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

[ambitionist]

[also keeping his voice low bc they are professionals] Sounds like a plan to me.

[bredinthebone]

[Malina nods before glancing to Jane.]

Which way to this portal?

[innovates]

[Her eyebrows lift. Surprise, she doesn't really know.]

Further inside? I couldn't exactly pinpoint it on a schematic or anything. It's hard to get readings that precise from the other side of the world, you know.

[divaricate]

Surely we'll know it when we see it.


[r..ight??]

[highlyemotional]

Not that I think this is a bad idea, per se, but if the djinn slash god came through the portal and then left to.... to swindle innocent people who are starving which is just plain rude of him, like it's Ramadan have some respect. Anyway don't you think he would have left it guarded or trapped? Traps we'll be walking right into. [ caroline pipes up from the back of the group. lmao y'all gonna die first. LOOK! she can punch a djinn, she can't punch a portal, she doesn't like this idea. she's too young to die again. ]

[innovates]

If the portal originated where I think it did, it won't be a djinn at all. You say you heard someone is swindling people?

[bredinthebone]

I know how to dispel magic.

[They weren't going to just walk into it like a dumb. But with that she's going to turn back to Jane.]

That's what caught our boss' attention. He says that the djinn is being way too public and making way too many promises.

[highlyemotional]

You don't have a thingy to follow the ...signature or whatever now that you're here?

[innovates]

[She doesn't know enough about djinn to have any context for that, so she'll just take Malina's word for it.

She shakes her head.]

The amount of energy something like that produces isn't small enough to get that kind of exact position. It would be like trying to determine the exact spot where an earthquake originated.

[She glances around as they walk, trying to stay focused even as she speaks.]

Besides, as far as I could tell, based on the readings, it isn't open anymore. I'm looking for whoever came through it, not the portal itself.

[bredinthebone]

From the readings you got when the portal was open - can you detect like ... remnants of it on that person? Or are we going to be playing a guessing game like we do with most Shadowkind?

[innovates]

If they're not still here- [Which is, frankly, what she's hoping for.] -then I guess I'll have to ask around. It isn't as if it would have happened without anyone noticing.

[ambitionist]

Because "have you seen anyone fall through a portal recently" is gonna go over real well.

[just keeping it 100, ok]

[bredinthebone]

[Malina smirks.]

Probably not. But there has to be some kind of evidence regardless.

[behindcloseddoors]

[ oh hey look, as they're walking along, they notice something that's marked 'service door - ballroom' ?????? ???????????

how convenient. ]

[bredinthebone]

[She spots the sign and stops, taking Alex's arm and turning on her heel.]

Well, we could always start here?

[ambitionist]

[well he's not gonna argue with that, stepping along with her as she takes his arm.] Let's do it.

[innovates]

[Jane looks over at Darcy before she takes her hand, pulling her along with her, not wanting to get left behind.]

[bredinthebone]

[And once the rest of the group is with him, Malina will gently try the door to make sure it isn't locked.]

[highlyemotional]

[ yep, caroline is bringing up the rear with jordan, looking (and listening) to make sure they're not spotted. ]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ The ballroom was awash in decadence bordering on regal, and it was not immediately clear whether it was the doing of the djinn or his hosts. People milled about the ballroom, some visibly present for the mere pleasure of watching and sharing in the joy of those who were granted their desires, and others lined up in hopes that he might hear theirs.

At the front of the room, a man wearing elegant silks, jewels, and a cape sat with his hand steadily turning a scepter made seemingly of solid gold. Before him, a shabbily dressed woman made her plea, urging him to grant her wish that her children would never go hungry again. The man considered her with rapt attention, stroking his thumb and forefinger against his facial hair, up until the moment they slipped through the staff door.

His attention lifted, though the woman continued to speak, and his eyes landed on Jordan. ]

[highlyemotional]

[ whispered aside: ] He's wearing a cape. What a tool.

[ambitionist]

[right there with caroline in the peanut gallery, although mostly muttering to himself]

You gotta be fuckin' kidding me.

[divaricate]

[more commentary-- ] That is.. some outfit.

[bredinthebone]

[Malina is taken by the extravagance of it all, but that doesn't mean she misses the way Jordan distracts the guy in front of them (spot 17). She takes a small step forward, watching him carefully as she speaks (sense motive nat 20).]

Don't stop on our account. She's got a family to feed.

[tasings]

[Meanwhile... rather than straight up mock the outfit. Darcy's gonna lean into Jane and mutter.]

I wonder if he and the big guy share a tailor.