Faith smiled at Ben, thankful he was so kind as to offer her to learn. It was a new skill that could be useful in her new role, though it would only serve a purpose during more modern times. She doubted if she were to ever travel to Medieval England she would need to learn how to drive a stick shift. âYes, I would appreciate that very much. Canât learn too many new things. Iâve learned an assortment of skills I never would have imagined.â Thinking on that reminded her of Eve and she frowned. She found she missed her. She didnât miss the others (though she often wondered where Nancy had gone off to.
Soon, they arrived. Once Ben opened the door for her, she stepped out and stretched. Cramped in a car for a long journey was never fun. She glanced around, happy to be in New York, even if it was for this reason. She had entertained the idea of moving her in her youth, but it seemed fate had other plans for her. How ironic.
Siduri came up and brought up a change of clothes. âYes! Please, I will take anything to get out of these clothes and get cleaned up.â She had gotten used to her attire, but a change to the current time and scene would only benefit her. So she took Siduriâs hand and allowed her to lead. She knew her way around better than Faith did.
It would have been too easy if Sophia's eyesight had been part of her abilities - Andromeda had to wonder if there was some sort of cosmic reason for that. Emendator abilities and powers appeared to be unique. She took the bottle of tequila from James, understanding that it probably wasn't the best sort of thing to just bring out into the 1920's as it was from the wrong time period. "I'll keep this safe for you," she promised him. Giouse gave them some general advice on what to do with the Destruere, but something about what he said bothered her. They were all too valuable - and yet, they were an Emendator down and nothing was being done to fix that situation. Bart's suggestion was a bit creepy the way he phrased it, but she figured that they'd have a shorter time waiting for James and Peter to come back with clothing than for Bart to find a possession target. Then there was the entire mess as to what to do with Bart's body.
"Once we finish testing this hypothesis, what's the next course of action?" Andromeda asked the Emendators. She knew it would likely depend on the results, but there were really two outcomes here - either they could see the Destruere or they couldn't. Were they going to go get the Elder Paradoxes and bring them into the fold? Belladonna would have been a good asset to have right around now. It didn't make sense to her that they were dispatching Faith to get someone on a gamble, but just sitting around and twiddling their thumbs when it came to people that could easily be accessed. It didn't help her to see Gio and Gil in a positive light at all.
Sophia closed her eyes as she started to pick up the trail of Peter's scent and what smelled like something burning, and knew that if she followed it then they would be able to find where Peter had died in the first place. She opened them again quickly turning the ability off, while Gio couldn't think of an answer at least they had a starting location now. "I have Peter's last trail when he was here last, once we get the clothes we can head over there if you'd like." Sophia said as she leaned herself up against the wall taking a moment she looked over at Bart when he suggested possessing someone, which could be useful. But then they would have to find a place to keep his body safe for the time being.
And she wasn't sure where Nancy had disappeared off to as well and they could really use her as well if she remembered right the Cards could be useful. "If there is a way to contact Nancy, we could maybe use her. Since the cards could be able to help us find some kind of future events?" Sophia suggested, though she wasn't sure if the Emendators would even know where she was right now. Since they were down Evelyn three heads were better than one as well, and maybe she would be able to try and find out what was going on as well she wasn't sure how the cards exactly worked but they would really be helpful now at this point in time.
Location: Babylon Fortress, Cairo, Egypt: October 6th, 1924 Skills: History, Military Tactics, Observation
An odd, somewhat amused look came over Gilbert as the others talked amongst themselves and made their plans. He quirked an eyebrow at Bartholomew's idea of possessing someone. It wasn't bad, really. If his ability to do that functioned in the same manner as others' he had seen, it would give him an immense advantage in whatever time or place he found himself. The moral implications were considerable though. As well as what might happen if it failed. Diplomatically, he offered, "As a last resort, Bartholomew. Though it is good to count that among our assets. Let us wait and see what the Paradoxes may find for us through more mundane methods first." Otherwise, Gil would have readily turned himself into a nondescript local and disappeared into the crowds of Cairo. Setting an example, and so forth.
But that was secondary to his thought process at the moment. The amused look came from a memory, its origin rooted long ago. He placed a hand on a nearby segment of wall and spoke aloud, "It has been a long time, and you were in much better condition. It is good to be back." He then turned and addressed the Paradoxes. "In no particular order," he began with a casual smile, "As soon as we stepped into this timeline we contacted Nancy. She can feel a pull to our presence just as we can feel a pull to hers. She is in country albeit possibly a long way off, and she knows that we are here. As for next course of action, I could not say. We must take what we learn and try to apply it, of course. Granted, we are in uncharted territory, so far as the Destruere are concerned. Unless we learn something game changing, I would prefer to take the fight to them." He shrugged. It was within his nature to try for a military solution, but recent centuries had found a slightly more mellowed Gilbert who was highly open to processing information before applying a hammer to a problem. "Certainly, I believe that we should return to the site of the last loop. The supplies there will be invaluable, whatever our next move may be.
His grin intensified, "But to the present. While Peter and James are finding us clothing and supplies, I will be re-familiarizing myself with this fortress. The original owner invited me here, once upon a time." He gave a short laugh and continued, shaking his head, "She thought I was a demon, at first. A demon. I found that hilarious, but many others were already calling he that, I suppose she just wanted to make sure. My name is even mentioned in some religious texts to that effect. But that is a story for another time. The engineers of the time were the best in the world. This place is highly defensible if intact and has a network of tunnels and corridors that modern scholars have not found yet. Who knows what else might lay undiscovered here? I am going to uncover entrances to these tunnels, and whatever else I can find along the way. If they have not collapsed, our options will have increased." He turned and began to walk, speaking aloud, "Who is coming?"
Character current location: Babylon Fortress, Cairo, Egypt Characters attempted actions: Uncovering hidden stuff - tunnels, anything else he remembered Skills Used: Not sure what might be necessary. Acting off of knowledge picked up from last round Why each skill is being called: N/A Desired location of the character: N/A
James Grady
Location: Following Peter to Bazaar Skills: Observation
It was an interesting thing that James was doing, essentially acting as an incognito bodyguard for a more senior Paradox as they strolled through a city he'd never been to several decades before he was actually born. The thought occurred to him that he knew where almost all of his family was (that being the American Southeast) in this era, so if he happened to have some sort of illicit rendezvous in the meantime, no one could point at him and start singing the "I Am My Own Grandpa" song. So that was a stretch of a hypothetical comfort. Then he remembered that part of the tradeoff of being dead, or a Paradox anyway, was that he couldn't have kids. So no matter where he was, it was all good. Of course, not wanting to have a bonafide Joe Dirt moment, it was probably best to either tuck things away and think of baseball, or remain willfully ignorant of the situation as a whole.
It was about this time that James stopped and considered slapping himself. What the hell kind of a train of horrifying logic was this, that was leaping unbidden into his mind? Seriously, where was it coming from? He sighed. It had been a rough transition, especially when he shifted into a boar the first time. Not his definition of fun. Being exposed to many different facets of human life was a mind-opening experience, but just sometimes he had to sit back and take stock of just how much of a mind fuck dying, coming back with powers, and then being exposed to time travel with all of its implications was. Not to mention that his concepts of history, mythology, and religion took a serious beating because of the whole experience. He needed a vacation. This didn't count. No, he needed a vacation or a girlfriend. No! He needed to take a girlfriend on a vacation.
And no even still. He needed to keep his eyes peeled for trouble, for Peter's sake and for his own. His eyes were sharp, his senses keen, and he'd still seen nothing troublesome in the area. He kept up his vigil, occasionally leaning forward to Peter to ask a stupid question, such as, "Hey now, hey now... when we get them clothes, can I get me one o'them Arabian Nights getups, huh? Imma look all kickass in Egyptian cotton, yessir! Ain't a one of my ancestors picked that shit, no sirrie!" All the same, James continued to keep a watch on the surroundings. One couldn't be too careful where a Destruere had been sighted.
Character current location: Cairo, Egypt Characters attempted actions: Keeping an eye out Skills Used: Observation Why each skill is being called: Bodyguard detail, also for stuff useful to the group Desired location of the character: Following Peter, still
"Sure thing, when we get some downtime," Ben said as he lit up a cigarette and took a long puff from it. Siduri understood Faith wanting to get cleaned up and changed. Even if they were not going to meet someone, being trapped on the road with nothing but dust and sweat for days on end added layers to the dirt on the body. Walking her away from the truck she lead Faith to the shower stalls that the Carnivale had set up first. It wasn't much, barely enough to cover someone from the rest of the world at the shoulders to the knees and the water would be cold coming out the weak shower head but it was what they had and for the day and age it wasn't the worst way to get cleaned up. Hell after five days in a hot truck it might feel like Nirvana.
"Towel, soap, clothing," Siduri said as she pointed out the obvious. Her eyes darting around, each time they fell on another Carnivale person they scattered away quickly. Siduri seemed to be making sure that while this was out in the open and Faith would only have a few walls of worn plywood between herself and the rest of the world she was going to get as much privacy as they could muster right then. "I can pin your hair once you are finished if you would like," she added before taking a few steps back to give Faith a little more privacy, sitting down on a folding chair and crossing her ankles left over right as she waited.
Babylon Fortress, Cairo, Egypt: October 6th, 1924
Peter chuckled a bit but nodded. "Quite right, would be most fitting for you Mr. Grady and it would place you on a more level playing field among the locals as well. Let us see what we can do about that," Peter said as they made their way towards the market place center of Cairo. It wasn't a terrible walk and once there it was simple enough for Peter to be able to purchase several pieces of clothing that the group as a whole would be able to use either alone or in conjunction with what they were already wearing. Peter wasn't terribly fond of having to treat James like a slave or a servant whom was in debt to him but he kept is as even as he could while still maintaining the appearance of being someone who owned someone. It still left a bad taste in his mouth and he hoped that James wouldn't hold it against him. Nothing seemed to be sticking out to James right then with things around him.
Back over at the Fortress, things were about as calm as one could hope. Gilbert would be able to find one of the original entrances to one of the tunnels. And that is all well and good. That is until that whole fuzz and haze finally catches up with them. It seems to spreading and now is affecting Cairo. Peter stopping in his tracks and looking around, rubbing his eyes slightly and groaning. "Bloody hell, this can't be good," he said as he looked over towards James. And it wasn't only the Emendators and Paradoxes seeing this, it seemed the entire city was and people were starting to pull a panic mentality. Shit just hit the fan.
"We want to act moving forward on the principle of applying minimal necessary force. If we can get something done without resorting to power use or otherwise attention drawing tactics, we do it," Gio said, expanding upon the judgment call Gilbert made regarding Bart's idea. "It is good to be fully aware of all options on the table, but let us avoid 'jumping the gun' as far as resolving problems goes." Gio glanced around the room briefly before he walked across it to an unoccupied spot of wall and leaned back against it. Thousands of years of standing took a toll on the feet.
"But concerning what we do once we determine whether this haze indeed allows us true sight as The Glasses had. Young Faith has shouldered the responsibility of finding Evelina, so naturally we need to work towards averting this End of Days. To stop it, we must first know the source of this cataclysm. But before even that, we need to properly regroup. As Gilbert pointed out, Nancy knows we're here. Our presence alone should tip her off that we need to meet once again. Not to mention the haze that appears to be following us around like a skunk's spray. Unless we run into something that truly needs immediate redress after we have properly assessed our current situation, then we can configure a concrete plan of action." Gio took a moment to pause, thinking over something before he spoke again, although his expression hinted that whatever that thought was, it wasn't related to the topic he addressed in speech.
"I think I shall stay here. At the very least, one of us need to stay behind so that should Mister Grady and Peter return prematurely they do not find themselves in an empty fortress." Out of the corner of his eye, Gio noticed something change outside on the streets. It appeared Cairo was whipping itself into a frenzy.
Knowing that Nancy was at least aware of their currently location was good, letting him scrub that from his list of worries about the current situation. Nodding between Gio and Gil, he agreed that risk minimization was a good idea; choosing the path of least resistance would help keep things from growing needlessly complicated. Just as he had that thought though, it seemed things had grown more complicated; people were suddenly panicking all of a sudden. He figured that, perhaps, the group could infer that a Destruere was certainly here. They were supposed to cause chaos and fear wherever they go, and the ensuing scene certainly seemed to be quite chaotic.
Bart nodded at the Hat as he started off to inspect the Fortress tunnels. Wanting to be useful he said, "I'll follow along with you, see if I can't be of any help." Stepping off after the Hat, he smiled. This would be a chance for him to do something good and impactful. Ever since his training ended with Evelina, and her subsequent disappearance, he'd felt off. To him, it seemed as if he now had a debt to make up, blaming himself for the course of events that led to her being lost to them for the time being. Anything he could do to make up for that would be good, and this seemed like a good place to start.
Faith was thankful to be out of the hot cab and into open air, though she was not such a fan of having to take a shower in something makeshift for carnival folk. But beggars couldnât be choosers at the moment. She took what Siduri handed her and checked the clothing. It appeared to align with the time period, at least. It looked somewhat cute and would hopefully allow her to fit in better.
She stepped inside the shower if one could call it that, and disrobed. During her time in the apocalypse, bathing took the backseat often as running water was sparse, so this was kind of a treat. And she had some privacy if Siduri had anything to say about it. She took a shower, but the water was cold. It wasnât the worst she ever had though, so she made do. She quickly scrubbed herself down and rinsed the suds off, feeling more refreshed. She turned the water off and dried herself before she took the clothing. She got dressed and stepped out.
The dress was a teal number with some plaid work. Kind of what a middle-class woman would wear, and in New York it would be just enough to blend in. The shoes were simple black heels and she put some nylons on, aware she had never worn them before. She had no need to. She fluffed her hair a bit, debating on tying it up or down, then opting for down as she made her way to Siduri. âNice choice of clothing.â
Andromeda agreed with Sophia's suggestion, and it bothered her that Gilbert and Giouse seemed to have largely forgotten the female Emendators. It was another slight piece of evidence in the growing pile of their misogynistic behavior. It was disappointing that these cosmic powers seemed to have a gender bias, but then again, men tended to be disappointing in general. A few names popped to mind as the exception to the rule, but if anyone came here shouting not all men, she would be liable to punch them (provided she could do so in the shade. She didn't want to see if Paradoxes could get skin cancer). Gilbert explained that Nancy would be able to feel that they were in the same country, but Andromeda was skeptical that Nancy would know she needed to hurry over to them. It sounded a lot like phone apps that showed you the location of your friends - it didn't really let you know what they were doing or why. Did the Emendators have SnapChat?
"How do you know the haze is following Nancy as well?" Andromeda asked Gilbert. She could understand it following them, as they had been there at the loop when it was destroyed, but she hadn't seen any evidence yet that the haze was going to follow around people who hadn't been there. And she was pretty certain that it was entirely possible that Nancy could just think they were here for a training exercise or something. There was a lot of guesswork going on here. Andromeda was debating whether or not to stay behind with Giouse, but she decided she liked Gilbert slightly better. "I'll come to," she said, before following the Hat along with Bart.
Sophia nodded slightly, though she thought it would be a good idea that they reach out to her more physically aside from the simple pull that Gilbert had said. They could really use the other Emendator as well, she listened to Gilbert as he spoke as she ran a hand through her hair a little bit. It was hotter than she would have liked, but then again she had lived in the Georgia heat for a long time before her death. Gilbert decided that he wanted to go and explore the fortress a little bit more, and Bart as well as Andromeda decided to join him as well which would just leave Gio by himself if she joined them while she listened to Gio speak. "I'll stay here with Gio and hold down the fort as well." She said as she leaned herself up against the wall a little bit.
She didn't want to leave Peter and James to think that they ended up disappearing without saying a word to them at all, then she started to notice that same haze starting to cloud her vision around her just like it had happened at their own home. "If it's here now as well it isn't a good thing at all." Sophia said as she looked towards Gio as she tried to adjust her eyes to try and get a better look at him, she could get the sense that it was affecting the whole city now as well which wasn't good at all.
*Roll requests can be made in chat or can be left at the bottom of your post for results in the next update. You can get a roll during your post and add another in the update at the bottom of your post! Ever in doubt of what to post, just drop me a message and we can talk.New York, New York, USA: November 5th, 1943
Siduri kept the other carnivale folk at bay while Faith got cleaned and ready. Most of the women in the carnivale were not exactly worried about privacy but when half of the women in the troop were part of the hooch, privacy wasn't exactly something that was a main concern. Siduri however knew Faith was not that type of woman. Forward, upfront, brazen at times perhaps but she couldn't picture Faith putting on a peep show, so privacy was a priority while the young woman showered and readied herself. Even Siduri kept her head turned away from the area until she heard Faiths voice. Turning her neck slowly and giving her a once over, she nodded. "Yes, a very nice fit. You wear them well," she said as she stood up, reaching up and twisting a single lock of hair back out of the girls face. "Perfect."
Looking around, she motioned in a direction. "Let us begin. Night is here, monsters will be out and they are not as mindless as those from your time," she said as she started walking. Ben coming around a corner and carrying a small bag that looked to fit the time. It was like a carpet bag one might have seen Mary Poppins carrying in the movie. "Thank you Ben, we have it from here. Faith is more than capable," she said as Ben held out the bag to faith. "I shall give you a run down of each weapon within and what to look out for while we walk. All else fails, beheading works wonders on most all Kindred," she said as she started walking once again. Kindred, that was a term Eve had spoken before when they were in New York.
Babylon Fortress, Cairo, Egypt: October 6th, 1924
Special Note: That Haze will remain until further notice, so make sure to keep to it. ^_^ The haze had fully spread through out the country of Egypt now and like with other areas, Cairo isn't responding well. Chaos in the streets as people think a new plague has found it's way to Egypt. People are running, trying to get away from the haze, which they cannot of course. Running into buildings, into homes, trying to get off the streets but only causing the streets to become more and more chaotic. Peter sighs but keeps looking around. If the Haze is here and if the suspicions are correct, that means that they might be able to see Destruere. Not seeing anything, he motions towards a now unmanned display. "I hate to be a petty thief but when in England as it burns, pillage like a Viking," he said as he started gathering clothing for the group hack at the fortress. Maybe clothing wouldn't matter now that people had other things on their minds. Thing was, Peter felt the clothing was now more needed. The last thing one wanted to do when a city was in a panic - stand out.
Back at the Fortress itself, while they can hear the people in Cairo, none seem to be moving in the direction of the fortress itself. Which is good. Also, what is good, is that if the Destruere can be seen because of the haze, no one is seeing any of them currently. Which is a good thing, no weapons, being split up, things aren't exactly in the groups favor. LLA seems to be playing nice this round and giving you time to prepare. Or to let you let your guard down. Who knows with her. Either way, Haze is there, things seem calm. Emendators are feeling a pull in their gut towards the northeast, Nancy must be in that direction. There is a new pull though, so the northwest. It is faded though. Which for an Emendator means that it is either far far away or in another time line. There's another Emendator? Eve maybe? One could only hope.
Location: Babylon Fortress, Cairo, Egypt: October 6th, 1924 Skills: N/A
"Thank you for joining me; Andromeda, Bartholomew." said The Hat, walking in a determined manner. It had been a long while (even in the life of an Emendator) since he had been to this place, but the memories were coming back into crystalline focus. He passed from one section to another, curious to note what the ravages of time had done to the place yet impressed that it still stood as remarkably as it did. He passed by a mural, glancing at what was left of the faded and cracked image. He sighed audibly. "I liked this picture. It was so vibrant. Hmm." He shrugged, continuing onward.
Addressing the question posed to him by Andromeda, Gilbert said simply, "I do not know that the haze is following The Cards. I know only as much about this as you do, Andromeda." He grinned a little, taking in the fact that there were yet things he had not experienced. "Is that not extraordinary? I do so love the world sometimes. Such a brilliant place." He looked almost giddy, leading the two of them around to an adjacent room. "I wanted you to see this. How it is opened. In case something happens to me, or we are separated." He slid a panel on the wall to one side with a grinding sound, then rested his hand upon an oval cartouche underneath. The wall parted to reveal a simple stone staircase leading downward into a passage. "This is one of a number of tunnels that runs underneath Cairo now. It used to be part of a reaching network, but time... Time changes all things."
Faintly, he could hear the sounds of Cairo turning to the scary and almost riotous. "I can only assume that is not good news." Simultaneously, he could feel another Emendator-ish pull elsewhere, something not originating from Nancy. One thing at a time, though. See to the safety of his charges first. He closed the passage and reset the switch, advising, "Perhaps we should get back to the group."
Character current location: Babylon Fortress, Cairo, Egypt Characters attempted actions: Remembering Stuff Skills Used: History, Observation Why each skill is being called: Anything else of use about the fortress Desired location of the character: N/A
James Grady
Location: Bazaar, Cairo, Egypt: October 6th, 1924 Skills: Observation
James continued with his role of brain-addled manservant to the far paler and much more Caucasoid of feature Peter Keystone. In a heavily insulting way, it was appropriate for the time period; James a rural born and raised man of rich, mocha-mahogany complexion, his ancestors considered underclass by the ruling body of the era, whereas Peter Keystone was of alabaster tone, descended of persons with interesting surnames that came with title, handed to them by the ruling body of his era. Or more specifically, the exact era they were in right at that moment. But strangely, James was having a bit of fun with it. Even started to hum a little tune that turned into snatches of a song.
"Oooooohoho, day's never finished... Master's got me working... Someday master set me free... da-dum-dum dum-dum.
Him having a little fun at the growing discomfort of the elder Paradox notwithstanding, James was still staying to his actual role, that of acting as Peter's escort through the hustle and bustle of Cairo. Maybe even partly take his mind off of issues that had to be working his psyche. He couldn't even comprehend coming back to the site of his second traumatic death and not being rattled a little.
The fact that the haze followed them was admittedly disconcerting. Just because he had seen it before did not mean that he was used to it, nor that he wanted it around. The people of Cairo might have agreed with him at that point and this was all new to them. A little freak-out was natural. Even expected. And it even came with the extra added benefit of vastly reducing the cost of local wares with the applied Rioters' Discount. Still, he had to mess with Peter about it. "You kiddin' me, man? What, 'cause I'm a black man, I'm supposed to start lootin' the place just on account of a little apocalypse? C'mon, man! What, we all carry knives, too? Huh?"
James plastered on a faux offended expression and put his hand on his hips, intentionally brushing the handle of his one visible knife. Then he slapped a sizeable tool pocket along his leg where his other one was kept. "...shit." A big smile parted his face and he finally relented, "Gotcha! Aight, I'll hold the bag. You start shovin' shit in. We ain't got much time."
Character current location: Bazaar, Cairo, Egypt Characters attempted actions: SNATCH AND RUN, Y'ALL! Skills Used: Observation Why each skill is being called: Keeping an eye out for trouble while stealing the most useful shit he can find. And if it's not too much trouble, something nice for Andy. Desired location of the character: N/A
Looking around to see the haze coming back, he frowned, The people were definitely panicking from the onset of the haze. This meant, he assumed, that it was somehow following them. If that was the case, he hoped that if that was the case, that it was dependent upon their continued presence in a location. The haze spreading to all corners of the Earth and time would have to have dire consequences for the timeline. Even if it was directly related to them, that would almost make conduction their missions impossible. If they caused this kind of chaos wherever they went from now on, keeping things discreet would be almost impossible.
"Splitting up may have been a questionable decision." Bartholomew admitted uncomfortably. He didn't want to directly go against the idea The Hat had, since he was infinitely more experienced than Bartholomew, but splitting them up in these troubled time seemed like a very dangerous move. They were split into three groups right now, and if any of them were attacked, it was much more likely that that group could be picked off without the protection of the rest of the group. "Heading back might be a good idea." He found himself agreeing, and nodding his head The Hat's suggestion. He didn't want to seem like a yes man, but he really did think heading back was a good idea.
Faith appreciated the small gesture, because it was small enough that it didnât matter to the circus folk or to Siduri, but Faith had never known privacy much in her time during the apocalypse. Bathing wasnât generally done. So this was a treat. And she had a nice dress on. Though she questioned the Mary Poppins bag. âDoesnât really match, but what it lacks in fashion it makes up for in ass kicking, and that I am on board with.â
Faith remembered the word Kindred from her last foray into New York. She didnât know much about it, apart from the things she saw. She lived in a world of zombies, so it took a lot to freak her out, but she knew what she saw was concerning. So monsters was probably the right word to describe them. She followed Siduri, gripping the bag that was handed to her. She was eager to get started, but knew she had to reign it in. Let the woman who was helping her have the lead. She knew more than her and if her last trip to New York was any indication, she should not jump to conclusions.
âBeheading. I can do that. Did a lot of that back in my former time. Was kill or be eaten there. But those zombies didnât have the capacity of thought. Just hunger. The things here are smarter, probably more dangerous. But then again, so am I now.â
"If it were not here, it would be bad as well," Gio said in reply to Sofia's last comment. "After all, it would mean we returned here for no reason. Although that might mean that time is more stable than we initially worried about. Regardless, the effect this haze is having on the local populace is worrisome, especially since Misters Grady and Keystone are out in the thick of it. It is fortunate we arrived in a fortified position such as this. A less stable arrangement such as a random run down storefront would be a far less secure situation. " After all, people could be just as dangerous and destructive as the Destruere given the right circumstances. Perhaps not individually, but there was something to be said for when numbers, malice and chaos were all thrown into the mix.
"Hmm, I feel two presences Northwards. One is relatively close by, that must be Nancy. The other... far more distant. Somewhere or somewhen. Perhaps it's Evelina," Gio mused outloud, mostly himself, but with enough volume for Sofia to hear. But he made not a single move to act on said musing. Him and Gilbert had decided to trust Faith to make the journey to locate Eve, to start chasing after her the moment they had a lead would be undermining the entire purpose of her ordeal and the resolve she made to throw herself into peril. Perhaps if there was more pertinent reasons to do so he would look into it further, but for the time being he would have to content himself with not knowing the source of the pull.
"So young Sophia, if you had to assume leadership of the remaining Paradoxes, what would your plan of action be for averting the End Times?" Gio asked casually, looking down at the city in chaos. The question was partially to pass the time while they waited for Gilbert and Peter's groups to return, but it was a serious inquiry as well. The number of perspectives were quite limited compared to what he was used to, and although the Paradoxes lacked the breadth of experiences the Emendators had, their fresh outlook could reveal things he might have missed. Sophia was literally the most perceptive person in the bunch so if anyone might have noticed something that had slipped past everyone else, it was probably her.
In the back of her mind, Andromeda recalled a video she had stumbled across on YouTube once during college - it was either that or her roommate had showed it to her, she just couldn't recall which. Hopefully the song's warning applied to Dungeons and Dragons characters, not to their real life situation. Of course, she wasn't satisfied with Gilbert's answer. Giouse had said that Nancy would be able to see the haze as well and that was how she would know to come - so now, it was more and more apparent that these Emendators had no idea at all what they were doing. It was getting incredibly hard to swallow her pride and Gilbert's answer to her, with his smile? It didn't reassure her - if anything, it made her feel like anything they did would ultimately be screaming into the void. The experts in the field were acting like clueless baboons. Gilbert's art commentary was only furthering that opinion.
"Look, I normally would be all for this type of thing - but I don't think now is the time to be acting lighthearted and acting giddy," Andromeda told Gilbert, sounding a bit harsher than she had meant. "I mean, with all due respect," she hastily added. The world was ending, shouldn't the Emendators be taking this seriously, instead of looking like a kid in a candy shop? At the very least, Gil showing them how to open up the secret tunnel entrance was beneficial. However, she didn't like the idea that something could happen to him - would they be able to do this without the Emendators "Yeah, let's head back," she agreed, hearing chaotic noises coming from outside. This entire situation was horrible and for a proud, control freak type? It was going to drive her nuts.
Sophia tried her best to look through the haze but she wasn't able to see anything other than hearing the sounds of the people panicking in the city below them. It started to bring back memories of the early days of the outbreak, after wondering aimlessly and eventually seeing the chaos in the closest city she had gotten to. She just hoped that both Peter and James made it back safely and in one piece as well, Sophia turned her attention towards Gio when he asked her a question. She wasn't really sure what she would do if she was were to be a leader and make the decisions. She did run teams of construction workers when she was alive years before the outbreak had happened, as she started to think for a moment.
"I'd first recall any and all Paradoxes that are alive, and establish a new loop somewhere relatively safe. But i'd also try and see if we could recruit non paradoxes into the mix, have them be our eyes and ears for any kind of weird activity and send out groups of maybe four to investigate and fix whatever problems that the Destruere cause." Sophia answered while looking over at Gio when he mentioned that there was another pull aside from Nancy which did get her attention a little bit. If they could fix things here maybe it would be something worth looking into.
*Roll requests can be made in chat or can be left at the bottom of your post for results in the next update. You can get a roll during your post and add another in the update at the bottom of your post! Ever in doubt of what to post, just drop me a message and we can talk.New York, New York, USA: November 5th, 1943
Siduri nodded and started the trek to where they were going. As she walked, she began to speak and gave Faith a hell of a run down. "Ahh yes, Walkers. What are known here as Zombies but here there are Zombies and they can think. The bartender at a place known as Club Afterdark. Rather decent fellow actually. Phil. Pro-Human faction. Does love his top hat and makes a delicious Manhattan." She continued going over the main seven types of kindred there were in this time line. Vampyres were on the list, as were Ghosts, and Werewolves. "Animates, like in Frankenstein. In fact, Adam Noir is one. Says he inspired the tale. Works leathers in time Square. Though his leathers are more, two legged. Anti-Human." Others she mentioned were the Daemons and Wygths - Miss Babylon and Alexander respectively. "Inuits, native American spirits, usually very vengeful against humans."
During the talk she also went through how to kill or harm the main ones. Silver, wood, copper, wrought iron were special metals that hurt certain ones. "Though, that six shooter in your bag has what is known as Kin Killers in it. A bullet that has each of those materials as well as meteorite in it. For Sorcerers. Though frankly if you wish to hurt a Flinger, just over salt their food. It causes them many problems. And well then there is..." she continued but then stopped as the smell of brimstone came into the air and she stopped. "Concrets... Dread, please show yourself."
From a dark alleyway a tall man stepped out of the shadows. The man had a Mediterranean look about him and was in a fine suit. He would have been rather handsome if it weren't for the fact that where his eyes should be where just two black masses of nothing. "Siduri, what brings you here?"
"I need an audience with Parliament, so we are going to Babylon. Faith, this is Dread. Dread, this is Miss Masters. Dread is a concrete. Think of him as, for lack of better terms, a god. Just only within a certain amount of blocks though. So little g instead of big g."
Babylon Fortress, Cairo, Egypt: October 6th, 1924
Special Note: That Haze will remain until further notice, so make sure to keep to it. ^_^ Gilbert remembers that these tunnels are part of a network that once stretched through out Egypt's upper Kingdom, whether or not they are still fully intact is yet to be determined. The only way to figure that out would be to use the actual tunnels. As they are ancient and have been closed for probably a thousand years, chances are low but they are there. It also means that they would need a light source. There was once a system in the tunnels that would light oil but is that even in still intact? Either way, what Gilbert will know is they need to make a choice and get moving. (In the next round or two, people need to move - so start rolling - no more information to gather from rolls from this point forward in this location.)
Over where James and Peter are, James is able to grab enough clothing - just plain robes - sorry nothing special is sticking out and it is a waste of time to try to window shop without worrying about getting trampled by the crowd losing their minds because of the haze. Peter gathers what he can grab and starts moving towards the wall of one of the buildings. "Stay by the walls when you can, less chance of getting run over," Peter called towards James. Thanks to some quick thinking and some good maneuvering, the two will be able to get back to the Fort this round. Going after weapons when the city is in an uproar isn't the best idea but hey, there are the tunnels beneath the city that Gilbert found. If they are intact it should get them beneath the Royal Army Base. (Though only Gilbert would know that at this point.)
James wasn't 100% sure on the ethical quandary here, effectively traveling across a veritable buttload of time and space to a place where he existed as an anachronism, only to show up in the beginning of a panic and go a'lootin'. It wasn't his best moment. To make matters worse, now that he had gotten a taste of SNATCH & RUN he had to suppress the urge to keep five-fingering a lot of stuff he came across on the way back to the rest of his group. There was another knife around there that he liked. Ooh! And that oil painting of camels playing poker? Classic. It'd look great in his boudoir. Or whatever other goods he imagined might be floating around the Bazaar that practically begged to be nabbed on their way out of town. Or back to the ruins. Whichever was more appropriate to say at the time.
Propriety aside, the little game he was playing to mess with Peter was over and done with, as things were getting hairier out and about in sunny Cairo. They had enough kaftans and thawbs or their like to keep the people in their group passable for more traditional Muslims at a cursory glance. Maybe Westerners who had gone native. Either way, functional outerwear for all. Stolen, functional outerwear. James figured he'd look okay in loose white and/or black cotton. Hell, out of the group, he was the only one who looked like he belonged on the continent in the first place. Wait, there was Gil. Yup, he looked more like a traditional Egyptian. Whatever. Now if he could just wrangle of of those head coverings... Thinking about it, if worse came to worse, James wasn't above looting a corpse. Hell, rolling dead people was an intelligent survival tactic where he came from. Not that he was hoping for fatalities among the populace, just that if, God forbid, someone happened to get trampled or run over by a runaway rickshaw, he'd use the opportunity.
Responding to Peter's advice, James gave a hearty, "Yessir, Mr. Peter, sir. Sounds like fine thinkin'." There wasn't a trace of sarcasm in his words, and he did as suggested, hugging the walls as they made their way back to the Fort. When back, he addressed those gathered around (and just arriving), "Aight, me an Peter found us some robes an' whatnot, some o' these locals use. Y'all do you, I'mma take this'n here..." he commented, grabbing something appropriate for himself and stepping back as not to crowd anyone else. "No weapons, though. Sorry 'bout that."
Memory was a spotty thing sometimes, especially when one lived as long as Gilbert. Bits and pieces of details came back to him concerning the tunnel system, especially as it concerned lighting. That would be an issue, without doubt. They might still have a functioning system for it still, so much as the tunnels were themselves overall functional; that was to say that it might be uncertain. He would prefer to have a backup plan for that, all things considered, that was better than the one small lighter in his pocket. Something to be dealt with soon.
His eyebrow quirked at Bart's comment, though his face kept its easygoing expression. "You have a variable morale, Bartholomew." It was voiced as an objective observation rather than either compliment or insult. "We have seen what we need to for right now, and we shall return to it shortly." He gave a noncommittal thumbs-up.
His smile deepened a little at Andromeda's assessment. "I am aware that my mood can be a little disconcerting to others sometimes. My apologies. I avidly appreciate history and humanity. Though I have seen many things that repeat over the millennia, it is a rare pleasure to see something original from times long forgotten, or something genuinely new and unprecedented, at least to my experiences. Today has given me both." Of course, the implications of the new and unprecedented were troubling, in and of itself. But for Gil, it was the principle of it all. Even if it was a supernatural haze that appeared to follow them through time and distance.
They arrived back to the rest of the group a few seconds after Peter and James did, just in time to hear the report about clothes, but a lack of weapons. Gilbert still had that older model (for the era) Winchester rifle sheathed on his back, and a pocketknife, though that would hardly be enough for everybody in case of an emergency. They needed to get armed, and the sooner the better. Of course, one of the difficulties of being a Paradox was that one never knew exactly what skills one would absorb over training. The use of firearms with these people, even if they were masters of the art in their natural lifetime, could not be assured. Or even bet on, really. "Excellent, thank you," he said, choosing a flowing garment for himself. "I might be able to assist with arming our group. We have rediscovered a tunnel system that used to be quite reaching. I believe that it should bring us under, among other places, an armory for the British military presence in Cairo. Mr. Keystone, I assume you know the location to which I refer? We will need light sources. I will attempt something. It would be best to try to establish backup lighting, if we can. There may be more to acquire if we are very lucky. When you are ready, please follow me." Gilbert moved to return to the secret stairway, to inspect and attempt to relight the path therein.
Character current location: Babylon Fortress, Cairo, Egypt Characters attempted actions: Figuring Stuff Out Skills Used: History, Observation Why each skill is being called: To light the tunnels, if a skill roll is applicable. Has a functioning cigarette lighter. Desired location of the character: N/A
Gio had hoped for details and ideas he had not thought of, and Sophia delivered. When they had more time to deliberate, he made a note to mull them over with The Hat. However, there were issues that he could not help but notice. "Unfortunately Ms. Harris, I believe establishing a new loop is out of my capabilities at the moment. I'm not sure how exactly to explain this to you, but I believe you were around for the advent of computers, yes? The situation I'm in now is like when a website updates but in doing so, breaks the functionalities of many of its core features. That said, I haven't attempted again so I cannot say with absolute certainty, but I'd put my confidence in my inability to create new timeloops in the new paradigm at ninety-eight per cent. I do appreciate your perspective, however."
It was about then that Peter and Gilbert came in, bearing robes, but no weapons. It was a boon, but a relatively minor one. With the chaos consuming the city, he doubted how much worth it carried to blend in to a degree, but every ounce of protection helped. Luckily, more than one scouting party was sent out, and Gilbert provided more promising opportunities.
"Good work, everyone." Giosue removed his suit jacket and grabbed one of lighter robes provided by Peter and James, quickly putting it on over the rest of his clothes. At least they would keep him a bit cooler than his very pitch suit. "We should make haste. I would hate to make it into the armory and find it already ransacked in the pandemonium." Gio had already imagined several different situations in which the actual arms in the armory would be inaccessible, but divulging them would not allow them to act in a timely manner, and that just would not do.
