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Yuri Stinson Posted By: REDACTED

Please investigate and then kill the Princess this time. My available resources for paying for your investigation diminish. If I wished to pay money to watch a festival, I would have attended Calibration this year.

Reward: One (1) gold bar weighing 10 kg per person.

---

    When last this mission was left off by our intrepid heroes working for bars of gold had attended a festival to investigate the suspicious goings on at the Kingdom. Setsuko had come across a man immigrating out of the Silver Kingdom towards Paragon. He had declined the processing center's treatment, didn't remember much about it, but was heading off to immigrate with a fresh visa and travel papers, along with money to go with.

    Kutsuuko had made a positive impression on Golden Flicker, the city's protector and Solar Exalt. Kyra had gotten a wave from the princess and spoken to a mysterious stranger in a flight suit. Staren and Finna faffed about with Children.

    There are a couple avenues left to pursue. Kutsuuko could pull strings and get everyone a job to try to get them close and in the Princess's favor. You could also try to find a way to sneak into the Processing center. Meeting just outside city gates gives people time to discuss this.
Raylene Dunwich     It shouldn't be a surprise, after the radio chatter, that Raylene wanders over to join Kyra. The young girl is in a slightly more practical outfit tonight, one that matches up well with the clothing she saw in the city on her last excursion here. She has also made no secret that a small knife is at her hip... obviously more for self-defense than for actual use in sustained combat.

    As always, she has that ephemeral companion with her, the lingering Horror for the moment, content and not seeking blood. Hanging out with a medical person like Kyra is probably good for her, maybe she'll learn some morals.
Finna No more faffing about with children this time. Finna's traveling as a dragonfly - a particularly speedy dragonfly - across the rooftops. Given the apparent lack of wildlife, she's unworried about any birds or lizards who might see her as prey, and a large insect should be small enough to go undetected pretty much ANYWHERE.

    The Dragonfly's lengthy tail end is unusually fluffy and white if anyone DID get a really close look at it, but... oh well.

    For now, the bug flies on a sort of zigzaggy course lollygagging towards the palace, trying to not appear too zealously focused on its goal...

    Though this may not matter, for the grace of Luna flows through this creature's movement. It is easily overlooked.
Kyra Hyral Kyra looks no different than usual-her particular way of dressing seems to fit in pretty well with the rest of the people here. It hasn't attracted her much attention yet, it seems.

    She's hanging around with Raylene now, waiting as they chat on the radio about their next course of action-which seems 'get into the processing center'. After all, Kyra did have some medical expertise. Perhaps she could find out more about the drugs they're allegedly feeding people.

    "Maybe it was that pilot I encountered last time I was here." she suddenly remarks, "The person that put out the job."
Nero      Accompanying her Master after missing the last several excursions due to reasons, is Nero. She is dressed no differntly than she would be otherwise, and is wearing her usual regal red getup. After all, why should an emperor dress down simply because she is accompanying an investigation!? Everywhere was Rome, as far as the Servant was concerned.

     Kyra's warning about sneaking around is acknowleged, but for now, she will remain inconpicuous. And to that end, she is in spirit form. She will reveal herself when the time is right, but the less bodies they look like they have, the less suspicious the group will seem as a whole. Right? Right.

     We'll go with that.
Kutsuuko Shiratori     So, the first time Kutsuuko was here, she went straight for the military encampment, as the standing army and its continued hostile takeover of surrounding areas had seemed to be the contentious issue the contractor had with the Princess. After pestering and needling for how to get access to royal operations as a mercenary, she'd managed to arrange a duel with Golden Flicker, or rather his bodyguard, the second day, and suitably impress the Solar hero of the people to get that access. Today, she is in the palace proper, welcomed as an elite addition worthy of the Princess' attention, and extended her basic trust; possibly by passing for a totally-not-fake exalted herself with what is totally a 'grand orichalcum daiklave' in tow, provided nobody is scrutinizing too hard past the usual.

    Anyone she can excuse taking with her, she will have done so, most likely those that look like actual warriors and can pretend to answer to her. As she is somehow still being paid, she is currently considering herself 'on the clock', and so mission minded, avoiding wandering around the halls or being treated by palace staff as much as possible to locate whatever 'official' chambers the royalty might be keeping for outside clients; preferably whatever they have for a war room, or failing that, at least somewhere where she can 'catch up' on briefings and operation files from previous sorties as a latecomer mercenary.
Setsuko Kaminagi     Some of the guards doubtless recognize Setsuko already. Others will have at least been given her description. Setsuko doubts any sort of subterfuge would work here, so she doesn't even bother. With Zanjintou at her side, she walks slightly behind and to one side of Kutsuuko Shiratori, as if her presence there were utterly normal. It is the steady lockstep of a subordinate, of one there following her superior officer's lead. She can only hope that acting as if she belongs there, as if Kutsuko's orders are what motivate her, will soothe over any issues like "aren't you that powerful woman that put the whole city on alert". At the very least, she's got the 'looks like a military sort' part down.
Yuri Stinson --Finna--

    The guards seem to take no notice of the dragonfly this time. It's nominally more effective than the crow disguise, which was getting noticed when it hung around too long. However, Finna runs afoul of a different issue this time. Seemingly standing where one would expect a palace guard to be is the princess herself, holding her lantern in one hand as the teal-colored embers waft off of it.

    Her black and red eyes affix upon the dragonfly as it passes and she smiles, "First a crow. Now a dragonfly. Perhaps next you will be some manner of seal. You would likely find better coin busking such a talent in the streets than so constantly trying to go beneath notice." Her lantern floats next to her as her hands fold behind her back patiently.

--Kyra, Raylene, Nero--

    In contrast to their attempted-stealth seeking friend, and perhaps benefitted by the distraction elsewhere, there's no one taking much notice of the three girls gathering in the city. They're generally free to meander over towards the palace if they want, and the guards are letting civilians through into the gardens again. Everyone is, as usual, smiling and bustling through the streets. There's not a festival this time so they can't vanish in a massive crowd, but it's not hard to slip around and be part of the general menagerie while they figure out how to approach.

--Kutsuuko and Setsuko. Henceforth dualnamed Setsuuuko.--

    Setsuko is actually pretty well received. Much like last time she came back, as long as she isn't planning to kick her aura up, she won't really get much negative attention. In fact, a few fans among the Elite Guards might stop by to tell her how impressive it was, now that she was confirmed to not be a danger.

    Wandering the palace with Kutsuuko is pretty productive. They can meander through halls and head through various areas. Generally, they come across what looks like the 'Military' department, giving them the option to look at a War Room, Armory, or the Hangars if they so wish to do.
Finna Dragonfly-Finna clearly PANICS at being so directly addressed, doing a weird little zigzag in midair and backing AWAY from the Princess. But instead of just bailing... the dragonfly lands and shifts. Finna's human form erupts from the tough exoskeleton. It's not the prettiest sight to see a morph from insect to person...

    But soon the young woman's left staring in utter disbelief bordering on a hint of terror.

    "You knew I was coming." She blurts, mildly irritated. Unstated, but obvious in her tone, is the question, 'HOW?'
Kyra Hyral "Well, without a clusterfuck of a festival going on, maybe we can actually get in to the Palace. I tried last time and the line to get to the princess was pretty insane. Also I thought the others were going to come with us to get us in...? Oh well..." Kyra shrugs and motions for Nero and Raylene to follow, since she did have some familiarity with the Palace from the previous visits.

    She walks with confidence, doing what she could to not seem suspicious, while heading straight for the gardens. That was normal visitor behavior.
Nero      Nero follows along, incorporeal as usual, and silent in order to not draw too much attention. While she moves through the air, she takes stock of everything going on in the garden, gaze peering left and right. They were headed for some sort of treatment facility on palace grounds, right? Hmmm...now, one had to wonder if the guards were as perceptive as the Princess herself.

     Nero decided to test that theory, forging on ahead as if absolutely nothing was wrong. She would make way for the treatment facility as her target.
Raylene Dunwich     It's as good a time as any for Raylene to see if her 'magic' is as easy to see as other kinds. The Horror is what usually gets her attention, despite being immaterial and invisible. Her witchcraft is so subtle that it is a bit different in contrast, but... she can think of an easy excuse for it.
    A simple selection of a victim, a minor effort of will... what she can do without a full ritual is limited, but a short-lived curse of misfortune should be enough to inconvenience someone non-fatally, and perhaps distract the guards. She can always play it off as a bored prank, since it's harmless all told.
Kutsuuko Shiratori     This is much more like it. Admittedly, Kutsuuko has been banking on the others finding out all they can to determined whether or not she really needs to go through with an assassination like this, but she feels that she can't sit on her hands and wait for them when it's already such a multi-stage process getting this close to the Princess anyways. Going through the steps necessary to complete the actual objective simultaneously with the investigation had seemed like the right idea, and so right now, all she can do is hope that the rest can dig everything up before the end of today. She doesn't feel comfortable sitting on it any longer. Call it military habit.

    Speaking of which, as long as Setsuko is causing nobody any grief, she'll hit the War Room right away. The armoury and hangar are less immediately relevant to her aims; she's hoping to avoid those coming into play in the first place, and knowing /where/ the relevant troops will be is important. If nothing else, in the absence of anything incriminating, she'll be able to pick through a schedule, record everything she can, and hash out a plan of attack in the upcoming span of time. That entails walking right in like the owns the place, giving any guards the bare minimum of time required to double check that she's supposed to be there, and allow the demigod through as well.

    The first thing she'll be looking for is anything left out for associates to consult, memorize and plan around on their own time; things like maps or drafts of operations that they'd be expected to know to participate. Failing that, anything that might have been left around from a previous meeting, and failing that, someone to spin it out of.
Setsuko Kaminagi     They found her pulse of divine aura... impressive.

    Setsuko isn't sure how to feel about this.

    They seemed welcoming enough when she was in the city, but now that she's in the palace and walking alongside Kutsuuko, that warm welcome becomes a tad more unsettling. She doesn't let it show, though. Too disciplined for that. She'll simply act as if she's vaguely flattered, and continue along with her 'commander'.

    The war room is a tantalizing target for the both of them, and much like Kutsuuko, once they're in there, the demigod starts taking a look around for anything she's expected to have read up on. But she's also keeping her senses open, hoping for any subtle traces that might guide her to something interesting - sight, sound, scent, magic, or even subtle hints of War if such a thing can be felt.
Yuri Stinson --Finna--

    "I'm a very old Chosen with a great number of tricks," Princess Vitri says with a cheerful smile as she looks towards the fox woman, "Your tail is quite distinctive," She remarks, a finger tapping at her chin a couple times, "It was almost a dead giveaway."

    None of these really answer the 'hows' of 'How did you wind up in my path', 'How are you able to notice me', and 'how did you know I was coming'. She rocks back and forth on her feet a bit in thought, seeming quite upbeat and happy, "I merely thought you were playing a game with all these transformations. Hide and seek, if you will. You hid, I sought."

--Raylene, Nero, Kyra--

    So something odd is that, right now, the guards are attentive and professional, but they hardly seem as absolutely cohesive in their movements and patrols as they were last time. Something is making them just the tiniest bit sloppier, though it's hard to put the finger on what.

    A curse of misfortune causes one guard to trip, his spear lancing out and puncturing the foot of the guard he was about to relieve for his shift change at the processing center's larger bay doors. There's a pretty decent amount of blood, but it's more painful than lethal.

    It does allow the three, particularly Nero, to make their approach as the two guards leave that door temporarily unguarded as one escorts the other to the medical bay. Their window is short to get in, and Nero will find she can't just pass through the Processing Center wall due to wards. But if one of them can pick a lock, getting in will be a breeze.

--Setsuuuko--

    A pleasant, or unpleasant, surprise for the two females would likely be the presence of Golden Flicker, looking at a war map in front of him, complete with pieces and mock warstriders. He looks up as the two of them come into the war room, "Ah! Come in, come in! My newest specialist and her quite stand-apart ally!" He claps his hands together.

    "I was just planning an invasion of a nearby province. They deal heavily in slave labor, so Princess Vitri would like to see them negotiated into joining us. If they refuse, of course, we'll be more forceful," He smiles and waves at the board in front of him, "It's a good war to plan. We'll get to free the slaves and provide them with places in society! Lives. Everyone will benefit, save perhaps the stubborn ruler."
Finna "I AM quite proud of it." Finna states with sing-song assuredness about that point, swishing the tail back and forth for emphasis... but it's clear she's far, far more alert and focused than the exterior goofiness shows. Her sharp gaze never leaves Vitri.

    "Still quite a feat... spotting a single dragonfly at exactly the right time? Being right in my path? Hah... Well. Perhaps I'm just a bit sloppy when I've no vendetta ... but no, not THAT sloppy." Her eyes turn accusatorily fierce for a moment, then the huntress plants a hand on her hip.

    "You knoooooowww, someone desperately wants you dead. Doubt that's news to you, Princess. But after hanging around a while.... really must wonder.... -WHY.-"
Kutsuuko Shiratori     Golden Flicker himself, as well as a battle map and outline. Kutsuuko is beginning to wonder why she's planning out so many Plan Bs and Cs considering how well organized Vitri, or less likely the Queen, is running this ship. Perhaps she'd expected more outright paranoia rather than carefully calculated confidence. From what she's gathered, the Princess seems to be smart enough to keep an eye on her visitors, but on top of her game enough not to worry about them, at least not just yet. It's unusual, maybe a little offputting to less confident agent provocateurs, but altogether not suboptimal.

    It's not too hard to at least look and act relaxed around the relatively genial Solar Exalted. "Nice to see you." she half-honestly replies, meandering over to the map to try and take stock of it as best she can, assessing the balance of where Vitri's armies, more importantly her warstriders, are deployed more than the enemy she has no intention of helping conquer. "Well, I'll admit that's a pretty noble cause, but I'm guessing it's your job to rally the men and lead the charge and all that, right? Where do the specialists fit in? Actually, who else are we working with anyways? Looks like we caught you on a casual day, so it's kind of hard to tell who else you or the Princess picked."
Nero      They arrive at the locked entrance being temporarily unguarded.

     "......"

     Nero materializes.

     She looks aside at Raylene.

     She looks to her other side at Kyra.

     She smirks at the lock.

     "Mhmhmhmhm!"

     Nero began to chuckle lowly. "They believe they can stop me with a mere lock? Hah!" A subtle red glow surrounded the Emperor, and she raised an arm, an....Aestus Estus shaped lockpick. "I am a master lockpicker after all!"

     And then she went right to work without a moment's hesitation more.
Kyra Hyral Kyra has to fight her instinct to go help the bleeding guard. In fact, she has to fight her very /nature/ to not run over and heal the guard with some white magic and, at the very least, stop the bleeding. She lingers only for a few seconds before scooting after Nero and Raylene.

    Nero simply Privleges her way through a lock, which Kyra finds absolutely normal. She /was/ familiar with this particular skill of the Saber, after all. "Of course you are. Now we better move it before those guards come back."
Setsuko Kaminagi     Setsuko's reputation has already reached as far as Flicker. She supposes she shouldn't be surprised he's heard of her, though; he's probably better able to sense her than most. She decides to remain silent aside from a faint nod of greeting, turning her gaze upon the plans when Kutsuuko does. "I was wondering similar," she muses. "I'm capable in a frontline charge, but I'd also imagine you didn't plan around sending the hardest hitters in with the main force of conscripts." There's a subtle assumption in that last word, one she puts in on purpose. An experienced fighter would expect the main charge to made up of the least voluntary soldiers in the group... and she's wondering how he'll react to that assumption, or if he'll correct them.
Raylene Dunwich     Oops. Raylene hadn't meant for anyone to get STABBED. She doesn't wince, but she does frown... that hadn't been her intention, but seh doesn't particularly worry about it. Instead she is watching the lock, and adjusting her clothing to tighten things up a bit. Sneaking around isn't as easy with how she usually wears them.

    "Let's take a look at this place," she murmurs as Nero springs the lock. A small frown toward Kyra though. "We can make sure they're all right later. It's not like they'll get infected here."
Yuri Stinson --Finna--

    "A simple feat for any veteran of the Chosen. It also happens to be a part of my specialty," She says vaguely, watching Finna as she tries to puzzle out the trick that the Princess used. She rubs the underside of her chin with the back of her hand.

    "Oh is there? Yes, it's likely The Monstrous Dark Hero, or so children who fear the boogeyman would know him as," She admits point blank, "Slayer of Leaders both Tyrant and Despot, he's known as. But I see no reason for him to have an interest in my kingdom. Everyone is content."

--Nero, Kyra, Raylene--

    Luckily for everyone present, Nero is a swiss-army servant of mundane skills she couldhave. The lockpick easily and skillfully produces a click noise after a few moments of jimmying, then the lock falls free and opens. The three ladies are clear to head inside.

    Stepping towards the interior would have them in what looks like a small warehouse area containing crates of mundane medical supplies. Gauze, syringes, bandages, pillows. Everyone working in the processing center appears to have gone home for the night. At the far end of the room are two double doors that look like they'd lead to the interior of the facility.

    Following through those doors would lead the three to a sterile hallway where supplies from the warehouse are carted in for sterilization and usage, and then another set of doors leading to a medical facility that has beds and exam rooms.

--Setsuuuko--

    "Admittedly, our plan was the usual method we use," He confesses to the two of them, "A crushingly single show of force to demoralize them and force a surrender," He notes, looking down at the board, "If done in practice, it would be me and Golden Flicker of the Sun's Might. Plus whatever other specialists were available. We'd route their initial fighting force single-handedly and they'd surrender since few nations have their own Exalts."

    "Then, new citizen matriculation, Processing the Homeless and Slaves, reassignment, and national inclusion." He explains the usual process that these things occur in to the two women, realizing they've never been a part of these, "Specialists would be whoever is available at the time. We have many elite warriors on contract for these, but the staple two are myself and my friend."
Setsuko Kaminagi     "I see," Setsuko says, considering it thoughtfully. Notably, he didn't correct her on the use of the word 'conscripts'; meaning that either he didn't think it worth correcting, or it is in fact the case. Worth keeping in mind. The demigod looks to Kutsuuko as if for permission, and then adds, "I have a concern or two, though. The most obvious is the question of what happens if they don't surrender after the first rout. If this has become your common practice, word must have gotten around by now. People will have planned for it."

    She raises her gaze from the map, then adds, "The second is all the processing. How exactly do you include them in the citizenry, is there a vetting process? I'd be worried about bringing so many people from a recently-conquered rival into the city. Too easy for spies to slip in."
Finna The Dark Hero. THAT gets Finna's face scrunching. She remembers hearing him saying things about his nature.... "Might be the guy can't tell the difference between a selfish queen or a fair Princess...." But oh, she's not fully believing this Princess is innocent of ANYTHING yet, and it's pretty obvious in the concerned look Finna aims at Vitri.

    "Can't say I LIKE how things are run around here. Too orderly for me. Needs a bit of chaos to make things interesting! .... way you're running things, however you're doing it, gives me the willies.... but it's no reason to bring the claws out." She shrugs a bit hopelessly, playfully, as if to say 'oh well, no big deal' about the matter that someone tried to hire her to kill the Princess.

    "In any case, I give up. If you're hiding something sinister behind that sweet manner, my typical methods sure can't uncover it." Well, the only question about that statement is what, specifically, she's giving up.
Nero      Wow look at this place. It's so...

     So...

     ...Medical.

     Nero looks terribly unimpressed as she leads the way into the facility, stepping over the fallen lock without a care in the world. "Hmph." She sniffed, peering left and right. "I expected more."

     The Servant moved further in, into the sterile hallway, and into the examination area with the beds. "Oho? Now, what have we here?" She mumbled, beginning to walk through the area and peer down at the beds. Were anyone in theses?

     Lets find out!
Raylene Dunwich     Hmm. Raylene is much more experienced than she appears, though she doesn't have a medical degree. She does know alchemy and chemicals. This specialist knowledge of medicine is more up Kyra's alley, though... so she leaves that to her.

    Raylene also strolls through the area, but slowly. This is because she relaxes her normal restraint and opens herself to the Sight, assessing the area for mystical adjustments they might have. Magical drugs, potions, spells... those, she can probably handle. "I never liked hospitals," she says conversationally. "Death there is slow, and quiet, and just a loss of potential."
Kyra Hyral Kyra feels immensely at home here. The crates are filled with things that are the tools of her trade-or eventual trade. She's not officially a doctor yet, there will be many more years of school before she can officially earn that right. She gives the crates a quick once-over for anything suspicious before she follows the other three into the area with the double doors.

    "Hmm, to a cleanroom." she recognizes sterile places easily enough, even if this wasn't the full-suit-up sort of thing. "Try not to touch anything in these hallways, they'll probably notice if it isn't sterile." She seems to be on the lookout for drugs in particular-she's curious what kind they use here.
Kutsuuko Shiratori     "Well, you've got a big enough army. Looking at the map, it doesn't look like they're going to win no matter what they do, but it's more of an economic vs morale question if they're willing to give up all the slaves isn't it?" Like Kutsuuko would really know. She's going off of history books here. Humanity hasn't had a war on itself for almost three decades in her world. "If it's just a straight charge on the enemy then I'm not going to complain. It makes things really simple, especially if they don't have any real Exalts themselves. It'd be nice if I could have taken a crack at one, but I don't mind large actions either if the idea is to be flashy~" Some of her more genuine, erratic excitement creeps in there, just for a moment.

    "I've gotta admit though, I've never seen a country just take on that many slaves and try to make them all citizens. Do you even have that many jobs open? I'm having a tough time imagining finding places for /all/ of them, even in a war economy. Does the royalty have a plan for it?" She then shrugs. "Out of curiosity I mean. It's sort of a weird idea. Usually the slaves just change hands." She then looks back at the board. "It looks like they have one going themselves at least. You can't be planning to go through all the trouble of escorting them all the way to the palace and back to work in their own country, right?"
Yuri Stinson --Finna--

    "Maybe he can't. It's the nature of Our Kind to commit to our concepts so fully," She says to Finna in regards to the Chosen, "Just as you cannot help how you act, perhaps he cannot see beyond his own perspective." Her eyes light up a bit.

    "Mm, but if you're going to call off whatever mission you had here, I suppose I should thank you," She bows a bit formally, scooping down at the waist and hooking an arm under herself, "I endeavor to be as kind as I can. I am happy you were able to see the true beauty of my nation's harmony."

--Scooby And The Gang--
    There's no one in the beds, but Nero is able to find a few beds that were recently used. They even have charts in the holder at the foot of the bed. No names on them, but they talk about things like 'Mixture 3822' and 'Solution 4ZBC3' and 'Applying Purpose'. Blood test results, various notes, and finally one at the bottom that says 'Treatment Applied - Process Complete'.

    Raylene opening her sight is actually rather blinding. Half of everything in the facility is magical in some way. Ranging from scalpels with enchantments to never go dull, to wound-healing salves. There's also a lot of vials and mixtures that are alchemical and magical in nature, glowing brightly. There is just as much mundane medical technology too. Saline bags, syringes (albeit with magical residue inside).

    Kyra's the one that can IDENTIFY this stuff, though. Anything Raylene brings her, Kyra will be able to cleanly identify. They use a lot of industrial-grade sedatives here. Drugs and tranquilizers that could put a Chosen to sleep. They also have mixtures that Kyra's knowledge would tell her can erase memories or induce amnesia. For as many medical supplies, they have only SLIGHTLY less supplies that are more 'experimental' in nature. And then there's the big locked cabinet that simply says 'Innoculations and Immunizations', with the giant padlock on it.

--Setsuuuko--

    "Here's the very interesting principle most people don't understand," Flicker explains to Kutsuuko in a cheerful and patient tone, "For the lack of education they receive, the prolonged usage of slaves creates a very skilled workforce in the standard trades. One that can often surpass traditional workers. By offering slaves citizenship, the skilled workers are able to put those skills to use to benefit our society. Those that wish to be a part of society but have no such skills can be trained for public service, such as maintenance, farming, or even city guard once their processing is complete."

     He turns to Setsuko, "If they continue to resist, they will simply fall to traditional warfare. Any Chosen is as good as a full army when used correctly, so we could still crush them," He pauses before answering her next question, "Processing is simple. Those who undergo it are examined, given preliminary medical treatment, and offered positions based on the assessed skills. If they accept, they are given immunizations, innoculations, and further treatement and then assigned to their post. If they refuse, they are given passage to a neighboring nation. The same is offered to citizens, former leadership, nobility. They can join us or they can move on to another opportunity elsewhere."

    He looks at them both, "While we are conquering nations to better our world, we really wish only harmony."
Kyra Hyral Idily, Kyra wonders if any of this would happen to be missed if it goes missing. Then she realizes she'd need a sample of this stuff anyway for proof. Kyra starts collecting doses of the drugs and tranquilizers, slipping them into one of her many belt pouches. "Lots of sedatives. Lots of sleeping pills. And if I'm not mistaken, some of these, mixed together, will attack the brain and cause memory loss. There is also quite a /lot/ of these materials here."

    Her gaze strays to the cabinet with the big padlock on it. "...Nero, I think we need to get into that. Would you use your supreme lockpicking skills to make that happen?"
Setsuko Kaminagi     "That didn't quite answer my question, though," Setsuko replies, with a faint frown; ostensibly out of concern for the problem she's spotted, but in truth because the lack of answer only makes her more suspicious. "It seems like a security risk. I wouldn't be so quick to trust any of them, when they could be a spy for the conquered nation. Or another nation looking to weaken you from within before you invade them." She pauses. "...I apologize if I seem suspicious, just..." She reaches up to very obviously brush fingers across the T-scar on her cheek. "I've lived as long as I have by being cautious. Hard-learned lessons."
Nero      Nero eyed the beds with the charts, peering at them and reading what they said for a few moments. "...Hrm." This didn't look terribly useful. "...These charts speak of the process involved in 'treating' their patients. Perhaps it could be useful, my Praetor?"

     At the mention of another lock, the Servant smirked and with a flick of the wrist, produced her Aestus Estus shaped lockpick. "As you command!" She strode over and went to work on the lock, carefully fiddling with it... "Now, let us see what contents you protect..."
Raylene Dunwich     That's interesting. The minor magical effects on the scalpels and such aren't of interest to Raylene. Instead, she concentrates on the unidentifiable mundane things for Kyra... and pockets some samples of the more exotic magical ones, including one of the syringes and its remnant. Let's see what cocktail they're doing.

    "I can analyze these once I get home," she explains. "It may take a few days to get all of them out of the way, but I can probably manage." She shuffles over to look at the locked cabinet. "Ah, that must be where they inject diseases into undesireables."
Kutsuuko Shiratori     Subtly, Kutsuuko realizes Flicker has happily dodged her question as well. She can understand why his country actually desires a big wave of immigrant slave labour rather than wanting to segregate it, but it doesn't tell her how they plan to make use of such a huge number of abruptly displaced workers in an already tightly run and efficient social machine as this burgeoning empire has. She'd ask again, more insistently this time, if it wasn't for that incredibly creepy chill she gets at that very last word, like it hadn't really come from the Solar's mouth in a way that reminds her of . . . something else.

    "And the Princess is all signed off on this?" she asks instead. "I mean, the operation itself, not the slaves because that's obvious. You've got a date and everything already?" She wants to sound impressed, but the feeling of the unnatural that's pervasively sunk in with every visit to this place has worn away some of the credit she's willing to give. "I mean if it's all set up, that's perfect. Can you tell me how much of the stuff in here I can write down? I can't really hang around here all week, but I'd really like to have it memorized. Oh, and when the Princess is giving everyone the rundown. I don't want to miss that!" Yes. That in particular shouldn't be missed. Kutsuuko is suddenly in no mood to go storming through this palace.
Finna "There is only one problem with it that I can see. Without you it all falls apart. There was a time in my Creation, and maybe this one, where shining heroes ruled everything how they pleased. When they fell, everyone fell hard with them. This hasn't solved that. Everyone's eyes are on you, everyone's dependent on you." Finna snorts, disgruntled. Oh, it's hardly disapproval as much as it is a weary noise. But then... the lean foxgirl returns the bow in a copycat fashion, riht down to every single muscle twitch just displayed. Because she can't resist being a bit of a weirdo like that.

    "You and that Yuri guy... somehow figured out how to become Chosen of your own making and nature. Is THAT what you are...?"
Yuri Stinson --Finna--
    "It is, perhaps, the nature of ALL Chosen to make the world dependant on them in some fashion, simply as the way they express their being. From the first time you arrived, how much has it upset you to find that your usual tricks and japes were not as reliable as you once had believed?" She tilts her head, arms folding behind her back as she inquires to Finna, "For some Chosen, they can do nothing but express themselves via control. For others, for you, perhaps you can't help but be feral."

    At Finna's last remark, Princess Vitri considers, "Hm. Yuri? You mean Radiant Nova's Fist? Or perhaps Burning Malachite Grasp, as we knew him? Or The Dark Hero, as you know him now?" She rocks on her feet, "So many names. So often they change." She has yet to answer Finna's question about what she is. She's deflecting towards making Yuri look unreliable. It's a sound strategy.

--Scooby Gang--

    CLICK. POP. Nero gets that lock open and the cabinet swings open. What's inside may be surprising. It appears to be some sort of large, oddly shaped Core from something. It's acting as a filtration system for what a medical professional like Kyra can recognize as protein/DNA-based Vaccines and Innoculations. They're running chemicals and proteins through it and using it to synthesize standard vaccines and treatments.

    There are multiple vials of it lining the bottom, labeled in different areas 'Vaccine Stage One', 'Vaccine Interim', 'Vaccine Final Stage', 'Final Injection - Concentrated'. The last one glows a gentle blue color int he light of the room.

--Setsuuuko--

    "It would be difficult to be the spy for a nation that no longer existed, wouldn't it?" He asks to Setsuko curiously, head tilting a bit and folding his arms in front of himself, one gauntlet over the other as he stands, "But philosophy aside, I see your concern. It is ismply that we do not fear internal revolt. Our society is idyllic and therefore any who join it will see the benefits of the Silver Kingdom."

    He shifts his gaze towards Kutsuuko, "It's hard to do much without the Princess knowing and being aware. Yes, she has signed off on the operations and the timeframe. It will be within the next month or so, once we have finished some internal situations," He finishes, waving towards the table in front of him, "Feel free to take what observations you like, but I can't let you TAKE much of it with you for security. The Princess will likely speak to the armies sometime after current internal issues are resolved that would impede the invasion," He says vaguely.
Setsuko Kaminagi     "I see," Setsuko says, for the second time in the encounter. Her tone says she's buying it, but somewhat hesitantly. As if she suspects there's something more to it but is willing to trust that Flicker trusts it. At his urging, the swordswoman takes a few steps forward and looks over the table himself, adding in a simple, "Ma'am? I've got it memorized. We can go over it later." Her tone towards Kutsuuko is respectful, once again a soldier addressing her superior officer.
Nero      "Hmn."

     Nero eyes the vials in the cabinet, as well as the core. "....." These all seemed terribly important. Well, then that just meant they would take them all! The Servant smirked in a conspiratory manner and procured a number of vials from each stage.

     She will attempt to move the CORE, but if it can't be moved without a whole bunch of cumbersome trouble, then she'd settle for the vials.

     It was time to get out of here.
Raylene Dunwich     Yoink! Oh yes, Raylene is going to grab some of that glowy blue stuff. "If there is anything that Alice and Anna have taught me over our short but eventful acquaintance, it is that glowing blue vials are always relevant to the situation if it's a mystery."
Kutsuuko Shiratori     "Got it." Kutsuuko replies, keeping on her best poker face. She waves officiously as Setsuko prompts her so she can look vaguely in charge while she taps out a couple of quick electronic reminders on her armlet, before just trusting that a demigoddess has it all down if she says she does. "No problem. My ell-tee here has it, so we won't need to take anything. We'll keep in touch. Hope to see you fight, actually!"

    She can't be out of there quickly enough. As soon as she's out of earshot of /anyone/ really, she's discussing the problems she has with this place. A conquering empire so eerily eager for the people of other nations rather than the land and resources themselves. How meticulously they plan for integrating people who fit and showing those who don't the door, over military strategy. How often the word 'harmony' seems to come up. How they want to filter absolutely everyone they 'liberate' or 'integrate' through this much storied Processing routine. She feels pretty justified now in going as far as she has. Next, she's going to ask Vitri herself, politely, to explain herself. As she has just now promised, if the Princess rudely declines, she'll beat it out of her instead. Unspoken, is that if she doesn't like the answer, she'll be following up on the letter, rather than just the spirit, of that contract.

    She has no interest in the armoury or barracks at this point. Setsuko can check them out if she likes, but right now, she wants out of the palace. She wants to see the aftermath of the festival; what it's like when nobody has anything to celebrate.
Finna "Heeeee's an odd one alright." Finna admits. She hardly needs any convincing that Yuri is unreliable and not to be trusted entirely as it is. But she starts making an increasingly ponderous, frustrated face. Particularly as the fact of her seeming incompetence here is pointed out. Her expression turns briefly dark and vengeful in a rather childish way, but only for a bit.

    Then plants both hands on her hips and leans in.

    "So. Just WHAT has happened to the people of this place? They don't... behave... normally. Nobody out of place. Not one lazy guard. Nobody putting personal feelings over policy. Nobody even QUESTIONING a thing you do.... that's.... not.... human."
Kyra Hyral Kyra is quick to take samples of all of these. "DNA based, I can see...I won't be able to know any more details about these until I've had a chance to study them in a lab up close and personal. She doesn't want to pick any that have gone through the Core filtration machine recently either, nervous about getting near the thing that they saw fit to create a /vaccine/ against. But she had to wonder, though, she had to wonder a lot about composition.

    She takes a moment to pull out her phone and take a picture of the core itself, then the whole get-up. after taking a vial of each (or creating her own vials if that's what she needs to do-she always carries glassware on her all the time, after all), she backs away. "We'll need to put that back together and re-lock it. Also we should get out of here before we're noticed."
Yuri Stinson --Finna--

    Princess Vitri smiles at Finna, "This is how the world should be. Sloth, avarice, greed, violence. You believe they are necessary, that they make people unique. They simply make them hurtful creatures. Spiteful monsters worse than any other in Creation." She looks towards the fox-woman before her, "I would attempt to share the grandness of my vision with you, but your nature cannot allow it. We would be as the scorpion and the frog. You would sting me, as you cannot control your nature."

    "For now, simply understand that I will answer your question as simply as possible," She curtsies, "Harmony has happened to the people."

    And then she seems to dissolve away from sight, "I bid you a good night."

--Scooby Gang--

    Taking vials is completely allowed. They'll last long enough to get back to base and run some tests, but they'll degrade quickly and be unable to be replicated. Further details will be @mailed to relevant parties for future plot hooks and discussion.

    The CORE itself will not be moving. It is almost supernaturally held in place and, when grabbed for too long, burns like fire on the hands. Kyra can get a picture of it. Maybe if she shows it to someone later, it'll be familiar.

    Getting out will be as easy as getting back in, with the guards outside having had to deal with another injury around the same time Raylene wanted to leave the building.

--Setsuko and Kutsuuko--

    I actually don't have too terribly much to pose here. He's not going to stop you as you leave and is pretty content to going back to sitting at his table and planning the opening assault.