mission ♔ all those arrows you threw you threw them away

[everyredcent]

♬ Please Don't Go - Barcelona

WHO || Francesca, Christos, Katniss [closed]
WHAT || Francesca attempts to spy on the humans' secret meeting; a concerned Christos follows
WHERE || The Municipal Building, Magadan, Russia
WHEN || Night of April 7th
HOW || Actionspam

The Russians were nothing if not subtle. Luckily, with three of them living in the Municipal Building, and two of the Knights specifically on watch for it, it became clear that they weren't the only guests here anymore, and that a pattern was emerging. Slowly, other officials from nearby cities, as well as high ranking military personnel were gathering, often ostensibly for other purposes, but so many at one time made it remarkably suspicious.

Especially when Francesca had been prepared to look for exactly these signs.

The most difficult aspect was getting out from under the watchful eye of the guard, but she also had a great deal of experience with that kind of thing as well, which is how she managed to secure herself an ideal place for spying on the proceedings.

Most of it was exactly what Wynn and Luthir had both feared for: some sides arguing for a military mobilization against the dark elves, or in other cases, both the drow and the sun elves, others arguing for trying to make another attempt at forging peace with the elves.

And of course, the prominent conversation topic of what role the Knights meant to play in this, and whether the drow ambassador could even be trusted.

** **
Meanwhile, the other end of the mission had finally reached fruition, with Christos, Thomas, and the squires collapsing in the tunnels at enough points to effectively cut off drow movements - hopefully right on time, as Thomas had also managed to "intercept" drow plans to invade the sun elf and human territories that night. While he planned to stay behind with Merlin and monitor things on the battle end of things, Christos slipped away, heading into the city, his squire at his heels.

After all, he'd made Francesca a promise, even if the tunnel process had taken more than the 'one day' he'd theorized.

[ooc;; please wait for the two threads to be up below. if anyone is not comfortable with where I've put their character in all this, please tell me and I will be more than willing to adjust/talk things out withyou! (I know I've talked to some of you, and figured those who haven't tagged the other mission posts yet might just want their bits handwaved, so we can move to the mission end)]

Comments

Francesca || closed

[behindcloseddoors]

[ The heads are meeting in a sort of basement mini 'war room' type deal, one big rectangular table at which they're all gathered around. Two doors, a water cooler, some plants, and some strategically placed ducts. Feel free to shove Francesca in wherever she'd be hiding \o\ ]

[socialgraces]

[She'll definitely choose the ducts, especially because it would be hard for many people to follow or find her in such a confined space. She, however, gets around with ease(Escape Artist check 32; Move Silently check 30) and is her usual sneaky self.]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ Most notable about the meeting is that Mayor Kotko is actually one of the most vocal proponents throughout it all of attempting to gain a peace with the sun elves. He argues for it rather passionately, professing to trust the Knights' motives - but it's clear that he is somewhat outnumbered on the issue, particularly by several of the military men, who smoke cigars, sport a number of medals on their lapels, and laugh cruelly at his speeches about making overtures to the sun elves.

The other officials seem split on where to fall, and don't speak much at all, besides to ask one or two questions which Kotko addressed in his meeting with Francesca. He's all too happy to lay out the Knights' response, but the General in particular is always quick to make a cutting dismissive comment, that sets the men into grim laughter, making the Mayor's point seem weak.

One man in particular, however, stands out, for how much he doesn't stand out at all. A short, mousy man, with a mustache making a vain attempt to grow above his lip, and tiny round spectacles that make his eyes bulge, he doesn't offer a single word through most of the meeting, though his lips twitch into a distortion of a smile at some of the most inappropriate moments. A strange light appears in his eyes whenever the dark elves are discussed, and he nervously fiddles with a pencil, tap-tap-tapping it against his legal pad. It's near the culmination of the argument that he speaks finally, tap-tap-tapping along with every word.]

Gentlemen - if I... if I may say a word?

[ The General continues laughing over his last bad joke, but waves a hand to signal him to go on, as he thumps back into his chair, obviously figuring he's been victorious in the debate. The mousy man clears his throat, and then says, in his thin voice: ]

No one has yet discussed the possibility of allying with the dark elves.

[ Many heads turn towards him, eyes widening in surprise, while others laugh, or give contemptuous snorts. He waits for all the comments of outrage to die down with nervous patience before continuing ]

I think the sun elves have more than -- more than proven unresponsive to our attempts at negotiations. But we may have something to-- to offer to the dark elves.

[socialgraces]

[Francesca silently observes the proceedings, and is not surprised by most of the arguments. The last one, however, gets her full attention. She searches for any indication of the man's name on or around him (Spot check 29), not knowing if it will mean anything to her or not.]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ The man is as nondescript as can be, unfortunately. Which in itself seems suspicious, but she would recognize him from a group portrait that hung in the Mayor's office during their meeting, where he was shaking Kotko's hand in the capitol.

He seems to have earned the full attention of most of the room as well, and the General snorts loudly, waving his cigar and saying in a boisterous tone:]

I've got plenty to offer to them: kilotons worth. [He laughs again at his own joke, and the little man's smile seems to stretch more tightly across his face. Finally, he says in that same quiet voice:]

Not what I was thinking, no.

[The Mayor's patience seems at an end with this, as he dabs at his forehead with a handkerchief.] What then? [His tone is testy, and he waves away a glass of water offered to him by an aide.]

Many things. [ The small man folds his hands on the table in front of him. ]

Resources.

[ His lips press together as if he's thinking for a moment, before he tacks on: ] Slaves might be a good start.

[ The mayor's jaw drops in outrage, as well as several others around the room. ] Are you mad?

[ The little man's response is a disturbing tittering noise as he shakes his head, still smiling ] Oh I think we're all a little mad in this day and age. It's the only way to survive in this brave new world of ours. But yes, slaves I think will do well... though I thought you might not see things my way.

[ His eyes take on a particularly dangerous shine abruptly, as he looks over his glasses at the Mayor. ] They thought so too.

[ It happens so quickly that most of the room hangs there in silence in the aftermath of the sudden hrk noise, the splash of red, the flash of silver. Staring as the blood blossoms across the Mayor's neck, split open as his head is jerked backwards, by some unseen force. The first thing to split the silence is the man's giggles, and his too calm, nervous little voice. ] It was good of you all to line up for us, at least. This will all go so much faster.

[socialgraces]

[Well that was certainly... very unexpected. She feels a slight tinge of guilt when the mayor gets taken down, but her adrenaline is quick to overrun it. She's torn between getting help or jumping in before it's too late. She's obviously quite outnumbered, but she doesn't think she can stomach watching anyone else get slaughtered right in front of her.

Christos was right -- this is NOT exciting.

She knows the drow will kill the spy soon enough, but he deserves to die now. She knows she has to go out there anyway, so she might as well enter with a bang (pun intended, of course). She takes her gun from its holster oh-so-quietly (Move Silently check 32) and aims it at that creepy guy's head.]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ Meanwhile, the room erupts into sudden chaos. The few military men who actually came armed with more than just their medals and cigars are reaching for their weapons, but they're the first ones to bleed after the Mayor. Precise cuts to throats make quick work of at least six of them simultaneously, while the helpless aides scream and cower from the invisible assailants, and the officials begin a wide gamut of panicked attempts to flee.

One of them, however, an older looking, distinguished man turns towards the mousey smiling figure, who sits unperturbed in the midst of the bloodshed, and points a finger at him.]

Traitor. [There's a smashing sound as his glass breaks against the edge of the table and he stalks in the little man's direction.]

[socialgraces]

[But before anyone makes it to him, the traitor's head literally explodes as a silent shot with a vengence hits him right in the forehead (called shot to head: attack 35, damage 28). As soon as she lands the shot, she twists around to angle her feet at the vent opening (escape artist check 33), ready to kick it in.

[behindcloseddoors]

[ The sudden head exploding manages to get the attention of a few of the invisible attackers apparently, because at least two of them are rendered visible when momentary hesitation proves enough for the remaining military men (including the General), to turn around and slam into them with brute force. They flicker into view upon impact - fully armored dark elf soldiers brandishing wicked looking swords and dark scowls.

Several of the aides moving to the doors find themselves running right into the waiting business ends of more invisible blades. The distinguished looking diplomat who meant to attack the traitor stands there, blood and brains spattered across his impeccably tailored suit jacket, and his eyes rake around the room, settling on the grate. ]

[socialgraces]

[Well, even if dude hadn't made her location s-so obvious, she was already planning on busting out of this vent. So she kicks it out (attack 22), quickly twists to give herself some cover and fires off two shots at visible drow soldier #1 (attacks 29 and 26) and both hit (for 18 damage).]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ The drow reels from the impact, turning in the direction of the sound of both the gunshots and the grate, which clatters to the floor. He shouts in drow: ] Up there! Kill her! [ The General stubs his cigars out into the eye of the soldier on top of him, and his scream of pain echoes through the room, mingling with the cries of those who have come to realize there's no escape from this death trap. The distinguished man turns towards the soldier who is pointing at Francesca, and buries the shards of his broken glass into the drow's neck, right above his armor. Blood spurts out everywhere, but the drow falls to his knees, eyes rolling back, and the sword falling from his hand.

But who knows how many invisible fuckers are making there way for Francesca now...]

[socialgraces]

[Well, now's a good time to disappear... but not really, she'll just turn invisible for a couple rounds and do her best. She'll actually jump down from the vent hoping to land on somebody because her invisibility doesn't disappear like theirs. And she makes a graceful tumble out of it (tumble check 26) to land on her feet.

To finish it off she'll swing the butt of the gun in her right hand hard to her right, aiming at head-level (melee attack 25 - 4 = 21; 8 damage if it hits anything). Still invisible herself, she waits to see if anyone "turns up" around her.]

[behindcloseddoors]

[She doesn't land on anyone, unfortnately... or hit anyone with her awesome attack 8( Stupid invisible people. Naturally, they have better luck because isn't that how it always goes... Something hard cracks against the back of her head for 10 damage.]

Christos & Katniss || closed

[everyredcent]

[ It wasn't particularly difficult to extricate himself from the rest of the group. Thomas was occupied exchanging Drakenet texts with Luthir as if they were love notes, and his furtiveness kept him distracted enough. Besides, Thomas might be a Dragon's Claw but the night was Christos' element, not Bancroft's. And he could read the other man's moods like a book by now.

They weren't out of the woods yet.

The most difficult aspect of the mission had been the necessity of trying to keep their end of things entirely covert, which meant incredibly limited contact with the 'diplomats' staying in the fancy government building. He'd assured Francesca before they left that after collapsing the tunnels, he'd find a way to assist her in spying on the humans' plans. Now might be his only opportunity.

It was an excuse, however. What really had him scaling the exterior of the next building over was the fact that he had a feeling in his gut about tonight - the same sort of feeling he'd had on so many nights, for so many different reasons. And he knew from that long experience never to ignore it.

Tonight there would be trouble.

The dark cloak that earns him mockery by daylight works incredibly effectively now, blending him into the shadows as he ascends to the rooftop, entirely unnoticed by the bundled up guards shivering outside the government edifice next door.

It's too far to jump - he can judge that much easily. But like some of deranged Boy Scout, he's nothing if not always prepared, and shoots a silent line of grappling wire into the stone gargoyle atop the building. It clanks quietly around the thing's foot and he tests the rope with practiced care, securing it on this end, before he makes his way across, at an almost impossible pace.

He'll leave the rope for now, knowing it's rendered invisible against the night black sky from below. After all, he'll need an escape route - and he might need it to be ready at a moment's notice.

Christos makes a slow circle on the roof, his footsteps making no sound, and he hides himself behind one of the gargoyles, lifting a pair of miniature binoculars to his eyes as he watches a vehicle pull up to the back of the building.]

[befree]

[Like Katniss sleeps. She hardly ever sleeps, and tonight is no special occasion. So yeah, she's easily managed to trail along after Christos, wondering what in the world is so important that he'd slip right on out without telling her anything.

A part of her feels betrayed, as if he should have included her. She's downright tickled when she realizes that he's left behind the rope he just scaled across, because that means she doesn't have to be reckless and loud while chasing after him. She adjusts her bow to be secure while she makes her way quietly across.

Where she finds him...with binoculars.]

Isn't it a good idea to let someone know when you sneak out in the middle of the night, in case you don't return? [This is hissed in a not very pleased whisper as she reveals her creepy stalkerness to him.]

[everyredcent]

[To Christos' credit, he doesn't really jump at the sound of her voice, though he lowers the binoculars with lightning speed, and one hand moves beneath his cloak towards a dagger. He stops when he sees who it is, and his expression turns to annoyance quickly enough.]

You shouldn't have come.

[befree]

[She manages to look more sour than he does, but a look of defiance flashes over her features briefly before going back to being a good old sourpatch.]

I doubt you should have either. [Her arms cross over her chest to signal that she's going to be a stubborn bitch and not go anywhere.]

[everyredcent]

[ Well ... yes, you have him there X( shut up

He glares at her for a long moment, as if debating how much time it would cost him to physically drag her back to the other building and cut the line so she couldn't follow him. And trying to calculate the odds of her scaling the building anyways, and possibly bringing all the guards down on his head.

Christos doesn't even dignify her accusation with a response, as his attention is drawn back to the vehicle he was watching. His brow creases and he raises the binoculars again. ]

Something's amiss here.

[ He watches the door of the van open, one man stepping out to converse with the guards, leaving the van door open behind him. Christos' eyes don't leave the display for a moment, as the two men seem to get in a bit of an argument, and the guard appears to radio something in.

The drow's gaze narrows, his mouth a tight, set line, as someone opens the doors of the building, holding them wide as he yells something incomprehensible to the guard.

The binoculars are immediately folded, and disappear into the folds of his cloak, and he's on his feet. ]

I need to get inside. With or without you, but if you're going to shadow me, I won't brook any mistakes.

[befree]

[She nods, knowing she has to be serious and on top of her game with this.]

I can handle this. [She promises him, once again adjusting her bow so it's in a comfortable position for her to quickly move. She motions for him to lead the way with a nod of her head, and she moves to the edge of the roof to peer down at the scene below. She only offers it a brief moment of attention, before she's turning back toward Christos.]

Don't worry about me.

[everyredcent]

[ He's got plenty of other things to worry about, after all.

Christos moves to the roof entrance, not even bothering to try and see if it's unlocked. Instead, he draws a pick out of his boot and makes short work of the latch. It swings open into a dark stairwell, and he motions for her to move down ahead of him, putting one finger to his lips to indicate she should tread as lightly as possible.

And then he shuts the door behind them, leaving them in complete darkness. Which wouldn't be a problem for the guy with nightvision, but he hopes her eyes adjust quickly as he heads down to the bottom of the steps.]

[befree]

[She can handle herself, despite not being able to see anywhere near as well as him. What she lacks in sight, she makes up for with an innate ability to just navigate her way around decently in the dark. It's almost as if she's had years of practice, without really knowing for sure. It's weird, and she dislikes it, but she just rolls with it, and only stumbles a couple of times, keeping it near silent each time she does.

She wonders what she should be prepared for, and Christos' sense of urgency has her hand across the string of her bow, just waiting for the moment to slide up and pull it off of her shoulder so she can take aim and strike.]

[everyredcent]

[ The door down here as locked as well, and seems to be giving him more trouble than the one on the roof did. Which only makes him more frustrated, which only makes it harder. It takes a moment of tense jiggling before it springs free.

He listens at the door for a full thirty seconds before opening it just a crack, and then wider to reveal a fancy upper hallway of the Municipal building, with rich red carpet, bright sconces of crystal refracted light, old fashioned paintings hanging on the walls, and doors off in each direction.

He's already studied the building plans, thank you very much, so he heads off to the left without much hesitation.

It's quiet, almost eerily quiet, so the sound of approaching footsteps rings loudly around the corner, and he's quick to dart open one of the side doors and gesture sharply with his head for Katniss to follow. It looks to be a small abandoned office, one window letting in some light from outside. ]

[befree]

[She's right on his heels as they head down the hallway, sparing only a moment to glance around and gain a slight feel for their surroundings.

At the footsteps, she freezes in surprise, but doesn't wait for the urging of Christos to know to duck into one of the side doors. he just so happens to have acted before her, so she slips in right after him.

Inside and with the door closed, she slides her way along the wall of the room and over to the window, hugging the wall as she turns her head to peer out. She doesn't want to be seen by anyone on the outside, but is curious to see where they're currently at in relation to where they had been perched outside on the roof.]

[everyredcent]

[They appear to be at the side of the building now, and a couple guards walk down below, guns hoisted on their shoulders. They pause to exchange a few comments, and they don't look particularly on edge.

In fact, they're laughing, when abruptly blood sprays out from theirs throats, and their two bodies slump to the grass silently. A slight shadow of something moves beneath the lights, but otherwise there is no assailant in sight. Christos doesn't notice this display, as he's still listening at the door, and he reaches for the handle, once it's all clear.]

[befree]

[By the time it's all clear, she's on his heels once again, having seen nothing of great interest out the window. You know, except for their bodies hitting the ground. But that doesn't really bother her, although she knows it bears mentioning.]

Two guards outside were just taken down.

[This is whispered to him in almost passing, as if she was telling him they were out of bread and to buy some on his way home from work.]

I didn't see who did it.