2841/What Lies Beneath

What Lies Beneath
Date of Scene:	18 August 2015
Location:	Terra Majora
Synopsis:	The woman known as Duet Fortuna seeks something under the Imperial Palace
Cast of Characters:	92, 264, 730, 789, 825
Tinyplot:	The Price of Freedom

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Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    Meeting up at the designated place was... actually very informative. First, there was the chance to meet Duet herself. A short, youthful blonde girl with her hair in a ponytail, she was dressed for the period, but with the odd addition of a plain yet obscuring mask over most of her face. It left her mouth free, that's all. She seemed prepared for the world, which turned out to be TERRA MAJORA.
    She did not arrange period transport, from the look of things... but that turns out to be false. A truck was to carry the group closer to their goal from the warpgate, and inside the truck were several horses, so that the last leg of the journey could be made in a manner that made sense to the locals. Not that the locals didn't know about the Multiverse, but it'd stick out less to use horses.
    "Thank you for accepting, you will all be well-compensated," Duet says, after interoducing herself. "Our target is the Imperial City... which is easy enough to enter, if we are careful, but reaching the catacombs will be much harder. To make matters more difficult, your task is not simply to reach the catacombs... but to get /me/ in there. Which means this is an escort mission, and I am much less capable of stealth than the three of you are likely to be." She pauses, recounts. "Four. If you have any questions, now is the time to ask."

Ezio Auditore (825) has posed:
    Ezio hasn't been in the field for long, not long enough to make him lose a step, but enough he's been aching for a chance to get back into the swing of things. This ought to be a routine infiltration, and he is glad to go in light for the time being.

    Content knowing he's covered by a group of Hooded figures leaping across the gaps between rooftops like agile specters, Ezio himself is clad in very simple, common even, clothing that helps him blend into the area.

    He nods his head to Madam Duet, having spoken to her briefly over radio beforehand. "What is enemy strength going to be? Given what you said, I have some ideas as to getting through untroubled." He says, arms folded.

    He doesn't seem visibly armed, despite a single gauntlet, maybe a well hidden dagger pocketed someplace but otherwise he's boldly going without so much as a truncheon.

Sarah Parsle (789) has posed:
Sarah isn't actually sure why she's even getting involved in this. It's a curcuitous, strange situation that she doesn't have any immediately applicable resources or skills for.

And yet something about it seems like it's something she can deal with.

Sarah is dressed in a plain skirt and blouse. She could probably pass for some merchant's daughter, since she's just a little too clean to be a poor girl and yet not fancy enough to be a nobleman's daughter.

Besides that, Sarah looks like she's completely unarmored, unarmed, and without any relevant tools. "Why are they even guarding the catacombs in the first place? Is it to keep thieves out or what? Who's buried in there?" Sarah gets a contemplative look on her face. She might not be the sneakiest of the group, but she is a problem-solver.

Nagisa Shiota (730) has posed:
    Yeah, Nagisa is here. The young boy is wearing a large cloak over his outfit, and when it shifts aside, the sight of what appear to be military fatigues can be seen. They aren't in camo, though... that's the only odd part. They're a plain tan, not something that blends well with a whole lot of things. He isn't really interested in the money, either... and looks surprisingly calm, considering he's pretty young to be doing this.
    Hopping right into the truck, he takes a firm grip and settles in. "So... I guess we need to clear the way for you. This is just getting something, right? We aren't going to like... assassinate someone?"

Eliot Ness (264) has posed:
    Ness doesn't have many other outfits, but he's dressed exactly how one would expect someone from his time period to dress. A simple suit, with a long brown coat over it and a hat kept low. He has, since arrival, taken out a pack of Lucky Strikes, put one in his mouth, and lit it. He is currently smoking that cigarette as he adjusts his jacket.

    "Don't have many questions to ask, maam. Less I know, the better, I think in some ways," He is still a Law Man and this is fairly illegal, so he doesn't want to get too much information on what laws he's helping to break and why, "So we get you there, get you in, and then what happens after that? How loud will your exit be?"

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    Duet gestures to the back of the truck. "Local wear is available, if you need it to sneak in." Then she gets to answering questions as the truck have started to move. "We aren't assassinating anyone. If you kill some guards, I don't really care, but I also don't care if you want to leave them alive. I don't mind if they find out someone was down there, so long as we're out by the time they do... it doesn't have to be seamless."

    She glances at Sarah, then smiles, "A good question, but it's simple enough. The catacombs - more like a labyrinth, really, as they aren't actually a grave as far as I can tell - are located directly beneath the Imperial Palace, so they keep a guard on them. While no one has found any direct means of entering the Palace through them as yet, the Emperor is naturally cautious."

    She smiles to Ness. "You get me in, you wait a few minutes for me to get what I need... and then we leave as soon as we are able. No explosions, no screams, nothing like that, provided everything goes smoothly. They won't even miss what we take, it would be like taking a cup of water from the neighbor's incredibly well-guarded underground well."

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    To Ezio, Duet replies, "Mostly experienced guards but no one Blooded... I think. Unless we are loud or unlucky. The Emperor has recently instituted an elite force known as the Heaven Guard. If they show up, we are to withdraw immediately... I know very little of their capabilities beyond their leader being an accomplished Blooded who can make copies of herself. But the ones we will likely see will be either inexperienced or on punishment detail. It is not a popular assignment, since there's very little reason to go into the catacombs."

Ezio Auditore (825) has posed:
    Ezio is quick to nod. "As you wish. I didn't exactly come for a prolonged engagement anyways." He says, though admittedly he's faced much worse odds before in his time. That said, Duet's worry is justified, and Ezio will respect that. As for equipment, he just gets a sly grin as the gears turn in his head. "I think I can improvise as far as everything else goes." He doesn't mention the assassins handling rooftop detail just yet, but it might help to handle interference with the guards if things go hot.

    With that in hand, Ezio climbs into the truck, sitting and waiting patiently.

Eliot Ness (264) has posed:
    "I'll pass on the local wear, thanks," Ness replies vaguely, having any number of reasons why he won't change his outfit. Most of them are legitimate like 'This is my favorite coat', but others are vague and mysterious. Mostly, he just doesn't want to dress like a faffer and look a fool. He's a modern, American man and prefers his suit.

    He gives Duet a nod and says, "That works for me, maam. I'm all ready to go," He comments as he climbs info the truck for the voyage into the city, "I'll be hopeful it's as easy as you say it is."

Sarah Parsle (789) has posed:
Sarah nods. "Okay, that answers enough." You have to know a little background, after all. There's more than one way to get into someplace you're not supposed to be in. She swings into the truck, taking shotgun since no one else called it. "Let's get this done before something goes wrong."

Nagisa Shiota (730) has posed:
    "I'm always worried when people say it should be easy," Nagisa admits from his seat. "I'm fine for weapons and clothes though. My outfit is too useful to change out of, and I don't intend to hang around too long anyway. I'm glad we won't have to hurt anyone, though."

    He certainly seems like the meek sort, it's true.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    The ride is pretty uneventful, but it does give Duet a chance to explain the layout. The city is fairly sprawling, but the best choices to get into the labyrinth are between one entrance in the market sprawl, and one that is better guarded up in the Noble Quarter. "The one in the market would be harder to get into unnoticed, but if a fight breaks out it would be easier to slip away."

    Getting /into/ the city is pretty easy, at least. A short trip via horse - doubling up if someone doesn't know how to ride - and Duet speaks to the guards in the local language instead of relying on the Translation Effect. It's a simple matter for the group to get into the Imperial City right now... and it's very busy, with streets full of people despite the fairly late hour. It would appear that there are gas lamps in this city, even if they don't have electricity.

Ezio Auditore (825) has posed:
    "I will be right back." The horse Ezio rides will find himself without a rider before long, when Ezio hops off and hands the reins to someone else. The layout is taken note of, and the assassin waits before he spies some guards. Whistling sharply at one of them, Ezio uses the growing crowds to hide before he waits in an alleyway.

    The guard will find himself dragged into the alley, and a sharp thwack to the man's head leads Ezio to free regin of the man's belongings and equipment. Soon enough, Ezio steps out as a guard incognito, going over the uniform before he scans to rejoin the crowd.

Nagisa Shiota (730) has posed:
    Nagisa nods at the decision, slipping off into the crowd a moment later. The young boy might be glimpsed clambering up one wall, but then he's gone... at least to the group, unless one of them follows him for some reason. He's taking the quick route by rooftops, a manner of travel that should be familiar to most here. He'll just go slow enough to keep an eye on Sarah if she needs it.

Sarah Parsle (789) has posed:
As they ride into town, Sarah looks around, paying attention to the signs and the people around them. Sarah watches the process of Ezio distracting a guard to walk into an alleyway alone from her horse. She just kind of stares, then mutters to one of the others, "They really don't pick the cream of the crop for these posts, do they? That was special bus material right there."

She doesn't comment again, however, as they choose to go to the Noble Quarter. She actually ditches her horse when they get close to the area, as she heads into an alleyway, tosses a shoe, and gets some dirt on her clothes. Suddenly sniffling, Sarah leaves the alleyway and affects her best 'lost girl' look as she stumbles around towards the guardpost near the catacombs, making sure to get some nice weeping on for the audience. Which should be the guards.

Eliot Ness (264) has posed:
    Ezio's plan seems to be to attempt to generate sufficient distraction in the Noble Quarter rather than the market quarter. Either way, Ness knows how to generate a fairly safe sort of distraction. He reaches into the pocket of his jacket and rummages through his change. He takes out his lunch budget for the week: Two 1929 Gold Indian 5-Dollar Coins.

    "Excuse me, sir! Sir!" Ness tries to flag down a passing Noble as he goes, speaking standard English, "I happen to be a traveller from a ways away, beating feet through this city tonight! I was wondering if you could lend me some money for an inn room? I don't mean to seem a beggar, but I'm sure you have some on- Ah! There!" Ness reaches towards the random man and pretends to grab behind his ear, "You must have money on the mind, sir. Found one right here in your ear."

    He palms one of his own coins out from behind the man's ears and then says, "Ah ah, and you must be a politician, because you've got the golden voice," Ness notes, reaching again and making it look like he pulled a gold coin from out of the man's lips, "I see, yes, thank you very much, sir. You're a generous man, your wife should be proud."

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    As Duet said, the people chosen for this duty are usually those who fucked up or newbies. It IS pretty easy to just drag one off and knock it on the head. Ezio obtains: Guard's Clothing. Now he just needs some Cider and he'll be set, right?

    Ness talks to some passing Nobles, who are at first offended at seeing a strangely-dressed traveller in their section of the city... but when he starts doing prestidigitation, they realize he's an entertainer, and that's a bit different. Still a little low-class, but the fact that he has /gold/ coins to flash means that he's possibly something a bit more than the average street busker. A small number of people start to cluster around him... which means they aren't watching the guards of the archway and heavy door nearby. The entrance is in a small gated area choked with weeds, clearly not used often.

    Only problem is there are two guards, and they don't seem charitable. To Sarah, one of them just makes a shooing motion. "We aren't here charity, girl. Go find someone else to pester." However... if it is a distraction Sarah wanted to cause, she got it, as both of the guards at this gate are looking at her right now.

    Nagisa can of course see this from his perch, though there's no direct way to get down from where he is to the gate. No tall buildings beside it, sadly.

Ezio Auditore (825) has posed:
    This city /does/ give Ezio some serious Rome flashbacks, at least Rome before he came and more or less single-handedly fixed things. As he sways through the crowds, using his guardly authority when people get billigerant. He also stops by a random drunk, pinching his cider before providing some cash for soup. Because Ezio is a nice guy...ish. Sometimes.

    The two guards get his attention beforelong, and he gets ready to move on in. "You're being recalled tonight, I'm your relief." He tells one of the guards, holding up the cider. "Take the night off, my friend." He grins wryly, shaking the cider tantilizingly. He knows he wants it, it's so obvious.

Sarah Parsle (789) has posed:
Well, guards come in a few different types. Looks like these guys happen to come in the 'total jerk' type. I mean, come on, what kind of person wouldn't help a little crying girl?

But that means Sarah gets to play dirtier. Despite one of them shooing her off, Sarah looks up with wide, teary eyes, and actually rushes towards the man. "Please, sir Guard, you have to help me! I went to buy something for Father and I am so lost!" She reaches out, grabbing at the man's hand and insistently pulling at him. "You have to help me, sir! Surely he would make it worth your time!"

If you can't motivate their charity, you can motivate their purse strings. "Please, just take me back to the Roaring Lion Inn!" She says, grabbing the name of a random inn near the gates back in the Market Quarter. A bit of a hike, but hey, the promise of a little extra cash on guard wages, and the ability to spend it right there with that new guard relieving them...

Eliot Ness (264) has posed:
    It's probably not the most noble display of his years of training as a Federal Agent and Gunman, but Ness is pretty comfortable working in front of a crowd as he continues trying to be entertaining for the people. Most of his tricks are pretty basic, moving the coin from one hand to the other or making it seem like other people still have his two gold coins.

    Eventually, he starts blending other tricks into his repertoire, remembering Duet mentioning these people are from a slave-owning society. He occasionally tries to pickpocket a piece of jewelry from a noble woman while flirtaceously making it seem as if she had stolen HIS coins in her purse.

    Some of it (about half) is given back in a comical fashion, like Ness taking the hat off his head and pulling out a random noble's coin purse in surprise, "Sorry sir! I guess your wallet was the first thought on top of my head!" He says in a comical fashion. For a man in a suit, he definitely has an ease and grace around a crowd of people.

Nagisa Shiota (730) has posed:
    It looks like Ezio is leading the one guard off, and the other is getting tugged away by Sarah. Well, the one is taken care of, but they can't wait for Sarah to lead the guy all the way to the inn! Nagisa doubts that's her intention anyway. The boy slides down a gutter, shakes himself off, and just kinda walks up to where Sarah is leading the guard off. He does, naturally, wait until the other is out of sight and there's a good place to stash the one Sarah is with. Like a hay bale.

    "Oh... sorry, my sister gets a little lost, I'll take care of her," he starts in, with that pleasant and innocent smile.

    Stungun to the neck.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    Ness is doing well keeping the crowd entertained... very well, in fact. This is good, because they don't notice the guards being lead off by two different means.

    Ezio approaches and offers a bottle of cider and a break. Seriously? That's like, the oldest trick in the book! However... "Oh, thanks. I guess they won't mind a few minutes early." It must be near the changing of the guard... and perhaps this time was intentionally chosen for that reason. Or... maybe it's just luck. Whatever reason, he heads off with a grin and a thanks.

    The other guard sighs, tugged along. "Look, brat, I don't really have time for this. I'll take you to the guard post and that's it. Any further and-"

    BZZZT! He goes down like a sack of potatoes, thudding to the ground when Nagisa comes up and interrupts him with some obvious lie about family(Dude, Nagisa is Japanese!) and then drops him with a stungun. Sarah can draw moustaches or whatever she wants now.

    Actually, Sarah is probably the one who will be most interested in what comes next. Duet slinks over at last, glancing around before nodding, "Thank you. Quickly now." She walks right up to the aged door, pushing on it firmly... and after a few seconds, it swings open. Did they just not /lock/ that thing?

    Either way, the group is in, and Duet has flashlights if anyone forgot to bring one. The labyrinth is kind of cramped, but surprisingly doesn't seem that old in this section. Maybe 100 years? It's well-build though.

Ezio Auditore (825) has posed:
    Ezio can't help but look on in disbelief with how /easy/ that is. Shaking his head, Ezio shrugs a shoulder before he quietly watches Nagisa cold-cock the other guard with GLORIOUS ELECTRICITY! Man, he needs to get Leonardo to build him one of those taser things...maybe knuckles of some sort. Hmmm.

    Anyway, Ezio doesn't take long to follow Duet, grabbing a flashlight when offered as he peers through the labyrinth. "Hmmm..." He will go in first, and he does so with a leap as he looks around. "I cannot help but feel this has been too easy for us..." He muses to himself.

Eliot Ness (264) has posed:
    It was a pretty entertaining performance, and eventually Ness takes off his hat and says, "Sorry folks, like all good things, this must come to an end," He holds the hat out upside down to collect any donations they might have for him (if it's gold or silver, he can at least convert it into a bit more money for his department), and then starts to disperse the crowd around him.

    Once everyone is back to their business, he'll empty whatever money he made into his pockets of the coat and put the hat back on his head. Walking into the labyrinth, he takes out another match and a Lucky Strike, flicking the match off the wall before lighting his cigarette, "Not every job has to be hard." He comments to Ezio as he exhales some smoke.

    "Especially not if we're doing it right."

Sarah Parsle (789) has posed:
Sarah can adapt to changing situations. Mostly, however, she just makes sure to let go when the guy gets stungunned. "Get what you server, jerkbag." Sarah mutters, and then nods to Nagisa, finally paying attention to him. "Thanks. Now help me with this guy." She says, as she grabs onto the guys's arms. She looks over atthe catacomb entrance, and squints as she sees Duet just... walk right in. "... Huh." she says, pausing for a moment... And then frowning to herself. she looks back to the unconscious guy, shaking her head as she dragoons Nagisa into helping dragon the guard into the catacombs so he's not just lying out in the street for someone to see him. Ness is good, but man, I dunno if even he can distract them that long, Copperfield routine or not.

Once the guys is stashed, she rummages and then takes his own pouch, bouncing it in her hand before she stashes it in her SYLLADEX. "He should be happy I don't have more time. I'd string him up in his boxers. Dumbass excuse for a guard."

She then kicks him again before heading in after Duet. she's curious, she wants to see what's up in this shindig.

Nagisa Shiota (730) has posed:
    Nagisa pauses to help stash the unconscious guard into a hay bale, or under a cart, or someplace else convenient. "It is kind of easy, but I don't think they're expecting trouble," Nagisa points out. The boy hurries after the group, just stopping long enough to see if the door was unlocked or never had a lock. It might be useful if they have to come back this way.

    He'll take a flashlight though, once they're in. A faint hissing sound will come from the boy, and as he catches up with the others, they'll notice he's tucked his cloak away, and the odd tan fatigues now have the coloration and pattern of the stonework around them.

    "This isn't really my thing, I'll leave it to you guys unless we run into someone."

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    The door DID have a lock. It looks like it was completely rusted through and snapped when pushed. Kind of weird. But yes, the man can be stashed under a cart easily enough, and now it's smooth sailing. Probably.

    "You've all done very very well," Duet admits. "It's a shame I have to kill you now."

    ...

    "Just kidding," she finishes. "With any luck, I'll be hiring you again if I need a similar job done. Though with any luck, I won't need to do something like this again. It's not very pleasant." That's an odd thing to say, because the labyrinth beneath seems... pretty tame, really. A bit chilly, that's all. She doesn't comment on Nagisa's new look, but soon enough the monotony of bricks is broken up anyway by old, carved reliefs... very old. She's heading into a much more ancient part of the complex, and doesn't seem to have any trouble finding her way through it.

    Right up until the ancient wall with a large, stone door, the middle holding a complex-looking mechanism of stone. "Would you all mind waiting here for just a few minutes? It shouldn't take more than... five, I'd say."

Ezio Auditore (825) has posed:
    Ezio scoffs. "Pathetic, I'd say. They are corrupt and complacent, no different than the men of the Borgia." His distaste for even having to wear the damn uniform is palpable as he shrugs at Eliot. "I suppose it is to be expected, time to time. I'm just being paranoid, I suppose." He'll take the lead here, a hand on the hilt of his guard-issue sword just as Duet announces her need to kill them all.

    And then she trolls them immediately after. "Unbelievable." Ezio may in fact be muttering some /very/ unkind things under his breath in his mother tongue, but otherwise he keeps silent as he carries on.

    He isn't sure whether or not to trust Duet here, but he does not voice such concerns just yet.

Eliot Ness (264) has posed:
    Ness watches her flatly. The threat seems to roll off of him, mostly because as a cop living in Chicago, actively fighting a corrupt police force and a mafia, the phrase 'It's a shame I have to kill you now' might come up between one and seven times a day'. It's like 'Some day you'll find the wrong end of a gun, Ness' or 'You can't fight the entire System'. A phrase he hears a great deal that he stopped reacting to a long time ago.

    He may have been mentally gauging the distance between himself and her when she announces it's a joke. He gives her a flat look, "Very amusing, maam." He notes with a nod of his head to her joke. He, personally, has no real interest in what she's grabbing. So he waits outside and smokes.

Nagisa Shiota (730) has posed:
    Nagisa is... not going to listen entirely. He'll linger around outside until Duet opens the door(presuming she does so), and only when she's distracted by that will the camoflaged youth sidle up behind her, very much wary of what she just said. He won't go INSIDE but he's perfectly fine hiding in the doorway, taking a look at what she's doing in there.

Sarah Parsle (789) has posed:
Sarah doesn't really care where he gets stashed as long as he does. and did. As she heads through the door, she peers at the lock for a few seconds, and then nods to herself, as if seeing something she expected.

"You wouldn't kill us this soon, definately way too early. Besides, looks like you're doing something actually interesting." There is another pause. "It's not about luck. Whatever you're here for, it probably isn't going to get the entire job done." She says, nodding to Duet. "If you need more help, though, I'll help you."

They head down through the catacombs, and when they reach the big door with the complex mechanism, Sarah steps forward. "Interesting mechanism. You sure you don't want help with this? This looks like a puzzle, and I'm pretty good with puzzles." It's probably fairly obvious to the trio of assassins that she's wathcing Duet carefully this time.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    Duet sizes up the door. "It is a puzzle, but I know the solution. Few do, but I was given it by an expert on this matter." She twists a knob here, tugs a lever here, and finally ends up with a small basin in the door. Rolling one of her gloves up, she nicks the flat of her palm and lets a little blood dribble out...

    Which causes the door to open, effortlessly. It's easy to feel a wave of /something/ from within, some ancient power or presence. It even tickles at the mind a little, with a flash of disquieting emotion. At this range, there's no real effect, especially since the Shajem of Bitterness is still sealed.

    Thus only Nagisa sees Duet walk into the large, vaulted chamber with ancient carvings on the floor, kneeling in the center for several minutes with a few whispers of power that cause the runes beneath to glow. Nothing escapes, though, but for another brief wave of that sensation.

Nagisa Shiota (730) has posed:
    Nagisa knows nothing about supernatural matters... but he does get a little worried by blood being required. Then again the blood seems to have been a key of some kind? He won't interfere, but he is now watching very carefully, eyes narrow.

Ezio Auditore (825) has posed:
    Ezio remains alert, but otherwise he doesn't seem too knowledgeable about what's going on. As the door opens, he does sneak a look at where Duet walks in, before exchanging a glance with Ness.

    Screw it. The agent's right, so Ezio just kind of waits for now.

Eliot Ness (264) has posed:
    "I'm fine out here, maam. You can go in there with your ancient hoodoo and black magic all you need, I'll be right here," Ness holds up his hands and stays firmly outside that door. Last time he followed anyone into anywhere with a sensation even slightly like this, Pinkie's cult blasted him with necromancy. And he wants none of that.

Sarah Parsle (789) has posed:
Sarah just lets Duet do her think as she opens the door. She frowns for a moment as she feels the strange power within, and grunts. "An expert, huh. Come down to borrow a cup of dark power? Cool story." Sarah, unlike the proper and sensible assassins, wanders in and looks over the area inside with crossed arms. She's not sulking, but she does seem to be kind of... ruminating. She doesn't interfere at all, this is Duet's thing. And from what she sees of her jib so far, she might actually like the cut.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    And thus Duet continues her SECRET RITUAL unhindered and... and. And stands up, dusting off her skirt, before tucking a small globe of swirling energy into her top. The runes around her still glow, but if anything, while that sense of clawing emotion at the mind intensifies when Sarah walks in, it lessens when Duet finishes. She turns around and walks right back out, pushing a small plate to let the door slide closed once more. "It may surprise you, but nothing I just did could be considered 'black magic' by any stretch of the imagination. I am not a sorceress."

    The door shuts, and then she gestures, "Let's get moving. The guard will change soon, and we should be gone by then." She glances at Sarah. "I told you not to come in, but I suppose it didn't hurt anything. Besides... you're right not to trust my word. Betrayal is a fact of life in this world. Fortunately for all of us, that isn't my intent."

    She smiles at Sarah. "Something like that. This 'dark power' could possibly save someone's life."