Cog & Gear: Flashpoint

[Rook]

The Office

"You are, of course, correct... on some points." the High-Inquisitor lowered his eyes back to the papers, "You mentioned 'fiends'. Am I to believe there were multiple attackers? Did any of you see them, or hear them?"

[The SheoDovah]

Victoria Vario and the Inquisitor.

"This does not seem to be the work of one man or woman. It seems to be too much work for one to pull it off and if delaying the train so that it could occur at the right time was part of their plan, they would have required extra hands. Again, this is merely working off the assumption there are multiple people behind it. Whilst you could argue that it could have been the work of one powerful mage, it would have required a lot of factors and I would imagine the amount of effort to throw a train off it's rails is beyond the skill of anyone. It hints at the work of a group or organisation but this is merely speculation on my part. I only saw the blast after a few notable jolts prior to it and if memory serves me correctly, it came from the east side with enough force to not immediately kill everyone but to make it seem like a tragic train derailment before sending their message to scare the city if that is their intention." Victoria told the Inquisitor whilst maintaining her composurer.

[Aarah]

Roger found Cornelia's choice of seating to be unfavourable, to say the least. She was currently his least favourite member of the room, not including the High Inquisitor.
The fact that she had been on the rob in his train cabin, accused him of psychomancy, and her ghastly attire, made her a woman that he did not want to be sitting next to.

Roger produced a sniff of discontent, and angled his body away from Cornelia. It was now evident that she wasn't a plague doctor - unless she moonlighted as a thief, but the mere assocation with sickness did not sit well with him.

She's a chatty one. Roger thought, in regards to Victoria. Does she expect to receive an echart per word, perhaps?

"I personally saw no one." He began after Victoria finished speaking. "There were some noises above the train, then, shortly afterwards, a large jolt as the train came to a halt. This action was proceeded by the purple flash previously mentioned by...that young woman..." he gestured to Victoria, "...and then moments later the air was filled with horrendous screams as we were all tossed around the cabin like tickets in a tombola."
Roger held his hand to his chest as he dramatically recounted the terrible tale.

"This is all I recall before waking up here." He picked up the cup in front of him and took a sip of the coffee.

[The-Shadow-One]

Morgan sipped at his coffee, his gaze focused on the High Inquisitor. Blue that was almost white, surrounded by white that was tinged pink. He looked at Victoria. "It could've very well been magic, yet it is to my understanding that by adding certain materials to flame once could make it any colour they very well wish it to be." He wrote his name down, carefully in that small spidery scrawl of his. "My story is much the same as that fellow, I saw nothing but the flash of colour and the noises. Nothing else until I ended up here."

Morgan placed his cup down for now. "If I might ask a question, where are our belongings? I had a bag of documents important and confidential to only those at my workspace. I'd loathe to get berated about losing such things." Well there was also the documents showing magic and the like, but he hardly could mention them here could he?

[Kerr]

Well that doesn't narrow it down much, when I was her age summer felt like it went on forever. Monad nodded in response to Rin, took a bite of bread without applying honey and a swig of coffee. "Well you seem to make a good team." said Monad, still speaking in a quiet tone. His eyes turned, looking in the direction of Victoria. At this point he was was almost certain she was a mage, she wasn't doing a great job at hiding it. He looked back at Rin. "The man behind that desk is the leader of the Inquisition."

[Dirty Spaceman]

"I don't have much more to add," said Holman. "I heard and saw the same things as the others - four thumps on the roof, then some quieter fading tapping sounds, then the blast shortly after. It was almost certainly magic, but beyond that there's not enough evidence to say anything conclusively, and I'm not one for baseless speculation. That's an easy path to a biased conclusion." He cleared his throat, adding,"And if I may, sir, I'd second his request." He was referring to Morgan and gestured to indicate this.

[BetaB17]

Rin(mostly) & Mausier

She giggled at Morgan's first comment, granting hom a smile to charm "Yep! Nevr been any two bett'r. He'z ta muscle, I'm ta smartz! Bettr believe dat." She casually set her refreshments aside, listening on to what more he had to say and ignoring what the (not) mage blabbered on about

However as he told of the man, the young girl at first only could only look forward, ignorance from every blink of her eyes. Then, as if the gears were finally turning, it struck her. Her face, the sheer portrayal of shock and disbelief at the recent revelation, it was both comical and pitiful to witness

"Whhhaaa't?!" She tossed her head, once to Morgan, then to the Inquisitor, then back again, and once more "He's.. he's.." Without further excuse, she stood upon her chair, suddenly grabbing Mausier's coat by the collar "Wh'y didn' ya say somethin to me sooner! Now I kno' why ye went all quite an' such, lik' he waz one of yer old buddies or somethin'! Na! This aint no teaparty! Wh'y then, wh'y?! Ye kno' what they'd do if they found out 'bout meh!" In a desperate fit, she began to shake her silent companion, who did nothing aside keep his coffee steady

As she ran out of steam, a new stage hit. On an exaggerated depression like none before, she said "I knew things wer' too good ta be true.." She slowly started to sink back into her chair "It'z all over now.." She instead seemed ro have melted upon the floor, just barely clinging on to her seat "He'z gona lock meh away till I tell 'em the secret.." She looked up from her place, eyes glossed over "Te' secret to meh honey bun cakes.. but I won't say it! I kno the'y hate anythin wit magic.. So I won't let 'em kno the secret ingredient iz the magic of love, got that!?"

Her little outburst was over. Rin shortly after crawled up into a little ball on the floor, certainly lost of hope(and common sense). In a sad tone, she murmured "Itz just nauht fair.. why do I get sent off to da Brass fer my craft an' that mask'd fellow gets ta walk.. specially after wha't he did to tha train.." Mausier's only reply to her melodramatic scene was a loud sigh

:

Rolls a dice check to see if H.I. has a heart for childful antics

1: Critical fail

GG ;-;

[Rook]

The Office

The High-Inquisitor, once again, did not acknowledge Holman and Morgan's questions. He watched Rin's performance with a stern face, though once or twice, they thought they could detect amusement in his eyes. He seemed particularly interested in Rin's mention of the Masked Man.

He turned his gaze back to the papers, saying, "Let me lay my cards out on the table. Two of you are most definitely mages, and I highly suspect three of you."

He continued calmly, "A suspicious man would question why exactly it is that out of hundreds of passengers, the majority of the 'survivors' are magically endowed. Very troubling in his eyes."

The High-Inquisitor looked up, somehow managing to make eye contact with everyone before resting his eyes on Rin, "A zealous and more violent man, and perhaps a less intelligent one, would have you all locked away in Irongate, and from there, either the Brass Towers or a graveyard. Now, you can either tell me all of the facts, or we can quietly wait for the 'honorable' Lord-Paladin to bully his way in here."

[The SheoDovah]

Victoria Vario and the unexpected yet expected discovery of her being a mage.

"And it would be reasonable for a man to think that due to the stigma that mages have." Victoria told the High Inquisitor. "And there is no point hiding it. My possessions are likely to point it and it is best to avoid any unpleasent complications." She always knew this day would come and she had gotten a bit complacant of late. She knew that innocents could be wrongly labelled as mages and she had no desire to see someone get mistaken for a mage. "I am a mage, yes but my business in the city is nothing to do with magic. I have spent the past few years travelling the land and was returning to the city for personal reasons. I recongise magic when i see it and the blast was magic. The amount of effort that they would have put into it is beyond the skill of any mere mage and I would hazard a guess that the extreme minority of our kind are behind it. But do not let that cloud your view of us. I can assist with the investigation and to hep bring those behind it to justice."

[BetaB17]

Rin

Rin could only roll around, in a circle, still in a fetal state on the ground with teared weeping down her cheeks. Every so often, she whimpered a few words. She was no match for the High Inquisitor.

"Be a kind sir.. I swear.. I innocent.. I've don' nothin wrong.. so.. Pleas' no sir.. I no wanna' go to te Iron n Brass.. I'mma just a wee girl.. I can'd help it if I brighten up folks with my sunny charm.. Pleas', giv mercy. I beg of thee.."

It was hard to say just how serious she took this situation, or if she really was that idiotic. She suddenly rolled towards a chair, now laying before Wolfram's feet. In a desperate crawl up, she held to his legs as she plee'd to the Inquiditor. "I'll say anythin, just pleas'.. It waz the mask'd man, he's yer culprit. He n' that mean lady, they blew it up. Ther' were others too, I swear! So pleas'.. no more.."

[Baloth-Kul]

The Wildfyre felt as though a pyre were being built for everyone seated beside her, and they themselves were stacking up the kindling. She wasn't about to light the torch, but she knew she couldn't stay silent indefinitely.

"I can add nothing of note to your investigation." Cornelia stated plainly, as she took another sip of coffee. "Noises from atop the roof, and not long after, a purple explosion from the first carriage." She eyed her bread. My last meal? I might have preferred something more substantial, but it is better than nothing. The alchemist took a bite as she awaited her fate. Partially to distract herself from whatever might come of the situation, and partially out of curiosity, Cornelia tried to recollect which alchemical compounds could have the potential cause such a blast, and ingredients that may have made the flame purple, if it were non-magical.

Hidden:

Doesn't need to be super specific, it's mostly for [&@%!] and giggles.

[Kerr]

Monad saw Rin crawl around and cry, blaming what happened on 'The Masked Man.' He then looked up at Alistair and Cornelia. The masked man and the woman with her? Did those two really do it or is she just trying to shift suspicion off herself? He nodded his head in Cornelia's direction after she finished speaking. "Same, I heard noises on the roof and then there was a purple explosion." said Monad.

[Rook]

The Office

"I already know it's you." the High-Inquisitor said sternly to Victoria, "And I would suggest you stop rehearsing your confession speech."

As he spoke to Rin, he began to raise his voice, speaking in a commanding tone and beginning to rise out of his chair, "I need to know more. What did this man and woman look like? Who were there accomplices? Their number? Anything!"

There were several materials that came to Cornelia's mind. Potassium chloride and strontium nitrate mixed with alcohol. This would give the explosion the desired purple hue, though the rapidity of the whole affair was disconcerting. And she would remember that the flash of purple light occurred before the first explosion, though the subsequent flashes of light were in time with the following blasts.

[Unionhack]

"There must be some confusion." Alistair interjected. He would rather chance the High Inquisitor than the Lord Paladin of all people; his literal antithesis. "I assume I am the 'masked man' the child speaks of, unless she speaks of another. I am a... Well, a sort of professional larcenist. If you've ever seen posters looking for 'Orpheus', then... Well, that would be me."

Alistair then stood up. "I, however, did not cause this explosion. This train wreck killed people. I'm in the business of emptying rich pockets, not filling coffins. The plan was to force the train to stop and make off with the profits before reaching a station. I only approached the first class passengers for their money, and I don't recall seeing the girl or her bodyguard. I would have remembered them. They stand out."

He waited for just a moment to catch his breath, then continued. "I have no knowledge of magic and know only basic tenets of explosive theory. I was caught in the explosion myself; why would I do such a thing and cause harm to my own person? No, this was an outside force, and we are the lucky ones. Lucky enough to survive, or lucky to have magic to protect us during the crash."

He left Cornelia out of his confession for now. There was no reason to involve her.

[Dirty Spaceman]

After a good deal of unease at Godwinson's proclamation of suspicion, which Holman attempted to battle on the grounds that there was no way anyone could have known his secret (But was there?), his mind was sprung free by Alistair's confession. He's that 'Orpheus'!? Holman thought, having to forcefully prevent himself from smiling. He'd seen the posters. I had better not lose track of him now. I can hear that reward money calling to me already! He generally didn't partake in bounty-hunter-ism independent of a client's case, but this was an opportunity to good to pass up.

[Aarah]

Roger lowered his eyebrows at the High Inquisitor' statement. He wasn't alarmed by the fact that he believed that there were two, maybe three, mages present. The gentleman was confident that Godric wasn't referring to him, after all, how could he possibly know?

"I say, steady on! Some of us, if not all, are mere victims of this attack. I have told you all I've seen and heard regarding the event, and I can't tell you any more than that which I know!"

Roger was personally insulted that the High Inquisitor was being so rude and demanding. He could understand it being acceptable for some of the people there, but not for a man of his status.

Victoria's confession was a surprise to him; not so much that she was a mage, but that she had just come out and said it.
Furthermore, Alistair equally brought surprise to his face. He hadn't been expecting him to reveal his criminal side like that.
Orpheus, indeed! Well, I don't need to bring up his thieving any longer - he's done it himself!

[Baloth-Kul]

And here comes the torch.

"Potassium chloride, strontium nitrate, alcohol. That's about all that comes to mind when I think of that purple blast, but it doesn't seem right. A flash, followed by the first explosion, though the rest occurred simultaneously." She gulped down the rest of her bread. "The infamous 'Wildfyre', that's who I am. Destroying the train, and nearly dying was not my intention, nor was it my deed." Cornelia took another sip of coffee.

She looked down at the mewling creature on the floor, her expression one of mild annoyance.

[Unionhack]

Alistair nodded to Cornelia after her listing of materials. Then he paused. "Wait. We're forgetting a detail here. You all remember the clicks, right? There were audible clicks that you could hear, despite the fact that we were on a train. Wildfyre and I improvised, said it was our doing... But that simply wasn't the case. I had assume perhaps it was a simple malfunction, but after the explosion... I'm not so sure."

[BetaB17]

Rin & Mausier

Rin desperately tried to hold onto Wolfram as he stood, crying in plee when the Inquisitor raise his voice "Wh'y he yellin at meh.. I ain't don' nothin, tell 'em.." She was looking up at the man, a look of innocence marked with a frenzy of emotion. There seemed to be no end to her scene, even while others confessed their stance

Then, as if to break this act, Mausier finally dashed this flame. All he did, was clear his throat, a subtle noise, and nothing more. All cries stopped, no tears made, her grip on Wolfram eased, and all drama ceased. "Okay" She said in the most complaint tone, with the up most straight face. It was like a sudden switch was hit, Rin's behavior completely changed, like it was but fake.

She raised herself back to her own feet, straightened out her dress, and returned to her prior seat like nothing had happened. And for the first time since, Mausier took a light sip of his drink before resume prior stance, he seemed non bit worried.

Mausier shifted his eyes a bit, towards the High Inquisitor, towards the chaos of everyone's own making, and then lastly on the now tame deviant. He gestured his free hand, bidding her to come nearer, and so she did. Standing upon her chair, she seemed to be whispering something in his ear.

Mausier seemed genuinely confused by her words, but his sole answer was a slight nod. She was not too pleased "Wh'y do I always gotta be ta one.." By her guardian's bid, she lowered herself back to the ground, and boldly approaching the desk. She swayed her hands behind her back

"Anythin' now?" She looked like she was recounting a memory before answerinh "Four. I cannot say I kno'. An' mean." She answered the man exactly, if not sparely "Got a penny in tha't pocket then?" Very bold indeed. No shame haggling for a bit of copper "I ev'n can draw ya a picture if thats wha'cha like?"

[Rook]

The Office

"Really?" the High-Inquisitor replied to Alistair with mock surprise, paying no mind to Roger's outburst, "And here I was thinking you were a pair of circus performers." He drew one of his desk drawers open and pulled out Alistair and Cornelia's masks, handing them over.

"Once again, I implore you not to confess so easily. I knew who you were as soon as you signed your names." he indicated Alistair, "However, I must say that I'm not surprised that a Wolfram would take up such a gaudy sobriquet and lifestyle."

The High-Inquisitor's attention returned to Rin once she had calmed down completely. He nodded and flipped the list of names over, indicating for her to draw. He retrieved a copper coin from his pocket and prodded it across the desk.

[Unionhack]

Alistair cleared his throat, a little embarassed. "Yes, well, you'll forgive me for being a little forthcoming here. Innocent people died today and I want to do something about it. And I'd rather deal with you than the Lord-Paladin."

He accepted his mask and smiled down at it before pocketing the article. Back where it belonged.

[BetaB17]

Rin

She leaned over the desk to snatch her prize "With pleasure" as well as pulling the paper and pen nearer as so to commandeer.

She quickly began to draw out the picture, if not rather poorly. The figures where little more than stick figures with the barest of details. Her debriefing however was anything but. "Four total. Thy were present n' te aftermath. One was a scapp'y old engineer in a scarf, gotta whol' belt of toys. Tad scary with tha knife." She pointed at the portrayal that she drew, she had taken the liberty to add glasses and a thin knife. "Next. Young'r chap, leather n' tailcoat. Had somethin' on his arm' I think, an' a whol' lot of syringes." She pointed at him on the paper, his guantlet was grossly exaggerated. "Ther' was a mean lady too. " She pointed towards Cornelia "Not her, not mean 'nough. Need'd a bath tho', had charcoal all over 'er face." The picture she drew was likely the least revealing, minus the frowny face hovering over the figure

"Last was a tall fellow, had te mask.." She walked away from the desk, instead approaching Alistair "But not tis mask'd fellow, his limbs aint no iron." Without warning, she leapt after him, going for a quick 'chomp' for his arm, if not admittably softly and playfully done "See?"

For the High Inquisitor The picture she left behind of the main culprit however was only noted for a sole representation, a rather well detailed form of that mask and two resonating hands

[Aarah]

Hmm. So there were four people behind this. How disconcerting. And the masked man and woman were not the two in our company. That is, if this isn't all just a tall tale from the mind of an insolent child.
Roger mused on who these mystery people could be, and what their motives were.

He watched in disgust as Rin went to bite Alistair's arm. "Feral child." The gentleman muttered under his breath with a sigh.

"Did these people say anything to you?" His eyes looked wide and stared at the girl, curious if her answer would reveal more as to whether or not her story was true.

[Kerr]

Monad took another bite out of his bread and another gulp of coffee. He stayed quiet as not to incriminate himself, unlike Victoria he wasn't that up front with being a mage, certainly not in front of the Inquisition. Thankfully there was nothing among his possessions to implicate him. Four people, hmm, I wonder why they did it.

[The SheoDovah]

Victoria

Victoria felt a bit foolish after the Inquisitor told her to more or less be quiet and because of her poor attempt of hiding her secret of being a mage. "Magic does not automatically save one's self. It was pure luck that I was spared during the crash." She remarked before Rin bit Alistair's arm! "And they say we're the dangerous ones." She sarcastically commented as she finished off her cuppa. "What will the fate of us, mages be? Are we to be arrested or are we to be allowed to help bring the ruffians behind it to justice?"