Seven(?) against the Convergence

[Graybeard]

OOC: Kinda waiting for Desiree to be heard from. A little temporizing and deus ex machina regarding the plot -- note that while the encounter may be a bit forced, it's entirely consistent with what has been going on:]

Sister Rose's "professional" interest in the consulate was tinged by puzzlement at the way Anfisa was reacting to it; puzzlement, and a dawning bit of suspicion. Quite a tete-a-tete going on between her and Desiree, she thought. Why are they so interested in the place? Something doesn't seem right about this.

She decided to break a personal rule and put on the Empathy spell to find out what the Gorielian woman was feeling. It wouldn't be as effective as an actual mind-reading spell, but she couldn't do that. As it happened, there was a small party heading in their general direction, three men looking rather furtive; they might provide a cover for casting the spell. "I'm curious what those three are up to," she murmured to Argus, and then cast ...

Well, that was interesting ... and her attention was diverted away from Anfisa for the moment.

"I might be crazy," she continued, "but I think those three might know something about Therese."

In the darkness, she couldn't see the hard look that Layla was giving the oldest and best-dressed of the men.

[Alberich]

In fact, Anfisa's true feelings were quite close to what she was portraying. Strong passion for Desiree. Fear and apprehension of walking off into unknown dangers with Rose. Jealous fear and suspicion that they were simply delivering her sweetheart to that red-haired magic seducerette, who would steal her away while pretending she didn't mean to. Suspicion of Rose's motives, because Rose seemed so determined to keep Desiree with her, and not send her to any safe place, a determination in which she was joined by that Amalric. Rose and Therese had been admiring each other so obviously ever since she'd first seen them together; could it be she was determined to act as her heroine's procuress?

It didn't take any magic at all to see that Anfisa wanted to take Desiree away from this group, and not accompany them into unknown danger, especially not if Therese was involved. She'd hoped for an inn and asked about one. But the inns were all closed. The taverns were all closed. Everyplace that could shelter them in safety and comfort was closed. (The private vineyard rooms run by strangers might be comfortable, but they sounded like the opposite of "safe.") The one place that was open was the consulate, so naturally she wanted to go there instead. That it would simplify her other mission was a bonus - but it would take a finer tool than an empathy spell to spot that hope behind her other hopes and fears.

[OOC: Concur that it would be good to see what Desiree has to say to Anfisa's question before moving more.]

[Drusia]

I hate the idea of leaving Therese, but the others are going to help her, and after all what could I do to help? Nothing at all.

"I think I'd rather wait for you at the inn," I say, agreeing with Anfisa.

-- Desiree

OOC: Sorry, was away for the weekend. Back now and caught up. Not... much to say, really. Desiree isn't in the best of spirits, but she's still planning on meeting up with the "Business Man" to report her findings and get a passport.

[Alberich]

"Good thought," said Anfisa, "and when they've talked to us maybe they'll know an inn that's open and we can leave a note, or just meet them there at take-off time. Six to eight hours he said. Let's go. See you later everyone!" Just because this street was devoid of open inns didn't mean the whole of Tsuiraku-town was, and who better to tell them where the open one was than the night shift at the open consulate?

She took Desiree by the arm and began to steer her consulatewards, prattling away, leaving Rose and her companions to deal with the three strangers who supposedly knew about Therese. Her words were all for Desiree. Or seemed to be.

"Here's what I was thinking. Maybe they have information about professional licenses. When Tim was doing the talking back at the gate, before all the noise kicked up, they weren't keen to let us through as, what did you call them, tourists, but what if we were going to practice our trade? We're skilled and exotic and would pay all our taxes and fees and all, and with no Veracians around, or anyone thinking he had to play 'burly knight protector,' they could talk to us openly about it...and then about an inn, too, or at least a safe place to wait..."

It was a cover story, of course, but she didn't think it was a bad one. It could even help to explain their passports if they had to explain them later for some reason. Her intent was to get them to the consulate door alone, and if the door sentries were troublesome, Desiree could flash Kitaura's card. As long as their companions never saw it, it could be worked into any further cover story that was needed. Because happily, their companions had not questioned them too closely about the helpful stranger in Lorrel, so they could tweak him to fit their story as needed.

Tim only heard the first part of that talk - Anfisa was keen to get them away at a good pace. In a cartoonish world his face would've gone beet-red and his ears would've shrieked with escaping, compressed steam. Here, to see that, you'd need to focus an empathy spell on him. But there wasn't a thing he could do about a pair of whores who were determined to go off and be whores. Not without authority he didn't have (and didn't want) to whip them into line. So he stepped to Rose's side to focus on the three strangers, find Therese, and then doubtless pick these two girls up if they didn't get themselves kidnapped in the next few hours.

[Graybeard]

Layla was eyeing the three Tsuirakuans suspiciously, and she figured out quickly enough that Sister Rose was doing the same, although she didn't catch the magical subtext. Rose, for her part, was surprised at what the Empathy was saying about Layla. She doesn't like those three. I don't know why, but she doesn't. Of course, she had no idea of what had happened days earlier to Layla's mother.

"Oshimas," Layla said by way of explanation. "Mob that more or less runs Tsuiraku-town, although the Tsuirakuan government is trying to stamp them out. Big homeland-security honcho at the consulate named Kitaura is after them." Her eyes narrowed. "And I hope he kills every last one of their worthless asses. For now, if we leave them alone, they'll leave us alone."

Fat chance of that, after you've dropped Kitaura's name, Rose thought, and she set about probing Layla's emotions with the spell. Oh, my... I wasn't expecting the intensity of that hatred. And it's hatred, not fear. An interesting thought struck her. Might we have an ally here?

"We, uh, have some disagreements with them too," she allowed, and for her effort she was rewarded with a chilling sight: the pleasant young mother and vintner suddenly grinned like a wolf. Or a death's head.

Sufficiently startled was Rose by that observation that she quite forgot to turn the Empathy spell on its originally intended subjects.

[OOC: It would be "convenient" if Anfisa and Desiree heard Layla drop Kitaura's name before they go off to the consulate.]

[Alberich]

Anfisa heard the name of "Kitaura" and that he was at the consulate, but she managed to keep her composure. Starting to walk faster at the sound of that name would seem suspicious, so she kept her pace the same and her arm in Desiree's.

Of course they'd seen Kitaura in Kiyoka, been told his name, and heard it speculated that his spies were following them around, but that did not disturb her. She just kept her prattle up about licenses and so forth as she steered her love to the consulate door. Just get that far, ask for information, flash the card, get inside...and they'd be well on their way to the Good Life.

She hadn't any concern about these "Oshimas"; she had enough on her mind with remembering all the little details she'd memorized around the airship.

[Graybeard]

[OOC: For a little more on the layout of the place where this is happening, look here and shortly thereafter. Note that the consulate is not in Tsuiraku-town, but rather, between it and the waterfront -- which, as I've said before, is rather less seedy than in either Lorrel or Kiyoka, because of the tight grip that the Seeadler keeps on things. So as Rose, Layla, and their combined party head deeper into Tsuiraku-town, there's going to be a separation developing unless someone takes steps to interfere. Going once, going twice...]

"I'm sorry, ladies, the consulate is closed until morning," the guard at the visitor entrance to the consulate said, politely but firmly. This was hardly an unexpected statement; it was the middle of the night, after all. There was nobody in the visitor center except the guard and a janitor sweeping the floor of the complex, rather incongruously owing to all the magic that was obvious in the area. Well, dust never slept, and magic wasn't the only way to deal with it. An observer might have remarked that the janitor had very slightly webbed fingers. Then again, he might not have.

------------

"They run a protection racket?" Sister Rose asked Layla, rather misreading the younger woman's interest in, and hostility to, the Oshimas.

"Not exactly," Layla answered, "at least not for businesses outside Tsuiraku-town. We leave them alone and they leave us alone." Ace set the carriage in motion, following a hand signal from Layla.

Rose wasn't buying that at all. "Except when they don't."

The carriage turned at the next corner as the two women exchanged a look. "Except when they don't," Layla repeated, her tone flat ... and Rose could sense her hostility without the magic. But I think it's hostility toward those three "Oshimas," not to me. Let's probe this.

[OOC: Aren't Argus or Tim or Tamina going to say anything about Anfisa and Desiree having gone missing? Rose is a bit preoccupied at the moment ... but I can only stretch that out just so far.]

[Alberich]

[OOC: Tim already thought something about it, right after Anfisa said "See you later, everyone!" What he thought is that he couldn't do a damned thing about it, since he has no way to force these girls to stay with them. So he stepped up beside Rose instead, intending to support and protect her against whatever is coming their way.]

"Well," said Anfisa to the guard, "Do you at least know someplace where we could wait a few hours for our friends, like an inn or a tea room that's open at this hour? We didn't see any on the street but there has to be someplace to relax after a hard night shift. Our friend said we could always be sure of help and advice from the good men of the Tsuirakuan Consulate."

At a nudge from her, Desiree [OOC: I'm assuming] showed Captain Kitaura's card to this guard. This being well away from the others, there was no harm in it.

[Jack Rothwell]

"Dezzy and Anfi gonna be ok?" Tamina asked, craning in the direction the pair had departed in. "Guess they're not good at the dangerous stuff... hope they're ok."

[Drusia]

At a nudge from her, Desiree showed Captain Kitaura's card to this guard. This being well away from the others, there was no harm in it.

I hold up the card, raising an eyebrow at the guard.

"Perhaps we could wait inside, if that wouldn't be a bother," I say, allowing only the lightest hint of sarcasm to creep into my tone. Unless the guard is a lot smarter than he looks, I doubt he'll pick up on it. Although others listening might. Actually, I'm rather hopeful on that point.

-- Desiree