it attracts some things, and repels others. Some materials are 'hydrophobic', a colorful way of describing this process as it pertains to water. Consider, for example, pouring cooking oil inside of a glass of water...no, no Tomas, we are not going to get scolded by Mother again, this is merely theoretical this time..."

Pop would hate that Tomas would use natural philosophy to lie, but he very much believes that he would have smelled Mary using enough cheap perfume to mimic that principle. Still, it'd slow a mob down. Fortunately, the crowd does not look too rowdy, but you never know. "Mary, I'm so sorry, my luck's just terrible in public places. The building I'm staying at isn't too far from here, once I pay we can go there to warm up! I'm sure you can borrow a fresh set of clothes as well..."

(14+11=25 on Diplomacy to make this seem like a good idea to Mary.)

[NeoTiamat]

Fair-on-the-Red, Quartier Marchand, Port-a-Lucine; Early Evening, March 25th, 770
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"Mary, I'm so sorry, my luck's just terrible in public places. The building I'm staying at isn't too far from here, once I pay we can go there to warm up! I'm sure you can borrow a fresh set of clothes as well..."

"I... er... it's really not your fault." Mary Collins said in a daze, still looking at the shattered crystal. With a visible effort of will, she organized her thoughts. Both she and Tomas knew that the Lamordian had nothing to do with this 'accident'. The red-headed young woman may not have had Tomas's scientific training, but as the confusion faded and she regained her wits, the what of what happened, if not necessarily the how was increasingly obvious. The wise thing, perhaps, would've been to beg off, murmur polite goodbyes, and disappear. It wasn't as though Tomas had any means of contacting her again.

"I... that would be a good idea, Tomas. Thank you." Mary said, drawn forward by greater imperatives. "You're... you're very kind."

[yalenusveler]

" A chance to try and communicate with him if it is in fact possible." Kerrian's eyes wandered back to Cedolin, looking at the mirror thing. It would be so easy to simply discount it as a monstrosity in the shape of man. But a cult based on supposed transcendence wouldn't quite see ascendancy to a world filled with mirror monsters as a good thing, unless they were truly crazy.

"And any information you can spare on Doctor Nicole Ponicare. Past associations if any have stood out, any academic papers she's published, especially within the past two years." There was a pause, and Kerrian considered something for a moment.

"Also, if you can, any information on sanitarium patients showing an unusual phobia of mirrors or reflective surfaces, especially ones that disappeared from treatment." Kerrian looked down, then back at the Marquis. "I need as much information as possible, If I'm going to try to save Cedolin. And if it isn't possible...we need as much information as possible to fight these things. Cedolin's the first, but I doubt he's the last. I will not let Dementlieu suffer at the hands of its reflection."

[NeoTiamat]

???, ????, Port-a-Lucine; ????, March 27th, 770
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" A chance to try and communicate with him if it is in fact possible."

Le Marquis did not visibly respond to the other requests - even if he were inclined, they were not things that would happen right now. He simply gestured to the thing that was Captain Cedolin, as if to say by all means.

[lostboy]

"This is a gift."

Nicholas grunts in pain as the bullet rips a hole in his cheek, although he still manages a slightly incredulous look. "No chance of getting a refund or an exchange on it then I suppose?" He asks flippantly, "or perhaps persuading you and your friend to desist in attempting to end my life?"

"No? I rather thought as much" he adds with a sigh, twirling the cane around his head before pointing at the frenzied woman holding the bloody knife, "therefore you crazed wench whilst I dislike the thought of fighting a woman to the bitter end, you leave me little choice."

OOC:
Vicious Mockery at knifey wifey
14 + 10 = 24 vs Will
12 Psychic damage and target takes - 2 to attack rolls until end of Nicholas next turn

Save vs Dazed: 10

[Kaitou Kage]

Cyrus pushed his glasses up on his nose and smiled pleasantly. "I have already made converts and contacts among the common people," he said smoothly, "I would enjoy an opportunity to meet with nobility and offer them the same hand. I'm sure some of the more pragmatic nobles would see the value in the Lawgiver's church."

[Cronax]

"No grudge,"

"Really? You shouldn't let things like that slide. They could easily escalate. In fact, what are you two even doing with your lives? Attempting murder on behalf of a sibling quibble?" His words hung heavy in the air, inciting despair in the two rabblerousers. Breaking the tension, Agale turned back to his meal and spears a morsel of coq au vin on his fork.

Standard Action: Augment 2 Betrayal against Pistoleera (Using up the Distract, since no one else did)

• Natural 1... Using Reroll tokens for a 31 vs Will. She slides to M15, makes a melee basic attack against her sister with a +4 to hit and damage, then is dazed until the end of Agale's next turn.

Action Point: Ravening Thought

• Primary against Shooterella: 19 vs Will for 11 psychic damage and ongoing 5 psychic damage (save ends)
  secondary against the Stabby: Missed.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Lia makes an aggravated, hissing sound and shakes her head. "Licenses. Restrictions to the spell lists. Lovely. Thank you for telling me though, Andre. I susppose I shall have to get myself a license and a list of the forbidden spells as soon as possible. Do you have any idea where I should go for those?"

[DocBeard]

"Alright." Tomas grins, despite not really being sure of this plan. Does he really want to expose everyone...? But on the other hand, this feels like the right thing to do, and Tomas has always been a creature of instinct.

---

BACK AT THE CHATEAU.

"Just in here." The kitchen is a kitchen, but its warm and dry. Tomas scratches his fluffy hair, frowning as he considers his options. "Do you mind being alone for a second? I want to see if I can't get one of the ladies to lend you a dressing gown while your own dries."

...it may in fact surprise Mary that Tomas seems entirely sincere about being worried about her health. "I can at least get Favonious to keep you company. HEY FAV!" Tomas raps out, knocking on the kitchen door, "Do me a favor, ja? Something warm for the lady, and throw a kettle of tea on? There was a bit of an accident." Please not Alice Please not Alice I'll take the angry scarecrow woman over Alice, Tomas thinks, sticking his head in the room and looking for a female resident. He'd borrow one of Lia's but he's mildly afraid of them being cursed.