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Post by Virianus Devinian on Feb 15, 2016 23:57:14 GMT -5
”No, I don’t believe Khrōnov is the appropriate choice to deal with Essarhaddon. However, he may be useful for the other task I mentioned earlier – bring him in tomorrow. I’ll give him his orders at that time.”
Alpha drew his right hand up to lay his gloved index finger across his own lips as he contemplated the situation. Essarhaddon was a potential bomb in a boiling pot, depending on the particulars of the context, and sending just any operative to handle her would potentially make the matter far, far worse than it needed to be. No, a more diplomatic tact would be required in the given situation, and Virianus, a smile spreading slowly across his features, knew just how to handle it.
Stepping close to Raife again, the Magistrate moved his finger from his own lips to press against his aide’s again, his cool, grey eyes staring down at the woman quite pointedly.
”I will handle the Essarhaddon situation personally – after all, best not to trouble another operative when I have the free time to manage one of our former esteemed Councilors. My meeting with Callixta was set for this evening, but given the developing situation, I can imagine that it will be postponed for the time being, leaving my schedule quite open.”
Virianus smiled, and slowly trailed his finger down past the woman’s full lips, over her chin, and then down her neck, tracing toward her clavicle.
”That said, Essarhaddon can wait a few moments. Before I depart and you return to your duties, I believe there is another matter, one involving the adornment of my desk,that I wish your attention be turned to.”
Soon enough, the Magistrate would gather his entourage and leave via short-range airship to reach Tower 67, and the wayward Councilor who had been spotted there. Soon enough, however, did not mean immediately . . .
{ Exit to Tower 67 - 100th Balcony }
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Osiris
Uninitiated
Posts: 5
Title: The Ordinary Man
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Post by Osiris on Jun 29, 2017 8:43:31 GMT -5
{ Enter from Tamryn Proper }
The Stranger regarded the breathtaking vista displayed from the Office of the Vascxious Sigma Magistrate with a sense of wonder, his silent steps leaving no imprints in the plush carpeting of the well-furnished office of business. The Magistrate's Aide, it seemed, had stepped away, though it likely would matter little whether she had been in residence or not - the Ordinary Man, when he was silent, seemed to simply fade into the background in such a way that his presence was so often ignored entirely. Only his voice drew the attention of those around him, allowed them to focus - and the Stranger had nothing more that needed to be said this night.
As he stared across the great city of lights, the Stranger absently stroked his hand across the Magistrate's desk corner, and the piece of paper that had so very recently been placed there: a letter with an official seal of the Azalethian Council, calling the Magistrate to an important business meeting in Azaleth City. The matter was important enough to require the Magistrate attend personally: though he likely would not wish to, the Stranger knew that Virianus Devinian would do as his duty required and attend, creating a very important window of time for other matters to take place outside of the purview of Alpha's watchful eye.
The Stranger smiled, turning to leave the office and return to Tamryn, where soon enough his comrade would have need of his services. Raife, undoubtedly, would be the first to find the note, and it would not be long now before the Magistrate himself returned, just in time to make his plans to depart. The Ordinary Man would be absent the space before then.
The time of the night was growing short, and there was still more to do.
{ Exit to: Tamryn - The Manor }
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Raife Vaughn
Initiated
Posts: 15
Title: Administrative Assistant to the Office of the Magistrate
Quote: "Will that be all, Sir?"
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Post by Raife Vaughn on Jun 29, 2017 9:23:56 GMT -5
Raife Vaughn didn't look up from her communikay as she stepped back into the Office of the Magistrate. Among the many things she'd accomplished in the last hour or so she'd managed to refresh Khrōnov's orders with a new directive: monitor the whereabouts of the Assassin Fureya. Messages were shuffled off to their destinations and the next day's itinerary had been collected, adjusted, and formatted for the Magistrate's consumption.
The Aide paused for a moment, hazel eyes sweeping the room as if she'd been alerted to a discrepancy in the Office. The click of her heels made a stark sound in the empty space as she crossed the expanse before the Magistrate's desk. As if drawn magnetically Raife honed in on the Azalethian Seal, a furrow finding its way between her brows. How had this passed under her notice? Raife offered a long glance around the interior of the Office before scooping the correspondence to rest atop the stack of paper she was never without.
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Post by Virianus Devinian on Jun 29, 2017 19:45:38 GMT -5
{ Enter from Seventh District - Tower 67, 97th Floor Penthouse }
Magistrate Virianus could not help but wonder at the nature of the unsettling sensation he experienced as he stepped off the lift into the Council Chamber, moving quickly across the floor to return to his offices. It was as if there were an extra chill in the air that had not been present before - it was the sort of sensation that usually accompanied the arrival of an entity out-of-phase with the normal nature of reality. Naturally, one of Alpha's most important gifts was the ability to detect and, usually, interact with such beings and creatures, and therefore, he was particularly aware of the presence of other. Yet, all of his senses, worldly and otherwise, were unable to discern the [particular nature or origin of the sensation that greeted Alpha's return to his office. The Magistrate resolved to keep the awareness of the other in the back of his mid, but otherwise conduct his business as usual.
Raife, of course, was awaiting his return within the office, and Alpha quickly greeted his aide as he stepped around his desk, removing the outer, most draped layer of his robes of office and depositing them, carefully folded, at a nearby chair before taking his seat.
"I have delivered my daughter's request personally to Dorya, dear Raife, and have additionally indicated to Keretheriel that accompanying her aide to meet Floraelia may well be within her best interest. Oh, and our lovely Dorya has taken on both a new name and new aesthetic to accompany her new assignment: Tahliya Carystian, I believe she is now. Be sure to update our files, and when you have the time, perhaps work with Tahliya to develop a suitable public history for the archives."
Tahilya's new persona was understandably more than a simple operational cover, and Alpha therefore had no qualms about lending more discernable legitimacy to the woman's developing persona. If Tahliya were to advance as she wished to, and as Alpha well assumed she was capable of doing, a public presence would become of paramount importance.
The Magistrate leaned back in his chair slightly as he carefully freed the mask of his office from his face, placing it at his side on the desk, face up, its blank eyes staring every which way at once. The Magistrate's grey eyes lingered on Raife, and he smiled just so slightly at her before continuing, beckoning her to his side with a small gesture of his hand.
"What have you heard from our dear Councilors and their mission? Any news of goings on near Tamryn?"
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Post by Callixta Trëguere on Jul 1, 2017 17:08:35 GMT -5
{Enter from The Manor}
Callixta Trëguere stepped much more calmly onto the ground floor of the Tower with Søren following closely. A slow exhale helped the Councilor steel her frame for the report they were going to have to make.
"What exactly are we going to say?" Callixta straightened, her expression uneasy. At least the tears had dried.
The petite mage stared at the other woman solemnly, not willing to lead the way toward the elevators until they had some sort of strategy in mind. "He's not going to be pleased about Rivea and the Marru'Khyran. Should we offer him Viers?" Søren would be able to tell from tone of voice alone that Callixta was fairly reluctant to surrender that particular scrap.
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Raife Vaughn
Initiated
Posts: 15
Title: Administrative Assistant to the Office of the Magistrate
Quote: "Will that be all, Sir?"
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Post by Raife Vaughn on Jul 1, 2017 17:57:07 GMT -5
Raife Vaughn offered up a quick glance and the hint of a smile when the Magistrate returned to his office.
"Tahliya Carystian. Understood. I'll have the necessary files updated shortly." She gave a curt nod before tapping out a quick note into her itinerary. It seemed Tahliya was making quick use of her new position and progressing quite nicely. Hazel eyes watched as his mask was laid to rest before flickering back up to meet silvered grey.
At Alpha's gesture Raife smoothly closed the distance between them, one hand closing up her communikay and putting it away while the other slipped the piece of stationary within view and onto the desk.
"No, Magistrate, not yet. However, this arrived for you," Raife indicated the sealed correspondence.
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Post by Søren Kiirkegré on Jul 1, 2017 19:30:03 GMT -5
Søren followed Callixta very closely, and the Councilor didn't miss a beat when her compatriot transported them to the bottom floor of the Tower, in the Atrium. Søren kept silent until the two female Council members were safely squirreled away inside of the Executive lift, which Søren's passcard opened. Once they were out of sight however, Søren squeezed her compatriot's hand in order to give her some reassurance, despite the fact that she herself was not feeling the least bit confident about their situation.
"We're going to be as forthcoming as we can regarding what happened - everything was fine, we had them pinned down, and then BAM! Shit went sideways. While Alpha's not likely to be happy about how the situation resolved, there isn't anything else we could have done. And, since he is a damn walking lie detector, being truthful about everything is the best strategy."
With one exception, Søren thought - Viers was potentially too valuable to give up, unless the captive was needed to save their skin. The Councilor intended to keep him safely in their back pocket until absolutely necessary.
"Except with regard to Viers. Let's keep him under wraps unless we don't have another choice - we can give him to Alpha to save our heads, but let's not mention him until the guillotine blade is already in the air."
Søren Smirked to herself, and would wait for Callixta's response, though the other woman would only have a few seconds before the lift arrived at the City Seat. Once the doors slid open, Søren would walk directly across the Council chambers and directly into the Magistrate's office to give their report. Søren would wait for Callixta to come to her side, to be acknowledged by Virianus, and then immediately begin speaking.
"Here's our report - it all went to shit."
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Post by Virianus Devinian on Jul 1, 2017 19:43:47 GMT -5
Virianus Devinian regarded the envelope that his aide pressed onto the desk extremely carefully. Something about its arrival created a sense of disquiet in the Magistrate - so much so, that instead of picking up the envelope immediately, Virianus instead reclaimed his mask of office from the tabletop, carefully seating the smiling, red-and-black jester's face back over his own before taking the envelope and opening it carefully.
The enclosed message was ordinary in terms of look, but troubling in terms of content. Beneath his mask, Alpha set his jaw and narrowed his eyes.
"Who was it that delivered this, dear Raife?"
The communication was urgent from his patterns in Azaleth, and requested his immediate presence in the Azalethian capital in order to head off a potential disaster. It was not something that Alpha could delegate to Raife or even Floraelia - he would have to go himself. Tonight.
The Magistrate's thoughts were interrupted, however, by the arrival of Søren and Callixta, who strode very pointedly into his office. As was custom, the Magistrate greeted the two women, but quickly moved on to more important matters. Alpha set the letter, folded carefully so as not to be read by his new guests, back down on his desk.
"Ah, Councilors - tell me, how fares your task?"
Luckily, Alpha did not have to wait for a response. Yet, the two Councilors would have to await a reply from Virianus, for his only initial response was to exhale heavily. Alpha slowly stood, planting each gloved hand splayed across his desktop in order to create a basis of leaning support as he regarded his Councilors.
"Explain."
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Post by Callixta Trëguere on Jul 1, 2017 20:50:43 GMT -5
Callixta Trëguere couldn't help but feel that they were both marching to the gallows. Certainly Alpha was not unreasonable but they'd not only managed to not fulfill the objectives of their orders they also had no concrete explanation as to why. In addition they'd managed to somehow completely lose track of one of the Tower's assets in the process― an asset with a handler that would be less than receptive to news once it was broken to him. The mage squeezed back on Søren's grip: whatever happened they'd face the consequences together. At her agreement that they should hang back on revealing they'd secured Viers Callixta breathed a quick sigh of relief, but rather than voice assent she chose to level a weighted stare in the other woman's direction and tip her chin in agreement. They were too close to the Seat now. No telling who or what might be listening at this juncture.
Just before the lift doors opened Callixta reluctantly let go of Søren's hand, and made to follow her out. At Alpha's greeting Callixta's arms went to parade rest behind her while her upper body bent to offer a quick bow in formality― one that froze and went slightly deeper as the other Councilor spoke. A quick exhale later and Callixta righted herself and stepped forward.
"Magistrate. . ." She paused as his posture shifted and he replied.
"We were. . . Blindsided by an unknown variable." Though she'd thought to recap the entire scene beginning from where they had a promising strategy to achieve all of their directives the Sixth District Councilor had already served up the end result. Alpha needed a concise summary, not a lengthy speech on how victorious they thought they were going to be.
"I tracked our targets to Tamryn Holdings. After the rendezvous with Rivea we tracked them more specifically to Tamryn Manor. However, shortly after we arrived― having sent Rivea in first― we. . ." Callixta stopped there, taking a moment to glance back in Søren's direction. "I'm not sure I can describe exactly what happened. Kauvrian and Dragos Syrkhan were there. Rivea was beginning to engage them as a distraction. Søren and I entered, and then everything. . ." went to shit.
"Everything froze. My perception was. . . That time was frozen. There was figure, a Woman. I understand that this sounds inane. We were there and then we simply were not. When I was able to regain control of myself we had both been transported outside of the Manor and neither of us were. . . Allowed. . . To return." Callixta's expression went subtly sour, as if she could scarcely tolerate admitting that some entity had possibly outmaneuvered her in her own arena.
"On discovering that we could no longer access the Manor we departed immediately to make our report." The petite mage shifted in discomfort. Callixta strongly disliked delivering a report that made her appear incompetent.
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Post by Søren Kiirkegré on Jul 1, 2017 21:03:24 GMT -5
Søren waited patiently for Callixta to lay out the story before interjecting. The way the Guardian's compatriot told the story was apologetic and measured; Søren took a slightly different tact.
"We had them cornered, Alpha - the woman, or thing that intervened, not only popped our lily-white asses back outside of the manor, she also sent the two we were pursuing and Rivea somewhere we couldn't determine or hope to follow. They weren't just pulled out of Tamryn."
Søren swallowed hard before continuing, knowing what she was about to say would sound like a reach.
"I don't think they only left Tamryn - the bitch who did this created a damn temporal well inside the manor. Now, I know I don't have your experience, but I've only ever heard of that kind of reality distortion happening when someone massively fucks with space-time. I think they were planeshifted."[/i]
Søren wasn't making excuses, though she crossed her arms and took on a somewhat defensive stance as she spoke anyway. The Councilor was stating her assessment; yet, she was also still fully aware how it sounded.
"Callixta couldn't track them. I don't know who else possibly could, given the circumstances."[/font]
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Raife Vaughn
Initiated
Posts: 15
Title: Administrative Assistant to the Office of the Magistrate
Quote: "Will that be all, Sir?"
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Post by Raife Vaughn on Jul 1, 2017 22:12:26 GMT -5
Raife Vaughn didn't even try to hide that Ms. Kiirkegré's outburst caused one of her brows to instantly become airborne. While the Aide somewhat expected the now less-diminutive Councilor― really what had happened to her―to be melodramatic in her report the fact that Ms. Trëguere also seemed more than somewhat shaken did not escape her notice. What had happened not just to cause them both to fail, but to speak on what had happened this way?
On closer inspection Raife noticed that Ms. Trëguere had also suffered a bit of an appearance change: the Councilor's hair was much, much shorter than what she'd left with earlier. Also she'd traded in her detailed, well-tailored silks for more generic fare somewhere along the way. The story they presented was interesting, but very disturbing.
For now Raife chose to keep her observations to herself, her features returning to a much more calm state as she listened for the Magistrate's take.
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Post by Virianus Devinian on Jul 1, 2017 22:47:04 GMT -5
Virianus Devinian listened to each word spoken by his Councilors very, very carefully, and the Magistrate kept himself silent throughout their retelling. Alpha cast an eye to Raife in order to judge her reaction, and as Søren and Callixta finished speaking, Alpha straightened his posture and said one, very careful word.
"Zenethrakarna.
The room chilled at the Nightmare's disembodied chuckle. From the shadows she stepped, her long, lithe frame and vibrant blonde hair reflecting the light in harsh contrasting tones as she stepped up just a touch too close to Søren and Callixta for either of them to be particularly comfortable.
"Oooh, would you look at this: how many Councilors does it take to catch a Marru'Khyran?
Zenethrakarna's dark, mocking tones matched the pitch black of her eyes. The Nightmare dragged a clawed finger across each woman's shoulder as she stepped past the two Councilors, undoubtedly giving the both of them a very distinct shiver at the touch. Zenethrakarna's smile was both mocking and fighting, as well as out-of-proportion for the theoretical boundaries of her human face.
"It looks like it takes two - one to loose track of them, and one to crawl back on her pretty little, hands and knees to beg daddy to send in someone with real power."
Alpha stepped around his desk as Zenethrakarna spoke, coming to stand directly before the Nightmare. The Magistrate raised a hand, and with two fingers got a grip on whatever jet-black material covered Zenethrakarna's center-chest. The Nightmare visible stilled, though her form seemed to flicker as it stood in-place.
"Your commentary is not required, Zenethrakarna. Go to the Manor, see if you can track them . . . And if you can confirm their story. Return immediately."
The Nightmare sneered, but promptly melted back into the shadows, leaving just a tiny tuft of black cloth between Alpha's fingers. The Magistrate let his arm drop to his side, and turned his masked visage back to regard the Councilors.
"You two can hardly be blamed for what has transpired . . . If what you have said is accurate."
Alpha let the threat hang as he continued a bass note flowing over the remainder of his words.
"Obviously, this presents more than one problem. While losing track of the Marru'Khyran and his companion is a tactical setback, the loss of Rivea is not only significant, but problematic where others are concerned." Naturally, the Magistrate was referring to Drænník. "We must gain control of this situation as soon as possible. Was there anything else that either of you gleaned while tracking the two through Tamryn that may assist us in any way?"
Alpha regarded the pair carefully. He was fairly certain they were not lying, though Zenethrakarna would be able to potentially clarify some portions of their story. The arrival of such an entity, however, was a problem of great significance, and Alpha knew that the Councilor's encounter had to be related to what he had felt earlier. Much was developing this night, and the Magistrate had to gain some small amount of understanding before he was forced to depart due to the notice on his desk.
"Tell me whatever you can - Zenethrakarna will return momentarily."
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Post by Callixta Trëguere on Jul 2, 2017 9:30:35 GMT -5
Callixta Trëguere barely stifled a sigh when Søren cut in to stress how they'd been removed from the situation. She'd been successfully quashing the urge to cross her arms and create a superficial boundary between herself and everyone else in the room. That was, until Alpha spoke the Creature's name. The sudden chill invading the room did warrant the mage's arm crossing, her expression hardening at the Nightmare's taunt. Despite her obvious distaste for Alpha's collared Hellhound Callixta was actually rather interested to hear Zenethrakarna's perception of what Søren had described as a temporal well. To the Fifth District Councilor it had come across as reality simply ending where there should have been vibrant folds. Like a Void in the River instead of ripples that could be adjusted.
When the Creature departed Callixta finally raised eyes of amber to the mask of the Magistrate. The Councilor was genuinely untroubled: either the entity that expelled them from the Manor was powerful enough to do the same to Zenethrakarna or it wasn't. It was a matter of scale and while both she and Søren weren't small fish in the grand scheme, demigods they were not― and that was what Callixta had decided they had to be dealing with. Even the Wicked Mage couldn't operate on that sort of scale unless something had drastically changed in the last hundred years or so. . .
At Alpha's summation Callixta's arms finally uncrossed. Oh no, Drænník was going to be deeply unhappy that his favorite possession was missing in action.
"There isn't much more to tell, unfortunately. I tracked them while Søren recovered. We didn't waste any time. As soon as she was able to proceed and Rivea was collected we moved on to Tamryn." Callixta paused, thinking. "We did have to narrow which site most likely contained our target. Wasn't there another grouping in Tamryn Proper that could have been them? We made the correct choice and went to the right place, but there was someone else, or multiple others, there." Fifth District's Councilor eyed Sixth, her brow furrowing.
There was no way that group was responsible for the interference. Was there?
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Post by Søren Kiirkegré on Jul 2, 2017 9:46:52 GMT -5
Søren Froze when Alpha summoned Zenethrakarna, her teeth pressing together much harder than was likely healthy for them. That fucking Nightmare was a large part of Søren's hesitance to be in the Tower - Zenethrakarna was everywhere, meaning that Alpha himself could not only potentially hear anything said in the Tower, and possibly the city too, but also that the damn thing kept showing up at the least opportune moments solely for the purpose of freaking Søren out. The fact that Zenethrakarna regularly startled Søren was a large part of why the Councilor hated the Nightmare so much - she hated being snuck up on.
The Guardian suppressed a shiver as the Nightmare passed between she and Callixta by clenching up instead. Like Callixta, she wasn't afraid of what the Nightmare would find - they were being truthful, so at the least Zenethrakarna should confirm their story, and possibly the creature could see more than they had and give them a new lead. Undoubtedly, whatever information imparted would be in a mocking way, but info was info, and the Councilor would worry about being sore at Zenethrakarna later, after they had some clue as to what had taken place.
Søren had been wondering if her comrade would mention the other group of 'anomalies' she had detected - the occurrence had been the first thing that jumped into the diminutive Councilor's mind when Alpha had asked his question, and Søren was quick to follow up on Callixta's interjection with some more information.
"Right - when I was scanning the town, before we moved in, I detected two separate groups of strange beings that could have fit the ones we were looking for. We followed up on the Manor lead, and ended up being right, but there was another group situated at the heart of Tamryn that we were going to circle back to as time allowed."
Søren couldn't give a lot more information than that - their energy had been voids in her Ether net, which meant there was no way she could gather real distinguishing characteristics off of them. They had chosen to check the Manor first because, logically, it made the most sense for the ones they were chasing to go there. Søren frowned slightly, and forced her arms to relax and drop to her sides.
"That's all the information we have that might be useful."
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Raife Vaughn
Initiated
Posts: 15
Title: Administrative Assistant to the Office of the Magistrate
Quote: "Will that be all, Sir?"
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Post by Raife Vaughn on Jul 2, 2017 12:27:11 GMT -5
When Zenethrakarna entered the room Raife's expression shifted to one that was matter-of-fact. Clearly some of the melodrama was warranted. Instead of paying mind to the Nightmare's customary ribbing Raife had begun to brainstorm methods of reigning Mr. Foravían in and mitigating his undoubtedly soon-to-be unpleasant sulk. While in simplest terms the Aide was aware that their resident Scientist― mad or otherwise― could construct another golem as substitute for Rivea there was the fact that Mr. Foravían might consider a debt to be owed under the circumstances.
She pressed those thoughts to the wayside as the Magistrate stepped to the Nightmare and issued his orders. Neither Ms. Trëguere nor Ms. Kiirkegré appeared ill at ease with more than the presence of Zenethrakarna: if they worried after what the Nightmare might discover they either had become exponentially more talented at lying or they were authentic in their presentation to the Magistrate.
Raife was inclined to believe the latter. While these two in particular could become an irritant for Virianus every so often they were also quite diligent in their objective to protect the Trade City. After all, the timeline did match their accounting. When it was clear she would not be interrupting, and after glancing at the Magistrate as if seeking permission, the Aide spoke up.
"I assume Ms. Kiirkegré's necessary recovery is related to her new appearance?" It was only tangentially related most likely, but the Aide insisted on collecting all pertinent information to the incident so that it might be filed away appropriately. . .
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