Cog & Gear: Flashpoint

[Aarah]

Roger smiled in 'embarassment' at the High Inquisitor's compliments.
He listened intently as Godric whispered in his ear; his smile flickering for just a few milliseconds before becoming a puzzled expression.

"Hmm, I'm not sure what you mean by that, but regardless of your whisperings, I can not argue that I do have an aptitude for mechanisms, as well as fine design, of course."
Roger straightened his frame.
"As a gentlemen, I..we are all indebted to you for assisting us after that terrible, terrible crash.
I would be ashamed to let those responsible get away with it. Nobody attempts to destroy the life of Mr Roger Spenceworth without a jolly good retaliation."
He nodded matter-of-fact like, and scowled.
"However, I still think I would be more efficient on my own, rather than mixed with..."
His eyes glanced casually around at those gathered.
"...everybody else."

[Unionhack]

"You'll have no argument from me. Wouldn't want you soiling your fancy silken britches when we talk to the Wheelers." Alistair shot at Roger. "My associate and I will have some pull with the Wheelers, so if we need friends we can start there. Some of you can search high places instead. With luck, we can bring these [&@%!] down before they cause anymore harm."

[Aarah]

Roger suppressed the urge to reply to Alistair with a witty retort.

"Quite." His simple response was accompanied by a polite smile, as he picked up his cup for another sip of coffee, rubbing his forehead to alleviate his lingering headache.

[The SheoDovah]

Victoria Vario

"Chances are if i do need to drop a house on them, it will be to put an end to a horrible scheme. But I have full faith that it will not come to that." Victoria remarked before Roger spoke. She looked at him with an expression of disbelief. "Tell me, how do you intend to fight a hostile mage? Will you try to shoot them before your flesh is melted off your bones? Or try to use the way of the blade before they turn your insides out? There is a good reason why society looks down on us mages and tackling them by yourself is a sure way to die." She told Roger whilst helping herself to another cup of coffee. "And do you know anything about the magical arts? Do you know the difference between Elemental and Mysticsim? If so, how will you defeat mages of those arts?" She asked in a bid to make him think about his plans to tackle it by himself.

[Aarah]

"I have no intention to confront any mages." Roger replied to Victoria's confrontational questions.
"I'm not familiar with the magical arts, but I'm not planning to 'defeat' anyone, mage or otherwise."
He placed his cup down.
"I'm sure the High Inquisitor can point me in a direction that would be helpful, that has minimal danger."

[Rook]

The Office

The High Inquisitor returned Roger's smile with clearly uncharacteristic pleasure, saying, "Excellent. While the others pursue the Wheelers, perhaps you could investigate the matter of the suppliers of the terrorists. If you have any business contacts or know anybody who could assist you in that regard, now might be a good time to call upon them."

The High-Inquisitor remained unimpressed by Victoria, "There are many ways to combat magic. Intelligence is one of them. Brass is another. Mr. Spenceworth will do his civic duty according to his ability, I'm sure."

He picked his papers up again, shuffled them, and began to read, "Now then. If you are all in agreement upon what you wish to do, you may leave. Your possessions will be waiting for you in the main hall, just before the exit. May the sun shine on you, Luxor watch over your endeavors, and all that."

[Aarah]

"Erm...yes, alright. I suppose I could attempt that." Roger confirmed.

As the meeting adjourned, he stood up and adjusted his attire.
Picking up his hat, he thought of one more query.
"Oh, where are we to report any findings?"

[BetaB17]

Rin & Mausier

Upon the reveal of the potential reward, it became all too clear it was too late. Ears perked up, a fire burning in her soul, Rin turned to confront her guardian "Ye heard th'at! A quarter mil'!" Her partner seemed less interested, more content to just leisurely sip his coffee "Whaaaa't? Wut ya mean ye ain't interested. Do ya have any idea how much dat is? No mor' streets, all the sweets as can be, an' all the gunpowder.. all of it!" It's best not to ask what that gunpowder would be used for

Still. She seemed to be having a little quarrel with Mausier, if strictly verbally "Who te' hell cares! We need dis! You sure as hell want revenge, n' I ain't no charity! I kno', I kno'! We can get yer stuff on te way out, includin' tha't creepy sword. Heck! We can buy a million an' four after we're done. Who cares!?

They shared a mutual nod, a few more just to be sure, they seemed to be in agreement. Mausier carefuly placed his cup aside, takinga stand with his oddly linear body. Likewise Rin had a grin full of determination "Right O'! Let's go teach 'em chaps why ye shouldn't mess with trains n' all dat derail-ment!" Her rallying call was cut short by the first step, falling flat on her face without another word

[The-Shadow-One]

Morgan rose from the seat, granting the High Inquisitor a small nod of respect before turning, moving to clasp Roger on the shoulder in a small manner of reassurance, more for his own sake than any other. "I will pursue my matter in a different way than the Wheelers, consorting with unrefined thugs like them is insulting." He murmured softly a steel there somewhat. "I'll help you with your side of things, two is better than one after all." He made a note mentally, he will need to inform Black of this, get information as much as they can. A glare over his shoulder at Victoria, eyes narrowed tight.

[Baloth-Kul]

"Brass...perhaps an aerial dispersal of...no, too unreliable. Ingestion...contact...hrmm..." Cornelia voiced some of her thoughts on alchemical means of disabling a mage, as she got up and left.

[Kerr]

Monad put the coinpurse which the High Inquisitor has tossed him away in his coat. He got out the chair, ready to go out to the hallway and retrieve his equipment. "If you two are going off on your own, we should probably agree on somewhere to meet later." said Monad. He saw Rin trip and fall to the ground. He rolled his eyes and without comment held out his hand to help her up. "Although I wouldn't mind visiting my apartment and getting changed before we go. Not sure about the rest of you but I don't want to look like I just walked away from a train crash for the rest of the day."

[BetaB17]

Rin & Mausier

From her faced position, she raised a hand to garner attention "Iy.. mm.. kaai... O'.. mmchp.." Or at least that's what she said in a muffled out attempt. Whay she meant to say was 'I'mma okay O' chap' So courtly, or at least it would if she currently learning how a rug must feel. (They could only dream to be as smooth as you!!)

Mausier only crossed his arms, impatient to her games for now. She gleefully took any help when it came, ready to brush off her cloth in a timely manner "A lil' dirt o'r soot aint hurt nobody?" Her comment was directly aimed at Monad "Wh'y not over by Sterling? Not much t' ask I suppose? N' aint too off from ole' Steel?" She posed the obvious answer to the rest

[Aarah]

Roger grinned at Morgan as he looked at him properly for the first time.
"Well. I can't say that I'd mind that. It's nice to know that someone else here is averted to consorting with the underbelly of society. And if our choice of attire is anything to go by, I aspect we will get on quite well together."
His comment was in reference to the fact that they both wore grey trousers and a red waistcoat, and Morgan certainly appeared respectable enough.

Roger gazed at his pale blue eyes for a moment, before donning his hat in preparation to leave.

[Dirty Spaceman]

"Our two groups can meet up at the train platform where we all were this morning," Holman said definitively. "I'll go with the group to talk to the Wheelers. Grilling gangsters is something of a specialty of mine."

He stood up, having finished his food and drink, and straightened out his vest. "Thank you for your hospitality, Lord Inquisitor," he said to Goodwinson. "You have my guarantee of service; I will find what you need." He was ready to leave.

[The SheoDovah]

Victoria Vario

Victoria spotted Morgan's glare and was curious about what she had done to deserve it but knew better then to press the matter. "Thank you for tending to our wounds and for the meal." She was doubtful that the Inquisitor would keep his promise but regardless, she was bound by her morals to stop the fiends responsible for the attack. She stood up and finished off the second cup of coffee. "I shall go with the group that are visiting these wheelers." She knew a way or two to make people squirm.

[Kerr]

Monad returned his hands to his sides once he was done helping Rin up. "I grew up in the country, I'm used to dirt. Doesn't mean I like it and it makes us all stand out. So unless there's clothes here, I'm for going home and getting changed. " said Monad. He slowly began to walk in the direction of the exit. "But Sterling Bridge sounds like a good place to meet."

[Unionhack]

"Sterling Bridge? Fine by me." Alistair agreed. Then he looked to Victoria. "Unless you can keep the manic desire to drop houses on people under control, then you're not going anywhere near the Wheelers. Gangsters are skittish as it is."

[The SheoDovah]

Victoria

"I have no desire to use my magic to cause destruction. It is merely a desperate last resort and if a decision to sacrifice a few lives in order to perserve the lives of the many." Victoria told Alistair. "But it would be foolish to not discount that possibility. We are dealing with ruthless people and it is seldom neccessary to be ruthless in return to prevent their plans from becoming a reality."

[Baloth-Kul]

"Sterling Bridge is not a good choice. It is both exposed and easily cut off. But in the interest of time, I'll agree." Cornelia said as she looked from face to face. "You two are going to get captured," she surmised, while looking at Rin and Mausier, "you are going to get killed," her glance shifting to Victoria. She looked to Holman, Morgan, and Monad. "You three may just be clever enough to avoid either fate, though I trust none of you. ...Regardless, we must all work together, or all our chances of survival go down. Keep any thoughts of betrayal to a minimum."

Cornelia did not address what she thought would become of Roger, and let silence hang for but a moment.

"Well. To the Wheelers, then."

[Unionhack]

"Always the sweetheart." Alistair mumbled as he departed the table, taking his half-drunk cup of coffee with him.

[The SheoDovah]

Victoria

"Then I shall go with the others to eliminate that risk." Victoria commented and trusted that Alistair and Cornealia knew what they were doing. Unlike Roger. "So, what is our first task?" She asked the others.

[Rook]

Everyone - The Inquisition Headquarters

"You can contact me through either Antoine or Amelia. They like to spend their free-time at the Heritage Library in Whitevale." the High-Inquisitor told Roger, "Alternatively, there is a statue of a lion in front of this building. Place a letter between its jaws and I will find it."

The investigators exited the office and walked through the winding stone hallways, eventually coming into more lively areas of the building where witchhunters could be seen talking and laughing with each other. They came into the main hall, which was lavishly decorated with suits of armor and religious banners.

They retrieved their weapons and other items which had been placed by the door. They would notice that their bags did not appear to have been disturbed by anything other than the explosion.

When they exited the building, they were greeted by continued absence of the sun. Through the fog, however, there was enough light for them to surmise that it was midday. Their pocketwatches would confirm this guess. As they descended the stairs and began walking their separate ways, they passed the aforementioned stone lion.

The Steel District

Alistair and Cornelia knew the way to the Wheeler's base of operations. As they walked down the winding and bustling streets of the Steel District, they would notice that the people seemed even more reserved than ever. They avoided eye contact with all but those they knew and walked briskly. It would appear that the city was on edge after the sudden but brutal attack.

After some time, the group arrived at the doors of a large and shabby taphouse. Upon entering, they were greeted with the site of pure, unbridled chaos. Shouting men and women lay upon tables and leaned against walls. A sweat-drenched band kept up a discordant beat. In one corner, a ring of people surrounded two men who were fighting in a no holds barred match. A weary looking bartender was serving up drinks as quickly as he could, which wasn't quick enough for many of the vagrants. It would appear that most of those who occupied the bar were Wheelers and some off-duty workers, as normal working hours would not end for some time.

Leaning against a door which led to the basement was a tall and imposing man with a bald head and more muscles than you could count. Alistair and Cornelia would know that Sullivan, the leader of the Wheelers, would be in the basement with his friends. They'd need to get past this sentry first, however.

Hidden:

As you can see, I didn't post for Roger, Morgan, and Victoria. You guys can decide where you're going and then I'll describe it for you.

@Kerr Unless there was something important you wanted to do at your apartment, I'm just going to skip you here with the others. You can describe what you changed into.

On a side note, I just understood what "no holds barred" refers to.

[Dirty Spaceman]

Holman put up no argument to the final choice of meeting place; he hadn't noticed the original suggestion, due to the fact that he had effectively stopped listening to Rin, but nonetheless accepted it now that it had been agreed upon.

"Alright, I suppose you two will handle this," Holman said to Alistair and Cornelia amidst the din of the bar. "Do you want the rest of us right behind you, or shall we hang back a bit further?"

[Kerr]

Monad had made a very brief visit to their apartment where they changed into a green waist length coat, a grey shirt and black trousers. He'd kept the same black shoes on along with the belt, holster, bag, underwear, etc. He was now in the taphouse with the others.

"Recognize anyone?" Monad asked Alistair and Cornelia.

[BetaB17]

Rin & Mausier

The woman's passing comment caused Rin to act defensively "Captur'd? Why I ought to say the same for you!" Her response was nothing grand, but it needed to be said even of from a unruly child "How rude."

However none of this deterred them from bidding farewell. Rin with a cheerful smile and wave, and Mausier with a simple tilt of his hat, side by side, and directed to the Inquisitor and their two custodians. By merit of exit, the retrieved each their own utility. Rin, of her assortment of supplies and her heirloom staff. She looked so out of place, here amonsgt the Inquisition. An innocent charm with mask. Mausier, of his dangerous assortments and variety of goods. He looked so ominous with that blade in his hand for a moment, like a fit glove for death. And yet together the two took leave from this place, a small hand reaching up to grip a lone finger

After having some time to refresh and not look like the freshly dead, they stood before the taphouse. A mute finger pointed foward "Yes, yes! Tha'ts the place. Not as shabby as I'd pictur'd it tho." Rin said with some enthusiasm "Mmh! Let'z do this." Without further to do, they entered.

Almosy immediately Rin was captivated by the sheer chaos, nostalgic, or maybe just lacking attention span. But while her head was someplace else, her guardian kept his leveled