Scene #5106: Foodbringer - For Cooperation

Owner	Pose
Gawain	OUT IN THE MULTIVERSE In the city of Everria, a masked man known only as the Foodbringer gives vast amounts of free food to the public, to the ire of the local government. The Concord has been searching for him, looking to recruit him, or if not, learn his methods of food production for themselves. Last time, the Concord finally found their man: Silas Gormand, going by the alias 'Silas Gregory', and managed to convince him to meet with them. However, he's doing things under his terms, and has only left them with a way to contact him. When they eventually do, he sets the date and meeting place, and sends them the coordinates. The meeting place is outside of Everria, far into the Multiverse. Known as the 'Forgotten Battlefield', the location is a desert that was the site of a nameless war many years ago, one that ended with no survivors. Rumors claim that it is haunted by the dead, who continue to wage endless war, but these have never been substantiated. Even so, the place is littered with cover and makeshift outposts, despite no one being there to use them. The exact coordinates lead out not far from the Warpgate, over a dune. The area they're approaching is littered with cover, as well as a single watchtower overlooking it from the distance. A single figure stands in the middle of the battlefield, wearing a clay mask, a jacket and bulletproof vest, and pants fitted for working in the desert. This man is the Foodbringer, and he's waiting for you. What do you do?
Seifer Almasy	This place is very Seifer. Battlefields, fighting, war, glorifying combat...that's all pretty much Seifer's thing, his M.O., his raison d'etre. He's known this kind of thing since...well, as long as he can remember. Which, admittedly, isn't all that long, but hey. What's important is that Seifer knows this kind of place really well. Seifer is dressed in his usual jacket, with his gunblade slung openly over his shoulder as he walks in step with the rest of the Concord. He's a little bit front and center, because he's a Knight; he's not very useful in the back, even if he's a pretty good shot. "Sup," Seifer says, holding up a hand like they're meeting at a coffee shop.
Haguro	A lot of this screams trap to Haguro. An isolated area, uneasy feelings of lingering death, the contact quite literally wearing a bulletproof vest. A trap for who, though? That part isn't quite so clear. Considering the relatively open invitation, it seems like it'd be worse for the Foodbringer than the Concord Elites coming to see him, but... Well, that's starting to get into tactical thinking that Haguro isn't quite ready to do. The ship girl is still armed just in case, of course, with her standard guns and armor plates, but she's keeping her weapons pointed down and away as she approaches the man. "G... Good evening, sir!" She immediately lowers her voice and offers a quick bow of her head. "Erk... Sorry. Are you Mister Gregory?" Of course he'd be Silas. Who /else/ would this man be? The boat ghost goes rather quiet after that, already looking ready to melt away behind one of those pieces of cover nearby. She'll get over it eventually.
Lin	Lin set off on this adventure feeling pretty enthused! FOOD FOR EVERYONE WITHOUT LIMIT would be a really cool thing to acquire. That could change so much. SO VERY, VERY MUCH! So of course she's dashed straight out of the warp gate like some kind of enthusiastic, happy-go-lucky loon with a SPECTACULARLY CHILDISH GRIN going from ear to ear on her face. Then she crossed the boundaries of the battlefield, and it all came crashing to a halt. For some reason she at once loses her exuberance, the smile melting away into flickers of fright. Cold sweat forms on her brow and she mis-steps mid-charge-- KERPLOOOOOOOOOORFF!!! There goes Lin, tumbling across the ground hard enough that her momentum digs up the top-layer of grass and dirt and sprays some in all directions. She springs free of the dirty mess coughing and spluttering... and still looking mighty freaked. Her pace has slowed greatly. "WHO MEETS IN PLACES LIKE THESE?!" The Solar bemoans uselessly while brushing dirt from her attire... She slows down upon seeing the masked 'Foodbringer...' And once she does come to a halt, she can no longer suppress the urge to shiver. Shiver she does. VERY noticeably, one runs across her from head to toes. "Place feels like a Shadowland... h-hail!"
Young Arthur	King Arthur rides white horse, wearing a white gambeson, a chainmail tunic and a white tabbard. A simple sword trapped to his hip, and a white round shield on his back. In short, the young king is the very image of a white knight. "This place somehow resonates, and I couldn't tell you why." Arthur shudders slightly, even as he says this, looking off into the distance.
Metal Man	So here he was again once more as he exited the gate today?He'/s in full combat armour, not because he looks to fight the Food Bringer, no he's ready for trouble in the event some undead chose to jump them honesly. He looks to it for a moment he didn't think much about combat in the way Seifer did but he was made ofr it and knew he was good at it he'd fall in with eveyrone else and moves to join up he looks to Karal for a moment and tilted his head. "You seem eager for a brawl, Lin." He moves along keeping an eye on his thermograpch for odd moving patches of cold which would be generally undead.
Gawain	This place is definitely haunted. There's no ghosts around /right now/, but those with supernatural senses can feel their presence, and there's many moving patches of cold all around the desert. However, none of them seem to care about the group, and continue to shamble, sometimes fading away and then reappearing elsewhere a second later. As the group approaches, the masked man waits until they're all there before speaking. Arthur would recognize his voice, because it's not modulated: he is indeed Silas Gormand. He replies to Haguro first. "Silas Gormand. Gregory's an alias. Foodbringer is fine as well, as bland as the name is, the people chose it." As the Concord discusses their weird meeting place, Silas just laughs for a moment. He has an accent, sounding vaguely rural. "It's great, isn't it? It's the only sort of place I feel comfortable, especially meeting /you folks/. I'm well aware of what the Concord is capable of, so I have to take cautious measures. I hope you all understand." Silas paces briefly, looking over the group, and in turn letting them look over him. He isn't noticeably armed, but he likely has something up his sleeve, even if its horror-blood. "So, you wanted to meet with me. I have some guesses on why, but I'm not really sure about...any of 'em? So let's talk. What do you want?"
Seifer Almasy	Seifer, ever the white knight, takes off his jacket and drapes it over Lin's shoulders. He grins at her. "Don't worry. You'll be safe. Just stick close to me." You can't fault him for being sure of himself, at least. Confidence is a thing that radiates off Seifer in spades. As Silas talks, Seifer fights down the urge to itch. It took him three straight days of struggling with that power he stole from that blood to get it back under control. Just SEEING Silas makes it...twitchy. Angry. Unhappy. He's got to fight his thoughts down as hard as possible. "Sorry, man, I'm just here for insurance," he says, "But if you know what we're capable of, you know I'm really good insurance."
Lin	Lin blinks a few times at having Seifer plop his jacket on her. The gears in her head have to crank for a good ten seconds to make sense of the gesture... and unlike many, going by the smile she cracks she'd rather accept it as given than take offense. Her ego is by no means so fragile! "I assure you, Silas Gormand, had the Concord meant ill they wouldn't have sent us. You have my word that I did not come here to assault you!" Lin declares rather formally, slamming her fists together for emphasis. With everyone else bunching up and getting into business mode, her fear over the locale's dwindling considerably. "We came to hear your dreams for the world, see where our interests line up." She glances over her head to Metal Man (and has to adjust Seifer's coat with a hand to keep it from falling off while doing so) and.. just grins. "Usually am! Just... not around HERE. Awful place for anything!"
Young Arthur	As the foodbringer arrives, Arthur straightens his back and dismounts, walking forward with genuine confidence. "It's a place of death, without doubt. Some must take comfort in it, for the living bring them no comfort." The large sack that contains the Sword in the Stone is set on the ground, the young king's hand not even reaching for it. He keeps a stoic face. "Once more, I offer mine apologies for my indiscretions at our last meeting. I was rash, acting out of unwarranted fear for the bystanders. I thank you for granting us this second opportunity to talk." Then he nods to Karal Rei Lin, "The Concord as an organization rewards vision, and from what we have heard, you have vision. Share with us yours, and let us discuss what we can mean towards one another." Is this kid really only fourteen years old?
Haguro	Haguro's looking a little calmer by the time everyone else arrives, the familar faces alleviating her fears somewhat and distracting her from her earlier screw up that probably wasn't such a big screw up. Straightening up, she dips into a more formal bow to Silas. "Haguro, heavy cruiser for the Fleet. A pleasure to meet you, Mister Gormand. It's certainly an... Interesting location." It's an understandable concern, at least, even if that was probably the only good thing she could say about the chosen location for today's meeting. The fact that Lin, Arthur, and Seifer all seem to be bothered by the area actually seems to hearten her a bit, too. It's time to show off the fruits of her labor and not be a wallflower for once! She clears her throat, and then... "Mister Gormand. Or... Foodbringer. The Concord would like to.. Ah. We'd like to have you join us, if that's possible. Someone with skills and-" She nods towards Arthur. "-a vision like yours could do a lot of good for the world. The Concord has... P-plenty of people and resources that could help you do what you're doing much more safely." She's freezing up every now and then while sweating bullets just trying not to trip over her own words, and it's clear that Haguro didn't practice for this. Still, she's trying! Now if only she could say all that without standing so stiffly.
Priscilla	Ghosts are something that Priscilla feels keenly. Specifically, they are something that surrounds her in the drifting lights of many wandering souls, without any other presence to confirm them. In the light, she is surrounded only by the Concord, and in the dark of her mind, there is a crowd. It makes the meeting feel strangely public, when it is anything but. Herriscilla shows up dressed officially, which equals the Anor Londo royalty outfit that signifies her fairly hefty credentials to be running the show for the Concord. She also shows up by revealing herself dead center atop a dune, with some dramatic swirling of sand, and very short lived flakes of snow. It feels odd, finally getting to talk to the man they'd been chasing for so long. "Well met, Sir Gormand. I am Priscilla, First of the Concord, of whom I imagine thou art aware of, if thou hast done such research." Her hands are folded at her waist, making no overt gestures. Even her tail holds relatively still. "I assure thee, thou hast far less to fear from us, than thine alternatives. I am well aware of thine work, and further still aware of the plight thou face. How thou art adored by the populace, and yet persecuted by the law, who see thine death as little more than a convenience." "I hath taken great pains to maketh certain that our Concord were to reach thee first. Both to bring warning, and to offer terms. The law of thine world believes thee a saboteur or terrorist at best, and so hast made contract with the Paladins, dogs of the Commonwealth, to capture or 'neutralize' thee as they best see fit. I regret to inform thee that they shalt be wholesale more effective than the usual men of the law thou hast evaded so far. They directly threaten thine work, and in all matters likely, shalt deal with thee as instructed without further thought." "We, however, disagree with such treatment. Thou art a rare talent, with accomplishment that is wasted upon the petty contrivances of economic law. The people wish to be fed, and the rich deny them. Such a cause is not one to be overlooked and tread upon. It is as our partners sayeth. If thou shalt acquiesce to cooperation with our Concord, thou shalt hath the full benefit of our condemnation of the Commonwealth's law, and thus both the tools, and the guardianship, necessary to continue thine work, at an even grander scale than before. We wish not for thine secrets to die for the Paladins to be paid."
Metal Man	So Metal mand keopt with his Concord Comrades he presed on for a moment and he shifts his weight a bit but doesn't go for any weapons after all he's lot looking to fight Silas. Hegives the man a look over ahd ne nods. "Fair enough it's good you want to talk, right, I'm here however as protection should something try to jump us during this talk. This place has a reptuation and we didn't wish to take chances about that." He actually grins under his facemask at Seifer they were pretty badass for a human after all and he did go to get off his ass and do things which was more than most humansback home. then Priscilla enters the scene and stepped the heck back it was time to let Boss Lady talk.
Gawain	Silas turns to Seifer, nodding. "The Concord takes only the best and brightest. After the Reality Quakes, I made well sure to keep up to date on everything." He continues to pace, his mask hiding any facial expressions he might have. As the group assures that they're not here to fight him, and asks him of his vision, he pauses. It's during this pause that Priscilla appears, which only seems to slightly surprise him. "Well, that's flattering, Miss Priscilla." And then, Silas proceeds to ignore Priscilla, briefly, to answer the group's question about his vision. "My vision? A paradise without need. No need for sustenance, no need for medicine, no need for anything. Have any of you ever starved?" He takes a pause to see if anyone responds. "I have. I've seen people die from it, needlessly, because of the selfishness of others. I've felt what it's like to not be able to eat, to be an almost emaciated husk. And my goal is for no one to have to ever deal with that again. One by one, everyone will be fed." Silas' words burn with a calm passion, as if this is something very dear to his heart. Only after he finishes this, does he turn back to Priscilla to reply. "Well, that's an interesting proposition. A very good one. And I'd like to accept, but I have some problems here. If you all'd be willing to work with me on them, that'd be great." Silas rubs the back of his head briefly, before continuing. "See, someone's trying to sabotage me. Tampered with one of my bags of food. Now the people of Everria hate me, and see me as some sort of poisoner. Everria wasn't ever important in the long run; it was a testbed to see how many people I could feed in one run, but I'm fearing that the reputation will go Multiversal and no one will trust me or my supply. I've been meaning to keep my promise of another run in Everria, but I'm not sure entirely how to do it without getting a mob on me. Which is where you'd be able to come in, maybe? I'd feel bad if they thought I was some sort of demon." Silas' tone is dry and serious. "Oh, and one important thing to mention, in general. If I die at any point during this, my entire production stops entirely. That's not understatement. My food production method requires me specifically to be alive and able to run it, much to my chagrin."
Seifer Almasy	Seifer has a big grin on his face for reasons unknown, but otherwise he remains quiet. This really isn't his deal. He's just here for insurance. "We could kick that poisoner guy's ass for you."
Young Arthur	"Never, but I have seen the effects of starvation, and I very much understand the desire to avert the suffering caused by this." Arthur considers the words that follow, slowly and carefully. "We could, but it wouldn't help any." He answers Seifer calmly, without much worry about the details. "What we need to do is prove to the people of Everria that he is not to blame. What good does it do to mister Gormand if we beat the poisoner up, if the people are not convinced that the poisoner was to blame." He pauses then adds, "Our reputation is not such that people would believe that claim without evidence. Mayhap the Paladins have the reputation, but not we."
Lin	"A world without needs...." Lin's not as simple-minded as she comes off. Especially not with wisps of ancient memories flickering through her mind when she focuses. "...Better find something else for people to spend lots of time on then, but can't say I don't like the idea... I've seen starving..." She inhales sharply, face scrunching up in disgust. "Could've suggested better places than that to dump it. Those people already HAD plenty!"
Haguro	Haguro looks rather relieved as both Arthur and Priscilla speak, the pressure from trying to talk so much earlier all but gone in a matter of moments. She also actually seems to be pleased with Silas' response as he talks of his vision, although the talk of starvation does go a little over her head. Still, she does nod after a few moments, the general gist of what the Foodbringer is saying seeming to strike a chord within her. It's only when he brings up the fact that someone has been sabotaging his work that Haguro finally speaks up again. "That's awful... Yes, if we clear your name, then that should it safer for you to do your job without the populace cominga fter you. Although..." She furrows her brow. "Poisoning food... I haven't heard of that being done outside of assassinations or war. Whoever's done this must really have a grudge against you. Do you know anyone that might have something against you? A rival, or a... Competitor, perhaps?"
Priscilla	Priscilla poker faces like a legend. This is partly because she is practically always poker facing. You lose the knack for facial expressions after a thousand years of nobody to see them. This is also because the reason she had sabotaged the food was specifically so that he would have nowhere to turn but the Concord when the police went rabid trying to get him. She figured it'd throw the Paladins off the case as well, and seeing as she has yet to hear anything about them, so far it must have worked. She stands by it. "I can certainly say I hath seen suffering, yes." Priscilla delivers the biggest understatement of the year by far. "Such a vision is something that should be lauded, not condemned for its inconvenience to the pockets of a few, thus the Concord welcomes thee; thus the Concord exists for those like thee." Then comes the roundabout part. "We may certainly guarantee that thou shalt hath our protection, both quite physically, and in the matter that the Concord wouldst stake its reputation not upon one who is truthfully disposed towards the aimless poisoning of citizens. Aside from our endorsement, and the presence of our finest, an investigation is not beyond our abilities, though for such extra-normal efforts, there shalt be corresponding compensation, I am certain thou understandeth." Effectively, the extra effort of finding a believable patsy.
Metal Man	Metal Man Says "Freedom from want? A noble goal." He seems to mean it too with what he was saying he listens for a moment he seesthe conviction for a moment. He hears about what the food bringer has to say about it. The talk of posion and trying to ruin him. This could end up going somewhere. "I'm a combat android I'm afraid I'm not very big on ecomics and generally my own life isn't a very happy state on my ome world." He nods to Young Arthur. "It can still be a problem even on my world it's not lack of supply but apthy and delivery of the food in question."
Gawain	Well, the Concord's far more helpful than Silas thought they would be! He shakes his head towards Seifer, nodding at Arthur. "Yeah, I'm not very interested in revenge for the sake of revenge, but proving it was sabotage would be mighty helpful." Silas then turns towards Lin, shifting his posture. "As I said, it was a testbed. I was needing somewhere with a large population, and Everria helped me get some valuable data. Sadly, it also backfired a bit." He seems to be pondering Haguro's question for a few moments. "No rivals that I know of, but I'm thinking it might be Everria's government. They already tried to kill me, it's easy to think they'd sabotage my work too." Silas gives Priscilla a very long delay before she gets his response. He's mulling it over. Eventually, he moves to remove his mask, revealing his face. He's a young man in his 20s-30s, with dark brown eyes to match his dark brown hair. He moves to meet Priscilla at eye level, before responding. "Alright, then here's the deal I suggest. The Concord helps me clear my name and make one last run in Everria. In return, I'll join you, pointing my production wherever you want for as long as it takes to pay off my debt. I'm also rather capable at combat, if you need; there's a reason I prefer warzones."
Lin	"Strange that they'd turn away free food... food is abundant in some places, but there's always a need for more of it." Lin can only shrug her shoulders a little. It's pretty clear that she's here mostly in case of trouble, and to listen, both of which she's doing. Her eyes scan the surroundings periodically for trouble... Since she's not exactly an authority on the deal, she stays silent, but she does SMILE when Silas makes his case!
Haguro	Haguro's face remains in that focused, thinking state even as she hears about what truly happened from her allies, and she turns slowly to pace around. It's definitely not to hide a look of realization or anything! She's just... Thinking. A lot. About mind games. It takes her a few moments, but the ship spirit is eventually able to turn back around without looking particularly impressed by any ploys or anything that never happened. "I think that works well. Someone with skills like yours probably shouldn't be fighting, but... You should be prepared in case we run into any resistance during the next run. I might not be the strongest person, but..." A dramatic pause, and then Haguro gives Silas a determined nod. "I'll keep you safe however I can." Another pause, and she's suddenly starts looking nervous while turning to her allies. "I-I mean, unless you'd rather do something else. I didn't mean to make a decision for anyone or... S-sorry!" And then she looks like she's just about ready to hide. Again.
Priscilla	"It is the logical conclusion to draw, yes." Priscilla agrees, having already arrived at the same end of thought herself, albeit for different reasons. "Rest assured, it shalt be dealt with in short order, and thine reputation shalt be threatened by no further sabotage. These terms art acceptable, so long as thou prepare well for this final venture. I wish time for our Concord to prepare to assist thee, and at the same time, I wish to see the full scope of thine ambition, with such time to refine thine work."
Gawain	Silas frowns at Lin, sighing. "It's because they make money off food. Farming, restaurants, it fills their wallets. They'd rather be making money than helping people. It's a damn shame." He does smile, however, as the Concord agrees to the deal. "Alright, that's fair. I'll take all the necessary precautions, and once we're all set up, we can do it." There's a grin on the man's face, before he moves to put his mask back on. He moves to leave, but turns back towards the group briefly. "It'll be a pleasure working with you all. You seem like way better folk than I thought."