Demiurge says "Shannen, you'd just heard the Symphonic noise cross-town, and left the reviving Sarah to go and investigate?"
Shannen nods.
Demiurge says "Okay. You've got a rough sense of where it was - in the middle of the business district - and how far from where you were."
Demiurge says "How do you plan to get there?"
Shannen umms "If it's not too far, I'll walk or run 8) Otherwise, I guess I take the metro."
Demiurge says "It's a couple of miles cross-town."
Demiurge says "You could probably try and get the metro to the nearest stop, then try and track from there."
Demiurge says "It was a biggish noise. It's taking a while to die away."
Shannen will do that, then.
Demiurge says "Okay. You emerge from the Metro, a short while later. You still have the sense that the Symphonic disturbance is a few minutes walk _that_ way. You also observe that traffic seems somewhat snarled-up in that direction. Possibly a correlation, you deduce."
Shannen says "I'll follow the traffic problem as best I can while still keeping the disturbance in line."
Demiurge says "They both go in the same direction. You find yourself in the shade of a big office block, in front of which a fire engine is parked (and holding up the traffic) and police cars and a nice Mercedes and a load of gawkers."
Shannen says "Is the building on my side of the street or the other?"
Demiurge says "Your side of the street."
Shannen decides to mingle among the gawkers, trying to pick up any floating information before asking a close one "What happened?"
Shannen says "Oh yeah, what shape is the building in and what's the name? :)"
Demiurge says "The building is one of those twenty-story things, clearly housing a number of businesses. You can note the number, though you can't tell which businesses without going closer to enquire."
Demiurge says "The general chatter is that there's been a fire in one of the offices, some sort of terrorist attack. The person you buttonhole informs you that it was Focals Investments, a surprising target as they shouldn't have any real enemies."
Shannen says "Is the building closed off?"
Demiurge says "There are some people going in and out, though there are also police hovering at the door and checking them."
Shannen nods politely to whomever she had been speaking with "Thank you." and, chews on her lip slightly, looking at the building and then the policeman and then the Mercedes, tilting her head slightly, then speaks again to the man "Do they have an idea of who did it? Or why?" She blushes faintly.
The man shrugs. "They're thinking terrorists, I heard one of them say. Or corporate data thieves."
Firemen begin to troop out, with hoses and canisters slung over their shoulders, somewhat smeared with soot and foam and so on.
Shannen nods again, frowning and shaking her head "Such violence is so terrible.." she whispers, getting up on tiptoe a little to watch things, glancing back at the Mercedes, moving a little bit towards it.
Shannen decides not to investigate further, but to head back to the Opera House.
Demiurge says "As you were heading back across town, you might have heard more Symphonic disturbance."
Demiurge says "Roll?"
Shannen ois and whaps these fools "Combat bad :("
<
Shannen has low perception :(
Demiurge says "Well, you picked up something. Sounded like people going Celestial. Can't be
sure what, though."
Demiurge says "Anyhow, one metro ride later, you emerge near the opera house."
Shannen makes her way up to the front entrance of the Opera house, peering inside for anything
familiar.
Nobody seems to be hanging round suspiciously. There are a couple of people inside buying
tickets, and a woman at the ticket desk.
Shannen steps inside, looking around carefully as she heads to the ticket desk, looking any signs
of the washroom.
The washrooms are over to one side of the foyer. It has been an hour or more since you left Sarah
here, mind.
Shannen will investigate the washroom for any sign of Sarah or someone else familiar, and if none
can be found, return to El Cafe Grande (or whatever I called it..)
There is no obvious sign of Sarah's presence in the washroom, or any note left by her.
The woman at the ticket desk looks across enquiringly as Shannen emerges from the washroom.
Shannen says "How far away is the ticket desk?"
Demiurge says "Across the foyer of the reception area. Perhaps twenty yards."
Shannen doesn't freeze, but manages a nice blush, shaking her head slightly in the woman's
direction.
The woman nods politely, and goes back to her business.
Shannen makes her way out of the opera house and pauses a few yards outside, tapping her foot
and looking about thoughtfully.
A Hitherbird drops neatly off the roof and lands, unless dodged, on Shannen's shoulder.
Hitherby croaks, cheerfully, "Hey."
Shannen is startled at the unexpected visit, but smiles brightly, looking around for anyone else
before replying "Hey there. What's happening - where are others?" and begins to slowly walk
around to a more deserted side of the building, if there is one.
There is, indeed, a more deserted side of the building: round on the east side is sparsely populated.
Hitherby fluffs her feathers, clearly in deep thought. "Keyros in t' office. Otters went 'way."
Hitherby says, "You wan' be bikkup, hang 'bout. You wan' tokk? Can get bughs 'ways from heer."
Hitherby is clearly not at her most articulate. Perhaps it's the beak.
Shannen stares at Hitherbird for the most part, mouthing something as Hitherbird speaks, a slow
blush creeping on her face "I am having soo much trouble understanding.." She pauses "There's
a .. Kyrio inside? Who? .. umm, talk or backup? I .. sure .."
Hitherby croaks, "Seph-far."
Shannen tilts her head slightly "Have I met .. Seph-far?"
You paged Hitherby and Shannen with 'Shannen may or may not know about him: he's a local
Kyrio of Jean.'.
Hitherby eyes Shannen beadily, silent.
From afar, to Demiurge and Hitherby, Shannen decides to cause trouble and decides no :)
From afar, to Demiurge and Shannen, Hitherby isn't going to speak, btw. She considers her
silence enough of a statement, particularly since birds don't shrug :)
Shannen nods slowly "I.. guess not. How and where is everyone and .. should umm, we find a
better way to talk?" She's blushing more now.
Someone's shadow falls round the edge of the alley that you two are standing in, evidently about
to turn the corner. There are various niches that you could quickly step into to hide.
Hitherby croaks, helpfully, "Shur."
Shannen decides that stepping into a niche shows wisdom, and tries to do so as quietly and
quickly as corporeally possible.
<
A thuggish type with ripped leathers and a brown ponytail - yes, the presumptive Calabite from
earlier - stalks by, muttering to himself.
Hitherby considers her resources, and decides that now is not the optimum time to fight a
Calabite, although it'd be as good a time as any to beat up a Balseraph or Habbalite.
Hitherby hence stays silent.
Shannen's eyes open very wide and she holds her breath, internally praying that this will be a
nice-sort of Calabite.
The Calabite stalks past, apparently not having the native wit to spot you hiding in the niche. As
he stalks past, you catch, "damned computers... bloody bodyhoppers... pick every single feather
out of their wings..."
Shannen draws in a little breath, turning eyes to look at Hitherbird.
Hitherby ignores the Calabite's threat display, because, well, all Calabim are making a threat
display all the time.
The Calabim turns at the end of the alley, heading round the back of the opera house. The
mumbling dies away.
Hitherby launches herself from Shannen's shoulder, trying to get above the opera house in time
to see where the Calabite is going.
Shannen . o O ( Reminder to self: Hitherby is trouble. )
Shannen follows suit, trying to quietly, but quickly, stalk after said Calabite, knowing full well that
wherever it's going isn't good.
<
Demiurge says "Make a Move Silently roll, Shannen."
<
Demiurge says "Hitherby, from your perspective you see the guy heading towards the opera back
entrance, when something alerts him. His head turns slightly, just at the moment that Shannen
peers round the corner after him."
Hitherby (aigh)
The Calabite, in a vague way, turns to saunter away from the opera house, heading into a
side-alley.
Shannen looks around for a second, and continue to quietly (hah) follow after, biting her lip and
looking up up for Hitherbird for a quick second.
Hitherby starts snapping up birds from the roof exponentially. She has to keep her human host,
and probably still needs the bugs, so she has ... 15 virtual Forces to be birds with. How many she
gets depends on how many they take :)
Hitherby figures either 5, 7, or 15, and is guessing 7.
Demiurge thinks 7 sounds fair.
The Calabite is definitely heading into the sleazy area of town that borders on here, trudging down
the street with the occasional glance into a glass window.
Hitherby can't hurry the process; she has to get a second bird, then two more, then three more.
She just hopes the screaming won't start until she can get *moving*.
Shannen pauses and looks back at the opera house, then back to the Calabite. She decides to
remain there, watching in the general direction of the Calabite, lip-chewing underway.
The Calabite turns a corner and vanishes from sight.
Demiurge says "(Hitherby, you now have your full number of birds.)"
Hitherby sends one out in a fast scouting pass over where the Calabim was last seen heading. She
doesn't want him to set a trap and *then* have Shannen decide to follow him. However, if he's
just walkin', she'll regroup.
Shannen looks a little relieved. Well, not really. She begins to once again follow after, although
very very slowly, looking around for Hitherbird.
Demiurge says "Hitherby, your bird sees the Calabite loitering in the arch of a shop doorway,
arms folded, in a lying-in-wait sort of posture."
<
Hitherby goes with her first plan of action, because time is critical. She drops five birds onto the
rooftop behind him, where he can't see them (hopefully); that scout lands somewhere where it can
see the Calabite, ideally also without being seen, and circles if there's no good place; one drops
towards Shannen's shoulder again.
Demiurge says "You don't think that the Calabite has seen your scout-bird, Hitherby."
Hitherby will croak, as soon as she gets to Shannen's shoulder, "Trrr" pause "ap."
Shannen smiles with a lot of relief when any bird makes an appearance, when Hitherbird actually
speaks, she feels much much better, letting out a breath and responding softly "Wha-what do we
d-d-do?"
Hitherbird cranes its neck back the way we came.
Shannen nods faintly and begins to make her way back, mostly walking backwards or sideways,
keeping an eye on the corner it disappeared around "This is certainly.. interesting.."
Hitherby would love it if there was a billboard or weak ridge or something that five full-strength
Hitherbys could shove onto the Calabite's head once Shannen is in relative safety. However, she
does not expect this to be the case.
Demiurge says "There is no obvious thing to dump on the Calabite's head, Hitherby,
unfortunately."
The Calabite begins to morosely tear up a street poster on the door as it waits semi-patiently.
Hitherby will stay steady-state until Shannen decides what she is going to do. Talking as a bird
is too difficult. And watching the Calabite sit out in the middle of nowhere waiting for a follower
who isn't showing up is sort of fun.
Shannen will stop to catch her breath when she's a good distance away from the Calabite "Thanks
a lot, Hither." She smiles brightly for a second "I owe you big, how .. about some coffee or just
plain getting out of here?"
Hitherby croaks, "'Kay."
Hitherby flies the six Calabite watchers to the back-side roof of the opera house, most of them
staying in the shadows, while one accompanies Shannen.
After about ten minutes, the Calabite kicks in a window, and storms off.
Shannen nods "You know where my place is? .. my coffee shop and all?"
Hitherby croaks agreeably.
Shannen smiles "Great - meet me there? Umm, my place is right up above. Small, quaint, planted."
She winks and lets out a breath "It'd be really funny if I got on the metro with a bird on my
shoulder and all."
Hitherby croaks sadly. "Cah'ant."
Shannen ohs softly "Why not?"
Hitherby morks. "Well, 'kay." She looks reluctant for a moment more, and then takes off.
Hitherby *thuum!* go the wings.
Shannen watches Hitherbird flie off and then makes her way for El Grande Cafe.
Demiurge suggests you shift scene to "arrival at cafe".
Shannen does the wavey-wavey thingie.
Hitherby releases a bird back at the house when she gets to the cafe and spends the time until
Shannen gets there trying to nab a talk-size swarm.
Demiurge says "You can probably put together a swarm of flies fairly easily, Hitherby."
Hitherby grumbles. *Peasant* bugs.
Hitherby will use those until she can find something else, though.
Hitherby will hover in front of Shannen when she arrives and hum, vaguely, "Hi ho!"
Shannen steps inside the cafe for a second, just enough to wave to Wendy and say "I'll be
upstairs.", flashing a smile to the crowd, and then makes her way around the side of the building
and up a flight of stairs arranged there. (*ponders putting a picture of this on a web page or
something - imagine a two-story, stone building with a balcony on one side and some stairs
leading up to the balcony. Yeah.*)
Hitherby follows.
Hitherby says, cheerfully, "I've got the stage manager. And the Shedite's dead."
Shannen sighs softly, shaking her head a little, then relaxes "Poor thing..", opening the door for
Hitherbugs "I hope you're okay - was anyone else involved?"
---