Cog & Gear: Flashpoint

[Aarah]

Roger

Roger identified the man as the one who sat on the bench when they arrived. His eyes looked mildly concerned when he spotted the silver revolver.

"I say! Put that gun down and we can talk like civilized men. There's no need for violence."

Roger looked at the man's blue eyes and at his face, then exclaimed, "That's a false beard! And a wig! I say, who are you, why do you come here and point a gun at my friend?"

Roger had positioned himself a good two metres away from the gunman, and perpendicular to the direction of the gun.

[Kerr]

Monad nodded at Alistair suggesting that he and Holman try their plan. "See you soon." said Monad. He looked briefly at Rin, he was hoping the child wouldn't be thrown out of the bar but couldn't see her getting past Bors. Monad made his way over to the door, putting his hand on Holman's shoulder as he passed indicating the private detective should follow. Assuming he did follow Monad would make his way to a nearby empty alleyway.

Monad still didn't have much faith in the plan but it was better than just sitting around. He hoped Cornelia would be able to find her way inside.

Hidden:

If Spaceman's dropped out or whatever I'll probably need to edit this.

[The-Shadow-One]

Morgan breathed out softly, a little bit of elemental manipulation to dampen any sparks, flames or anything that would ignite the gunpowder in the other fellow's gun. "Yeah.. put that away." He said, a certain strain to his voice. Trying to remain calm as he kept an attempt to place his familiar derringer into his palm.

[Baloth-Kul]

Noting the strange movement in the sewer water, Cornelia unsheathed her sword. She attempted to cut through the man's bonds, while doing her best not to fall into the stinking cistern.

[Dirty Spaceman]

At Monad's indication, Holman finished what remained of his drink and arose from his seat. "It seems I must be off now," he told the man with whom he'd been sitting. He put down five Ecks on the table. "This is for your help. It's not much for now, but hopefully if ever you see me around, you'll remember I always reward good information. Thanks for the help, and for the drink." With a nod of farewell, he departed and would follow after Monad.

[The SheoDovah]

Victoria Vario

It seems I have a lead. Victoria elected to give chase to the man. She knew the police would lose them but she had an advantage that they lacked. A chase! Haven't had to chase people in a while! Corner him and see if i can make him talk. Refuses, well, magic is frowned upon for a reason. Along with swords. She was fairly agile and would vault or slide over objects that could potentially slow her down. Even if it was by mere seconds.

Hidden:

Basically, Parkour moves. And yeah, i kinda neglected this but i'm back!

[Kerr]

Monad made his way into a nearby alleyway with Holman following him. Once he was sure there was nobody around he took off his green coat and holster which contained his gun. He put the gun and holster in his bag and handed the bag and jacket to Holman.

"Put on the jacket and carry my bag will you?" Monad asked as he handed them to Holman. "And um, try not to be scared." Monad was unsure how Holman would react to them being a witch performing magic in front of him. Of course Monad didn't know that Holman was also a mage.

They tried to use their magic to change into the form of The Mother.

Hidden:

Hope this post is okay but I assumed we'd be able to find an alleyway with nobody nearby.

[Rook]

The Taphouse

Rin

Bors pointed a single meaty finger at the girl, "Liar. No rich folk and no little girls invited anyway. Go back to work, little orphan girl."

Monad & Holman

Monad easily found a suitable alley in which he could safely transform. Luckily, the streets weren't very crowded at this time of day, so he wasn't likely to be seen. There was no one else in the alley besides Holman.

The Burkensian's form morphed before Holman's eyes. Monad grew shorter, their golden hair elongated, their chest expanded and curved, and their other features became softer and more feminine. Standing before Holman was, by all appearances, a normal woman. It was worth noting, however, that Monad was still dressed in men's clothing. Though this was not too uncommon for poor women, the outfit wasn't exactly screaming a sexual invitation.

The Sewers

Leaning over the edge, Cornelia was able to saw through the man's bindings, though she was not able to avoid having her clothing splattered with some of the foul-smelling water. As soon as his hands were free, the drowning man dragged himself through the water and began to climb up.

Before pulling himself completely out of the water, he came face to face with his masked rescuer: "What the f-"

His expletive was cut off by a splash and his subsequent yell of pain. A massive albino reptile with powerful jaws and a thick body and tail had bit down on the man's leg and was dragging him back underwater. Cornelia most likely knew about alligators, though she would never have seen one in the flesh. He kicked at the alligator's head with his free leg, screaming at Cornelia for help.

Whitevale

Morgan was able to slip the derringer out of his sleeve and into his hand. Morgan's magical talent and elemental expertise allowed him to exploit the moisture in the air to affect the weapon. Morgan could gamble that the revolver would be rendered inoperable for a short period of time.

"Sometimes good men must meet violence with violence. I learned that on Atoll. Now tell me what happened on the train this morning and your part in it, if you had any." the disguised man briefly turned his gun on Roger before returning it to Morgan, "I also learned not to turn my back on a paleface. Drop the gun, or I drop you."

The City Streets

The fleeing suspect was very fast and could have easily outrun the officers, but he apparently had not been counting on Victoria, who, though she was not as fast as him, wouldn't be easy to lose. As he raced down a flight of stairs to the ground, Victoria slid down the railing.

When the pursuers reached the street level, the man had apparently vanished. Commissioner Clay and the young officer raced off down the street, shouting back at Victoria to stay put, but Victoria saw a flash of cloth as the fleeing man slipped around a corner and into an alleyway.

[Baloth-Kul]

Powerful jaws, open flesh wound in a sewer, likely broken bones. He's [&@%!], one way or another. Cornelia shook some of the foul water off her clothing, and walked away, resuming her search for the entry into the party.

[Aarah]

Roger - Whitevale

"Violence with violence? We are not showing any violence toward you, Sir."

Roger startled and flinched fearfully when the gun was pointed at him for a moment. He looked at Morgan, worriedly looking for the gun that the man had requested he drop.

"There's not much to tell." He stammered.
"We were riding the late train, there were noises above, and then an explosion. I was in the first class carriage, naturally, and the only odd thing to happen there was a hold up by two robbers."
Roger held his hands up to waist height.
"That's absolutely all I know, I swear."

[The-Shadow-One]

Morgan - Whitevale
The mage emitted a soft breath as his Derringer came into his palm. His gaze looked at Roger, becoming exasperated and somewhat relieved now he knew about the ineffective gun gun.

"I say my good man, how about we both drop our guns?" He murmured softly. "Not like you can shoot me with it like that." He breathed out, sending out more magic.

Heat to wrap and burn the metal beneath the false bearded ones palm. Tighter he held his gun before twisting to bring his gun up and get away from his grasp. He had something of confidence now he had the subtly of magic on his side.

[Kerr]

"Those stories of Burkensian witches who pray to The Trickster? They're true." said Monad with smirk. "I don't have a sister, at least none that I know of. I didn't want to say anything at the pub and definitely not in front of Godwinson. I'm not as stupid as that other mage... Victoria?" said Monad, turning her head and squinting trying to recall the name of the mage who thought it would be a good idea to tell the leader of the Inquisition she was a mage. And that she was going to use more magic in public and cause property damage. Monad didn't think the woman would be long for this world anyway and was just glad Victoria hadn't come with them. "But the plan's still the same. Bluff our way past Bors and see if we can find out anything useful downstairs." Monad adjusted the buttons on her shirt to make her cleavage more visible, she didn't have time to go home and change so it would have to do.

[Dirty Spaceman]

Holman was rendered speechless by Monad's transformation, and was thankful for her subsequent explanation as it gave him an excuse to remain so. "Well," he said finally, once Monad was done speaking, "Suffice it to say, I've never seen anything quite like that before." He cleared his throat. "But, yes, the plan. We should make sure we're on the same page regarding anything he might ask us before going in, of course. First, should I give him a false name for you?"

[Rook]

The Sewers

The man's screams stopped abruptly as the albino alligator dragged him into the water and spun its prey, drowning him in the filthy water. Behind Cornelia, blood stained the surface as the alligator feasted on its latest meal.

Cornelia encountered no further distractions as she navigated through the sewers. She soon saw the silhouette of a man as he leaned against the wall. Through the door next to him, she could see light and hear voices. This was presumably the guard that Malcolm had told her about.

Whitevale

"You're telling the truth." The disguised man's body became less tense as Roger spoke, "I - gah!"

With this exclamation, he dropped his revolver as the silver plating grew unbearably hot. A flash of recognition briefly flashed across his face before being replaced by calm indifference as Morgan pointed the derringer at him. He spoke in an even tone to Morgan, "You're a mage. So here's how this is going to go: you shoot me, but not before I shout 'Mage!', or, you can put down the gun, corroborate your friend's story, explain your purpose here, and hopefully, you'll have proved your innocence through those steps. I implore you to make a decision quickly. Every minute spent here is another minute a terrorist walks free, which should be ample motivation unless you support such an occurrence."

[The-Shadow-One]

Morgan - Whitevale
A hard glare at the man as he threatened to expose Morgan, a soft huff as he pulled the hot gun towards himself, disarming the man effectively. "You didn't exactly give yourself a well enough cause. As for why we're here simple. We're investigating the matter of the terrorist attack." A gentle pulse of magic coiled from Morgan, attempting to identify any other weapons the man could have.

The albino put his own gun away, eyelids half shutting over his eyes, calmness now that that was over. "Tell us your name, and show your true face.. How else can you repair the broken trust you forcefully forged?"

[The SheoDovah]

Victoria Vario:The chase for answers.

Victoria saw the cloth that betrayed it's master's location and gave chase down the ally. She ignored the shouts and orders of the police officers. Only delay me or cost me information. Let's see if I can get this one to talk without showing it a reason why magic is feared. She knew it could easily backfire on her but time didn't give her much to work with. All she had was let the man go or chase after him as her options and casting a spell to detect any ambushes could complicate things.

[Kerr]

Monad shrugged slightly, unsure of what to use as a pseudonym. "Topaz?" Monad suggested. She gestured at the coat and bag she had handed Holman. "Put those on, our story is I was talking to Jack by the docks last week, he hired me as a surprise for the party. He shouldn't but if Jack comes up I'll just say he was drinking, that's why he doesn't remember, that now it's a surprise for him too. You're with me for protection and to get the money. But we only need to get past Bors, don't have to keep it up all night. Once we're downstairs we can go back to the private eye and his assistant." Monad looked back in the direction of the bar, she'd be ready to go whenever Holman was. "What'll I call you?"

[Baloth-Kul]

Cornelia - Sewers
Sheathing her blade, but keeping one hand on the pommel, she paced towards the guard, mask still on her face. "[&@%!], I'm not late to the party, am I?"

[Aarah]

Roger - Whitevale

Oh, he's a mage?
Roger watched in surprise as the disguised man dropped his gun, seemingly pained by it, and Morgan produce his own.

"Or keep your disguise on, if you'd rather. One step at a time, yes?"
The gentlemen added. He didn't want any cries of 'mage' to be uttered, and thought it best not to ask too much of the man.

[Baloth-Kul]

Hidden:

Cassandra gave me Adelia's reins while she's gone for a few weeks, so let's give this a little nudge...!

Taphouse - Adelia
"Well, now, that is a disappointment." Adelia said with a frown on her face. "I'm ever so sorry that you'll have to explain to your boss why his favourite birthday present didn't arrive, delivered by his guests." Maybe I can make something with spare parts, down there?

[BetaB17]

Rin

Rin was bout ready to protest, even her eyes waivered after being called an orphan once more, but Adelia finally played her part. Still brimmed with vigor and confidence, the small 'orphan' child crossed her arms and poshly waited for the bruiser's response

She looked most dissatisfied

[Rook]

The Taphouse

Adela was neither convincing nor charismatic enough to salvage the flawed lie. Bors scoffed, "Bad liars. Orphan girl, go back to the factory. Rich girl, go home."

The Sewers

"[&@%!] indeed!" the guard exclaimed, "What are you doing down here - err - miss? Why didn't ya go through the bar?"

Whitevale

"I cannot reveal myself yet. Not here. But there may be another way to gain your trust." the man indicated his dropped revolver, "Check the gun."

The City Streets

As Victoria burst through the alley and began to round the bend, there was a terrific crash and she toppled to the ground with a great pain in her head. The suspect had been waiting behind the corner and had broken a wooden board upon her head.

Dropping his shattered weapon, he began scaling a nearby drain pipe.

[Baloth-Kul]

Sewers - Cornelia
"Had enough of drunken sots pawing at me. Ol' Malcolm don't like bodies dropping in the bar, so I come this way." She approached the guard, hoping he'd simply stand aside, as she looked down at her outfit. "Oh, [&@%!], I've got [&@%!] on me!" Cornelia wiped at her outfit again, rubbing off more of the rancid water, vaguely in the guard's direction. Hopefully, that encourages him to let me through.

[Dirty Spaceman]

Holman put on the coat, trying to think of a name as he did so. "I'll go with 'Lester', I suppose," he said. It was ordinary enough, and wasn't associated with anyone close to him. He equipped the bag, and took a few steps to get comfortable and straighten the coat out. "Shall we, then?"

[Kerr]

"Let's go." said Monad with a nod. She began to walk back to the taphouse, planning on walking side by side with Holman and once there for the pair to make their way over to Bors.