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Post by Krakenbox on Feb 28, 2021 8:57:35 GMT -8
Well that wouldn't do. As Kai declared the imposter, the seconds of space and time are tuned to spinning spheres. Lancelot sniffed, surprised as the Polychromatic said it — this hadn't been the first time, but it took a lot to correct mistakes. Too many people in the room. Too many factors.The jacket never left Ivory's shoulders, the conversation rolling back with feet and emotional highs. They groaned inwardly, were more than a little annoyed. Fucking Christ, this was tight. Kai hadn't queued in as they entered the room, and the Moment could only be forced to the start of her rundown. A meditative breath was taken as they tried again, exhausted. They wished they could be out the door, but they lapsed into the mindset of a man who was scared for a friend.Nevermind the promise the Sunset Prince was breaking. Be mad later.Method acting."The matter with the Winter Queen of LA is personal. The matter of someone internal helping with an assassination attempt of a Freehold member, though... that's fair game. I could call that in, if you want, unless you want Winter to take point and make this an in-house thing. How do you two want to play it? Want a minute to chat?""We should speak on this," he said to Buck, noting the man's troubled disposition. "I am afraid my connection with the local Court is not as strong as I would like. However, if one of our own are suspect in stretching the faith of the Pledge, I will have to take this up with the Knighthood-" "That's an impostor, Buck." A blazing bow of pure light formed in the Summer Wizened's hand. "Come peacefully before Sir Solomon. You've nothing to fear if I'm wrong." They blinked, mind stuttering. How?"A shame," the Dragon offered, taking off her blazer and tossing it aside, "I liked this suit." Running was dumb... not with the Runnerswift. They could fade from the mind's eye, but they didn't want to have to Ravage one of the staff members; the idea of something so dishonourable made them sick. Watching Buck's expression shift through confusion, shock, self-loathing, and finally protective Rage was fighting against the Darkling's instincts to bail. "You should probably explain the context," Lancelot said, straightening."I'm sor- WHAT?" "You broke a promise, to the Queen of Winter, correct? Did you want to see your motley member alive again?" Lancelot blinked to the others, confident in their position. "The one who was trying to walk out on a Knight's Oath?"
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Linden
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Presence (3) Steady
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Post by Linden on Feb 28, 2021 10:33:30 GMT -8
They could ask Kai how she knew later; a second after the word 'imposter' rang out Linden pushed off the trellis they'd been leaning against. Eyes fixed on Lancelot, or whoever, they called upon their element to help protect them from whatever was bound to happen next. Pale flames curled around the Ogre, their presence most evident in the faint smoke trailing from the Ogre's metal skin, the smell of a hot pan left on the stove too long.
They weren't about to take the first swing and set off the powder keg, but they were certainly going to be ready to spring when it blew.
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Post by Kai Rose on Feb 28, 2021 11:15:13 GMT -8
"You've established just enough value to remain alive, but only just -- and you've kidnapped this man's best friend. Think about what that means for you. Think about it. You're alone against six of us, and you're a kidnapper. Nobody's going to have a big moral qualm about him doing whatever it takes to get that information out of you."
She sighted down the bow, as if to prove her point.
"Best cut a deal, and quick. The hostage only helps you until the shooting starts."
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Post by Krakenbox on Feb 28, 2021 11:50:16 GMT -8
Ghostly, mad, disembodied laughter reverberates through the room in anguish and mockery from multiple directions and sources.
The whiskey glass cracks as Buck's hand shatters it.
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Ivory
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Pres 4 (Regal) - SL 1 (Noble) Fairest Hunterheart
Posts: 588
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Post by Ivory on Feb 28, 2021 12:20:31 GMT -8
Ivory heard the laughter, but her eyes don't leave the impostor.
"I doubt that's good," she says.
We waste time.
The thought rang as Ivory began to will her glamour beginning to burn to empower some hidden tactic. There was a time for peaceful solutions and a time to hit things with a big stick. If the impostor had some kind of disembodied ally, they had to end this quickly before things turned messy. And the Dragon knew just the thing.
"Impudent fool," the Pale Dragon growled, her voice the thing of authority and a cold, building rage. Pale fists gripped tightly together as golden eyes glowed brightly to signal the burning of the Glamour. The Pale Dragon was invoking... something. Yet only the impostor before them could understand the true depths of the terror within. If the Dragon's weaving of the contract past the beings force of will, the false Lancelot would find her both magnificent and terrible. To the Fairest it was all a dark promise of what was to come if they chose not to surrender. "You forget your place. You are in no position to negotiate. Submit."
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Post by Agrippa on Feb 28, 2021 13:53:01 GMT -8
The laughter. Through all the chaos and confusion, the threats, the fire, the raised voices and the shattered glass, it was the laughter that pierced through it all, ringing in Agrippa's ears like a silver bell. In most of this they felt helpless- if they stayed here, they would surely be destined to stand to the side like the awkward third wheel in a particularly violent date. But that laughter. It meant that something on the other side might be relevant. And if it was... if it was, then it was something they could do something about. They weren't about to let that chance go.
...at least, not on purpose. Agrippa shut their eyes in a desperate bit to aid their concentration and willed themselves away once more
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Post by Krakenbox on Feb 28, 2021 22:38:35 GMT -8
"I have not kidnapped anyone," he said, jaw clenching from the mounting threats as the Ogre lights on fire and the Polychromatic aims their bow. The doppelganger sounded almost offended, despite the evidence indicating that that was exactly what he had implied.
As the echoing spirits echoed through the room, he blinked, attention dancing rapidly between each Changeling at timed intervals, "That was not-"
As the power of Arcadia's Crown adorns Ivory's brow, the thundering roar of splitting iron and gouts of liquid golden greed cracks through mundane reality that tear through the Changeling's mental defenses, forcing him to his knees as his face drains of colour; eyes vibrate in their sockets as the pupils become painfully constricted.
Meanwhile, Agrippa fades...
The world splits into the crease in-between, ethereal beings moving between flickering essence and solid Reality. Ivory's mien lights up the room in a wild flash, along with the energy of the Summers' weapons and armour. The Beast sees the same ghosts as before, going about their business.
Noir quirks an eyebrow as he watches the Unicorn.
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Post by Kai Rose on Feb 28, 2021 22:53:25 GMT -8
Okay. It wasn't him. Spectres, maybe? "Noir? Is that ghosts?"
Well, that was one way to handle it. Good enough for now. Spooky fucking ghosts were going off, and the Wizened pushed Glamour to her defense to keep her safe from surprises as she approached the kneeling doppleganger. Kai did a cursory pat-down before reaching gently into Fake Lancelot's pocket and took his cellular phone, gently using the man's finger to open the biometric scanner before handing it to Linden. "Check that over for anything of interest, please?"
Stepping back, she produced her phone and called Solomon.
"Sir? It's worse than we thought. We've got at least one very skilled infiltrator who is pretending to be Lancelot of Artemis's Bane who was involved in the assassination situation. A pro, possibly from Los Angeles. We've got him shut down. I'm not sure if he's working alone or has a female partner, but the real Lancelot is missing. Permission to bring him in?"
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Ivory
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Pres 4 (Regal) - SL 1 (Noble) Fairest Hunterheart
Posts: 588
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Post by Ivory on Mar 1, 2021 15:13:57 GMT -8
Ivory's eyes do not leave the impostor, although the contract does not require her complete attention to enforce. The Telluric would remained Cowed, but it remained of great importance to the Fairest to ensure the False Lancelot knew she was watching.
"It is in your interests to remain where you are," she offered, the dark, foreboding tone speaking of the dragon within. A fragment of the true terror Ivory once was as she flew within Arcadian skies, "Nod, if you understand or you will be made to."
The words were not a request.
"Mr. Chasseur," she said, her gaze remaining fixed upon prey as she called for the satyr's attention, "Your guest is either a skilled illusionist or a sound shapeshifter, have you any suitable bindings?"
The man was a known paragon, Hedge adventurer, and hunter. It was worth asking if he had any such implements while they awaited Solomon's answer.
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Post by Agrippa on Mar 1, 2021 18:51:26 GMT -8
Agrippa opened their eyes and... nothing. At least, nothing like they would have expected, given the ruckus that had apparently been coming from this side of the veil. They couldn't help but feel a perverse pang of disappointment- of course they weren't rearing to get stabbed by specters, but they wouldn't be happy to come back empty handed either. And Noir could see them, couldn't he? Dear god, they must have looked a fool. But where there was smoke, there was fire, and where there was disconcerting disembodied laughter there was surely some manner of apparition, at least to Agrippa's mind. It was only just a matter of figuring out the source. The helldiver strained to listen.
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Linden
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Presence (3) Steady
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Post by Linden on Mar 2, 2021 20:24:20 GMT -8
Linden looked at the phone for a split second before accepting it, just long enough to dismiss the shield they had only just summoned. Since the fake Lancelot seemed out of commission for now it was probably fine, and they didn't want to run the risk of damaging the phone. Careful not to let the device go to sleep, Linden began poking around first in the channels of communication they could find; text, emails, voicemails. From there, they moved on to the less obviously conspicuous avenues.
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Post by Krakenbox on Mar 3, 2021 22:48:28 GMT -8
To Kai's questions about ghosts, Noir ticks his head once with a simple, silent 'no' with suspicion sharp in his eyes and tracking Agrippa's safety. Solomon grants permission, though transport would require compliance, or the understanding that she was kidnapping. He could arrive there in person, but it would take some time.
The Changeling clearly had to put in a large amount of effort to answer the Dragon's rumbles, speaking slowly as they worked through the roaring noise. The request to nod was offered a blank stare, eyes still twitching with horrors unseen.
"I can't."
Buck pulled a small sliver of glass out of his hand, "He'll just escape out of them with the use of glamour, Ivory. A little trick we all have." His attention roved the room, looking past in his mind's eye as he considers why he never sensed his motley member leaving. He would swallow the intense shame, horror, and embarrassment to express later, in private. "Agrippa, please be careful. I don't know if they've set up any traps. I'd rather not have my friend reenact a scene from Saw." The joke was light and inappropriate, not matching his intense expression; like diffusion was baked into his coping mechanisms. Something was off, as his hand trailed and streaked blood against the wall to make sure it was still there.
As Linden looked through the phone, they noted active and consistent communication up until August 19th, then a stall as questions were answered in short vague manners, or sometimes ignored all together. This likely meant that the ruse had been positioned almost exactly a month before Mabon. One contact had more consistent communication than others, but as the Ogre stared, they realized the mundane tasks were coded language. It was sparse, but, at least it told them there was someone else in on this.
Agrippa can't pinpoint the noise of where the laughter had come from: it had been everywhere. However, in the new silence, there was the slightest of scrapes from the other side of the wall.
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Post by Kai Rose on Mar 3, 2021 23:36:20 GMT -8
"Yes, sir," Kai replied to the other end of the phone as she shut down the call. Looking to Buck, she said, "All right. I've got a partner who can track anyone. Not to worry. It'll be okay. It's just a matter of logistics."
She leaned in to the duplicate and asked him one simple question. "I can't let you leave for obvious reasons, but I'd like to give you the chance to say your piece to someone removed from the situation. The Knight of Scales will see you, if you want, though I'll need a pledge that you'll come with me and come peacefully and without the use of magic. The alternative is staying here." Blink. "With Mr. Chasseur." Blink. "It's as fair a shot as you're going to get, given the scenario. Probably best to start appearing as yourself, in either case. I would imagine he finds his friend's face being stolen pretty offensive."
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Ivory
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Pres 4 (Regal) - SL 1 (Noble) Fairest Hunterheart
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Post by Ivory on Mar 4, 2021 16:33:44 GMT -8
As the duplicate granted its admission of its inability, Ivory smiled. The gesture was bereft of her usual warmth, instead goaded into being the small pleasure she was experiencing as the Changeling before her remained cowed. To think, the same man had hoped to negotiate his exit by plucking the heart strings of the victim.
"A pity," she said, glancing briefly to Buck as his answer was given. No magical confines it was then, though there was at least some small comfort that Buck, in his years, had not found the means to block that gift of the Lost. Then the gaze returned to the impostor as Kai delivered her gentle ultimatum.
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Linden
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Presence (3) Steady
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Post by Linden on Mar 4, 2021 20:11:27 GMT -8
"They've got an accomplice," the Ogre announced, eyes still on the phone. "And I'd say this has been going on since about a month before Mabon, give or take." Looking to the paralyzed doppelganger, Linden was unsympathetic as they continued to speak, this time to him: "We're going to take a closer look at your phone. Even if you don't end up going to the Knight of Scales, your finger will."
It wasn't a huge threat, people survived without fingers all the time. But their tone promised it wouldn't be painless.
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