[M doesn't sit in a dark corner! She actually sits in a booth, sliding into the seat on one side and crossing her legs. She leans forward, folding her hands.] * Togo slides in across from M, and waits for Herman to get seated. * Herman has a seat on Togo's side and sets Ten down on the table. She looks cute. * Ten is cute and on the table and just a doll. ["I trust you're not offended at my precautions? You understand, I have to be careful with this information. If one of Darcy's spies found me, I could be in great danger."] ( Also, gimme sight checks, +4 ) Fair enough. * Togo grins a bit. "Normally, I'd start asking questions about the fangs, but you saved my ass, and the Old Man obviously likes you, which is more'n good enough for me." [She mmms thoughtfully again. "So you've seen them? Well, I'll answer for you. If you haven't already guessed, yes, I am a vampire."] [She sits up, recrossing her legs. "My name is Magnolia. I faithfully served Darcy O'Riley as a secretary, and not to mention a lover, for half a century."] Had a falling out? [She nods. "Ms. O'Riley used to be much different. We lived quietly, not causing many problems with the mortals." She smiles sadly. "She never cared about power. We had plenty of money, and just living... er... not-living with me was enough."] Doesn't sound bad. Guess that changed. [She frowns. "Or so I'd thought. But now I see that the only reason Darcy never contended with the big shots for power was because she didn't know how to get into the game without becoming a major target."] [She turns her gaze to you. "Darcy has an artifact any vampire would love to get, you see. The Blood Orb. Making a name for herself would have just made her a target."] Blood Orb makes a vampire pretty much invincible, right? Removes most of the major weaknesses. [She nods. "And that should have been enough. But all that changed twenty years ago."] ["We went on vacation to Japan. There, we were confronted by some mortals who needed the Blood Orb for some ritual. In exchanged, they promised to spread Ms. O'Riley's name among prominent demons of the underworld."] Doesn't sound worth it to me. Why'd she want that? 'cause what demon wouldn't want a nearly-invincible vampire as an earthly agent? ["I thought so myself. But it turns out that many demons found it more than beneficial to empower a nearly invincible vampire.... exactly."] Well... yeah, but then you're running errands or... whatever it is demons want. ["She doesn't realize that she's their pawn. She believes she's in control."] [Magnolia shakes her head. "And all that power has gone to her head."] She's getting ambitious? ["Surely a man in your line of work knows of the situation in Ireland? It's not terrorists that are causing martial law, it's vampires. They're able to do so thanks to Darcy. HESO can't even go near Ireland.] * Herman nods. Totally unsurprised. I knew about that. I was more sayin' that there's gotta be some bigger plan behind that than just creating an amusement park for vampires out of the ol' Emerald Isle. ["And her plans don't stop with Ireland. She plans to cover all of Europe in darkness eventually. I'm sure that suits the demon's plans; they've already had her acquire an item from the British Museum, here in London. With Covenant's help, of course."] The Rosetta Stone. *curses* Yeah, we were there for that one. Great. Why darkness? Just for her vampire friends? ["So she believes. But I'm willing to bet that the demons have their own agenda."] Yeah. ["Ms. O'Riley is enjoying her popularity as the most powerful vampire in the world, you see. But she's not terribly intelligent."] Enormous power with a fun-sized mind. Always a fun combination. [Magnolia nods again. "As she grew in power, she began to treat me worse and worse. I couldn't take it anymore."] And you ended up here, found the Old Man, and through him found me. [She nods. "Precisely." She leans back. "Now that I've filled you in on the background, let's get down to business."] ( "But first, I need a drink." *bites Herman* "Hey!" ) (Yes, because Herman needs more problems.) (Would I become lesbian, too?) ["I have a plan. What I need is someone to carry it out."] (With great difficulty) * Togo tilts his head. "You have my attention." ["Ms. O'Riley is planning to hold a Vampire Tournament. Vampires will fight in pairs. The winners gain the Blood Orb. Or rather, a cheap copy."] That sounds... uh. * Herman doesn't look like he knows *what* to say to that. ["She doesn't have the power to make a real copy, but she can make a weaker one. One that can, say, protect the wearer from sunlight."] ["She isn't stupid enough to give away the real thing, of course."] Well said, Herman. *nods at Mag* Go on. * Retrieving #mc3-2 modes... [Magnolia smiles, baring her fangs. "But, you see, she can't very well have the real blood orb in her possession while she's giving the prize away, either."] Sounds like vamps'll enter just for a shot at taking the real thing from her, yeah. [She nods. "She'll be vulnerable during the award ceremony. In addition, I can supply you with the location of the vault where she'll be keeping the Rosetta stone and the real Blood Orb."] And a way to get into the vault? Or should we just bring a big brick of Semtex? ["That, I can't help you with. The door is locked by computer, and Darcy only gives the codes to people she trusts, one of which is no longer me."] ["Not to mention it will have guards. But I can tell you all about them."] * Herman nods. He's listening! * Togo frowns. "Any information on the type of computer? One of my guys out there can do wonders with computer security systems." [She nods, "Perhaps I can help with that too. But before I say anything more, I want you to promise that, should you use my information, kill Darcy and break into her vault, I want you to bring the Blood Orb to me."] [She adds, "In return, in addition to the information I'm about to give you, I will also supply HESO with information about the other vampires in Ireland, allowing them to quickly bring the country back into order."] * Togo frowns. "What do you want it for, if you don't share her grand ambitions? Just personal protection?" [She nods. "I do not have her ambitions. But as I said before, what vampire wouldn't want the Blood Orb? To walk in the sunlight and be impervious to attacks?"] Point. *turns to Herman* Whaddya think? * Herman shrugs. "You know better than me." No offense, Magnolia, but I don't really like the idea of any vampire having that orb. But if it has to be out there, I guess I don't mind her having it more than Darcy. ["Not even in exchange for my information? You realize, of course, that even if you do kill Darcy, the other vampires will be in a frenzy, tearing through Ireland to find that orb?"] (Sorry, people came in to talk to me. Didn't finish what Herman said.) * Togo shrugs. "We know Darcy is bad news. Big, big bad news. As evil plans go, 'covering Europe in Darkness so the undead and demons can run free' ranks up there. Can't see things being much worse." ["The Blood Orb is an artifact coveted by all vampires. As long as they think they have a chance at getting it, they'll stop at nothing to do so."] I'm inclined to agree to your terms, Magnolia. One question, before you start filling us in on the details... if Darcy is going to be at the awards ceremony while we break in, why would we have to kill her? ["Because even without the Blood Orb, she'd still have her demonic powers. Do you think she'll simply forget about it if you leave her alive?"] True. But she'll also be in the middle of a large group of vampires. If we're going to do this, I'd think we'd wanna be in and out as quickly as possible. * Togo shrugs. "I'm open to being convinced otherwise, if you have a workable idea." [She shakes her head. "You misunderstand just how powerful Darcy is right now. The best, perhaps only, opportunity there is to defeat her is to take her by surprise. There's a few ways to do this."] [She counts on her fingers. "You can shoot her from afar. However, I imagine this would be difficult to do with a wooden bullet."] Very. ["You can rush her. However, there will be a number of vampires between you and her, and that may not give you enough of a chance to surprise her."] And we're not that crazy. Usually. Agreed. ["Or you can become vampires, enter the tournament and win, and kill her when she's two feet away and presenting the award."] ... I kinda like sunlight. That's not gonna be workable. [She frowns. "It is, by far, the best chance."] (She just wants to vamp Togo and Herman.) (And then Togo can be lesbian, too!) It also requires two of my people to become vampires. No offense, but that's not gonna fly. [She sighs. "Fine. But then, do you have a better idea?"] After the ceremony, she's gonna come back to the vault to retrieve the Orb as soon as possible, right? [She nods. "Yes, but likely with several body guards."] How many is several? Is it less than she'd have in the competition? 'Cause we'd still have a better shot then. [I couldn't say for certain. Some vampires, possibly some demons."] ["More likely, more. The demons are interested in the Rosetta stone, remember, not the competition."] ["More likely, more. The demons are interested in the Rosetta stone, remember, not the competition."] * Togo frowns. "If we set up so that we surrounded them on all sides as they approached where the vault is, and lobbed in grenades, we could soften them up enough... I don't know the layout, though." [She frowns. "It seems... doubtful."] You know the layout better than I do. No large room or open space they have to pass through on the way to the vault that we could ambush them in? [She shakes her head. "Large room, yes, but nothing to hide behind. And if you brought the building down with your explosives, you'd suffer more than she would."] * Togo shakes his head. "It's times like these I wish I had enough connections to requisition an air strike." *turns to Herman* "You're our magic guy. Any ideas?" * Herman shrugs. "I can keep an escape open for if things get bad, but I need a few minutes to cast it. It's not instant." I could set up a shield which could hold the demons out... doesn't really help in killing her, though. [Magnolia shakes her head. "She'll come after you if she survives. She'll spend every effort to get the Blood Orb back."] * Herman frowns and thinks. "Well..." You can do that instant sunlight thing. How intense can you make it? Pretty bright. First time I used it on a vampire was with you guys. * Herman looks at Darcy. "How's she at taking sunlight without the orb?" [Magnolia shrugs. "I'm not sure. It might work, but with her powers I can't say for certain."] * Herman nods. "It's probably our best shot." Otherwise, give me enough time and I can seal off the room. But I can't cast both spells at once. ["It sounds risky."] We could ambush her at the awards ceremony, use the sunlight to take out some of the vamps, grenades for the rest, and then throw the kitchen sink at Darcy. [Magnolia shakes her head. "She'll have the Blood Orb copy, remember?"] It'd work for everyone else. ["Up until she gives it away, at least."] ["That's true, but then you'd have to fight her head on."] That's prolly gonna hafta happen regardless. Even if we did the 'turn into vampires' plan. ["Not if you staked her before she saw it coming."] Better with her under sunlight, weakened a bit from repeated explosions... true. Not sure we have anyone with that level of skill in our group, though. [She shrugs. "As I said, it might work... But even if it does, the demons at the vault will likely take the Rosetta Stone elsewhere if they get wind of it. You'd need to hit both places at once."] * Herman looks at Togo. "Ashley." Definitely. That part is workable. Yeah. So tell us about the guards at the vault, and anything you can about the vault itself. [She sighs. "If you're sure you can win.... Fine. At the vault will be a few vampire guards. Probably weak ones with firearms. Darcy likes to keep the place discreet. However..."] [She leans forward. "You can almost bet a demon will be guarding it. Probably Lix Tetrax or Victoria Taltosh. Or both, if you're unlucky."] * Herman sighs. "Great." ( Hey! How come my cousin's working for the bad guys! I call foul!) [She nods. "I don't know what the demons are planning, but it's something big, and it involves the Rosetta stone."] That... well, Ashley *does* know Lix, Herman. Don't know if that'll help... do you think he can bluff himself and Volt past a demon? Not if he's killing Darcy. I'd say, unless your companions pack more firepower than I think, there's no way for you to break into the vault AND kill Darcy at the tournament."] * Herman blinks, looks like he's about to say something, and then gives up. ... question, and please don't take this the wrong way. If we steal the orb, and get it back to you quickly... wouldn't Darcy be coming after you first, and not us? [She eyes Togo. "Only if she doesn't think you have it anymore. And if she does and you make me a scapegoat, I'll be after you, too."] ... I got an idea. * Togo nods. "Just askin'. Wasn't sure if we were assuming that she'd be able to figure out who got the Orb." *turns to Herman* "Hmm?" * Herman pulls out his phone and flips it open. "Gonna call Sarah. They're already in Ireland." It'd be doubling our firepower. ... an excellent idea. They have their own hacker, so they can get through the vault without Volt. You really think we should take the vamp side? * Herman looks to Magnolia. "When's this tournament again?" "Monday, two days from now, starting at midnight." Gotcha. * Herman dials Sarah. * Herman smiles a little. "Hey. It's Herman. How goes the vampire hunting?" I'm thinking we should deal with the vamps, since we have the sun spell and the endless supply of grenades. I'm open to persuasion, though. * Herman covers his phone and says to Togo, "They're way better at combat than we are. And if vamps burn really good, they're probably fine. I'll see what she thinks." * Herman uncovers the phone and says into it, "We got one." We're talking to Darcy's old girlfriend now. Looks like there'll be a tournament in a couple of nights where Darcy won't have the orb on her. Yeah, that's what I thought. It's for Blood Orb Lite, sounds like. Just to stop the sunlight effects and stuff. (More tasteless, less filling?) A vampire tournament. Teams of two. * Herman rolls his eyes. "I don't think *entering* is a good idea. But staking her when she's at it or going from the tournament to the vault where she put the orb is." Yeah. Ashley knows one of 'em. We really can't do this by ourselves, and it sounds like you guys can't, either. But two days is long enough for us to get to Ireland and help you out. * Herman says, seriously, "Dying's one way to get out of a marriage. What do you think?" (Herman and Sarah enter the tournament together! Herman likes Sarah because he becomes lesbian by being vamped!) (But now she's a lesbian and doesn't like guys! We need to get Herman boobies first!) (Sarah can cast the boobies! spell on him.) (!) (Problem SOLVED!) * Herman waits a little, then says, "So, want to meet up in Ireland and figure out who's doing what from there?" ( Herman, would you do me a favor and try on this completely innocent and non-magical girdle? ... ) Will do. I think we've got more info coming, too. I'll call about where to meet later. (call -> phone) No problem. Oh, and Sarah. For the information, Darcy's old girlfriend wants the blood orb. I don't think she'll do anything awful with it, and some vamp'd probably get it eventually, but as a heads up. Yeah. It really is. I'll call you after we figure all this out. Bye. * Herman removes the phone and hangs up. "We're going to Ireland." [Magnolia, who has been waiting patiently all this time, folds her hands again. "You have a plan now?"] ... Kinda the start of a plan. [She frowns. "It's not too late to become vampires, you know. I can do it here and now."] Yeah, I'll pass on that. Sorry. (Though living thousands of years would probably do wonders for my magic.) ["Fine. But I'd placing a lot of trust on you. The Old Man thinks you can do it, but if you can't I've just signed my own death warrant."] ( Not said: "But you're already dead." "... re-death warrant. Better?" "Yes, actually." ) Old Man's never been wrong before. * Herman nods. "Maybe you should talk to Lukas about the security system." He looks to Togo. "And we'll need floor plans and locations. Right?" [She nods. "I'm not much of a computer person, but I'll do what I can."] * Togo nods. "I'll contact my researchers back in the states, get them started on anything that can help us against either of those demons." * Herman nods. [She nods again, and stands. "Well, then. I'll be staying here in London. I'm sure you understand, I can't go back to Ireland while Darcy is still alive."] Yeah, I bet. Lukas is, uh, the tall blond guy. Probably still getting drunk. Can't miss him. I know some people who can put you up someplace safe if you want. ["Thanks, but I can manage."] * Togo nods. "Hey, you saved my ass. Least I could do. ["Oh yes, that reminds me."] ["When you deliver the Blood Orb to me, I shall reveal the location of Covenant's other headquarters in Britain."] Don't like them much either, huh? [She nods. "I know little about their organization, but I don't trust it."] * Togo grins. "That's what I call sweeteng the pot." * Herman snickers. Hey, I'd give my right eye to spend more time with Rachel. *smirks* * Herman slides out of the booth and stands, pipe held loosely in his left hand. He picks Ten up with his right. * Ten gets picked up without resistance! [She nods. "Well, if you'll excuse me..." She heads towards Lukas.] * Herman watches her go. This'll be fun. * Togo nods, and follows... * Herman walks over to the others. [End.]