5547/Wrench in the Works-2

Wrench in the Works-2
Date of Scene:	03 November 2017
Location:	Sector Zero - Space
Synopsis:	Eye and his allies investigate an apartment complex for Autochthon's Chosen. Their search for the saboteur yields a face and a name, but his motive and precise whereabouts will take further searching to find.
Thanks to:	Priscilla, for designing a really cool system!
Cast of Characters:	All-Seeing Eye, 1119, 1129, Rebecca Chambers
Tinyplot:	Wrench in the Works

---

All-Seeing Eye has posed:
Nation of Claslat, Autochthonia

     Claslat's debarkation room was designed before the nation knew that piercing the barrier into Creation would also unify Autochthonia. As such, some elements of its design seem an afterthought. It's large enough to facilitate entry and unloading of cargo vehicles analogous to semis, and has the trappings of such a purpose close at hand. Floats, dollies, weigh stations. Yet, mixed in with these trappings are those of an airport gift shop: bookshelves and souvenirs, chiefly, plus a few very bored-looking guards with silver badges, black synthleather uniforms, and repeating crossbows. Stepping into one of the cable cars from the debarkation room, the Elites are treated to a pulsing hum as the engines pull the car along its tracks.

(Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lt-udg9zQSE )

     Out the window of the car, they're treated to sights a far cry from the living greens and browns of Creation. The entire nation exists within a metallic cave roughly one fourth the size of Earth's Hawaii archipelago. There is no sun and no sky, only recycled, stale air and pale artificial light. The cable car passes over miles of artificial countryside, with brass pipes, crystalline lattices and smog-belching smokestacks taking the place of trees, brush and other flora.

     The outer limits of the cavern form a ring of towns and cities, all of which serve as brief pockets of multicolored light amidst the dim, barren landscape. Occasionally, the forms of Autochthon's mechanical servitors can be seen far below, scurrying from one burrowed out metallic warren to another. Flying transports carried by brightly burning hoverjets scour the landscape with floodlights. As the tram approaches the center of the cavern, the population becomes more dense. Each city is a patchwork of dull steel, churning gears, neon glyphs of various colors, and magical materials.

All-Seeing Eye has posed:
Centropolis of Harmegis

     Finally, the nation's capital arrives before them: Harrowing Meteoric Aegis. Harmegis. Looking at the city, it's hard to believe it was ever a being like All-Seeing Eye. Three slowly rotating rings, each smaller and more elevated than the last, form the city's structure. Despite being the capital, and despite its unusual architecture, Harmegis is the smallest of Claslat's cities. The lowest ring appears to be the city's industrial center: above it hangs a thick curtain of smog, pierced only by towering spires of prismatic metal that climb all the way to the top of the city.

     The next level up is where the cable car deposits them, and it is also where the scene of the investigation is. This level, known as the Maker's Hammer, is mostly housing for the temporal components of Autochthonia's three-pronged government. It is also home to Vats facilities, which outfit, repair and maintain the city's Chosen, as well as nutrient mills that keep the city fed.

     The saboteur who disabled the Warpgate into Creation lived on this level, in a kind of apartment complex for Chosen. The city's public transportation network can easily ferry Elites to the specific complex this Champion lived at. Waiting in the lobby on the ground floor of the complex is All-Seeing Eye, wearing a personalized take on the standard-issue longcoats favored by Autochthonia's mortal police, the Regulators. "Hel-lo, comrades!~ Are we ready to terminate enemies of the state with extreme prejudice?" ...yes, the laws of the Eight Nations might be a bit more... authoritarian than the Paladins are used to, to say nothing of those Elites present not associated with the faction.

Josuke Higashikata (1119) has posed:
    Josuke's response to all this is probably typical of a teenager from a basically modern Earth-style world to what is essentially a futuristic cityscape from some of the science fiction movies from the 1980s and 1990s.

    "...Whoooooa...."

    Yes, he's quite impressed by it all. He can see where the similarities to Earth vehicles are, but only the function. Everything else seems quite different. Different enough to provoke a response. In fact he's looking around all wide-eyed, and nearly misses the cable car! But he gets in before being left behind. And on the way, of course he's still looking out at the landscape. He's sad not to see any greenery, but he supposes it's understandable. And besides, this is no less impressive!

    Josuke looks around curiously as he exits the car on the second level of the city. "Wow, would you look at this place...?" he mutters under his breath. "'Metropolis'. Definitely 'Metropolis'." The movie, of course.

    He will eventually find his way to where All-Seeing Eye is. Recognizing him from the Abyssal ship encounter, he smiles broadly and waves. "Hi!" he greets. Though the mention of 'terminating the enemies of the state' gets a surprised look, and a blink. "Uh... I didn't know we were supposed to be killing anybody. What's the situation? The guy I spoke to didn't want to give too many details."

Miari (1129) has posed:
Miari is, once again, masking her Essence as Solar and hiding her demonic aspects, appearing yet again as a fairly normal human who registers as Solar Exalted to supernatural senses. As before, she's dressed in well-made nobility finery of shogunate era, namely a formal - if minimalist kimono.

    And as she's now IN Autochthonia, she can hardly turn around anywhere and not see something new and amazing to feast her eyes on! Miari's all but DROOLING with the kind of geeky gaze that only a scholar or engineer might have upon seeing MAGITECH EVERYWHERE!

    And for reasons that aren't too terribly obvious, she doesn't seem to have any problems whatsoever adapting to the alien-ness of a Primordial landscape. Maybe because Autochthonia has more in common with Malfeas - architecturally - than one might think.

    "I'll follow your orders here, All-Seeing Eye!" She states clearly, if a little informally, adding a deferential bow to show she's serious.

    "Though I have to just wonder who is doing this, and why. It's standard practice to uncover everything before discussing executions where practical, I hope...?"

    She doesn't seem so bothered by the idea of hunting down enemies. Just killing sources of useful information needlessly.

Rebecca Chambers has posed:
A little new to the area, Rebecca Chambers nonetheless presents a professional appearance as she arrives. She immediately spots Eye and, upon approaching him, salutes respectfully. "Rebecca Chambers reporting in. I await orders as necessary." While she seems very professional and attentive, she seems to be a little uneasy in a new place.

All-Seeing Eye has posed:
Eye beams at Josuke. "Oh, we just might, if the investigation leads us there!" He sounds almost hopeful. Without turning to look, the Exalt presses a button on the wall behind him. A soft buzz, and the presence of sliding doors adjacent to the button, means this is probably an elevator.

     As the elevator travels down the expanse of the complex, Eye provides information to the Elites. "Claslat has a settlement in Creation. Recently, the warpgate on the settlement's side was sabotaged, and we have reason to believe, thanks to an eye witness, that the perpetrator was an Alchemical Exalt, like myself."

     The elevator gives a soft buzz, and the doors slide open. Eye steps in, motioning for the others to do so as well--it can easily accomodate everyone, with one trip. Once everyone piles in, he pushes a button on the interior, evidently selecting a room near the top floor. A lever near the door is pulled with a mechanical crank, and with the grinding of gears, the elevator ascends.

     "We believe it was a member of the Orichalcum caste, based on the witness' description--and our information network has singled out two anomalous individuals within this housing complex."

     Buzz. The doors swing open, and Eye steps out. The hallway they enter looks... more or less like a modern apartment, if perhaps more spartan in its decor. The colors are subtle blues and downshifted grays, with floors of some synthetic weave evidently meant to muffle footsteps out of consideration for tenants. Motioning with one hand, he points to doors on opposite sides of the hallway.

     "Ever-Triumphant Strategist," he says, motioning to the west end of the hallway. Motioning to the east end, "and Brilliantly Luminous Innovator. I have secured temporary Regulator privelege for all of you, so feel free to begin~"

Rebecca Chambers has posed:
Strategists would be good at formulating strategies for things like this, wouldn't they? At least that's the reasoning Rebecca is using when she gestures towards the door leading to the strategist's room as she says, "I'll go check over there!"

She steps towards the door and looks towards anyone else who might be accompanying her inside. Once she's confirmed anyone else is coming, she prepares to open the door and look inside the strategist's room to see if there might be any clues left behind. On one hand, the strategist might have been smart enough to leave no clues, but on the other hand, Rebecca won't know unless she checks!

Josuke Higashikata (1119) has posed:
    Josuke's eye twitches a bit at All-Seeing Eye's eagerness to end someone's life. "Well, um... I really hope it doesn't come to that." He is not so eager to start ending lives, it seems. But he's not one to judge, so he doesn't say anything about it. He rides the elevator up to the residential level with the others in silence, thinking. As All-Seeing Eye explains the situation in the elevator, Josuke tests the term for Eye's... species? Race? Whatever the word would be here. He tests the term, anyway. "Alchemical... Exalt?"

    As the elevator opens and Eye explains more, Josuke volunteers, "I'm not sure how it happened in your world, but for mine, unifying into the Multiverse was pretty sudden. When stuff like that happens, people don't really have time to learn that the new and scary thing isn't bad. So... you think maybe it's someone who thinks contact between the two places is bad?"

    He looks between the two doors. Seems he has another question too! "What kind of things are we looking for? Notes, letters, blueprints -- stuff like that?" he inquires. He'll ask this before he picks a room to search, so he'll know what he's looking for.

Miari (1129) has posed:
ACTUAL ELEVATORS! All the conveniences and architectural wonders surrounding them is almost enough to put Miari in a state of blissful fangasming and forget the situation at hand... but she remembers after a few confused blinkings to keep her feet on the ground and mind on the case.

    "If they know we're here, and that it's a group of this power and capability, they will most certainly attempt to flee and won't hesitate to use lethal force on anyone who gets in their way." She warns the others...

    And then steps outwards. A quick, deep breath later... she opens her spiritual third eye and sweeps an Essence-Dissecting Stare across the hallway...

    And starts strolling down with great care, eyes open for traps. "If there are two anomalous individuals, then there's great chance they're co-conspirators too." She adds a moment later with an irritated spitting noise to chide herself for taking so long to realize that.

    Even if five seconds isn't terribly long.

    Assuming nothing eventful happens, she will go to Innovator's door... and carefully try to crack it open for a peek!

All-Seeing Eye has posed:
HALLWAY

     Eye blinks--it seems as though Josuke's comment surprised him! "Sudden?" One hand reaches up to stroke his chin thoughtfully. "We didn't expect the Multiverse per se--but we /were/ prepared for an entirely new world. Our warpgate is artificial, you see!~" And... since Miari and Josuke aren't aligned with the Paladins, he gives the party line on /why/ they made an artificial warpgate. "Claslat has sought the riches of Creation for untold years! ...though... you /do/ raise a good point, dear. Some more conservative members of the state religion might consider it heresy."

     In the interest of efficiency, Eye provides examples. "Letters would be useful, if unlikely!~ Some dissidents /do/ work within networks, though..." He giggles. "Rarely are they found by so simple a means. I find it helps to search first for those things that might establish a motive--get a picture of the suspect's personality, and the rest naturally followa~"

All-Seeing Eye has posed:
EVER-TRIUMPHANT STRATEGIST'S APARTMENT

     Entering into Strategfist's apartment, the living room boasts a view of Harmegis through a series of thick steel blast shutters that can be made to close. They're kind of like a more militaristic form of venetian blinds. The middle ring upon which the complex is seated, as well as the lowest ring, can be seen, slowly rotating counter to each other.

     It seems as though Strategist didn't entertain many guests--there is a low steel table near the center of the room which is so utterly unremarkable it must've been part of the apartment before he moved in. It is complemented by a loveseat upon which a thin layer of dust rests. The kitchen is part of the living room, and doesn't appear to have had much use, either.

     In fact... The only things of interest in the living room? A WRITING DESK and a RUINED PORTRAIT. The writing lacks the thin layer of dust that everything else in the living room does. The portrait appears to have been torn from its frame, with only a small scrap of the original work remaining.

All-Seeing Eye has posed:
BRILLIANTLY LUMINOUS INNOVATOR'S APARTMENT

     It seems that Miari has a kindred spirit here, or did. A thick layer of dust covers almost everything in the living room of this apartment, and the 'kitchen', stocked with identical vials of green paste, doesn't appear to have been used in a similar amount of time. But...

     Pages very obviously torn from a journal litter the floor, and a great deal of them seem to be inventions that would've boggled the mind of even the brightest First Age savant. Old Realm Glyphs describe everything from suits of powered armor to flying transports to enormous, essence powered bits of infrastructure continually referred to as... well, the best translation would be 'Municipal Charm.'

     The door to the BEDROOM is also ajar.

Josuke Higashikata (1119) has posed:
    Josuke nods. "Might be part of it. Particularly if your world's been cut off from Creation for most of the time that the current population's been around," he suggests. He's not aware of the whole 'recycling of souls' thing, nor is he aware that there may be people with longer memories than the rest. But it sounds reasonable to him.

    "That might be a clue, too," Josuke notes. "If you DO find evidence, I mean. Because like you said, if someone's going to make a plan to sabotage something important like this, they're probably not going to leave evidence lying around."

    And then Josuke gets an idea. He might need to use the radio for this. But to the people that are looking around in the apartments, the volunteers, "Oh, right. If there's any evidence left in here, it's probably been torn up, or otherwise destroyed. If you find anything like that in either of the rooms, I might be able to fix it."

Miari (1129) has posed:
Miari's grateful nothing EXPLODES when she moves the door. Emboldened by this fact she steps foot into the apartment. Given that the others are here, it's pointless to be too stealthy so she swoops on in and takes stock of the place.

    "Dust, dust, more dust... gross... they live like kings here but let it go to waste." And then... And then...

    And THEN she comes across the worst crime in all of the worlds the Primordials made.

    Torn pages.

    Her heartrate immediately SKYROCKETS with indignation. A flash of willpower and all of the dropped pages fly to her hand and are dusted off - if they prove dusty?

    Each floats in front of her face for an equal amount of time - a pattern broken only for designs of the highest caliber which temporarily distract her into studying them! "Municipal Charm...? Something to do with Alchemical Evolution?" She rubs her temples a little at some of the designs. "Uuuunngh... my enlightenment is insufficient for all this Autochthonian magitech." But not so bad that she can't memorize much of some of them for later study.

    Spotting the door ajar though, she opens it with mind-hands and keeps her distance while repositioning to get a clear view inside. "I wonder...?"

Rebecca Chambers has posed:
It isn't hard to tell when something's out of place in a situation like this. Lack of dust in a dusty room? Big one.

And the broken portrait? That's something suspicious also.

The first thing Rebecca attempts to do is get an idea for what might have been there. Even if there's nothing apparently there now, it still doesn't hurt to check if there's anything else that might be out of place as well. Once she's done with that, Rebecca goes back to Eye to report what she's found as well as show him the broken portrait in hopes of possibly getting some insight from someone who's more familiar with this place than she is.

All-Seeing Eye has posed:
STRATEGIST'S APARTMENT

     The bottom corner of the portrait is evidently something that wasn't crucial to the understanding of the piece as a whole--it's just a little swatch of black. But, if she turns it over, she'll see what appears to be an artist's signature. It comes off of the wall easily enough, though the size makes it a bit awkward.

         HALLWAY

     Eye immediately brightens upon seeing the portrait... but his wide smile darkens into an exaggerated frown. "Oh, I know this! This is the mark of Galina Koslov's trade--she's a brilliant artist. Her work typically goes for hundreds of glots--it's such a crying shame someone saw fit to deface it so utterly."

     When Josuke calls upon Crazy Diamond to repair the portrait, the canvas gradually begins to appear within the frame, knitting itself back together. The process is slow, but eventually, the Elites have, from one small scrap, a complete painting. There's just one issue: the entire surface of the portrait is black. It's as if this Koslov lady went to the trouble of painting an entire field of black--and even Eye is surprised.

     "Oh... an abstract piece, perhaps? But... surely there's more."

         INNOVATOR'S APARTMENT

     Miari decides to enter the BEDROOM. In here, there is also a thick layer of dust. It's as if Innovator himself hadn't been here in quite some time. He has a DESK upon which there is a JOURNAL and a METAL TUBE. The JOURNAL appears to have suffered greatly at the hands of some unknown individual. The TUBE has a button on it, and also bears the mark of CLASLAT--an engraved smith's hammer.

Josuke Higashikata (1119) has posed:
    Rebecca brings the ruined picture out, and Josuke tilts his head. "Huh. I wonder if I can fix this..." Whether or not he can, he's going to try.

    "<Crazy Diamond>."

    An aura of purple springs to life around him, and the figure of the pink-and-blue armored Stand appears, rising up out of his body and floats back. Hopefully Rebecca's holding onto the picture because... uh. Well. Crazy Diamond is suddenly punching it. Yes. PUNCHING it. And yelling.

    "DORARARARARA!"

    The Stand's arms and fists are outlined with a golden-orange aura as it does. There shouldn't be any real force transmitted to whoever's holding it, though. Which is weird. What's even weirder is that, at least to some degree, the portrait appears to be coming back together, as small, bitty pieces of the picture fly in from God only knows where -- or in this case 'Maker' only knows where.

    It does appear that, yes, all that punching is... fixing the picture. Physics aren't supposed to work like that! It doesn't completely fix the picture, but any bit of progress is still progress!

    The field of black gets a suspicious look from Josuke. "Maybe it was painted over," he suggests. "Or maybe there's something painted on it that'll show up under alternate light." Looking to All-Seeing Eye, he asks, "Do you have anything like that? Ultraviolet or infrared maybe?"

Rebecca Chambers has posed:
Rebecca does appreciate Eye's information about what she's found, that is very much appreciated indeed. But what she doesn't appreciate is Josuke suddenly using his alter-ego/spirit/whatever to punch it. She holds it up instinctively while turning her head away and letting out a cry of surprise.

When she looks again she's relieved to see she wasn't hit at all. When she realizes what Josuke had done, she bites her lower lip, not entirely sure to what to make of this before looking to Eye in hopes he can provide some insight.

Miari (1129) has posed:
More dust. Shouldn't be surprised, right? Miari frowns DEEPLY. She'd be half-motivated to clean this place herself lest it offend her any further, even without calling in a demon servant - but alas, it is evidence.

    Deciding that the bed is uninteresting without anyone in it, she veers to the desk and seats herself. She will first examine the journal and check to see if it matches the pages she has acquired. Then, if, after a cursory examination the tube seems safe... she'll press the button!

All-Seeing Eye has posed:
HALLWAY

     Josuke brings up a good point! The painting could /indeed/ have been painted over, or it could be designed to be viewed in blacklight. There are courtesans in the Glot Market who paint themselves in such a way! But, Eye doesn't have a way of looking "No, sadly~" The Exalt then turns a curious glance towards Rebecca.

     He /could/ simply look through her belongings himself, but that'd be rude! Besides, he's not certain what technology from other worlds looks like just yet. "Might /you/ have one, dear?"

         INNOVATOR'S BEDROOM

     Miari's appraising eye will indeed show that the journal is a match for the pages in the living room. Many a page has been torn from it, and what remains has been burnt, the pages blackened and shriveled to near illegibility. /Some/ text remains. "My projections show at 92% likelihood... Never seen him enter the Vats... No record of ... Strategist... Adamant?"

     The tube is an elegant thing, primarily made of Orichalchum with brass inlay and some sort of rubber grip. When Miari presses the button, a cylinder of pure, blazing yellow light erupts from the open end of the tube with a hiss. She's found an artifact weapon--and she'll find the massless blade to be a clumsy weapon. It probably requires an attunement.

Rebecca Chambers has posed:
As luck would have it, Rebecca has a UV light with her! It's part of her special light device that emits lighting at various frequencies to help her find traces of blood or chemical traces in various situations. Reaching into her sidepack, Rebecca produces a small penlight, which she clicks on quickly and then proceeds to shine it in the spot where something previously was.

"I can't believe I didn't think of this immediately!" Rebecca comments with a chuckle. "But hopefully this should give us some insight into this whole thing."

Josuke Higashikata (1119) has posed:
    Josuke looks sheepish. "I... might also have messed it up," he finally confesses. Looking between Rebecca and All-Seeing Eye, "Sorry about that. Sometimes that happens when I can't concentrate. Maybe this stuff's just too different from the stuff in my world for <Crazy Diamond> to fix."

    Miari asks for him over the radio then, and he winces a little. "Be right back, I need to see if I can help Miari with that journal." He's a little hesitant, though, and as he enters the room, he warns Miari, "Headsup, I might be having some trouble with fixing this stuff. So you might want to take what notes you can from it before I try to fix it, because I might mess it up."

Miari (1129) has posed:
When Josuke arrives... Miari proudly produces a small book that she's somehow managed to scribe in the time it took for Josuke to be called and for him to arrive. "That's been taken care of." She states pleasantly, before standing up out of her seat and stepping back... only to plop herself on the side of the bed to watch!

All-Seeing Eye has posed:
HALLWAY

     Rebecca shines the UV light on the portrait, and Josuke's guess is proven true. Eye squeals with delight, jumping in place and clapping his hands. "How clever!" As she shines the light, she might have to step back to cast a wider beam and see more of the portrait, but in time, it's revealed.

     Blue, concentric luminescent circles form the abstract image of a mechanical eye looking down upon the viewer. In the foreground, figures defined by the absence of said luminescent paint dance... or writhe in pain, beneath the gaze of the electric eye.

     "Ooh~! Pretty!" Eye watches as Rebecca's light reveals the image, though he doesn't seem to know what it represents.

         INNOVATOR'S BEDROOM

     Josuke once again invokes Crazy Diamond to repair something. This time, it's easier--most of what's being repaired is in the vicinity, and a burn is simpler to fix than the painting being Great Maker only knows where.

     When it's finished, Josuke and Miari will see that Miari's hypothesis about Strategist... may be correct.

     "My projections show at 92% likelihood that Ever-Triumphant Strategist is of the Adamant Caste. Never seen him enter the Vats, here or in other cities. I spent the better part of two months watching him, and he always goes into the Reaches, instead. I then began to wonder if he'd ever been to /any/ Vats complex. I made an official request with the Sodalities. No record of an Ever-Triumphant Strategist within the Orichalcum Caste, even at the national level. I'll need some way of proving my theory--many Chosen before me have made the came claim and come up empty handed. Perhaps some sort of device that causes a sympathetic resonance when exposed to Adamant?"

Josuke Higashikata (1119) has posed:
    Josuke accepts the journal from Miari, looking at it carefully. He focuses his will and attention on the book, and... "<Crazy Diamond.>" His voice is quiet and calm. The Stand appears, looming over Josuke, and he lightly tosses the book into the air. And as before, the place where the book ends up becomes the focus of a flurry of punches from the Stand, its fists outlined in orange-golden energy.

    This time the book seems to be mostly repaired, and as it falls down again, into Josuke's hand, the teen breathes a sigh of relief. Once it's done, he'll offer the book to Miari. Hopefully she will read aloud what the journal says. If not, Josuke can always ask her to do so. Josuke isn't from this world, it's unlikely he'll be able to read what is even to Miari a 'lost' language.

Rebecca Chambers has posed:
Rebecca is relieved by her UV light revealing something hidden there, but then she frowns as she looks at it. She's not sure what to make of this, one way or another. She bites her lower lip as she looks it over, but aside from the fact that it appears to be an eye of some kind, there's not much else she's getting out of it.

Miari (1129) has posed:
Miari's FULL ATTENTION goes to Josuke and that wacky thing he calls a Stand! The young woman's expression turns a mixture of mystified and WEIRDED OUT by PUNCHING things to fix them, but...

    "Oh, MARVELOUS!"

    She, thankfully, CAN read the language, and is quick to transcribe it at hyperspeed scribbling on some parchment with a gold-feathered quill.

    And then much talking is had over the group radio.

    She finally reaches for the Journal... places a hand on the pages...

    And sends a PULSE of willful Essence through the contact, a pulse that rips a path through to the tiny Machine God at its spiritual core. This pressure BEARS DOWN on it like a looming meteor and rips through like a lightning bolt through a tree to seize an answer to the question, told in video format, 'Who ripped you apart?'

All-Seeing Eye has posed:
HALLWAY

     Eye takes a moment to examine the painting. Josuke had mentioned it might've been painted over, so it's worth seeing whether that's the case. The Exalt's vision penetrates the canvas, slowly zooming in to see if there's another razor-thin layer of paint beneath, and...

     Eye shrugs, touching a finger to his ear and activating his Trans-Elite Communication Apparatus. "No," he says over the radio. "This appears to be the original, unmodified work!" Then, removing his finger, he gives Rebecca the benefit of the appearance of his attention. Yes, he's that conceited. "Was this all?"

         INNOVATOR'S BEDROOM

     A journal is hardly a machine, but it is a tool. That has some weight, in this place--but not much. As Miari finds when the shriveled, miserable spirit appears before her, Autochthonia's spiritual hierarchy is quite different from Creation. It appears to be an oil slick, and one ever vaporizing into billowy clouds of black smoke. It burbles something incomprehensible at her, the sound perhaps spiteful, assuredly strained. But an image appears, flickering and weak.

     It is black and white. A video feed with bursts of static shows a figure with a featureless brass and orichalcum faceplate tearing the pages out with dispassionate patience. He is the only figure in the apartment. The journal is then taken back to the bedroom, and the pages carefully flipped through. A panel opens up in the figure's forearm and a gout of flame washes over the book, charring the pages inside to cinders--just as they had been when Miari originally found it. Just as unceremoniously as the book had been defaced, the figure exits the bedroom, and the feed ends.

Rebecca Chambers has posed:
Unfortunately, Rebecca found nothing else. She shakes her head and says, "Aside from a small lack of dust on the desk, there was nothing else of note really." She sighs and shakes her head. "I did what I could. Sometimes it happens..."

Josuke Higashikata (1119) has posed:
    Josuke blinks at the oily thing as it appears. "Eh? What's that?" He tilts his head, leaning a little closer, to get a better look at it. Though he does resist the urge to poke at the oily thing. "It looks like it's... made of tar. Or oil, or something?"

    Pause. "...I guess that makes sense -- elemental spirits or something, right? Inside a machine, there's no water... there's oil," he realizes. Then he realizes something else. "Oh! An oil kami?" Well, if it's a kami... Josuke bows to it respectfully.

    He's probably not able to see the staticy feed -- that may be going straight to the mind of whoever asked the question, and Josuke wasn't the one who asked. Though Miari's doing SOMETHING, he's sure of it, even if he doesn't have the ability to perceive it.

    Josuke hears the communication from Eye over the radio -- that's the original piece? "Huh." He straightens, gives a thoughtful look. Then back over his radio, he suggests, "Maybe the artist was the one who wanted only certain people to be able to see it."

Miari (1129) has posed:
Miari's usage of Essence is indeed detectable if Josuke has half-decent spiritual senses, though the details of WHAT her spiritual exertion accomplished are private. Still, she does relay things to the world over the radio...

    She brings out some more parchment from seemingly nowhere and starts rapidly sketching out a profile of the figure she saw. In mostly full color. She deduces the nature of the materials by their luster, somehow or another. The Defiler Caste are as brilliant as the Twilights!

    The strange thing is, that quill of hers can seemingly change ink color on demand and never seems to need refilling.

All-Seeing Eye has posed:
"Oh, young Rebecca! You did an admirable job, truly! Were you Claslati, your work today would highly recommend you for promotion in a second life." He's laying it on a little thick--enough that Rebecca herself might even pick up that he's a bit of an arrogant one. Or patronizing, at the very least.

     Josuke will feel a profound sense of gratitude for a few seconds, as if he'd just given a priceless gift away. When he rises from his show of respect, the machine spirit is gone.

     Miari and Josuke are joined by All-Seeing Eye shortly. He takes the journal and peruses it as one would a catalog for a department store, flipping through the pages with a bored expression. His soft face alights with sudden glee as he comes across a certain page. The Exalt lets out a girlish squeal of delight. "Eee!~ Could it be? Oh, please!" Jabbing a finger into the book, he points out a glyph to Miari and Josuke.

     To Miari, it translates as 'Reaches.' "I'll bet you twenty glots he's got a secret Vats complex in the Reaches! Oh, we're going to have so much fun!"

     Closing the journal and sliding it into one of the spacious pockets of his customized great coat, the Alchemical taps a finger to his ear and notifies the Elites of their next step.

     "So~ I'm going to request some Regulators to come up and catalog the evidence! If you'd still like to assist me, there's a number of things you might do... all because you like me so much, of course! You'll want to prepare for an expedition, which means supplies, supplies, supplies! Heehee~" Placing a finger to his lips, he pauses to think. "Oh! And /weapons!/ The Reaches are so... fun! You're going to love it."

     Given his earlier enthusiasm for 'terminating' enemies of the state with 'extreme prejudice,' his definition of fun might be suspect.