His Eye is Always on You IC

[horus42]

In the wee hours of the morning, the streets of Paragon are deserted. Not from any danger, because no one dares to break the laws, but because the citizens are simply asleep. Nestled in between the blocks of identical, drably colored buildings lies a bar called Raptor Attack. It stands out slightly, and some citizens view it as extravagant. Though it's fairly modest compared to say, Meruvian standards.

Despite being long after hours, the bar is still packed with people. Those who would fight against the oppressive regime of The Perfect. Those who have had their Marks removed, or in some cases, never got them to begin with. The resistance is a motley bunch. Native and foreign, human and Dragon King, mortal and Exalted, all are united with a single goal.

Leading the meeting is a grizzled, middle aged man named Matthew Vaughn. He sits at a table near the bar, looking through stacks of intelligence papers and debriefings he's accumulated from his ring of spies. He sets the papers down, and looks up at the gathered members of the resistance. None of the assembled freedom fighters are the usual rank and file soldiers. Most are officers and spies.

Vaughn stands up, and walks around to the front of the table. He's dark of skin and eye, and keeps his head shaved. Despite his numerous scars, he give the impression of someone who's deadly in a fight, and as a former member of the Darian Secret Police and a current Dawn Caste Solar, he truly is. His tone is authoritative, without being overly so. "Alright people, listen up. Because the Regime is cracking down, we've gotta hit some heavy targets, and soon. We've got a few options, our men inside the Regime have given us some good intel. I trust all of you, so I'm asking your opinion on this one. Our two most promising targets are here in Paragon, though up till now, both were pretty well hidden."

Vaughn picks up the stack of papers again. "We can help cripple The Perfect's war machine by hitting the lab where they create his Dragon-Blooded, or... We can rescue some of our own people. They're keeping a lot of our guys prisoner in a secure facility underground, torturing them for info on us and our plans. We'll end up doing both, what I'm asking is, which do you all wanna do first?"

[JonRG]

Talhar drums his fingers idly against his water glass. Though the teen could obtain alcohol, he preferred to have his mind clear when it came to the Resistance. His age was already a mark against him. No sense in adding to that. He clears his throat. "We should rescue our people first. If we strike the lab, the Perfect might execute them in retaliation." He purses his lips. "I hate to suggest this, but how solid are these leads? Could either of them be a trap?"

[Obscurejones]

Rucks shudders at the thought of the Perfect's torture apparatus. He vaguely recalls a few techniques from his last life and quietly hopes they haven't been improved upon.
"We get our people. We can take a few more trumped up stormtroopers. We can't take the loss of our secrets."

[GenericMook]

Verity leaned back in her chair, and thought through the whole process for a moment. Attacking either facility would cause them to raise security in the other facilities across the city, so they would need to hit the most important one.

"I'm with Rucks. We can't let our secrets fall into the enemy's hands. Plus, there might be additional intel that we can take from the place."

[Kell_tamer]

A rather innocuous looking stray cat sits up in the chair it was in. It blinks a moment before shifting into the body of a small red haired girl. A girl everyone at this table, even the Dawn knows can figuratively and literally hold her own. She chimes in with a bit of a stutter.

"It's n-n-not so much the secrets that concern me, it's the fact that they s-s-shouldn't be made to endure this T-t-trouble any longer. So I v-v-vote for the rescue."

She leans her elbows on the table looking a bit distant...

"Besides, like Rucks s-said, we've f-f-fought Dragon B-B-Bloods before. What's one or t-t-two more? "

[josienoms]

Rachael shifts uncomfortably in her seat. Thoughts of her own time as a prisoner of The Perfect haunt her. "Shana's right. We can recover from The Perfect's men learning our secrets. But no one deserves to be treated that way. Believe me, I know." She steels her resolve, shoving the memories aside and keeping her hands steady.

"We'll save the prisoners. Show the Regime that we're better than them. We don't leave people behind."

[OracleofSilence]

"The captives are the best choice. We can't leave them imprisoned, and we need to prove that people won't be abandoned in the Resistance as soon as there is a setback." He pauses, considering briefly what, suggestion would draw the best response from those gathered, then continues. "We should hit a few secondary targets. maybe just a little after we start on the holding facility. If we have enough time, I think we can organize something that will completely draw attention away from the holding facility. I'm not sure we really have the time for that, but we should be able to manage something pretty good."

[horus42]

Vaughn smiles fiercely, showing off his teeth. "That's the answer I was looking for. The holding facility is technically outside the city, but the access tunnels leading to it are inside, near the Wall." No other city in the modern world is still walled. Firearms and air raids, and other changes in the way wars are waged, made city walls obsolete a long time ago. But Paragon isn't walled to keep invaders out. It's walled to keep the citizens in.

"We don't have a lot of manpower to spare to hit multiple targets at once, but I'd say we could arrange at least one other major operation as a distraction. Too many of our people are untrained for us to manage much more. But once we rescue the P.O.W.s and get our new recruits up to fighting form, we'll be a force to be reckoned with again."

Vaughn turns to Talhar, to address his concerns. "The intel''s good, I promise you that. I've got an Air-Aspect on the inside, and he gave all this to me. I trust him with my life, we used to serve together before I Exalted and joined the Resistance."

He pauses, and shifts through the papers. "We can't risk an attack on both high profile targets at once, too much could go wrong. Any suggestions for minor targets? Something that'd be a good distraction, while still making strides for the cause?"

[JonRG]

"Communications," Talhar blurts out. "Part of the reason the Resistance hasn't been very effective is that the Perfect puts his own spin on whatever we do. No one wants to align with a terrorist or a criminal after all. If we shut down even part of the propaganda machine, people will be able to come to their own conclusions without the help of our "Glorious" Leader." He looks up at Vaughn. "The presses, radio stations and server farms are non-military, so they'll be less guarded, and it doesn't take much training to start a fire. Besides, fewer personnel means they'll be less likely to cause casualties that'll turn people against us." He stares into his water glass. "At least, that's what I figure."

[Kell_tamer]

"I have...other m-m-more direct ideas. I can c-c-cause quite a d-d-distraction if I n-n-need to..." Those that know about the lunar know about what she means.

[JonRG]

"Could always do both. You could be the distraction for our distraction." Talhar takes a swig from his glass and tries to look friendly towards the skittish Shana.

[OracleofSilence]

Daniel nods at the young thief's recommendation "That is a good idea, but we might be able to go further then simple property damage. We can set prerecord a broadcast, plainly state our goals, the conditions within the nation, and our vision of what we replace this with, and we get that sent out. Give the people something to counter the Perfects side of things, give extra-nationals someone to send money to, and give the government a public black eye." And other things. That didn't need to be talked about yet though. "Maybe Verity can whip up a script? The other option is simple. Shana can cause havoc somewhere, I help make sure nothing gets out of hand." Then again, for now, headlines were all that was needed.

[JonRG]

Talhar shrugs with a forced calm. "Not a bad idea. Just have to destroy whatever we use to broadcast afterwards, not to mention anonymize whoever we use in the actual recording."

[Kell_tamer]

"I d-d-don't want to be used as a w-w-weapon of terror. Just remember I w-w-won't hurt ci-ci-civilians." Shana had no problem ruining the day of one of the corrupt cops, but many people were obeying laws and such out of fear. Those people didn't deserve to be hurt.

[JonRG]

"Of course not. You could probably just stand there and serve as an effective distraction." Talhar smiles warmly in her direction.

[josienoms]

"The fewer people we hurt, the better. And I know that if more people outside the country knew what was going on, we could get more help. It's why I'm here, after all." She shrugs slightly. "Also, The Perfect and his people might be so focused on damage control from our broadcast that they might not even notice a few missing prisoners. At least, not until it's too late for them to do anything about it."

[Kell_tamer]

Shana blushes a bit and looks down at her feet.

[OracleofSilence]

"And I wouldn't want to use you as one. There are plenty of people in this city who deserve their share of the terror they have been inflicting on regular citizens. Even killing military targets may be a bad idea. It just gives the propaganda machine more to work with." Daniel stretches briefly, then turns to the other, no, his fellow rebels. "How should we split up? I know a few of us have... talents, but putting all our eggs in one basket is never a good idea."

[horus42]

"I'd suggest sending Talhar and you to get the prisoners, Daniel. Verity and Rachael should infiltrate the communications depot. Shana could theoretically do her part alone, but if she wants someone to watch her back, she can choose who. And I'll go wherever I'm needed. Rucks, are you in for a mission, or would you rather hold down the fort?"

[JonRG]

Talhar glances over at the bartender. That guy unnerved him and wasn't much of a subtle type. "It could work. You have some way to keep those guns quiet, yeah? I don't like a lot of noise on a job." He placed his crossbow on the corner of the table.

[GenericMook]

"That works with me. I'll get the script for our own propaganda done in a day or two, probably with fantastic music to go along. But here's my suggestion: We don't burn down anything. We infiltrate, and broadcast from their own stations. If we broadcast during the news, they'll investigate. Leaving no trace is relatively easy, so it'll be a dead end for the most part. Provides us with a sizeable distraction, too." said Verity, taking a sip from her own glass of water.

[josienoms]

Rachael nods. "Seems like a solid plan. I assume I'll be on the video itself, right? I mean, I do have a way with words." She smiles softly, just enough to convey her natural charisma.

[JonRG]

Talhar shakes his head. "I'm not sure. What's to stop them from cutting us off mid-broadcast, or issuing a broadcast afterwards to tell everyone we're a band of delusional liars? If we don't control the narrative, then our story won't do much good."

[OracleofSilence]

"Not so much. I just don't like using them." he turns briefly to Vaughn "You have a silencer I could borrow for this job? My personal weapon is... not really suited for indoor work, and I haven't been able to sneak anything else in." He nods at Talhar "I've been looking forwards to working with you. I can probably get us through the guards without a great deal of trouble, but I can definitely use your help getting in." his expression changes almost imperceptibly as he turns to Shana "Be careful. I know you can handle cops... just don't get too many eyes on you, alright? Make sure you can get out if you need to." He throws a semi-formal salute to Vaughn "I'll be good to go when you give the word."

[JonRG]

"Same." Talhar pauses a moment in thought. "Rucks, could you make sure somebody's around in case Therana has a nightmare and comes looking for me?"

[Kell_tamer]

She smiles at Daniel. "Y-y-you know I won't be showing up looking like this, I c-c-can't let them f-f-follow me." The child was young but she knew what she was doing. At least as far as slipping in and out of places was concerned, not as good as Talhar, but its easy to just hide as a dog or something when you can turn into one.

[Obscurejones]

The bar's proprietor grunts his decision.
"Not really enough of a sneak for most of this. I'll look after the homestead and make sure there's a fire burning and ready for anyone comes in. Try and whip up some healers for the walking wounded."

[josienoms]

Rachel rubs her chin thoughtfully. "I'm not trying to contradict you or anything, Vaughn, but it might make more sense to put Daniel and Shana together. He can cover her with that rifle of his, since he's a better sniper than an infiltrator. Maybe you should go with Talhar."

She wasn't quite sure if it was really her place to suggest such a thing, but in the years since she'd known him, Vaughn seemed to be pretty reasonable and pragmatic, so she thought it might be work the risk.

[Kell_tamer]

Shana looks at the Zenith then back at Dan. "I'm ok with th-th-that if you are."

[OracleofSilence]

"I would be a little more comfortable with that myself." Ah well. There would be an opportunity to work with the Solar later. Shana could probably use the help anyway.

[JonRG]

"Fine, I'll just go by myself then, if you're all so desperate to pawn me off on somebody else." Talhar crosses his arms with a huff.

[OracleofSilence]

"I am desperate to do no such thing, its just that my talents will be more useful in a more wide open environment. If you really care, I would still be fine working with you on this though." Daniel grins a bit at the outburst, but he tries to keep composed. No need to offend him more.

[josienoms]

A look of genuine concern fills Rachael's eyes. "I wasn't trying to offend you, Talhar. I'm just trying to make sure that the best people are grouped together. I don't want any of us to get hurt." Though she leaves off saying "especially you and Shana", it's heavily implied.

[Obscurejones]

Coiling his mustache around the edge of his claw, the raptor's response is sardonic.
"It's a poor terrorist Talhar, that lets himself get grumpy over whether he's popular with the rest of his cell."

[GenericMook]

Verity smiles at Rucks' comment, but composes herself before long. "This should work either way, but if Dan goes with you, it'll leave us with one wasted sniper that could be covering any one of us. The natural choice is Shana, just for the sake of safety. Rachel and I should be fine on our own, and if you go with Vaughn, you'll have enough firepower and someone with more than enough experience. Try not to take it personally."

[JonRG]

"Do whatever you want. I don't care. Just don't bend over backwards to make sure I have a babysitter. Vaughn's prolly got his own stuff to do."

[Kell_tamer]

Shana glances at the solar and slides her chair closer to him. "If you want I'll work w-w-ith you, a c-c-crossbow is quieter than a rifle. Keep them from n-n-knowing I have backup." the girl blushes as she talks to him.

[JonRG]

Talhar quirks a smile and puts a hand on Shana's shoulder. "Thanks, but I'm probably gonna be needed getting our guys out. I'm sure Dan'll take good care of ya."

[horus42]

Vaughn nods. "That works for me. And don't apologize, Rachael. That's what these meetings are for. If any of you think I'm making the wrong call, I want you to tell me. I won't keep you silent, or punish you for questioning me. Those days are behind me..." He trails off slightly, then sits down at a stool at the bar.

"We've done some good work here tonight, people. Go home. Get some rest. We'll start preparations in the morning."

[Kell_tamer]

Shana waves as the Dawn gets up. "Have a g-g-good night Vaughn." She sits waiting to see what everyone else is doing before she decides what to do.

[JonRG]

Talhar stands with a stretch. "Night everyone." He looks at Shana. "If you need somewhere to crash tonight, I've got space upstairs."

[Kell_tamer]

The girl smiles. "I-i-if it's n-n-not too much t-t-trouble."

[JonRG]

Talhar grins at her. "Nah, it's cool."

[horus42]

The next morning, Vaughn gathers you all back in the bar. "I hope everyone's well rested, because we've got a lot of work to do today. Lots of last minute preparations to make before we do our thing." He passes out papers to the groups.

Inside the packet he hands you are directions to the entrance to the tunnel, as well as the guard roster. you should expect two Dragon-Blooded, as well as several mortal guards at the entrance. The tunnel itself is less heavily guarded, but there are many more people inside the prison itself. The packet also contains a rough schematic of the facility, with important rooms labelled.

The packet Vaughn gives you describes a parade in the Perfect's honor that's supposed to be going on downtown that afternoon. There will be lots of people there, but a fairly small military presence, should you time it right. He gives the address of a building where Daniel can set up his sniper's nest, as well as a parade schedule for Shana, so that she can dino-up at the right moment.

Your packet contains technical data on how to make the broadcast, as well as the location of the local PNN (Paragon News Network) station. Security is expected to be fairly tight, though under such short notice, Vaughn's spies couldn't get the exact number. he gives you a map with the layout of the building, with likely entrances and escape routes clearly marked.

To Rucks, he simply says "Keep things running for now. Don't draw attention. The usual." he pauses briefly. "Everybody clear?"

[Kell_tamer]

Shana blinks as she reads the packet. "W-w-where is there g-g-going to be the le-le-least civilians? I d-d-don't want to hurt them..."

[josienoms]

Rachael reads through the packet, and then looks across the table at Verity. "Seems simple enough. Do you have the script ready? I'd like to get recording as soon as possible."

[horus42]

"Around the block where Dan'll have his gun set up is the least crowded section of the parade route every year. It's just off 52nd street, so it's a pretty sparsely populated area. Mostly business."

Vaughn turns to look at Talhar. "I wouldn't expect you to go alone. Not that I don't think you can't handle it, but I'd feel left out if I wasn't in on the action. You all know that I'm a hands-on guy."

[JonRG]

Talhar nods. "All right, but you'll have to follow my lead if we're gonna be quiet about this -- and I do intend to be quiet about this." Though young, he holds the conviction of a man twice his age.

[Kell_tamer]

Shana looks to Dan. "Are y-y-you ready?" Despite the stutter she seems confident enough. The speech impediment was not a good indicator of the girls bravery. If she's asking it means she is ready willing and able.

[GenericMook]

Verity nods, and passes two sheets to Rachel. "Of course. They're not final, since I'm doing this under short notice, but I did manage to come up with two separate approaches for this. The first is that we're real patriots of Paragon, and how we feel it's being undermined by the Perfect and his rule. The next one is far more direct, focusing on the failings of the state as a whole. Overall, it's not pretty for the Perfect, so it should be fine. What do you think?"

She then opens up her packet and looks inside. "Wow. This is kind of dangerous. Moreso than normal, I mean. We might want to go for impersonating someone, rather than sneak our way in. Vaughn, can you try and get us a list of crew members at the news station, or at least some info on how their credentials look like?"

[josienoms]

Rachael nods, looking over the scripts thoughtfully. "Well, I think I'd prefer the second one, if I'm on the video. The first is uncomfortably close to lying for me. We also might not be believed either. Most terrorists think of themselves as the "true patriots" after all. Presenting facts, however, is another matter. You can't argue with the truth."

She frowns, thinking of home for a moment. Of all the friends she'd left behind, and the husband who had abandoned her. She took comfort in the fact that they would see each other again, either in this life or the next.

Though if she never saw Gabe again, she wouldn't quite mind. She knew she should forgive him, but she had a hard time doing it. Her one greatest struggle, more difficult than she would have believed.

[GenericMook]

"I suppose that's fine. Although, knowing how the Perfect operates, he'll argue with the truth regardless. Still, make whatever amendments you want to the script, and we can start recording. How do you want the presentation for the recording done?" asked Verity, taking back the first sheet of paper and writing something on the back of the sheet.

She was hoping that this would all go well. She needed to report to both the Convention on Fire and her Gold Faction superiors, so she couldn't be directly involved in any attacks. The Convention wasn't aware - as far as she knew - about her involvement in the resistance, so she wouldn't be blamed for the attacks. She'd be asked to produce leads on a timetable, but she could always throw them off.

[OracleofSilence]

Daniel nods in assent to Shana, "Me? Always. I'll be at the nest tomorrow morning. Pick up some type of disposable communication, and we can be ready to go." He stays in the meeting room until the others are begin to leave themselves, then heads to his room. Sleep wasn't really his preferred means of rest anymore, but there was not point in flaunting the curfew before such a big job.

[horus42]

Vaughn nods back, smiling. "I'll have your back, Talhar. You're the expert."

He purses his lips as he looks to Verity. "I'll see what I can do. Let me make some phone calls."

He goes off to make the calls, and comes back a few minutes later. "We just got someone on the inside at PNN a few days ago. She sent me this." He passes his smartphone over to Verity. On the screen is a picture of one of the official press badges. "Seems pretty easy to forge." He frowns and holds up his tattooed hand. "Rachael, you sure you don't want us to fake you a Mark? You're gonna stand out without one."

[Kell_tamer]

Shana sighs being slightly jealous of the Dragon Blooded for their ability to communicate without such things. "I d-d-don't have m-m-money for a phone, and is-is-isn't it illegal to get a n-n-non sanctioned phone?" The child obviously wasn't worried about breaking horrible laws, she just wasn't sure where she could get a cellphone like that.

[OracleofSilence]

"Probably. I would prefer to avoid stealing them from citizens, but the black market must have access to a few. If it really comes down to the wire, I can probably wrangle some up, but that would mean calling on favors that I really don't want to." Eh, it might come up, but it probably wouldn't matter so much. "Just try to get your hands on a police radio at some point. Once the shooting starts we can use those if we really need them." he heads over to Verity and Rachel "If things go smoothly with Shana, I can probably get in position to cover you once you're in the news building. I wouldn't count on it, but I may even be able to get inside in the confusion. 'S up to you of course."

[josienoms]

"We'll need someplace dark, to conceal my identity. If I'm exposed, then that could lead the Perfect's soldiers back here."

She frowns at Vaughn as he holds up his hand. "Can't I just wear gloves? Though we won't be there very long, so it might be easier to just draw one on with a sharpie, or something. I doubt anyone will look closely enough to notice." It was a temporary solution and she knew it, but she steadfastly refused to be tattooed with that mark of oppression. It would be unfair for her to do it in order to blend in while so many others had it forced upon them.

[JonRG]

"I've faked the Eye loads of times. I can whip you up a nice forgery. Speaking of which...." Talhar leans over to look at Vaughn's phone. "I can probably help with that too, Verity, if you need it." He drums his fingers against the table. Dan was putting a lot of pressure on Shana there... "Lemme poke around upstairs. I know I have a handheld scanner, and I might have a pre-paid I never wound up usin'."

[GenericMook]

Verity nodded after examining the phone. The press badge didn't loot particularly complex, which was good news."That should be fine, if Talhar is willing to make a forgery for us. As far as the Mark is concerned, yeah, Rachael, you'll want a proper fake. Maybe once this is over, I can get some of my contacts to hook you up with a fake Mark, but for now, we'll have to work with something quick," says Verity, turning to look at the bartender.

"Rucks, do you have any abandoned or unused rooms that we can use for the recording?"

[Kell_tamer]

Shana nods to Talhar, "i-i-if it's n-n-not trouble that w-w-would help." She smiles

[josienoms]

Rachael sighs slightly, then nods. "Thank you, Talhar. Once we get everything worked out, we'll head upstairs and get my fake Mark put on. How soon do you think you can have the fake IDs ready?"

[JonRG]

Talhar thinks. "Shouldn't take me more than a couple hours. I don't want to rush it, make a mistake. I'll need pictures of you two and whichever aliases you're most comfortable with." He rises from his chair, then turns back around. "Oh, and be sure not to wear the same clothes to the studio. Heard a guy got caught that way once. Only a rumor, but better not to take chances." Talhar rushes up the stairs. Therana and Isaac were in school. No need to sneak. He sidles into the master bedroom. The handheld scanner is an easy find, a key tool for a thief who wanted to avoid patrols. It takes some digging to find the phone, but he eventually locates it under a stack of books. Back downstairs. "For you," he tosses the scanner to Daniel. "And for you." Talhar hands the phone to Shana, and his hand lingers slightly in hers.

[Kell_tamer]

She smiles "Th-th-thank you!"

When his hand lets go she blushes a bit but hides it by looking down to place the phone in her pocket.

[JonRG]

"No problem." Talhar quickly turns to face Vaughn, hoping that his own embarrassment doesn't show.

[josienoms]

"Perfect." Rachael smiles warmly. "That gives us time to work on the video." She shifts again in her seat, smiling at Verity. "We can just do it upstairs in my room, with the lights off. And we'll need some editing software to change a few things. Mask my voice, blur out my face and any details that stand out."

[GenericMook]

Verity raises an eyebrow at Rachael's particular phrasing. "That... Well, let's just say that you didn't phrase that in the best of ways," she said, grinning. Verity reaches into the pocket of her coat, and pulls out a plastic case and opens it, revealing a miniature accordion case with a multitude of cards. She pulls out one, and hands it to Talhar.

"Use the photo and name on that card. It'll throw them for one hell of a loop if they catch me and try to trace the ID."

The card is a library card, from the looks of it, for a library in Lookshy. It's meant for one Heather Remington, but the picture is quite clearly Verity, from about a year or so ago.

[horus42]

Vaughn nods in approval and stands up. "We've got a lot of work to do, people. Let's get on it. Rucks, just keep doing your thing." He looks over at Talhar, Verity, and Rachael.

"Get to work on those IDs and the video. Once you're done, we'll head out. Dan and Shana, go ahead and get into position, then wait for my signal. I'm gonna go give my weapons a once-over." He goes into the back room to check his supplies.

[josienoms]

Rachael pauses for a moment, one of her eyebrows raised. "I'm not sure what you-" Then it dawns in her. "OH MY GOD! I promise, I didn't mean it like that!" She looks mortified and embarrassed, but quickly tries to shrug it off.

"Anyway, here's one of my old IDs, Talhar." She hands him her Meruvian driver's license. "Use the name Molly Carpenter."

She nods to Vaughn when he speaks. "We'll get it done."

[JonRG]

Talhar flits upstairs and sets to work. First, he scans the pictures into his computer, then places them in the template that he's created from Vaughn's photograph. It takes nearly an hour to find the correct fonts and lay them on the card. With an eye squinched tight, he clicks the print button. The cards shudder forth from the printer with a creak, and Talhar examines his handiwork. The ink look somewhat spotty and faded - he couldn't use a bona fide card printer without a colleague being able to blackmail him. It would be all right though. IDs would naturally wear over time. If anything, it would add authenticity to the disguise.

C'mon dice, don't fail me now.

Int+Larceny: [roll0]
Stunt: [roll1]

[horus42]

Vaughn comes back in, just as Talhar finishes the IDs. He looks them over briefly, then nods in approval.

"They look great. We can get going, if you're ready. Rachael, Verity, get the video done, then head out as soon as you can."

[Kell_tamer]

Shana pokes her head out of the back door to make sure no one is in the alley before heading out. She can move faster if she takes her way. To double check she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, letting all the sounds fill her ears. Listening to the crackles of police radios, the people down the street talking about the parade... a car in the distance. She drowns it out, focusing, the animal in her finding what it needs to hear, patrols, routes, last minute changes.

Shana is employing Keen Hearing/Touch for 3 motes while in the safety of the bar. She's using personal essence This guarantees her 2 successes on the roll and since she's focusing on the regime her roll receives a 1 die specialty 4 perception 4 awareness. +2 auto +any stunt
Roll
[roll0]
Stunt
[roll1]

[JonRG]

"Wait, I still need to do Rachael's mark, don't I? It shouldn't take more than ten minutes tops." Talhar reaches for a Tupperware container filled with supplies.

[horus42]

"Right, right. Almost forgot. Get than done, and we'll head out."

Drawing the Mark doesn't take long, and soon enough Rachel has a convincing looking fake tattoo. Shooting the video upstairs is simple and straightforward, and within half an hour, everyone is on their way to their mission.

I figured we could gloss over the video for now, and let you roleplay what it says when it actually plays. That way we can move ahead a bit faster. Also, I'm going to split what's going on for the various groups into Spoiler boxes.

Vaughn sends his Grand Shellcaster into Elsewhere with a touch, then drives you out towards the tunnel. The entrance is in a small building disguised as a utilities depot. Vaughn parks a few blocks away, then looks over to Talhar. "Want to scout it out first? Then come back and get me, and we'll go in together."

Shana hears everything going on. No one suspects anything specific. The crowd parts around her like she's not even there. Most are talking excitedly about the parade, or else their plans for after. A few of the present police officers are actually talking about their jobs, after hearing on the radio to look out for anything unusual. One of them mentions that he hopes something goes down, just so he can get a chance at some action. Another tells him not to get his hopes up. It seems too quiet. She can also hear the parade approaching from several blocks away.

From his vantage point in an abandoned office building, Daniel can see everything going on at street level. No one makes any sudden moves, and you can see Shana as she goes through the crowd. The cops are mostly hanging around one of their cars, about a block away from Shana.

The PNN tower is one of the tallest buildings in the city. It has the same drab grey coloring as the rest of Paragon, though the letters PNN shine brightly in neon at the top. The tower is meant to be impressive, as it's the crux of The Perfect's propaganda machine. It's easy to find a space in the parking garage next door, and the map that Vaughn gave you mentions the most likely entrance as simply being the front door.

A security guard stands inside the glass double doors, and stops you before you get to the metal detector. "Haven't seen you ladies here before." She smiles and asks for your IDs. She looks them over briefly, then nods. "Just like I thought. First day, eh?"

After everyone leaves, a few hours pass. It's not yet time for the bar to open to the public, so you're a bit surprised when the door opens and a young woman walks in. She carries herself with confidence and arrogantly struts up to the bar. "You the owner?"

[Kell_tamer]

Shana keeps herself innocuous as she meanders around the area. she begins making her way toward an alley and checks to make sure there no security cameras or police down there and maybe somewhere she can hide before changing. She already knows shes going to be hit by bullets so she hardens her body to it wit her essence. She can't start just yet, needs to get a few floats along the way and possibly a bit of the marching band. She just know's she's all ready.

She spends 3 personal on hide toughening essence this will up her soak from 9 to 15L She waits till people are completely distracted to change and makes sure she's on the side of the street with the least civilians.

[JonRG]

Talhar beckons Rachael to sit in the stool opposite him, then opens the box. He withdraws a paper cutout that bears the Eye of Dari and scribbles it thoroughly with black a gel pen. Then he presses the symbol against Rachael's palm, holding it tight against her skin with a warm washcloth. Talhar removes the rag after five minutes and peels the paper back to reveal a jet-black tattoo of the Eye. "Shake it out a bit. Let it dry." While they wait, he tries to make a little small talk. "So, uh, what's it like... in Meruvia?" Once the design's dried considerably, Talhar takes out a brown, translucent bottle and brushes a clear liquid onto her palm. "Liquid bandage. Make sure it doesn't smear for a few days at least." He tries not to tickle her too much and draws away after a few minutes. "Okay, you're good. Just let that dry before you touch anything. I gotta jet."

So I might have done some research on how to make temporary tattoos at home. :3

Int+Larceny: [roll0]
Stunt (if applicable): [roll1]

Talhar fidgets in the front seat of the car, more used to driving himself around in his new car. He opens his mouth to ask a question, but then clams up. When they stop, Talhar nods and slides out of the front seat. "I'll be back soon." He skulks towards the tunnel, making certain to step heel to toe and avoid the various scrap metal that litters the ground near the tunnel.

Dex+Stealth: [roll2]
Stunt (if applicable): [roll3]

[OracleofSilence]

Daniel whistles softly to himself, locks his rifles bi-pod into the roofs railing, and carefully adjusting his scope to lines up a shot on the police car, then frown and calls up Shana "Hey, you have an estimate on when you'll be ready? I assume you want to see the floats? I mean whats the point of a parade with out them." He fidgets slightly as he waits, sitting still, or really, doing anything other then running had started feeling strange somehow, but unfortunately, his job required it.

Using the Aim action and holding it until Shana starts her chaos.

[Kell_tamer]

shana picks up her phone. She whispers into it "y-y-yeah, i'm w-w-waiting for the f-f-floats." She glances around to make sure no one is listening. "are y-y-you ready?"

[Obscurejones]

After everyone leaves, a few hours pass. It's not yet time for the bar to open to the public, so you're a bit surprised when the door opens and a young woman walks in. She carries herself with confidence and arrogantly struts up to the bar. "You the owner?"

"That I am, miss. And what can the owner do for you on this fine and faintly spiffy day?"
As Rucks lays down a smooth calming layer of prattling banter he reaches with one of his claws to check the location of the Bouncer beneath the bar. He gently checks to make sure the safety is released and the barrels pointed at the young woman.

[GenericMook]

Verity, now dressed in a more business-appropriate attire and with her hair tied back in a ponytail, nods. "Yeah, we got our passes a few days back. They asked us to come in today, and said that it was pretty important," she says, taking off the black handbag with the DVD containing their video, as well as an assortment of other inconspicuous things, and passing it through the X-ray machine by the metal detector. She removes her watch, and sets it in the small black plastic tray, and sends it through before stepping through the metal detector herself.

(Int+Larceny) roll at Difficulty 1 (Arcane Fate, yo) for the disguise [roll0]
Stunts, if applicable: [roll1]

As far as how the contents of the bag look, I'm going to make that dependent on the success of my disguise roll. .

[josienoms]

She holds out her hand and lets Talhar apply his techniques. The design is a perfect imitation of the actual Mark, and Rachael obeys his instructions as he goes, letting the temporary tattoo dry out before she even tries to close her hand. As Talhar makes small talk, she replies kindly. "I didn't do much travelling around the country, I spent most of my life in Crane Bay. It's a beautiful city, and though it has its flaws, and there are a lot of things people take for granted over there that you can't find here." She shrugs and flexes her hand, watching as the tattoo stays in place. "Maybe once this is all over I'll take you there sometime." She smiles warmly. "It's perfect, Talhar. Thank you."

As she goes through the security checkpoint, Rachael puts on a false smile for the guard. Getting in would be the easy part. Getting out would be harder, which was why she brought her gun. My gun. Her eyes widened nearly imperceptibly. She smiles softly as Verity starts to load her things through the conveyor to the x-ray machine. Her words are tinged with Essence, forcing compulsion into her voice.

"You don't need to see us through the checkpoint. You're going to let us pass."

I'm using Hypnotic Tongue Technique to get our weapons through security.

[roll0]

and stunt if applicable [roll1]

[horus42]

The area is just like what the map described. On the outside, is appears as a simple utilities depot, but those don't normally have armed guards. Especially not Dragon-Blooded Super Soldiers. Two guards armed with Jade Shellcasters stand at the door, talking quietly with each other. They seem bored, but stand at attention nonetheless. Their eyes scan the street, but they take no notice of you. Through the window you can see a handful of guards with regular guns. Most likely mortals.

After a few mintues, the parade rounds the corner. People start to cheer as the floats go by, followed by a marching band. A few more floats are visible in the distance and then... a group of soldiers in full uniform. At first glance, neither of you can tell if their guns are real, or just for show.

The security guard sets her jaw. "I'm afraid I can't do that, Miss Carpenter. You know the law." She frowns slightly, and looks to the conveyor, expectantly.

The young woman pulls out a badge. She's with the police, if not the Secret Police. "Been getting a lot of reports lately from anonymous citizens. People coming in and out of the bar after hours. Some of them match descriptions of known resistance members. Know anything about that, Mr. Pilkington?"

[Kell_tamer]

Shana quickly darts around a corner so its not just a monster appearing in an alley. With a quick bit of focus, her perceptions of the ground change to where it seems so far away. the buildings become small, and the child feels the might of her totem. The sound of thunder is drowned only momentarily by the parades music as she rounds back over the corner... and suddenly....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nP5s2Y3yJE&feature=player_detailpage#t=116 Yes i'm stunting this with a trailer clip. its only appropriate.

[JonRG]

Talhar skulks back to where Vaughn's waiting with a van. "Two Dragon-Bloods on the outside, and prolly a bunch of mortals guardin' the inside. Guess they don't expect anyone to be crazy or stupid enough to try an' break into where they hold prisoners." He grins widely. "Want me to prove 'em wrong?" Talhar draws his crossbow and ***** it. "Get a bit closer and come out shootin' if I get spotted."

[OracleofSilence]

"Goddam show off..." Daniel quirks a smile at the young lunar's sense of drama, then focuses, timing his breath, centers his concentration through the cross-hairs , watching the policeman's expression of shock for just a second until a second clap of thunder echoes through the street. Tugged by some half alien instinct, Daniel spins, casually works the bolt, then sights in for just a split second, firing again at the apparent leader of the soldiers in the parade, the slightest glint of toxic green essence flashing in his eyes as he does so.

flurrying 2 shots, one at the highest ranking policeman he could have seen (benefiting from his aim action, a second at whoever seems to be the leader of the detachment of soldier in the parade. Spending 2 motes (personal) to augment the second attack with 1st Adorjan Excellency (surprise, sudden harm, flurry). I assume I aimed long enough to benefit fully from the action.

Policeman 14 Acc+3 from maintained aim action [roll0] 9 succ +1 if 1 die stunt or higher)
Lead Soldier [roll1] +2 dice from 1st Adorjan Excellency . 6 succ (+0 if stunt)

damage 1: assuming unaware target, 19(20 if stunt)/2 L
damage 2: assuyming unaware, 16/2 L

stunt 1 [roll2]
stunt 2 [roll3]

Dodge DV: 4+(2 from cover?)

6 ticks until next action

Personal: 17/19 (2 spent)
Peripheral: 32/41 (9 commited)

[GenericMook]

Venus, she's crazy. This early in the mission, and she's willing to jeopardize everything? God, I really don't want to do this, but I guess I don't have a choice, thinks Verity, as she reaches into herself, drawing upon the Essence commanded by her Exaltation and releasing it. She feels with her mind's eye, and links both the guard and her with her Essence, all while she collects her things on the other side of the X-ray machine.

This had better work, or we're all screwed.

"Well, see, ma'am, Molly here has some things in her bag that are for the people above. It's for a story we're doing, and they're expecting us at any minute. I don't think you want to keep them waiting, right?"

Using Cash and Murder Games, with Verity as the beneficiary and the guard as the victim. Inclination is to obey Verity's orders.

(Manipulation+Socialize) roll, with 3 automatic successes. [roll0] for the other dice.

Stunt dice juuuuuust in case: [roll1]

Essence left: 6/16 in the personal pool.
-1 temp wp

[Obscurejones]

Rucks puts both hands/claws on the bar and leans over it, adopting a look of surprise.
"Resistance? You mean those awful terrorists I read about in the papers? Well I'm shocked. I mean, I do let out some rooms, but they always seemed like nice young kids. If you'd like you can inspect their rooms. I have a master key. I will ask you to be somewhat quiet though. There are a few children staying in one of the rooms and I'd hate to frighten them."
Reaching beneath the bar he pulls up an old and slightly rusted key ring, rarely used but still in working order.

[horus42]

"Seems easy enough. No one'll be expecting a crossbow in this day and age. Might even give the other DB a heart attack out of sheer anachronistic shock." Vaughn grins and attaches a silencer to his Grand Shellcaster. He follows quietly, getting into a position behind a dumpster, where he can keep an eye on the action and lay down cover fire if neccessary.

At first, there's dead silence. People stare up in utter disbelief at the monster standing over the streets. it's doubtful any of them have ever seen a Tyrant Lizard in person, and few have seen photos of one. It takes a few seconds before the screaming starts. The crowd starts to scatter, running off in every direction. The marching band drops their instruments and run. The floats drive off at their fastest speed, which is still fairly slow. Everyone's so distracted by the dinosaur that no one notices when the ranking police officer's head explodes in a fountain of gore. And no one hears the gunshot that kills the soldier at the front rank. He simply crumples to the ground, dead.

The soldiers form ranks, and the police officers call for backup. A few of each break off to try to control the flow of people. For now, no one is firing. Seems like they don't want to risk shooting civilians. Though the soldiers are moving to attempt to block Shana's passage.

Feel free to act again. I like the clip, Kell. You can take one stunt die for that, and Oracle, you can take one too.

The guard's eyes lose focus for a moment, then she seems to come back to herself. "Oh. Well why didn't you just say so, Ms. Carpenter? I would have let you through then." She steps aside and allows you both to pass without going through the metal detector.

According to the map, the room you need to go to in order to broadcast your video is on the nineteenth floor. There's an elevator up ahead, and people are milling about the lobby. No one else seems to notice you right now.

The young woman's eyes widen in surprise. "You're being straightforward and cooperative. That's a good sign. Means you probably have nothing to hide." Her face suddenly becomes stony and serious. "Too bad that The Perfect doesn't pay me to tell him probably. I need to know for sure, so I'll take you up on that offer to check out the rooms."

[Kell_tamer]

Shana being twice the size of any normal tyrant lizard isn't impeded by soldiers in the slightest. To emphasize she lowers her head down to the soldiers, an eye almost the size of a man glaring through them as her tail smashes into the buildings causing dust and rubble to cloud up around her. A low rumble prefaces the coming storm as she roars from deep within rippling through the soldiers to the very frightened core inside them. It echoes through the city drowning every sound out for blocks.
doing something odd if horus lets me, I'm going to make a strength + performance roll to terrify every soldier I can with raw power. If not ignore the roll. no extra from charms, strength 15 thanks to large mutation from knack. Stunt whatever.
base pool
[roll0]
stunt
[roll1]

[JonRG]

Talhar glares from the corner of his eye. "Yeah, well... when you're not an adult, you hafta improvise. Plus it's quieter than your hunk of scrap, and I can avoid killin' when it's not needed." He pauses. Vaughn was okay, and antagonizing him wouldn't help anyone. "Maybe, when this is over, you can show me how great these guns of yers are." Talhar vanishes into a shadow, then levels a fowling arrow at the first guard and fires.

8 motes for First Archery Excellency and 1 to mute my anima display.

ATTACK!: [roll0]
Stunt: [roll1]

Hiding?: [roll2]

[OracleofSilence]

Daniel manages to get his grin under control, then wedges himself more firmly into the corner he was firing from to stabilize his aim. He briefly scans the soldiers again, deciding not to chance firing near the crowd and fires at whichever soldier appears least fazed by Shana's display, then swings his aim drastically again, firing at the regrouping police officers, hoping to increase the panic and confusion in their deployment, this time with faint discharges of essence crackling around him each time he aims, and each time he fires.

After firing he quickly calls Vaughn, while keeping close watch of the developments below "The distraction is going more or less as planned. Attention should be well and truly focused over here. Any requests?"

flurry of 2 attacks, one against whichever soldier appears less fazed then the rest, and one against a randomly chosen police officer. The second attack is again enhanced with 2 bonus dice from the first Adorjan excellency (flurries, sudden harm), the first attack with 1 bonus dice from the same all motes from Peripheral

Attack (Soldier) (14 Acc +1 excellency) [roll0] 13 succ +1 if two die stunt
Attack (Police) (14 Acc -1 flurry +2 excellency) [roll1] 9 succ +1 if one die stunt, +2 if 3 die stunt

Damage (Soldier): 23/2 L (assuming unaware)
Damage (Police): 19/2 L (assuming unaware)

Personal: 19/19 (+2 motes from 1 dice stunt)
Peripheral: 29/41 (-3 excellency, 9 committed)

[Obscurejones]

Rucks smiles pleasantly. Were it not for the potent enchantments on his necklace it might become apparent that said smile is full of terrible flesh rending fangs.
"Certainly. Would you like to work your way up to the third story or work your way down?"

[josienoms]

Rachael breathes a sigh of relief, and mutters her thanks to Verity as she goes around the security checkpoint. She walks alongside her partner, but doesn't mention what just happened for now. It could be discussed after the fact. However, this would mean that Rachael was not going to risk another failed attempt at using her influence. For whatever reason, The Immaculate God had denied her this, and she was not one to tempt her Lord's wrath.

"According to the map, we should head to the 19th floor, but it can't be that easy." She says, in a hushed whisper. "Let's get in the elevator, but expect trouble." Her face turns into a warm smile, and she begins chatting amiably, trying to blend in with the others who actually work at the station.

[GenericMook]

Verity glanced back at the front desk and made a note of the number written for the guard at the entrance. Now that she had influence over the guard, it would make escaping a whole ton easier.

Not that Rachael would realize this. Damn Solars and their direct approaches. This was the exact reason that the Gold Faction had sent her here.

Still, she was on a mission, and she still had to help out her partner, regardless of what happened. She nodded as Rachael spoke to her, and headed into the elevator with her. She didn't talk nearly as much with others, but that seemed to be more of a matter of people not noticing her than her own attempts at socializing.

Still, Rachael had a point: they could expect trouble. Hopefully, the attention at the news station would be diverted towards the parade and Shana and Daniel's attack. Still, it wasn't the worst situation that Verity had seen, and they should be able to come out of this whole mess alive

[horus42]

"We'll see about that. Good luck." Vaughn gets into position, and readies his gun, though he doesn't fire.

The fowling arrow strikes the unaware guard, who scowls and looks around wildly for the source of the attack. "What the hell was that?"

"What was what?"

"Look! Somebody just shot me with a ****in' arrow."

"Weird. I don't see anyone..."

"Well they're obviously hiding, moron. Go look." The first guard snarls, and scans the area, but doesn't see Talhar. The second guard shrugs and starts waking in the general direction where the arrow came from.

Most of the soldiers, besides the two who are dead and a handful of others, run off in panic. Soon the streets are entirely empty, but for those soldiers who didn't run, and the one remaining police officer. The officer ducks behind the door of his squad car, his service pistol drawn and aimed not at Shana, but at the windows of the building across the street. He knows there's a sniper, but not where.

The remaining soldiers are being commanded by one man, who stands at the front, wreathed in a corona of fire. His shouts are incoherent to you two, but the men seem to find strength in his words.

No one stops you as cross the lobby to the elevator, and no one gets in with you. A man in a suit gets on when the you stop on the fifth floor, but he gets off on the eleventh. After the doors slide open to reveal the nineteenth floor, you enter into an empty hallway. Doors line it, spaced out every few feet. The map is slightly vague about which door is the correct one. It was drawn under pressure and time constraints, so it's not guaranteed to be correct.

"Might as well work from the bottom up. Lead the way." She waits for you to come around the bar, and seems ready to follow.

[Obscurejones]

Rucks leads her to the arboretum waving aside a few free standing vines and ducking around a sapling. He tears away the foliage blocking the staircase.
"Sorry. It grows quickly."
Once the greenery has let them past he leads her up the staircase.
"Watch your step. I had a slime mold in here a few weeks back and the steps are still a bit slick."
Walking to the first door he unlocks it and gestures for her to head in.
"If it's alright with you I'll hang back. Although I hold no animosity to the due diligence of law I prefer to allow my tenants their privacy. And I'd hate to do anything to bias your investigation."
Assuming the officer heads in Rucks takes a moment in the hall to bend and twist his body, pulling his limbs back and forth until they're roughly half again as long. Although the changes are obvious he is confident his necklace can make them beneath her notice.
Invoking Alter the Trunk from the Shaping Wood Path. Raises Dex and strength by 1 for the rest of the scene. Rucks is also now supernaturally flexible and can slip through spaces as small as 4 inches wide.

[Kell_tamer]

Shana puts on a bit of a show to clear the civilians out of the way a bit. Stomping slowly after the police mostly but making sure to make her way toward the corona. She knew the dragon blooded, she knew what she was about to do was also going to make things taste funny for like a week. But she had to make a point. Leaning down and letting out a roar she charged at the man and with a sudden movement scooped him up in her mighty jaws. A strong quick swipe enhanced slightly by her own essence might.

She did her best to make sure the grab was whole and he would be able to walk later, but she wouldn't cry if one less dragon blood was monitoring the public like they were all criminals instead of citizens.

Shana is rushing and making a grapple attempt. using her strength obviously and martial arts and unarmed. large mutation makes her strength 15 martial arts 5 3 specialty and 2 from a strength excellency from personal essence. for a nice even 25 before stunt. Should it succeed shes going to break the hold with Roused Bear Throw sending the man flying quite far away for 3 motes. also personal. She has a hardness of 2 from her artifact tatoos if that prevents the anima flux, if not well, whatever. Bonus points if our sniper manages to shoot him out of the sky like a clay pigeon.

25 dice
[roll0]
stunt
[roll1]

[GenericMook]

Verity steps out of the elevator, and glances at the hallway before swearing under her breath.

"Damnit. I hate this more and more as time goes by. This is almost getting absurd. Listen up, Rachael. I sure hope you have something up your sleeve, because after I figure out which room is the one we need, I'm going to be too low on Essence to do anything without blowing my cover," she says, as she internalizes a singular question.

"Which room on the nineteenth floor of the Paragon News Network building contains the room with equipment for broadcasting a transmission?"

Verity directs this single question through the thread of fate linking her with her invisible secretary, and feels it scuttle off to find the answer.

Using Efficient Secretary Technique because this is exactly the sort of thing it exists for.

Personal Essence: 4/16

[JonRG]

Talhar frowns to himself. Those arrows always worked, but he had never attacked Dragon-Blooded soldiers before. They were made of pretty strong stuff.

Okay, new plan. He glanced up the side of the building. There were a number of windows. Almost certainly trapped and alarmed, but the Perfect couldn't install bars without drawing extra attention. He chalked his hands, then silently leaped up the side of the building. Once partway up, Talhar tosses a rock against the side of a nearby empty dumpster. Hopefully, that would distract the guards long enough for him to disarm the alarms on the windows. He reaches into his wristband and withdraws some tools.

Str/Dex+Athletics+Climbing specialty: [roll0]
Stunt: [roll1]

Dex+Stealth+City specialty: [roll2]
Stunt: [roll3]

Dex+Larceny: [roll4]
Stunt: [roll5]

[horus42]

The climb is easy, and the guards are both distracted by the sound of the rock hitting the dumpster. They both go to investigate, giving you enough time to disarm the alarms and open the window.

The Dragon-Blooded dodges out of the way of Shana's jaws, and fires a bolt of elemental Essence at her face.

He used Elemental Bolt Attack. I did the roll elsewhere because I didn't want to double post in the OOC thread. It hit, but couldn't get past your soak.

Vaughn answers the phone, and speaks in a harsh whisper to Daniel. "Little busy here. But keep up the good work." He hangs up after that.

The pattern spider scuttles back into Verity's awareness and whispers into her ear. "Room 1924." That particular room is down the hall and to the left, and is pretty easy to find. There's no one inside, and the equipment lines the walls.

The officer walks in, not noticing the changes in Rucks' appearance. She starts to look around, keeping silent as she does so.

[Kell_tamer]

A burst of fire and smoke fly in front of shana's face and with a large rumble she rushes through it maw open emerging like a monster from the depths of hell itself. She would be sure not to miss. She was going to remove the stormtrooper from the equation and scatter the police. Though she didn't like scaring all those people she was getting a slight sense of enjoyment out of this. Though she'd never hurt an innocent, the corrupt officials were far from. Turning her head sideways she lunged, massive jaw capable of holding the dragon blood whole. If he was the one casualty she herself caused today then fine.

Shana lunges forward for another grapple. 2 personal for excellency, she drops the commitment to keen hearing. Same deal as before, if the attack hits shes going to throw him way out of the way for 3 motes sending him 45 yards into a building (probably a closer building so he hits it harder ) . 15 +5 +3 +2 25 dice + any stunt
Base
[roll0]
stunt if any
[roll1]

[JonRG]

Talhar wriggles through the window he just opened and lands on the floor below in silence. Storage. Okay. He inches next to a shelf and huddles between several boxes to make his own little fort, then reaches into his pocket for his smartphone. Talhar's first order of business is a text to Vaughn. "i'm in headed for prisoners i'll let you know when i need backup send map?" Then he attempts to hack into the security system, not to disable it - not yet - but to at least know where all the sensors and alarms are placed. Essence surges into his fingertips as he does so, and he feels connected to the building, almost as if it's an extension of his own body.

Don't feel the need to draw me a map. Just the best path to the prisoners will be fine (assume thief-like discernment).

Gonna use Firewall Defying Method. Spending 3m + 1 wp and 1m to suppress anima display That's 13m spent so far.

Int+Lore: [roll0]+3 successes

[OracleofSilence]

Daniel's grin widens as he see's Shana batter the dragonblooded officer despite his attempt at an attack and he swings his rifle around to add to the exalts difficulties "Symbol of order my ass. See if you can keep up the stormtrooper act now!" He fires once, twice at the man, two shots aimed at his stomach, then his throat, allowing the recoil of one to pull the rifle into position for the other, then turning and dashing with impossible speed back down from his nest and towards the exit route. He would probably be secure for a few minutes longer, but experience had taught him that no smart sniper stayed in place for too long once the fighting started.

Comboing Death Dealing Journey (to dash without flurrying and attacks), Who strikes the Wind (reflexive, motes spent if attacked), and First Adorjan (2 motes per shot again) excellency to fire twice at the dragonblooded officer, and then take a reflexive dash action towards the stairs down. (hoping to meet up with Shana on the street and support from there) Dash speed is 14 yards per tick (84 yards covered by his next action).

All motes spent from peripheral

Attack 1 [roll0] 2 excellency dice 13 succ
Attack 2 [roll1] 2 excellency dice 6 succ

Damage 1: 23L/2 - DV and Soak
Damage 2: 16L/2 - DV and Soak

Stunt 1: [roll2]
Stunt 2: [roll3]

Personal: 12/19 (7 spent this round: 4 excellency, 3 Death Dealing journey)
Peripheral: 29/41

[josienoms]

Rachael frowns slightly. "This seems too easy. It almost feel like a trap." She stands by the door, listening for footsteps. She places a hand on the grip of her Shellcaster, but doesn't draw it yet. She bows her head and whispers a prayer.

"Lord, give me strength, and watch over us as we aid those in need." That's it. No ostentatious raising of arms or beseeching the Heavens. Simple words and a humbly bowed head, followed by a thrum of power.

"Ready to get started?" She spares a brief glance at Verity before leaning back against the door.

Rolling Charisma+Performance for the prayer. Not sure if it'll help, but whatever. I'm at -1 difficulty for being a Zenith, if I remember correctly.

[roll0]

Stunt it applicable [roll1]

[Obscurejones]

Rucks taps a foot on the floor as he waits. Suddenly his tapping increases, little staccato bursts of his claws clicking against the wood. They seem to flicker back and forth faster then can be seen directly, only clear out of the corner of the eye.
"Please forgive my impatience. I don't often find myself waiting to find out if the people I've opened my home to are dangerous madmen."
Activating twice flickering Flame, the fifth step of the Flickering Fire path.

[horus42]

Talhar's phone buzzes as it receives a message from Vaughn. "Understood, here's the map." Attached to the message is a copy of the map, according to which, the prisoners are in a group of small cells at the other end of the tunnel. Talhar's hacking also gives him the location of every alarm and tripwire in the complex, letting him know which spots to avoid, and how to disarm them all.

Daniel's precise shots tear the Dragon-Blooded officer to shreds. Bits of gore hang from Shana's jaws, but that's all that remains of him.

After seeing this, the one remaining police officer stands his ground, his jaw set in determination. His hands shake as he fires at the place Daniel had vacated only seconds before. The shot goes wild and hits the brick wall of the building. He clearly hadn't realized that the sniper was already gone.

Soon, Rachael hears footsteps in the hallway outside the room, and the door handle starts to turn. It opens, revealing a man in a dark suit, with a red tie. His slicked back hair is also red, and his eyes are dark brown. He has a toothy grin on his face, but holds up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Easy, easy. I'm a friend." His gravelly voice rumbles from the back of his throat, and you both notice that neither of his hands bear the Mark of Dari.

The young police woman looks over her shoulder at Rucks. "Don't rush my investigation, Mr Pilkington. You'd best remember that this isn't Meruvia. I don't need a warrant to arrest you."

[Kell_tamer]

Shana now having that awful taste in her mouth looks to expunge it. Flicking the whole body in she lets out a sound not unlike a large dog, but larger, hacking on a bone before hocking a large dragon blood filled loogie onto the final police officer. She slams a mighty foot down in the ground beside him before leaning down to roar right in his face.

Bits of body count for Roused Bear Throw! and spitting could in theory be throwing! so she kinda shotgun sprays this guy across the street leaving just a trail of police officer. She's trying to get this guy to run and call for backup so the teams come in and leave the other areas under lighter surveillance

[GenericMook]

Oh Maidens, she just sent a prayer. To Malfeas. Oh Maidens, I'm going to need help, thinks Verity, whirling around as she hears the door open. Luckily, she hadn't taken the disc out of her bag, but she eyes the man that enters the room, her eyes gradually drifting down, towards the lack of the Mark on his hands.

Oh god. This can't be good.

"A friend. Right." she says, pulling her cellphone out of her bag, and holding it in her right hand, ready to make a call.

[josienoms]

Rachael draws her gun, keeping it trained at the man's chest. However, she relaxes slightly when she sees his hands. "Who are you?"

[Obscurejones]

Rucks grins and reaches up to gently toy with the clasp of his necklace.
"Young lady, you'd do well to realize that I've lived here a hell of a lot longer than you. I remember when we could rip still beating hearts out and place them on a golden altar. Although to be fair, for some people that was last Thursday."

[JonRG]

Talhar takes a deep breath and puts his phone away. This was going to be a difficult mission, far more than any house he'd ever broken into. With another deep breath, Talhar opens the door and sidles into what he hopes is the semi-lit hallway outside. From there, he steps, cautiously and quietly, towards where the prisoners are being kept.

[OracleofSilence]

Daniel skids through the front door of the office building he had been inhabiting, an almost terrifyingly happy grin on his face from the combined rush of combat and sprinting full speed down a ten story stairwell, nodding briefly to Shana as he does so "I'm moving to a new location, that nest wasn't going to be secure for much longer. Think you can handle the followup yourself?" He looks at the bloody dregs that had been 'thrown' at the policeman, and his grin lessens somewhat "Sorry about the mess, I forgot how much you hated... well that sort of thing." Real smooth Daniel, she's still just a kid. A really tough kid, who can turn into a freakin' dinosaur, but still a kid For now, he drops into a crouch against the alley wall Shana had exited from scanning his rifle around to make sure the place had cleared enough to risk a real engagement.

[horus42]

The corridor is seemingly abandoned, and you can make your way down it easily. Roll Perception+Awareness, please.

The police officer gets into his squad car after being splattered in gore, and since the window is down, you can hear him screaming for help into the radio. He starts the car, flips on the sirens, and drives away.

A while later, once Daniel has reached his new position, you hear more sirens in the distance. As they get closer, you hear something else. The sound of a helicopter's rotors beating at the air.

The man puts down his hands, still wearing that same toothy grin and says, "My name is Samyaza, and I am an Angel of the Lord." He steps into the room and closes the door. "And you two need to hurry. There are people coming, and you don't want to get caught in here."

The officer turns around, her face twisted in fury. "Are you threatening me?" Her hand falls to her gun, though she doesn't draw it yet.

[Obscurejones]

"No."
With a snarl Rucks tears aside his necklace and leaps, claws and teeth flashing in the muted light of the room.

[josienoms]

Rachael's eyes widen and her gun droops slightly as her resolve falters. "An Angel? Oh my God." She drops her weapon and replaces it in her holster.

"It's an honor." She nods her head and smiles. "He really sent you to help?" A fierce sense of pride bubbles in her chest. Affirmation is a hell of a feeling.

[Kell_tamer]

Shana not wanting to fight something that flies ducks herself down behind a building so they can't see her as she changes quickly into a kid. Scrambling through an open window at the base of the building she ducks down to hide. The kid was brave, not stupid. She knew that odds were that the choppers would be carrying Exalted soldiers.

Glancing around for a leaky pipe she starts washing blood off her face. She spits blood on the ground over the flood drain.

a few bits of spit and clean face later she contacts Daniel. "S-s-seriously? you know I hate th-th-the taste of people! I'm g-g-going to be brushing for an hour w-w-when we get b-b-back!" There is definitely an upset tone in her voice. The girl has killed but she absolutely refuses to eat people.

[OracleofSilence]

"I... Yeah. I know. For now, we should get out of here. I'll try to make it up to you later." Daniel slings his rifle over his shoulder and retreats down the alley, hoping through an open window, and heading through the office building away from the street he had just vacated. "Do you want to retreat, or should we keep up the distraction. If there are too many dragonblooded in the reinforcements, we won't be able to hold out for too long, and inflicting particularly heavy casualties might cause reprisals on the populace. I'm not sure how much more we can risk."

[Kell_tamer]

Shana speaks between picking gross bits out of her teeth. "We sh-sh-should get in t-t-touch with the others. I th-th-think I can make my way back. Unless one of the others n-n-needs help..."

[OracleofSilence]

"I don't think now is the time to check in on the media team, but Vaughn might still be available. You should call him this time though. He seemed a little on edge last time I talked to him."

[GenericMook]

Verity grit her teeth. Rachael's stupid little prayer had just attracted the attention of a demon, and the worst part was, she had no clue about what she had done. Plus, Verity wasn't sure which Circle the damned creature belongs to. This was getting worse.

Still, at least there were others she could trust, even if it was to do just do their job properly. You know, without summoning Malfean demons or almost getting caught at the entrance.

Verity gave an exasperated sigh. "Fine. Give me thirty seconds or so. Rachael, watch my back. I'm going to set this up, then we move out," she says, turning to face the equipment. She dials Shana's number on the phone, and holds it to her ear with the aid of her shoulder, while pulling out her DVD and inserting it into the computer. The moment the auto-play prompt appeared, Verity's hands flew across the keyboard.

If Shana picked up, she'd hear the following: "Hey, we need a surprise for the PNN entrance. As quickly as possible." Verity wouldn't give Shana any chance to respond before hanging up, but Verity's voice would be recognizable.

Rolling Intelligence + Lore to make the broadcast untraceable, as well as setting it up to play 5 minutes and 55 seconds after it's triggered.

[roll0]

[Kell_tamer]

Shana sighs and dials the phone while watching out the window.

"V-v-vaughn? The distraction worked. H-h-helicopters are on the way. D-d-do you and Talhar need b-b-backup?"

Shana keeps her eyes peeled for troopers, or ropes indicating troopers.

[josienoms]

"For God's sake, Verity. Have a little faith." Rachael frowns slightly, but draws her gun again, waiting by the door. "I hope it doesn't come to a fight, though it's good to know that we have the power of the Lord on our side."

[horus42]

You notice a security camera near the end of the hall, pointed towards the cells. A guard is leaning against the wall, facing the opposite direction of you, just out of sight of the camera.

Vaughn answers the phone as the helicopter flies overhead. "Some backup would be great. The DBs are still snooping around, and I've almost been caught twice."

Samyaza smirks and steps aside. "Verity doesn't have to believe. All that matters is that you do, Rachael. God rewards those who trust in Him, though I think you already know that. You have a taste of power already. But you could have more..." He trails off as Verity finishes setting everything up.

The officer's eyes widen in absolute terror, and she freezes for a fraction of a second. She draws her gun and fires. The bullet tears through Ruck's chest, and the officer stands her ground.

And take 3L, please.

[Kell_tamer]

"I'm on my w-w-way!"

Shana closes the phone and climbs up to peek out the window. She had several ways to get there. She just had to make sure she didn't get caught before. The regime doesn't exactly care if the person they are bringing down was a kid or not. Not that she couldn't win any fight she got into, she just would rather be quick about it.

She dials Dan real quick. "I'm going to meet V-v-vaughn and Talhar, if you wanna m-m-meet there I'm sure t-t-they could use the help!"


She quickly shifts into a raven as soldiers round the corner, and she flies off to head toward the prison.


From the sky she looks at the ruckus she caused knowing they wont find anything but giant dinosaur tracks that just seem to stop suddenly. Some days she liked being able to shapeshift.

[Obscurejones]

As the bullet tears through his scales Rucks roars, a bitter primal sound hearkening back to the noises outside the ring of light made by mans first fires. Here is the predator unleashed, the first ruler of the world, the thing that comes to take from your flesh a bloody repast. Rucks' claws flash impossibly quick, moving in dual blurs, rending and ripping, splattering blood along the walls.

First Attack[roll0]
Second Attack [roll1]
Third Attack [roll2]
Free fourth attack [roll3] Spending 6 Motes to activate One Fire Many Flames twice.
Stunt if Any, and let's apply it to the fourth roll.[roll4]

[OracleofSilence]

Daniel was already sprinting through the office building as he responds to Shana's question "Thanks for the offer, but my talents might be more useful elsewhere. Vaughn is probably better equipped to handle a straight up fight then me, but the other team doesn't really seem all that set themselves. I'm heading over there to make sure their exit will stay clear." As Daniel races through the building, his thoughts turn inwards examining himself, his shadow, those parts of his soul that needed a bit of folding over for this next part He should be a reporter, trusted, yes, but not too well known. He had a reason to be here, taking photo's for a state propaganda spread, and he hid in this building as the fighting started, camera lost, and terrified for his life and his post. He is a loyal man, nearing middle age, and an employee at... Yes. That was it.

He pauses briefly before exiting the building, the shadows of its darkened halls are swept away from him. He now appears to be a man in his late thirties, his rifle is concealed in a large camera equipment bag (its short length making this possible to begin with), his clothes the slightly disheveled suit of a middle ranking journalist, his hands Marked, and his face panicked. His press badge and identity card hang around his neck, and were it not for the shear speed he was mustering, he would seem to be nothing more then a normal citizen racing along the streets, fleeing a brutal attack on a state parade.

Activating Loom Snaring Deception to disguise myself as a state-sponsored journalist who was taking photos of the parade, then exiting the building and Dashing in the direction of the news building the broadcast was planned to be sent from.

Personal: 5/19 (7 Personal motes spent on Loom Snaring Deception)
Peripheral: 29/41 (9 committed)

[josienoms]

Rachael eyes Samyaza curiously. "More? Is that why He sent you, to offer me even more power? I'm flattered, but I'm not so sure I deserve it. i'm content with the gifts He has already given me."

Though the thought crosses her mind that with even more power, she could do more good. She could save more people, and bring liberty to Dari. It was a very tempting thought.

"Well... Tell me more." She sounds unsure of herself, and still keeps an eye on the door as Verity finishes up.

[GenericMook]

Verity turns around, taking back the DVD from the computer and depositing it in her bag. She turned back towards Rachael and the demon, her mask of composure concealing the sheer worry she felt.

"Don't listen to it. I know I'm not exactly faithful, but if you're going to trust me on anything, trust me on this. I'm not even asking you as a co-worker. I'm asking this as a friend," said Verity, turning her gaze back to Rachael.

[josienoms]

Rachael looks over to Verity, a frown back on her face. "It? You almost sound like you two have met before, or that you at least know him."

[horus42]

Shana lands near Vaughn, who's hiding around the corner of a building. The two Dragon-Blooded guards are across the street, checking the last place they heard Vaughn making noise. One of them gestures vaguely in your direction.

"I'm gonna go check over there, just in case." He starts to walk your way.

The demon frowns, clenching his fists. "Rachael, don't listen to her. I'm who I say I am. The Lord heard your prayer and sent me here with the offer, and some bad news. The god who gave you your power and the Immaculate God are not the same being." He pauses, grinning that same toothy grin. "I was sent by the true Immaculate God, not a pretender to power. You've served Him faithfully, despite being a champion of a false god. No easy feat, mind you. He wants to change that, and empower you directly."

In the meantime, Daniel is waved past security, the guard sending you straight up to the nineteenth floor to "play your footage of the attack." She doesn't notice anything at all wrong with your disguise, nor it seems, does anyone else.

The officer lets out a faint cry of protest as she dies. Her gun clatters to the floor, her blood running in rivulets down your dripping claws. Her body crumples in a heap, and her eyes glaze over as the last breath leaves her.

[OracleofSilence]

Daniel keeps his concerned expression, and races up the stairs, neither wishing to strain his new identity, or waste time with the elevator, any second now, any second...

He burst through the door to the broadcasting room, skids against a wall, and only then glances at the room around him

"Don't worry, its... backup. Who..." Daniel glances at the stranger, notes the atmosphere and straightens. "Verity? Rachel? Whats going on here." He focuses more on the stranger, probing for signs, feeling the air. This stranger was certainly dangerous, but what was he?

Activating Insignificant Embers Intuition.

Also Perception+Awareness [roll0] 4succ, 5 if one die stunt, 7 if 3 die stunt

stunt if applicable: [roll1]

regenerates 2, 4, 6 or six motes if relevant.

Personal: 3/19 (2m spent on Insignificant Embers Intuition)
Peripheral 29/41 (9 commited)

[josienoms]

Rachael takes a step back, her eyes widening. "No. No, that's impossible. I saw Him when He chose me. He spoke to me!" Rachael sets her jaw and furrows her brow, anger starting to settle into her face.

"This has to be some kind of mistake, or a trick." Her hand rests on the grip of her Shellcaster again, and she draws it again when the newcomer bursts into the room, though she falters at his words.

"You know our names, so you're either an ally or a spy. I'm going to err on the side of caution and not kill you. But tell us who you are, and make it quick." The whole situation with Samyaza had her oddly jumpy and on edge, making her react a bit more harshly than she normally would have.

[OracleofSilence]

Daniel completely ignores the shellcaster being pointed at him, drops his camera bag to the floor, walks over to the door, dead bolts it, and putting up the broadcasting sign. Despite the fact that he has clearly just run up 19 flights of stairs, he seems more invigorated then anything "I'm here, to help you with your broadcast. I just got back from the parade. I got some pretty good footage the attack while I was set up in a nearby. I figured since you were a little new at stuff like this, you could use the help if matters got out of hand, so I headed hear before things got completely crazy." Looks back down at his disguise, mentally kicking himself as he does so "Right, the body and all that. It's... Who is this again? And why hasn't your press release been readied yet? Vaughn is going to be pissed if too much time is wasted." He keeps his eyes fixed on the stranger in the room, fiddling through his bag and grabbing onto the strap of his rifle, just in case.

[Obscurejones]

Heaving the corpse over his shoulder with one arm, Rucks reaches for his necklace with the other. With a practiced flick of his wrist he wraps it back around his throat and fixes the clasp. Secure in his innocuous nature he steps out into the hallway and carries the body back to the spiral staircase. Rather then walking down however he steps out on the other side of the stair case, seemingly onto open air. After a few feet of walking he starts up another staircase, still invisible to the naked eye. After he's made his way up about fifteen feet he reaches up and pulls open a hatch in the sky. Walking up into it he finds himself in his private kitchen. Dropping the body on a granite countertop he starts a pan on the stove. As he waits for it to heat up he grabs a serrated knife from one of the drawers and begins sawing open the officer's skull. He hums a cheery tune to himself as he works.

[JonRG]

Talhar takes a deep breath. One thing at a time. First things first, the camera. He works his way into the system again, already familiar with many of its traps and tricks. His hands tremble as the Essence flows through them, but he has to put the video feed on a loop before... what comes next.

Int+Lore: [roll0]
Stunt: [roll1]

[GenericMook]

Verity folds her arms and stares at the newcomer. "Well, whoever you are, you clearly know enough about why we're here. As far as the broadcast, it's on a timer. It should go off soon enough, but we have another situation on our hands," she says, gesturing to Samyaza.

"So, tell us, did anyone stop you on your way here?"

[OracleofSilence]

"No, as far as most people can tell, I have every reason to be here. After all, as of..." he checks his watch here "seven minutes ago, I have been working here for the last twenty years. I'm a familiar face to them, and the best part is, once I leave, they won't even remember me checking in today." He gives the stranger yet another once over "So how is he a new problem. Are we compromised? Or perhaps you can answer that yourself. You don't seem to be marked, and though red hair isn't really uncommon in the South... who are you?"

[horus42]

It works! The system begins to loop the feed, with no one the wiser. The guard shifts in his spot, but doesn't turn around.

The guard approaches, still not spotting you yet. Vaughn inhales deeply, readying his gun for a fight.

As far as Insignificant Embers Intuition tells you, Samyaza is a demon of the First Circle, and has Essence three.

Samyaza rolls his eyes. "No mistake. No trick. The god you saw in your vision is called Sol, an idol who the true Immaculate God cast down and imprisoned countless years ago. He often empowers the devout in attempts to subvert his fate." The demon smirks, and turns to Daniel. "I'm not marked because I'm not Darian. I'm not even human. I'm an Angel of the Lord, summoned by the faith of this woman here." His smirk turns back to his toothy grin as he gestures towards Rachael.

The officer is easily dismembered and slaughtered for Rucks to cook!

[Kell_tamer]

Shana knowing shes much more mobile than Vaughn at this point knows the dawn is probably also capable of severely crippling them if he manages to get the drop on them. She ruffles her feathers and thrusts her beak so he can see shes about to go out there and cause a distraction.

With a quick flap of the wings causing some light papers to flutter around she rushes out around the corner flying right at the guards and past their faces. squawking loudly. She hopes this will get them to focus on her so Vaughn can step out and get a shot on them.

[josienoms]

"This is all a little much." She frowns, looking conflicted. Her eyes fall to her Shellcaster, and she thinks of her time spent as a prisoner for her faith. Of all the times she'd taken comfort in the power she had been granted.

And all of it was a lie.

Something seems to snap within her. Her left eye twitches, and she lets her gun fall to her side. "What can I do, Samyaza? I've lived my whole life for Him... Am I even on the right path? Can He forgive me for consorting with dark powers like this?"

[Obscurejones]

Grabbing his can of bacon grease from the freezer rucks spoons out a dollop of congealed fat onto the skillet. As it melts and sizzles he carefully cuts himself several slices of brain. As one of his slices starts to crumble at the edges he grumbles.
"Should have just scrambled them again."
Tossing the slices in the skillet he starts frying them up. As they cook he quickly runs to the fridge and grabs an egg, a cinnamon raisin bagel, and a bottle of siracha sauce. Scurrying back he flips the brains and then when they've cooked on both sides moves them off the heat. Cracking the egg into the skillet he fries it up and places it atop the brains. After quickly browning his bagel he slides the egg and brain stack onto it and finishes the sandwich off with a quick spiral of siracha. He pauses to admire his handiwork.
"Well, scrambling would have been easier. Still, looks good."
He frowns and looks around the room.
"You know, talking to yourself is the first sign of madness."
Shrugging he tears into the sandwich, picking through the officer's memories as he digest her grey matter. As the life force flows through him his wounds close and his blood slows.
The Glorious Consumption Path is realllllllly damn creepy. And it's fun to throw on a character who's otherwise a nice upstanding guy. Like hi y'all. I'm your friendly lizard friend. Who can nom your brains.

[OracleofSilence]

"Oh. Well." Daniel is not really surprised per say, more... Oh f**k. Rachel. This is going to through her for a loop.... "So then. An angel eh? Hmm, and of the Immaculate God. Ah my mistake, you probably prefer Black Jade Emperor. Right, the body!" the faint shadow Daniel casts by inadequate studio lighting contorts violently, seemingly shifting over his body, even as it evaporates into a wispy smoke like substance, leaving Daniel in his own for once again.

"Now then, to business." Gambling time... "Rachel, what path you are on is your own decision. Simply consider your current predicament. You are inside the heart of the Perfect of the PDRD's media empire. In a situation that is literally life or death. You, firm in your faith, prayed (I can only assume) to the god who has rewarded your faith so greatly. Your prayer was then seemingly answered. This being, this Samyaza appears before you... and then tells you that the very foundation you have built your new identity upon is not only wrong, it is blasphemous. However, did you need the help? Is this a test? Who really stands to gain from this" 'Cause it sure isn't me! Daniel glances over at Verity as he speaks, his entire expression very clearly indicating that any help would be tremendously appreciated.

[josienoms]

Rachael closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She steels her resolve, and exhales.

"We have a mission to do. The questions of faith can wait until we've finished." She seems so caught up in keeping a stony face, that Daniel's transformation doesn't even faze her. "Daniel, Verity, let's get moving. We don't want to be caught in here when the broadcast starts. Samyaza," she casts a brief glance over her shoulder to him as she places her hand on the doorknob. "If you're really an Angel, find me after this, and we'll talk."

[GenericMook]

Verity nods, finally satisfied that Rachael had stopped fully listening to Samyaza's words. Actually, she didn't look particularly surprised at Daniel shedding his disguise, but it could simply be a trick from her Sidereal training…

"Good. I'll try to clarify things later - I owe you that, as a friend - but we need to get out of here first," she says, gesturing towards the door.

"Daniel, I take it you'll be watching our backs while we get out of here?" asks Verity, pulling out her phone.

If she couldn't count on Daniel, at least she still had options…

[JonRG]

Talhar's hands tremble as he pockets his cellphone and fumbles for his crossbow. He slides the bolt into place, his stomach churning at the arrowhead's sharpness. "The fowler bolt was a dud. Gotta use the real deal. But this guy's not a dragon-blood! It could work." What if it didn't? Then the alarm would be sounded, and the prisoners would die. "There're a half-dozen of them, and only one of this guy... Either way, he's screwed. If I don't man up here, Vaughn's gonna rock in here with that shellcaster and bring a lot more heat down on us. More people will die." He stares grimpy at the man's exposed back. "I'm sorry..." Talhar's heart pounds in his ears. Essence subtly leaks into his fingertips, and his hands finally stop shaking as he pulls the trigger.

Channeling Conviction and using 4 motes of First Excellency + 1 to hide the display.

Attack: [roll0]
Stunt: [roll1]

[OracleofSilence]

"Yeah. That is what I'm here for. Have a little faith." He keeps his rifle in a studio bag, slings it over his shoulder, and motions the other two towards the door.

[horus42]

The guard never even sees it coming. The bolt sinks into his back, and he crumples to the floor, his blood trickling out in a slowly spreading puddle. The prisoners are unguarded.

Take a two die Stunt for that.

The Dragon Blood ducks, shouting and cursing as you fly right into his face. Vaughn steps around the corner, and levels his Shellcaster at the guard. He pulls the trigger, and the bullets glow with the light of the Sun, exploding on impact with their target.

Vaughn used Nova Shell Ordinance and the First Firearms Excellency. I was lazy and used the dice roller app on my phone, rather than double posting in the ooc thread for his attack roll.

The other guard turns, drawn by the short, clipped barks of Vaughn's silenced shots, and he sees his partner go down. He draws his own Jade Shellcaster and shouts, though his words are drowned out by the Nova Shells bursting with Essence and light.

Samyaza scowls as Daniel changes appearance, but says nothing. He simply turns to Rachael, nodding his head. "We'll be seeing each other again soon, I assure you." He vanishes in a flash of harsh green fire.

The door opens, and reveals an empty hallway.

The sandwich is delicious, and heals you in time for the others to arrive back at the bar, none the wiser of your adventure.

Are there any other effects that it has? What memories were you wanting to gain from her?

[OracleofSilence]

Daniel watches Samyaza return with more then a little concern, then turns to the two women "Rachel, Verity, when we get back? We need to talk. All cards on the table, and just this one time, no secrets. Deal?" Alright. Time to get things in motion. Waiting was no longer a luxury Daniel could afford. He leans against the wall, scanning the hallway as he does so.

[Kell_tamer]

Shana doubles back and flies at the cop who just readied his weapon, but slightly over. For him the sun seems to be blotted from the sky, as a massive shadow looms over. For him all there is suddenly is a slowing of time as he gets crushed by comedy.

Shana spends 3 motes personal mid flight to change into a great white shark and just drop horribly unceremoniously upon him. For the record a great white weighs about 5000-7000 lbs so odds are he's if not dead horribly horribly injured. I suppose that's a Dexterity + Martial Arts attack. which, since i don't know what a mid change Dexterity is so I'm going to use my normal and if you rule it too many just hack dice off the end.

Also horus let me know if you want me to roll to establish surprise or anything, but i think she would get a bonus since i don't think they would ever expect it.

4 + 5 + 3 unarmed 12 dice.
[roll0]
Stunt if any
[roll1]

[JonRG]

Talhar's hands shake as the man falls, feeling like he's gonna be sick. He'd just- and it was so easy! No time. The prisoners... Stepping around the dying body guard, Talhar has a morbid thought. "Shouldn't this guy have a key?" Yanno, if one of the prisoners started acting up. His trembling hands pat the man down, finding a digital keycard. His heart sinks when he lays eyes on the lock. Fingerprint scanner. Setting his jaw, he drags the man to the door and presses his thumb against the screen.

His heart lifts slightly when it unlocks. Locks usually worked off of biometrics. Did that mean the man was still alive? Could he-

No. Not and do the rescue. "M'really sorry," he mumbles while opening the door. Talhar stares into the weary faces of the prisoners and briefly forgets his troubles. "Stay quiet, and step exactly where I step." He says nothing while leading them towards the tunnel.

It wouldn't do for the brave hero to start sobbing like a child.

I hope I didn't over-write my own story, but I was on a roll. :smallbiggrin: If need be, just say I used Lock Opening Touch, and I'll roll to contest as needed.

[josienoms]

Rachael nods, and holsters her Shellcaster once more. "Deal." She seems vaguely emotionless, lost in her own thoughts as she goes into the hallway. It was only to mask how she truly felt. For the first time since her arrival in Dari, she felt unsure of herself.

What if Samyaza's right? She pushes the thought aside. No time for that now.

She walks towards the elevator with purpose in her stride, not slowing down for anything.

[GenericMook]

Verity nods reluctantly at Daniel's request. "I can't make any guarantees now, Daniel, and you know it. I'll make a few calls, and see if I've got permission to do so," she says, turning to follow Rachael to the elevator.

Damnit, damned demon just had to go and ruin things. I hope the Convention doesn't hold things against me.

[Obscurejones]

Rucks digs through his victim's memories, carefully looking for how she managed to find his stronghold. She was seemingly mortal, but his wards should have kept the location innocuous to all but the most potent magics.

[horus42]

The prisoners file out of their cells, most of them looking grateful and relieved. One, however, scowls. "Vaughn sent a child to save us? He couldn't bother to send anyone else? Nice to know how much he cares."

No, I liked it. Take a two dice Stunt for mote regen purposes.

The Dragon-Blooded doesn't even know what hit him. Vaughn blinks in utter shock as the guard is crushed under the massive weight of a shark falling from the sky.

"Goddamn, Shana. Good timing." He grins fiercely. "Let's go get Talhar, ok?"

The three of you make it into the hallway and down the elevator into the lobby. The guard at the door doesn't even stop you as you leave.

I figured Samyaza threw enough of a wrench into things without making you have to fight a bunch of security too. First plot point's almost over!

You see flashes of her memories, of the commander of the secret police who sent her to the bar. A tall, beautiful woman with long blonde hair and amber colored eyes. She wore a prim and immaculate business suit, and through her memories, you identify her as one Charlotte Windsor. The name sounds vaguely familiar.

[OracleofSilence]

"Don't worry Verity, I am well aware. Sometimes, however, it is best to throw caution to the wind." Daniel remains on watch as they head back towards Raptor Attack, staying just a few steps ahead, or behind Rachel and Verity. "So, how was the entrance? Not to much trouble I hope."

[JonRG]

The prisoner's comment, in a way, is exactly what Talhar needed. Rage boils over in his chest, crushing the guilt into a tiny ball. He has enough decorum to not rise to the bait. Rather he simply leads the prisoners out, avoiding the numerous security cameras. Hopefully enough to impress the assclown with the audacity to complain that his rescuer wasn't a few years older - Talhar nearly tripped over some uneven flooring. Stay focused.

"Let's go get Talhar, ok?" drifts towards Talhar's ears as he exits the tunnel. He extends a hand in casual greeting, then gawks at the massive shark lying on the pavement. Confusion supplanted both rage and guilt, if only for a fleeting moment. "That you, Shay?"

[josienoms]

"There was a little trouble, now that you mention it." Rachael frowns as she keeps walking. "For some reason, my powers weren't working. Do you think it had anything to do with what Samyaza was saying?" Her brows furrow, and she pinches the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. "I don't know what to think anymore."

[OracleofSilence]

With the last dregs of his earlier rush fading away, Daniel's expression settles into quiet concern. "Don't worry about it. You are an Exalted, but no one is infallible. I'll do my best to clear things up when we get back, but keep this in mind. Samyaza will do its absolute best to lie to you, while still telling the truth. I know you don't have much reason to trust me on theological matters, but I have every reason to believe that Verity can confirm what I say. And hey, she might even try to keep me honest as well."

[Kell_tamer]

Shana slaps her tail as she kinda hears Talhar. The moonsilver on her chest being somewhat a give away. She slaps the tail on the ground and now realizing she can't breathe, quickly changes shape back into a person.

She gasps for air and coughs a bit, staggering around as she gets up. "Th-th-that, w-w-was a dumb idea..." She takes a few more big gulps of air and flops back to a sitting position on the ground before looking up. "H-h-hey..." She nervously smiles at him. "Everyone o-o-ok?" Shana glances at the group behind Talhar. She becomes exceedingly and visibly nervous biting her lower lip and thrusting her hands into her pockets and hunching her head lower a bit.

[JonRG]

Talhar nods his head. "Everyone's fine." That's about the limit of what he can get out, without risking a breakdown. He didn't feel angry or confused or guilty anymore. Just hollow. Talhar steps over to the seated Shana and mutters, barely audibly so no one listens in, "Can we talk later? Just you and me. It's... important."

[Obscurejones]

Grumbling to himself Rucks grabs a bucket of cleanser and hops down through his hidden hatch. As he strides down the invisible staircase his suit twists and warps, throwing off the splattered drops of blood and gore. By the time he's back on the second story he's completely clean and repaired. Before he starts scrubbing he stops off to check on Talhar's siblings.
"You kids, alright? We had a bit of noise a while ago. I sorted it, but are y'alright?"

[Kell_tamer]

Shana glances at Talhar before nodding. She blushes a bit. "S-s-sure..."

[GenericMook]

Verity sighed. Originally, she was going to go over every mistake that Rachael made, but thanks to Samyaza's intervention, that possibility was gone.

"Don't sweat it, Rachael. Everyone has their bad days. Missions go wrong sometimes, and there just isn't much you can do to avoid that. The matter of your prayer is something else entirely, and it was bound to come up sooner or later. I won't hold it against you," says Verity, glancing at Daniel.

"And yeah, I should be able to back up most of what Daniel tells you. When we get back, both of you go wash up and grab a bite or something. I've got some calls I need to make that can't really wait."

[horus42]

Vaughn breathes a sigh of relief. "Thank god you're all alright." He reaches into his pocket and tosses a set of keys to Talhar. "I had one of the guys bring your car around, we can't fit everybody in mine. Now let's get moving before somebody raises the alarm." He gets into his car, parked next to Talhar's Stalking Tiger Comet, and starts the engine. Most of the prisoners get in with him, leaving Shana and two other prisoners with Talhar.

The three of you make it back to the bar without incident. A car none of you recognize is parked outside, but other than that, everything seems to be in order. When you get inside, Rucks isn't at the bar.

Therana looks up and smiles as Rucks comes in. "We're doing ok, Mr. Rucks. Isaac got a little scared, but thanks for checking on us." She nods and goes back to what she was doing.

[josienoms]

Rachael sits down at her usual seat at the bar, and turns on the TV. "It should almost be time for our broadcast. Let's watch, shall we?" A small smile flickers across her features, though she's just putting it on for show. She's still distressed about what happened, though she does feel slightly better after having talked to Verity and Daniel.

[Obscurejones]

Rucks smiles and nods along to the children's well being.
"Well, my apologies for the noise Issac. Bit of a surprise to me as well. In any case, I'm off to clean up the mess. If either of you need anything just knock, then ask through the door. No need to get your clothes messed up too."
Whistling a jaunty tune he sets off down the hall. When he gets to the room he closes the door firmly and starts to scrub.

[OracleofSilence]

Daniel hurries up to his room, dropping his rifle into its storage chest and changing quickly into his work clothes. He scrubs his hands to remove the powder burns, heading down to his place behind the bar. "Hey Rachel, can I interest you with something?" It's an old ritual, one he's been going through since he got the job here, but it's clear his question is coming from genuine concern, rather then intended as playful teasing this time. "Want to get the conversation started, or would you rather wait for Verity?" As he talks, Daniel is brewing some coffee, and setting out glasses for the rescued resistance members. Best to seem confidant for now. The last thing we need right now is a downer.

[josienoms]

Rachael looks down from the TV to Daniel, nodding her head slowly. "Actually... yes you can. Nothing too hard but, I could use a damn drink." She frowns thoughtfully and takes the drink, sipping at it politely.

"Verity won't be back for a while, she said she had a lot of calls to make. Let's go ahead and talk, if you don't mind."

[GenericMook]

Verity raced upstairs the moment the trio entered the bar. Once she was im her room, she locked the door and started up her laptop, plugging in a small black stick into one of the ports.

After her laptop started, she opened up several programs, but most the most important one among them was her encryption programs given to her by the Convention on Fire. Verity connected her phone and laptop, watching as the screen changed. She then dialed for the Convention's HQ. After all, anyone there had the clearance to deal with the situation.

"Hey, I've got a bit of a situation here. I need clearance to brief one of my acquaintances," she said, placing particular emphasis on the word "brief." Anyone on the other end of the line would probably know what she means.

[OracleofSilence]

"Alright." Daniel pours together a potent smelling, but fairly mild mix of coffee, spices, and mildly sweet liqueur, placing it in front of Rachel and watching eagerly for a reaction, before drawing up a seat on the opposite side of the bar, and beginning "Let me start with a question. What makes the Immaculate God worthy of worship and reverence? Is it what he represents? Or that He is?" His face is somewhat drawn, and deadly serious "In addition, I need to ask: What do you think is responsible for the current state of the world?"

[JonRG]

Talhar's knuckles whiten as he grips the steering wheel and pulls out onto the main road. Fortunately, neither prisoner has ever ridden in a Stalking Tiger Comet before and they quickly drift off due to the smoothness of the ride. He takes a deep breath. "I-I killed a guy guardin' the cell, and- and since then, my guts've felt all twisted. Feel all... wrong, yanno?" Talhar looks over with tears in his eyes. "Sorry to drop this on ya, but you're the only one I can talk to. Don't want to seem like an idiot-baby who doesn't have the guts to be in the Resistance. Prisoner was givin' me chit 'bout my age." He sniffs heavily, rubbing his eyes with a sleeve. "So any advice? What do I do?"

[Kell_tamer]

Shana looks at Talhar with concern. She knows what it means to have to kill and knows that its an awful thing to do.

"It's h-h-hard. you f-f-feel guilt. That's normal. you have to th-th-think about though what it did do. You s-s-saved them. Just cus you d-d-do some bad things d-d-doesn't make you b-b-bad. You c-c-can't save everyone."

Shana warms up with a bit of a smile. "As f-f-for them, ig-ig-ignore it." Shana was completely used to being treated like a kid despite everything. The words meant nothing to her now. "Th-th-they aren't the ones that it m-m-matters about anyway. Vaughn p-p-picked you to save th-th-them. And you d-d-did!" She awkwardly pats his shoulder, not used to being the one to give the pep talk.

[JonRG]

Talhar nods slowly then with one hand on the wheel wraps his free arm around Shana. "Thanks a lot. That did help. I don't feel, yanno, great, but I'm better. Think I'll be okay." They pull around behind Raptor Attacks. Talhar steps out of the car, then opens the rear doors as well as Shana's, offering a hand to help her out of the bucket seat.

[josienoms]

Rachael takes another sip, nodding pensively. She smiles as the drink warms her up somewhat. "It's great, Daniel. Thanks."

She considers his questions for a moment. "I think it's more what He represents. If things were different, were He not just and loving, I don't think I'd want to worship a God like that. A God of pure wrath and hate, who walked all over Creation just because he could." She shudders.

"Luckily that's not the case. It's like it says in Second Cecelia 7:25 "The Lord is just and kind. He has plans for your well-being, not your ruin." A God like that is one I can get behind. Reigning in power with responsibility is what I've based my whole life around since my Exaltation."

She takes another drink. "And I've seen Him. I know He watches over me. He spoke to me when I Exalted, when He gave me this power... If it really was Him, that is." Her frown returns, and she sinks deeper into her chair.

[OracleofSilence]

Daniel smiles "That is more or less what I'm getting at. There are two things you will need to accept. The first? The Immaculate God, or rather, the being that embodies the traits you just explained, is in fact the God you were Chosen by. The second, and I suspect this one will be rather harder to explain and deal with, is this: by the time the Immaculate Faith was born, this god had already been betrayed, defeated, and imprisoned. The Immaculate Faith you worship was created by his usurper: Malfeas, as a way to draw worship away from his enemy and empower himself."

Daniel pauses again watching Rachels face carefully as he continues "You are correct: the god you love did choose you. He did Exalt you, he does wish to watch over you, and you have spoken to him. He just isn't the god you have been tricked into worshiping." Well that bent the truth a bit, but it was close enough, and was almost what Rachel needed to hear.

[josienoms]

Rachael's eyes widen as she takes this in. "I see." Her brows furrow again, and she pinches the bridge of her nose. "So what Samyaza said was partly true. Sol is the God who empowered me, but He's the rightful God of Creation? And the religion I follow is the lie. How do you know all this?" She was willing to trust Daniel, because they'd known each other for years, because they were friends. It might be hard to believe, but evidence was making her old worldview hard to accept anymore as well.

"And what does that make Samyaza? Some kind of demon?"

[OracleofSilence]

Daniels grin widens at Rachel mention of Samyaza "Got it in one." But his levity vanishes almost instantly when he responds to her first question "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you that. Verity can probably back me up on some of the more concrete details, but all I can safely say is that I was told that this was the case when I was brought into this side of the world. The issue for me is that telling you this much is already a huge risk. If I say much more, even more so with Verity around, I may well be unable to help anyone anymore, let alone help explain this to you."

He stands from his chair, a wry grin back on his face "I know I said no secrets, and as such, I promise that will fill you in on this. Now just isn't the time. I think when that time comes, it may be best to tell Shana as well. This will probably mean more to her then you, and be decidedly less pleasant to boot."

[josienoms]

A smile returns to Rachael's face, and her heart lightens tremendously.

"I understand, and-" She pauses for a moment. "Thank you. You and Verity stopped me from making a terrible mistake. I owe you one." She finished off her drink.

[Kell_tamer]

Shana climbs out and smiles at Talhar.

She makes her way into the bar and up to the bathroom. She had a date with a toothbrush and had that awful taste in her mouth for long enough. She just couldn't understand how other Lunars could do it. It just seemed gross. Regardless now is not the time to dwell upon it.

[horus42]

Soon enough, all of you are back in the bar, talking over what happened, when the news begins. It starts off like any other broadcast, but a few minutes in, the screen turns to static. When it comes into focus again, it shows a darkened room. Rachael's silhouette can be seen, and she begins to speak.

You can go ahead and post it now, Josie. Do your roll here, or in the OOC thread, it's whichever you'd like.

[josienoms]

The Rachael on the TV can't be seen, and her voice is distorted nearly beyond recognition. Only her outline appears on the screen, surrounded by darkness. Her words are tinged with Essence, slipping into the hearts and souls of those watching, tugging at their moral sensibilities.

"Don't be alarmed. I'll return you to your state-sponsored broadcast momentarily. Before I do, I must ask for you patience, and your attention. All of you are aware of the truth of our nation. The oppressive autocracy of the Perfect has gone too far. Citizens are executed without trial, searched without warrants. The secret police are out in force, beating people senseless for speaking out. But Dari will not be silenced. The people can only take so much before they rise up.

The revolution has already begun. Most of you haven't heard of the resistance, but we're moving in the shadows, just outside of the public eye. We're painted as terrorists when we're mentioned at all, but I assure you, that isn't true. Every lost life is a terrible tragedy, and the worst attacks attributed to us are, in fact, inside jobs perpetrated by the secret police. The Perfect is slaughtering his own citizens to discredit those who have legitimate grievances against his regime.

The Perfect is a tyrant, a despot, a dictator. The people of Dari have a right to be free. His surveillance methods violate international law, and yet no one seems to care. But it's only because no one knows. This broadcast is being sent outside of Dari. We're exposing your crimes to the world tonight, Perfect. The support for our movement will only grow. You'll face justice for what you've done to this nation. Your regime will be replaced with one by the people, and for the people. Your eye might always be on us, but now the eyes of the entire world are on you."

She shifts slightly in her seat. "Your reckoning is coming, Perfect. We'll do our part to make sure no innocent citizens are caught in the crossfire. We bear no ill will against the people of Dari, we're doing all we can to bring them liberty. In the end, justice and freedom will prevail. Sic Semper Tyrannis."

The TV flashes to static again, and Rachael sighs slightly from her seat at the bar.

Rolling Charisma+Presence+Specialty, and adding the full 10 dice from the First Excellency. All motes spent were Personal, so my Anima and such didn't flare and light up the damn room.

21d10 EDIT: Or... not. I'll roll this in the OOC thread.

And stunt: [roll1]

[Kell_tamer]

Shana squirms a bit at how unsubtle things have been today. First pretending to be a behemoth and now this. The girl was not in the slightest bit averse to violence for protections sake, and nor for drastic measures that need to be taken, but sometimes she just wished she didn't have to take them.

She very quietly sips her drink through a straw. Just thinking about everything.

[horus42]

While the broadcast is going on, the voice on the other end of the phone responds to Verity. "You have it. Just level 1 clearance, don't tell them anything too sensitive. Just the basics."

[JonRG]

Talhar sips at his drink while listening to Rachel. He splutters slightly when the speech reaches, "Every lost life is a terrible tragedy..." and he looks considerably glummer for the remainder.

[Obscurejones]

Rucks looks up from the bar to watch the broadcast. As it closes a thought flashes across his face and he can't help but chuckle.
"Alright, I'll say it. Speaking as the only dinosaur in the room, Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus always struck me as a little racist."

[GenericMook]

"Thanks. I'll forward my report on the situation here either tonight or tomorrow, depending on how events turn out," says Verity, barely able to contain the sheer relief at Rachael being given clearance. Even if it was only Level 1, that was still more than enough.

After hanging up the phone, Verity shut down her laptop and kept away her equipment. Once finished, she made her way downstairs, and arrived just in time for the end of the broadcast. She watches the others with a smile on her face as she takes a seat at the bar.

"Well, what do you guys think of the video?"

[josienoms]

Rachael turns to Verity after the video ends. "I think it wasn't subtle at all, but it got the job done." She smiles softly as she fiddles with her empty glass. "Let's just hope to God that it works."

[JonRG]

Talhar shrugs. "Looks great to me. You did a good job." He offers a small smile, then looks down the bar to Shana.

[OracleofSilence]

"Well, its a start." Daniel glances over at Tahlar before heading over "Hey! Man of the hour, or so I hear. How did the raid go?"

[JonRG]

Talhar jumps slightly at the attention, a blush creeping across his cheeks. "Went fine," he mutters. The crumpled, bleeding guard flashes briefly in his mind. "No trouble at all."

[Kell_tamer]

A small hand takes Talhar's. Shana knew it would take time, and that very sadly it just gets easier. Nothing needed to be said, she was there if he needed her.

[OracleofSilence]

"Well... It normally isn't my area of expertise, but if something on your mission got to you, I'm always available to talk about it. Odds are I can relate." Well, at least it seemed like everyone got back in more or less one piece. That was a start.

[JonRG]

His first instinct is to clam up, but Shana's hand gives him some measure of comfort. He squeezes her back. "T-there was a guard that I couldn't sneak by," Talhar mutters quietly so no one could overhear. The fewer people that knew of his weakness, the better. "Had to take him out." His eyes misted up slightly.

[Kell_tamer]

Shana gives him a warm reassuring smile and squeezes his hand. He can tell no matter what happens she won't think differently of him.

[JonRG]

Talhar smiles back at her and doesn't let go of her hand right away. "I- Thanks." He catches Daniel's eye. They would have to talk later, in private.

[Obscurejones]

"Oh! That reminds me. Cop stopped by the bar today. Apparently I'm harboring a bunch of dangerous terrorists. Which is... Bad. The bar's supposed to be hidden. She shouldn't have been able to realize we're here much less spot a pattern of who's coming and going."

[GenericMook]

Verity frowns at Rucks' comment. "That's… bad, to say the least. What happened to that cop in particular, at any rate? That might change how our plans from here on might progress."

Please tell me the cop isn't dead...

[Obscurejones]

"She drew down on me. Didn't manage to stick the landing after that particular flourish, though. Managed to grab some info from her though. Figure her boss is an Exalt who spotted us."

[horus42]

Vaughn's mood changes. He goes from being triumphant to distressed in a matter of moments. "That's not good. That's really not good. Though it explains that car that's parked outside. We'll have to get rid of it, cover our tracks. And if her boss is Exalted, it means that they might be back. We might have to start looking for a new base of operations." He keeps calm, and a crease appears in his forehead as he frowns.

"Hopefully enough went wrong for the regime today that they don't notice one missing cop."

[JonRG]

Talhar's flashes a cocky smile. "I know some guys who can get rid of the car. Lemme give 'em a call."

[GenericMook]

Verity shakes her head. This whole situation was getting messy. "Vaughn, we can only hope it's that. From my experience, it's usually the other way around. We dropped a broadcast, interrupted a parade, and broke into a secure facility. They'll be swamped for work, and they'll be looking for every single person that should be available." With that, Verity turned her head to look at Talhar.

"Talhar, get your people to do dispose of the car at somewhere that isn't their usual location, and have them scatter the parts. Get them to work under the assumption that the car is being tracked."

[josienoms]

"As callous as it might sound, it's possible they'll chalk up her disappearance to the events of today. So many police officers were called in when Shana was doing her thing, they might assume she was eaten by the rampaging Tyrant Lizard. I think that's the best case scenario, though it's pretty unlikely."

[Obscurejones]

"...Whoever sent her is a professional and able to see through very old and powerful magic. But they only sent a single officer. Not even one with dragon's blood. Perhaps they have a reason to be subtle. That may keep them from over playing their hand."
Rucks taps his claws on the bar as he speaks, leaving little marks on the wood.

[JonRG]

Talhar nods and scratches his neck. "I was gonna hack the GPS so it looks like the car went into a ravine or something. I can get a rush job, but sellin' 'em a car this hot probably means I shouldn't expect my usual finder's fee. They'll have to melt down any parts with a VIN number."

[Kell_tamer]

Shana sits quietly as they discuss their plans. She was never very good at this long term stuff, she knew how to hide, how to fight and how to turn into animals. They'd think of something. The crew was smart like that.

[horus42]

Vaughn nods and points to Talhar. "Good thinking. If all goes according to plan, they'll never know she was here at all. Even still, we need to prepare for the very real possibility that the Secret Police are coming back. Rucks, do you know who her boss was?"

[Obscurejones]

"Charlotte Windsor. Not gonna lie. The name pinged a bell. Not sure why though."

[horus42]

Vaughn's eyes go wide, and his jaw drops. "Oh, ****. She's the commander of the entire Secret Police, and she's very good at her job. Though I guess the fact that she's a Solar, and that she's ****ing the Perfect helped her get there."

[JonRG]

Talhar, meanwhile, has stepped out to make a call. "Hey, it's me. I got a present for ya. Very hot. Gotta take care of it fast as you can. In light of the circumstances, I'll say... 15% finder's fee? I can have it at... call it the 4th place in half an hour. Key'll be in the glove. Sound good?"

Afterwards, he walks back into the bar and notes the alarm in the air, particularly on Vaughn's face. "Uh... I miss something?" Talhar turns to Shana. "Wanna come with me on a little trip, Shay? Gotta go make a delivery. Could use the company."

[Kell_tamer]

Shana nods blushing. "S-s-sure. I'd l-l-love to!" She hops off her stool and goes to get her shoes.

[Obscurejones]

Rucks narrows his eyes for just a moment and a hint of a snarl spills over his fangs.
"Watch yourself Vaughn. I won't have sexist prattle in my bar."

[OracleofSilence]

Well, I need an excuse to make a status report anyway, Might be best to check in about now. Turning to Vaughn "A Solar? Well that will make things more complicated. I might be able to get some intel on her if you want. Might not be actionable, but it should be better then nothing.", then back at Shana and Talhar "It's not really my place to tell you how to do your jobs, but be careful out there. The police are probably locking down the city around now."

[Kell_tamer]

Shana paused slightly. "D-d-dan, you know I'm c-c-careful." She kicks the toe of her shoe on the ground a couple times. "W-w-we'll be fine!" She looks back up smiling at Talhar.

[JonRG]

Talhar waves dismissively, grin wide on his face. "Ehn, I've done drops in worse circumstances... if, only just." He shrugs. "I know how to get around the blockades, and it's not too far from here. Shouldn't take me too long. We'll be back in a while." Once he has the keys, Talhar offers Shana his arm and walks her out to the car. He's eager to keep his mind busy to avoid thoughts of... other things. Once in the driver's seat, Talhar blurts out, "Anyone ever teach you to drive, Shay? Because you know, I could teach you... at least the basics, some time, if you wanna learn." He drums his fingers against the steering wheel. Why didn't he just tell her straight up? ...Because he might be an idiot who misread her innate nervousness as an attraction to him specifically? Yeah, probably.

[Kell_tamer]

Shana blinks at Talhar. "N-n-no, they haven't. I'm n-n-not old enough t-t-to drive." She sits awkwardly kinda looking at her swinging legs.

[josienoms]

Rachael rolls her eyes. "Well this is just great. We're being personally targeted by the Perfect's Solar girlfriend. And if she can see through Rucks's wards, there's a good chance she can't be swayed by my powers either. If she shows up in person, it might come to a fight."

[horus42]

"Rucks, I... I..." Vaughn frowns, deeply. "That wasn't what I meant. I'm not saying she slept her way to the top, just that she's someone who knows the Perfect on a very personal level. So we need to watch our step."

He stands up and paces up and down the length of the bar. "If anything else like this happens, we've got to seriously think about relocating. We still have our old bases in the abandoned subway tunnels." He shrugs.

[GenericMook]

"I'd suggest moving some assets now. Or, even better yet, we can try making them think that we operate out of the subway tunnels. Besides, if they come after us there. then it's far easier to defend. Still, let's keep that as a last resort. I'll try to look at my reference materials. I'm pretty sure that there's a way to keep us hidden," says Verity, gesturing towards Daniel.

"Daniel, mind making me something with a lot of caffeine? I'm probably going to need it tonight."

[josienoms]

"That certainly complicates things. I don't think I have a better suggestion than Verity's, so I'm going to go see if I can't get a call out of the country. Maybe someone back home saw the broadcast, and I can find out if it had any effect."

She excuses herself and goes up to her room. She dials the number of the only person in Meruvia who knows she's alive. Despite how much it pains her, despite wishing it didn't have to be him, Rachael calls her husband.

[OracleofSilence]

"There's coffee behind the bar. Take it if you want it. I need to make a call." Daniel nods to the rest of the group and heads up to his room. Where did I put it? Damn...... after a few minutes of searching he draws a small jet black phone from a small pile of other gear. He dials the number, trusting that its encryption should keep his call secure "Sword to boss, our efforts may have hit a bit of a snag. Has anyone in the Allthing sponsored one Charlotte Windsor? Solar, head of the secret police here. I was wondering if you have any intel, or at least if we can kill her without stepping on one of the big guys toes."

[horus42]

Vaughn grins with fierce pride. "Sounds great to me. This is why we pay you the big bucks, Verity. I'll put the word out and get some stuff moved around."

The voice on the other end of the phone seems vaguely distant. "No, none of us have. Is she valuable? Do you know what Caste she is? If we could turn her to the cause, it would be more effective than simply killing her."

Gabe answers the phone, his voice barely above a startled whisper. "Rachael? Y-you're still a-alive?"

[GenericMook]

Verity shrugs her shoulders as she steps behind the counter. "Hey, that's pretty much what I'm good at," she says, while making some coffee for herself.

"I'll try and consult my other contacts in The South as well. They might be able to give us some info on Windsor. Anything else you guys need looking at?"

[JonRG]

Talhar snorts as he pulls out onto the street. He drives much more carefully than usual, obeying all speed limits and stopping fully at all lights and signs. After all, he doesn't have the Comet's shielding to protect him from the authorities' notice. "Yeah, and I never drove a car before I turned sixteen. Sides, with what we're up to, drivin' underage'll be the least of your worries. Never hurts to learn. I mean, you can turn into birds and stuff, but it's good to be able to make a more subtle getaway sometimes." He blushes a fierce crimson. "Besides I really like-" C'mon. Word is 'you.' Not that hard. "Spending time with you."

[Kell_tamer]

Shana blushes and glances at the passenger side mirror. "we d-d-don't often get to huh?" after taking a moment to compose herself a bit, she looks back at him. "Y-y-yeah, I'd like you to t-t-teach me. She smiles at Talhar just enjoying his company.

[JonRG]

Yes, yes, yes! She said yes! "All right, cool." Talhar pulls into a parking lot and stops the car under a fake surveillance camera. Then he turns on the GPS unit and plugs his smartphone into it. Essence subtly flows into the phone, and he alters the GPS logs through sheer will alone. "Okay, so she left Raptor Attack after... how long would it take to search that place top to bottom? An hour maybe? Then she didn't find nothin', because we're good little citizens. Then figure she'd go check out another lead like... those subway tunnels Vaughn ditched a while back. Then the satellite signal cuts out because it's underground! Oh no!" The GPS unit fizzles and dies. Talhar smiles contently to himself. Let the Perfect's men crawl through the tunnels like rats. He slides out of the front seat. "C'mon, we should get outta here. Don't want people to remember us and the car. Plus, Raleigh's kind of a tool." Talhar extends his hand to her.

[Kell_tamer]

Shana smiles and takes his hand. "H-h-hopefully we don't get st-st-stopped... I'm d-d-done with h-h-hurting people t-t-today..." She keeps her head turned slightly away. She really did hope nothing happened, she wouldn't hesitate to protect Talhar if something did, but she didn't really want him to see her as a monster. He was too sweet a guy for that.

[OracleofSilence]

"If I get some time, I'll put the effort in, but I'm not sure she's worth the trouble given our other goals here. She's probably marked and definitely a close ally of the Perfect. I do have some good news though: I've got some hooks in a second solar, one Rachel Mason. I needed to reveal some nonessential history, mostly Dawn War general history, but I did not mention any sensitive secrets, and didn't mention the betrayl. For the time being, I'd like to request a stay on any other attempts at swaying her. My efforts are at a critical phase, and too much external influence may move her beyond our reach. Please give me an update as soon as possible. Sword out." Daniel hangs up and hides the phone, heading back down to the bar. That should cover the basics for now. "So, did I miss anything? Aside from the exit of the lovebirds that is."

He takes up his spot behind the bar, taking a seat next to Rachel and Verity. "We finishing the history lesson, or addressing or secret police problem?"

[JonRG]

Talhar's expression falls, and he squeezes her hand tightly. "Me too, Shay. Me too."

[josienoms]

Rachael scoffs. "Don't sound too excited or anything, Gabe. Yes, I'm still alive, no thanks to you." She presses on, despite his attempts to interrupt. "Were you watching the news? Did you see the video from the Darian resistance?"

The sound of his voice grates on her nerves. Just talking to him, exchanging this petty banter, brings back images of the last time she saw him. She was bruised and bleeding, tied to a chair. His goodbye had no trace of remorse. The coward. And now he'd found out the secret police hadn't killed her. And he was afraid, instead of relieved, to find out his wife was still alive. It made her sick.

Remember what Lucien said. She frowns. Even if the Immaculate Church is a lie, the lessons in the Text are still good. "Blessed are those who forgive." I have to at least try.

[Kell_tamer]

Shana walks quietly a while before breaking the ice. "S-s-so how'd you get to be p-p-part of this anyway?" She looks down at her sneakers as she talks.

[JonRG]

Talhar takes a deep breath. "Well, it's kind of a long story... Basically, my parents disappeared when I was ten, and I had to take care of 'em. Didn't wanna get split up or thrown in a Darian orphanage, so I got a job at the bar. Was nice, since I already lived upstairs. It wasn't easy, but I managed. Rucks helped. Then I, uh, started doin' other stuff for money. Tried to take a car one night and BOOM! Exalt stuff. So I rush home and there's a giant lizard behind the bar. Screamed so loud, I tell ya. I told Rucks what happened, and he let me in on a little secret." He sniffs hard. "Turns out the secret police took my parents. I dunno what happened to them, but they're probably dead..." Talhar clears his throat. "Anyway, what about you?"

[Kell_tamer]

Shana goes a bit quiet thinking back for a minute. "W-w-well I was kinda b-b-born into this. Mom and D-d-dad were b-b-both resistance. I g-g-grew up learning the tr-tr-tricks of the trade. " Her hand squeezes a bit. "W-w-when I was ten... my parents and I were c-c-caught and my parents... executed..." She trails off a bit. "I d-d-didn't want to die so I f-f-fought and am now a Lunar. I p-p-promised myself i w-w-wouldn't let the p-p-perfect win. My parents g-g-gave their lives for freedom. I w-w-wouldn't let that be for n-n-nothing." Shana kinda tugs his arms closer unconsicously leaning against it. She didn't much like talking about her past, and was sure to leave out certain details she didn't like bringing up.

[horus42]

As you walk back to the bar, you notice a blockade down the street. One of the soldiers there sees you, and starts to walk over. He's a young man, heavily built with wide shoulders, and biceps the size of your head. He has a White Jade Shellcaster in a holster at his hip. His voice is deep and rumbles like a rock slide.

"Hey, you kids! What are you doing out here? The city's on lockdown after the terrorist attacks!"

Gabe's voice takes on a tremulous tone. "I-I was, and I d-did. Was that you? My God, Rachael, you've changed... It's going viral over here. Everyone's talking about it, and demanding for the Prime Minister to take action." He pauses and his voice becomes very quiet, as if he's talking to someone else in the room, though you can still hear him.

"Not now, honey. I'm on the phone..."

[JonRG]

Talhar freezes. He'd tried to stay quiet, but the Dragon-Blooded had some powerful mojo on their side. The sooner they took down that laboratory, the better. He keeps his eyes low, exuding deference. "I-I know, sir, but my friend was out during the attack, and I had to make sure she was okay. With all the chaos, it took me this long to find her." Tears well in his eyes. Good, that'll help sell the bit. Talhar squeezes Shana's hand in a calming fashion. "We just wanna go home, sir."

Show me how to lie...

Manipulation + Presence: [roll0]
Stunt: [roll1]

[josienoms]

"Well, that's good. God knows it's about time someone intervened." She almost allows herself to smile a bit with pride, until she hears his hushed whisper. Rachael's hand trembles, and she nearly drops the phone.

"Gabe, who were you talking to?"

[Kell_tamer]

Shana keeps her eyes on the ground, letting Talhar do the talking. She squirmed just a bit to make sure her shirt sleeves covered the tattoos on her biceps and just hoped the soldier thought she was nervous.

She didn't want to fight, not now. She didn't want her friend in danger.

[horus42]

The Dragon Blooded soldier sighs and looks over his shoulder at the blockade. "It's dangerous for you to be out here alone. Let me walk you home." He goes over and exchanges words with a tall, dark haired woman. She looks angry, and you can hear her shouting. "I won't let you abandon your post in this time of crisis!"

"Lieutenant, they're just kids. I'm not going to let them get hurt, if I can protect them!"

"I'll make it an order if I have to!"

"You and the others can guard an area for half an hour without me. I signed up for this to help people, to protect the citizens who can't protect themselves. I couldn't live with myself if those terrorists killed these kids, and I could've stopped them."

The Lieutenant scowls, but nods. "Make it quick."

The massive soldier comes back over, glaring at his superior before giving you two a freidnly smile. "Come on. You'll be safe soon."

"Wh-what? I, uh... no one." He pauses, then sighs heavily. "I'm a terrible liar, you know that. It's... It was your sister, Rachael. It was Prudence. We're together now... We're married." He lets that sink in. "I mean, according to the Meruvian legal system, you're dead. She was so distraught and I... comforted her."

[Kell_tamer]

Shana let out a sigh of relief. "th-th-thank you" She hoped Talhar had a plan. She glanced up to try and eyeball the number and name of the officer. She knew not all of them were bad people. She'd make a note. She doesn't hurt people who don't deserve it. She tries not to anyway.

[josienoms]

Rachael wanted to scream. She wanted to throw the phone on the floor and shatter it underfoot. She wanted to throw herself onto her bed and cry until morning. This final betrayal was too much. It was the straw that broke the camel's back. She was so hurt. So tired. She couldn't rely on her Faith to sustain her any longer, her god was a usurping liar. Sure, there was Sol, and the lessons in the text were still good, but she feared a prayer would summon another demon. Or worse, draw the attention of Samyaza again.

"You bastard. You are an absolute bastard, Gabriel Harold Mason! Tell her the truth. TELL HER THE TRUTH!" She laces her words with Essence and complusion, her Caste Mark flaring onto her head.

I'm rolling Charisma+Presence+specialty to terrify him into doing it, supplementing it with Terrifying Apparition of Glory, which renders his MDV inapplicable. Spending 3 motes Peripheral to do so.

[roll0]

And Stunt if applicable: [roll1]

[JonRG]

"Yeah, thanks." Damn, that sure backfired. Talhar had a plan. This wasn't the first time he'd been caught out after all, and he didn't want Rucks or his family to know what he was up to. One might be surprised how easy it was to hire someone to play one's parent. Talhar started off towards an apartment complex a very short distance from Raptor Attacks. Hopefully, the soldier would be content with only following them to the building. Jessica wouldn't be thrilled to have him to drop in unannounced... Once they arrive at the main door to the apartment building, he turns to the man. "Thank you again. I can handle it from here."

[horus42]

Shana notices the DB's dog tags, which give his name as Seth Pierce. He nods as you get to the apartment complex. "Yeah, ok. Be careful next time, those terrorists are dangerous." He turns his back and starts to walk away as you go inside.

Gabe yelps in terror. "I will, I will! I swear I will! I'll tell her, I'll tell everyone! I'm so sorry...!"

[Kell_tamer]

Shana smiles and waves at the man. At least some people are good. Maybe if he sees enough atrocity he'll reconsider his side. Until then she would just make sure to try and keep him out of harms way.

[josienoms]

"Good!" She screams. "If I find out you've hurt her, Gabriel, I don't know what I'd do." Her voice wavers and breaks into sobs. "And tell her I love her. She's too good for you." She hangs up angrily, then takes a moment to calm down. She wipes her eyes and goes downstairs to the bar, just as Daniel sits down and asks about continuing the history lesson. Her eyes are red and her face is splotchy from crying.

"Yeah, sure. Let's just do this."

[OracleofSilence]

Man, she can just can't catch a break today, can she. Maybe there's time for history later. "You know, there are some more important things then that right now. If you want a moment... or if you want to focus on things that aren't quite so heavy, we do have a time." Daniel may not know the exact details of what happened, but he had heard at least a touch of what was said. He just looks concerned again, and more then a little chastened by his poor timing. On the otherhand, it might be interesting to see what Verity will actually say when I'm in the room.

[JonRG]

Talhar leads Shana into the rundown building's lobby then pulls her into a tight embrace. "I'm glad that worked. I'd hate for something to happen to you." He impulsively pecks her on the cheek, too flush with victory to feel self-conscious. "I... like you a lot, yanno."

[josienoms]

A small smile crosses her lips. "Thanks, Daniel. That means a lot to me. I'd really rather just focus on something else right now. Tough situation at home, you know. On the plus side, the video's spreading. And the Meruvian Prime Minister might get involved in Dari. So we could have help."

[Kell_tamer]

Shana turns beat red. She shrinks a bit into herself but is smiling if awkwardly. "I-i-i l-l-like y-y-you al-al-alot t-t-too!" Her stuttering was exacerbated by all the emotions and mixtures of feeling good and feeling embarrassed, even though at this point she shouldn't feel embarrassed.

[JonRG]

Talhar hesitates, wondering if he somehow misread the signs. He breathes a deep sigh of relief when Shana responds and just holds her a little while longer. "Okay... I think that guy's gone. Do you want to head back home, or... if you want, we can stay here tonight? Jess probably won't mind. If I pay her anyway."

[Kell_tamer]

Shana points to the backdoor leading to the alley. "E-e-exalted or n-n-not, they g-g-get w-w-worried if we d-d-don't head b-b-back."

[JonRG]

Talhar nods and opens the door. "Point. We're not all that far. Should be okay." He walks out into the darkness. Raptor Attack's backdoor isn't far away. Talhar turns to her right as they approach the backdoor. "Do you want to stay with me again tonight? I'd really like it if you did." He smiles nervously, a blush creeping across his cheeks.

[Kell_tamer]

Shana nods as she opens the door, a smile on her still blushing face. Her hand is still holding Talhar's when they walk in. She waves to the others as she enters and lets out a stutter filled "h-h-hello..."