Scene #8235: Adventure Hooks

Owner	Pose
Remee Halcyon	A formal invitation, hand-written, wax-sealed and hand-delivered by courier to the Grand Dorado, addressed to one Captain Hook. The time and date listed are for here and now, an Italian restaurant in the middle of a major metropolis. There'll be a car waiting at the warpgate plaza if he wants it, but otherwise it's easy enough to get there by whatever means he wishes, including on foot. There's a virtual line of people waiting to get in and get tables, but flashing the invitation would immediately get Hook ushered inside, all the way through the dimly lit restaurant, past the kitchen, and then down a long hallway with a single dining room with a single table at the end of it, and a single occupant of that table. "You weren't followed?" is the first thing out of Remee's mouth, and then: "You didn't see any foxes on the way here?" Assuming both answers are no, she gestures for him to sit. "Thank you for making time for me here," she says. "I can guarantee it'll be worth your while."
Captain Hook	Wax-sealed and hand-delivered? That's fascinating! Hook likes fascinating things, especially fancy fascinating things. He's got a letter opener for extra fanciness, and, also, because it's the kind of thing a pirate captain ought keep at their desk. So he pops it open, reads the date, and then decides that, yes, this is the sort of thing he's interested in. When Hook arrives, it is clear to everyone that he Stands The Fuck Out, because he's wearing his own clothes, his huge flashy cape and hat and hook and all the rest. He even brought a Very Fancy Cane. The only thing he's missing is a pegleg, but he'll be damned if he loses another limb. He presents the invitation to the flabbergasted maitre'd and, with a flourish to the crowd, walks in backwards after the chap/ette. He sits down at the dining table. "Of course I was," he says cheerfully, "But I am also a pirate, and quite used to eluding tails." "I lost them through a china shop when I quite on purpose pushed over a shelf on my way through." His grin is tremendously charming. "I should hope so. You went to the effort to seal it. I had to get my letter opener. I've not yet had reason to use it! Very exciting." The gentleman pirate sets his cane against the table and leans forward. "But you're talking about Profit. Whatever it is, I am almost assuredly in. Tell me your plan."
Remee Halcyon	Remee, by contrast, has made sure she's presentable but is still in her hunting greatcoat, something more utilitarian than stylish. "We'd met briefly in Lampport, but just to catch you up... Remee Halcyon. Of Halcyon Holdings, Halcyon Heavy Industrial Concern, Justice Pursuit LTD, and a dozen other interests, entities, and organizations aside," says Remee. "I understand you were not entirely in the real world for the last several years, so if you hadn't heard of us that's understandable, but the point you'd be most interested in is a lot of money and valuables clustered in just a few individuals." There's a knock on the door, a three count, and then a waitress enters to take drink orders. Remee picks a bottle of red out for the table. "My goal is to dismantle my family's power, by whatever means necessary. There's complications to simply using brute force to take them down, however." "In addition to being immensely rich with all the protections that implies, and being nigh unkillable as werewolves, we have the blood of the Big Bad Wolf running through our veins - in much the same way you are Captain Hook."
Captain Hook	Hook purses his lips. "I understand," he says, "Although not quite the same way, I should think, I grasp the gist of it. I've been delving about in dreams enough to understand the power of a fairy-tale bloodline." "And I am familiar with the story." Hook leans forward and grins. "And you want a pirate to help you disrupt them, yes? You want a pirate to help disrupt shipping, plunder wealth, and do what pirates do best?" "And you want someone familiar with fairy-tale magic to help you face down your family?" Then he leans back in the chair and raps the table with his hook-hand. "Or is there some other purpose you have for me? Either way, I accept." "All you had to tell me was that there is wealth to be had."
Remee Halcyon	"Then we're aligned," says Remee. There's another knock, and another three count. Drinks are brought, along with Remee's bottle of wine, which gets poured into two glasses. Food orders are taken. No price tags are visible on the menus for either food nor drink. "I've been trying to master my own bloodline," she says. "To... some success. And some detriment. I managed to break into the storybook realm, but in the process I attracted the attention of Reynard the Fox, who was..." She purses her lips, not relishing the memory. "Missing his Ysengrim, and was rather insistent on me filling that role in the story for him. Permanently. It was only via the arrival of backup that I managed to break free and escape." "So in addition to an accomplished pirate, having someone as a mentor who has managed to break out of his own tale, and master his own role... I think that's essential before I start again on my own path of mastery here." She raises her glass. "A share in the plunder, along with whatever price you'd like to name for your tutelage. Are we agreed?"
Captain Hook	Hook knows how this works. If you have to ask how much it costs, you don't belong here. He also knows that if the bill's being paid for, he's going to order a little bit of everything. And that means everything. Everything on the menu. A glass of port. A glass of white. Lobster. Steak. Fried vegetables. Soups. Dishes that most people probably can't pronounce (but the educated pirate has no problem doing so). He samples each of them with the zest of a man who Lives, not merely survives - a man who is determined to enjoy everything life has to offer on his way through it now that he's free of his own living death. Also, he's greedy and she's paying. She puts the extra little attache on the table. She wants help. Hook leans back in his chair and locks eye with her. "Do you know how I managed to escape?" "The kindness of strangers." He spreads his arms in a shrug, spears a hunk of meat with his hook, and yet eats like a proper gentleman, nibbling delicately and wiping his hook with his napkin. "It's that simple, for me. I'm afraid I know little else. I had to die to get out - and even then I was prepared to only die." "And then..." "The kindness of strangers saved me." He taps the side of his head. "So I suppose be prepared also to die, and find someone who can help you escape it."
Remee Halcyon	Yes. The hook. The mark of a proper pirate. Remee approves. "I'm less worried about dying - and more about not dying. I didn't embark on this course without considering that I might end up put down for good, and I'm resolute about that," says Remee, fairly casually. "The cycles of Reynard and Ysengrim end with Ysengrim getting humiliated, frozen, skinned alive - there's at least a dozen tales in the most common work and I can't remember all the endings..." She doesn't so much as blink when Hook makes his order(s), not least because she nearly matches him - if not in variety, then in sheer amount of food. Extra rare steaks, mostly, light on the seasoning, with a few of the lobsters thrown in. She's not unladylike in her consumption, but the steaks still vanish in quite large bites, made in very quick intervals. "I'm prepared to die. An eternity being the antagonist and butt of the deadly joke is something I'm not prepared for." "You escaped that, once. Different circumstances, different help - but you escaped the story. And you got something out of it. Don't tell me you had that treasure chest before the story gripped you, and don't tell me you don't know at least a few tricks after living in the story for so long." "And the big bad wolf's tale... Red Riding Hood, I mean, has some rather strong messages about relying on the kindness of strangers. I'd rather depend on the reliability of my allies, than rely on the kindness of strangers who may or may not show up... and may or may not be kind." "You can say you have nothing to teach me about the lands of stories - let me be the judge of that. In the worst case, I'll have someone there to pull me out while I'm trying to learn."
Captain Hook	Hook laughs and takes another (polite) bite of the meat, following it up with a sip from his wine glass. He really is the most Proper Pirate one could imagine. No wild beard, no wild hair, no ripping and tearing of meat with his teeth - a gentleman pirate through and through. "Then if you are prepared to die, you'll need to find people who can ensure that death isn't finality. That's the only way to escape. Finishing the story and yet living through it." Hook takes another long sip. "I can't imagine another. Granted, my imagination is limited to my own experiences, but if you can do that, then...well, that's a guarantee, I suppose." He takes another bite, then sets it down and levels his hook at her. "Very well, then. I'm happy to help. But I'll expect more than my fair share if I'm also acting to aid you as a mentor." His smile grows conniving. "When you bring your company down, I want shares. Many of them." "It's not wealth I'm familiar with or fond of...but it's the modern-day gold, and gold in all its forms."
Remee Halcyon	"Fine. Better in your hands than theirs. You don't seem the sort to oppress people just for a few extra pennies on the dollar." She delicately wipes her mouth off with a napkin. "I'll be in touch for the training, and for when I need your help with taking the other Halcyons down. For now, you can leave when you wish, I've taken care of the bill - I'll be taking a different exit."