Re: Preparing for War, Pineal Glands and Deperate Measures IC Thread 21

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Serge:

"It's unique to say the least. If someone used music as a foci you'd assume they were good at music." Serge said with a chuckle.

"Sometimes discord can be as powerful a mover of minds as something beautiful."
Henrietta said and smiled a little.
"Not to mention that what you see as beautiful music I can see ad ugly noise and vice versa."

"I should probably start going around and seeing what I can do to help. Not too mention I haven't eaten yet. It was nice talking to you. Hopefully we can talk again soon in a less....stressful time." Serge said giving the women a friendly smile.

"Yeah so should I really, there is plenty that needs doing."
Henrietta said and stood.
"It was nice talking with you Serge."
She said as she begun to walk away.
"Yeah that would be nice, later then..."

"She mentioned that she was Larson's security chief but other than that I'm afraid she didn't know much more." Serge said with a frown. "She didn't know much about any of these people. Only knew what they looked like."

"I see well it is something at least...their security chief, this woman is an important target then."
Jeffry commented halfway to himself.

"Sure thing. Where is Kyle? Is he still in his room in the basement?" Serge asked the old Flambeau

"Thank you Mr Yager, Kyle is still in his cell in the basement, I assumed he would be safe there when there where trouble upstairs."
The old Hermetic said.
"Well then I have to go to see to a meeting but please come to me with what my apprentice says about those drawings."
He said in a friendly tone of voice and yet with a hint of someone who was used to being obeyed when he spoke.

Adley:

He nodded at that, passed her back the mallet and the stake and put away the tablet again

Kristina took the weapons and held them behind her back out of Mr Lenoe's view.

brought out gloves and put them on.

The black haired Verbena raised and eyebrow at the gloves but she said nothing.

He went to the side of the bed to shift Mr Lenoe onto his back, leaving room for Kris and the others to back him up if need be. He tried not to rouse the vampire as he was moved, but remained at the ready in case the situation should suddenly change.

Dennis Lenoe stirred slightly in his sleep when you moved him but he did not wake from that though he was not sleeping as deeply as Karl had been and he was muttering slightly in his sleep.

[Warpmind]

"This is quite disturbing new indeed."
George said then he nodded.
"Thank you for including me child I am going to have to bring these suspicious to Magvillus my House's main Chantry and stronghold, this information must reach the ears of the Prima."
He said and he seamed concerned.
"I do not like it though House Janissary have been the strongest supporters of my House for centuries if they where to betray us I am not sure we will be able to recover from such a blow...perhaps if this is correct we will now have a chance to prevent this from happening."

Colin nodded, then pondered, "Hum, not sure if this question is particularly relevant, but... Janissary is not one of the original founding houses, is it? They joined... after the Teomim's time, I believe?"

George patted the pocket of his robe where the scale lay safely and nodded.
"I see, this is a chance for redemption then for both of you, for her redemption from being Fallen and for you redemption for wrongs done in a former life."
The old Guernicus said.
"It is a certain poetry in that, this scale though while I have not examined it and will not do so either without permission it's Resonance feels clean and pure, it seams in the future you might be successful and off course the scale can be proven to come from Miss Anna's soul and be evidence of future redemption that even the Council will find hard to refute."

He nodded, "As Mia said, this time, we will save everyone... I suspect I will meet the rest of, ah, the old gang in assorted troubles, I'm afraid. Hopefully, none of the others will be... Fallen, though."

"I remember that incident Master Ilteppi was cast out of the Order and a March was called against him but the court records where sealed, few know what crime Master Ilteppi was accused of...though given the state of the boy chances are that Master Ilteppi fell and someone decided to cover it up but why such a thing was done that is another question."
George said and frowned again.
"It do explain why Master Ilteppi never appealed his sentence though, most would appeal a death sentence...unless doing so could lead to something worse..."

He nodded, "Of course, I have no proof of this reincarnation line being true - the statement was made by, well, a memory in Adley's Quiet, when he believed himself to be in the Schism War."
He frowned and looked up at Morgan, "By the way, even when he was temporarily out of sorts like that, he still performed exemplary, and remained as rational and capable of remembering friend from foe after the initial confusion settled. You have reason to be proud of him."

Jeffry and George paid close attention as you made your rapport, once done Jeffry said.
"It seams your group did well Mr Wainwright and with Abigail gone Larson will have a much weaker standing, it is a shame that it came at the cost of lives but there where not really any way to avoid that, I fear we will loose people as well when we move on the Boston Labyrinth."
The old Flambeau said softly.
"I do not like what to say about the magick blocking serum though considering it have been given to my new apprentice..."
He said and frowned.
"And what about the prisoners taken, have they staid anything of use?"

He smiled wryly, "We were... fortunate the losses were not heavier, but all the same, the losses were painful. As for Kyle, I would like to have him undergo a brain scan; a few drops of lich blood in the contrast fluid makes Primium residue light up like a Christmas tree - if he's in any danger at all after three days, that should reveal it. I'd like a scan for myself, as well, and one for miss Adlebloom; if we could arrange to have Dr. Lee bring us over to the hospital fairly quickly, that would be advantageous. The serum should not leave behind a hazardous amount of residue after three days, but all the same, I'm loath to see it used for any longer than the day it is used to take a prisoner. It's... still useful, but most unpleasant, and it's long-term use that represents the danger. And I assure you, the stuff is remarkably painful to use, even under ideal, relaxed circumstances; the dose is large enough to hurt even a large, fully grown muscle, and the sensations of the Avatar being wrapped up in fabrics like a mummy is... disconcerting. Plus, Mia was livid afterwards, and rightly so."
He rubbed his thigh gently, frowning at the lingering bruise, "As for information from the prisoners, yes, we've had numerous confirmations regarding... the Italians, and we've learned the Boston Labyrinth is a landed Battlecruiser. There's no love lost between Larson and the Handler, Dalisse, though. And..." He held up the little bag with the book and the margarine, "I've learned from the future that I will successfully bribe the Handler with this - a nice hardcover edition of a book we both love, and a butter substitute with a hilarious name from the same book. Most of what we learned pertained to the Chicago Labyrinth, though, but... let's see now, I believe Larson's second in command is a man called Jace, and we know the Nephandi have numerous agents in the Traditions - not precisely surprising - but that none of the agents should be aware of one another. They've got an impressive operational security there, unfortunately."
He pondered, "We did find that Linear Mage - William, I think his name is, who had been sold to Abigail as an indentured servant - Adley knows more about that, though, he's the one who interrogated him. I was, er, busy knocking out the Labyrinth's Main Node at the time, I believe; it was quite satisfying watching the wretched thing burn itself out after we disabled the portal to Oblivion that had been rigged as a trap there..."
He took a deep breath, "Now, however, comes the part I rather fear... I believe I can reach Larson's Handler, but I fear it must be a one- or two-man mission; multiple individuals would be too likely to detected. And to reach the Labyrinth so undetected... I will probably need to borrow your shuttle to sneak up on it from the Umbra side of things; they'll not expect that..."
He smiled thinly, "My reaching and parlaying with the Handler will stand a fairly good chance of turning her fully against Larson, which will in turn be able to turn the Labyrinth creature - the polyp - itself against the Nephandi within, to our benefit."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin nodded, then pondered, "Hum, not sure if this question is particularly relevant, but... Janissary is not one of the original founding houses, is it? They joined... after the Teomim's time, I believe?"

"Yes this is correct correct The Janissary joined the Order centuries after it's founding. Dincer Albayrak one of their members approached the us sometimes after Teomim's time and they where accepted into House Ex Miscellanea until they had learned Hermetic magick. In 1764 they gained full House status."
George said and nodded.

He nodded, "As Mia said, this time, we will save everyone... I suspect I will meet the rest of, ah, the old gang in assorted troubles, I'm afraid. Hopefully, none of the others will be... Fallen, though."

"Hopefully none of the others are Fallen indeed but I suspect Madam Mia is correct, perhaps she can only be granted forgiveness and become whole again if she can protect and save those she was one a part of betraying."
The Guernicus said and sipped his tea.
"I do not expect it will be easy though Mr Wainwright, redemption seldom is."

He nodded, "Of course, I have no proof of this reincarnation line being true - the statement was made by, well, a memory in Adley's Quiet, when he believed himself to be in the Schism War."

Jeffry raised an eyebrow at that.
"My filius was in Twilight seeing himself as a soldier in the Schism War? I take it he made it out unharmed then, it seams I will need to have a long talk with him. I will have a talk with Adley later, this information should probably not be mentioned for Master Nassa though, he is still rather sore about that war."
The Hermetic said with worry in his eyes.
"Was the information gotten in a Twilight of such a nature that it can be believed?"
He then asked.

He frowned and looked up at Morgan, "By the way, even when he was temporarily out of sorts like that, he still performed exemplary, and remained as rational and capable of remembering friend from foe after the initial confusion settled. You have reason to be proud of him."

Jeffry gave a proud smile at that.
"I am Mr Wainwright, I am, and while this is not going to leave this room and is not going to be told to Adley's sister who I also love deeply, he is quickly growing to become my favorite."
He said fondly.

He smiled wryly, "We were... fortunate the losses were not heavier, but all the same, the losses were painful. As for Kyle, I would like to have him undergo a brain scan; a few drops of lich blood in the contrast fluid makes Primium residue light up like a Christmas tree - if he's in any danger at all after three days, that should reveal it. I'd like a scan for myself, as well, and one for miss Adlebloom; if we could arrange to have Dr. Lee bring us over to the hospital fairly quickly, that would be advantageous.

"What are contrast fluid? What if I may ask do that have to do with my student's brain?"
Jeffry said and raised an eyebrow.
"It sounds like something one would paint with. However I agree if you think this scan is needed then I will speak with Dr Lee and have the examination set up as soon as possible, you have my permission to take Kyle out of the Chantry for the examination but keep him safe and off course he is not allowed to leave."
The old mage said and nodded still looking a bit confused about what contrast fluid was.

The serum should not leave behind a hazardous amount of residue after three days, but all the same, I'm loath to see it used for any longer than the day it is used to take a prisoner. It's... still useful, but most unpleasant, and it's long-term use that represents the danger. And I assure you, the stuff is remarkably painful to use, even under ideal, relaxed circumstances; the dose is large enough to hurt even a large, fully grown muscle, and the sensations of the Avatar being wrapped up in fabrics like a mummy is... disconcerting. Plus, Mia was livid afterwards, and rightly so."

"I see...I never meant to hurt Kyle, I am afraid I do not know enough about modern medicine though, the boy expressed discomfort at the injections and worry about the needle but from what I have read I assumed such an injection to be relatively painless, however I have to admit to never having had an injection of well anything myself, much less this serum, I should not have ordered it for him."
Jeffry said regretfully.
"Well be that as it may, I guess we are going to have to find another way to restrain your young student tend Mr Wainwright, if this injection is painful I would like to find another solution though if no other way to restrain her can be found...we might still have to resort to the serum."
He said and frowned.

He rubbed his thigh gently, frowning at the lingering bruise, "As for information from the prisoners, yes, we've had numerous confirmations regarding... the Italians,

"Enough to take them to before a Tribunal?"
George asked and raised an eyebrow.

and we've learned the Boston Labyrinth is a landed Battlecruiser. There's no love lost between Larson and the Handler, Dalisse, though. And..." He held up the little bag with the book and the margarine, "I've learned from the future that I will successfully bribe the Handler with this - a nice hardcover edition of a book we both love, and a butter substitute with a hilarious name from the same book.

"Larson's Labyrinth is a Battle Cruiser that complicates things, you think you can actually bribe it's handler with a book and some butter?"
Jeffry said and frowned.
"If this is a ship it can take off into the Deep Umbra with us on board,not to mention that the Hanndler can turn the walls itself into a weapon against us."
He commented.

Most of what we learned pertained to the Chicago Labyrinth, though, but... let's see now, I believe Larson's second in command is a man called Jace, and we know the Nephandi have numerous agents in the Traditions - not precisely surprising - but that none of the agents should be aware of one another. They've got an impressive operational security there, unfortunately."

"Hum...Mr Yager came to me just before this meeting, he have gotten Miss Cunningham to describe some of Larson's inner circle, including Jace, so now we have a drawing of him, I have sent him down to Kyle to try to get the drawings confirmed."
The old Flambeau said.
"The boy is turning out to be rather useful, I have to remember to compliment his teacher."

He pondered, "We did find that Linear Mage - William, I think his name is, who had been sold to Abigail as an indentured servant - Adley knows more about that, though, he's the one who interrogated him. I was, er, busy knocking out the Labyrinth's Main Node at the time, I believe; it was quite satisfying watching the wretched thing burn itself out after we disabled the portal to Oblivion that had been rigged as a trap there..."

"That is quite impressive Mr Wainwright."
Jeffry said and nodded.
"I might be able to arrange for this poor man you speak about, William was it, a proper defense, do we know who sold him though, selling someone to a Nephandus, even an indentured servant is a serious crime."
George said.
"And a portal to Oblivion that...do not sound good, not at all, hopefully the Boston Labyrinth do not have such measures."

He took a deep breath, "Now, however, comes the part I rather fear... I believe I can reach Larson's Handler, but I fear it must be a one- or two-man mission; multiple individuals would be too likely to detected. And to reach the Labyrinth so undetected... I will probably need to borrow your shuttle to sneak up on it from the Umbra side of things; they'll not expect that..."

"Going alone...absolutely not..."
Jeffry said firmly.
"That is to dangerous and can you even fly the shuttle yet, I have arranged for a teacher for you but you have not had any lessons yet."

He smiled thinly, "My reaching and parlaying with the Handler will stand a fairly good chance of turning her fully against Larson, which will in turn be able to turn the Labyrinth creature - the polyp - itself against the Nephandi within, to our benefit."

Jeffry grumbled at that in Greek.
"That bloody makes to much sense damn it!"
He said and sigh.
"Do you really think you stand a chance at talking this Handler into betraying her own?"
He asked and gave you a rather firm look.
"You are aware that if you are wrong there is nothing that can prevent you from getting killed or worse captured."

[Nicole Bouchard]

Nicole watched the goings-on in the room with clear alertness.

[Jeremy Silverstein]

"Thank you Mr Yager, Kyle is still in his cell in the basement, I assumed he would be safe there when there where trouble upstairs."
The old Hermetic said.
"Well then I have to go to see to a meeting but please come to me with what my apprentice says about those drawings."
He said in a friendly tone of voice and yet with a hint of someone who was used to being obeyed when he spoke.

"I'll get right on that sir." Serge said as he wasted no time following the Chief's orders.

He collected his things and walked out of the cafeteria and went straight to Kyle's room in the basement. He kept a careful eye out as he walked, trying to assess the state of the chantry after the attack.

[Adley]

Dennis Lenoe stirred slightly in his sleep when you moved him but he did not wake from that though he was not sleeping as deeply as Karl had been and he was muttering slightly in his sleep.

"Easy there," he said, in what he hoped was a calming and soothing tone of voice, waiting a moment to see if the vampire settled back down to his rest. He glanced questioningly at Kris, a quick flicker of attention. "It's time to rest..." With a pang, he remembered Beatrice's fits of pain and trying to calm her down so she could rest. He hadn't even gotten to see if she was alright yet and wouldn't for some time yet, it seemed. But first, this gristly business...

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Nicole and Adley:

Nicole watched the goings-on in the room with clear alertness.

"So far so good one of the vampires seamed to be under control. You heard one of the prisoners in the nearby rooms, the boy you had seen Adley speak to or at least his voice was that of a young boy's call out though his locked door.
"Hello...is everything okey, I heard a scream..."
The young man sounded rather concerned.

"Easy there," he said, in what he hoped was a calming and soothing tone of voice, waiting a moment to see if the vampire settled back down to his rest. He glanced questioningly at Kris, a quick flicker of attention. "It's time to rest..." With a pang, he remembered Beatrice's fits of pain and trying to calm her down so she could rest. He hadn't even gotten to see if she was alright yet and wouldn't for some time yet, it seemed. But first, this gristly business...

Mr Lenoe moved slightly and his eyes opened to slits, he was clearly very tired but also worried.
"What...is happening?"
She sleepy vampire muttered. Kristina looked at you as if asking if you wanted her to try to stake the creature now when he was not fully awake and confused or if you thought you could settle him down first.

Serge:

"I'll get right on that sir." Serge said as he wasted no time following the Chief's orders.

"Thank you Mr Yager."
Jeffry said and nodded before he entered his office and left you to your task.

He collected his things and walked out of the cafeteria and went straight to Kyle's room in the basement. He kept a careful eye out as he walked, trying to assess the state of the chantry after the attack.

The Chantry seamed to be ok there where no structural damage down here, there was some in the basement corridor as well as writing on the wall that kept coming. Pepole where milling out of the cafeteria to return to their rooms or to various tasks.

Down in the basement you saw Darrian and Helga keeping watching and outside one of the rooms stood Adjan and the tall black man you had heard called Ty, leaned against one wall stood Nicole. You hear Kyle's voice from inside of his make shit cell saying.
"What is going on out there? I heard a scream is everything okey?"

[Jeremy Silverstein]

Down in the basement you saw Darrian and Helga keeping watching and outside one of the rooms stood Adjan and the tall black man you had heard called Ty, leaned against one wall stood Nicole. You hear Kyle's voice from inside of his make shit cell saying.
"What is going on out there? I heard a scream is everything okey?"

"Oh that screaming was....wait what screaming?" Serge said confused as he realized he didn't know what Kyle was talking about.

He looked at the many people within the room, hoping they would answer Kyle's concerns and his own.

[Nicole Bouchard]

'A fanged one had an issue with the planned changes.' Nicole stated, clearly not caring one jot about it. Serge will notice she'd changed clothes; now in a long-sleeved t-shirt, cargo trousers with full-looking pockets and heavy boots. A raised eyebrow at his presence. 'And what brings you down here on this fine day?'

[Jeremy Silverstein]

'A fanged one had an issue with the change in accommodation.' Nicole stated, clearly not caring one jot about it. Serge will notice she'd changed clothes; now in a long-sleeved t-shirt, cargo trousers with full-looking pockets and heavy boots. A raised eyebrow at his presence. 'And what brings you down here on this fine day?'

"Oh the vampires...." Serge said feeling a little sorry for them as he slowly pieced together what was happening to them.

"Anyways I'm here to confirm some information I got from a prisoner. She had some very accurate description of certain high-ranking Nephandi. Master Morgan asked me to confirm these descriptions with Kyle. He trusts his word more than the prisoner's." Serge said glancing towards his sketchbook and then to Kyle's makeshift cell.

[Nicole Bouchard]

'Hmm?.. sure, knock yourself out.' she replied, then started to scratch her ear with her gloved hand.

'Did we suffer any casualties in the attack?'

[Jeremy Silverstein]

'Did we suffer any casualties in the attack?'

"Nope, just a couple of injuries. At least from what I've heard. Which is pretty awesome considering we were facing two enraged vampires, a hostage-taker, and mother slime and her army of magick resistant oil-men. You know you were pretty awesome in those fights. Wish I could fire a gun like you. " Serge said with a slight smile as he walked towards Kyle's makeshift cell.


"Hey Kyle. You doing all right?" Serge asked wanting to know how the young widderslainte was handling all of this.

[Nicole Bouchard]

Serge's Post:

'Unless they're from a different place, it's good they attacked us, and it failed completely.' the large woman replied, giving a smile. 'As for this...' tapping her holstered pistol for a second '-wasn't too shabby, remembering it wasn't even my own piece. That reminds me, must return the Eagle. And my usual bet paid off.'

[Warpmind]

"Yes this is correct correct The Janissary joined the Order centuries after it's founding. Dincer Albayrak one of their members approached the us sometimes after Teomim's time and they where accepted into House Ex Miscellanea until they had learned Hermetic magick. In 1764 they gained full House status."
George said and nodded.

Colin frowned, "It's probably a long shot in the dark, but... perhaps the circumstances of their admission should be looked into?"

"Hopefully none of the others are Fallen indeed but I suspect Madam Mia is correct, perhaps she can only be granted forgiveness and become whole again if she can protect and save those she was one a part of betraying."
The Guernicus said and sipped his tea.
"I do not expect it will be easy though Mr Wainwright, redemption seldom is."

He nodded, "I don't think it ever is easy... but it's always worth it in the end."

Jeffry raised an eyebrow at that.
"My filius was in Twilight seeing himself as a soldier in the Schism War? I take it he made it out unharmed then, it seams I will need to have a long talk with him. I will have a talk with Adley later, this information should probably not be mentioned for Master Nassa though, he is still rather sore about that war."
The Hermetic said with worry in his eyes.
"Was the information gotten in a Twilight of such a nature that it can be believed?"
He then asked.

He nodded, "Adley was Einje filius Mallander ex Flambeau back then, while Kyle was Arto filius Derra ex Diedne... While Arto may be a little difficult to verify, I expect House Flambeau's records should be up to snuff. As for whether it can be believed... I was in Adley's mind when we spoke with the lingering memory of Arto; much as the Quiet seemed relatively harmless, I needed Adley present in the, well, present, owing to the nature of the pine cone I mentioned. Regrettably, I don't know how to use the Heart's Blood Rote, but Adley does, and the pine cone is likely keyed to him, me and miss Alexander. Also, ah, I would appreciate it if you let Adley tell you about the incident in his own time; while I haven't said anything with the intent of shaming him, nor likely the ability to, in fact, I would rather not be responsible for any awkwardness."

Jeffry gave a proud smile at that.
"I am Mr Wainwright, I am, and while this is not going to leave this room and is not going to be told to Adley's sister who I also love deeply, he is quickly growing to become my favorite."
He said fondly.

He smiled wryly, "I know what you mean... I see him both as a battle-brother and a prodigal son, of sorts..."

"What are contrast fluid? What if I may ask do that have to do with my student's brain?"
Jeffry said and raised an eyebrow.
"It sounds like something one would paint with. However I agree if you think this scan is needed then I will speak with Dr Lee and have the examination set up as soon as possible, you have my permission to take Kyle out of the Chantry for the examination but keep him safe and off course he is not allowed to leave."
The old mage said and nodded still looking a bit confused about what contrast fluid was.

He shook his head, "Contrast fluid is used for certain photographs of the interior of a person's body - either ingested or injected in the bloodstream, it allows anomalies to show up in pictures where they might otherwise be invisible. As it happens, a few drops of lich blood - or potion, if you prefer - in said contrast fluid makes Primium light up in those pictures. Normally, that particular metal is invisible to most such scans, only detectable if you look for blank spots in the area."
He smiled, slightly smugly, "And before you ask, yes, I have the necessary lich blood in my possession, and no, I'm not letting it out of my sight."

"I see...I never meant to hurt Kyle, I am afraid I do not know enough about modern medicine though, the boy expressed discomfort at the injections and worry about the needle but from what I have read I assumed such an injection to be relatively painless, however I have to admit to never having had an injection of well anything myself, much less this serum, I should not have ordered it for him."
Jeffry said regretfully.
"Well be that as it may, I guess we are going to have to find another way to restrain your young student tend Mr Wainwright, if this injection is painful I would like to find another solution though if no other way to restrain her can be found...we might still have to resort to the serum."
He said and frowned.

He nodded, "The serum dose is half again the volume muscle tissue can comfortably accommodate. You should never administer a dose in the same muscle twice... still, from one of my closest visions of the future, he will be fine, with no lingering ill effects. And I have my eyes on a means to restrain Anna - an enchanted collar, which will restrict the wearer's ability to channel Quintessence to the convenience of an operator. I, ah, am in negotiations with the owners of said collar, and will commission a replica of it as soon as I find a willing and able Linear artificer; I've had their methods recommended for such a purpose."
He pondered momentarily, "By the way, regarding Kyle, in that future memory, his lawyer was Master Tolle. I don't think you can find a better advocate for his trial, owing to the remarkably clear precedent provided by Mr. Bachmeier when Adley was able to save miss Alexander."

"Enough to take them to before a Tribunal?"
George asked and raised an eyebrow.

He shook his head, "Not on its own, I'm afraid - the word of a Nephandus, even as an audio recording, even several Nephandi, won't hold much weight against that of a renowned Quaesitor, will it? However, there are a few other pieces of evidence, such as the entire bloody Florentine trial, which puts them in an extremely bad light... We're still accumulating proof, but we've pretty much come to the point of giving them enough rope to hang themselves, and I don't think they quite have any idea of how much we've uncovered. Between Mrs. Cunningham, the Linear Mage we rescued from Chicago, Abigail herself, and so on, and so forth, we're beginning to accumulate proof. The one thing I would really like to find is where the Widderslaintes have been gilgulled; finding D'Angelo's Resonance on the site would be... a greater treasure than the British crown jewels."

"Larson's Labyrinth is a Battle Cruiser that complicates things, you think you can actually bribe it's handler with a book and some butter?"
Jeffry said and frowned.
"If this is a ship it can take off into the Deep Umbra with us on board,not to mention that the Hanndler can turn the walls itself into a weapon against us."
He commented.

He shrugged, "A book and some margarine might not be enough to bribe the Handler... but Larson has shown nothing but contempt for that Handler, to the point where she ignores it if members of the Labyrinth are physically abusive to the delicate woman. Of course, Larson also ignores that those who abuse the Handler tend to end up eaten by the ship, as well, but... there's no love lost between the two, and the Handler keeps trying to break the ship free from the moorings Larson has in place. I think I can convince the Handler to, if not outright aid us, at least stay carefully neutral in the fight."

"Hum...Mr Yager came to me just before this meeting, he have gotten Miss Cunningham to describe some of Larson's inner circle, including Jace, so now we have a drawing of him, I have sent him down to Kyle to try to get the drawings confirmed."
The old Flambeau said.
"The boy is turning out to be rather useful, I have to remember to compliment his teacher."

He smiled, "He is young, enthusiastic like a puppy, and about as likeable. His telepathic and empathic skills are quite impressive, really, and I think I made a good call in, hm, introducing him to Mrs. Cunningham and dropping him off the proverbial deep end."

"That is quite impressive Mr Wainwright."
Jeffry said and nodded.
"I might be able to arrange for this poor man you speak about, William was it, a proper defense, do we know who sold him though, selling someone to a Nephandus, even an indentured servant is a serious crime."
George said.
"And a portal to Oblivion that...do not sound good, not at all, hopefully the Boston Labyrinth do not have such measures."

He frowned, "One of the D'Angelos, I believe - Adley was the one to question the poor fellow, he would know which one specifically. And... I am inclined to believe Larson does not have such a trap in place. Abigail's trap was known to four people; herself, her Prelate Gabriel, her Labyrinth Keeper Cotta, and Cotta's lover, Warden. Cotta and Warden were the ones who, under protest, set up the trap, but Cotta made an emergency shutoff - an enchanted marble which she then gave to Anna. Thanks to some quick scrying on the past and visions of the future, I was able to find this out, and locate the right marble to disable the entire trap. Also, when Cotta was caught and... gilgulled, I caught a piece of her Avatar, leaving me her love for Warden, and the ability to see spirits. That fragment was enough to convince an Umbrood Lord that Abigail had no claim on the portal, but I did. I suspect that if Larson even tried to get someone to set up a similar trap, the Handler would not let it stand, and to be honest, I'm not sure Larson has the expertise to pull it off..."

"Going alone...absolutely not..."
Jeffry said firmly.
"That is to dangerous and can you even fly the shuttle yet, I have arranged for a teacher for you but you have not had any lessons yet."

He nodded, "Agreed - and while I think it best to not enter the Battlecruiser with more than one wingman, a more experienced Umbral pilot would be preferable, if only to get the shuttle out of the polyp's vicinity and to a safe distance while I'm inside. However, I would strongly protest any suggestion of taking Mrs. Rembrandt on this mission, owing to her present condition."

Jeffry grumbled at that in Greek.
"That bloody makes to much sense damn it!"
He said and sigh.
"Do you really think you stand a chance at talking this Handler into betraying her own?"
He asked and gave you a rather firm look.
"You are aware that if you are wrong there is nothing that can prevent you from getting killed or worse captured."

He nodded, "I believe I not only stand a chance, but a very good chance. At least, that's what my apprentice will tell me that I told her I did, so I'd say that's a fairly compelling argument in favour of the notion. And yes, if I'm wrong, I'll be in a quite unpleasant world of troubles, but I'll not go unarmed, and I'm fairly sure I can pull off a few nasty surprises if cornered. Ah, that reminds me, I have some Tass I picked up in the Labyrinth. Nasty, corrupted stuff, and fairly volatile, but quite tactically useful. Kind of a shame i drained the fuel tanks of the Mary's Serafina while in Chicago - they were quite easily portable, and however disgusting the Quintessence was, it tore through the Labyrinth's Aegis like a hot knife through butter."
He glanced around for Morgan's imps, "Speaking of heat, which of your little friends was the one I accidentally kicked earlier?"

[Jeremy Silverstein]

'Unless they're from a different place, it's good they attacked us, and it failed completely.' the large woman replied, giving a smile.

"I mean it might've failed but now everyone's on edge." Serge said remembering the doom and gloom he felt in the cafeteria.

"But yeah your right. They failed completely. And if all goes well the counterattack should finish them off.....I hope."

'As for this...' tapping her holstered pistol for a second '-wasn't too shabby, remembering it wasn't even my own piece. That reminds me, must return the Eagle. And my usual bet paid off.'

"Wasn't too shabby? Man you blew those oil-guys up!" the young cultist said remembering how effective bullets were against the oil-men.

"I just kinda stood in the back and watched. And drew a couple of fun pictures." Serge said turning to a page in his sketchbook and showing it to Nicole.

The page depicted several black figures that looked like the oil-men and a large black mass behind them. However what was interesting is that the oil-men were drawn as if they were terrified of something and were running around in panic similarly to how the oil-men in real life were retreating form the battle in fear.

[Nicole Bouchard]

'The target has less defenders - hopefully, we might get usable intel from the prisoners and it's woken everybody up.' Nicole replied, counting them off on the gloved fingers.

'Others helped with those oil-slicks... I'd have been truly fucked if I'd have been the only target.' she said evenly. 'Though that was part of my bet; the makers wouldn't consider any of us would use something as boringly normal as a gun.'

A puzzled expression on Nicole's face as she looked at the picture. 'Oh...kay. Any particular reason you did that?'

[Jeremy Silverstein]

'The target has less defenders - hopefully, we might get usable intel from the prisoners and it's woken everybody up.' Nicole replied, counting them off on the gloved fingers.

'Others helped with those oil-slicks... I'd have been truly fucked if I'd have been the only target.' she said evenly. 'Though that was part of my bet; the makers wouldn't consider any of us would use something as boringly normal as a gun.'

"Guns are boring." Serge said agreeing with whoever the makers were. "Unless you add a bit of magickal pizzazz and make them shoot glue or acid or something."

"I can't believe they used the oldest trick in the book. Getting a guy on the inside. You know I talked to that hostage taker before he escaped. He told me that Larson was being aggressive with her plans and that was why he was caught. Looking back on it was kinda obvious that the plan was to get him on the inside." Serge said with a frown. "Although that weird phylactery thing I didn't see coming."

A puzzled expression on Nicole's face as she looked at the picture. 'Oh...kay. Any particular reason you did that?'

Serge gave Nicole a curious look and then said with a shrug, "Just cause. It's not like I had any combat experience."

"Although it's funny how accurate this picture was. Did you noticed how those oil-men were seemingly terrified of something and were trying to retreat back into the portal. I wonder what they were so scared of? I wonder who terrified them so much?" Serge said with a sly smile wanting to see if Nicole could put two and two together.

[Adley]

Mr Lenoe moved slightly and his eyes opened to slits, he was clearly very tired but also worried. "What...is happening?" She sleepy vampire muttered.

"Sorry to wake you; just try to go back to sleep...it's still daylight for a long while yet," he said, still in a similar tone, trying to judge if he could coax the man back to sonombulance so Kristina could stake him, easier for them both. "If I get a chance, I will try to check on your friend's welfare," he said to take his mind to something he cared about and might make him less fearful. "And some nourishment will arrive for you both in some while, as soon as we can...but until then, just rest," he said, like a mantra. He was still careful not to engage the vampire's gaze directly, he wasn't sure how much Lenoe might be able to use such an ability, but it was a habit to cultivate. He wanted to prevent a full on panic, and he knew seeing it coming might induce it, much as he hated to spring it on him like that.

[Nicole Bouchard]

Serge's Post:

This had an effect on the woman; for a moment she stopped fidgeting, if Serge had been looking at her face he'd have seen an unfocused look to the eyes, alarm on the face. Then she gave a little shake of the head as though trying to wake up.

Serge's Post:

'There is a reason it remains in the book, y'know.' she commented, her normal [presumably] demeanour returning. 'It's so bleeding stupid nobody would try it as a real trick, like having "code 1-1 A" for the self-destruct thing or "1-2-3-4" as the secret code. Heard about some Chinese Scientist who uses 'em to the hilt; Fu Manchu moustache, yellow silk robes and the brokeeen Eeenglissh. Mirrorshades fall for it every time.'

Serge's Post:

'A little.' she admitted. 'But it might not be a who, but a what. Your guess?'

[Jeremy Silverstein]

This had an effect on the woman; for a moment she stopped fidgeting, if Serge had been looking at her face he'd have seen an unfocused look to the eyes, alarm on the face. Then she gave a little shake of the head as though trying to wake up.

Serge was too busy looking around the room absent-mindlessly to notice Nicole's dilemma. In fact Nicole may notice that Serge wasn't very perceptive to begin with, constantly switching his attention to different aspect of the room while he was talking or modifying something within his sketchbook.

'There is a reason it remains in the book, y'know.' she commented, her normal [presumably] demeanour returning. 'It's so bleeding stupid nobody would try it for real, like having "code 1-1 A" for the self-destruct thing or "1-2-3-4" as the secret code. Heard about some Chinese Scientist who uses 'em to the hilt; Fu Manchu moustache, yellow silk robes and the brokeeen Eeenglissh. Mirrorshades fall for it every time.'

"Ahhh that's a classic. A solution so simple no one thinks to try it." Serge said laughing at Nicole's impression of a Chinese man.

"Still you can't deny the flashiness of this attack. When I first learned about this attack, I expected them to send in one or two people to infiltrate the chantry and take what they wanted stealthily. Never expected an all-out attack with monsters and portals." Serge said remembering the prophetic picture he had to decipher.

'A little.' she admitted. 'But it might not be a who, but a what. Your guess?'

"My guess? I'm not sure. We were in a room full of more than 15 mages. I bet one of them did it. Or maybe they were scared of death. They were losing after all." Serge said eyeing his drawing.

"Quite the coincidence that the thing I drew matched exactly with what happened in reality wouldn't you say?" Serge said with a quick glance at Nicole.

[Nicole Bouchard]

Serge's Post:

'Could be just a distraction. While we're dealing with the hostiles, the sneak-team gets in, does what they need to do and leaves without us being any the wiser. Or they were hoping to spoil our attack.'

Serge's Post:

'Not sure if that is accurate.' she admitted. 'I was too busy dodging slick's tentacles to take a panorama view of the whole thing, me.'

[Jeremy Silverstein]

'Could be just a distraction. While we're dealing with the hostiles, the sneak-team gets in, does what they need to do and leaves without us being any the wiser. Or they were hoping to spoil our attack.'

"Yeah that could be an option. They were trying to get three very specific things. We made sure one of them was safe when we got rid of the hostage-taker and the giant monster was trying to get the second. They might have been trying to stealthily grab the third...." Serge said wondering if they had missed something.

'Not sure if that is accurate.' she admitted. 'I was too busy dodging slick's tentacles to take a panorama view of the whole thing, me.'

"Good point. You really were in the thick of things. Bet the guy who did it was super cool and amazing though." Serge said deciding to stop with his dumb games.

"You definitely know how to fight. Did someone teach you or is it something you taught yourself?"

[Nicole Bouchard]

'Bit of both, could you say. No cotton wool for me as a kid; had to learn not to take no shit. Then did... other shit. And when all this happened, sorta fell inta grunt role. Got some training from vets - both kinds - then got sent to Detroit.' ending with a glance to the room containing the vampires.

'What do you do, then? And... who are you?'

[Jeremy Silverstein]

'Bit of both, could you say. No cotton wool for me as a kid; had to learn not to take no shit. Then did... other shit. And when all this happened, sorta fell inta grunt role. Got some training from vets - both kinds - then got sent to Detroit.' ending with a glance to the room containing the vampires.

'What do you do, then? And... who are you?'

"Man everyone's got a gritty backstory but me. Before all this I lived a pretty chill life in New York. Loving parents, middle-class, not a glamorous lifestyle but compared to other people I was pretty much average." Serge said a little nervously as he realized his life was pretty sweet compared to what Nicole had just told him.

"As for what I do......I dunno." Serge said bluntly. "I do whatever needs to be done and whatever I'm asked to do. I don't really have a specific role or at least not one that I know of. And what do you mean by who am I? I believe I told you my name already."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Adley, Nicole and Serge:

"Oh that screaming was....wait what screaming?" Serge said confused as he realized he didn't know what Kyle was talking about.

"There was this short scream of pain just now."
Kyle said nervously.
"Are anyone hurt?"

"Anyways I'm here to confirm some information I got from a prisoner. She had some very accurate description of certain high-ranking Nephandi. Master Morgan asked me to confirm these descriptions with Kyle. He trusts his word more than the prisoner's." Serge said glancing towards his sketchbook and then to Kyle's makeshift cell.

"Would you like me to open the cell so you could get in there and have a talk with the kid?"
The man with the large, black dog asked.
"He is only being locked up as a precaution so I am sure he will not be a danger to you and it might make your task easier to talk with him directly."

"Hey Kyle. You doing all right?" Serge asked wanting to know how the young widderslainte was handling all of this.

"Yeah I am fine I am just worried about that scream you know, with everything going on. Is the Chantry safe? With the fight upstairs I mean."
The young widderslainte replied.

"Sorry to wake you; just try to go back to sleep...it's still daylight for a long while yet," he said, still in a similar tone, trying to judge if he could coax the man back to sonombulance so Kristina could stake him, easier for them both.

"Hum...daylight...yes still tired...so tired..."
Dennis muttered.
"Should not be awake at this time of day."

"If I get a chance, I will try to check on your friend's welfare," he said to take his mind to something he cared about and might make him less fearful.

"Thank you...Mr Roth Hicks I...am so worried about him."
The vampire muttered sleepily.
"He is a good kid...I hope he is doing better."

"And some nourishment will arrive for you both in some while, as soon as we can...but until then, just rest," he said, like a mantra. He was still careful not to engage the vampire's gaze directly, he wasn't sure how much Lenoe might be able to use such an ability, but it was a habit to cultivate. He wanted to prevent a full on panic, and he knew seeing it coming might induce it, much as he hated to spring it on him like that.

"Nourishment...good...thank you I am hungry...I am hurt I will be more hungry when I wake up."
Mr Lenoe muttered.
"Yes I do need sleep."
He agreed and turned back on his side, curled up with a good grip on is blankets, grunted a bit as he tried to find the most comfortable position and fell back asleep. Kristina looked at the curled up vampire and sigh, that could have gone better, Lenoe was now more curled up that before and was holding a good grip on his blankets to boot.
"And...we try again."
The Verbena muttered.
"Apparently Mr Lenoe likes to sleep on his side."

(OOC: I will start working on Colin's post but my PC needs rebooting first right now it takes about 10 seconds for each letter to show up on  screen.)

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