The Artifact of Absonial

[Graybeard]

<"Hang on... why isn't she concealing herself? It's broad daylight.">

"Uh, oh," Sister Rose muttered aloud. "That doesn't look good. How did they get up there? ... Oh, wait, it's Drusia and Kim, I really don't want to know the answer to that."

She really didn't. However, she did sneak a quick look at the front of the building ... which had a large sign above the door.

VERACIA NAVAL FORCES
SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND
ABSOLUTELY NO ADMITTANCE TO CIVILIAN PERSONNEL

Rose facepalmed. Drusia's idea of gaining the high ground to keep tabs on her and Argus made plenty of sense in the abstract. However, she'd misjudged the Veracian military. It was hardly a surprise that there were all sorts of auxiliary buildings around the periphery of the base that belonged to the navy; it had become bureaucratic, of course, and the bureaucracy had outgrown the confines of the base. But why did Drusia and Kim have to pick that building to try to get on top of, for Luminosita alone knew what reason?

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

"I -- left something in my room," Brad said. (He was never very good at lying.) "I'll be right back." He headed back for the state rooms ... but made sure to make a side trip to pass slowly by where that sailor was talking to his commanding officer. He couldn't hear the whole muttered exchange ... but he could hear enough.

"Thought I recognized him ... Corporal Canyon ... wanted for murder ... Don't do anything rash, I'll get backup..."

And Rose wasn't the only person with Nuria blood in the vicinity doing a facepalm.

[Drusia]

"I-- identification?" Kim said, stumbling over the long, unfamiliar word.
The top cop rolled his eyes. "Something to establish who you are. Passport, other papers, issued by the Church, whatever. We need --"
"An elf who is trespassing," he corrected his underling. "Your papers, please." The anti-magic field might have wavered slightly, but it stayed up.

I let Kim keep them talking. Rose and Argus seem to have finished their business - so we have no need to remain. As for the anti-magic field, it is rather annoying. But easily avoided.

"Oh my," I say, placing my hand bashfully on my chest. "I seem to have forgotten my papers. I suppose I'll need to run and get them. Kim - " I reach out and take her hand. Kim gives me a perplexed look.

I give her a sharp yank. We both fall off the edge of the building, head first.

"Stay with me," I shout to her as we drop towards the street. I need to wait until we're outside the spell's range to -

My magic returns and, a few feet from a painful splattery death, I bend reality.

Gating can't cancel momentum, but it can change its direction. Thus do we end up flying sideways down a nearby ally. I let go of Kim - she vanishes for a moment, moving too fast for my eye to follow. I hit the ground rolling, and crash into some empty boxes left out behind the building. It's painful, but I don't believe I'm injured. Kim is standing over me, her hair barely mussed. I get up and dust myself off.

"Let's get back to the inn before they figure out where we've gone," I suggest.

-- Drusia

[Drannin]

So, then... huh...

Sometimes, there was just nothing you could say.

First, Argus notice Rose face palm, and then noticed the sign indicating a rather sensitive military building. He'd just sighed at this, slumping slightly. Honestly, how could Drusia of all people make a blunder like that? Moments later, he saw Drusia and Kim apparently fling themselves from the top of the building. "WHA-" Argus started, mind quickly running through magic that could save their lives...

Then they apparently went flying sideways.

Granted, their was a blur of pseudomotion, and Argus was technically looking at the traces of a magical trail, but fundamentally... they did a ninety-degree turn and went flying into an alley. There was even a crash of someone crashing into rubbish.

So, then... yeah.

Really, what did you say do that?

There was a long moment, where Argus and Rose just stared. Finally, he turned to look at his companion blankly. <"I'm torn. Part of of me wants to go help them. The rest of me wants to just walk away and pretend I didn't see any of that.">

[Graybeard]

Sister Rose rolled her eyes, and a wry smile crossed her face. "Yes, but we do look after our friends. I'll probably catch hell for it later, but let's go collect them. I have a Hygiene spell ready..."

A few minutes later, the band was back together, and on the way back to the inn for the real Artifact of Absonial.

[OOC: And with that, as soon as the unpleasantness with the sailor is resolved, I think we can get on the way to Snamish. No need to transact Rose doing the handoff of the Artifact in real time; reflections on how it went can be interspersed with other things on the road. What do people think? We do need to resolve the bit with the sailor, but does anyone else want to do anything before we head out of town?]

[Porcelain Fish]

[OOC: Bringing the ship to a quick conclusion since apparently everyone's waiting on me. /OOC]

"Uh, guys . . . I think we . . . might have a problem," Brad said as soon as he'd returned to the dining room where Lilith, Suriah, Maduin and Bryce continued to linger over coffee while waiting for Rose and company to return. His face was faintly flushed from a mixture of anxiety and embarassment at having deliberately eavesdopped on a conversation he knew he wasn't supposed to hear, which he knew he wasn't supposed to do.

"Sit down," Maduin said absently. "Relax."

Brad's blush deepened. "B-but . . ."

"Sit Bradley." Maduin turned the full weight of his hazel gaze on Brad. Brad's ears laid back, his tail curled up between his legs, and he quietly took a seat beside Lillith.

The armed detachment wasn't very far behind.

"Corporal Canyon," said the officer who led the group of six sword-wielding Veracian soldiers. "You are under arrest on charges of suspected murder. Come quietly and no one will be hurt."

If he'd entered two minutes earlier, there was a slight chance he might have seen a number of tiny, vaguely seed-like creatures skittering across the floor and poising themselves around the doorframe. If any of Maduin's companions had been watching his pocket a few moments before that, they would have seen the same seed-like creatures trundling down his thigh and down his chair legs to the floor.

He hadn't, they didn't, and there was a moment of startled silence. Maduin smiled faintly, eyes going to the sailor who'd left the room just a little while ago. "I see you forgot the cards. That's alright, I brought some." He pulled out a deck of cards backed in dark blue, nimble fingers sending them dancing through the air from one hand to the other, all eyes going to the faintly shiny backs of the laminated paper.

The officer stared for a moment, and then abruptly burst into a hearty, gut-shaking guffaw. In his boot, an itty-bitty critter with woody legs that looked a great deal like an elderberry seed, its burden discharged into its victim's skin through miscroscopic mandibles, turned to dust. His men turned to stare, and then started laughing themselves.

Maduin blinked, as though genuinely surprised, and after a moment began to laugh in the affectatious manner of one who really doesn't get the joke, the others following suit after a moment of utter incredulity.

"Am I to understand that this is . . . a joke?" he asked after a polite chuckle.

"Luminosita's floating . . . phantasmal balls! You should . . . see your . . . faces," the officer gasped between guffaws, face bright red, tears running down his cheeks. "Funniest thing . . . ever! This whole room is just . . . hysterical!"

Maduin blinked, and then nodded. "Well. That's nice. Would you mind helping us pack? I'm afraid we have to be off."

When Rose and Argus arrived at the White Clipper, it was in time to find their companions ready and waiting to depart just outside, surrounding by helplessly giggling servicemen and women. Bryce looked nonplussed. Brad looked confused. Maduin continued to wear that same "This isn't really funnny but I'm pretending to laugh" smile.

[Graybeard]

Sister Rose facepalmed again. "Do I really want to know what just happened here?" She looked at Brad ... "No, I don't."

A few minutes later, she and Argus had retrieved the wagon. "Shall we head on to Sn -- Drusia's home town?"

[OOC: And with that, I'll open a new thread tomorrow, leaving this one open for any parting shots. That was great, PF ... laughed hard ...]

[Graybeard]

OOC: OK, new topic up and running, picking up right where this one left off. As usual, I'll close this one in a while, but leave it here to simplify continuity until after the weekend.