Sven sat in his office at the Rutherford Organization's headquarters, puffing away at a pipe. He was reviewing various papers and files, which documented the Organization's next upcoming mission. Sven studied the original letter, sent to him by Field Marshall Lai of the Chinese government-in-exile. The letter informed him that they were being asked to retrieve three parts to a mystical artifact needed for an expedition into the tomb of the first Chinese Emperor, so that they can search for a powerful artifact that could turn the tide of the war in Asia, known as the Heart of the Black Dragon. The artifact necessary for entry was known as the Mirror of Souls, and the first piece was stated to be found in a complex of ruins in the jungle of British Ceylon. The letter had also stated that a private company had begun expeditions in the region, so to keep a look out for them. Gathering the map of Ceylon, and several copies of the briefing document for each of the agents he'd be sending on the mission.

The central meeting room was designed similar to a school lecture room, an assortment of desks all facing a rolling chalkboard on an elevated platform. Sven rolled out the map of Ceylon onto the chalkboard, using special clips to keep it onto the board. When the others arrived, Sven handed each of them one of the briefing documents. As they sat at the desks, Sven stood next to the chalkboard, and began to speak.

Sven's German accent, almost stereotypical in his thickness, permeated the briefing. "Ze Chinese government-in-exile has commissioned us for some expeditions. First, zhey've asked us to aid zhem in finding three pieces for zhe Mirror of Souls, an artifact created under zhe first Chinese Emperor, used to help guard his tomb. Zhe first piece is said to be found in a ruin in the jungles of British Ceylon, off zhe southern coast of India. Reports indicate a private expedition is also operating on zhe island, und includes armed escorts, so zhis will be an armed mission to ensure agent safety. Zhe temple believed to house zhe piece can be found here." He gestured to a point on the eastern coast of the island. "Ve'll be dropping you off via seaplane slightly south of zhat. A local guide vill be provided. If zhere are any questions, ask zhem now. Otherwise, you've got half an hour to get prepared, before ve head for zhe airport."

@Avanhelsing@Leotamer@Tsar Gatto@FantasyChic@SkullsandSlippers

Tamiko sat inside her Cadillac Series 62 listening to the radio as she applied the final touches of her makeup in the rear-view mirror. She took little notice as the crackling voice droned on about the state of the war, first condemning a Luftwaffe air raid on the city of Exeter before moving on to talk about how the princess Elizabeth had registered for War service. She did however pay a little attention when the subject changed to how the Japanese had crushed Philippine and American troops on the Bataan Peninsula, seizing the bay of Manilla through their naval hegemony in East-Asia. She listened for a few moments longer before she reached over and flicked it off and gave herself one last look in the mirror, shooting her reflection a quick wink and a smile before she exited the vehicle.

She was early this morning as she often was, she liked to be one of the first in the offices so she had some time before the other members of staff made their way in. She walked the short distance between the car parking area and the entrance to the large building. She smiled at the ununiformed security officer posted at the doorway as he opened the door for her with a smile of his own and she customarily flashed her ID badge his way.

“Morning Miss Kitamura” he said happily greeting her.

“Thank you Daniel” she beamed back at him as she strode through into the small lobby and made her way to the offices. She loved the Rutherford building, once a luxurious estate it had been converted a long time ago into their headquarters and was still filled with much of the original artwork and décor – rather befitting of the organisation she always thought.
Her office was directly beside the small medical room that doubled as a storage area for office supplies and other uninteresting bits and pieces. She made her way in and flicked on the lights before she hung her coat up and sat behind the desk, quickly leafing through the stack of papers that had appeared on her desk overnight. They were nothing too important, just cost reports, various balance sheets and a few invoices that had come in. She spent several hours sorting and filing them into her obscenely well-organized system all the while making notes in the red finance logbook she kept, time getting away from her as she did.

A short while later she saw Sven leaving his office and glanced at the clock on her wall, realizing it was already time for the briefing. She pulled out a small compact mirror and again took a few moments to make sure that she looked her best before she slipped it back into her bag, exchanging it for a small non-descript brown package she made her way quickly into the kitchen area. She spent a few moments boiling a kettle of water as she opened the brown packet and removed several teabags and placed them in a pot before adding the water. Soon she had a tray filled with mugs, a very small amount of milk and some sugar cubes – as well as the pot of tea itself and made her way into the central meeting room.

She cheerfully greeted each of the others as she made her way in before setting the tray on one of the empty desks, hoping that they’d be impressed she announced “If anyone would like some tea, then please help yourselves” as she picked up a cup for herself. Tea was a luxury that few of them had been able to enjoy with much frequency since its rationing. Tamiko however just so happened to know the right people and had received a ‘care package’, so had set about sharing it with her colleagues here and there. Not that she’d tell anyone of course, but thanks to her relationship with a certain Lord she always received more than her fair share of luxuries.

She looked down at the briefing document that Sven handed her and gave him a curt “Thank you, Professor” and sat at one of the desks and made small talk briefly before Sven began. She loved listening to the old man speak with his accent and paid careful attention to his every word, even more so as he brought up the ‘Mirror of souls’. British Ceylon would certainly be no walk in the park, difficult terrain and a total lack of any amenities – especially if they’d be heading into the jungle. But of course with the promise of a piece of whatever this mirror was it seemed more than worth it. Tamiko quickly scanned the briefing document but didn’t see what she was looking for and so as soon as Sven opened the floor up for questions she asked “What does this Mirror of Souls do exactly?” as she gazed at him with a curious, and of course innocent, expression.

Her heels clicked on the tiled floor as she walked down the hall to the room there were meeting in. Her clothes were impeccable. A sleek black skirt and blazer. Crisp white blouse and red scarf. Hair pinned up and make up perfect. Her movements spoke of grace and confidence.

Entering the room she removed her soft leather gloves, nodded politely to Sven and found a seat. A slight wave of sadness moved over her, as it always did when the group met. Matthieu should be here, not her or at least she should be here with him. Slender fingers undid her buttons and she hung her blazer before sitting at one of the desks.

So far only Sven was there so far.

Imogen took a seat. She sat with a dancer's posture and waited patiently. Each arriving member was greeted with a polite smile and slight nod. They were there for work, not socializing. Well not in this moment anyway.

Miss Kitamura entered, bringing tea. It was a very British thing, tea and while she often preferred an espresso she appreciated the work the woman had done. Especially since both tea and coffee were hard to attain now. Standing she poured herself a cup and returned to her seat.

She took notes as he talked, in shorthand of course. It was something Matthieu had taught her when she had first shown and interest in his work. It was his special shorthand that others wouldn't be able to immediately figure out but not so complex that one wouldn't eventually get it. After all neither she or Matthieu had done any work in cryptography.

Imogen frowned a little at the idea of jungles. She did better at dinner parties and such where she could talk information from people. Armed mission and seaplane also got her attention but she said nothing as she made her notes. She began to make a packing list as well. Imogen listened to see if there were questions. At the moment she felt that things seemed straight forward. She wasn't entirely sure what her role would be but she trust Sven's judgement.

Her eyes raised at Miss Kitamura's question, her pencil pausing as she waited for the answer. It was indeed a good question. It was good to know exactly what they were getting themselves into and for what purpose.

Jack looked at the gym as he knew that he had a meeting to to get to. He did not like the idea of having to go to a meeting for the group. His part of this mission was to shoot and punch the bad guys . He also was the type to go looking around tombs and come back with the needed loot. He was not the type to talk strategy about their next mission.

He sighed as he grabbed his tank top off the floor after he took his boxing gloves off. He tied the strings together after throwing his top on. Unlike most of his fellows he was not the type to get all dressed up for a meeting. He did not look like he was a professional. His tank top was sweaty to say the least. Still, he did not have time for a shower or to make himself presentable.

Jack sauntered into the meeting room like he owned the place. He did not need to pretend that he did not belong. It was one of the lessons that Hasan had taught him. He looked around the room as he flopped down in the chair. He gave everyone his best American boy smiles. He had to keep the appearance of the the dumb soldier. He did not need to act like his real self right now. He was not in the mood for the tea. English Tea was bitter and required too much work to make it decent. Years in Egypt had made him like Egyptian shai more then English tea. Egyptian tea was more his style. Koshary tea was more his style. Course it was impossible to find good Egyptian all the way over in England. It take a good deal more work but it was worth it.

"If I were to guess... The Mirror reflects... give me a moment... Souls! I think it reflects souls!" He said clearly joking. East Asian artifacts were not his specialty. Jack leaned back in his chair. "So basically, we go to Ceylon and take the mirror before the most likely bad guys do?" He asked to no one in particular.

If her workroom had not been thoroughly shielded, Alyssana would have listened to the news over the radio as she carefully examined the latest set of test results. Instead she had a record player going, and Gershwin drifted through the lab. Her calculations were bearing fruit, though not in the way she'd initially imagined, when she'd started the project. Curses were dangerous, and no ward was perfect. Even if she could cast both more or less on the fly, another layer of protection never hurt -- and that didn't take into consideration those who had no skill in the area. Besides, she had other motives beyond the obvious. It wasn't like she enjoyed being patted down every time she came on the grounds, simply because she set off the detectors by her nature alone. That aspect she would have to live with, of course, but there were other places where she might use a full shield like the one isolating her research area. Of course, that one had been laboriously constructed, and part of it was set into the very stones of the walls. Nothing that could be used to isolate an individual.

She checked her watch. It was time to head to the briefing. In short order Alys had everything put away, and she arrived at the conference room in plenty of time. "Good morning, Sven," she said with her usual slight upwards curve of her lips, accepting the packet he offered and taking a seat to go through it. She nodded back to Imogen, but did not greet Miss Tamiko when the latter arrived with tea. The woman always seemed to know just the right person to..."acquire" various things, and Alyssana suspected she was taking advantage of her contacts more than was strictly polite. Still, the tea was here now, and there was no sense letting it go to waste. She did love the beverage, and once she'd finished skimming the papers Alys went to pour herself a cup, adding a sugar cube before returning to her seat to go through the packet again to examine it in detail.

Jack arrived next, and she looked up in time to catch is broad grin. Alys returned it with a bit more than half a smile, as much as she gave anyone. The American was almost always in a cheerful mood, and it was catching. His lazy Texas drawl hid a keen mind, and he didn't have the stick up his behind that characterized many men in academic fields. Although he'd needed convincing before he'd give her a proper spar.

When Sven addressed the group, Alys turned her attention to him. When he concluded his spiel Alys had a few different questions, though none that were so pressing she needed answers right away. Jack's joke was not entirely unexpected, but she shook her head. "And then two other locations after, for the other two fragments." But the mirror was only a key. The real question was what lay beyond the door it opened. She suspected that they'd have a chance to find out, if all went well. "Mirrors and souls...I suspect it's more than merely reflecting them. While it's far too early to hypothesize, a blind guess would be that it can not only reflect but might also capture souls." Alys shrugged. "But that's an entirely unsupported conjecture."

Sven appreciated the group discussion and speculation about what the Mirror of Souls was capable of, and even chuckled slightly at Jack's joke. Once the others had finished speaking, he looked to them and clarified the situation. "Zhe tomb houses several traps vithin, that are powered by zhe souls of zhe varriors of zhe Emperor's army. Zhe Mirror is able to disarm zhe traps, allowing us to progress furzher into zhe tomb. As for zhe likelihood of zhese hired treasure hunters acting in Ceylon being aligned with zhe Axis powers, ve do not have enough intelligence to fully make a decision, vhich is vhy ve are providing you with an armed escort, opposed to a full regiment of Commonwealth forces." Sven took a brief pause to light and take a puff of his pipe, before resuming. "As for zhe other two pieces of zhe Mirror, ve have yet to locate zhem, but you all can expect to hear more upon your return from zhis mission. Now, I believe zhat covers everyzhing. If you have any more concerns, feel free to meet vith me in my office, but for now you all need to get ready for your trip. Dismissed." With that, he unclipped and rolled up the map, gathered the documents he had not given to the group, and headed for his office to prepare for driving the agents to the airport.

Imogen sipped her tea as Sven talked. Her eyes moved around the room as she took in the others she was working with. Jack was unlike other men she socialized with and very much an American. She had grown used to his more rugged manners and found an odd security in his presence.

Alyssana was a researcher and that was something Imogen understood. Her time with her husband had taught her so much in terms of research. Imogen knew that working with her as an assistant was a place where she could be most useful. She wasn't sure her socialite status would help with this mission so Imogen made a mental note to talk to Alyssana to find out what she might be able to help her with.

Imogen scribbled neat notes as Sven talked about traps, needing more intelligence on the treasure hunters and souls. These would be things to keep at the forefront of her mind. She wondered how she might help with the treasure hunters. While they wouldn't be at a party her ability to talk and socialize, to get people talking might come in handy if she could find an in. The talk of armed escort once again made her nervous but that was her issue. The others seemed fine with guns and fighting.

They were dismissed and Imogen stood, packing up her things. She looked over at Alyssana.

"Ms Grey. I was thinking that we might gather some books or material to go over about this particular subject. I would be happy to help research for any little bits of information that might help us in this. I am not much of a physical help for this team so if there is anything else I can do please let me know."

She smiled and slipped her blazer back on.

Alys nodded at Ms Trondeau. “I appreciate the offer, but given Ceylon is in the East, near India, I don’t believe there is all that much on their lore available here. It’s been a British colony only for what, a hundred years? A hundred fifty?” Her expression turned thoughtful. “They’re not exactly fond of the British either, what with the Kandyan Wars. Not fond of Europeans in general, though I’m sure on an individual basis they’re reasonable people.” The young lady shrugged. “It won’t be helped by the need for an interpreter either, I imagine. At least they’re less likely to have rationing of tea. I’m going to brush up on my Buddhism. If I remember correctly, there’s a significant temple somewhere in that area. Something about a relic...I’d need to look it up.”

Imogen smiled politely. “Alright, I thought perhaps we might find something but that is understandable. I did not consider that we might not have much available to us here. I will have to find another way to be of assistance.”

She looked thoughtful. “I will see if I have any books on Buddhism to help you. My-Matthieu had many books from around the world and perhaps there is something on that religion somewhere.” Imogen gave a slight nod. “If I find anything I will be sure to pass it on to you.”

The professor bid the others farewell and went off to gather information and what she would need for the trip.