Scene #9543: In Search of Answers-3

Owner	Pose
Calvin Nash	>BGM: https://youtu.be/zSpt_t-FvJg?si=r29jRK49Qe27Vc2z HIGGINS, TEXAS ONE HOUR AFTER ATTACK The air is warm, but muggy; the rains cleared up not long after the Erlking was slain and the Wild Hunt broken. The victory, even as complete as it was, is bittersweet. The sun itself seems to have taken on a different context after the storm cleared; where before it was inviting, it seems discouragingly distant and uncaring in its constancy. Not everyone in town had a spirit--but an alarming majority did. Knight-Captain Richards and a few archangels (lowercase A) have spun up a rough and ready field hospital tent in an empty, gravel-filled lot just opposite Meresankh's emergency shelter. Richards' partner Charilaos has worked nonstop since the possessed settlers were first corralled to exorcise them, as has Richards, who has been hurriedly moving between the shelter and the tent. Thanks to your quick thinking, the people of Higgins largely escaped injury. Even so, there are easily enough people in the tent to justify its presence, all sleeping off their exorcisms, with more arriving, one by one, every few minutes. Whatever cheer might have been had from the victory is dampened not only by the humid heat but by the screams and raving of the spirits as they're cast out. It's a slow process, and one that has required Richards to replenish Charilaos' reserves of energy once thus far, using that pearl which Calvin had passed her during the fight. When she emerges from the shelter the final time, it's with a pair of stone tablets in hand, and anxiety written plainly on her face despite the relief that's also present in some measure. The last patient is carried out on a makeshift stretcher and placed in one of the cots dragged out from the town's communal housing, a small hotel a few blocks down. From the few townspeople who avoided possession--no more than a handful--there are thanks given, not only to Richards, but to all of you, even sheepishly to Calvin. Thankful as they are, quiet despair hangs over them like a cloud. The questions burn in their eyes as they variously try to help somehow or look to the angels for answers. How did this happen? Why us? Months of work were erased, and how? How long was this plan in the works, by whom? The archangels don't have any answers ready--they look to the skies, to the horizon. More than just a town being renovated, Higgins represented an idea to these people, that despite its size, it, too, could be something beautiful and part of something larger. That dream seems farther away now, the small size more daunting than reassuring. Calvin exits the shelter as well, wiping sweat from his brow with a white handkerchief before stuffing it into his pocket. "That's the last of 'em. Now. Me and Richards just had a word. Richards, you wanna fill 'em in?"
Calvin Nash	Richards' shield has a nick from an arrow, and much like Calvin's, her hair is in that half-dry state that only comes from heat after a heavy downpour. She nods, in the way that normally sets her red bangs to bouncing. "We got good news and bad news. Good news is y'all really pulled through for these people. Not just them, but what they're doin'. I can't thank y'all enough for that." She pauses, and bows her head slightly. Calvin isn't comfortable being thanked a second time by people he so fervently ideologically disagrees with. "Well." "We coulda been lookin' at startin' from square one. This hurt, but not as bad as it coulda. Besides that, we made sure nobody else here's compromised, and Marshal Nash and me even bound a few of them dybbuks for questioning. Plus, we're still not too far behind schedule. The Terminal still works, too." There's a smile despite the tension here, and then, a sharp little steadying sigh. "The bad news is..." Richard's jaw tightens. "I think it's... pretty obvious that this wasn't no coincidence," she says, softly so as not to be overheard by any of the passing townspeople. "The timing of it... especially the garrison reassignments Charilaos mentioned... it feels like it was s'posed to slow us down. Me 'n Charilaos were dispersin' the dybbuks after we exorcised 'em, durin' the fight. I wanna say between the ones we destroyed, and the ones that was bound after, that's all of 'em." Hands on her hips, she inhale-exhales through her nose and briefly closes her eyes to steady her disquiet. "But so much was goin' on, I can't be sure. If I did miss one, we can bet they ran off and reported to whoever set all this up." "Which is why we can't rush into this," Calvin asserts. "We got them dybbuks. Let's use 'em to figure out what we can." "Like I said, we ain't got the tools here to do that right," Richards counters. "We oughta go on ahead to New Mexico. Tucumcari's got a Cathedral." "For all we know, they could have an 'accident' transportin' the data and wipe them sumbitches out." Another sharp sigh from Richards. "So that's where we're at. Thoughts, y'all?"
Futaba Nuki	In the hour following the attack in Higgins, Futaba's been hard at work trying to bolster the morale of those affected by the spirits. Rather than her usual hyperactive shouting and posturing, however, she's instead opted to perform some purifying rites on the afflicted in an effort to help them feel better about being taken care of by people that know how to handle these sorts of situations. It's largely a performative gesture more than anything else, but it comes with an appropriate reservedness that's not often seen around her. Still 'donning' her ceremonial garments and brown hair look, she comes out to join Calvin and company to listen closely to Richards' briefing. "So we've got some leads, sounds like. Never a bad thing, especially with the dybbuks you've got. Think there's a chance we could get a more accurate headcount on how many of them there were with their intel? Or..." A pause, and then she purses her lips. "No, that won't help. Think we could press 'em for who the boss was? With whatever you've got out in New Mexico, right! Somewhere more..." She pauses again, trying to think up a better word than 'secure' to use in this specific scenario, with morale being what it is. She's visibly having trouble coming up with whatever word she's looking for, though, scrunching her face up slightly in the process. She glances around calmly, then turns back to Calvin and Richards before briefly holding her hands up at elbow-height and making a key-locking gesture. "Or if we can't get the big boss' name, we might still be able to get who's pulling their strings, or knows who's pulling that one's strings. See how far the chain goes, or even find out if they know who the... IF there's a-" Another stop, and then she holds one sleeve up with her left hand while the right hand pantomimes digging into it. A second later, a tiny mole pops out of the left sleeve.
Lilian Rook	This disaster could have been much worse. The teamwork that ended it was reasonably efficient. And she doesn't really care about this town anyways. Plus Calvin hates them, so that's like double reason to not think about it too much. Which is why, once the long and gruelling exorcisms are underway, Lilian heads inside immediately to escape the heat and looks for the most alcoholic thing she can find to sulk over for the next several hours. Still uncomfortably sticky despite her best attempts to sit directly under what passes for air conditioning and refusing to go back to the truck (because that's just sad), she isn't half as inebriated as she'd like when she reconvenes, most likely for several obvious reasons. For once, she looks at Richards as if she's the sorrier sight for being here. 'The timing of it... especially the garrison reassignments Charilaos mentioned...' "In the same breath as some terribly wishful thinking, if memory serves." Lilian says. She doesn't really hold it against the angel, but also, she kind of does. "Though it's hardly as if we could have done anything helpful in the fifteen minutes we were here before the storm struck." 'If I did miss one, we can bet they ran off and reported to whoever set all this up.' "I'm always telling people about the difference between ninety-nine point nine and a hundred percent." Lilian sighs. "If there's no way for you to know, then we should simply assume that they did." Of course, she's going to perform her own divinations about it later. 'Like I said, we ain't got the tools here to do that right' Eyebrow up. Half-dry bangs swept aside incidentally. "Excuse me? You need a Cathedral to ask some questions?" 'So that's where we're at. Thoughts, y'all?' But that's the question. One that Lilian answers too much, yet as unhelpfully as can be. "That it reminds me too much of Caelton, and getting to stab the problem didn't really make it feel any better." Making an unhappy noise, she gets out her smartphone and starts flipping to the map of America she had saved since the road trip, not even hiding that she's checking how far New Mexico is. Hopefully not as distant as normal Mexico.
Regulus	Regulus is pretty thrilled with her own part in stopping the Erlking. The power of rock and roll wins again. She's honestly surprised that Calvin hasn't told her 'you're right, lets just throw rock and roll at all our problems'. She's so proud of herself. But of course, it's been an hour since then and now she's kind of completely and utterly bored. She doesn't know how to do an exorcism nor does she have an answer as to why this all happened. She never could. For Regulus, rock and roll isn't an answer as to why bad things happen, it's an answer for when they inevitably do. To Regulus, turbulent waves on life's seas are inevitable even at peacetime and, well, this world doesn't seem to be having a war but it's not exactly peace either. What she does instead of helping is playing rock and roll music. Sometimes from her record player, sometimes from her own guitar. APPLe takes the role of lead singer for these performances, his stick-like hands holding a mic to his hand as he belts out lines from THE TRUE KING of ROCK Fats Domino (according to Elvis). "You made o/~ me cry o/~ when you said o/~ goodbye o/~ ain't that a shame?" APPLe sings along while Regulus strums. And they don't stop until Richards comes out with the sitch on the current explanation, though Regulus keeps performing the instrumentalization. ''Thoughts, y'all?'' "Nope." Regulus admits before she actually gets a chance to think. "I mean, unless you've got some sort dybbuk detector or something we can convert into one." She does another pair of chords. "Who'd want to see this place fail the most?"
Dimokratia	AN HOUR AGO... When Dimo dismounted the back of the truck she had smushed into, having run a finger along Regulus' record (one of the, but not The, important ones!) to feel the grooves and intuited the encoded data directly through tactile sense of 'King' Fats Domino. She drew quiet over the trip, meditatively drawing down the experience and modulating her latent hum as if buzzing along to the music. Arrival in Higgins saw the chrome-silver and carbon-black champion smoothly transitioning out of the back of the truck while stowing the record in the cab while people re-arrange themselves, considering the state of affairs slowly, and narrowing blue optics. It was difficult to tell, with the massive shift in cultural values, if this was coping-diseased or fully infected as far as wounds went, but the matter didn't earn a comment before the angels started making some of their own. 'I'm certain of it,' The personal promises of angels did not sway Dimo, who gave Charilaos a side-glance before looking to the outer defenses and exhaling a buzz-hum sigh. "I will perform a survey. It will be but a moment." Dimo had returned, not really making her actions a question as trails grew and solidified into raised wing-like extensions with thrusters and sharp flight surfaces that beat once as a bird might to assist leap in take-off, swinging out towards one of the far guard towers without waiting for the full briefing. She had returned for the fight, but her bird-of-prey falling strike, morphed metal talons joining spear as she joined the fight from the outskirts, too slow to help engage with the Erlking. ... AND NOW... Having strode back into the encampment such as it was with a few new marks that took time to smooth over, Dimo returned to her primarily positive charm while her natural aura of warmth (literal, dry) pushed away just a bit of the press of the world around her. However it was difficult to affect positive charm when the entire constituency of the town seemed to be suffering fairly directly. "Perhaps it would be poor of me to suggest my own methods of exorcising negativity, not having a particular subject matter expertise on possessions. I could make a request for clarity, if you require such, but..." Dimo begins, conversationally to Calvin as she stands aside with him, before Richards exits the tent and begins briefing.
Dimokratia	Dimo's optics track to Richards' shield and she takes the few steps required to lean down and touch the shield-edge and grip firmly. Sturdiness confirmed, the champion's carbon-dark lips smile across ceramic composite cheeks. "You look drained, Templar, but well besides!" Drawing back, Dimo waves away the assurance that she can't be thanked enough. "Oh, non-sense, Templar, I know exactly the sorts of considerances that might thank me, and they may even be mutually beneficial, in matters of civil defense, but you have issues on the matters of hours that can be revisited when we both have ample time to discuss. Perhaps the Paladins can broker a meeting with your Canaan, and strategic matters can be discussed soon. For now:" Dimo's trails wave as silver-and-gossamer that shifts behind her as her arms do, tucked behind back. "It may be useful to recover what information is available here, in any remaining orders or correspondence substantiated the removal of the garrison, and ensure rapid communication is available for the people here to send word for help, and then make for the Cathedral if possible? It might also be wise to send Futaba, myself, or someone else of speed with an introduction from you ahead to stifle any foul play further ahead while not exposing you, Templar, to further harm." Dimo looks to Calvin for a moment of confirmation. "Templar Richards and her companion are now one of the most important actors in this field, with their loss critically damaging any further actions. So, it's not acceptable for them to split off from the main group. How can we proceed considering that?"
Calvin Nash	A second later, a tiny mole pops out of the left sleeve. Richards doesn't get it. "Were you carryin' that this whole time? Honey, if you needed a place to put your little friend, you shoulda said so before we left the Assembly." Calvin shakes his head. "Well, anyway... Tucumcari's not as developed as the capital, but it's sure more built up than Higgins." Excuse me? You need a Cathedral to ask some questions? "At a Cathedral, there'd be enough juice for us to compel the truth. It takes a lotta energy to do that even from somethin' on the level of a dybbuk." "Yeah, but your problem is you got someone on the inside--" "Not so loud," Richards firmly interjects. "I don't want these people any more frightened than they already are." "Your problem is," says Calvin, in a lower voice, "This is an inside job, and you gotta get permission to use them Cathedrals, don't you? So that leaves a paper trail." Calvin nods towards Lilian. "Like Lilian said, they probably already know we're alive. But I don't want whoever it is knowin' no more than they need to. Which is why I say we do it here, take what we can get, and go from there. Besides, the kinda work you're talkin' about takes time to set up. Which is plenty of time for someone to move on that witness." Who'd want to see this place fail the most? "Libertalia," Richards answers almost immediately. "But I... don't think it was them. If they want a fight, they don't sneak in through the backdoor. They tell you to your face and start swingin'. Even if the dybbuks was them, how would they have messed with the garrison roster? We ain't had no reports of missin' messengers, and if it was some kinda mistake, you can bet them archangels'd be back here fast as anything. This was somebody tryin' to slow us down--keep us from talkin' to that witness in Tucumcari." New Mexico shares a border with Texas, Lilian finds, although she'll have to zoom in a ways to see towns as unimportant as Higgins and Tucumcari. It's about 250 miles despite the proximity of the two states, which brings to mind that old adage about a hundred years to an English person versus a hundred miles to an American. That would be another three hour drive--but, thankfully, Tucumcari is part of Canaan's Terminal network, so it'd be a few seconds away at most with that in mind.
Calvin Nash	"It's no problem for me to get them orders," Richards agrees with Dimo. "Matter of fact--" Charilaos smiles wanly at her, nods, and takes to the sky with a beat of his wings, flying down one of the gleaming-white, still slightly rain-slick brick roads. He lands in front of one of the town's few recently-constructed buildings, a guardhouse anachronistically built in baroque-esque masonry. Its facing is nowherenear as ornate as that era, but the shape of it, its profile, is quite reminiscent--particularly in the small but bold spires which rise up from its central point, even if they only reach two stories. As Charilaos entreats with the skeleton crew at the garrison for any surviving orders, Calvin rubs his chin. Templar Richards and her companion are now one of the most important actors in this field, with their loss critically damaging any further actions. So, it's not acceptable for them to split off from the main group. How can we proceed considering that? "If someone's goin' ahead, I'd want it to be you," she says. "You're fast, you can defend yourself..." "And she's good with people," Calvin agrees. "Not that I really wanna send her there without no backup. So that's Richards, Futaba and Dimo for doin' this official-like?"
Futaba Nuki	"Were you carryin' that this whole time?" Futaba inhales, then belts out a... Sensible chuckle? No guffaws this time. She needs to look a little more proper, at least for now. "Hm? Oh, don't worry about it. He likes it in here. Could even say he's real... Attached?" She answers another chuckle, pulling her sleeve back a bit more to reveal that the mole is, in fact, replacing her hand! And then she slides the sleeve forward again to turn the mole back into her hand without subjecting Richards to actually seeing how that all works. "If there's no way for you to know, then we should simply assume that they did." "Mhm. Then we can shore up whatever holes they might try and open up, or maybe even set somethin' up in secret for if they try coming after them." Futaba nods in agreement with Lilian and offers a suggestion following up after that, somehow looking as dry and cool as she does in any other weather. Her tail, however, is noticeably sagging on the ground behind her. "Who'd want to see this place fail the most?" "Way too many folks, that's for sure." Futaba adds after Calvin replies, nodding along with his answer to Regulus. "Heck, we've been gettin' hounded by... What, three? Four different factions since we showed up here? The Libertalians, the jerks tailin' us before we ran into Hell Biker, and that's not even counting who we haven't run into yet." "It might also be wise to send Futaba, myself, or someone else of speed with an introduction from you ahead . . ." Futaba snaps her fingers lightly, and that usual eager spark returns to her face despite the sogginess of her tail. "I like it. If we group up, I could even run interference if someone tries to tail us. Lead 'em on a wild goose chase, stall 'em out while Dimo and Richards turn into specks on the horizon. Heck..." "Templar Richards and her companion are now one of the most important actors in this field, with their loss critically damaging any further actions. " That gives Futaba another idea, and she turns to squint at Richards. "... You know. If they know how important you are, it might not hurt if you and me swap outfits. Then if something does go down, I can lead whatever pursuers there are off while you and Lady Dimo make sure your message gets there properly." She glances around once more, then turns to Richards and Calvin before steadily transforming her face into the spitting image of Richards'. "Eh? Eh? What do you think?" She asks while doing a bad impersonation of Richards' voice.
Regulus	''I don't think it was them.'' "Even if it wasn't them, that might be where they're headed to lay low after wrecking the place here." Regulus mulls aloud. "And why are they so keen on keeping us from investigating a kidnapping--not many people would even know any of us here and this is a way bigger deal than kidnapping some ambassador. And just to slow us down? Maybe someone from the Assembly doesn't like the idea of people getting too cozy with the people here what with the whole--" Regulus gestures vaguely, her braincells having been turned from her hierarchy of needs for to long. She looks at Dimo for a moment. Was this all a plan to lure out Dimo?? She's also an ambassador... A super ambassador! Regulus vows to protect multidimensional peace once more should it come to that. "I'll go with Dimo!" Regulus declares. "Regulus will always fight for multidimensional peace." She winks at Dimo. Don't worry, she'll protect you from the baddies. They might be prepared for what Dimo can do, but nobody can prepare for Regulus! Not that Regulus can prepare for Dimo because she doesn't really know what Dimo is capable of really.
Dimokratia	"A dybbuk detector might be an excellent plan - for while the highest concentration of energy would come from the Hunt, there may be actors within the settlement, or some additional devices either technical or magical that are laying in passive state around the settlement. Additionally, there is always the stationary value of a detector in directing lessened defenses. Still, our matters are of timely nature, so we may not have the ability to direct our full efforts in every direction." Dimo considers the bard-engineer's matters closely, not discounting the expertise of any that Calvin had arranged and currently fond of the singing-sailing inventor. "Do not discount your many thoughts as none, bright wandering star. That they are abuzz within you means they make noise even while you were silent." She asides, before returning to the matter at hand, bringing right hand up in faint-clawing flourish. "With the orders, we will at least be armed to make an intervention to realign whomever is sending the orders, and so on until we lose our causal chain or pull loose the offending piece." Affirming with nod and considering-look, Dimo's trails sway back out from behind her, idle motion a swaying settle-dance while Dimo's arm drops back to brush Futaba's head with her expectant suggestions and planning. "That may be a superior plan, and provide the most benefit. If we split our parties in two, Futaba as an extra Richards can provide confusion, but, if we are intercepted in the air we will have other problems. Still, I don't think it's a bad idea. Confusing enemy targeting is its own reward, as my sister might opine. How we will trick them depending on how we fly might give up the deception as well, but remember this deception for later - and if you do, don't talk - just summon your sword of flames and buy time with your efforts as a ninja before fading away." Back to Richards, Dimo considers down. "Does that plan comply with your wishes, Templar? I can promise to ensure your safety, of course, but with my interest I would say such goes without saying. If you are to travel with me, you will travel in peace even if I must enforce so personally." The party seems to expand more, and Dimo considers the problem before them as a logical split. "If we are able to use the local transmaterialization network, our travel might be rendered more simply - and we may not have to split our efforts." A clear focus is placed on Calvin. "Marshal. I understand your reticence to speak while the plan develops, but I must now ask: if Regulus is moving with me, then, it may be better to move as one group. What is your hesitance moving towards the Cathedral? If you are not present, the Demon Marshals will not be seen as contributory, unless your opportunity is as pressing as this one, or, you would be staying here for a time to rally Marshal defense to this location. What is your will, as local representative and Chevalier?"
Lilian Rook	'At a Cathedral, there'd be enough juice for us to compel the truth. It takes a lotta energy to do that even from somethin' on the level of a dybbuk.' Lilian, who is, incidentally, allied with the Saint Pavlov Foundation, immediately assumes this means torture. She frowns, thinks about it a little longer, concludes that it's probably really hard to torture an intangible spirit without special magic, then nods. 'This is an inside job, and you gotta get permission to use them Cathedrals, don't you? So that leaves a paper trail.' Lilian doubles takes at Calvin, by way of subtle eyebrows-up triple blink and lean back. Then she leans forward, and conversational-murmurs "If that's the issue, I can have that expunged rather easily." She doesn't mean by asking. "But I'm afraid I agree with Calvin. Intelligence goes stale, and informational warfare is entirely about agility; if their objective is to slow us down then we shouldn't go any slower than we have to. Furthermore, if we get ahead of them at the next step, we can stop to thoroughly extract information there." 'But I... don't think it was them. If they want a fight, they don't sneak in through the backdoor. They tell you to your face and start swingin'.' "What a charming assessment." Lilian says. "If only that were true of anyone consistently." She relents after a second, to say, "The garrison roster is something that would have required someone with experience to pull off; it was the most effective setup that stood out the least. I can't help but think about our previous incident involving shinobi." She stops to grimace at her phone. She'd really rather not take the Terminal, so that's an hour and a half of casual long-distance flight for her. "Perhaps I should get ahead of you in that case." she says.
Calvin Nash	Maybe someone from the Assembly doesn't like the idea of people getting too cozy with the people here what with the whole-- "Uh-uh," Calvin asserts, shaking his head. "Nobody wants 'cozy' more than the Assembly. It's a place by and for people who don't wanna reinvent what it means to be human just to have a decent life. Makin' sure that the people who do want that--Canaan and Libertalia--don't see us as enemies, helps us have that." "Y'all can't imagine that's gonna last forever," Richards says. "Sooner or later you're gonna have to pick a side." "We did." Calvin slaps his palm against the patch on his uniform's sleeve, reading 'SOUTHEAST ASSEMBLY DEMON MARSHAL'. He points with his index to the emblem of the Assembly, the little sapling budding in the rubble at dawn. "Anyway." What is your hesitance moving towards the Cathedral? "Time and noise," he says. "We're in a race, like Lilian says. Now, she says she can take care of the second part. I believe her. So that takes care of it still bein' a surprise. But work in a summonin' facility takes time. It's delicate stuff. The whole time that's goin' on, that witness is gonna need protectin', and forgive me for sayin' so, Knight-Captain, but we don't know if we can trust whoever's doin' the guardin' 'till we get there." Knight-Captain Richards sighs. "Yeah," she says. "So what we'll do is," Those few words have been the foundation of many a plan, and a fair amount of those plans ill-considered. "We'll give 'em somethin' they can't ignore and see what shakes out. First thing's first, we're gonna take a look at them orders once Charilaos gets back. We'll get the name of whoever signed off on the transfers." "Then we're gonna figure out if that's our double-crosser, or just a yes-man." "How's that?" "We head to Tucumcari through the Terminal and then split up. Futaba, you're on witness duty. You'll go by yourself disguised as Richards. Your number one job is keepin' him safe. If that means fight, you fight, if that means grab 'im and run, you grab 'im and run like hell. As long as he's safe, you can get info about this hunchback fella we're after. Richards, me, and everybody else, we're gonna go to the Cathedral. Lilian, you and Dimo oughta head there ahead of the rest of us, make it look official--and maybe do some of that expungin' you mentioned. Regulus, I know you said you was gonna go with Dimo, but I want you and APPLe with me and Richards to help out with the ritual of compulsion. We'll ask our questions, get our information." Richards nods. "Okay. Sounds like a plan." Calvin shakes his head. "Wasn't finished. Once we get what we're lookin' for, that's when I summon Ongyo-ki." Richards' brow shoots up. "What?!" she hisses. "Marshal Nash, you can't be serious!" "Sure am."
Calvin Nash	Richards' stunned silence lasts only as long as it takes her to find the words for an explanation she doesn't feel she needs to illustrate. "They'll be able to see you from China if you do that," she hoarsely, incredulously utters. "That's the point," answers Calvin. "I wanna see what they do when they think they can't afford not to do nothin'." "You're liable to get the Templars' attention too, whether or not they got any involvement. What're you gonna tell them? Besides, what if whoever it is decides to... to cave in the Cathedral? We already know they don't care none 'bout collateral." "I ain't gonna keep 'im out. Just a little peek. Make it look like an accident. The Templars can figure it was a fusion accident, and not pay it no mind once it blips out. But I bet you our double-crosser'll know. Lilian figured they're prolly a demon, on account of how easy it'd be for a human to change disguises. If that's right, then they'd know exactly what that presence was, on account of they met 'im before."
Regulus	Regulus isn't so sure about Calvin's assertion--in any group there's bound to be someone unhappy about where things are going. Even the Silver, sort of, had that with Petra--but if it is true that just leaves someone from Canaan. Who was willing to wreck their own homes for the point. Regulus can conceive of it, but she doesn't like it. But she does like schemes, especially ill considered ones. What she doesn't like is being pulled from Dimo who might have ASSASSINS after her too! "How exactly would I help with that?" Regulus asks. Since working with Vertin she's gained some ranks in the minion skill tree and can 'Aw geeze boss, what am I supposed to do?' at any moment. "I never got a chance to even peek at your rituals before and usually I'm one who bobbies are trying to get information out of." APPLe however is willing to offer, #-1 FUNCTION (ANS) NOT FOUND "But...you'd be in danger without me...!" Regulus cries, in clear violation of expectation, experience, and reality. "Ah I am sure Miss Lilian Rook and Miss Dimo can keep this APPLe out of danger." Regulus looks like she's about to ask 'but who will look after Lilian and Dimo??' but she stops herself at the last moment and adds, "But we're buddies." "Ah be that as it may, we are here to help the Marshall, yes?" APPLe asks and Regulus looks like she's looking for another argument. "And you owe him one don't you?" Regulus sighs in defeat. "Okay..."
Futaba Nuki	"Regulus will always fight for multidimensional peace." "I'll be countin' on ya if we really do get tailed, then." Futaba shoots Regulus an approving nod following her declaration. "Lady Dimo's got stuff going on I can't even begin, so anyone that can go along with her without slowin' her down is good in my book. Shame I won't be around to see what you're capable of, though, but... Ah, we'll leave that for the next big show." "That may be a superior plan, and provide the most benefit." She leans into Dimo's arm with a light sway of her own, clearly basking in the validation even while wearing Richards' face with her own dopey smile. "Huhuhu... Oh, yeah. Don't worry, I'll be good about not sayin' a thing. Even if it comes to a fight, I'll-" Oh. Fighting without talking. Considering her habits, that could be rather hard. Still, if the success of the mission AND Dimo's approval depends on it? "-I can pull it off. Being a stoic silent badass during a fight that slings around a flaming katana and disappears into the night could even give 'em something to worry about if they don't know what else Richards's got up her sleeves." "Nobody wants 'cozy' more than the Assembly." "Sooner or later you're gonna have to pick a side." Hearing the back and forth between Calvin and Richards is just a smidge awkward for Futaba to hear, but it gives her plenty more to chew on while considering the potential culprits. "Sure makes it easier to look straight at Libertalia on who pulled this off, but... Nah, Richards sounds right about it not bein' them. To be honest, they sound more like the types that'd go into a situation the way I would 'cause it'd send a bigger message. I mean, unless they got someone smart on board that REALLY wants to screw with folks here." "What is your hesitance moving towards the Cathedral? but we don't know if we can trust whoever's doin' the guardin' Yeah," "... Damn, that bad, huh? I mean, I guess we can't rule 'em out, but still." She offers Richards a sympathetic frown, then remembers to put her own face on. "And with the kind of info we need to fish out of the witness, I doubt me posing as them to lure out the mole would really work the same way posing as you would. So..." "Futaba, you're on witness duty. You'll go by yourself disguised as Richards." That gets a confident smile on Futaba's face again. "Aye aye, Cap'n. Er. Marshal. I'll fight like hell, I'll run like hell, and I'll make sure nobody touches a hair on our guy's head." She boasts with a puffed up chest and flick of her tail, the latter still sounding soggy when it just kind of flamps on the ground beside her. "Might even be able to maintain some continuity to the Myth of the Knight-Captain if I really end up having to throw down twice looking like her." "Once we get what we're lookin' for, that's when I summon Ongyo-ki." Futaba's eyebrow slowly goes up, and then she gives Calvin a more curious look. "I'm listening." She says plainly, not nearly as stunned or put off as Richards is at the idea. She whistles lightly after hearing his rationale for it, too, stroking her chin for a moment before nodding again and then reaching up briefly to make sure her leaf is still in place. "Yeah... Yeah, I follow! Make 'em think they can't sit still, force 'em to play their hand sooner than they'd really want to, bag our mole once they jump the gun. Heck, we might even be able to find them early if someone starts trying to sneak off right after all that goes down. And when that happens, we'll already be right where we need to be to do more of the interrogatin'."
Lilian Rook	'Nobody wants 'cozy' more than the Assembly. It's a place by and for people who don't wanna reinvent what it means to be human just to have a decent life.' Lilian, tuned out, restless, already thinking about the road and not the vague and formless shape of a conflict she only has a stake in because of her factional allegiance, breaks from mental math frowning at her phone map to look up in Calvin's direction. Her unblinking stare lasts long enough to be uncomfortable, then somehow breaks off and glances back down even more uncomfortably. A swear forms on her lips, and goes unuttered. She pockets her phone, and runs her fingers through the ends of her hair stressfully. 'and forgive me for sayin' so, Knight-Captain, but we don't know if we can trust whoever's doin' the guardin' 'till we get there.' "We don't trust them either way." Lilian says, half-barked around the ends of a frustrated exhalation. "This is a rare situation in which being 'pessimistic and then pleasantly surprised' is a sensible stance to approach it with rather than preemptively trying to cushion the blow of failure. Our group is fairly small, but that's ideal for the precision work we're getting ourselves involved in now; as long as we're fighting an enemy invisibly insinuated into society, we should be operating apart from it, doing everything ourselves, as much as possible." She tries not to look leery at him when she hears the magic words. "I've no objections regarding the priorities you've laid out, but I have to question--" She looks back, and doesn't swerve at all. "Leaving Nuki entirely to her own devices, putting every single part of the witness protection process at her sole discretion, might be too much to put on one person." By which she means Futaba specifically. "A tail, scout, or some other form of support, could be very welcome; especially if she might be pursued by a professional. As for Ongyo-ki . . ." She looks to Richards next. "That's precisely how you discover whether someone is a threat or a toady. People with vested interests are forced to take action. People who kiss those people's boots don't have to do anything at all. Your other option is putting them in a concrete cell and letting someone--" meaning her "--perform advanced interrogation for hours, and we've decided we don't want to spend that time." "Besides, it's Marshal Nash's ass on the line if someone takes exception in a legitimate capacity." Lilian shrugs. "I'm afraid I won't be using the Terminal connection, for my own reasons. I'll make a personal guarantee to arrive at the Cathedral within one hour of commencement, so make your plans accordingly. Dimo, please decide on a location to meet at before we convene there, and send the description to me; not coordinates. I'll leave that in your hands."
Dimokratia	With the exact sweet tone of a third party faith leader warmly buzzing among great minds, Dimo's back-held arms don't hide what the interested and hopeful lift in her trails conveys. Reminiscent - broadcast - in a way the mind can perceive as a warm crackle of barely restrained arms-about impulse, Dimo's smile takes the character of someone who knows something the others do not. "If you are interested in discussing matters such as the ravages of time or plans for the future - from ruins, or otherwise - I will of course happily participate. With your paradises being brought into the world as it is, surely you'd enjoy additional time and stability to enjoy them?" She offers, almost preaching, her tones laced and woven with the rich synaptic crackle of the projected warmth that washes over Calvin and Richards roughly evenly with Dimo's attention on the two arguing individuals. She favors Richards slightly, and so to the Knight-Captain might appear to be particularly light-caught or radiant as she speaks and certainly casually alluring in a more cerebral way than usual. She had been openly pitching to Richards all operation and saw no reason to slow down at this point. "Harmony and alignment across many points requires a neighborly virtue. Do not both of your societies champion such? Come! Let us be neighbors in this." She encourages. 'So what we'll do is,' Immediately showing positive reception to Calvin laying out his synthesis of the plan as he desires it, Dimo refavors her attention towards Calvin as he lays out the plan, nodding in turn to Dame Rook at the addition of the timeliness concern. "Lilian can make first contact in Tucumcari by arriving via flight, bypassing the Terminal which will of course be monitored and expected. Coordination with her, and her abilities to find misaligned points and remove the issue should serve to be our best first actor to arrive. If 'shinobi' are to be expected, then, a hunter sent ahead would be wise." 'Lilian, you and Dimo oughta head there ahead of the rest of us, make it look official' Dimo, slightly surprised, especially after having already softly committed to spending a little more time with Richards and Regulus, takes a moment to reconsider and then slowly nod, arms loosening to hang in a more reserved cross rather than a professional behind-back array. "This arrangement should provide us with the most flexible arrival. Calvin must be seen with Richards, having a duplicate Richards will surely draw whatever attention that will be directed towards Futaba, who can both evade and react with more flexibility than the Knight-Captain themselves, and our operation will be to insert the Marshal and Knight-Captain to their destination, with their proof, to force the hand of any actors laying in wait. Once our advance is complete, we can use the trap of our foes to our advantage - and spring it when it will close around our strength rather than our surprise." Looking then to Lilian, side-optic and faintly curious, Dimo asks: "Will we be collapsing in good order upon the operation through Tucumcari, or should I plan a more firm deployment into the city? It would be ideal if the Paladins performed surgical cooperative assistance than, for example, placing a ship in low orbit overhead and launching a full support unit to ensure alignment. The Marshals should not treat the city of Canaan like Atlanta. Such would send a message!" 'Wasn't finished.' Dimo's filiment-pale brows shoot up. Then settle. "That is certainly a way to draw the attention close. I will arrange for the support, in case it is required to ensure minimum issue." She makes it sound blissful rather than military. It's all in the tone.
Calvin Nash	How exactly would I help with that? "Every ritual needs two things: power and stability. The Cathedral gives us some of that already. On account of it's designed for rituals. But the more hands that's involved, the faster it goes. So you're gonna be there, with me and Richards, pourin' in energy and doin' your part for stability." "I heard you singin' earlier," answers Richards with a little smile. "So I think we shouldn't have no problems with that. I got a hymnal with me you can read over so you'll know the words." She flips open the COMP on her wrist, a model clearly descended from the same ancestor as Calvin's, but different in its expression of form and not just because of the Templar livery painted on the back of its monitor. After a few taps, she procures the aforementioned hymnal from the device's digital storage, following a synthesized buzzing sound and the swarming of neon-green data artifacts. Richards offers it over to her. "We can start practicin' while we wait to get started. It's gonna be this one..."
Calvin Nash	A tail, scout, or some other form of support, could be very welcome. "Easy," says Calvin. "Him." Calvin points to the returning Charilaos, two documents tucked under one arm as he descends into a landing at a light jog. "Me?" "Yep. You. Here's the plan. We go to Tucumcari through the Terminal in an hour. Futaba's gonna go as your partner in disguise. You're gonna tail 'er, be her backup and keep her from puttin' her foot in her mouth." "Where will Gladys be?" "Gladys?" "...Knight-Captain Richards." "I know who you--" Calvin stops himself and shakes his head. "In the Tucumcari Cathedral with the rest of us." Charilaos' arm crinkles the documents slightly against himself, and he exhales through his nose. "...very well. I'll place my trust in you to have her back as I would. Please don't make me regret that." "Yeah. Back at you. That the movin' orders?" "Yes," says the angel, holding them out. "I... can verify their authenticity," he says with a tight-lipped frown. The orders came from Nuriel, an angel of the Thrones, the next organizational rung up from Charilaos. They date back several months, forming a clear pattern of the settlement being short-changed out of its defensive garrison. All are deployments to places that Charilaos points out as being otherwise justifiable. The factors which cast doubt on that are the specific dates involved and the utter lack of any reinforcements from less critical places closer to the heart of Canaan in Utah. In the case of the dates, the first instance of a reduction in troops takes place shortly after initial planning began on Thoth's diplomatic visit to the Assembly. As for communications out of here--the communications relay itself, a radio tower built with reclaimed metal and connected to a heavy-duty generator rather than any grid--will do the trick. The operator at the tiny station is among those recuperating from their exorcisms, but one of the unscathed laborers expresses a passing familiarity with how they're used. Higgins can get the support it needs, quickly--though Calvin does ask that the call isn't made until they've left, as a 'personal favor.' By the time that happens, Lilian will have had her head start, and all that remains is to stick to the plan and hope for the best.