saudi arabia ♔ cause you just might get it

[behindcloseddoors]

♬ Be Careful What You Wish For - Eminem

WHO || Wanda, Malina, Caroline, Jordan, Alex
WHAT || The Knights go to investigate a genie granting wishes
WHERE || Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
WHEN || June 2016
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread.

[ The Knights fly on Wynn's order to Riyadh, a dust-steeped collection of elaborate skyscrapers and flashing lights that looks to be the closest Saharan analogue to Las Vegas. Dunes stretch out around the endless, otherwise level horizon where giant, clouded dust storms threaten.

Their target, for all the boons he has bestowed on the local populace, has been enjoying a charmed life in one of the Ritz-Carlton, an anachronism of culture that more closely resembles the White House than any structure that belongs in Saudi. It isn't difficult to pinpoint where he might be harbored - lines of people choke the halls en route to the ballroom, craning their necks to try to see in, and cutting off any easy access to the location. ]

Comments

[highlyemotional]

[ caroline adjusts her scarf as she looks around, hugging her arms to herself. ]

This is like Southern football level of nuts. How are we gonna get to the front?

[ambitionist]

[alex's resting bitch face has been in full swing since they stepped off the plane. so hot. so sand. the city isn't that bad, but still. huff. alex is still of the mind that this is some magic-wielding psychopath just claiming to be a genie instead of the genuine article.]

Wait in line? Aggressively shove our way to the front like the New Yorkers some of us are? Teleport spell?

[bredinthebone]

Why go in the front when we can sneak around back?

[That's always been Malina's philosophy anyway. She pushes up on her toes a bit to try and see if she can find either a staff service entrance to the ballroom or someone she can charm into finding out where one is, but her shortness isn't really doing her any favors right now (spot 10).]

Maybe there's a staff entrance or something we can use to get behind him instead of in front of him.

[ambitionist]

I like the way you think. [gonna help her with his tallness by also glancing around. (spot 22)]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ his royal tallness over here notices a hallway that ducks away and bends back where it might provide access to the ballroom, that a few staff are disappearing down. a sign hangs up that says "EMPLOYEES ONLY" near its entrance. ]

[ambitionist]

[he will point it out to malina. and the others i guess. but mostly malina.] Employee entrance thataway.

[wishuponadjinn]

[Jordan looks down the hall, nodding at Alex.]

I can get us uniforms. ["Get" as in "make magically appear"]

[bredinthebone]

[Malina nods in agreement before gesturing for Caroline and Wanda to follow.]

I know Disguise Self too, so I can handle me.

[That way Jordan either 1) has to steal less or 2) can save some of his magic in case they need it later.]

[divaricate]

Let's just hope they don't wonder too much about where five new employees came from. [Wanda then moves towards Malina to follow her.]

[wishuponadjinn]

[He lets the others go in front of him, eyes scanning the crowd and looking at the actual employee uniforms mixed in the crowd. With a thought and a blink his clothes go from the normal button-down shirt and blue jeans he had been wearing to an exact copy of the hotel staff, the only evidence of magic is the small fall of glitter that trails in the air behind him.

Walking briskly to catch up with the others he slides in front of them, reaching for the door and pausing before it, whispering to the group softly] Just follow my lead.

[And he opens the door, his deep voice preceding them into the room.] This is one of the Employee entrances, where you will store your things. I know that this might seem a bit overwhelming at first, but we will need you to keep up with the pace, things have gotten quite busy at the hotel in the past month. [Bluff 24???]

tralala (1/2)

[innovates]

[They all walk into the room to see a brunette woman in her low 30's just popping a lock off one of the lockers before her hands close around it (disable device nat 20), looking over at the people entering with slightly widened eyes (sense motive 12).

She glances nervously over her shoulder at the other person in the room before she pulls open the locker in an obvious hurry, extracting the uniform from inside.]

Sorry, we'll be out of your way in just a second.

[As she starts putting it on over her other clothes (bluff...7).]

(2/2)

[tasings]

[And the other woman would be, this gal right here. She's not even looking like they're about to pull this off because holy crap Jane, she's seen first graders lie better than that in a game of who stole the cookie.]

Yup. [...] We're, late for our shift. [Tone dry. Why even bluff check at this point.]

[ambitionist]

[lmao he sense motive nat 20'd. like it was even hard. that was so overkill alexander. anyway, he just raises his eyebrow and replies with the same utmost confidence and self-assurance he usually possesses]

Cool, guess we'll be working together. [bluff 40. and now he's going to casually approach an open locker.]

[bredinthebone]

[Malina just barely sees past Jane's bluff, probably because she was surprised by their obstacles being two tiny white girls but hey, short girls represent (sense motive ... 9). That being said, she's totally capable of following Alex's lead (bluff 22).]

Yeah. Nice to meet you both.

[divaricate]

[Wanda's sense motive to Jane's bluff was a 17, here.]

Hi. Nice meeting you. [She says with a quick nod. (bluff 19).]

[wishuponadjinn]

[shitfuck. He was really hoping the room would be empty. Welp, so much for him just magically making them some uniforms to wear. The two ladies in the room are obviously employed here (sense motive lol 10) although something about the first one's nervousness sets his spidey-senses tingling, something in her attitude nagging at him.]

You will all need uniforms, which the establishment will provide. [just gonna keep that bluff check from a moment ago...]

[He looks around the room hoping to find a uniform locker (search 15) or any kind of chest or something along those lines.]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ guess what you guys

guess


there are zero uniforms in this room ]

[bredinthebone]

[Welp. That's unfortunate.

Now they're going to have to go the magic route, but they can't really do that with Jane and Darcy keeping an eye on them. So she's going to glance around and see if there's anything that can save them in here (spot 12).

And then, nonchalantly, in Farsi:]

This could of definitely have gone better.

[She's taking stock of a few things: one, if the two ladies speak Farsi, two, if they know that Farsi is not a language traditionally spoken in Saudi Arabia, and three, if they're really going to commit to the whole "late for my shift" thing.]

[innovates]

[Meanwhile, Jane realizes belatedly that she's not putting on a uniform at all. It's just....some guy's button up shirt and it is way too big.

She's just gonna start...putting it back. Also she sure af doesn't know that language yay.]

Oops, silly me. This isn't my locker...

[ambitionist]

Yeah, because it's mine. [bluff 38. he's such a shit. they already done played themselves, though. his goal might be to try to shame them into going away we just don't know. in any case, he's holding his hand out for the shirt.] I'll take that.

[innovates]

R-right. Here you go.

[Hands that right over, pretends she doesn't have the lock in her pocket, it's fine.]

[highlyemotional]

[ boredly from the back, ] Oh, come on, we all know there're not supposed to be here.

[ ten years later with a sense motive 20 total. ]

[wishuponadjinn]

[wut?]

Wait, what? [Yeah, way to let on that you don't actually know who is supposedly employed here, Jordan.]

I-I mean, yeah! What are you two doing in here? [Bluff... Critical Failure. 6 in total, if that even...makes a difference... yeah, no.

Best. Teammate. Ever.]

[ambitionist]

[meanwhile, he's trading his current shirt for the white button-up he stole. it's fine. enjoy his abs.] Well, yeah. No shit.

[behindcloseddoors]

[ there doesn't seem to be much in here, malina, that's going to save your ass, sry 2 say ]