Scene #4811: Schism of the Waning Moon-1

Owner	Pose
Priscilla	For a rare change of pace, convergence at Anor Londo takes place under the cover of night, for what little cover it is under the way the city's white stone glows under the moonlight, perhaps imagined as excessively so tonight in particular. Despite how frequent of a sight the city has become, bouncing in and out on all manner of special requests, the way it has taken shape over the past, long while almost feels like an occasion for melancholy. The sterile, strange, and majestic tomb it had once been, lit only by an island of glorified refugees and the lights of the palace at night, now dimly sings with the sounds of living people even well past the setting of the sun, and even the palace occasionally sounds the distant ringing of hammers, roars of late night cheer, and bells of religious observance. It is hardly the bustling din of a metropolis that has been lived in by its people all its existence (and had been constructed at a sensible size), but the way Anor Londo seems to stand without a sense of fragility and uncertainty past the setting of the sun these days almost makes one feel unneeded. Though by no doubts shaped by the hand of the Multiverse, there is fertile ground for the imagination to think of the city having 'grown up'; become its own populace and culture once again, fully fledged in its capabilities, and ready to be let go by its fussy offworld parents. But that's probably what the Darkmoon Blades want you to think, isn't it? One would probably imagine the night to be their preferred territory as well, but the moon itself being at a sliver seems reassuring even without real knowledge of how its tides affect anything. More importantly, at this hour, with most people indoors and without the sun shining down on everyone no matter where they go, there is ample opportunity to explore its far, high and low reaches without notice, to question people without drawing a scene, and most importantly, to meet a benefactor who had claimed to be able to help them at the Cathedral Gallery, without having to go through Priscilla in a public way.
Kushiko	Having a pretty good intelligence apparatus was a hell of a drug sometimes. Particularly when it came to the utilization of the Tenno by the Lotus--whilst Kushiko had assisted Ciaran in Lordran prior--she had not yet visited since their removal of Latria almost three months prior. And now, things had gotten worse--while they knew Latria was simply someone who took advantage of the chaos in power transition, matters as they were now were far more troublesome. Assisting was simply not possible until they had more information and capability to act--the attack on Elites and other 'external' forces warranted caution--but now they could act with better discretion, so to speak. Given that the targets were not just assassins, but experienced ones capable of the methods of those of the Multiverse, Kushiko made a particular choice in the Warframe she deployed to Lordran, or rather, to Anor Londo itself to converge with the others: Mesa, the Gunslinger. She made her way quickly through the streets--doing her damndest to avoid direct sight simply by knowing when and where to move and by virtue of her footfalls leaving next to no presence save perhaps to those who knew how to track the strange energy residue that the frames themselves could leave behind. Any darkness was hardly an issue for the apparently blindfolded Warframe as she parkoured her way across rooftops and at times simply /launched herself/ to glide noiselessly until she reached her destination. Were it not for a few odd signs, she'd simply resemble a hired gunslinger from another world--blacks and orchid purples and lilac points of light on the feminine figure served to distinguish it as something peculiar for certain. Nonetheless, she and her companion--a large, black and purple-furred beast known as a Kubrow who helped cloak her from sight as needed, finally arrived at the Cathedral itself. All the same, she was cautious. Her senses were linked with the Kubrow and even now she had been using her frame's sensors to re-map the Cathedral Gallery as she arrived, to say nothing of the outlying area before arrival. It would not help for those who could /truly/ hide themselves, but the Kubrow's ability to sense and detect potential foes was one of the key reasons she was brought along as opposed to a robotic sentinel. That, and she was a big damn 'dog' for certain definitions of a dog, and Kushiko expected part of what was needed to be done here to be as covert as possible.
Yuuki Kuran	Nighttime agrees with Yuuki more than the daytime, perhaps the harsh and glorious sun bearing down on her pale features and a long night the previous time had contributed to her state of affairs previously, but now she is revitalized! Ready! Eager, even! With a sliver of moonlight to guide her explorations, the nightscape of Anor Londo was much more open than the harsh dayscape. However, now there was a purpose to her steps even as she walks not the shadowed walkways and small paths, but right through the main thouroughfares. She knew... Generally where the cathedral gallery was! Generally! Ok maybe she had been wandering around for a while at 'moving with purpose' speed, stopping to ask for directions from Refugees. She is not the most subtle of callers.
Reiji Arisu	This isn't the first time that Reiji's been on a moonlit stroll through Lordran. It is, however, the first time that a sense of dread has loomed so large over the city since their triumph in the Kiln. But he IS, after all, a member of a covert special operations group. That he's well-equipped for the task of chasing down a few Darkmoon Blades goes without saying. The Shinra Agent darts across the flying buttresses and cathedral rooftops with feline surety. His usual suite of weapons clatters in his ever-present mobile arsenal, but it's been complimented somewhat tonight. There's something over his face and eyes that almost certainly must be a set of nightvision goggles and heavy-duty communicator suite. The gauntlets on his arms are coupled with a set of neko-te. He's elected for a set darker armor tonight, too- to better fade into the shadows. "Alright everyone," he mutters into his communicator. "Stay in contact. I want regular radio updates. If anyone sees anything, the rest of us need to know about it. Keep your heads up, eyes open."
Tomoe	Tomoe had missed the initial attack on Priscilla but she'd been aware of it and knew they couldn't just leave this alone. She understood the orders that had been given and she gets why. This needs to be handled before things get out of control. So here the Iron Lily was intending to live up to the promise she'd made some time ago to Priscilla. So here she was in the tomb ready for trouble as she moved in she could hear the hammers and the other sounds of this place. She took a deep breath knowing she was not save from the Darkmoon Blades at all given her own aid she'd given Priscilla in healing this world but also in taking down their former master. She doesn't talk but she does take a long moment to look around. "I plan to Reiji, and be safe to all of you." She notes over her own radio as she too starts to see where she might be able to find a trace of the Darkmoon Blades.
Priscilla	Anor Londo is not without its night guardians, but for many possible reasons, they pose the climbers and jumpers no issue. The freakish, bone white gargoyle things that seem to live up on the steeples without much notice, have always toed the line of potentially being trained, and seem to have little intention of coming down at this hour, remaining where they are easy for a trained Elite to avoid. The officially recognized Darkmoon Blades that had renewed their loyalties to the monarchy have good reason not to appear. The massive steel knights that stand posted about, eerily still save for the wind rustling through grey capes, make no indication they have seen anyone either, though as much as that could be skillful stealth, it could possibly be intentional cover, since they directly serve Solaire; a known ally of the Union. Certainly, nobody outside of those few groups is going to notice a couple of extra shadows in the crazy fractal shades cast by the moon through the city's disturbingly complicated architecture. Even if one of them is a giant dog. Through the night vision goggles, everything reads clear. Thick stone walls as opposed to the usual urban wood, plaster, drywall and concrete makes ready anything indoors difficult, but otherwise, Reiji has no issues making out anything in the dark. The only things that wouldn't show up on thermals are massive enough that they'd be impossible to miss with light amplification. Tomoe likewise should have no real trouble flying about, so long as she doesn't try to compete for airspace high overhead where she'll stand out. Between the two of them, checking where people pop up with their combined digital enhancements, they can map out a general spread of activity. As usual, it is concentrated closest to the Citadel Palace, where the very adjacent area is quite dead, but then forms an extremely thick ring, and spreads out in a gradient. The ring of habitation seems to finally form all the way arund the apex of the city, as inhabitants have flowed in and set up as close to it as they can. Roughly half the citadel has someone living in it now, but its dark, outer reaches read as almost completely blank, save for the presence of sentinels, and the odd human shape that may be some hermit, antisocial scholar, aescetic monk, or perhaps criminals in hiding. Especially of note, everyone wants to stick close to the ground. Though it seems the gods and knights love their height, humans don't seem to trust the majestic towerscapes, or else at least don't like having to suffer all the stairs. The Cathedral Gallery is hard to miss for Kushiko, having briefly found it once before. For Yuuki, it takes a minimum of bothering. The building is a popular visiting place. From what she hears, it used to be a cathedral to the goddess Gwynevere -- princess to the royal line and easily the most popular member of it -- and now shares veneration of the great painter Ariamis, who should not need explaining in any meta sense. Gwynevere's regular worship still meets there on most days where the palace isn't open, and many other researchers, artists, and simple couples and tourist come to check out the paintings at times.
Priscilla	The latter is all that seems to be inside today. Not unlike when Kushiko had met the famous heroes amongst the Knights of Gwyn for their secret sidequests last time, all stragglers have been cleared out. Yuuki has to wrangle some unnecessarily huge doors to get in, but despite their age, they do not dramatically creak or rumble. Windows are an easy task for the Warframe, despite its four storeys essentially being twelve due to being made for gods. One end of the colossal cathedral hall is still dominated by the statue of Gwynevere, flanked by her knights, and the smouldering remains of previous ceremony are still set all about the altars recently moved in or built up again. The other end is still devoured by the utterly gargantuan painting that seems to loom from the wall -- as if menacing with its very presence, or else reaching out to the figure of Gwynevere, depending on how dark or romantic one's thoughts are -- and flanked by its smaller brethren. The complex rafters high, high above show signs of motion, but if it were something suspicious, surely Yuuki would have been attacked walking in the front door, right? So ultimately, there is only one person to meet; a figure seated at one of the back pews, shrouded in a heavily covering black cloak with a hood that obscures half their face, though rather than being in the edgy, seedy rogue sense, it looks to be an intentional statement that it obscures everything about them, and has been ritually adorned with crow feathers and hints of silver.
Mel Brock	Yuuki will have some help in wrangling those big doors. Some telekinetic help. Because there's a psychic space cop here, walking along in her usual way, hands in her pockets, keeping pace.
Reiji Arisu	Technology is a miraculous thing. A hundred years ago, the only way he would have ever hoped to get this kind of optical coverage would have been a cleverly arranged series of spotlights. Or magic. He could use magic, too. But the likelihood that these renegade Darkmoons would detect and counter such things is much higher than the technological option. Not that he's not keeping a few tricks in his back pockets. "Got some isolated habitation in the outer reaches of the city ring. No suspicious activity yet," he says, darting around to covertly catch glimpses of some of these lonely dwellings. But if he were to plan a terrorist act in a city like this, it's all too likely that he'd target the most populated regions. After all, attacking Priscilla directly is only one way to end her rulership. Another is to get the population riled enough to overthrow her themselves. And the best way to do that is by hitting them whre it hurts the most. "Tomoe, I'm going down below. Keep an eye in the sky, would you?"
Tomoe	Tomoe is for once able to use her flight and will for once be able to make use of it here her wings flare out as she looks over to Reiji. "Sure thing I'll see what I can find as our eyes in the sky." With that Tomoe takes flght trying to get as much air time as she's able to as she's very interested in seeing what she can see from up here. She starts trying to get as much height as she can while still being able to keep tabs on things down below her. She takes a deep breath and does her best to focus on her flight and observing the ground it's a good thing she had deployed FRAPs before she arrived here today. So they will have footage to go over later.
Yuuki Kuran	Yuuki has to go through a whole bunch of heavy doors. Hnnnnnnnnnnng. The first one gives her a significant pause as she pushes against it. Sure, she could put her full, terrible strength (that all Normal Girls possess) behind it, but part of her wanted to give the doors proper respect. After the first, though... Mel is there! A quiet turn of the head and a simple, bright smile is favored towards the telekinetic assistor. "Thanks. These doors are so huge and unweildy!" She laughs lightly, letting the telekinetic open the rest of the Egregiously Large Doors. "Ah... um... Hello there! I'm Kuran Yuuki, this is someone who's helped out here before... I think there are others, around?" She looks up and around but doesn't point anyone out. She then bows, low. "It's nice to make your acquaintance. Are we to be working together?"
Kushiko	<"That goes without saying. Also, hello, Tomoe."> comes a slightly resonant voice out of the Warframe and into the comms directly in response to Reiji; a projection rather than an actual voice from the figure as her fingers absently thread through the Kubrow's fur from where she's at--namely in the threshhold of one of those twelve-story up windows to make her way to the Cathedral proper. Familiar this was to her, though before it was with Valkyr. <"The Lotus is going to be monitoring our Warframe feed and analyzing. She doesn't have as many options here to provide to tactical advisement, but she can help take the load off command and control."> Mesa pauses slightly, before she launches herself, Void energy propelling her up and forward in a spiralling movement before she straightens out, arcing her path towards what could probably be some measure of hanging lantern--or simply a chain. Whatever was closest. <"We are known as Kushiko, though you may refer to our Warframe in the field as Mesa for ease, or call us Tenno."> Codenames were useful things after all. <"We have heard of you, but we have not had the pleasure, Reiji Arisu."> The nice thing she can do at least is synchronize her systems with Reiji's and as needed, linkage with the Lotus as well. Her ability to parkour and defy gravity allows her to progress into the rafters of the Gallery itself, Kiras the Kubrow taking a long leap from one of the high windows in order to join her--almost running along a wall at one point in join her master. But there was more important things to fixate her attention on--like the movements that she too saw--for relative definition of 'seeing' through the sensors of her Warframe that Kushiko was keen to focus on. On the radio, she signals Yuuki. <"We will head up here to keep an eye out here before descending, as needed."> The blindfolded gunslinger cants her head down towards Yuuki once she too arrives, before she looks ahead of her and adjusts her Warframe's sensors for the lack of lighting. Kiras' fur rankled once she joined Mesa--she lowers and looses a slight /grr/ before both she and Mesa were cloaked shortly after by the Kubrow. Time to see what was up here--if anything of major note as she began to move once more so she could consider it wholly 'safe' here and descend down to the meeting. In theory. First things first--hopefully the motions she and Yuuki saw were inconsequential.
Priscilla	Drifting further away from the center, Reiji and Tomoe find the city noise dimming very quickly in the high altitude air, with the giant urban tangle and mountain shield only reflecting it back as well. Even though the lights are still clearly visible, simple distance makes the same architecture contrast like a newly built, barely inhabited suburb, against downtown on a Friday night. Herein, surveying people takes more than a rooftop vantage point and patience. Only the odd candle or wayward, non-mountain scent gives away which buildings are being lived in, and then usually only individual rooms of much larger ones, as Anor Londo does not seem to be partial to single houses and lawns. Technology proves to be to their benefit, since there's no way to pick up that a simple shadow can see in through a darkened window or door. Most of what they can pick out are the expected: men of the cloth eschewing wealth and finery, meditating in solitude; dishevelled scholars and antisocial sorcerers poring over maps and books that are probably overdue at the Archives, or else contraband from elsewhere; and one or two that distinctly read with that air of an Undead pilgrim pre-kindling, as if they can't bring themselves to feel as if their ordeal is over, still projecting that sense of a closeted, paranoid, hard and ready adventurer and killer. They can be found in a great variety of places and disticts, all save the fact that even the monks widely avoid anything with a statue or shrine in it. None of them seem to belong to any gods the two would recognize.
Priscilla	For what little motion Kushiko had detected, the cause is so immediately visible at her new elevation as to be unnerving that it was difficult to notice before. All along the rafters, the highest columns, and secreted balconies and alcoves, clusters of men (or women?) in white robes can be seen perched much like some of the Lotus' warriors themselves. The comparison is aided by the way their form fitting, white vestments hide their faces completely, completely covering the eyes with solid silver bands, ostensibly leaving them blind. None of the iconography they wear registers as familiar, nor does the strangely articulated and contoured armour visible where the robes split to allow freedom of leg movement. They definitely appear very much human, but have somehow achieved almost the same level of perfect, faceless, statuesque discipline as the knights outside, like a permanent fixture to the Cathedral, having only moved to assemble against the point of Kushiko's entry. Another long-forgotten guardian order, perhaps? A relic Covenant nobody remembers the purpose of? They certainly haven't ever been mentioned before, nor has any kind of leader. Anor Londo seems to be filled with these eerie remnants of once-important history everywhere, to the point that nobody but the scholars even try to make sense of half of them, and adheres only to the most contemporary. The figure in the pews doesn't know they're there, or pays them no mind. They'd be shitty assassins if they didn't do anything while said figure was alone all this time. Despite the kind of ancient, ominous, vaguely pagan look they give off however, the voice is that of a woman far too young and refined to be an old crone and adherent to The Old Ways. In fact, despite certainly having the accent of someone who speaks the archaic language Priscilla, Gwynevere, Gwyn and the rest use, she manages a modern dialect just fine. "I would be happy to entertain the idea that there are. I'm a strong believer in personal decision, so I'd like to think that there are many others out there who have their own ideas; ones that sound better to them than listening to a mysterious old woman." She gestures towards the rows of completely empty pews. "If you'll have my advice, then I believe we shall. Go on. Take a seat. I've made certain we won't be bothered. I'll need you to tell me all about what you're looking for first, and I'm sure you'd rather not do it standing up."
Tomoe	<<Hello again to you as well, Tenno.>> With that Tomoe is now getting a good chance to map the place out and if she wasn't on a job? She'd be really taking her time to just enjoy the view of the place. For now though iut's all business for her as she flies about. She spots signs of people living here but it's clear it's not populated like it used to be, that much is clear to her as she soars above and she noticed. Humm even those who look akin to Holy Men or monks avoid anywhere that has statues of the gods or shrines there of and she sees the odd hold out adventurer. Still she keeps searching she knows the ones they hunt are out there, but she keeps looking, still she does take note of those she does spot. <<Nothing of note save I seen just about every Shrine here avoided by the sorts you'd expect be tending to or visiting them.>>
Mel Brock	"Sure, no problem," Mel replies to Yuuki, with a little nod and smile of her own. Not hearing Kushiko's comms, she can only walk on obliviously, watching the mystery figure in the robe instead. Whoever it is, she seems amenable to their presence, at the very least. So Mel gives her a faint nod and a simple, "Appreciated," before sliding herself into a pew that gives a respectful distance but is still close enough to be within conversational range. She could answer the woman, but Yuuki knows better what they're after than she does.
Kushiko	<"Acknowledged--and..."> ... okay, this is... interesting, to put it gently. Kushiko may not have had near the same degree of information via firsthand experience some of the others have, but she's seen enough secondhand otherwise to /know/ this isn't necessarily something that feels right. "... uh, hello?" Kushiko asks. Her syandana flutters slightly behind her from the movement as her cloak fades out as the assembled figures in the alcoves and along the rafters themselves array against the Warframe. While it occurs to her /maybe/ they aren't necessarily assassins for the figure below, the possibility of other things are... not quite encouraging to her. However, the Lotus instead speaks on her behalf--communicating with the rest of the group here--patching through to Mel Brock as well, presuming there's little issue: <"This is the Lotus. My Tenno has encountered some... strange individuals we do not have record of as their attire goes, as they bear no markings of Covenants we know of. Be aware, Cathedral group below."> Kushiko does not make a forward motion towards the mysterious, armored and masked figures: only for now marking their locations to herself. While she does have her AkSomati machine pistols at the ready (to say nothing of her Regulator sidearms) she does not intend to start a fight: opting instead to swap to her active scanners. Like the Simaris Scanner she has access to, since it operates /far/ faster and could at least get a mimeograph registered. Assuming they don't react to her attempting to be discrete and simply observant. Highly observant. Yes.
Reiji Arisu	"I suppose my reputation must precede me," Reiji says into the communicator. "I've heard of you as well, Tenno. Though obviously less than what you seem to know of me. Regardless, stay sharp. The mission is more important than either of us right now." Speaking of the mission, there's barely anything out here other than... Well. Other than mad sorcerers, depressed hollows still clinging to the past, and the clergy of... unknown gods. Clergy who want nothing to do with the shrines and holy sites of yet other still unknown deities. Well. That's certainly odd. They can't be disgraced deities. The official policy of the old gods of Lordran were such that those who would become enemies of the state would have their statues cast down. but this... Is odd. Are they avoiding the holy sites because of their faith, or because of something else? Reiji's lips draw into a tight line and quietly taps at a small button on the side of his visor. A soft, barely audible click. A camera, apparently. For reference-- at the very least, he can ask Priscilla later. But for now, it may be prudent to keep an eye on these shrines. After all, there must be some reason that the priests are avoiding them.
Yuuki Kuran	Oh! Huh. She didn't get an introduction, but that's fine. She's fine. She'll just be like 'hey, you! lady-person!' It's just like high school all over again. Even those who have been forgotten by time... have not forgotten high school. Taking a seat, she places her hands in her laps. "We are here because... Well, I'm here becuase I wanted to help. Becuase I saw a beautiful place, but it was... beset by people who would see it harm. They seek to have us - people like me, but also like..." She gestures to Mel. "Gone from this world. And, perhaps it would be for the best. But to raise the concern, and to bomb, and assassinate, and spread terror becuase you disagree isn't the way things should be done. They have some power - some new power, that they reference." She frowns. "I'm sorry. I'm sure they said more details, but I've forgotten them. These... Dark Moons? Are a danger to not only innocent others, but themselves. I would like them to be brought around to a less... painful mode of protest?"
Priscilla	Saying that the various areas of abandoned religious observance are very old is true to their sense of atmosphere, but essentially an empty statement; everything here is very old. Most of them appear to be quite small, as simple chapels or shrines built as their own little area of larger districts or complexes, for people to visit a shorter distance from their homes or workplaces, rather than trekking all the way into the inner city, but most of them don't actually match to anything near the palace. For every sun shrine there is, there are five that belong to gods that might never have been important, might have been gone before the Citadel was built, might have died, or might have just never come back to Anor Londo and had their main temples replaced. Certainly, out of these sheltered annexes and networked foyer fixtures, it would make sense not to bother with those that can be found in greater grandeur elsewhere, but what use is it to stay clear of an entire building where a simple, single room church is placed?. None of the people Tomoe can find past that point are visibly suspicious, or rather, most of them are kind of weird or sketchy, but aren't doing anything out of the usual for Lodran's weird and sketchy folk. They seem to have taken great care to settle far away from one another as well, requiring significant flights between, making it unlikely there is any kind of network or common support shared between them. Reiji has a long task ahead of him if he wants to check every shrine by himself. It doesn't take all that long to verify a couple of patterns though. As would be expected of the more major ones, many of them are still flush with lingering 'enchantments' placed by many generations of faithful clerics, obvious to even the most basic inspections available to Shinra agents, but the pattern seems almost random without context. Some of the smallest and obscure happen to have unusually strong ones, including a couple that don't even have depictions of their patron; merely runic names and some symbolic item on an altar, speaking to some incredible difference in either how long they lasted, how fanatical their followers were, or how powerful the sects they appealed to happened to be. Some of the tiniest and most inconsequential remains have some of the most powerful auras, or ones that trigger danger reflexes to come near. Regardless, Tomoe finds that all of them are avoided without exception, as if nobody else is willing to verify the same.
Priscilla	The faceless lurkers Kushiko shares ninja ceiling space with are not oblivious to their presence. Moreso uncloaked, Mesa's figuratively keen eyes can pick up subtle signs that they are very much armed, though with /what/ is difficult to say. There are only so many things one can hide under sleeves and acrobatic robes, and there are no visible holsters on what armour she can see. Their stances still shift to 'draw ready' all the same, however, just as they confirm her presence, they do nothing to impede her. In fact, the silent hostility that radiates from them seems standoffish more than conspiratorial, as if she is toeing the line of an alpha wolf's territory, rather than breaking in on a cabal of assassins waiting to strike. Eve now, they don't shift to box in her entry, so much as to block it off from the rear half of the building. What kind of people train as blind warriors and live in the secret corners of a cathedral just to keep people away from a specific portion of it? And why does everyone just ignore these nuts?
Reiji Arisu	Perhaps not every shrine, but certainly the ones that are the most interesting. The ones with wards set up specifically to turn people away. The smallest, most obscure shrines- the ones where people would not normally go /anyway./ After all, who would pay any mind to that nagging feeling that they shouldn't go into that creepy old shrine at the corner of the street? If he were a member of a clandestine organization dedicated to going unseen by the powers that be and the general public, they'd be perfect hiding places. And, you know, he actually is one of those things. And so Reiji starts snooping for clues. Disturbed dust, how recent those wards were established. Perhaps he's on to something? Perhaps it's just... Just his imagination. But at this stage, any lead is a good lead.
Priscilla	Meanwhile, despite having the upper half of her face shrouded completely, the lady in black, seems to have no trouble following where Mel is; perhaps unsurprising for symbolic rather than secretive dress. Yuuki is who solicits her response, however. "Dear girl, that is much better a reason than most could claim to be here. Though I have long been at odds with the sheltered little Lordling's views of the outside, I cannot say that they engender fear without cause. Many more than you would think up a lie less naive, and pursue a worldly ambition under a more convincing banner than mere sympathy." A conspiratorial smile suddenly graces her barely visible lips. "Clever as I am reputed to be, however, I consider that embarrassing sympathy more convincing by far than a realist's appeal to law or ethics. Justice is an easy word to throw around. Filling a power vacuum is difficult after one presents themselves so soft-hearted." Finally, she doffs back the hood, revealing the 'old woman' can't be more than thirty, with straight black hair seems to just meld into her cloak, and eyes just as much, giving the startling impression of being more appropriate to the ominous birds that had given their feathers for her attire, rather than a human face. "I'm being excessively cryptic. I am Velka, Lady of Sin. I apologize for these unorthodox circumstances, but my reputation would be ruined if I actually called a courtly assembly." Her smile turns considerably more crooked. "I have long been an . . . opponent, of the late Gwyndolin; both of how he was handed blanket power over sins against the gods, and his idea of handling it. Suffice to say, I was very glad to see his followers change leadership, and very disappointed in this current change of events." "Now, if I were to tell you how to draw them out, what exactly would you do?"
Mel Brock	"Copy that, Lotus," Mel replies. She glances upward, and a very /very/ attentive eye might notice the faintest of movements under her left arm, inside her coat, but she doesn't otherwise react. Instead, she simply listens quietly to Yuuki, then to the woman. "Marshal Mel Brock. Mel is fine. Brock's fine too." She gives the woman a nod of greeting. "As far as your question goes, uh... I can't speak to the others, but I'm a cop. If I could get ahold of Dark Moons, my top choice would be 'bring 'em in alive to face trial and punishment for their crimes'. But," she adds with a little grimace, "I know that's not always an option, and others on the case might not be that restrained. So... dunno. Have to play it by ear, I guess."
Tomoe	Tomoe keeps up her flight over the city, she's at least getting a good aerial map of the place which could prove to be useful later and she contiunes to see the same pattern, over and over again. Everyone here avoids all statues and shrines. The people are spread out to give eachother. It seems they don't like to interact with others and they have reasons to keep from teh shrines she wonders if they are trapped but does not want to face check these traps at all.
Yuuki Kuran	Yuuki smiles lightly, as if caught in some ruse or lie, or a joke at her expense. "I'm... sorry, it's just how I am." She admits, with a sigh. "I don't... need things. Much of what I do is try to fill time, to..." She tilts her head left and right, as if rolling the thought around her head. "... spend my nights in a way I find pleasing? And so I travel. I try to help people, because I don't need help myself. I want to leave worlds in a better way than if I found it. And if I could leave Lordran in a better state simply by not coming back... I would. In a heartbeat." She looks to Mel. "And if that would be the best solution, I would think it well, too! But..." "This is a problem of the world. One I hesitate to - dread - simply hitting until it goes away. That is how resentment builds. How scars accumulate. How... hate is held closesly to the heart, forever. Someone has to try. I am willing to! I am sure many are. But to grasp at shadows and phantoms, or swing wildly about..." She hangs her head. "I am ignorant, and I know my dreams are probably too great, but I would much prefer if things could be found so they could be smoothed over."
Priscilla	Snooping for clues around a city like Anor Londo, even only sticking to the unpopulated half, is predictably something that cannot be exhaustively done in the space of a single night. The vast majority yield nothing but cold, dark, and unwelcoming rooms, long since stripped of anything that might engender a sense of active community. A few appear to have been damaged at some point, perhaps by fighting. Once or twice, they might run into something like half a set of human bones, an almost completely faded soapstone message, the personal effects of a disrespectful mendicant stained with blood. The variety of imprinted magics are more interesting. Some as simple imprints of strong feelings; some that repulse approach through fear or hesitation, or invisible, physical means; some might provide warmth or shed reading light, or else other more welcoming reasons to gather around; some are hard to even find, as if the eye refuses to focus on them, and may not even be churches at all, but faked for the purpose. Eventually, after getting zapped by electricity from trying to touch a figurine, Reiji stumbles across a statue that is an illusion entirely, leading into a tiny back room that is little more than a stack of empty chests, that, judging by the dust, have been opened within the past month. Not exactly damning evidence the renegade Darkmoon Blades had been here, but an idea of what to expect. At least someone had the idea of using one of these as a disingenuous bolt hole to hide their stuff. If it /was/ the Darkmoons, a member may have used it to hide whilst projecting a phantom, and abandoned it already.
Reiji Arisu	Hidden room behind an illusionary statue. Stacks of opened and empty chests. Reiji's lips flatten into a line. No evidence that the Darkmoons are responsible for this, but this IS Lordran after all. Before he moves on, he performs a very critical check. For hidden and/or illusory doors WITHIN the secret room. Reiji may have been in Lordran too long. Though if he doesn't find anything, it's back on the snoop. Now that he knows there are illusory statues... Well. He knows what to look for, at the very least.
Kushiko	Well. One good 'I shall be as stone' deserves another: Mesa does not necessarily adopt a completely stonelike stance, but she's not going to antagonize these warriors if she can help it. She is... however, scanning actively. Not just them, but the painting, everything. A simple gesture then Kiras /rrrfhs!/ and the Kubrow twists around to leap away from the rafters themselves, bounding and using some manner of -- you know, you don't need to know this. "... Guardians for her?" Kushiko asks, her head flicking in the direction of the lady in black down below. She could presume as much but with what she scanned--maybe even what she was beginning to sense through Transference... something was auspiciously bothersome. It wasn't the /same/ but... parallel, maybe? Even now, the Lotus was privately in the Tenno's ear. <Watch yourself. Do not reveal anymore than you absolutely have to.> In the meantime, the thing that Kiras the Kubrow was doing results in the pooch heading down to the ground level and padding its way to Mel, Yuuki and the Lady in Black, mostly to keep a watchful eye out.
Priscilla	Velka remains intensely amused by Yuuki. "There is no reason to apologize, dear girl. If you are ashamed of that kindness, it is much too late to salvage your dignity now. If you aren't, then what need is to beg forgiveness? It is in the nature of gods to rarely admit those words, and in the nature of men to become too scarred to say them; especially those drawn to this city as a haven from the chaos that still churns in the wake of the Darksign outside." She takes a more serious expression towards Mel. "Trial and punishment, I will caution you, likely means not the same here as you are used to. Of course, as sin, retribution and absolution is my domain, I would not befit me to reject the idea, and I would most certainly enjoy the opportunity to see these in particular meet such a fate. It is an option, good Lady, but one that you must understand, can only be done by our laws, and not yours." "As it stands however, I am powerless to do ought about the renegades, as the pact of the Dark Sun renders them above my oversight; a well-intentioned but ill-advised concession to the spoiled and inexperienced master that was to lead them at the time. My powers simply cannot be used against them, by ancient divine oath. Whomever their master declares a sinner, so long as they follow no other god, they may stalk and strike with impunity with their phantom bodies, and this new Dark Sun has somehow gained that contract without coming to the knowledge of anyone who could revoke it for its misuse. By the ancient laws, you are all free targets. Your simple presence allows them to arise as phantoms against you as trespassers in our world. Were one of you to swear allegiance to a god, however, you would gain the right of indictment; the right to declare an agent of the Dark Sun apostate, and nullify his contract of protection, if he were to attack you." She then gives Mel a very long look. "So, you understand, yes? I can offer you immediate, executive authority to pursue and punish these Darkmoon Blades for transgressions against you, were one of you to form a pact with me, to be made in private, and dissolved immediately after the renegades are disbanded. I would of course, lend you my aid were you to join any other god or goddess, but I think you will find them less amenable to allowing you to leave that contract without compensation, and they would almost definitely make your affiliation public, whereupon it is a simple matter for the assassins to simply avoid you."
Priscilla	And then, finally, back to Yuuki. "If one of you were to do so, and allow me to bid you pursue the new Dark Sun under my authority, it would also be my divine right to decide what becomes of their leader. If you truly think you can talk some form of sense into them, I will likewise allow you as much of a chance to end it without bloodshed or imprisonment, where others would demand their souls." Oddly, Kushiko's scanner doesn't pick up anything abnormal about Velka. Despite blatantly introducing herself as a goddess, she seems to have disguised every aspect of it. The painting, meanwhile, makes no secret of the way it outright screams of the Space between Spaces, as do several of the smaller ones, to a lesser degree. Velka looks to the Kubrow as it approaches, and then directly to Kushiko, more than certainly aware of the people up there. That doesn't seem like they belong to her.
Tomoe	Tomoe understand this will take work and everyone had a part to play and shty still have a pretty good map of the place and the recording of it all as well. Others can go over the imporant parts of what she saw, hopefully it will prove to be of use. The Darkmoons have to be here somehere but she has no idea she also thinks for a moment about Reiji and the others as she'll be banking and flying to join him. Hopefully she'll be able to help him out in some fashion at least like to guard his back.
Mel Brock	"To be frank, ma'am, the trial and punishment part isn't even my department back home," Mel replies with a little shrug. "It's not my place to decide the punishments, just to catch the people who need 'em. I might not like what comes of it, but... well, that's the life I live in general, and on top of that I'm in someone else's backyard. That's the risk I took when I came here." She's something of a pragmatist about things; she can always leave if the punishment proves too distasteful for her, and in the meantime these people /do/ need to be stopped and brought in. At least she's aware of her situation. Then there's an offer... no, an Offer. It's one that puts a frown on Mel's face, and she sits up slightly in the pew. "That's... that's tempting. I'm not gonna lie, that's real tempting. But at the same time, no offense to you, but I've been around the Multiverse just long enough-" And had my nose in fantasy books for long enough before that, she doesn't add, "-to know it's not the sort of thing I should enter into without thinking." She glances at Yuuki, then at the- wow that's a big dog. Then at the dog, before looking back to Velka. "Is... is this an open offer, by any chance? Can we have a little time to think about it and come back? Day or two, if nothing else?"
Kushiko	Troublesome. It did not go unnoticed where Velka's gaze went. It also didn't go unnoticed the way the Painting scanned--the space between spaces and the alleged... 'guardians'. The Tenno would be seeking Priscilla not long after this--privately of course. On the other hand, there is Velka's offer. While she'd been up there in the rafters, her systems and perhaps an unseen sentinel of the Lotus had allowed her to follow things relatively well. She folds her arms criss-cross in front of her and simply falls backwards out of the rafters, a good what, twenty, thirty stories? These places were always so /massive/ weren't they? Regardless of the actual height, Mesa flips backwards, orienting herself and then space around her distorts for a few precious moments before she actually lands, making the landing itself as soft as could be, standing upright and advancing towards Velka, Yuuki and Mel, the Kubrow canting her head slightly in response. To Yuuki, the resonant voice projects outward, <"They don't want to resolve this through peaceful means, as much as it might be nice to avoid the bloodshed. We know of these laws and how they are used and abused and twisted firsthand."> Latria comes to mind, though she does not yet voice it. To Mel Brock, the Warframe's head seems to focus, the diodes of light pulsing within the syllables of the projected words. <"Our loyalty at the end of the day, is to the Lotus. To the balance we attempt to bring where there is none."> She pauses as she finishes closing the distance. <"Latria came to one of your Pardoners. For absolution to... to wash herself clean and deny those here like the Lords Blade Ciaran the opportunity to bring her to answer for what she did."> This does not necessarily make Kushiko distrust Velka. Quite differently, it gives her proper appreciation for what Velka is truly offering and what it may mean to take her up on this offer... and why discretion was necessary. <"The notion of what you offer us does not bother me, however. I do not think we should speak in their presence, or am I presuming... incorrectly?"> The young lady behind Mesa does not shy away from death--not in the slightest, but she had suspicions. Namely whether or not Velka would have granted Absolution herself.
Yuuki Kuran	A contract. Well that's not shady at all. Yuuki's gently hung head lifts up, when addressed, maintaing a light smile, though now the brown-haired girl seems more reserved. "I would also like a little time to think about this, but... I am coming to you for help, and you are offering good terms freely. And, as a native, you probably know better than I do what needs to be done. I understand not everything can work out for the best - I just hope that things can resolve in such a way that..." She gives a sad little sigh. "... Well, they're criminals. Lashing out at what they fear, with powers. I suppose if they will abuse this world's laws and rules, then they should be subject to them too."
Priscilla	Kushiko's piece bears answering first. Velka displays no signs of awkwardness, irritation or impatience as the Tenno approaches, only due attention with those striking, corvian eyes. "It is absolutely true that they do not wish for peace. That does not necessary mean, however, that it is impossible to resolve the threat they pose peacefully. I will allow the girl her fair chance, if she is to accept, and with all due respect to an esteemed visitor, even towards these selfish ends, my reputation as a goddess demands that I first consider the wishes of my flock. Otherwise, you are of course still welcome to assist. I think rather dimly of those who forsake their sworn liege loyalties for temporary convenience anyways." Then of all things, she shrugs, and not with a poker face on either. "I will not deny the actions of Lordsblade Latria. Even as a goddess, or perhaps moreso as a goddess, I cannot always decide matters by my personal feelings. I owe my followers clear laws, edicts and observances, so they may worship and carry out my work fairly, and without fear of my displeasure. Were it my decision, things would have been different, yes, but I cannot be the sole judge of every action, or else the law no longer exists, and my pardoners cannot know every action of their confidants, or else there is no such thing as confession. Something as grave as sin must be decided clearly, decisively, and predictably first, and decided infallibly second." That seems like enough for the evening. Velka pulls back up her hood, likely glancing to the door. "Do not fear the offer being withdrawn. Under normal circumstances, I harshly disapprove of Covenants forced by pressure of time. Though some urgency cannot be avoided here, it is caused by the movements of the agitators, not by my impatience. You have merely to return to this place, and I will know."