Wes listened carefully to all Travis had to say, though it did seem that it would be pointless to get the breakdown when they were supposed to meet shortly. Suddenly he found himself not feeling quite as hungry, though it wasn't nerves. If anything, it was purpose! He almost laughed at himself but kept his composure, remembering what Travis had said. Wes did his best to be both of those things at all time, but considering the hair-trigger that Raiya...girl already seemed to have, it seemed best to be poker faced most of the time. It'd to to stake everyone out before he decided the best way to approach them, and especially not yet to make jokes at their expense.

Listening to the PA, he smiled pleasantly at Travis. "Well, wherever that is too...please, lead the way."

"Tomato Tomato, call it what you want Raiya, it all sounds the same to me." Nemo replied

"Portable hologram emitter, works similar to the ones on a manadial. I prepared a small presentation last night before I returned." Nemo explained as he slumped onto the couch until the rest of the group arrived.

Nemo thought for a moment before asking another question. "How about a bit of a reversal? What do you think I want? What do you think my goals are? I always loved getting profiled in the past."

"Huh, so that's what the speakers are for..." Travis said to himself with a mix of amusement and intrigue just as Felix's electronic voice filled the room via the over-head public announcement devices. He then turned to face Wesley once more, "Well it appears our meeting is to be arranged closer than I thought. You probably saw the living room on your way here; its quite cozy. C'mon!"

Gesturing Wesley to follow, Travis lead him through the kitchen before arriving at the designated meeting area without taking too many steps to get there. Already Nemo and Raiya were already there, talking to or rather debating with each other again as usual. He hoped Felix would pop up soon in order to draw both of there attention to something more healthier and productive to listen to.

"Here we are," said Travis motioning his right hand to the many seats in the room as he casually flanked over to Wesley's side, "take any seat. We should get started shortly."

Raiya thought about it for a moment but didn't take too long before replying.

"I don't know, I haven't given it very much thought. And if I were to give it thought, I would just become confused because everything you do is an enigma. Maybe you're looking for an opportunity to get revenge on Felix. Maybe you are looking for an opportunity to run away. Maybe you just thought that anything would be more fun that rotting in a jail cell, and you are just sticking around for the laughs. Maybe God sent you out of that cell to personally ruin my life and you yourself don't even know why you are here. All I can say is that I really don't care." Raiya finished, her arms crossed and the tuft of hair on the top of her head stuck up in a straight line like an angry exclamation point as electricity buzzed through her body. It was clear she was angry, and also clear that she herself had worked herself up into that state. After a moment she closed her eyes and tilted her head down, calming herself. The crackling electricity subsided.

---

Felix strode into the living room, his flannel and pants were traded out in favor of his flowing arch-mage robes. He chose the corner leather recliner in the room and sat down a bit further away from those who were already in the room.

It was time for Zuri to get moving to the living room since it's been a few minutes since the announcement. She heads over and finds a place to sit. Zuri looks around and waits for the last few people to arrive, hoping it doesn't take too long.

[ignore this post]

Zoey came back up a few minutes after the announcement with a bowl of popcorn that she fully intended to keep to herself. She found a quiet corner of the meeting room to sit in and watch. She was still a little wound up, mostly because she was very obviously a 'witch' and a former witch-hunter was around. Although, on reflection, she could also probably pass as a Druid, though she doubted it would matter. Either way, she decided that she would attempt, in the spirit of the group, to be nice.

Wes followed Travis, who hadn't lied - the room was cozy, and certainly pleasant. The plush chairs looked like heaven, but already there were the politics of the group to consider, seeing as some of them didn't seem too happy to share a space with a Hunter. After a few moments of deliberation, he just decided he didn't care and plunked himself down pretty much in the centre, leaning his elbows on his knees to cup his small face in his hands silently as he waited for whatever was about to happen. Until he knew exactly what was going on and what this was all about, it seemed wiser not to open his mouth (and also not to spark anything before Felix could explain).

"Well, that wasn't nearly as enjoyable as I thought it would be." Nemo commented after a few seconds of pondering. "I'm not talking about why I'm here, that's an easy one. I'm here because I was asked to do a job. What I'm talking about is... what do I want in the grand scheme of things? My aspirations, desires? Overlooking that would be a waste, when you find out what drives a person, you can use it for many purposes. On one end of the spectrum, you could give them what they want, possibly creating a useful ally. On the other end, you could use it against them, shooting out their engine from under them. Without it they will cease to function." Nemo explained with a more hushed tone now that most of the group had assembled.

After everyone had made it to the living room, Nemo raised from his seat and walked to an open point of the room by his holographic display. "Ladies and gentleman, thank you for coming. You've been called here to hear about our next mission." Nemo started, pressing down on the dial of his watch. "A mission to find the Paragon of Fantasia." As he spoke the word Fantasia suddenly generated out of thin air in a dramatic movie trailer fashion. Accompanied by a comical holographic party popper effect.

"Towards the end of the sixteenth century there was once a formidable pirate named Samwell Crofty-"Gallows". Known for hanging just about every living thing he could find from his bowsprit. One day while looting a captured ship, Samwell found a very peculiar crystal trinket teeming with mana on board. As a mage himself, he became obsessed with it. Many people thought he had gone insane, but what Samwell had pilfered before that ship sunk was what would later be known as the Paragon of Fantasia. His interest eventually paid off, as legend has it Samwell found a way to utilize the Paragon's power to dominate the seas." While Nemo explained his story clearly hand drawn comic style strips began to display from the projector of everything he said.

"Samwell's reign was long, but even with the Paragon supposedly at his disposal, it wasn't infinite. Nothing could save him from a night-raid done by nearly twenty English military vessels. Vastly outnumbered and unprepared, Samwell, his ship, and his crew sunk out in the Atlantic sea, and along with him, the Paragon of Fantasia. Before being hanged, the few survivors of his crew said that as he drowned, Samwell used the Paragon's power to curse the area. Condemning all who entered it to be destroyed. It was his way of ensuring his prized trinket stayed with him forever."

"But with most curses, there is always a way around it. In Samwell's case it was in the form of a key which while in someone's possession would allow them to enter the cursed field. The key is a golden locket given to Samwell's favorite maiden, Tabitha Jones Barga." Nemo paused for a moment.

The display switched from drawn pictures to real life photos now. "While following a lead, last night I raided a operations base for a underground kingpin and broker Ulysses Fahl. Ulysses' establishment was recently visited by two high ranking Arcanocracy members. Father Rutger Stockton, and Father John Galvadon." Up popped a picture of the men in question. The man on the left was Rutger, he had medium length white hair, was well into his sixties, wore a wide brim black hat, a black leather duster style coat, various silver church jewelry, and formal clothes underneath. The second man was "Johhny" Galvadon, Rutger's much younger protege. He had long golden blonde hair, high rank white church robes that cut off shorter than normal above his knees, and most strikingly he lugged around a large and heavy looking all gold morningstar style mace. The mace had floral engravings and multiple jewel inlays in the handle.

"I learned the two had contacted Ulysses to enlist the help of one of his associates, Captain Paul Seidon." The display now showed a picture of a middle aged gruff man with combed back grey hair and beard. He wore a ship captain's cap, a long naval pea coat, and a black wool turtleneck underneath. "To the common man Paul and his crew are reliable cargo freighters, but he is actual a powerful sea mage who smuggles magic artifacts and rare materials among cargo for Ulysses. Rutger and John want to use his ship and knowledge to sail through the very rough cursed waters to obtain the paragon within. And judging by what I heard they must already have Mrs Barga's locket, as they leave later today at 4 PM sharp."

"You might be wondering, 'Nemo what is the plan?' Well, that's simple. We hide in one of Captain Seidon's cargo boxes before he loads it onto his ship in the Boston harbor, piggyback our way to the Paragon, and then defeat Rutger, John, Paul, and his crew to take it for ourselves." During Nemo's explanation humorous cartoon caricatures of the group and their foes acted out the scene from the hologram.

Afterwards the display dissipated, ending his presentation. "Any questions? ...Oh yeah, I call dibs on Galvadon's mace." Nemo finished.

"Yeah. What if the trinket only works on one person? Or, in the high probability that we, a good sized group, get caught in a confined area, such as a ship, what will we do? And, assuming that we do make it, does the curse work on exit. Finally, because there's a chance that what ever trolly we take will be a good size, what are we going to do to come back?" Zoey frowned, "Frankly, there is so much that could and probably will go wrong. It'd be one thing if we sent one or two, maybe you, Nemo, and..." she looks at Wesley, blanking his name for a bit, "Wesley, right? Yeah, it'd be one thing if it were just you two, with the experience in stealth and the ability to cripple mages. But us as a group have a different kind of strength. You seem to know where we're headed. Why don't we steal this locket and get our own boat. As a force, we could probably protect a perimeter from serious threats, and as a skilled illusionist in the presence of other skilled illusionists, we could probably hide the boat. Then we just get there, maybe take some scuba suits we knicked before hand, and grab the artifact ourselves. If we do that, we at least have a better idea of our risks. The arcanocracy, when they figure out we've knicked their shiny, and sea monsters. I think I can get a book on those."

Nemo sat back down on the couch by Raiya before replying. "I have no idea where the locket is, my best guess is that either Rutger or John have it, but I also do not know where they are either. Finding them before they board the ship later today and intercepting them would be near impossible." Nemo explained. "Nobody has ever returned from the area of Samwell's wreck, but sailors have said that the closer you get to it the harsher the sea becomes. The only reason the Church-goes even need Captain Seidon is because he and his advanced ship are indispensable to making it through the waters. I'm not worried about our way back, the only way Samwell could have generated a curse that powerful is by using the paragon as a catalyst, once we get our hands on it I can deactivate it myself. If we need a way back then I'm sure Felix could help us at that point." Nemo finished.

"Ah yes, if we get caught in a confined area, we'll fight them. Which is exactly what I want to have happen."

"That's all very well good and all but what do we do about the fact that they are no doubt high level mages and would probably have the ship warded out the ying-yang? Are we supposed to just wing it and hope for the best? Or do we have an actual plan to board this ship undetected and stay undetected?" Raiya explained her legs and arms both crossed.

---

"There are ways to go about getting past ward for sure. A few ways actually. One way involves finding out where exactly the enchantment is cast and defusing the runic spell. Another way involves jumping directly into the warded area, bypassing the wards entirely. The other way would involve finding a few of the members who have been through the wards, and deciphering their enchantment auras that gain them entry through the wards. With the first, though, the mage who cast the ward would know right away his ward was dispelled, so if stealth is the key. I would recommend going with one of the other options." Felix explained.

"Simple, Seidon is a freighter and a smuggler. He's scheduled to pick up a couple of cargo crates before leaving. We sneak into the compound and hide in one of the shipping containers before it's loaded onto the ship. With my magic I can disguise our presence from any of the wards. Seidon loads all kinds of foreign magical items all the time, so it wouldn't raise any suspicions when we pass through." Nemo replied.

Felix smiled, "Sounds like you have this all planned out. I'll leave it all up to you then." Felix replied, "You can lead this mission, and I'll leave all of the decisions up to you. I'll, of course, surveil on my end as much as possible, though I'm sure comms will be down as soon as you pass through the storm to the paragon." Felix explained

Travis carefully listened to Nemo's briefing and dissected every detail he provided. He admitted to have heard the story of Samwell but the details regarding a Paragon were sparse and different interpretations had risen because of it. Nonetheless, it was entertaining to him to have a small historical lesson, presenting the background of the site of their next mission.

But as Nemo continued on, Travis couldn't help but feel somewhat squeamish about what they were getting into. Hunting for the Paragon Espial was similarly like one of his ruin expeditions. There were expected dangers sure but there was very little external interference up until the last leg where Thadeus and his crew came into the scene uninvited. But now, they were definitely up against a competing organization; one that very likely held experienced mages in their ranks. Even more so, the plan was to stow away on the Church's transport and remain undetected. This sounded like a very bad idea.

Zoey gave her honest concerns and constructed a plausible and alternative plan to Nemo's suggested course of action. However had quickly identified the holes in Zoey's clever scheme and confidently reconfirmed that it was best to hitch a ride with the unaware Church officials and a ship filled with plenty of not-so-nice individuals. Travis was not so eager into getting into a unavoidable brawl, especially against another human being despite Nemo openly voiced his hopes for a direct engagement. He sighed quietly, softly venting his displeasure in this fair but retained his cool as much as possible. It was his choice that he is here after all; there was no way he had any right to complain other than to do his job.

As it was decided by Felix about their plan-of-attack, Travis decided to give his own concerns.

"Before we leave..." Travis began, "I think it would be best to prepare the Paragon-blinding spell first, especially if we are successful in securing Fantasia as there is certainly no telling how far reaching a Paragon's influence has over another. I have ran the majority of the necessary tests that could be done. The rune should be as ready as it can be."

Nemo ran a hand through his hair and nodded. "Very well Travis, we have time anyways." He replied. "I trust felix will be able to hook us up with transportation, if not this is going to be a bit harder than I first thought. We just need to get somewhere near the Boston Harbor." Nemo said, turning to Felix.

"In the meantime, I'll be preparing in my room." Nemo added, giving a small salute to the team and rising from his seat and walking up the stairs to his quarters. He started by snapping his fingers, using a small spell to drop the needle on the record player and turn it on. Afterwards he undressed and jumped into the shower. According to some of the members, he smelled like death. Nemo would never be the culprit of using up all the hot water, as he always showered with cold water.

Once finished, Nemo dressed himself and sat down on a sofa in the room. He now wore his usual jewelry, black glove, a white tank top, black silk boxers with white polkadots, and a hot pink velour bathrobe. He retrieved his revolver and began to disassemble and clean it on a small coffee table after his last usage while listening to the classical music playing.

Raiya approached Nemo's door, giving it a soft knock before opening it. He was tinkering with his gun, so Raiya strode in and sat down on a comfortable chair in the corner of the room. She crossed her legs and her arms and tapped her right forefinger on her left forearm.

"So, I trust that I am going to be coming on this one?" She sounded a bit annoyed, as if holding onto some resentment of the fact that she wasn't able to assist with the gathering of the initial information.

---

Felix stood nodded to Nemo's no-doubt rhetorical request. After Nemo left the room, Felix looked at Travis and said, "How can I be of assistance?"

Nemo leaned back in the sofa, using a small rod with a soft brush at the end to clean and polish the cylinder's chambers. "Yes, the ambush-ee has become the ambush-er now. Knowing the opposition, I'm confident I can keep you relatively out of harms way... You didn't miss out on much, there wasn't anybody really worth while where I went. What can I do to make it up to you, hm?" Nemo asked, picking up on her tone.

"You and me, we'll be like Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid now... except without dying. Some people say they made it out." Nemo added, switching to cleaning the barrel of the revolver now. "What should we wear? Should we do matching outfits now? I could probably fix something up for that motorcycle gang look. I'll wear whatever, I'll do this whole next mission in this bath robe if you want. Oh, how about that? You can handicap me. Straight-jacket? No magic? Fork only? I think blindfold would be a little much though." Nemo suggested.

Travis turned to Felix once the Arch Magi had offered their service to him. The notion had caught the Untalent off guard considering Felix was usually asking of him for assistance. Nevertheless, Travis knew that Felix would want to be involved since their scheme involved the isolation of the Paragons' swaying aura, specifically with the blinding of Espial.

"We won't have to do much really...as surprising as that sounds," replied Travis, "We'll should to get to the lab to get started. All that needs to be done is simply installing the rune to our Paragon and...that should be it."

Felix walked with Travis to the lab, and as they walked Felix said, "Well, what do you propose we do? I suppose creating a container of some sort with the rune inscribed on the container would be the best approach. Though, I'd like to hear your ideas on how to install the rune." Felix finished as the stopped in the middle of the lab.

---

Raiya cocked her eyebrow at the western outlaw reference, and rolled her eyes at the handicap idea. She spent most of her life in the Vatican, and after that she was steeped in eastern culture. She knew next to nothing about western history and historical figures.

"I'll be wearing my standard outfit, I could care less what you wear. And technically wouldn't this mission be more dangerous than your little recon mission? I mean we know next to nothing about the people we are going up against even less about the paragon and what lies beyond that stormwall." Raiya didn't buy for a second that he didn't want her with him on the recon mission because he couldn't, "protect" her. The more she thought about it the more she wondered what he was hiding.