The Troubleshooters

[Kesnit]

At the requested time, you all arrive at the coffee shop owned by the Spring Queen, Lady Danna. With her is a member of the Autumn Court who goes by the name Pictures, and a Winter Courtier named Finder.

Since your characters are established in the Freehold, you know the following..

Pictures is a Seer who has the ability to know when Hedge Gates open and close. Since she has this knowledge, she will call on members of the Freehold to meet newly escaped Changlings as they walk out. Finder is as a private investigator in both the human and Changling worlds.

"I have a problem that needs your full attention. If this is not handled, the effects could be catistrophic not just for this Freehold, but for all Changlings," Lady Danna said. "A few nights ago, Pictures detected a Hedge Gate opening. She had difficulty reaching a welcoming committee, and by the time they arrived, the escapee had disappeared. I asked Finder to try and locate her. He just informed me that she was picked up the next night by the police as a vagrant. She was rambling rather incoherantly, so police sent her to the psychiatric hospital for an evaluation. I don't think I need to explain why we need to get her out of there as soon as possible, do I?"

[Donan]

Digger had been one of the first to enter, remaining cautious as he did so and taking a moment to scope out the café. It might well be called paranoia, but he knew many of the dangers they could face and was careful when his motley as a whole was involved.

He settled after having bought any desired drinks for the motley and the two they were meeting with, sipping a coffee quietly until the details were given.

"Thank you for coming to us with this." He nods, running a hand through his hair. "I'm hoping it hasn't gone too far, and that some a few false documents of next of kin is enough to get her out." He looks towards the others for their thoughts.

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Tom sipped at his milk as Lady Danna explained the issue and Digger offered his input. "Hmm... We don't have a name, I'm guessing we don't have a picture, and we don't actually have false papers." He pauses for a moment, before his lips spread into a wide Cheshire Cat's grin. "...This should be fun."

[Sir_Gabes]

James entered the coffee shop third. He didn't feel too worried about all this. He was the muscle in the Troubleshooters, though he didn't let his mental faculties slip. His knowledge on Goblin fruits and his general intelect helped things also. He stepped up to the barista with a freakish grin on his face. His voice was rough.
"Could I please have a cappuccino?"
The barista seemed to avoid looking at his face. She seemed visibly uncomfortable. She accepted the payment and tried to finish the transaction quickly. James turned to find Lady Danna.
"Ah, my Lady, I haven't seen you since the last feast. I hope my creations pleased you."
The massive ogre bowed kindly, demonstrating a level of etiquette uncommon in those of his seeming.
"I trust this isn't another recruitment drive. I still haven't made up my mind. Both the autumn court and the spring court seem very friendly."

[Donan]

"Well, if I know the night, I should be able to look up the police report fairly easily. That should get us a picture and let us know just where she is."

[Bennosuke]

Peter sits quietly and listens. He never liked talking much, and mostly no one listened. But he did understand what he needed to know, and what needed to be done. Waiting for a break in the conversation, when he can best rally his confidence, Peter says So we need to help her escape from a psychiatric ward. If we can rustle up some fake papers maybe one of us could make out to be her next of kin. If that's the case, then as the "informed decision maker" we can have her discharged "home", ie to us. That would be way easier then trying to break her out. What was her name again?

[Mono Vertigo]

Bienvenida arrives and listens calmly. Due to the mantle, her fur is similar to a thick fur coat, but her friendly face looks warmer and friendlier than the average Winter Courtier. "That poor woman! If any of you is willing to produce those papers, I can... help with it. Pass as her aunt, even, if she's young enough. I've always wanted to do that." She smiles mischievously. "Anyway, we should be quick. She might make use of a Contract in front of witnesses without knowing any better. Being locked up attracts enough attention as is."

[Admiral Squish]

Mike sits, sipping his coffee, one arm resting on the table.
In his mask, Mike looks like a regular costruction worker, albeit, a bit... exaggerated. He's taller than tall, a little more than seven feet in height, and extremely broad-shouldered. He's extremely muscular, looking kinda like a body builder, but with a lot more hair than most. A big, square jaw covered in dark stubble juts out as he sips his coffee, the paper cup dwarfed by his large hands.
In truth, though, the scene is much more surreal. A massive machine sits in the chair. Thick pistons pump with his movements. Plates of yellow and orange cover his chest, shoulders, thighs, forearms, and shins, dotted with reflective applications. Black and white caution stripes make his square jaw. His thick, blunt fingers alternate black and yellow with each knuckle, warning of the terrible damage they could inflict.
He was dressed in his usual work attire, they'd called him from the site, after all. A white t-shirt and heavy denim overalls, marked with concrete dust and the occasional smear of tar. The coffee he held in his hand was mocha, with extra sugar and extra chocolate. Not what one would expect from his image, but he had an enormous sweet tooth.

"So, let me make sure I got all this." The bulky machine begins, a puff of diesel smoke emerging from his mouth as he speaks in a rumbling, gravelly voice. "A fresh changeling hops out of the hedge and we miss the chance to pick her up. Now she's in a mental hospital, and we have to spring her out before she gives somebody too much evidence that she's not crazy." He says, summing up the situation. He takes another sip of his mocha. "Well, I'll be honest, I don't think I'm gonna be of much use for this one. I'm no good at all that fast-talking and pretending to be relatives stuff. Guess I get to be the backup plan again." He shrugged with a sigh.

[Bennosuke]

Remember the Russian job? Mike, you could be the uncle and your intimidating presence could help encourage them to be less rigorous in reading our falsified papers. , Peter says meekly. Even though he and mike have worked together for years, Peter was always nervous about telling the big guy what to do. He titters awkwardly to himself, partly out of discomfort and partly due to the idea of mike and bienvenida pretending to be a couple.

[Donan]

"I suggest we go in with our masks strengthened. If she sees our native forms she's likely to think the worst and have a panic attack."

He looks to the Spring Queen respectfully and with a smile. "We can get this done and get her out safely. Can you give us the rest you have on her, and the night they found her?"

He looks back to his motley mates. "I'll check the police report for anything extra. Tia, Mike, you guys are good with playing aunt and uncle then? And James, do you reckon you could sort some documents out?

We might also want to erase any recordings they have of her, just in case."

[Admiral Squish]

"Oh, yeah, the Russians. Man, I remember the looks on their faces..." Mike commented, grinning a bit at the memory. He shook his head and "I suppose I could play the uncle. As long as I don't have to do way too much talking." He said. Then something occurred to him and he pointed across the table, brows furrowed. "And I'm not wearing my suit!" He warned, referring to the only suit he owned. Custom-tailored to his new frame, he only wore it when absolutely necessary. He was not fond of it, to say the least, but he'd been called on to wear it several times in the line of 'troubleshooting' duty.

[ToySoldierCPlus]

"The only catch about strengthening our masks is the risk of one of the orderlies noticing our shadows. Still, probably a safer idea than letting the new girl see us as we are."

[Mono Vertigo]

Bienvenida bursts out laughing. "Mike! My husband! Well, why the hell not! I do the talking, and you frown at them if they are being too curious! That'd be rich!"
She finally calms down and coughs. "Erm, anyway. Strengthening our Masks is a good idea, but thinking about it, I'm not sure she isn't going to freak out if two strangers pretending to be family show up and attempt to take her away. Once you get out of there, you tend to become... extra suspicious. Basically, we've got two options. Either we pretend to be perfectly normal people, and hope our disguises are good, either we tell her as soon as possible she's not alone, that we're here to help, and that she needs to play along."
She taps her fingers together. "At any rate, if things go wrong after we get to that Lost girl, we could easily manage to take a stroll through the Hedge. But this is the last thing I want. It would raise more embarrassing questions. We HAVE got to get it right on the first try."

[Admiral Squish]

Mike grumbles at the burst of laughter, sounding something like a large engine. "It's not that funny..." he mutters, a bit indignant as he takes another sip of his mocha.

[Mono Vertigo]

Bienvenida smiles childishly. "Don't take it personally. Just... when I picture myself being married to someone, it's... it's a very different duo I visualize."
She's no longer smiling. "But I digress. That does make me wonder though... does she have any family looking for her already? We must reach her before they do."

[Donan]

Digger grins, rubbing his stubble and considering Tia and Mike as he seizes them up. "I don't know.. you two could make a pretty good couple.." He laughs, shaking his head. "On the more serious note, getting documents sorted may take the most time. But hopefully we can be ready for tomorrow?

And I hate to say it Mike, but you would look best in that suit." He grins at the man.

"Oh.. Hedge wise, we could open a portal into her room if we can find it, but I don't like opening too many doors, and there'd be questions asked if she just vanishes."

[Sir_Gabes]

"I don't have the resources or skills to acquire such documents, fake or otherwise. If I had a photo or some kind of identification I could do some research on her. I could find out who her real family is.
James' grin intensified. He took a sip out of his cappuccino an breathed in the steam.
"Of course, if you need a bone broken or someone frightened, I am quite capable. Such brutality is rarely orthodox however."
James looked around, making sure no one was listening.
"Of course there are many Goblin fruits that may help us. If I have an escort in the hedge I could find some."

[Kesnit]

"Well, if I know the night, I should be able to look up the police report fairly easily. That should get us a picture and let us know just where she is."

Finder speaks up from the shadows. "She came out 3 nights ago in Tinsletown and was picked up 2 nights ago by Vice on Phillips Highway."

Tinsletown is on the south side of the city. Phillips Highway is a major road that runs north-south along the western side of the city.


"I suggest we go in with our masks strengthened. If she sees our native forms she's likely to think the worst and have a panic attack."

There's a goblin fruit that will do that, or you can burn a Glamour+ Willpower for the scene.

[Donan]

He smiles in Finder's directions. "Thanks. Well.. not surprised Vice was there. A lot of prostitution happens around there, I just hope they don't think she was involved."

[Bennosuke]

What is her name, and how old does she look. Peter is gaining confidence as his mind starts to take hold of the problem like roots around fertile soil.

[Sir_Gabes]

"If you want to strengthen your mask without drawing your own power. There is a goblin fruit I could harvest. As I said I will need an escort into the hedge."

[Donan]

"Do we want to risk the time a trip would take though? She might be drawing the wrong sort of attention already." He looks to the rest of the motley.

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Tom shakes his head. "I don't think we have time for a trip. The fewer delays we have, the better."

[Kesnit]

What is her name, and how old does she look. Peter is gaining confidence as his mind starts to take hold of the problem like roots around fertile soil.

Finder shakes his head. "I do not know. I my contacts had heard about a strange woman in her 20s being picked up by police, and I managed to determine it was her, but no one could give me a name."

[ToySoldierCPlus]

"To be fair, she wasn't likely to be carrying any identification if she just escaped from there. None of us were. And if the police felt the need to bring he in for an eval, she probably wasn't in any fit state to tell them who she was." He strokes his chin and whiskers thoughtfully for a moment. "If we had a picture, we might be able to get her out, assuming they haven't found out who she is yet through their own database. If we can't get a picture, we may have to make her disappear from within a locked and guarded facility. That could be difficult, even with access to the Hedge."

[Bennosuke]

Peter pauses and considers for a second, Well, this gets much harder without her name.... He takes a swipe at his long weedy brown hair. A single bead of sap like sweat rolls slowly down his forehead. Lucas, you still have a few friends on the force, right? Assuming she did give a name, they would have it on file with their incident report. Any chance you could call a favor in to get her name?

Tia, without an ID showing you and her have the same last name, your gonna have to put on a darn good show. Think you are up to it?

[Sir_Gabes]

"Is there a gate in the sanitarium? We could easily shape a door into her room. Her reaction would be... Intense... We could give her warning and explanation by visiting first. Such a place would have visiting hours."
James began unconsciously eating his teaspoon. His massive jaw crunched the spoon in two. He looked embarrassed and quickly deposited the metal pieces into a napkin and wrapped it up. He hadn't eaten human flesh since the incident emerging from the hedge. He was longing for taste and texture of biting into a warm human body. He looked visibly uncomfortable.
"Sorry about that madam. I don't know my own strength it seems."

[ToySoldierCPlus]

"Well, we can always make a gate. Granted, we'd have to be on this side to do it, and I'd be concerned about her reaction to being dragged through a gate back into the Hedge by a bunch of complete strangers... On second thought, maybe we don't do it that way. Any other suggestions?"

[Bennosuke]

I agree with Tom. Peter says, grateful that someone else opposed the idea first. Still don't want to step on anyone's toes. It would be really messy too when they found her missing. Police investigations ect.

Lucas, you think you could get in touch with someone down at the station right now?

[Donan]

Lucas nods. "I still have access, I can go look the report up right now, and meet you all when I have it?"

[Mono Vertigo]

The Truefriend nods. "I could attempt that without another forged ID, yes. As I said, what worries me most would be her reaction. I'm not fond of the gateway option, though. Unless we only use it to talk with her beforehand. We reassure her, she tells us her name and all information that might be relevant, and only afterward, we come back to get her out the official way. It would take a little longer, but it is the safest plan."

[Donan]

Digger rubs his chin. "I'm.. not sure. Worried that if we do it that way, any sighting of us will make her even more unbalanced. She won't see any difference between us and Them."

[ToySoldierCPlus]

"That's a good point. Trying to talk to her through the Hedge would let her see us under the Mask, which would probably unsettle her even more." Tom thinks for a moment. "I don't suppose any of you know how to get into someone else's dreams?"

[Mono Vertigo]

"Going into her dreams? That's a very good idea!"
The Beast looks down sheepishly. "... I've never done it, though. Don't you need to pledge for that? That would defeat the whole purpose, doesn't it?"

[Admiral Squish]

"No matter how we make the approach, she's going to be freaked out. It's a bad place to be when you first get out of the hedge." He shrugged. "So we need to make the approach that'll raise the fewest eyebrows among the cops. I say we go in pretending to be her family. If she disappears into the hedge, then there'll be a search. If they already think she's crazy, then her lack of recognition and possible fear of us could be explained pretty easily." He spoke, gesturing with a hand as he talked. At the mention of dreams he nodded. "Dreams are worth a shot... But we'd have to wait for her to go to sleep, and she might not even sleep tonight. I'd be pretty amped if I were in her shoes."

[ToySoldierCPlus]

"So it seems we're at an impasse. Without her picture, name, or both, we can't visit her in person, we can't go into her dreams unless she's asleep, we can't get her out via the Hedge unless we can actually get into the ward, and if even if we could get to her via the Hedge, the sight of our meins would probably freak her out." He paused. "Did I miss anything? Lucas, you should probably make whatever calls you need to. We can't do anything until we have more information on our rescuee."

[Donan]

He nods, standing and looking to the Queen. "Do you need me for anything else? I can go now and have that report in a hour or so."

[Admiral Squish]

Mike nods. "Alright, Lucas, call us when you've got the file. We'll meet up and go over it before we head over to the asylum."

[Bennosuke]

I agree with Mike, our best course of action is for Lucas to go pick up her file. If we can get her discharged to Mike and Tia's care, we will raise a lot less eyebrows. Whiskens, why don't you go with Lucas, in case anything happens on his way to or from picking up the file.

[ToySoldierCPlus]

"Whisken, no 's'. And yeah, I can do that." Tom gets up and stretches. "Shall we depart?"

[Donan]

Digger smiles, nodding. "Sure, can do. You mind waiting outside the station while I grab a print of the file Whisken? Would only take me a couple of minutes."

[Bennosuke]

Peter flinches, anticipating a blow that never comes. 'Darn,' he thinks, 'that's the third time this month I've done that. I need to spend less time with my books!'

[ToySoldierCPlus]

"Yeah, that's fine by me."

[Sir_Gabes]

"Lead the way! If we have some time, I would love to make her a delightful welcoming meal."

Are there any goblin fruits that could make someone more trusting or calmer. Intelligence+Occult [roll0]

[Donan]

He nods, giving a smile and hopping to his feet. Dipping his head respectfully, he turns to lead the way out, his final destination the nearby police station. He's inside for a few minutes, casually chattering to people in a relaxed manner as he collects the report before he heads back outside.

"Alright, there's that? Where to next?"

[Admiral Squish]

Mike rises to his feet, walking out of the coffee shop, giving a respectful nod to the rest of the group as he departs. He pulls out his cell, calling his foreman to tell him to take over for the rest of the day, that he has to take care of a personal issue. He gets into his truck, the car rumbling to life. He heads back to his apartment and changes into his suit, grumbling in annoyance, before heading to the asylum to meet up with the others.

[Donan]

Digger reads out the police report once safely away from the station. "When they picked her up by the highway, they figured she was a hooker and high on drugs, so held her for a couple of hours. When she didn't get any better, she ended up being sent to the mental hospital.

No ID, and she just kept repeating 'my precious'. She told them she was on the highway because they, as in the cops, had sent her there."

He holds up a picture of a woman cowering. "Not the best shot.."

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Tom leans in inquisitively and studies the picture and report. "Maybe not, but I think we can work around that. We should be able to at least visit her now, if we can bluff our way in. We know exactly when she was picked up, and it doesn't seem that anyone's figured out a name for her yet, so we can give whatever name we like, even without ID."

[Sir_Gabes]

Before they left James asked the queen if she could arrange an escort for him.
"I know of a goblin fruit that makes people calm and more trusting. I should like to bake it into a cake. This might make our friend less likely to panic."
James hoped that the queen would offer assistance. He really wanted to offer it as a welcoming gift.

[Bennosuke]

Peter looks nervously at Digger, "Does it say anything about the girls' name, age or identity?". If the cops didn't have her identity, that means the hospital won't either. This could make the plan either more difficult or more easy.

[Donan]

He shakes his head lightly. "Nothing except her being in her twenties. If we can get the cake in first and have her eat some, this should be relatively easy."

[Bennosuke]

Well if the police don't have her name, then we can assume she doesn't know it or can't express it. This is good, because we can claime she is anyone. But bad, because we won't be able to ask for her at the hospital without arousing more suspicion. She will be Jane Doe, and we will have to provide some sort of identification she is who WE say she is. The only fake ID we will need is one of her. This could get very complicated.

[Mono Vertigo]

"Let us come up with a story for her", proposes Bienvenida. "Mike and I are her aunt and uncle. I can say I am the one who is blood-related if you prefer. Her parents are deceased or absent from the country, whichever is most convenient. She fell in a bad crowd back in high school of college. We're here to help her stay away from them and their drugs and get better. Something like that."

[Donan]

The Beast pauses. "Does anyone want to act the part of a lawyer? You wouldn't even need to say anything, just to stand there in a sharp suit and with a briefcase and a stern expression? It might speed things along."

[Bennosuke]

Peter listens to the others plans. Maybe his plan wasn't such a good idea, but until something better comes up, they were going to have to make do. "We should avoid the drug topic, I'm sure they screened her urine and blood for drug particles. Maybe her parents passed recently and she only just recently came out to live with Mike and Tia.". Again he wipes his weedy hair from his face. He scratches his mossy chin and continues "The recent loss of her parents made her unstable, though her parents had always been concerned about her 'imaginative behavior'. She ran away from your home early last week, and Tia you have been so concerned. How does that sound?".

He turns to Tia, "The lawyer idea sounds good, but not it". He chuckles awkwardly, and quiets when no one else laughs.

[Mono Vertigo]

Bienvenida nods. "Sounds just fine."

[ToySoldierCPlus]

"Dibs on not being the lawyer. That is one thing I could never pull off."

[Bennosuke]

Peter again wipes his hair from his eyes, groaning when it falls right back in his eyes. "Are you sure Tom? I think you'd probably do best as the lawyer, or at least way better than me." He shrugs awkwardly. His attempt at convincing Tom was poor, but maybe that was just proof how bad he'd be at playing lawyer.

[Admiral Squish]

A sudden realization hit Mike as he tightened his tie. Scooping up the previous pair of pants, he picked his cell from the pocket, dialing up Bienvenida. He waited impatiently while it rang, pacing heavily back and forth through his apartment.

"Hey, it occurs to me, what if the boss isn't there? I mean, they probably don't have a full staff there overnight, it's probably just guards and a few nurses. Maybe this should wait until morning." He commented into the phone when she picked up.

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Tom sighs in response to Peter's effort to convince to play the lawyer. "But I don't know anything about law. And I'm not sure I could keep a straight face..." His voice trails off, and a moment later his trademark grin is back once more. "Then again, I do love a good joke. So what the heck, I'll do it."

[Bennosuke]

Peter laughs, maybe a little too loud. "Great! And Mike can make the fake IDs. It sounds like we have ourselves a plan!"

[Donan]

The Truefriend grins, nodding. "Regather in the morning and hit this then, in that case?"

[Mono Vertigo]

"Very well. Let's do it."