[quote=@Digmata] "You do know that there's a gas leak here right?" Ashley tried to misdirect using previous events as the basis of her story as she concentrated on the 'script' she once saw. [i]A different word, a different act can change the future. For a want of a nail, a battle is lost and all of that.[/i] So she is observing not just the present but also the future in whether this man is worthy of any trust. [/quote] [center][color=#dbd05e][b]The Wheel of Fortune[/b] - Neutral - [i]You are at the mercy of the fates[/i][/color][/center] [b]Ashley[/b], you reach out to your Eidolon and bid it show you the future, and something different happens. The first time you tried this, [Bootstrap Paradox] showed you a single, coherent vision of the events to come--a vision which was immediately preventing from coming to pass, thanks to your actions and the interference of The Crow. Having absorbed that, you've come to a deeper understanding of your power, and opened yourself up to the inherent multiplicity and uncertainty of the future. Of course, knowing that the future can follow many paths is not the same thing as being able to absorb all of the information contained within them. You vaguely hear Emily next to you, trying to convince Agent Simonsen to stand down, but most of your attention is locked on the man himself. To your sight, he seems to have split into multiple copies, all superimposed on each other. One stands, hand on his gun, listening intently to your friend but not relaxing. Another has drawn his gun and begun blasting away at the three of you. The last one watches someone--or some[i]ones[/i]--exit the front door of the diner, then draws his gun and moves out of the "frame", vanishing. As he does, the three copies collapse in on each other, resolving into the first image. You're not foolish enough to think that you've seen every possible future, but the impression you get is that, unless something dramatic changes about the situation, there's currently no future in which Simonsen retreats without at least attempting to fulfill his mission, whatever that happens to be. Moreover, he's definitely willing to escalate this into violence if he needs to. [quote=@Guardian Angel Haruki] Emily answers the man, "You may call me the Writer for now. Agent Simonsen, are you truly an agent, or are you a mindless zealot, bending to the will of a cult without question?" She then explains with a chuckle, "As Ashley mentioned, there's a gas leak. Or at least, that's what the Head Waitress told everyone in order to get both customers and employees to evacuate this diner before both of your arrivals," She then gave the Agent a hard stare through the ceremonial mask, "Do you realize that if we had not interfered and warned the Head Waitress, you would have incinerated every living soul in this diner just to accomplish your mission? What kind of justice permits sacrificing innocent lives in order to see a mission done?" Alas, her skill doesn't completely translate in this situation: There is still the element of unpredictability. One may think that upon hearing this revelation, they may think of their actions carefully and change their ways. But...there are people who double down on their beliefs upon realizing that they are in a cult, and refuse to listen to reason. There is a chance that Agent Simonsen may be such a person and not listen to her...Emily could feel that worry chew away at her. [/quote] [center][color=#dbd05e][b]Death[/b] - Neutral - [i]A complication prevents your skill from fully translating to this situation[/i][/color][/center] [b]Emily[/b], Agent Simonsen is listening intently, and as you speak, he looks back and forth between you and the kitchen entrance. His face is hard, devoid of emotion, but something tells you that's a mask. "I wasn't going to--look." He takes a deep breath in through his nose, then lets it out slowly. "I don't even know who you people are. You just showed up while I was in pursuit of a target, dressed like a bunch of weirdos, and starting giving me grief. Besides," he sniffs the air, "I don't smell any gas, so I don't know what you're on about. I won't deny that sometimes our missions involve... collateral damage, but I don't make it a point to hurt civilians, and the work we do is extremely important." His face suddenly changes; you can almost see the lightbulb turn on above his head. "Hey, I [i]don't[/i] know who you people are. And I don't know how you could possibly know what I would have done if you hadn't been here." He doesn't move, but the tension in the room grows ever so slightly. "I think you need to explain some things to me, 'Writer'." It doesn't look like your attempt to dissuade Ray from his mission entirely has been successful, but you've got him on the back foot now, and if no one on your side escalates--and there are no drastic changes to the situation--you can keep him talking. You might be able to find out something important if you ask the right questions--or at least give someone else the chance to get the drop on him. [@rush99999] - [b]Luka[/b], you're barely taking in the events in front of you, reeling as you are from the... well, it would be insufficient to call it a "vision", though you're pretty sure you didn't go anywhere [i]physically[/i]. There's a warmth coming from your pocket; if you are so inclined as to check on it, you will find the card Santana gave you, with the artwork for [color=#c9b802]The Wheel of Fortune[/color] still engraved on it. You understand instinctively that the card is tied to you, and can be summoned and dismissed at will. The other side, previously that indeterminate fractal pattern, has changed to the card you just saw in the courtroom: [color=#9e0116]Justice[/color]. You hear another loud crash from the kitchen; apparently the creature that Simonsen was chasing hasn't yet found the back door. [@XxFellsingxX] - [b]The Crow[/b], wherever you currently are, the phone attached to the wallet you just pilfered buzzes. If you choose to look at the screen, you can see several notifications (though whether you can read them, much less determine what they are, is an open question). Two are missed calls, from a contact titled "Agent Bullshit". The last is a text from the same person: "pick up ur dam phone ray" [hr] [hider=Game Stats] [color=purple][b][u]Phantom Clock:[/u][/b][/color] [color=green][b]2 PM[/b][/color] [b][u]Party Experience:[/u] 1[/b] [b][u]Fate Deck:[/u] 12/22[/b] [hider=Luka Durand] [b]Damage Track:[/b] Fresh [/hider] [hider=Emily Sanderson] [b]Damage Track:[/b] Fresh [b]Other:[/b] [list][*]-1 Forward[/list] [/hider] [hider=Ashley Whitlock] [b]Damage Track:[/b] Fresh [b]Ready For Anything:[/b][list] [*][color=#dbd05e][b]The Fool[/b] - [i]Neutral[/i] - You become who you are needed to be in this moment[/color] [*][color=#dbd05e][b]The Hermit[/b] - [i]Neutral[/i] - Your actions isolate you[/color] [*][s][color=#2a86d6][b]The World[/b] - [i]Positive[/i] - For a single moment, the world bends to your will[/color][/s][/list] [/hider] [hider=The Crow] [b]Damage Track:[/b] Fresh [/hider] [/hider]