RP: A circus Master's Invitation
Blasted Tunnel
The tunnel here has been significantly widened and evidence of a large explosion is strewn about the blacked tunnel. Gigantic misplaced chunks of rock, singed and blackened weapons charred remains of incomprehensible items have simply been swept aside forming piles of ash and rubbish to mark the path you must travel. Whatever happened here was obviously devastating and left none alive.
Ina is not a fan of these caves. Despite their relative adjacency to her current stomping grounds, there's a distinct air of danger to them which seems to resonate with her natural intuition- an awareness that the creatures and races which roam these earthen halls are the sorts of things she'd far prefer to avoid. And it's for this reason that she is, in essence, arriving in disguise - skittering into the tunnel in the form of a fox, her black and scarlet fur muted in the dim lighting of the cave. Once she's arrived at the area detailed in the note, she simply scuttles over towards one of the larger chunks of rock in the vicinity- to find a place to settle down, as well as obtain a decent vantage point to observe any coming and goings. Plus, it doubles as some cover, in case of an ambush.
Odhranos was currently buried in the wall. By choice of course, he had split the wall open, climbed in and sealed it again afterwards, leaving him in a small cavity about five feet into the cave wall. Inside this little cavity, the mage's eyes shone a brilliant unholy silver as he looked through the stone of the cave wall, utilizing his terramancy and enhanced sight to peer into the cave without any fear of discovery. Upon the foxkin's arrival, Odhranos cast his terramantic gaze upon her. To his eyes, she appeared as a silhouette, suffused with coruscating crimson light; her magic/life energy. Odhranos nodded to himself, this must be the foxkin the Circus master spoke of. Closing his eyes to concentrate, the mage cast his will upon a large boulder in the cave beyond, causing it to fracture into shards, which spun in the air in a maelstrom before resolving themselves in the rough form of a man, crouched on one knee. "You are the foxkin the circus master spoke of?" It intoned, in a rough gravelly voice, acting as a mouthpiece for the concealed mage.
Ina, for a fox, likely has more expressive features than most- considering that there's something distinctly similar to a grin on an otherwise vulpine face. Inwardly, she was somewhere between chiding herself, and being impressed – she'd already been marked as the sender of the message. Whether she had her 'hot-blooded cold-blooded' mage to blame, Warai's antics, or her own carelessness- she couldn't really be certain. The only thing she could do was keep her wits about herself, and at least minimize whatever information was known about her – at the very least, she hadn't used anything other than the alias 'Trish' to refer to herself, as of yet. “Got it in one- Buster. 'm Trish. A contractor of sorts. How do ya do?” Despite the distinctly not human form she bears, her voice still rings out clearly, though whether it's some sort of parlour trick, or an actual capability might be a little tricky to discern.
Odhranos 's proxy tilted its head, the way a dog might do, curiously wondering what a fox might be doing speaking. "At the moment, I would appear to "do" quite well, thank you for asking. I apologize for the necessity of a proxy as such, identities are such laborious things to keep hidden." Sheets of stone slaked off the form of the golem-like figure until it looked definitively humanoid, although devoid of facial features. The plates shed now collected into simple garments upon the proxy's form; Odhranos was nothing if not a perfectionist. His tone more polite now, charming even, Odhranos continued to speak via the terramantic construct. "I was informed that you were interested in some form of business, contracting so to speak? I am intrigued by such a suggestion and wish to know more." The golem seated itself across from the foxkin, folding one leg over the other in a refined manner.
Ina settles her head atop her forepaws, observing the construct (especially as it shifted), and yet making certain to remain aware of the room at large. After all, she was more than familiar with the fine art of sleight of hand, and whilst the terramantic creation is definitely neat- she's not really of the inclination to lose sight of everything just to observe it. “Mm, well. Your...boss/associate/what-have-you seemed ta have a vested interest in the current ...muzzled state of someone. Wasn't really hard ta put two 'n two together, considerin' recent bouts of infamy, board posts, and hearsay. Figured there'd be a potentially lucrative venture in the works, 'n good odds of you folks needin' more bodies- both fer the numbers, 'n whatever talents they bring ta the table. Me, I'm a dabbler as a fence, an acquisitioner, a tinker of weapons- 'n...an artist at shenanigans. Pretty sure I acquired a pair of folks ta follow me along 'n my stupid ventures as well- so, I suppose 'm curious just what sorta maniac venture you folks are intending on pursuing, and whether I can well, fit in- and just how beneficial my involvement would be, ja know?”
Odhranos the construct nodded, listening to the vulpine's speech. "I see where you are coming from. As for maniac ventures, the method I have planned for our... "demuzzling" of our companion is... novel." The construct got to its feet. "The Cenril Courthouse is a large building. Old even, it is built upon solid foundations of the granite that underlies most of the eastern coast. This courthouse in particular hosts a basement, presumably once dungeons in which convicts were held to await trial, though no longer used due to the "state-of-the-art" prison now adjacent to the courthouse." The construct held its right hand up, palm facing the wall behind the foxkin. "Observe." It stated, and the wall shook slightly, then split open, a wide maw of stone opening in the wall of the cave. It was practically silent and upon the construct closing its hand into a fist, the rift in the wall shut closed just as swiftly. "I'm sure you can see the applications of such a technique, given the location and setting of the courthouse?"
Ina tilts her head off to one side, “It gives you control of the terrain. S'a useful trick ja got there. Got any less-den-magic antics ta rely on, in case they got anythin' around ta muddle with your magics? Still, if I can make the proper logic leaps 'n all that- 'm guessing, dropping him from the courthouse, ta the dungeon, 'n then slippin' into the sewers from there is probably the plan, innit? So, are ya lookin' fer people ta cover your tracks? Cause I might be in tha know of someone with a knack fer...well, obfuscating the obvious. Among others- all depends on whatcha need.”
Odhranos 's proxy nodded. "Precisely. We require those with knowledge of the sewer system and the means to keep the guards distracted throughout the city while the escape is underway. A diversion perhaps." The proxy paced, stroking its chiselled (aha) jaw as it did so. "Hmm, the trouble will be in ensuring the authenticity of the escape. If possible, I wish to fake the subject's death, so as to throw off the scent of any witnesses."
Ina actually perks up at this, a sly sort of expression lighting up on her face - but then, when don't foxes look sly? “So, why not hire a few people to attack the courthouse, and -give- them the orders to capture, and or kill your wayward wolf? After all, if they get capture 'n happen ta squeal, then even if ya happen ta get a trail that leads back ta ya- it just looks like ya were trying ta...make sure justice was done, ya know? Looks a bit more favourable on ya, 'n something people are apt ta overlook, at least compared to say, running distractions, 'r helping him slip away. Really, doesn't matter -what- ja tell to the poor saps that ja hire, long as they rabble rouse. -So- ideally, ya run rampant. If there's any folks ya can tap into, ta say, do some looting and vandal, since the guards 'r likely ta be more concentrated around the courthouse, you're gravy. Well, if ya want to sow as much disarray as can be. Fakin' a death is hard, however- takes gullible folks, usually. Or a lot of small folk ta see it, 'n not much remains left over ta be examined. Ya'd be better off just goin' ta ground 'n taking some time ta make a proper false identity, rather than faking his death. People 'r gonna assume he's still alive, so reinvent ya client. S'easy.”
Odhranos pondered the foxkins suggestions. "This will require more thought. I thank you for your suggestions, I may contact you in the event I need your assistance. If what you say is true, then perhaps I am going about this the wrong way." The proxy bowed low to the vulpine as it spoke, then upon its controllers' release, turned back to stone before shattering into shards which piled up on the floor. In his rocky crevice, Odhranos was plotting and scheming. Arlyeon's suggestion of simply pretending to be hunting the werewolf might work perfectly...
Ina watches as the stone construct crumbles apart with no small degree of fascination, before she slips back to all fours and begins to shuffle out of the cavern, only pausing long enough to say, “Most plans don't survive intact. You're safest making 3 or 4, possibly runnin' all at once, so if one fails, the others are still doing their thing. But, yeah- keep in touch. I might be able ta provide ya a few things on the distraction front. 'N I could always use a commission, or a nice fat retainer~ Iffun you folks are lookin' ta put a professional on the budget. Anywho- catcha ya later. Get in contact with me the usual way, iffun ya need ta.” With that said, she's off, unless something else slows her down.
Odhranos watched Arlyeon depart through the wall of the cave. He shook his head, he didn't know how he had ended up messed up in all of this mess. He clenched his fist and growled. Des, he was going to pay for all of this, Odhranos would make sure of it.