Nov 23 21:31:08 107 PA - Final Recruitment

From Chronicles

Nov 23 21:31:08 107 PA.

NIGHTINGALE

The day is at that tipping point between afternoon and evening, the workers heading home for sleep to recharge for the next day, but the attractive couples coming in looking for some drink and entertainment. In fact, it seems as if there's an overabundance of women of various species present on the Nightingale's dance floor tonight. The clue comes in for anyone who happens to catch a glimpse of a long strip of plastic piled up on the floor that in broken letters announces, "Annette's Bachelorette Party." This also explains the various numbers of potentially embarrassing sexual-assistance objects on the floor. The owners are apparently feeling lenient tonight. Perhaps the girl is rich, who knows. At any rate, Gabriel is sitting at the bar, half on, half off the stool, nursing a brown, translucent bottle. Unlike his normal rather martial clothing, he appears quite casual tonight, enjoying the oddities of the woman and her friends.

Leonard is not especially attractive, and the raven perched upon his shoulder probably does not qualify them as a couple. Still, there is much to be said for a good drink... even if part of the room is oddly decorated for single or soon-to-not-be-single women. He quirks a brow and takes a wide berth of the objects on his way to the bar.

With his face full of amusement, Gabriel tips his bottle again, a rare brew of some kind of fizzy soda that comes in a genuine bottle instead of a can. As the blaring music of the young woman's party suddenly comes to a grinding halt - most likely one of the more inebriated members of the party accidentally kicking the plug out - he seems to take note of the more colorful members of the rest of the crowd. Leonard himself may not be particularly noteworthy - fair enough, as Gabriel is nothing special either - but it's hard to miss a man with a raven on his shoulder in a nightclub. Perhaps a koala next time. At any rate, the soda bottle is raised and wiggled, hopefully to grab the other man's attention.

Now, a koala would look outright strange. Not to mention shed. It is the raven that notices the gesture while Leonard tries to get the bartender's attention to order his wine. That's enough, though, because the man turns to approach Gabriel along the bar. "Hello. Are you here for the entertainment?" He grins with a nod towards the drunken women.

Gabriel looks down and chuckles visibly, then extends his free hand toward the other man. "No, no. When we got married, women got clothes, hats, and cleaning tips, and men got a couple of beers and advice from older men." He nods his chin in the bachelorette's direction. "This? Not only would no one have dreamed of it, but as far as I know, the, ah... dildo... had yet to be invented. How're you doing, Leonard." Sure, it may be an odd greeting, but there it is. Oh, and good, someone plugged the music back in.

"One of the miracles of technology?" Leonard chuckles and reaches over to take his arriving drink. "I'm well, thank you. Yourself?" He takes a sip of the wine. "You wished to see me on something important?"

The older man tips back his soda again, nodding. "Yes, thanks for coming. I'll try not to take up too much of your time. Let me just plow right into things. You are aware that Miss Tirzah is dead, correct? If you do not know, you now know. Also, if you do not know who is responsible, it's a man named Ahriman. Frankly, I'd never heard of the man until a few weeks ago, and now I have not only a grudge against him for Tirzah's death, but other factors that I cannot state." Gabriel opens a palm in the man's direction. "Are we both up to speed?" It clearly doesn't sound like an insult or a patronism, just business.

Leonard sighs through a frown, nodding. "I knew one and heavily suspected the other. Unfortunately, I've heard of him and had the displeasure of dealing with him. She isn't the first person he's killed, but hopefully the last. He has attacked me on at least on occasion."

"Oh," Gabriel says. Not surprised, just making a clear mental note of this new information. "I'm sorry to hear that. But, that might be good in this case." The bottle is tipped again, then set on his lap. "I'm going after him. It's my opinion, and the opinion of others, that he's done enough damage to this godforsaken piece of property," the man says, waving his free hand to indicate Kingsdale proper. "The cops are clearly uninterested in doing anything about it. I've always respected the Law, but my respect for the Law ends where Right and Wrong begin. In these unfortunate, extreme situations, the Law is obviously inadequate. In order to shame its inadequacy, it is necessary to act outside the Law and pursue natural justice. Not revenge." The older man's eyes don't burn with fury, just commitment. "This is not vengeance. Revenge is not a valid motive, it's an emotional response. This isn't vengeance. Not for me, not for Miss Sage, not for the city. This is punishment. If God wants to judge me when I'm dead and determines that I'm wrong, I'll deal with it then." That's probably more of a speech than necessary. Not quite sure if he's actually asked anything yet.

"There's nothing wrong with vengeance." Leonard shrugs, moving Edgar slightly. Not that it disturbs the avian's stare much. "What did you have in mind? I regret letting him live the time or two, so I'm more than interested in correcting that."

Gabriel shrugs his shoulders a bit. "Well, my plan, based on my experience, is very simple. I've been snooping around for more than a week. Ahriman spends most of his time outside the walls. Assuming that he sticks to a well-traveled or at least predictable route, ambush. It's what my team and I did for the first ten years of my military experience." The bottle is raised and lowered again. "I don't understand magic, frankly, which scares me. When I'm scared of things because I don't know enough about the problem, the fear is good." He cocks an eyebrow as if in questioning for agreement or not. He then lays it out. "Ambush. We put together a minefield made of fusion blocks along one of his routes, or wherever it is that he goes. We have people hiding on the sides. He enters the field, the blocks are detonated, each man and woman throws a flash-bang, rifles cycle." Gabriel then points his bottle at the other fellow. "Maybe a little magic something that I don't understand happens the helps everybody out?"

Leonard blinks at the plan spoken to him by Gabriel at the bar. "You have some deep pockets, or are well-stocked. It sounds like more than a little overkill, although I wouldn't complain too much about that." He grins at that before shrugging. "Magic is something that not many understand. It can be frightening, but is still only a tool. A rifle is only dangerous when it's pointed at you by someone competent or lucky, right?"

It's the moment in the evening that the Nightingale is really beginning to fill, but it appears that others have arrived early. The music is unusually loud, and it's clear that the proprietors of the usually classy nightclub are being very lenient tonight. Perhaps they're related to Annette, the woman who according to a crumpled banner is the bachelorette. This banner may also explain the random collection of sexual assistance object scattered on the floor, and the number of fairly well hammered women "dancing" on the floor. Fortunately, they seem to be largely a source of amusement for the rest of the patrons. Gabriel is sitting at a bar stool with a brown translucent bottle in his hand, dressed unusually casual as most people would know him. Leonard is at an adjacent stool, and they're obviously in a fairly important conversation, yet one that can apparently be conducted in a nightclub. Gabriel answers Leo's question. "Exactly. As long as you stay out of the way of the muzzle, you're fine. Not to be too forward, but without trying to explain magic to me right now, and if you don't mind telling me..." the man pauses. "What is it exactly what you do." His eyes glance up. "And the bird?"

Vixen sweeps into the Nightingale with a simple familiarity and purpose. Though focused purpose which takes her to the bar quickly once she turns over her myriad of weapons. The doings don't get her attention. Not her bag, not her concern. Instead, she puts a cred card on the bar and and leans in to communicate with the tender behind the bar. A few moments and he's nodding, taking the card as Vixen herself turns her attention outward, though casual enough that she hasn't picked the boys out yet.

"In the simplest terms," Leonard chuckles, "I do magic. More utilitarian or subtle than simply causing things I don't like to disintegrate, in most cases. Edgar," he glances sidelong to the raven, "is an associate. We have a working arrangement."

Gabriel glances - no, stares - at the bird for a while, then turns his eyes back, shrugs, and with a smile, just says, "Quoth the raven." Vixen's presence is noted, as she's slightly difficult to miss, particularly when you're somewhat familiar with her. However, while she is noted, nothing more is done about it. After another pull on his bottle of fizzy soda, the older adventurer asks, "So, Leonard, would you and, ah... Edgar... be interested in coming along, fixing this little problem? Make the world a slightly better place in under a minute or two?" He then grins and adds, "Or would you rather that I just pay for your drink and leave you alone?"

Vixen spies the two just as the the tender returns with a few bottles. Vixen turns, shrugging off her bag to settle on a stool and starts to pack them in carefully. Four in total, each a different sort of liquor. Stocking up. She slips the bag on after and glances back towards the two. Considering a moment before she casually makes her way over to their stools.

Leonard nods to Gabriel while Edgar just stares back. "If you can find him, I would very much enjoy proving his egomaniacal delusions of godhood very wrong, again. Ed-" He begins, but pauses at something unheard and chuckles, "...apparently wishes to answer for himself." The bird's beak opens and he (it?) answers in a voice that is deep, high, and somewhere in between with the layers of timbres. "It would be amusing to watch the imitator die."

Okay, fine, yeah, Gabriel is once again caught off guard. This time, by a talking bird. That's one that he hadn't yet run into. His brow furrows, and his eyes begin to move off of staring at the raven, to bouncing back and forth between man and avian. Sure, he was probably going to wave to his other friend, but that moment has temporarily passed. When he finds his voice, Gabriel slides into his very thick Kentucky drawl. "What do you mean 'imitator'?" That was the somewhat reasonable part of his mind in charge for a second. The second statement comes from the surprised part of his brain. "What the fuck, it doesn't just caw?"

"Kinda freaky, ain't he?" Vixen grins casually as she pauses beside Leo, considering Gabriel. "You'll get used to it. He's polite at least. And doesn't talk too much, even though he can." She looks to Leo, then slips an arm out to lightly curl with his, the touch casual. "I suppose you two are getting along. Common interests and all."

Leonard shrugs his shoulders, chuckling again. "Usually, he doesn't even do that, and simply stares. Even I find it unnerving, sometimes." He isn't aware of Vixen until she speaks and his arm is joined with hers, but it's a very pleasant surprise. "We are, and we do seem to. There are probably many more with this particular interest, I'm sure. You?"

Gabriel remains silent for what is possibly an uncomfortable amount of time before he speaks again. But when he does, it's a very polite, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Edgar." Then to the woman, he dips his head as is expected from his era. "Miss Vixen. It's good to see you tonight. It's nice to see that you have a gentleman friend? Maybe?" The man's eyebrow quirks and his gaze drops to indicate the looped arms. Then, just to bring her into the conversation as quickly as possible, "We're trying to figure out the best way to kill a dangerous person like I talked to you about yesterday. However.." Gabriel's face breaks into pleasant smile ".. Leonard is being rather mysterious about exactly what it is that he and his associate does. Or do. Whatever the grammar is."

"Just stocking up the stores," Vixen says casually. "We were running low on whiskey and brandy. Picked up some other things too." She then grins at Gabriel and says, "Leo's my guy. Friendly don't cover it." She tilts her head, glancing between the two as she adds, "Leo's a mage. He does a lot of stuff and half of it don't make much sense. But he can do a lot."

Vixen's guy nearly grows a few inches taller at the her statements. Compliments all, and not just the magic portion. Edgar is firmly returned to silent staring bird. "Magic is a very broad and general aptitude. I wouldn't call it so mysterious as vague, and not to be rude. In relevance to your plans, I could negate or hinder other magic, assist others, or be more directly disintegrative if needed."

"Well, disintegration sounds good. I loved it in Target Earth. Good movie in '54, but I suppose that none of you will get to see it now, will you?" Gabriel offers with an ironic smile. "Hinder sounds good, too." He pulls on his nearly-empty soda bottle again. His attention turns to Vixen. "I'm glad that two people can find each other these days. It's a very strange city." Then, again to the woman, "I don't suppose you've stumbled across any lucky transmissions from the bastard, have you, Miss Vixen?"

Vixen glances Leo a sidelong glance and smirks just a little as he speaks. "Be good," she murmurs lightly. She then considers Gabriel and smirks faintly. "Strange to you is home to me. Nothing stopping people from hooking up. Except psycho bitches, but that got handled." A hard glint comes to her eyes for a moment, then she shrugs and shakes her head. "A lot to look for out there, without nothing to go on. Don't plan on me finding anything useful. Better plan would be to set up an ambush or something."

"Be wary," Leonard clears his throat with an uncomfortable cough, "there could be more. To beware of, that is. Gabriel." He hastily adds the last word for clarification, lest Vixen think the warning means something completely different. "Also, I was, and am, very lucky." Leonard can now look to Vixen with the other part of the conversation. "He was planning just that, and I will behave."

Gabriel chuckles and smiles at the woman's suggestion. "The whole purpose of finding where the man goes was to figure out where to set the ambush, Miss Vixen. Just like Leonard says." He looks into the bottom of his now-empty soda bottle. "Well, you two, unless you have some suggestions on how to go about this, I guess I should leave you lovebirds alone. Anyway, we may have four, including me, possibly five people on this little endeavor. Once we figure out where to set things, I need to make some purchases, compare last notes, synchronize our watches - we're good." He nods and begins to stand. "Thanks for meeting me, Leonard. You two enjoy yourselves. Make sure they don't get you involved." Gabriel winks and tilts his head toward the wild bachelorette party.

"Then I'll leave you boys to plan and plot, don't need to break up the party on my account," Vixen says, glancing towards Leo. She straightens, arm uncurling, her hand lifting to lightly brush the back of her fingers against Leo's cheek. "But don't stay out too late." Her eyes shift to Gabriel and she adds, "If I hear anything, you'll know. Though if you can't get him where he goes, bring him to you." She smirks, then lifts a hand towards the two before she heads off for now.