knightsoflegend | mission ♔ i lost my heart under the bridge

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mission ♔ i lost my heart under the bridge

WHO || The Japan mission group (however many of you would like to go!) [Closed]
WHAT || A fresh body surfaces.
WHERE || Under a bridge, Hachiōji, Japan
WHEN || Wed, Mar 21st, mid-afternoon
HOW || Actionspam

It's raining in Tokyo, and it has been, at least lightly, ever since the group arrived a few days prior. The police department's offered to set the Knights up in a nearby hotel, which isn't five star by any rate, but has clean towels and leaves mints on the pillows. Except, of course, that Lis'sa advises 'do not disturb' signs at all times. Housekeeping doesn't need to find any of the Knights' gear hanging around.

There's a great deal of paperwork to sort through, files and photographs and information copied by a very grumpy looking secretary and delivered to them upon their arrival. It takes days to sort through, which is enough to give anyone a mild case of cabin fever, but they're free to go explore the city as well, and follow up any leads they might discover.

It's the next Wednesday that a new body is discovered, and the police chief calls to alert Lis'sa so that the Knights can check out the scene, as well. She gathers up whoever volunteers, and heads out that way.

The rest of you suckers can do whatever else you'd like with your day. (Just feel free to make new threads with a subject line label as to what they are for! Staying in the hotel rooting through paperwork, city exploration, hitting the bar before 1pm, whatever.)

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[James had just started to climb in when he heard that, and he just raises his eyebrow at Haymitch, glances at Lis'sa and shakes his head as he makes sure his own oddity is hidden under the jacket and shirt he has on.] Not everyone is as welcoming of the unusual as those of us presently here.

[Alainn nods at James's comment, closing her PDA and looking at Haymitch. She gives him a cocky grin as she answers.] O'course people would want ears like mine, they're pretty fabulous if I may say so meself!

[Her face falls after a second though as she shakes her head, the humor gone from her voice.] But truth be told, James has the right of it. Many countries in this world are not so accepting of us Shadowkind. Luckily this mission is pretty low-key and we have a majority of humans with us, and those of us who aren't fully human have experience in hiding or masking it.

My ears could get me either killed or at the least attacked, and that would result in the rest of you being attacked as well.[The way she says the second half of that sentence makes it sound like that would be worse to her than if only she were punished should something happen.] I could have used a change self spell for this but I'm good at hiding them.

[And she likes having Haymitch around, even if he is a sober grumpy puppy!]

[Haymitch looks like she might as well have said, "Oh by the way, I like drowning kittens," because he is just that genuinely shocked to hear that with everything he knows about the Capitol. Finally, he shrugs and turns towards the window to watch the scenery pass by. Damn, he is not in Kansas no more.] They get over that in the future.

Then I am very glad to hear it. I... [It was always hard to watch as others became accustomed to the ways of this world, and having been there herself she know's how shocking it can be. She looks at his profile a moment, trying to find a way to...soften her words somehow, but there was no easy way around it.

He had to find this out before they actually had contact with the people they were to meet, though bringing it up was never easy either. Was she supposed to sit him down and give him a talk about social and racial prejudices? Hell no, like he had said, he wasn't a child and she had more respect for him than to treat him like that.

Best that he saw things with his own eyes and to let him reach his own conclusions. There wouldn't be any better way for him to see it than now.

She says this more as an aside to him, her voice low but she know's the others can still hear.]

...I just want you to be aware that, if things go south in any of this stuff, you deny that you know us. Get out, use your phone and get someone to come get you.

Though you shouldn't worry, it should be more than fine.

[ Lis'sa can't help but stay something, as she steers the vehicle around a corner ]

You can't honestly believe you're from the future, I hope.

[Haymitch gives Lis'sa a look of pure... actually, it's hard to tell what that look is. Maybe he just pities her because she's stupid or maybe he just wishes she'd shut her whore mouth. Either way, he doesn't dignify that with a comment- just focuses on Alainn.] Shouldn't be too hard. I can always convince whoever's nearby I'm just unstable. [Yes, that was a subtle jab at you, Lis'sa. That's what you get for saying he's not from the future, beyotch.]

[Actually James is just, going to pretend that Haymitch didn't take that stab at Lis'sa and busy himself with adjusting the hidden machine on his chest. Because it's easier then looking at either one as he talks.]

It seems more likely that you are from an entirely different world, unless your world has other beings from the average human, even the they are altered physically. [He's a gentleman what can he say?]

[Alainn gives Haymitch a cheeky I'm-onto-you-grin.] Yeah, I've noticed you're good at acting the part when need be.

[She adjusts herself once more, glancing at Lis'sa and James both.] And I can't say as though I'm an expert at different dimensions or other universes and the like, but the Veil seems to be doing very strange things lately. The Squires we've been getting in recently, including you, have very different explanations of where and when they came from that no one can be certain of anything that will or won't happen in this world's future.

[She tries to play peacemaker, but can't help but to defend Haymitch as well. She don't curr really what anyone says about the future, she doesn't believe anything is set in stone.]

[She is so many levels of unimpressed with both of you now. Not James. James can stay.]

If you're talking about theoretical parallel universes, they would exist in infinite quantities, rendering each one of them statistically as unlikely as you can get to be anything close to how things will fall out in our actual reality.

[Yeah, he... Maybe understood that a little, but he still scoffs.] Must be why they say simplest explanation is the best. Seems like you'd lose your head if you had to consider all of that every time you encountered something against the norm.

I guess it's a good thing we have you to clarify such things then, Lis'sa. [She turns back to Haymitch.] Basically what she means is that the chances of our future in this world turning out to be the one where you come from is nearly impossible. The world from which you came is not our future, but a parallel universe in which that future played itself out in one of a billion different ways. Am I right?

[She looks consideringly between James and Lis'sa before turning back to Haymitch and giving him a "I-don't-really-give-a-fuck-if-I-am" shrug and look.]

Edited 2012-04-04 18:39 (UTC)

It takes a particular type of person to, understand it all in such terms. [And that's his way of saying "We have to dumb it down for everyone else, remember?" to Lis'sa without you know, saying it.

Before he nods at Alainn.] Precisely. Each event that occurs has an amazing array of things that could happen or could have happened or have happened, and that alone creates parallel universes in which case they did. Think of it as a window, identical until you crack somehow shatter or crack it. Those individual pieces may be similar but will never be exactly the same, just as our worlds are.

[Whatever, James, what fun is that.]

And that's only accepting the notion that he's from a parallel universe at all. That's entirely different from declaring him from another dimension, and much less scientifically probable.

[Just be glad he likes you, otherwise he wouldn't bother to translate Lis'sa.]

That as well another dimension is something entirely different. A parallel universe and an alternate dimension are not the same thing. Another dimension would exist outside of the perception of the vast majority of beings, and would hardly have inhabitants similar to a human such a parallel universe would.

[Alainn appreciates the translation from James, though it doesn't really help much. She is incredibly intelligent in her own right, but this is so far out of her field of knowledge or caring that she just gives them a dead-pan look as they banter back and forth. Thankfully their type of knowledge isn't the only kind that mattered, otherwise practically everyone else would be obsolete.

She gives James a grateful smile at his explanation though. She again turns back to Haymitch, raising her eyebrows in a fuck-me-what-was-that-expression.]

So, in other words you came from a very different place and it likely has no effect whatsoever on this world.

But back to the original topic, if things go south you know what to do, and keep the whole "I'm from a different world" stuff on the down-low. 'Kay?

Not exactly something I'd plan on broadcasting. [He's so amused by the whole thing. lol. I sparked a debate. I rule.]

[Annnnnd the car slows to an abrupt halt. A little too abrupt, as it jerks everybody forward. Lis'sa reaches across James to the glove box and pops it open, taking out a pair of sunglasses, and slipping them over her unusual eyes.]

We're here. [ Without another word, she slides out. ]

[Alainn reaches into the inside pocket of her trench coat, pulling this incredibly life-like item out and cradling it gently in her hands. She brings it close to her mouth, whispering a few words and suddenly the statue is the same hawk as was first with her in the Round Table meeting, wings flapping and an indignant prawk coming out from it's beak. Alainn grins at it, a chuckle coming out.]

Well, there's a grumpy love. Here. [She opens the door, the arm with the hawk going out first, then stepping out after it.] Fly and tell me what you see.

[She raises her arm as the bird takes off, gone as fast as she had appeared. Alainn watches her for a brief moment, then turns to follow Lis'sa quickly.]

[And that stop just gets a grunt out of him, really can't people stop a moving vehicle smoothly? It's enough to at least distract him from swatting her arm away and getting her sunglasses out himself for her.

But then he starts to climb out of the car, quickly checking to make sure that stop didn't do any harm to the machine on his chest (out of habit) before he watches Alainn for a moment, logs that bit of information away and then quickly moves to follow the two women.]

[Haymitch clambers awkwardly out of the car and does more than just file that information about Alainn away. What? It's worthy of note.] Full of surprises, aren't you?

[Alainn gives him a cocky grin, her eyebrow raising in laughter.]

They don't say "you'd be surprised" for nothing, now do they? I'm pretty sure they must've invented that saying just for meself. [She rolls her eyes playfully, assuring him she is only joking as they walk a few paces behind Lis'sa.]

[It's more than clear where she's headed: beneath an overpass that spans over a narrow river, several police are gathered. The area is closed off with yellow tape, and the Japanese policeman mill about, taking photographs, searching the ground, taking evidence where they can.

One man, with a neatly trimmed mustache makes his way over to them, hands buried in the pockets of his long black coat. His eyes flit to the bird that circles ahead, and then back to Lis'sa, and he speaks in fluent English:]

You're with the Knights, I take it? [She simply nods and he frowns, looking over the group] ... I see. Well, you can take a look around, but it's just like most of the scenes we've found so far. We'd be glad for any insight you have to offer.

What was taken this time? [Alainn assess the area quickly ~~with a 28 spot check~~, immediately heading over to the body.]

[The officer purses his lips, shaking his head slightly] Bunch of internal organs, not to mention the guy's hands and eyeballs. [a beat] And his tongue.

[Lis'sa watches as Alainn heads down through the slightly soggy grass to where someone's taking picture after picture]

Human? [He nods]

[Haymitch rolls his own tongue across his bottom teeth instinctively.] Sounds excessive. [Geez, normally they just cut out their tongues...]

It's almost like Dr. Frankenstein's Monster.[She mutters this in response to Haymitch as she crouches next to the body to ~~will a Will Save of 36 and still holding onto that spot check of 28 from earlier~~ inspect it up close, her face wrinkling but her stomach hardly doing more than a little flip at the gruesome image. She also takes out her own camera, snapping off some quick images to study later.

She stands once her inspection of the body is done, looking around the area, then back the few steps to where Haymitch had stopped. She strides over to him, saying in a low voice so the officers behind her won't hear:] I need to cast a spell and I don't want them to hear. Pretend I'm asking you a question and just answer me with something.

[She raises her hand in front of her torso, making a half-circle gesture while muttering ~~a listen check of 13 or more will enable you to hear her correctly~~:] Facere Magicus.

[She casts Detect Magical Aura in which:She can detect the presence, number of, strength of, and location of magical aura's in the area. Range:60 ft. in a quarter circle emanating from her. Duration:Concentration, lasting up to 9 minutes.]

[Her eyes close for a brief moment as she inhales through her nose, waiting for the spell to take effect, her eyes fluttering open as it does. She begins once more to slowly work her way around the area, searching for any magical traces left behind.]

[Dude James has his reasons for not saying anything to that. Nor in saying anything until this moment because he's just been listening and thinking and doing his own little thing mentally as he stands next to Lis'sa and debates moving closer to the body at the moment.]

Any unusual marks on the body?

[ Alainn would be the first to note the strange marks near the belly during her inspection, even if she's not picking up any magical auras of any kind. Lis'sa squats close to it, looking down at them with a slight frown. ] It looks almost like bite marks. [ She points, carefully hovering her finger over the body ] You can see here where something's pierced the skin, but it looks as if it were pulled away sharply.]

[Alainn pauses on her way back by the body, having noted the markings, glad that Lis'sa had thought of bite marks as well. They were in a very distinct pattern, and with the pictures she had taken she was hoping there might be a possible match in their database to compare them to later on.]

Some sort of creature then. Something that preys specifically on human flesh.

[Haymitch sets his jaw.] Muttation. [The word's without context and even he doesn't quite know how he knows about them- heard of them, yes, but how he can assume some mauling could be caused by that? No idea.]

[ Lis'sa presses her lips together in a very tight line. ]

Then why didn't it finish the job? Why did it stop before eating it?

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mission ♔ i lost my heart under the bridge

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