88/Investigation

Investigation
Date of Scene:	29 June 2014
Location:	Earth-7207
Synopsis:	Ainsley and others investigate another murder in Ainsley's world.
Cast of Characters:	109, 118, 151, 152, 183, 275, 342

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Ainsley (151) has posed:
The second murder since Heaven Or Hell was signed up to help, and this time it's a Council member. And it's not just a random, fairly careful murder. This time, someone got really, really gruesome about it.

Pinned to craggy wall by a sword -- those familiar with it would identify it as the kind of sword used on the previous victim -- is a... fairly strange-looking creature that doesn't meet the usual 'magical anthropomorphic' conventions. It is, in fact, some kind of plant man. This plant man has wilted due to his death, and he has electrical burns all over his body. His robes are tattered and scorched. A faintly glowing blue goo drips from his mouth, and the wound. Presumably it's his blood.

Written on the wall in big English block letters is a message for the investigators.

LET THE TRAITORS DIE

Strewn about on the finely-manicured grass below him, at the base of the wall, is a scattered arrangement of pages, and the two plates that make up the Armor Journal that all Grey Scholars use. The massive pages are torn and burnt and generally mistreated. Someone had a homicidal tantrum here, it seems like. Whoever is commiting these murders is getting more twitchy.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
Grey Scholar Headquarters.

While the crime scene is at a ruinous area at the edge of this tropical town - a suspiciously modern ruin, at that - the town itself is a display of architecture of Greek, Egyptian, Mayan, Aztec, and many others. It is surprisingly artistic, but barren of distinguishing murals or anything of that nature. Despite its unique appearance, everything lacks anything but a single phrase, roughly translated to: "The Heart does not belong in History."

Scholars of all shapes and sizes, from miniscule creatures only as high as the knee to gargantuan entities of stone and inhuman features, populate this place. They are silent, busily shuffling to whatever tasks they are meant to do at present.

Three major locations are available to investigate: The victim's quarters, the Vaults where the archived Armor Journals are kept, and the Council Building directly adjacent to that, a very Western Judicial sort of building, complete with absurd greco-roman columns and stark white aesthetics with red carpets and curtains.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
Interviews will have to begin on the two suspects that were present near HQ when the interviews began. The others have been out of contact or outside of range for doing so for a time, so they are MIA or simply ignored for the time being.

The first is a rat-like woman. She has a pair of spectacles on her nose. She seems youthful, with big bright red eyes, a pink nose that twitches, and biiig whiskers that droop down a bit in a cartoonish manner. Her spectacles make her eyes look much larger than they actually are. The file on her describes her as an avid loyalist in the Scholars and someone who was one of the first to protest over discussion of changes.
Her posture is stiff and she has a frown on her face that she tries very hard to hide. She is very bad at the neutrality this faction is known for.

Faruja (152) has posed:
~~ At The Crime Scene ~~

Faruja Senra is not exactly a traditional cop, though his duties of Inquisitor certainly encompass such things. Part training, part pure wrath at those whom nearly got his lover pinned for murder, the rat is here to offer his unique skills. Faruja floats in, wearing gloves for once, the male apparently having taken a 'modern policeman's correspondance course'. Either that, or he's read some reports from Ser Dresden's world.

Kneeling upon empty air, the rat peers at the scene. Taking a deep breath, the first thing he does is kneel slightly above and in front of the victim.

"Oh Lord in Heaven, absolve this soul of earthly sin, taken before his appropriate time by the avarice and hate of thine wayward Children." He says solemnly, before finally taking a good look at the crimescene. A sword stuck in the chest...likely the cause of death...and electrical marks and burns. Either the man was tortured, or a fight broke out.

The large letters merely adds credence to the 'person on a mission' theory. Someone's killing for an ideal.

A glance to his two compatriots. They'll be offered Float spells if they wish.

"A homicidal idealist mayhaps..." He mutters to the two speculatively before he closes his eye. Focusing, magic flares around him as he tries to peer into the dead man's past.

Alexandra Knox (275) has posed:
A scholar's HQ seemed right up Lex's alley. She walks into the building, and is immediately drawn to the greco-roman building. She passes by the columns and heads through the door, her eyes going over everything that is in sight. She looks to be on guard, and she has her spear with her, though she is not holding it. it's attached to her backpack. In her hand, she holds a greek tome, Aristotle's Rhetoric, she isn't currently reading it, but she's got it open.

Adelaide Flowers (109) has posed:
The agreement between Faruja's church and Psyber's...motley group was deliberately vague enough to allow all kinds of interpretations. Such as, of course, being a specialist team of investigators to give a certain one eyed cheese-ninja help when Shit Gets Weird. And as ruby eyes take in the tableau before her, Adelaide has to admit.

Shit Got Weird.

Sure, Nozomi's got TIGER, but Addie likes the kid. A lot of determinaton, and admittedly pretty damn powerful, but she thinks back to what Faruja said about the youngest among them. They too serve, despite her own personal objections, and instead Addie decides it's something she'll just get over or die trying. Y'know, sorta like this guy here, she supposes, looking at the dead Scholar.

Balancing the submachinegun slung over her shoulder, Adelaide crosses herself when Faruja gives his Extreme Unction. A shake of her head turns down the offer, and instead the sailor simply steps very carefully and slowly around the area - and checking where each foot lands. Wouldn't do to miss something, and meanwhile she eyes carefully the corpse and all the details.

"So...Faruja. Who's the story behind the Scholars?" A little background would help, she figures.

Hei (118) has posed:
Following slowly behind Alexandra Knox, Hei is dressed in his usual garb, sans mask as it isn't really required. Hei does the same as Lex, scanning the area, as he speaks over to her. "What do you think? See anything yet?".

Mizuki (183) has posed:
LOCATION: IRRELEVANT

PURPOSE: INTERROGATE SUSPECTS

TIME: NOIR O' CLOCK

OTHER NOTES?:

Mizuki gives her case notes a final, approving nod before looking to a bespectacled, brunette girl. Her secretary? She must be with that enormous book she's toting. Mimi waggles a finger in her direction then quietly intones, "Remember, dear, remember. Little presence, biiig observation." Smile~. "Got that~?" The girl vigorously nods, a playful grin creeping across her face as well. After a few more steps, the pair of suit and hat clad girls finds there way to the door to the interrogation center, entering with a creak. Well, if this isn't a sliding glass door or something. Then it doesn't creak, but otherwise there's a creak. It's just more cinematic that way.

As Mizuki steps in, her hands immediately go to her waist (as they always do) and she gives the rat woman a polite bow. Since this is just such a special day, Mizuki also has a hat to remove in the bow. Glee~! As if her greeting gestures weren't awesome enough already~! Her smile broadens and softly, serenely, she begins to speak.

"Good evening, Miss." She gives another, tiny bow of her head. "I am Mizuki, and I will be the one to speak with you this evening. I would like to promise in advance that I am not here to hurt you or any associated with you, and work only in the interest of the sweetest and best ending to the tale of woe that has brought us together." She folds her hands behind her back neatly and takes a few steps forward, her heels clicking on the ground. If there are any chairs present, Mizuki gestures to them. "Would you kindly have a seat? It might benefit you to do so. People are naturally less anxious when they are in more 'cozy' postures." Smiirkk~. "Or so I've heard~."

Nozomi Houken (342) has posed:
While Nozomi does indeed have TIGER, and she is far more determined than her timid demeanor would suggest at first, she is still a quiet, mousy girl who is not at home among death and destruction. They arrive at the wall and almost immediately she lets out an alarmed little yelp only to practically dive behind Addie where she won't have to see the Scholar pinned to the wall.

For Taiga, it's business as usual, simply ambling across the grass closer to the ground beneath the body. He does, however, look up to Faruja and declare, "Please refrain from time-related magic for a moment. The previous crime scene was contaminated with it. I wish to scan the area to see if the same can be said here."

Ainsley (151) has posed:
The Council Building is... fairly typical of buildings of this nature. It has a main lobby, which has a secretarial desk. The secretary is this bird-like man who pays the two no mind. He seems to be busy with whatever paperwork he has on his plate right at that second. Seeing as the Union is known to be poking around, it's likely they've been given clearance to poke around all but the most secure locations at the HQ for the sake of a complete investigation.

There's a pair of huge double doors leading into the Council Chambers, a room full of chairs and a set of seven podiums. It seems to just be a building used to perform speeches, announcements and generally be the governing center for the organization. It is surprisingly similar to that of a democratic government's layout. There are microphones - strange things with glowing crystals instead of cords - at each chair. There's a door in the back for offices, as well, if they want to check back there.

Faruja (152) has posed:
Ears perk. Catching more than a whiff of Time Magic as he kneels before the body, the rat stands. "Hmm. I hath not known 'twas common here." He'd almost missed it until the robo-cat said something.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
"Hnn."
The rat woman's frowns tops getting restrained. She likes /nothing/ about the heavily theatrical demeanor this woman has. In fact, she looks over at the exit as if she were just going to storm out /right that second/. But with an exaggerated and grouchy sigh, she turns and finds a seat, and continues seeming stiff and unpleasant about this whole thing.
"I would prefer you not waste my time with pleasantry, superfluous inquiries, or /showmanship/."
The disgust in her voice at that last word can peel paint off of walls. Jeez this lady is not very fun to talk to.

And she even upturns her nose, looking down through her spectacles at Mizuki, making her frown even more pronounced.

"Hmph."

Ainsley (151) has posed:
The crime scene team would come up with a few things.

One, the Armor Journal plates are sliced apart, as if hit with a sword strike. It is not as clean as the previous one, a clear example that this time, the victim saw the attacker coming. The papers are strewn about, and many of them have, strangely, had their contents smudged out with more of that blue blood. It's spattered in such a way that suggests that whatever did it caused horrendous damage to the victim. Much more damage than is immediately evident on the plant man.

The time senses would pick up only traces. It isn't as prevalent as in the other scene, and it's spread about in small pockets here and there. It may be that the murderer had to use several spells to fight this particular victim. Considering he's a Council Member, or was, it's worth noting that the surroundings have plenty of signs of the fight, in the form of small broken plants, tiny scorch marks on the ground and strange vine growths.

Faruja's spell to check back in time comes up with... a shadowy figure appearing before the party. It is in heavy robes, and it's a monotone black and white. A reaction of the magic in the atmosphere to his abilities. It moves as if stalking toward the victim, and tries to do a stab, but the motion indicates that it missed. And then the figure was visibly struck! And countered with a sword slash. Nowhere in the projection is the victim portrayed, however. Shortly after that, it fades away, too much interference here to get much more.

Alexandra Knox (275) has posed:
Lex heads right up to the bird secretary, "Hello, I'm Alexandra Knox of the Union, and this is my partner." She leaves a pause for Hei to introduce himself in. "We are doing a small investigation, and would like your organization's full co-operation. In particular, I would like to look at any offices of victims of the recent murder cases that you can point me towards."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
= Interrogation =

Mizuki looks directly into the woman's eyes in silence a moment before taking a seat across from her, hanging her hat on the back of the seat. Then she crosses her legs and clears her throat, folding her hands on the table as her little shadow meanders elsewhere. Mizuki narrows her eyes, and the omnipresent smile she had on previously completely vanishes. The look it gives way to is much more stoic, but is to be more 'pleasant' for this particular woman.

"I will be quite frank, miss, madame, or whatever gender-dependent title you most prefer," She straightens her posture a bit, "while my demeanor may irk you, I can guarantee you we have at least one thing in common: I despise pleasantry in all its forms. At the very least, I'll try to make this swift so we can both get on with our lives." Her glance lasts but a moment more before she takes out the same file she had been reviewing in the hall. "My first question, unfortunately, is as perfunctory as it is necessary." She flips the cover of the folder closed, saving her spot with a finger. "What significant connections, if any, did you have to the victim?"

Hei (118) has posed:
"Hei. Also Union.". Hei's not much of a people person. He'll leave that to Lex. He paces around, as he tosses a question to the secretary. "Would you have any idea yourself why these specific people are being killed, or who did it?".

Faruja (152) has posed:
~~ At The Crime Scene ~~

"The Grey Scholars, as the name implies, art primarily a scholarly organization." Starts the rat as Addie bids him Monologue.

He's happy to oblige, one finger in the air as he explains.

"Foremost of all, they study and record history. They value 'neutrality'..." Faruja visibly has to quash the urge to spit on the ground. Clearly, he and his love's former occupation don't exactly mesh.

"In an attempt to give an utterly neutral viewpoint of the events they record. Very rigid internally, very prone to ejecting others on the slightest misstep." Then, he motions to the words upon the wall.

"Now, if 'tis not merely a ploy to throw us off of their true aim, it seems as though at least one of their members is both homicidal /and/ utterly slothing off thier supposed dedication to sundering the emotions gifted them by God." Faruja's not making much effort at hiding his contempt here.

A brow rises. That's twice his magic has touched off a phantom, and the rat clearly isn't used to it by the move for his cane. Then, he steps aside, watching.

"Well then. Our dear departed councelman seemed quite the fighter, Faram rest his soul. A shame he was alone, mayhaps he wouldst hath done justice himself. We someone adept in stealth, is a time mage, and is a strong physical fighter." Despite his earlier words, he looks to the plant man with a bit of respect. He died fighting. A nod to the man.

Then, the rat peers at the spot where the phantom attacker was struck, sniffing and looking for differing bloodstains than those of the plant man!

Ainsley (151) has posed:
The bird man secretary looks up from his paperwork. He stares at Lex, his crown of feathers bobbing once, his neck feathers puffing out. He emits a strange chuffing noise, and then sets his pen down, nodding at her. He smooths out his robes as he stands, and turns to bring Lex toward the office of the Council Member. The room they enter is very overgrown with nothing but a single piece of furniture and a chair in it. What they find is a desk covered in tiny potted plants. One of them is a bonzai-like tree that has faintly glowing blue leaves. The rest are flowers of varying shapes and sizes, and at least one miniature fern. There are drawers in the desk, but there's no paperwork atop it to speak of.
"No," is the curt answer to Hei. He shrugs his shoulders, a rustling noise full of feathers rubbing together. Then he turns to stand around and wait for them to finish investigating.

Adelaide Flowers (109) has posed:
Not at home, yeah. Adelaide sympathizes as the girl squeaks and dives behind her. Yeah, uh...hrm. Adelaide stays where she is, protecting Nozomi's eyes as best she can. "It's alright, it's alright. Anyone dead isn't easy to look at, even when they die in their sleep." And this is violent. The gunsmith is no detective, but she /has/ seen combat before. This is that same kind of kinetic mess...the slash in the /metal/ book covers says a lot.

The phantasm acts out its ghostly play, and Adelaide watches as dispassionately as she can. Something strikes her... But Faruja speaks, and she nods, listening to him while her brain marinates over the actions she'd seen. And then she sighs.

"Great. Psychotic homicidal vulcans raging out." Well, it's not that unlikely, considering Faruja's description - and the strength of the attacker! Well, maybe it is a little unlikely, but she's still betting that whoever did it is gonna have weird looking ears.

And then she snaps her fingers. "Wait a sec. Our victim here scored a hit on the attacker. You guys saw that, right? Just before he got, well." She tries not to gesture at the dead form. "What if all the blood here isn't just the Councilman's?" More to the point...

...is there a trail. TIGER?

Nozomi Houken (342) has posed:
At the very least, with Adelaide there, Nozomi does not seem to be approaching freakout. She just kind of stays quiet.

"There is time magic present," the TIGER declares simply. "But less of it than last time, and more spread. Judging by the state of the scene, this one was able to successfully mount a defense against time magic. I would wager this is what forced a confrontation. The previous victim," he adds for Adelaide and Faruja's benefit, "We believe to have been killed within a time freeze of some sort."

There is a pause, and then he adds to Adelaide, "I have no sense of smell."

Ainsley (151) has posed:
The Rat Woman stares at Mizuki as the investigator switches gears so easily. There's no show of approval from her. She does not soften. The rigid woman remains implacable. And deathly silent, except for the faint and squeaky breathing noises she makes, a product of the way her muzzle and nose are shaped and the way she's tilting her head.
"He was a great big traitor to the whole faction and our ideals," she tells Mizuki, and then waggles a finger, "But that murderer is even worse! She is disrupting everything. A wedge is being driven in the Scholars! I did not like him, but the Council Member was never one to make his points without serious thought. Slow, driven. He was admirable, but he still did not hold our values."
She seems OFFENDED at the idea of being suspected at all, or questioned about him whatsoever. But then, considering the rest of her very grouchy demeanor, it's unlikely that it's a tell.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
It's actually a curious thing. There is no indication of blood from the culprit. Whoever did this, they either took great pains to clean up after themselves or, even worse, they are dangerous enough to not get hurt even in a knock-out drag-out fight. Either way, the lack of evidence is ominous. But there's more to that later.

There are, however, footprints. A smudge of sandals, where the culprit would have been standing when they pinned the victim to his current resting place. There are scorches all over the ground and the grass is all burnt away near the footprints. It's a scary-looking thing, that. A very violent spell was cast there.

The time magic, as Faruja's senses indicate, is strongest around the victim. As the phantom fades away, it flickers back into being near the corpse itself. It kneels, wheezing, visibly. And then it raises a heavily gloved hand that glows as if casting a spell. The ghost of its blood is pulled off the surroundings and sucked right back into its body! And then it fades away with a flicker of light again. It /reversed time/ to remove evidence. It didn't seem to actually heal the culprit, though.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
Mizuki is silent a few moments as she waits for her little friend to finish writing. Once she does, they exchange nods, and Mizuki continues with a finger on her cheek. "So if I understand you correctly," She pauses for effect (likely to the woman's chagrin), "the man was a traitor from your view. But even so, he manages to be admirable?" She briefly quirks an eyebrow before continuing. "Inversely, the killer's heart is in the right place, but their methods are a part of what is, to quote you, 'driving a wedge in the Scholars'? It would seem to me that the members of this group are not entirely unified in their opinions of how to handle some things, hmm?" Mimi quiets suddenly, taking a few notes of her own before looking back up to the woman.

... and instantly, she would recognize that something about her had changed. Though her face, expression and all, looks exactly as it had before she went to write... /something/ seems off now. Her... eyes? Yes, it's... it has to be her eyes. They've become daggerlike, piercing. After a moment of rather charged silence, she speaks again.

"But you said 'she' is disrupting everything. How, if I may ask, would you happen to know that the assassin is a woman?"

Faruja (152) has posed:
The rat peers thoughtfully, 'sniffing' for the pockets of magic.

"Teleportation mayhaps, then. If our assassin is powerful enough to freeze time, then such aught be trivial. Makes one wonder why they didst not simply teleport upon the victims and thrust blade upon back. Wards of some form, mayhaps?" Faruja will try to inspect for any magic warding teleportation and the like!

And then the culprit seems to have simply sucked up the blood /and/ reversed time. The first earns an outright snarl from the rodent...only to fade into pure curiousity. He'd heard tell of persons trying to reverse time, but never actually succeeding. For a few brief seconds he attempts to discern the spell...but given the lack of detail in most of his time-peerings, it's probably lacking the proper incantations. Faruja comes away looking both righteously angry /and/ dissappointed.

"/That/ explains the lack of blood. Truly!? Reversing time! My dears, methinks this person is far more skilled than originally believed." A hand curls around his Blaze Gun's hilt. Such a holy skill turned to vile means simply infuriats the rat.

"Tracking his magic and interrogations will be the only way to find this person, methinks." With that, he once again starts to peer at the magic itself as he tries to memorize the feel of it.

"We should acquire a list of adequately powerful time mages. To reverse time is..." He falls silent. The amount of skill and power required boggles the rat's mind.

Alexandra Knox (275) has posed:
Lex looks through the place, "Hei. Can you take a look at those plants, see if there's anything not immediately obvious?" She quickly decides to open up the drawers and look through them to see if anything of interest can be found inside. She glances up towards the bird once, to ask another question. "Did the other victims have offices as well?"

Adelaide Flowers (109) has posed:
Even if she looks fine, Addie's going to keep a close eye on her friend. The bright yellow hoodie she has on over her usual attire is tugged up and off, over her shoulders, and offered to the girl. "Here. The hood at least, well." It'll help block her vision of the body, so she can focus a bit more on something else. Or else maybe it'll just be a comfortable physical 'barrier' between Nozomi and the dead councilman.

Time magic. Oh ho. "So...whoever this is can stop time and sneak attack that way. Seen that before, actually..." Nah, it couldn't be Homura. There's a knife, and besides the attacker's a lot taller than the Puella Magi.

But TIGER can't sniff trails, though Faruja does - and as it leads him to a new discovery, Addie finds something else. Footprints and burn marks, and a familiar smell. The lingering metallic scent of ozone is good enough even for the human to pick up on. "Good lord. It's like someone got in the way of the world's biggest arc welder." That smell of refried steel is /very/ familiar to the smith.

"Is this some sort of magic as well, I gather?" She moves her gaze to the sword itself, wondering just what might be on the hilt. Anything at all, or simply ash? Addie's not /touching/ the sword just yet...but does bring the submachine gun around and gives it a slight tap with the wooden buttstock. Does it seem at all loose, or is the blade apparently fused into the wall behind him...

Hei (118) has posed:
Hei nods, approaching the plants. He picks through them with his gloved hands, keeping a close eye around the plants as well. "What do you think we'll find, if anything?"

Ainsley (151) has posed:
The Rat Woman doesn't even blink. She just manages to look more haughty. "I will have you know I taught all the time magic in this organization, and /everyone/ knows that it's someone in our midst." Scoff! She goes on, "And all of my students were girls! Every single one. Males just have an impossible time learning the intricacies of the flow of space-time." Or she's just an insufferable man-hater. That might be it.
"There are no /male/ time mages in the Grey Scholars. It is completely impossible. I would know if there were, I have a nose for these things."

Nozomi Houken (342) has posed:
The hoodie looks a bit incongruous with Nozomi's blouse-and-skirt ensemble, but she pulls it on without hesitation and pulls the hood up gladly. It at least makes things a little easier for her.

TIGER is all business with the magic and Faruja. "If we can catch the perpetrator casting time magic in daily life, I may be able to match their magical signature with that of this crime scene and the last. It's something of a long shot - not all worlds have such magical signatures inherent to their magical systems, and the magic here is faded besides - but it is a possibility. Similarly, my sensors are functional at high fidelity out to a range of nearly 80.5 kilometers. At the very least, if any time magic is cast while I am in this city, I /will/ know."

Ainsley (151) has posed:
The office remains serene and nature-like. Hei's investigation yields a complaint from one of the plants. The glowing one, to be specific. "Unhand me immediately," it tells him, in a faint chiming voice. "You are not the Master and I am very delicate. Please for the love of Mother Nature put me down." It is pleading and frightened. It really is pretty delicate, even its voice is cutesy, and surprisingly feminine.
The drawers yield a folder that contains files that tell a story. The story is of a council member elected to his position not for his interest in maintaining the status quo, but for his forward thinking, his intelligence, and his ability to defend himself and the students under his tutelage. There are records of his activities, but anything of any importance has been taken already. The notes and missives and speeches found all indicate he was extremely literate, painfully careful about his wording, and most importantly, he knew the organization was fundamentally flawed.

The bird secretary looks at Lex and Hei, distracted from his thoughts. He anxiously puffs out his feathers again. "Just the representative the Council appointed." He hesitates. "He was appointed by this Council member's recommendation, actually..." There's a sad look on his face.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
Mizuki nods along as the rat woman explains, inwardly sighing but outwardly doing her utmost not to let her emotions show. After taking a few more notes, she quietly adds, "... I see." Eventually, she takes a breath, sets her hands back on the table, and resumes questioning. "You said the victim was a traitor, correct?" She gives the woman a moment to reply before adding, "What, exactly, made him so? Was he particularly vocal with unorthodox opinions?" After one more moment, "Are these opinions perhaps shared by any others in the faction in question?"

Alexandra Knox (275) has posed:
And Lex knows enough from those files, she looks up. "What kind of reputation did the two victims have among the council's membership and staff?" She asks, thinking about things that could be important, and she glances to the plants, "If you can answer my questions, I would welcome your aid."

Ainsley (151) has posed:
The crime scene investigation comes to a screeching halt for a VERY IMPORTANT REASON.

The moment the sword is tapped, and vibration is felt through the blade... a surge of green-blue light emits from the plant man. He makes a loud, creaking SUCKING noise, and then grasps the sword hilt with both hands, puuuulling it out of himself with a painful motion and disgusting 'cracks' and 'snaps'. The sword blade clatters to the ground, and the wound glows and rapidly seals. The apparent reason why there's more blood than reasonable is that he had regenerated from the attacks. Whatever he is, he is nigh-impossible to kill.
He slumps back against the wall, his green features and big monotone-red eyes staring up at them. He doesn't say a word, simply letting his regeneration slowly work at his burns and other wounds.

Hei (118) has posed:
Hei stares at the plant for about a minute, before gently setting it down. "Well, this place's fun.", he mutters to himself. He stares at the Birdman, hoping they gain more information from him, too.

Faruja (152) has posed:
~~ At The Crime Scene ~~

Faruja scowls at the thought of /more/ filthy sneak-attacking Time Mages. It's just dishonorable. Luckily, the knight returns to business.

After getting a good scent, the rat smiles. "...Truly? That far?" It's hard to believe, but the rat nods.

He turns to Nozomi. "M'Lady, can thine companion remain here? If he is able to record these castings, not only may we be able to compare them should we catch the assailant, but I may be able to work out the incantations used and create a countermeasure to his or her time-reversing spell and freezing spells given enough information and time."

Faruja looks to the tiger. "Can ye do that? Any sort of information regarding the spell cast itself wouldst be useful. And that of those whom practice here." The rat, at least, now has a track to hunt down.

Standing, the rat floats over and investigates. Frown. He offers to Addie, "Black magic...or to put it another way, offensive elemental magic. Mayhaps even channeled through the blade, similar to a Holy Knight of the Church." The words seem to both sicken and etch a permanent snarl upon his muzzle.

"Elemental magic, swordsmanship, powerful time magic, stealth..." He lists off. This isn't someone to be trifled with.

"We needst records, information about those whom practice magic here."

Holy snap plant-guy is alive! "Faram..." Pause. "Be praised." He finally decides. Incanting, the floating figure of Faerie descends into being, the butterfly-winged woman gesturing towards the 'wounded' Councellor. Healing magic would assist his regeneration!

Ainsley (151) has posed:
"Yes, regrettably," the Rat Woman replied with animated exasperation, "The impressionable acolytes risk banishment by toying with his ideas, and I'll have nothing to do with a student that is spouting off about right and wrong and 'what is best for the Scholars.' Idealists? Bah! They will contaminate History itself with that nonsense." She waves her hand as if slapping at an imaginary student.
"Are we done here? I have classes to get back to and this is a tremendous waste of valuable teaching minutes." She huffs at Mizuki for DARING to continue wasting her time, and waits for her favorable answer. She seems like the type that would fly way off the handle if she was told 'No, stay right there for more questions.' Maybe it's the acidic stare she's giving.

Adelaide Flowers (109) has posed:
Faruja may be surprised as to TIGER's abilities, but the ruby-eyed woman's seen the duo in action - and just nods quietly in answer to his question. Then the Inquisitor explains, nodding slowly - and remembering when she'd seen electrical magic used before, fairly recently. Damn, he wasn't kidding when he mentioned the power of it.

"Yeah. This was all just one attacker, unless he had a real damn smart partner." One who would stay way the hell out of the way, and not leave /any/ evidence behind except the electrocution...but as unpleasant as the idea is, Addie agrees that it's just one way too powerful attacker.

Of course, just as she's thinking it might be time to buy some new shoes with really thick rubber soles, there's a burst of light - and in a yelp of alarm the sailor falls backwards and scrabbles away a moment, landing on her rear end just in front of Nozomi with a look of horror on her face. They're being attacked by a zom-

-no they're not.

A hollow, faint voice echoes the wizard's words. "Faram be praised..." Hey, she's learning properly! And like an old crone gathering whatever bits of a penny she can from a dusty road, Adelaide gathers her wits and dignity as best as she can and stands again, shakily. "I, uh. Welcome back."

Nozomi Houken (342) has posed:
"If you are asking if I can remain here long-term," Taiga replies, "The answer is no. I am the property of my world's JSDF. I am given leave to venture out on Union operations, but my primary purpose is as a weapon against supernatural threats to my home nation of Japan." He cants his head slightly, and adds, "We could request permission. But knowing the officers in charge of my operation, it would be rejected out of hand."

Nozomi lowers her head, visibly sullen. Her demeanor and expression say it all - she agrees completely with Taiga's assessment.

At least until the Councilor wakes up. From being dead. Then she yelps again and dives behind Adelaide. The TIGER merely turns to peer intently at him.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
The Secretary cocks his head at Hei and Lex. "He has a reputation for being different," the bird man explains, "And the Representative was known for being our greatest diplomat. They are the ones who will keep the entire organization from going stagnant." He shrugs his shoulders. Rustle-rustle. "We will not survive if we do not pick a side. They both knew that." He nods at the two of them, and turns to leave.
The plant on the desk says, "It is as he told you. Master wants the best for all of us. He has never shown anything less than that."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
Mizuki just stares at the woman for a long, long couple of minutes. After a while... she... cracks a smile. It grows wider, and wider, and wider still before she -jumps- up, hands spread out wide, and she gives a richly theatrical bow. "My ~ dear ~ woman," Her eyes lock with hers, "it has been every bit as pleasurable for me to talk to you as it has been for you to talk to me~! But if I kept you here any longer, it would be /ruthlessly/ rude of me. To occupy your valuable time with such a petty, insignificant, and trivial loss of life! Surely, that could be condoned by no deity, fair or foul!"

Mizuki claps her hands twice, and the door swings open. Standing there beyond it is a tall figure in a long, black robe... clutching a scythe. It beckons her with a bending finger, and Mizuki carefully places her hat atop her head and adjusts it appropriately. "My associate will escort you out of the building now, if you don't mind." Mizuki returns her hands to her waist and smiles faintly. "I must remain here to question others." She narrows her eyes slightly.

"But I'm sure you'll be happier where /you're/ going~."

Alexandra Knox (275) has posed:
After a moment of thought, Lex nods. "Okay, thank you." She glances towards Hei, "Do you have any ideas on where we should go next? I'll follow your lead on that, I need some time to think and we might as well walk while I think"

Hei (118) has posed:
Hei looks over to Lex. "Place of residence, perhaps. Just hope there's no more magical plants. You think they'll let us in?". Hei hopes so. Not that it'd stop him from breaking in anyways!

Ainsley (151) has posed:
The Councilor rubs at the scar of the wound. It didn't heal all the way, leaving a faint bark-like scar that shows the shape of the sword and the damage of him pulling it out. He slowly gets up to a stand. In fact, his every action is slow, meticulous, and possessed of thought and powerful intelligence. He does not utter a word to the party just yet, making sure that all of his limbs are working. His implacable calm is so serene that one would wonder why anyone would ever want to hurt him at all. He even reaches out to gently touch at the top of Faerie's head, smiling appreciatively.
And then he looks to the investigators, finally, once he has assessed his state of being.
"I do not know who did this to me. I can tell you they used time magic, of which I am moderately accustomed to. I was ambushed while heading toward the gardens, but the grass warned me of the threat and I acted accordingly." He looks down at his sword, distracted for a moment. His eyes take in its level of damage, trying to determine if he can salvage it. Probably not. "They tried to kill me with magic. They clearly know nothing of my race. A fact that saved my life."
"I am going to my chambers. I need to check on my student." He turns to leave, as if he had not just recovered from being impaled. He disregards the ashes falling off his tattered robes. Clothing is just a formality for him, anyways, since he doesn't possess anything that could cause embarrassment. Part of the uniform, perhaps.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
The Rat Woman gets up from her seat, and looks over to the Reaper(?). She stares for a few beats. Her hand twitches... the dreaded Slapping Hand. And then the fingers curl with a rolling, thunderous crackling noise as all of her knuckles pop. The red in her eyes gets deeper and she DARES the would-be Reaper to touch her, first. And then she gives one last defiant "Hmph!" with accompanied nose-upturn.
She /sweeps/ out of the room, almost intentionally moving to bowl over the Grim Reaper. 'Death Doesn't Scare Me,' is the general message she gives off. No no, she does not respect Mimi or her fellows enough to care.
"HMPH!!" she sounds out /right in the Reaper's face/, and continues along.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
Once she's looonngggg gone, Mizuki and THE GRIM REAPER(?) break out into a fit of giggles. DEATH ITSELF flicks back his... er... her hood to reveal the face of Palora, and the two high-five.

Scared or not, they're satisfied.

Faruja (152) has posed:
Faruja deep breath. In. Out. Faruja rubs his hair back into place, undoes a suspiciously familiar scrunchie, and offers a bow.

"Lord be praised that this foul assailant hath not realized such! Go with the Lord, Honored Councellor."

Pause. Some part of him envies that serenity. The rest of him is simply irritated by the lack of passion. Still, it's better than what the /rest/ has been showing.

"And for the love of Ajora, kindly hire a few guards for thine students! Enough blood hath been spilled!" Calls out the rat as the plant-man leaves.

"Unknown even to his victims. Troublesome." With that? Faruja does his best to get to theorizing on just /what/ spells this mage has been casting.