View source for 4998/Foodbringer: For Sustenance

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2017/01/07
|Location=The Tapestry
|Synopsis=First scene in the Foodbringer miniplot. In the city of Everria, a masked man has been giving away free food to the masses, to the ire of the government. The Paladins investigate the scene of the crime, but a Concord spy decides to make things more interesting.
|Cast of Characters=533, 290, 151, 1084, 346, 70, 7
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:533|Sir Gawain (533)}} has posed:'''<br>In the city of Everria, it is still light out, meaning it is some hour where the sun is still up. Motorists drive through the bustling streets of the city, and life goes on mostly as normal. Though, for this city, things haven't been so normal lately.<br><br>Yesterday, for the third time in the past 30 days, a masked man appeared, evaded the police, and gave vast quantities of free food to civilians before escaping. The police have been unable to capture him, and the government is resorting to other methods: Multiversal aid, specifically the newfound Paladins. The masked man's work has already caused a noticeable loss of sales for food-based industries, and could cause a total collapse if it isn't stopped.<br><br>The meeting point for the Paladins is a major route for the city, and specifically yesterday's crime scene. A large road that leads through much of the city, surrounded with buildings and alleyways, this is where the masked man last appeared. The street's been cordoned off, and officers stand guard at all routes in order to prevent the press from breaking through.<br><br>Immediately obvious are the bags of food scattered around the road, carefully wrapped and preserved. There's atleast a dozen good-sized bags, enough to feed a couple families. Standing in the middle of the road is a man in a suit, a lit cigarette inbetween his fingers as he impatiently taps his feet. He's leaning against a police van, waiting for something. The Paladins know this man as Lucas Merene, the agent in charge of this investigation, and the man they're supposed to meet up.<br><br>Of course, there might not just be Paladins here. It'd seem that everything blocked by the cordon is of interest, and that some of those alleyways that are being guarded may actually be quite important. To confirm that, though, you'd just need to find a way to take a look...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:290|Rebecca Chambers (290)}} has posed:'''<br>Wearing her usual attire, holstering her usual Beretta, and with her usual stern, no-nonsense attitude, Rebecca Chambers arrives at the designated meeting spot quickly. The call came out, and Rebecca was quick to respond, wanting to bring an end to this situation as quickly as possible. She runs up rather quickly to the meeting spot, a stern look on her face in contrast to the usual kind looking Rebecca most people are used to seeing at first. In fact, one might think she's a little on the angry side right now. She doesn't say anything just yet, instead waiting for other Paladins to join the area.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ainsley arrives with the other Paladins that decided to show up for this crime. Having been a starving desert hermit once upon a time, she spares a look to the food as she walks by with a sort of concerned face that speaks of mixed feelings. She pauses to scan the bags with her Sight in search of any information; recycling codes, barcodes, and so on, but when she comes up empty of easily seen information she makes this face of confusion. "Magically conjured...? Replicators?" she murmurs, rubbing at her cheek as she approaches the impatient-looking agent.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She pulls her badge from her breast pocket, where it's usually plainly visible and pinned there so it doesn't fall off her coat. She holds it up, and she says, "Chevalier Ainsley. And you must be Agent Merene?" she asks. She gives him a cordial smile while she speaks and her voice is clear and calm. "We're here to assist in the investigation. Please, give us a rundown of what you know." In case anything was left out when they came here. She turns her head to activate her Sight again, and scans the bags once more. If they were left as a 'message,' she might be able to pick up on that, but only in a vague sense, so that's what she tries to find this time. It would give a hint toward this masked individual's motives if she found something like that.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1084|Seras Victoria (1084)}} has posed:'''<br>Seras arrives via Paladin transport, driven up in a car and hopping out smoothly. She's dressed in casual clothes for undercover work, which includes a white hoodie pullover... and the hood is up. No doubt, this is because...<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That damned sun. The less exposure the better she feels. She's looking only ever so sliiiiiightly pressured and agitated upon arrival at the meeting zone. Her usual exuberant self is quite subdued in this heavily cordoned off, sun-baked atmosphere, because so much of her mental energy's going towards not just finding a dark basement to curl up in.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;What she isn't sure, as she makes her way towards the van. The police girl's eyes are drawn towards the cordoned off alleys though... and unlike most, she has no trouble seeing what's back there even if they're covered in shadows.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:346|Saber (346)}} has posed:'''<br> Arriving via a black modified Yamaha V-Max, the Once and Future King of Britain, now the Servant Saber of the Fourth Holy Grail War, arrived not long after the others, making her way to the cordoned-off section. Dressed in the tailored three-piece black suit with a grey silk shirt, black tie and gloves, and brown loafers, her haor was pulled back into a simple ponytail at the nape of her neck. A rather masculine look but for her short stature and delicate features. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; With the multiverse having fractured itself in ways she would never have imagined when she abrupty appeared in it nearly seven years ago, now having pledged her blade to the Paladins as befitting a proper knight of her order, Saber now found herself once more helping out those who appeared to uphold her values, finding herself in this new situation. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Under normal circumstances, Saber was inclined to feel some sympathy for the mysterious man; her own people had often starved during the lean times in spite of her best efforts. How could feeding those who had no means to do so themselves be something bad? <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; But on the other hand, this was not her era; where there would be one single church attending to the poor, now there were countless charities to provide the destitute with the means to live. It was hardly the utopia she had wished to create with Britain, but it was a marked improvement nevertheless. If this mysterious benefactor was truly concerned with the plight of the people, would he have not donated that food -- perhaps conjured through some unknown magic, given the circumstances -- to one such charity? As it was, there was no way to tell if those receiving the free food were truly in need...at least, less so than those who were also without homes and families. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And of course, that was to say nothing of the farmers and businesses which depended on what they could bring in to feed their own families. As preferable as the modern world was, there was still a certain balance to maintain. It was a complicated matter.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:70|Priscilla (70)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A short ways from the police cordon, someone has been standing watch for the past half an hour. Not an officer, mind. They haven't been guarding the area against intrusion, or making sure the evidence has been tampered with. They have been looking in instead, watching the movements of the police, listening in on their conversations and radio dispatches, and patiently absorbing any clues they might give away.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That someone has remained unnoticed on a near-empty street in plain daylight this entire time, despite standing out in the open. Through some act of god or stranger things, they have dispersed and diluted their presence so thoroughly that they have faded into the world around them, to a point of total concealment that sorcerers have claimed impossible for centuries; an act of suicide, for it could only result in the irrecoverable dissipation of the body and soul.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She is basically using it to spy on a bunch of cops.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Something something great power something responsibility.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:7|Kotone Yamakawa (7)}} has posed:'''<br>Kotone had been working on a report about the diaster last night she was glad for anything she could get to get her mind off what hat happened there. Serirous Tellus was just /one/ of those damn worlds where all sense said don't go there. Yet she keeps going /there/. <br><br> So here she wasin Everria given the soituation of someone giving out free food, a huge amount of feee food and he's starting to understand the issue here. Sure it may be helping but long term? What if they vaniosh after other sources of food end up dying. Tht could lead to a lot of suffering and she just looks at the various bit of food and she heads gight for the Agent. <br><br> "Mr. Merene? I'm Kotone Yamakawa I'm with the Paladins and I have come to help look into this matter."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:533|Sir Gawain (533)}} has posed:'''<br>Ainsley starts by checking out the food. All of it looks to be natural, and very fresh, only a day or two old. Everything here was either grown or made from something that is grown (like bread). These bags could easily feed every member of the Paladins who showed up (outside Servant dietary requirements) for perhaps a week, if they rationed.<br><br>Seras, meanwhile, glances towards the alley. It'd hit her nose before it hit her eyes: a familiar red, but not much of it. It's fresh-ish, probably a day old. Blood.<br><br>And then, the rest approach Agent Lucas Merene. When they first speak to him, he takes a moment to take a long drag from his cigarette, dawdling in it before he replies. "Yeah, that's me. You must be the Paladins." This is affirmed by Ainsley's badge, but he says it anyways. He plays with the cigarette in his fingers, as he speaks. "Well, we're going to need to be quick. This road needs to be freed up ASAP, it's a main road." Merene moves from the van, as he begins walking around the crime scene. He has short dark hair and a pair of sunglasses which are blocking the color of his eyes.<br><br>"It happened yesterday, during rush hour. The perp, some guy wearing a mask that the civvies have taken to calling 'Foodbringer' because the media is shit at names, appeared from the alleys with atleast three dozen massive bags of food. Traffic stopped, he started shouting to the people, and handed out food to anyone who would take it. Local blues showed up, stopped him from tossing the last of his supply," Merene gestures towards the bags on the ground, "And he made a run for it. Went down that alley," a gesture towards the cordoned off alley that Seras is interested in, "and just disappeared."<br><br>Merene takes another drag from his cigarette. "Most local manpower is focused on scouring the city for the guy, but no one can ever find him. We've already checked old abandoned factories and farmhouses and the like, and can't find any sign of an operation. We were thinking you could give us a fresh perspective on the crime scene. The van has video equipment set up, someone took a recording of the 'Foodbringer' and we've been looking through it. Currently, we're trying to figure out how the hell he escaped and if we can find any lead to him. You think you can give us a hand?"<br><br>Merene is not in the best of moods. Someone who has been here the whole time would have overheard that this is because he's being rushed; the local government wants this cleaned up ASAP. It's bad for business.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1084|Seras Victoria (1084)}} has posed:'''<br>A few strange things happen when Seras waltzes by one of the alleys. A cordoned off alley.... WHY is it cordoned off? She's been with the police, she knows they don't do things for no reason.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Usually.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;but not only is it cordoned off, it's a dead end alley. The only purpose blocking it off serves is keeping people from the alley itself...<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her nose twitches as she casts a look down it, simultaneously causing her cheeks to lightly flush and a look of worried revulsion to briefly flash on her face. What her new existence wants, her conscience rejects. And the former won't win that battle very easily. She firms up her expression in no time at all... though as she looks back and forth, blue eyes wide with confusion... back and forth between the alley and parts of the street...<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Priscilla may find the draculina's gaze lingers unusually long in her rough direction, yet never quite focuses on the hidden half-breed. Instead Seras moves to bypass the blocking tape and traipse down the alley with an increasingly worried look on her face. If she needs to flash a badge to anyone watching it, she does so...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:346|Saber (346)}} has posed:'''<br> Saber listened carefully to the information Merene handed the small group of Paladins. Once upon a time, she would hear the report before assigning her best knights and vassals to the job, but as a glorified familiar now, she found herself in a position of having to rely on her teammates and her instincts, as well as performing her own legwork. Ah well, she preferred a more 'hands-on' approach, anyway. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Her voice was calm, even perhaps nearly monotone as she spoke. "This footage...I would like to see it."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Alright... Could I get a look at that footage?" Ainsley follows up, with a confirming gesture of one hand in Saber's direction, her Sight deactivated for the time being. She glances off toward the alley that Seras is going down, and then turns and gestures to the others vaguely, indicating the alley, suggesting they should follow the young vampire so that there's minimal risk involved. The lizard woman looks at Merene after this as if trying to think of more questions. "I'd like to get a good look at who's doing this, if possible, and try to suss out motive from what he's saying. There might be information in his mannerisms that isn't obvious."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:7|Kotone Yamakawa (7)}} has posed:'''<br>Kotone Yamakawa talks to some of the other paladins on the radio and he gets an idea of how to go with thing she'll attempt ot get on the local inernet, she does have the harsware to do it fgrom here even while she talked with Lucas she's already looking for information about food issues here and is trying to see if anything lines up with the types of food the foodbringer is giving out. She'll be checking for costs of food, issues with GMO, homelessness, prices and just about anything else she related can think of. <br><br> She'll also grab info on the foodbringer and local laws on food as well. She'll even check the history of major food production companis. <br><br> This may take a while but she's made for it and she can t least liusten to what Merene has to say here.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:290|Rebecca Chambers (290)}} has posed:'''<br>"I'll go with Seras," Rebecca offers. "While you're observing the footage, try to look for anything notable, especially if it seems out of the way. There might be a clue there that they might have missed. Call it a hunch." She then turns to Seras Victoria and proceeds to follow her down the alleyway. She turns on her miniature flashlight and shines it around the alleyway, attempting to locate anything out of the ordinary or unusual.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:70|Priscilla (70)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Priscilla puts the metaphorical pen to her equally metaphorical paper over the time she lingers around. The fact that the investigation is being rushed through by high ranking officials is nothing but a nuisance to the Paladins, inherently meant to be dedicated to resolving the mystery, but potentially beneficial to the faction she is !representing. This, of course, isn't even counting the actual PoI.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She stares at Seras blankly, almost daring anything to happen. It would probably look funny to an omniscient outside observer. Vaguely, she wonders why the police girl is blushing at a smell. Perhaps something incredibly sordid happened down there. Perhaps it's allergies. Perhaps those are both joke answers and she can probably figure it out.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Some tape and loosely distributed officers don't exactly make for Mission Impossible. She distances herself from the latter, and hops over the former with a supernaturally silenced motion, walking barefoot on the road. She wants to get a good look at the food herself, in absence of anyone else saying much. Inevitably, the alleyway will be relevant, but she doesn't want to squeeze down there just yet, especially if it's about to be movie time.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She hangs around for the production of footage, but otherwise starts looking over the police gear on her own, not touching anything just yet, but checking to see what they've bagged, what they've sampled, what they might have recorded on any removable media, that sort of thing.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:533|Sir Gawain (533)}} has posed:'''<br>Kotone opens Google and looks through records of this world, and specifically this city. And what comes back is...entirely average, for an Earth metropolis. There's a homeless population, but it's not crazy high. There's unemployment, but that too isn't that bad. Prices are pretty 'normal' too. Everything looks pretty clear.<br><br>The alleyway is cordoned off specifically because it's a key area, and also so that no one tries to sneak over the wall and into the crime scene. Seras' nose will immediately start leading her to the wall, and down to the ground. Rebecca's flashlight will assist in this, as they find a pretty major clue: there's a small bit of blood, about the size of a grape, pooling to the right and next to a trash can. It's a day old, and likely comes from a pretty small wound. It's most definitely human.<br><br>None of the cops are remotely aware that Priscilla have been there, and probably wouldn't be unless she started poking them in the face. Most of the bags looks pretty normal, there's a bunch of bread, bananas, other crop-grown foods inside them. The bags themselves aren't anything special, except for one. One of the ones out of the way, not far from the alley, has two small holes in it, one on each side opposite to each other. They're pretty much impossible to see from inside, but if you're analyzing the outside of the bag itself, it only takes a bit of looking to find them. The police gear, meanwhile, is all inside the van, which Merine opens up to get the video ready. It's set up to be a small viewing area, though the screens are visible from outside. Some of the food has been bagged up, as well as one of the large bags itself, but other than that, they don't have much. There's a sticky note up on one side of the van, with a list of eyewitnesses, phone numbers, and addresses, and it seems that the video itself is being played off of a thumbdrive, plugged into the computer that the screens are connected to. Getting into that computer or that thumbdrive may be useful, but for now, it's movie time.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:533|Sir Gawain (533)}} has posed:'''<br>As Ainsley and Saber ask to take a look at the footage, Merene sighs and moves towards the back of the van. "Alright. It was recorded off a cellphone, but it's all we've got. Lemme boot it up." He climbs into the back of the van, and navigates through Windows Explorer for a few moments, clicking through folders until he reaches the video. He fires it up, and then moves outside the van so he can smoke safely.<br><br>The video starts up, and seems to be filmed from one of the sidewalks. Traffic is plugging the streets, having been brought to a stop. It seems to start a bit after things have begun: a man in a red clay mask, wearing a long-sleeved jacket, a pair of gloves, and a body vest stands on top of a car, with dozens of massive bags tied together on his back. He doesn't seem to be having any trouble carrying them, standing upright. He has long brown hair, tied into a ponytail. The Foodbringer takes a moment to move around on the car, looking towards the streets, before he pulls off a bag for each hand and begins handing them off to cars and civilians. Once the first two bags are given off, he speaks, voice modulated but still masculine.<br><br>"People of Everria, I have returned to you for the third time! I apologize for the wait, but I thank you for the kind words I have heard you say regarding my actions! I have brought more food for the hungry, more food for the weak, more food for the poor, and more food for everyone and anyone!" At this point, loud cheering can be heard, as the Foodbringer dances around on the car. The camera moves to the side, down the street, to show that police have started approaching, before moving back to the Foodbringer.<br><br>"Just let it be said that I care about all of you! Every single one of you deserves as much fill as you can eat, as much as you want! With my efforts, no one will go hungry /ever again/!" There's a bit of emphasis to his words. By this point, he's given away most of the food, with only a handful of bags left. However, before he can say more or move more, the police come up. They begin shouting for the Foodbringer to put his hands into the air, and surrender. He just quips in reply. "I apologize, ladies and gentlemen, but I'll have to be leaving! Look for me in a week or so!" The Foodbringer leaps off the car, moving towards the alleyway which is cordoned off in the present day, and turns around towards the police again.<br><br>At this point, one of the cops has drawn his gun, pointing it straight at the Foodbringer, shouting at him to put down the food and drop to the ground. "I'll see you later, officers! Until we meet again!" He flashes a wave at the officer, and the officer responds by firing once. The bullet seemingly misses the Foodbringer, though he shifts his arm and drops one of the bags next to the alley, before fleeing down it. Several of the officers go to make chase, but before they can get inside, the camera catches an odd flash of light, stopping the officers for a moment before they continue to pursue.<br><br>After several more seconds, the video ends.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:70|Priscilla (70)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Priscilla, seeing nothing wrong with the food, is just about to write it off as completely above board, before finally spotting the out of place holes at the end of her examination. This draws her attention right back, causing her to kneel silently by the particular bag in question. Stare as she might, nothing concrete comes to mind immediately as to why it may be punctures, especially on opposite sides, if the bag is meant to preserve the food. Making it rot seems just like a mean but pointless practical joke. Poisoning it could be possible. Possibly even someone wandering onto the scene later.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She has to leave it for the moment though. The police van opening up presents her the opportunity to view the same footage only being given out to trusted Paladin associates called in on purpose. The hooks are real. When she is absolutely sure everyone is watching the movie, i.e. the actually important thing to do, she deftly closes her fingers around the sticky note and plucks it from the door, instantly disappearing into a sleeve with a metaphorical *yoink*. No sense leaving this in the hands of the flatfoots, after all.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Of course she takes a look at it as well. The gunshot does a pretty good job of answering her earlier question, and alleviating concerns that this Foodbringer might be trying to sew biological chaos, though Priscilla has to frown a little at the conduct of a police officer firing on a man handing out free food. Law that involves things like 'due escalation of force' isn't really her specialty, but it seems wrong anyways, somehow. Sadly, the flash of light doesn't tell much without seeing the source. It could be any manner of teleportation or the like.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She can at least commit that much to memory. Priscilla next gravitates towards the alleyway, though it may be unlikely she'll find anything else anyone else couldn't. Her physical senses aren't something that will dramatically trump the vampire's, nor read traces of magic. She doubts her sense for the spiritual will help all that much, so she keeps an ear out to future discussion, and begins plotting something.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1084|Seras Victoria (1084)}} has posed:'''<br>Seras looks over her shoulder briefly but the surge of tension that had started building when a flashlight flicked on goes away the moment she recognizes Rebecca. "Someone was hurt back here." Her nose leads her to squat down and peer at the bloody splotch on the ground.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"This isn't enough blood for a stab wound... or a bullet wound. Might've been a fist scuffle and someone got a bloodied knuckle... or nose. They wouldn't cordon this off if someone had just cut themselves. There has to be more to it than this."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Only what? Seras starts looking around the alley and waves at Rebecca as well. "Keep those eyes sharp. SOMETHING happened back here and it's probably related to the food mess."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:290|Rebecca Chambers (290)}} has posed:'''<br>Kneeling down to look at the blood stain, Rebecca nods in agreement to Seras Victoria. "Definitely. The size of the blood stain is very small. If they were running or something, there'd be more signs of blood, but since this is all we have, whatever happened happened here..." She stands up and sweeps her flashlight around again, aiming intently at any nearby trash cans or receptacles that might be rather full looking.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:346|Saber (346)}} has posed:'''<br> Saber was completely silent -- perhaps unsettlingly so for anyone not used to her mannerisms -- as she studied the feed. The agent was correct in that it wasn't the best quality, but it was sufficient for her to grasp the gist of the events it captured. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; There are a number of possibilities about the scenario; the "Foodbringer" could very well be altruistic, having recently come into some strange powers where he had been able to acquire the food in question and hand it out. But the methods in question seemed odd to the petite knight. It seemed rather flashy compared to most altruists who preferred to do their good deeds quietly. That was hardly to say that flashier individuals weren't good, but it suggested to her that things were not entirely as they seemed. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; On the other hand, there could very well be ulteriour motives, the likes of which she had seen before. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "This food he gave away...has it been tested for foreign substances?" Saber asked quietly. Poison was unlikely, as most poisons should have done their dark work in the week since the Foodbringer had begun to act. However, if there was anything which made people susceptible to suggestion... <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Then there was that flash of light. No doubt about it, there was definitely something either magical or some technological feat present. If it was magical...well, she stood a much better chance of isolating it.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:7|Kotone Yamakawa (7)}} has posed:'''<br>Kotone's seartches come up dry on any odd enviormental factors being the cause. Such as unsafe food, such as and she gets nothing that isn't quite normal. Okay that leasve her at a bit of a loss about the food then. It doesn't seem to be about an injustice related to food. So what's this food bringer's motive? She's not sure at this point but every thing they can hopefully elimate, can help, right? <br><br> She doesn't seem to put off after all they had to figure out just what was going on here and she's helped with some of the leg work here. <br><br> She's going to go join those with the video at this point maybe she's looking at this wrong?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Why would he contaminate the food?" Ainsley wonders to Saber, whose suspicion of the food itself garners skepticism from the reptile, evidently. She had seen the apparent altruism as well, and hadn't gotten the impression he was doing anything but trying to feed people. "I could sense no malicious intent from the food itself." That being said... "It should be analyzed," she agrees, despite her doubts about it being contaminated. The only way to be sure is to actually check.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Thank you," she says to Agent Merene. "That's been a big help. You don't recognize the mask? No local myths or legends...?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:533|Sir Gawain (533)}} has posed:'''<br>That is definitely a small amount of blood. There's no obvious source of where it came from, though. Priscilla's examination into the alley will tell her pretty much the same information the others got: there's a small bit of blood. It's about the same size as the hole in the bags, but a bit smaller.<br><br>Back at the van, Agent Merene looks around as he fiddles with his cigarette. His eyes briefly look towards the wall where the sticky note used to be, but he doesn't seem to notice anything different. "We've sent off a sample from this incident to the labs, but the last two incidents came up negative for any contaminants. Just seems to be organic food, without any of that nasty shit." Merene shakes his head towards Ainsley. "No, nothing. That's actually one of the reasons you guys were called up. We're not entirely sure he's a native." Merene rubs his forehead frustratedly.<br><br>"You saw how many bags he's carrying, even if it's just bread and fruit, he still acted like it did nothing to him. And then there was that flash of light and that disappearing trick. We're not magical around here or anything like a lot of outsiders are. There's no way we'd be able to figure out what the hell he's doing on our own."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1084|Seras Victoria (1084)}} has posed:'''<br>Seras has moved on from the blood and is now scouring the walls. She goes so far as to put her ear up against parts of the walls and lightly knock to check for anything different, to hoisting up the trash can's lid... then the can itself to look for any evidence of a hatch or boltaway.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She's going to scour this alley from TOP TO BOTTOM if she has to.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As her focus increases and she turns her side towards the alley's entrance and end, the police girl's blue eyes shrink tightly, narrowing into an unsettlingly hellish crimson. That's creepy as hell, to be sure.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Rather suddenly she whips about to face the mouth of the alley, eyes sweeping up but going no farther than Priscilla's feet. Seras' gaze wavers at that point, and she shakes her head... then continues scanning the walls and ground.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Where... where did he go?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:346|Saber (346)}} has posed:'''<br> If the Servant was offended by Ainsley's question, one would never know through her impassive demeanour. Yet, it was a good question, one Saber saw no reason not to field. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "There are certain chemicals capable of opening the people to suggestion," she offered. "Substances otherwise benign, yet upon a certain trigger goven, could cause those who ingested it to obey commands." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It wouldn't be the first time such a thing happened, at least in Saber's experience. All outward appearances suggested a typical wannabe hero, but she couldn't help but try to look beyond simple appearances. The Grail War had taught her that much, at least. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "While I have doubts that poisons were introduced, such chemicals which could induce commanded obedience would be much more difficult to detect," the blonde admitted. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And then there was another possibility: an anarchist type from one of the new factions, or someone of that particular mindset. Someone who was both an altruist but also a true believer in tearing down whatever systems were in place because he believed that was what was "right". <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Regardless of the ultimate motive of the "Foodbringer", the logistics were a more immediate concern. The Servant shook her head slightly at Merene. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "It could either be magic or a form of technology that your world does not possess," she explained. "Though at a certain level the two are practically indistinguishable, it would behove us to discern which of the two it is, as science and magic operate by separate rules." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Servant frowned slightly, contemplating. "The nature of his disappearance could have been magical in nature, as is this strange production of food...yet there are nonmagical methods of both, as well."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:290|Rebecca Chambers (290)}} has posed:'''<br>Meanwhile, Rebecca continues to sweep the alleyway with her flashlight, checking every trash can, whether it's full or empty, to see if there's anything hidden there. She grits her teeth while doing so, fearing a possible ambush or unpleasant surprise lying in wait for them. "Something's not right here, that's for sure. But, what if the person who was bleeding, maybe they were able to stop the bleeding temporarily, but when they got here, they started bleeding again?" She shakes her head after a moment. "That'd be too crazy."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:7|Kotone Yamakawa (7)}} has posed:'''<br>Kotone Yamakawa thinks about what Merene is syaing but she can't help but wonder about everything she's seen and dug up so far. <br><br> "True even I'd need some help of exotic tech to carry as much as he did. She floats a very odd theroy over the comms and thinks harder there's a ot to think about there. <br><br> "Bags of holding are cheap on some worlds too that could be it or something like that really. I'm still looking for more information. <br><br> She looks to Saber nodding "That is another idea or it could be magic, or some other type or tech." <br><br> Then Seras comes on the comm, with some troubling news. She frowns a bit, this wasn't going to be an easy case to deal with.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I doubt he did that to the food," Ainsley states with some confidence, but then shrugs non-commitally, as she doesn't seem too strongly focused on that. She doesn't elaborate on her feelings on that any further. She frowns to herself and considers their options. Beyond what they have now... Hmm.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"We may need to respond to the next incident of him doing this," she tells the Agent, "If we encounter him directly, we could get a better idea of what his methods are. I could get a read on his intent easier and maybe convince him to just... stop, or redirect his efforts to somewhere it won't be as disruptive. Mmh..." She gives an apologetic smile. "Has anyone actually tried to talk to him about what he's doing already?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:70|Priscilla (70)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Well, Priscilla has about as much of an idea of what's going on here as anyone else. A little bit more, since she has the info on all the witnesses. Seras' constant staring in her general direction is starting to annoy her though. Creepily watching people is her privilege, not for the fuzz.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;What else annoys her is their cooperation with the authorities here, so keen on keeping the status quo that they are willing to shoot an unknown on sight, rather than having any ambition to seize or study his means of production for themselves. The police are just /giving/ them everything, and they're taking it gladly.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Priscilla hates people playing on easy mode. She also figures that if these people don't want /infinite food/, the Concord will sure as hell take it. To that end, she has no compunctions about making things more difficult for them. If they're going to compete to find the Foodbringer, she'd like to win.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So she runs with the suspicions of poisoning. Sauntering back over to the punctured bag, she produces her dagger from her sleeve, crouching by it again, and inserting the slender point through the bullet hole with surgical precision, plunging it into as much fresh fruit and vegetable matter as she can go through, since those stay alive for days after being harvested. This has the predictable effect. The produce inside the bag starts to /burst/, spitting out its juicy innards in bubbling spouts of rapidly necrotizing plant matter, withering and rotting into black goo as the mass cell death spreads, until the bag is a deflated, oozing pile. Potatoes do not exactly have a high Resistance stat.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At the same time, she spreads some nasty, mysterious cold around for theatrical effect. It's not any kind of powerful, damaging, magical ice --it's pretty normal cold-- but it's biting, creepy, and seems to fog from the disintegrating bag in waves that cause frost to creep across the ground. Essentially, they look like part of the same process.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;hen she backs off, so nobody comes running into her, taking a wide circle around the group and disappearing behind cover.<br>%<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:533|Sir Gawain (533)}} has posed:'''<br>There is nothing hidden in the alley. No passages, no objects of interest, nothing. That blood is the only thing out of place. There is also no sign of where he could have gone. It seems like he just vanished into thin air.<br><br>Agent Merene sighs at the suggestion of poison. "We've thought the same thing. But we've found nothing. No one who has eaten the food has acted oddly, either. We're currently just treating this as a guy who is tossing free food at people in too vast of quantities." Merene does, however, nod at Saber. "It's possible, but we have no way of telling. If you guys can shed some light on that, it'd be helpful." He then turns to Ainsley, shrugging. "If you'd like to try and catch him in the act, be our guest. We don't know exactly when he'll do it, though, beyond 'in a week or so' according to the perp himself. And no, no one's tried talking to him. He escapes the police and citizens are usually too busy grabbing up the food to chatter with him." A drag of the cigarette. "I don't honestly care why he's doing it, it's just my job to get him to stop."<br><br>If Merene was going to say anything else, he doesn't, because suddenly cold begins to fog up. As soon as Merene feels it, he turns to the bag, and frowns, putting his cigarette back in his hand as he grabs his gun, pulls it out, and points it at the bag. "What the hell?!" He becomes even more upset as he sees the black goo. "Fuck, it's contaminated! None of the other bags did this...how is this one different?!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:7|Kotone Yamakawa (7)}} has posed:'''<br>Kotone Yamakawa is trying to gather information herself to find out what's going on and she does smell something wrong here with the police but she needs more informationt to act she'll start to serarch for more than just the local gooole but it will take time to start getting into the real nitty gritty of things. She recalls an inciene twith nanotech rice a while back on her world how it did solve a lot of the major food problemsnad wonders what could be done with the Foodbringer's abilities if they were put to better use. <br><br> For now they need to figure out what's going on here thankfully she has no idea Priscillia is here or what she's up to either. <br><br> She however is observing the entire thing nd recording it. <br><br> "... We'll be taking that to our lab to take a look at it, we have access to off world resources that might be able ... help with this err and I don't like this at all."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I do care. I care a great deal. There are reasons for why people do anything, especially when you want to get them to stop. If you can understand those, you can just talk them out of it. And I really don't like the idea of trying to chase and arrest someone with superhuman abilities, as this person seems to have," Ainsley tells Agent Merene, apparently feeling much more strongly about this than about the food poisoning thing. Which is unfortunate because the chill that washes through the air makes her head turn, and she turns to look at where the Agent is pointing his firearm. The sight of it is... unusual.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So she activates her Sight and seeks out communication concepts. She doesn't try to stop the Agent from aiming a gun at it... if some kind of food demon came out of the bag, she would want him to be prepared. She seeks out changes in the 'message' or 'intent' of the bag of food, because it strikes her as odd that it would do that after what she saw before.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:346|Saber (346)}} has posed:'''<br> "Perhaps not him, per se," Saber agreed with Aisley. "But if he were to have a patron who had some ulterior motives of which this 'Foodbringer' was unaware, then it would be a possibility." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sea-green eyes flicked back to the screen, yet her gaze had turned inward as she contemplated the situation. "There might well be a matermind behind these actions...though the lack of additives suggests that the possible motive might be social as opposed to control. That is not to say that whomever is responsible truly believes in altruism or that his actions are just, but it does complicate the issue in more than several ways." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The King of Knights sighed softly. "Ultimately, it means that we must find this 'Foodbringer' and question him about both his motives and his methods." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Jade eyes refocused, sharp like those of a bird of prey as she regarded the agent. That no one had attempted to talk to him yet was a little concerning. "For that, we must either find a way to speak with him or, barring that, capture him, but as peacefully as possible. He must be questioned, but not in a way to make him feel threatened or trapped." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As if to prove one of her hypotheses correct, one of the bags leaks black goo...but that is the very problem. It's /too/ close to her hypothesis, too perfect. That normally made her instantly suspicious, but the fact that it was /not/ magical provided a blind spot. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "It is not magical in nature," she admitted. "Whatever the cause, it is beyond my purview to discern."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1084|Seras Victoria (1084)}} has posed:'''<br>Finding nothing odd at all in the alley, Seras starts to leave... and that's when the freaky onslaught of AWFUL ROTTEN FOOD SMELL STRIKES HER, and the vivid sight of FROST spreading on the ground right in plain view gets her to stop right in her tracks, eyes WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDE. She's frozen right there, but not from the cold.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That is just. TOO. DAMNED. WEIRD.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So she inches closer to the alleyway and pokes her head around the corner, only to then notice the officer holding the gun! "A-AUGH, put that thing away!"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The fact that her eyes are still <span class="bold_fg_r bg_n ++ hr">GLOWING RED</span> probably won't help this matter, but she's focused too darned hard on heightening her senses to think about that...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:290|Rebecca Chambers (290)}} has posed:'''<br>Sighing, Rebecca turns to leave the alleyway, only to stop as a horrible stench enters her nose. She shakes her head, then suddenly jumps back as the sudden frost comes towards her. She's not exactly stuck by it, but she is shocked by what's going on. Obviously, there's more going on here than meets the eye, and even Rebecca could never have anticipated something like this. She draws her Beretta and approaches behind Seras Victoria, when she gets a glimpse of the officer holding the gun. "What are you doing? Put that down before you hurt someone!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:70|Priscilla (70)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;You know what the archetypical jerk says when someone declares well-placed suspicion. It starts with a 'p' and ends with an 'ove it'. With everyone on guard for shenanigans, and all conveniently focusing on the bag, Priscilla goes way around the closest building, out of line of sight, and comes back for one final touch; engraving a sorcerous-looking but totally meaningless mark in an obscure corner of the dead end, or failing that, the wall on the other side. It's sort of a hail mary, but if it works, it works. If it doesn't nothing really lost but a few seconds of time. After that, she's off to a safe distance.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The bag itself is RIP. The mush inside is so thoroughly dead there is no intent left to express. It is void of meaning except probably 'this is incredibly unhealthy to eat, please do not eat this', which is visibly apparent, to say the least.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:70|Priscilla (70)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;You know what the archetypical jerk says when someone declares well-placed suspicion. It starts with a 'p' and ends with an 'rove it'. With everyone on guard for shenanigans, and all conveniently focusing on the bag, Priscilla goes way around the closest building, out of line of sight, and comes back for one final touch; engraving a sorcerous-looking but totally meaningless mark in an obscure corner of the dead end, or failing that, the wall on the other side. It's sort of a hail mary, but if it works, it works. If it doesn't nothing really lost but a few seconds of time. After that, she's off to a safe distance.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The bag itself is RIP. The mush inside is so thoroughly dead there is no intent left to express. It is void of meaning except probably 'this is incredibly unhealthy to eat, please do not eat this', which is visibly apparent, to say the least.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:533|Sir Gawain (533)}} has posed:'''<br>Merene approaches the bag of food, gun out. He scrambles for his phone, and just frowns heavily (and super confused) at Rebecca telling him to put his gun down. To him, having his gun out right now makes the most sense of all. He begins dialing numbers rapidly, waiting for the ring to finish before barking into the phone. "This is Agent Lucas Merene, in charge of the Foodbringer case. We have a situation, the food is contaminated. Anyone who is in possession of it may be in danger, cause unknown. It just fucking exploded!" His serious nature over the phone rapidly devolves at the shock of what he's seen.<br><br>Merene glances over the black stuff before turning away, revolted, staring at the Paladins. "I don't care what the hell you think about him, food definitely does /not/ do that. Something inside of it we can't detect probably detonated, but how, I have no damn idea." The agent just returns to his van, as police officers move from the alley cordon to deal with the bag. Merene barks at them, briefly. "Take another look at all angles! We're definitely missing some shit here!" He himself goes to glance at the video again, finally holstering his gun as he begins talking over the phone, fuming.<br><br>Well, it seems like the road isn't opening up today, atleast. And, from behind the cordon, there's a flash of a camera. It seems one of the journalists got a good shot of what just happened...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ainsley's Sight deactivates when she finds nothing. Not just nothing, but the absence of what the food was meant to represent beyond what it is right now. And what it is... it makes her snout wrinkle and her tongue hang out lightly in disgust. "Well... that's really weird," she murmurs, not as distressed by what happened for a variety of reasons. "Magical backlash...? Tech malfunction? Mmh..." Without the tools to scan the food herself, she leaves the issue be.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She turns her head to regard the flash of a camera. Her feathers momentarily bristle at the idea of the news reports making this guy's life difficult, but then her feathers flatten out and she reaches up to rub at her brow, her other hand on her hip. "Right... so defusing this without complications is out," she muses aloud, because she knows a very large population is going to be very aware of the Breaking News that the Foodbringer may be a malevolent creature.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hell. Maybe it'll be a good lesson for him about the consequences of disrupting local economies," she mutters, and she walks off to head back to her office on the Ad Coelum to assess the angles in solitude.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:346|Saber (346)}} has posed:'''<br> Saber wouldn't have called said person an "archetypical jerk" per se; in the years beyond her supposed death, great mids formulated a solid formula of establishing certain facts of the material world they labelled "the scientific method", which posited that a hypothesis must undergo rigorus testing with efforts to prove it false. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Such technical ideals of philosophy were, admittedly, beyond the precise understanding of the King of Knights. Besuides which, such things tended to eschew the more ethereal nature of magic, a world to which she belonged as much by choice as by simple chance. But regardless of the conflicting natures of science and magic, Arturia did have to admit the likes of Bacon certainly had a point. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That point was that she had no evidence and no leads other than finding the 'Foodbringer'. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That said, she can't blame Merene for having his gun out. It was the equivalent to having Excalibur at the ready. Neither can she fault the agent for taking proper precautions. Yet, once his duty was done she felt the need to reassure him. "I do not believe that the previous foodstuffs were necessarily contaminated, due to the fact that none have displayed averse effects so far," she soothed once the agent was off the phone. "I advocate monitoring some who have partaken of the food, but the priority should be in finding this 'Foodbringer' for questioning," she recommended, ignoring the media. King Arthiur snubs the press! Or simply pays them no mind in her business. "Whatever the case might be, he holds the answers we require."<br> <br>
}}