Chapter 2.3

[yhlee]

[Housekeeping notes: we're fast-forwarding a bit to the security conference itself. Y'all can be assumed to have obtained anything reasonable during the shopping trip, from toys for the mothlings to jams for Sasha, and whatever else. We can also assume that Seyli more than adequately trained the Lanterner assassins in the use of the equipment sold to them.]

The Cantata docked smoothly in its assigned berth at the conference's hosting station. Remi promised that he would keep the mothlings out of sight, although it seemed suspiciously clear that he was looking forward to running intelligence tests on them in the guise of "games" manufactured with the aid of the matter printer and some toy schematics he picked up during the shopping trip.

Meanwhile, Fluffy the Vraselian pseudo-dragon keeps having to be shooed out of various public areas and appears to be building a nest out of scavenged materials.

It wasn't too difficult getting basic tools/implements/weapons past the conference's security. Paranoia is high, but so are distractions. The designated "dueling fan" is within sight at the far end of a hall with highly decorated vendor booths and poster displays. She is plump, wide-eyed, and deceptively excitable in affect, although Seyli knows from working with her during the trip that she's a quick study and she's really good with knives. She is, in fact, in duelist cosplay, complete with a hot pink Space Styrofoam boffer weapon.

Two booths away from the Lanterner "dueling fan," General Shuos Jedao can be seen with his aide, talking seriously to a highly muscular, tattooed, and decorative company representative. The banner behind the booth advertises "delicious hazelnut gianduja" ration packs laced with various popular stimulants.

---

[NOTE: So there are two big options for getting involved in this move!
(a) Part of the extraction team removing Jedao, or
(b) Staying behind and preparing the Cantata for extraction. In particular, Remi is looking for one or more volunteers to help him socialize and/or test the mothlings.

Obviously, you're welcome to take a third option if one occurs to you. If you need help brainstorming involvement, please feel free to message me or ask in the comments.]

Comments

Re: Extraction continued in a new wider thread

[zuhrovet]

[Can Sasha tell whether the "cook" is receiving instructions electronically?]

Re: Extraction continued in a new wider thread

[yhlee]

[Yup, it's just shown up now in Sasha's readouts, and the activity seems to have Firecracker's signature flamboyance, which is not helping him avoid detection.]

Re: Extraction continued in a new wider thread

[kese_seyli]

[Can Seyli do like...the equivalent of an insight check on Jedao to see if he really is under the influence of the drug?]

Re: Extraction continued in a new wider thread

[yhlee]

[Absolutely. Seyli will know from whatever mission briefing happened that Jedao has a variable signifier, so scrying absolutely can NOT be trusted as an indicator. It seems to Seyli like Jedao is a little too malleable, and that his compliance should not be assumed. After all, Jedao may be a soldier but he's Shuos-trained, and the #1 thing a Shuos would do in this situation is go along in order to get more information.]

Re: Extraction continued in a new wider thread

[kese_seyli]

"I fucking hate foxes," Seyli mutters under their breath, still refusing to touch Jedao as they speed up. They're torn between believing that the drug is working, and assuming they're going to end up dead as soon as they step foot out of the hall.

Re: Extraction continued in a new wider thread

[yhlee]

"Foxes are bad," Jedao agrees with a straight face. "Do you have a dog? I like dogs. My family used to have one when I was a kid."

Extraction continues - paging Alaric and Ione

[zuhrovet]

Sasha doesn't believe that animated series about the tastes of Shuos heptarchs are the best guide to past or future history, but there was an embarrassingly memorable scene involving Khiaz, Jedao, and a flurry of goose feathers, and everything Sasha knows about geese suggests that if you have them, dogs are extraneous. "Seyli, please move faster if you can," she directs. "Some instructions are getting through to the Green Team, and I don't know how they'll react. I'll call Alaric for backup."

She then contacts Alaric and Ione: "Seyli is with Jedao. He's cooperating, but I'm not sure if it's the drug, or something else. Ione, get close and get ready for pickup. Alaric, we may need you as backup."

Re: Extraction continues - paging Alaric and Ione

[kese_seyli]

Seyli doesn't falter in their step but their temper is written across their face. "I love dogs," they manage before they can't play along anymore. "I hate foxes, but I'm pretty sure someone is about try to assassinate you so we can either pleasantly talk about dogs or start moving a whole lot faster."

Re: Extraction continues - paging Alaric and Ione

[yhlee]

"Okay!" Jedao says cheerfully. "My dueling teacher always says I need to exercise more anyway." He breaks into a dead run in a straight line.

Re: Extraction continues - paging Alaric and Ione

[yhlee]

[I want to add--Jedao canonically has superb reflexes and is in very good shape for his age, BUT the drug means that he's not as reflexy or coordinated as he usually is, in case someone wants to intervene before he gets far!]

Re: Extraction continues - paging Alaric and Ione

[hoardingpearls]

Reshad is not so likely to break her illusion of being drugged for something like this.

None the less, she blunders across Jedao and Seyli's path, exclaiming in delight at the squid mascot of a booth, while subtly tucking a shoulder as she anticipates impact.

Re: Extraction continues - paging Alaric and Ione

[yhlee]

Jedao attempts to correct course, but doesn't quite manage it in time, and barrels into Reshad.

[You tell me what happens next! Do they go down? Something else? XD ]

Re: Extraction continues - paging Alaric and Ione

[slybrarian]

Further down the concourse, Alaric hurriedly finishes a bowl of noodles he's been enjoying, throws down a tip, and palms the silverware. He's wearing something that apparently passes for popular fashion with the local Nirai; the trousers have an appropriate number of pockets but the shirt's colors, in his opinion, clash in a rather garish way. Well, it can't be helped, he needed to be dressed believably as an off-duty individual: a helpful medic, a technician, an astrophysicist, whatever happened to fit the exact circumstances.

It's not that hard to find Reshad, or rather, not hard to find Jedao.

"I see them," he responds. "Moving in to join them." And in the meantime keeping an eye on Reshad's back, in case there was an assassin coming up from this direction rather than the one Jedao had come from.

Re: Extraction continues - paging Alaric and Ione

[hoardingpearls]

Success! Reshad is a small woman, but with her readiness for the hit, she keeps her feet. Barely, from the look of it - she clings to his sleeves, her face a portrait of shock and shame. "I am so sorry," she says. "Here - let me just fic your sleeve-"

A sharp look over his shoulder at Seyli. They need to go, yes - but as quietly as they can.

Re: Extraction continues - paging Alaric and Ione

[yhlee]

"Oh no, no," Jedao says, "the fault's all mine. I'm not usually all left feet. So very thoughtful of you, though." He fiddles with the edge of one glove, a weird sort of nervous tic he must have picked up from the Kel. "I've always thought the fashions in sleeve length out among the Lanterners were so confusing. Different kinds of lace and all. Do you like lace? I left my nice lace gloves in my hotel room, even though there's supposed to be a dance at some point, wasn't there?"

fashion is so confusing

[zuhrovet]

[Are nice lace gloves actually a thing in this time period? How disturbing do the Kel find them?]

Re: fashion is so confusing

[yhlee]

[This is not something I ever mentioned in the books, sorry, but nice lace gloves are a Thing for the Kel for dress-up occasions/formal dances in this time period, and on and off in others. This is because I bought nice fingerless lace gloves and wanted an excuse to wear them, sorry not sorry.]

Re: Extraction continues - paging Alaric and Ione

[kese_seyli]

Seyli books it to the entrance, ahead of Reshad and Jedao, doing their best to stay close but out of the way for assistance.

Re: Extraction continues - paging Alaric and Ione

[hoardingpearls]

[Is Jedao in Kel uniform? How much lace is currently visible on his person?]

Re: Extraction continues - paging Alaric and Ione

[yhlee]

[Jedao is indeed currently in Kel uniform, medium formal but with lace-edged gloves--eccentric but not actually against code.]

Jedao looks around hazily, then spots Seyli and waves, pointing them out to Reshad. "That's my friend," he says enthusiastically, then falters. "What did you say your name was?"

[Curse you autocorrect--I'm on mobile at present.]

can we leave before the cops show up? - paging Alaric, Reshad, and Sulen

[zuhrovet]

"We're expecting company from the station in fifteen [hexarchate] minutes, twenty at most," Sasha reports. "Alaric, can you collect Reshad and Sulen?"

Re: can we leave before the cops show up? - paging Alaric, Reshad, and Sulen

[hoardingpearls]

"The bathroom is right over there," Reshad informs the moaning woman. The existence, or lack thereof, isn't important.

She wants, oh how she wants, to find out the voice-hearer's connection to the orders they're failing to carry out. But... So little time.

[If it looks like her augment is providing the 'voices,' she'll go with Alaric.]

Re: can we leave before the cops show up? - paging Alaric, Reshad, and Sulen

[yhlee]

The moaning woman meanders off, clutching her belly.

[It looks like the "voices" are coming from the augment.]

Re: can we leave before the cops show up? - paging Alaric, Reshad, and Sulen

[venndaai]

Sulen attempts to casually wander towards Reshad while not turning their back on the crowd. They're not very good at 'casual', so it's a good thing no one's likely to be judging the attempt.

Re: can we leave before the cops show up? - paging Alaric, Reshad, and Sulen

[slybrarian]

Alaric's careful to make sure he doesn't sneak up on Reshad, approaching from the side in hopes of not startling her. Much like Sulen, casual isn't easy, but harried he can do pretty well. "There you are. We're running behind schedule, we need to hurry if we're going to make our, ah, appointment on time."

Not that there seems to be anyone paying attention to what they're saying, but just in case.