andres ♔ lining up for the grand illusion

[diplomatics]

♬ we are - ana johansson

WHO || Colin Banks, Emma Frost, Lissa Dragomir, Alex Karamazov, Cordelia Chase, Zoe Weiss, Adam Weiss, Leia Organa, Nessa Harvey, Alisha Daniels
WHAT || A team of Knights is tasked to rally the human populace of the Isle, gather them in a safe place, and keep Dimitris' supporters from causing trouble.
WHERE || Andres Isle
WHEN || September 19th, 2014
HOW || Actionspam

[ Meanwhile, a group of ten lands on... the roof of a building in the upscale sector of town. The half-moon lights the sky around them enough for any of them to get a good glance at what surrounds them. In the distance, moonlight plays across the river dividing the city, and the roofs of the Shadow village homes can be barely made out. But here, there are opulent old-money homes scattered here and there, and a number of commercial buildings coursing up and down the main thoroughfare. Colin doublechecks the location on the phone, which lights up his face eerily as he checks the screen, and then he slides it into his pocket, turning to nod the others. ]

We find ourselves on scenic Andres Isle, atop the historic Grand Hotel.  The very heart of the Island, ladies and gentlemen.  Advising caution seems unnecessary.  

Comments

colin, emma, leia, adam

[diplomatics]

[ colin knows the way to the police station, so it's a simple matter of following his lead, although... ] I'm not certain whether it will be best to attempt to stick to the shadows... or to pretend we have as much right to be walking the streets as anyone. It's possible we won't run into anyone, but if we do... I'm not certain which would look worse.

[telepathy]

There's not a person among us who looks out of place here. They'll hardly look twice at any of us as long as we carry on with that illusion.

[useagoodkiss]

[ Leia nods slightly in agreement. ] I think we can uphold the perception that we belong here. If we believe it, so will anyone else we might encounter.

[diplomatics]

That certainly sounds easier than avoiding notice. Come along. It isn't much further.

[ex_psionic439]

[Adam is so thankful to be on this branch of the team, y'all don't even know.]

So how do we want to work this? Double down on the illusion to lessen the chance of mental resistance?

[telepathy]

More presences in a single mind might make them more aware of our presence. [ Which isn't to say no, but still something to consider. She looks open to discussing this with Adam—as opposed to the others who have now bailed, who were more likely to talk shit get hit. Master race, yo. ] There's like to be more than one official to be dealt with: we can link our minds to share a similar projection, and then divide and conquer whose mind we project it into.

[ex_psionic439]

[Hey, she was an actual knight who seemed to know her shit when it came to psionics. Respect. Adam wasn't going to sass a bitch when he might actually learn something useful.

He considers her concerns--he'd actually never worked in tandem with another telepath like that, but it made sense that it might hinder more than help without synching up their mental illusion via a mind link first.

A few seconds later, he nods in assent to her proposal. Looks like they had a solid method, at least.]

[telepathy]

[ She returns his nod and looks to Colin. ]

We can lead the appropriate authorities to believe that you both work for the utilities services of the area. The story you spin about why these people need to be evacuated will be up to you.

[diplomatics]

It may be best, then, if I vary my appearance a bit. It's been some years since I've been to Andres, but I did once live here, and might be recognized. [ he pulls out a ring, and slides it on his finger, flexing his hand - and his features seem to very subtly shift, not a large difference, but just simple enough to create a forgettable blur of his usual look ] That should do.

[useagoodkiss]

[ Leia is infinitely glad to be in the company of well-informed, intelligent, pragmatic people, and she has complete confidence in their ability to succeed. That's not to say she's naive about the risks involved, but as with any mission, it's counter-productive to assume the worst. And just to make her position clear out loud: ]

I'm in agreement with Emma, I believe that will be an effective approach.

[diplomatics]

Perhaps we should make certain our stories are in accordance before we rely too heavily on our improvisational skills, then. A gas leak, is it? Perhaps ascribed to some meddling by a certain escaped convict whom I'm certain Dimitris has been fearmongering the people against?

[telepathy]

In case you've forgotten, that convict is a raccoon. How does one make it into a menace beyond the elite fearing for the state of their garbage cans?

[diplomatics]

We live in a world of strange and fantastic creatures, Ms. Frost, and Dimitris has worked hard to make certain these people neither understand nor trust them in the first place. I'm certain he's done half the work for us already.

[ex_psionic439]

Are we sure throwing Bandit under the bus is the best approach? I mean, the guy's an asshole sure, but he's technically one of us now isn't he? Or like, at least our mascot or something. [Same shit tbh.

But that's about all the sticking up for Rocket that Adam will ever be doing. Seriously if anyone replies with, "No, this is the best way," he will just shrug and roll with it because he doesn't owe that rabid little fucker anything--especially after Rocket nearly gave his ass rabies.]

[telepathy]

He's not a Knight.

[ #amoral. She's wholly comfortable throwing Rocket Raccoon under the bus. ]

[ex_psionic439]

Cool.

[Fuck that furry little bitch tbh. Adam likes your style, gurl.]

[diplomatics]

I can't say encouraging racism is my favorite method, but it's certainly going to prove most advantageous for us to... exploit what is already present among the population. [ annnd he gestures at the door to the building ] After you.

[telepathy]

[ Gonna go ahead and initiate a mindlink with Adam prior to approaching the door. She rests a hand on the back of his arm as they move. ]

We'll be joined for just over an hour, or until I release the link. We'll need to handle this quickly.

[diplomatics]

The less time we give them to ask us questions, the better, anyway. [ he pushes the doors open, and in they go. the police woman at the desk looks up from where she's furiously working on some paperwork. she's middle age, with deep frown lines around her lips, and unforgiving gray eyes. she looks up at them all, glancing over them with a frown that makes it clear she immediately registers them as unfamiliar - and finds that troubling in a city where everyone probably knows everyone.

"Can I help you?" ]

[telepathy]

[ Luckily, Emma's here with false sensory input, making the whole group of them look like employees of the familiar gas company. She gently encourages the officer's mind to fill in the blanks with faces that she'll recognize. ]

We've reason to believe there's been some trouble in the neighborhood. A severe gas leak, deliberate sabotage of one of our lines.

[diplomatics]

[ "Sabotage?" the officer frowns, not out of any apparent suspicion, but clearly some concern. "An attack on our citizens?" ]

[telepathy]

[ A rueful look crosses Emma's face, and she neither confirms nor denies. ] Of course, our investigations are only preliminary right now, but it would help us a great deal if you could move the homeowners of this area to a central location for us to have more freedom to investigate and make an announcement of our findings.

[diplomatics]

We recognize that it's a bit unprecedented, however, it seemed wiser to err on the side of caution, wouldn't you agree?

[ she looks between them, brow furrowed.

"Something like this might lend to a full scale panic, drawing people out of their homes in the middle of the night." ]

[ex_psionic439]

If it does turn out to be deliberate sabotage as part of an attack, things could turn out a lot worse if we aren't proactive about protecting the citizens here. Imagine the full-scale panic if this leak results in an explosion--or worse. Let people know that you're in control of the situation, and assure them that you're actively taking precautions to keep them safe. It should help to curb a lot of their fears and avoid any potential widespread panic. [(Diplomacy: 26).]

[diplomatics]

[ well she... can't argue with that (will save 17), it just all sounds very reasonable.

"You mentioned a central location. Did you have something in mind?" ]

I believe our compatriots were working on securing permission for a site, in case you agreed to cooperate. [ he nods to emma ] Perhaps we can contact them, see if they've found anything.