World War Defending the Gaulianurst...that's a bad title

[13:15:41] <~Oxford> Wightshead Mansion swarms with Air Force Provosts. Through the open window, the sound of their dogs barking as they search the grounds reaches Lily and Loewin, the two girls huddled in the latter's room. The lieutenant of the men keeping watch over them - "for your own safety, ma'am," - finishes his conversation with his fellows in the yard below and excuses himself from the room.
[13:18:39] <Lily> Lily is on Loewin's bed, laying down, staring at the ceiling.  "Why do I have to stay insiiiiiide..."  She pouts at the ceiling.
[13:19:47] <Loewin> Sitting on the other side of the bed, Loewin's eyes remain fixed on her feet, dark bags under her eyes and her head seemingly weighs a ton as she struggles to keep it up. She remains silent.
[13:19:47] <~Oxford> Only a few hours have passed since the mission to rescue Marina ended in failure. A cold wind tosses the curtains as distant shouts and replies, the result of some new shred of evidence, waft up from the search party below. Her arms prickle with goosebumps.
[13:22:59] <Lily> The impatient girl sits up, trying to get eye contact with the other one.  "Wanna' sneak out?"  Her eyes seem a little different today, the iris and pupil seeming to mix together and blur rather than become distinct, the whites of her eyes seeming to be somewhat muted or maybe even eclipsed.
[13:25:09] <Loewin> It takes a time for Lily's words to reach Loewin, but she raises her head slowly. "...we can't."
[13:27:34] <~Oxford> From the window, they can see squads of provosts moving back and forth across the lawn. There's no way to tell, from the room, how many other MPs are in the area, but the line of cars that were in the driveway stretched almost to the far gate.
[13:30:41] <Lily> Her face contorts back into a pout, and then she flops back onto the bed.
[13:33:07] <Loewin> "You...you do realize the gravity of the situation...yes?"
[13:34:01] <Lily> Her eyes close.  "...yes.  But Marina was alone!  We're not alone, are we?"
[13:36:40] <Loewin> "Well...no...but...we still...don't exactly know...what happened exactly."
[13:37:04] <~Oxford> Below them, in Vaughn's office on the first floor, they can hear occasional shouts and accusations as their commanding officer is interrogated. The procedure has been going on for several hours now. Apparently, even superior rank is no protection for the old colonel.
[13:45:17] <Lily> "Nnnn!"  She hits her thighs ineffectually with her fists to try to vent off her anger.  "This just sucks."
[13:45:57] <Loewin> "It does more than...'sucks.'"
[13:48:00] <Lily> "You're not helping!"
[13:48:32] <~Oxford> Through the wall across from the bed, they can hear Henriette still sobbing in her own room, the door locked, and no amount of pleading from them managed to open it before the provosts arrived and confined them to quarters.
[13:49:07] <Loewin> Though the words aren't meant with malice, Loewin can't help but take it personally. "Well...I...I don't know how to help right now..."
[13:55:58] <Lily> The fairy tale girl groans a bit.  "Is there something to do in here?  Books?  Board games?  Food?  Balls?  Cushions...cushions..."  She pauses a bit.
[13:56:58] <Lily> After a bit of deliberation, Lily pulls a pillow out from under her head and thwacks Loewin with it.
[14:00:00] <Loewin> With each item, Loewin shakes her head. This is a bedroom, not a nur-THWACK. Completely unprepared for the attack, Loewin finds herself laying sideways on the bed. "I do not...you are...um...what just happened?"
[14:00:17] <Lily> "Cushions!"
[14:00:43] <Lily> Her mouth opens into a wide smile as she looks for another pillow to arm her opponent with.
[14:04:11] <Loewin> "You...wielded it like a weapon."
[14:05:00] <Lily> Lily tosses a second pillow to Loewin.  "It wouldn't be fair to fight against one who is unarmed!"
[14:06:14] <Loewin> "It would be...unbecoming for one of our superiors to arrive and find us horsing around."
[14:08:16] <Lily> "So you're saying that we should basically become plastic dolls while we're confined to our rooms?"
[14:09:31] <Loewin> Sigh. "In many other circumstances...I would be glad to defeat you in this pillow combat. But...given what's just transpired...and our current circumstances...I don't think I'm up to it."
[14:10:17] <Lily> "Ugh.  Fine."  The nymphlet tosses her pillow into her would-be adversary's face before resuming her position of laying on the bed.
[14:11:44] <~Oxford> As if in response to her flopping onto the bed, there is a sudden knock on the door.
[14:12:04] <Loewin> Her hair sufficiently and irritatingly full of static electricity, Loewin places the pillow back where it belongs. "I...did not yet thank you...fo- oh..." She swiftly opens the door.
[14:12:10] * Read (Read@sux-7EAF14BE.nc.res.rr.com) Quit (Ping timeout)
[14:12:49] <Lily> She jolts up into a sitting position, cross-legged, turning to face the door.
[14:16:26] <~Oxford> Behind the door is a tall, stern-faced man in the long-coated uniform of a Captain-Provost. He wears round glasses and a tight, short beard that only accentuates the hard line of his jaw.
[14:16:49] <Loewin> Loewin gives a quick, though not particularly steady, salute. "Sir."
[14:18:05] <Lily> Lily's eyes narrow a little but she gives a salute regardless.  Her salute's a little slow, but it's a bit steadier than Loewin's.
[14:21:06] <~Oxford> He returns the salute crisply, the black glove-leather making a faint squeak as his thumb snaps into position beside his first knuckle. Returning the hand to his side, he addresses them with a tone to match his gesture. "Warrant Officers Blevins and Von Stolz."
[14:21:39] <Lily> "At your service, Sir."
[14:22:04] <Loewin> Loewin simply nods.
[14:23:39] <~Oxford> "As you may be aware, the investigation of Warrant Martel's desertion is ongoing. I wanted to take this opportunity to ask whether you had any additional insights on this matter, and to answer questions you might have regarding our investigation."
[14:26:02] <Lily> Lily clears her throat, getting off the bed to stand up and face the officer.  "Sir, I was wondering if this was the first abduction like this one...?"
[14:26:08] <~Oxford> Loewin's eyes can't help but drift to the oiled-leather pistol holster slung overtop his coat. The long protective flap is pulled down tight over a polished silver automatic, but the strap securing it is unlatched.
[14:29:42] <~Oxford> "This is the first defection that has included direct contact with Novgoraadi military assets, yes. Obviously, the entire security protocols of this base are being analyzed and evaluated."
[14:30:38] <Loewin> "Are we to be int-...questioned in a similar manner to our commanding officer, sir?"
[14:31:06] <Lily> "Hmmm, all right..."  She nods, and decides to wait for the officer to ask questions or for Loewin to speak up.
[14:34:07] <~Oxford> "At this time, the statements you provided earlier in the evening appear sufficient for our purposes," the tall officer replies, shifting his eyes from one girl to the other. "However, if you think of any additional details, I encourage you to come forward with them promptly."
[14:35:30] <Loewin> "I have no other information, but should some come to light, I shall immediately ensure you are informed, sir."
[14:37:42] <Lily> "None that I can think of, all I really knew was that there was a Nov agent suspected to be in the area, and I guess that was right?  Yeah.  That's all I know."
[14:39:30] <~Oxford> He opens his mouth as if to continue, then closes it again without speaking. The Captain-Provost's thin eyebrows furrow, until at last he adds, "I do have some points I would like clarified in that regard. Informally, of course."
[14:40:06] <Lily> She nods.  "Go on, then."
[14:43:37] <~Oxford> "Specifically, about the particular organization of Col. Vaughn's attempts to uncover this alleged agent." The stern man's frowning countenance looks down at her as if from a great height.
[14:50:05] <~Oxford> A great and disapproving height. After a moment's silence, he clears his throat. "Begin from the first time Col. Vaughn mentioned a security risk."
[14:50:50] * Firespitter (Firespitte@sux-12AD6074.static.axtel.net) has joined #WorldWarBurst
[14:51:03] <Loewin> "Very well..." Loewin clears her throat and glances quickly at Lily.
[14:53:46] <Lily> Lily blinks.  "Oh, from where Col. Vaughn started, I see...I was trying to think about what Maj. Stranahan had been thinking in regards to that, you see, although she didn't think there was a Nov agent directly in town, she thought that the Novs had pinpointed the location of our base and were trying to avoid coming in near our base, so we went on stakeouts in different spots for planes
[14:53:46] <Lily> outside our normal response radius...which was actually working up until she got..." she clears her throat.  "Transfered."
[14:55:37] <Lily> "Warrant Loewin would know more about Vaughn's organization with this, as I got assigned different tasks from the rest of the girls."  She gives Loewin a nod.
[14:56:25] <Lily> *Stolz
[14:58:10] <Loewin> "There was an attack coinciding with Colonel Vaughn's day of arrival. Of course, it would be unlikely for it to be a true coincidence and thus, presumably after reviewing some of us for risk, let it be known to a handful of us that there was a spy of some sort. There was no way of knowing if the spy was here or somewhere in communications, of course. He initially had his reservations about Warrant Officer LeClair and commanded the rest of us to look into the matter, as she had been behaving...abnormally. While the pendants certainly attribute to that, we found it to simply be fraternization with a local boy. Given LeClair's commitment in battles and self-consciousness about her heritage, it seems unlikely she had any hand in it. A Nov had been captured at one point before Vaughn's arrival, not an order but a way to...handle a unique situation, but it was my understanding that he was...dealt with. Unfortunately, I am not aware of any real leads that may have been had."
[15:00:53] <~Oxford> The tall man nods slightly to her as she finishes the explanation. "I take it, then, that neither of your were informed by Warrant LeClair of her possible lead on a suspect."
[15:01:22] <Lily> Lily blinks a few times.  "That's news to me, Sir!"
[15:01:25] <Loewin> Her eyes widen briefly in surprise. "No, sir."
[15:05:46] <~Oxford> "She reported a conversation she had with a Ms. Carraway, some weeks ago. One that implicated a possible Novgoraadi agent staying in town." He raises his eyebrows, and speaks with a tone that would be regretful, if it weren't so cold. "According to her, this information was not referred to either of you, nor to your superior officer."[15:09:45] <Loewin> Under her breath, Loewin mumbles an irritated 'Carraway?' "Nothing of appearances or a way in actually tracking the agent?"
[15:12:53] <~Oxford> "Both, as a matter of fact. Ms. Carraway had apparently been tracking this suspect for some time in an effort to gather evidence. That there was no follow-up on this information..." His voice trails off into a grimace.
[15:15:17] <Loewin> "Beyond regrettable that we were not informed, sir."
[15:16:58] <Lily> Lily remains quiet.
[15:17:03] <~Oxford> "Indeed. It speaks volumes that Warrant LeClair did not pass on this information. I'd be interested in your thoughts as to why she did not."
[15:21:44] <Loewin> "As I'm sure you are no doubt aware, the pendants have...unexpected side effects on the users. She seems to have been particularly affected as a result. She has been quite bitter that we were given virtually no information as to what may happen from using them, despite clear knowledge of the side effects on the part of the military. She has been on the verge of...well she seemed to think she could just quit. I am not quite sure how today's events have impacted her, sir. Initially, she likely said nothing because she had much more on her mind. Trivial, of course, relative to the war, but she was not prepped as a soldier."
[15:22:10] <Lily> Lily just grimaces.
[15:26:09] <~Oxford> The thin officer's eyes narrow. "She harboured some measure of dissatisfaction with her treatment in the military? Do go into more detail."
[15:26:42] <Loewin> "Very well. Sir, have you ever used a pendant?"
[15:30:19] <~Oxford> "I've worked with Focus Pendant Users in the past," he replies mildly. "But by all means, explain as though I hadn't."
[15:30:47] <Loewin> "So you can not. Have you a daughter, wife, or other female family member, sir?"
[15:36:43] <~Oxford> "You may dispense with the rhetoric, Warrant Von Stolz; this is not a courtroom. I have plenty of experience with pendants and their users." The provost's voice is more weary than annoyed. "You were in the process of clarifying the extent of Warrant LeClair's 'bitter' feelings towards the military."
[15:40:59] <Lily> Lily interjects into the conversation.  "Basically, Sir, she used to be really prideful and confident but the pendants have made her really weepy and she breaks into tears over things that wouldn't bother her before and on top of that she has all the stress of serving in the military!"
[15:43:39] <Loewin> Loewin prepares her counterargument but holds it back as Lily speaks.
[15:47:21] <~Oxford> "It is certainly a stressful duty. No one understands that more than you two." The officer blinks his eyes slowly, introducing just the smallest pause in the conversation. "However," he continues, "I want to focus specifically on the word 'bitter'. Did you feel LeClair was resentful of the military, or any of her superior officers?"
[15:48:13] <Loewin> "Not resentful. Simply angry as a result of the stress and not knowing what the pendants caused."
[15:48:31] <~Oxford> "Did she act on this anger in any way?"
[15:48:48] <Loewin> "She mostly cried, sir."
[15:49:31] <~Oxford> "She wouldn't disobey a direct order, though, would she?"
[15:49:58] <Loewin> "Never."
[15:50:13] <~Oxford> "For instance, if she were ordered to stay in her room and avoid contact with civilians?"
[15:50:43] <Lily> Lily was about to back up Cloral, but with that line, she decides against it.
[15:54:26] <Loewin> "I can not speak as to whether that was truly a direct order, but I can see if it were it would have directly conflicted with orders to investigate the presence of the traitor, unconfirmed at the timer. We were directly ordered to watch her and any communications she may have. These orders are slightly at odds, and we would have learned nothing by barricading her in her room."
[15:54:37] <Loewin> *say
[15:56:54] <~Oxford> "In clearer terms, you allowed her to leave in order to monitor her movements?"
[15:57:17] <Loewin> "Yes, sir."
[15:58:22] <~Oxford> "And what did you discover?"
[16:00:15] <Loewin> "The whole town is aware of what we are. The story we were given of being evacuees, despite coming from different locations and none of us with our families was...weak. Especially when pendant-users started showing up to defend the town. It would have been easy for anyone in town to hear of this."
[16:05:33] <~Oxford> The stern man nods. Or rather, he rotates his head a few degrees downward, and then back up, his spectacles catching the light from the bulb above. "Yes, that part of the cover story seemed particularly ill-conceived. However, I believe you were describing LeClair's movements."
[16:08:11] <Loewin> "Yes, she burried some cliche love-letters, went to the house of the boy she's fond of, with Lily and I tailing her, but he wasn't home. She was simply delivering a love letter which contained no personal information about our operations. He, and apparently everyone else, knew what we were. Lily escorted Henriette home and I stayed to verify that there was nothing suspicious of the boy or his family."
[16:09:28] <~Oxford> "This 'boy' was Mr. Sands, I presume?"
[16:10:24] <Loewin> "Yes, sir."
[16:12:48] <~Oxford> "And this boy was an important concern to Warrant LeClair?"
[16:13:17] <Loewin> "A personal concern, yes."
[16:14:03] <~Oxford> "More important than either of you?" He glances to where Lily is sitting, silent, at the edge of the bed. "Your input would be valued here, Warrant Blevins."
[16:16:33] <Lily> "Ah...yes, very important to her..."  She says this lightly, as if her head is going out into the clouds.
[16:17:04] <Loewin> "You are...asking of our own personal relations with LeClair?"
[16:18:22] <~Oxford> He nods encouragingly.
[16:21:10] <Loewin> "She is...my ally. She is whiny, she doesn't trust others easily, and I find her to have the temperament of the average teenage girl, but I would trust her to have my back in any fight."
[16:24:27] <Lily> "Well, she's a great friend that I was really close to when I got here, but...she's been falling apart since then.  She's not like how she used to be."
[16:26:42] <~Oxford> "Just not in matters of base security." The comment is directed at Loewin, but his eyes stay locked on Lily, like a clockmaker who's finally found the gear that isn't turning. "Do you believe this change in behavior was political in nature?"
[16:27:51] <Loewin> It's Loewin's turn to be silent as she glares at Lily.
[16:29:04] <Lily> She shakes her head.  "Not at all!  Warrant LeClair is more loyal to this country than I could ever be!"
[16:31:25] <~Oxford> "And you attribute her inaction on the intelligence she received from Ms. Carraway to be the result of 'stress' and distractions in her personal life?"
[16:31:45] <Lily> "Yes."  She nods.
[16:34:24] <~Oxford> All at once, the stern officer smiles and nods deeply. The lines of his face seem to soften. "Yes. I'm inclined to agree with you on that."
[16:37:02] <~Oxford> "I do, however, believe she blames herself for Warrant Martel's defection. She seems," he says, pausing to listen at the sound of more crying from the room next door, "quite inconsolable. After I leave, I hope you two would comfort her."
[16:37:40] <Loewin> Loewin nods to the man, a look of obvious disbelief on her face. "Yes, sir!"
[16:40:25] <Lily> Lily nods as well.  "Understood, sir!"
[16:40:50] <~Oxford> "Sorry I needed to hear it from you myself," he adds, shrugging helplessly. "But this is how the game is played, unfortunately. I wouldn't worry about the investigation ruling against any of you."
[16:44:07] <Loewin> "Unfortunately sir, given we still don't know if the spy has moved on or not, I shall have to continue to worry."
[16:47:55] <~Oxford> He nods. "My men are tracking down this Ms. Carraway as we speak, but in all likelihood he fled the country with Warrant Martel. Speaking of whom," he adds, almost as an afterthought, "how was your relationship?"
[16:52:32] <Loewin> Loewin's jaw clenches as he says her name and her gaze drops to the floor. "Like...sisters."
[16:53:35] <~Oxford> "You were particularly close?"
[16:54:56] <Loewin> Her breathing becomes shallow for a bit but she manages to recover. "I would say so."
[16:55:14] <Lily> Lily's gaze also meets the floor.  "I...wouldn't say like sisters, but we were pretty close too."
[16:56:53] <~Oxford> "How would you describe her? In terms of personality, I mean." The tall man leans against the doorframe, as instantly seems to shrink to a much less intimidating height.
[17:00:16] <Loewin> "She feigned a certain coldness that belied a rather shrewd mind. And she helped me with some problems...and...she liked...tea."
[17:01:48] <~Oxford> "Did she ever talk about her personal life - her family, friends she might have had before the service, that sort of thing?"
[17:04:32] <Loewin> "She...rather explicitly avoided it. I...do not quite remember the small things she let slip, but I believe..." Her voice breaks and a tear slips through her defenses. "...I believe she was just trying to make her parents happy."
[17:06:09] <Lily> There's a nod from Lily as she gets up and pats Loewin on the back.  "That's the gist I got as well, from what little she said regarding it!"
[17:06:41] <~Oxford> "Her parents?" His eyebrows rise a bit, but his tone remains conversational. "Mother or father, in particular, or just sort of both?"
[17:07:25] <Loewin> "She kept quiet on...either when she could. Though it seemed she avoided speaking of her father most."
[17:10:50] <~Oxford> The provost nods. "Yes, that's what I suspected. I suppose, cautious as she was, Martel never spoke to either of you about her political views?" Despite his light tone, the euphemism is clear.
[17:11:14] <Lily> "Not at all."
[17:11:54] <Loewin> Loewin shakes her head.
[17:13:37] <~Oxford> "As a close friend of yours, she must've given you two advice, now and then. Regarding your military duties, the pendants, how you got along with your superiors. That sort of thing. Anything stand out?"
[17:19:45] <Loewin> "We were..." Her voice breaks again. "We weren't satisfied with what we'd been told of the pendants. With some information from a...specialist that came to meet our flight, we become aware that it was possible to...not rely on them. We were both interested in figuring out how to perform this feat, because it seems to not be tied to the malignant effects of the pendants. Initially, it was the two of us, but...there have been small incidents of pendantless magic throughout the flight now."
[17:20:23] <~Oxford> "And Martel encouraged you in these activities?"
[17:20:51] <Loewin> "I likely encouraged her."
[17:23:33] <~Oxford> "What about you, Warrant Blevins? Did she speak to you about pendantless magic?"
[17:29:44] <Lily> "Oh, yeah, a bunch!  I think I'm actually the best at pendantless magic in our group!  Maybe."
[17:32:56] <~Oxford> "Did Warrant Martel ever encourage you to disobey a superior officer? There's some indication of difficulties, after er- Major Stranahan was removed from her position. I take it Col. Vaughn was less popular?"
[17:35:52] <Loewin> "Not to my knowledge. I believe nearly anyone replacing the Major would have been less popular solely by nature of...not being her."
[17:39:14] <~Oxford> The tall provost smiles softly. "Yes, I can understand that. Still, he seems to have been particularly unpopular. Accusing LeClair of being the spy couldn't have been popular, can it?"
[17:40:00] <Loewin> "I understood his reasoning, but you're right, we were particularly angry about that."
[17:42:18] <Lily> Lily nods along with what Loewin is saying.
[17:42:19] <~Oxford> "But there was never a plan to cover up-" The captain is interupted by a knock at the door. "Yes?" he asks.
[17:42:52] <~Oxford> "Finished down here, sir. We can move out whenever you're ready."
[17:43:19] <Lily> Lily's head tilts a bit in confusion.  'Cover up'?
[17:45:11] <~Oxford> "Alright," the black-coated captain agrees. "I'll be done in a moment. Get everybody, and the stuff, together. Now, I was saying," he continues, turning back to the girls, "there wasn't a plan to cover up LeClair's liasions, was there? Nobody kept that from the Colonel?"
[17:49:06] <Lily> She scrunches her face a bit.  "Not really."
[17:49:22] <Loewin> "There would be no reason to."
[17:51:40] <~Oxford> He nods, smiling, and places his hand on the doorknob. "Yes, I thought as much. Just doing some follow-up." The officer swings the door open and steps through, before turning. "Good night then, ladies. Thank you for your time."
[17:52:02] <Loewin> "Um...good night, sir."
[17:52:54] <Lily> "Good night!"
[17:56:46] <~Oxford> The door swings shut, and suddenly the gigantic mansion is very quiet. The dogs and men outside have given up their search, and the officers yelling at Col. Vaughn have likewise abandoned their interrogation. Even Henriette seems to have stopped crying, or at least sobbing, next door.
[17:56:50] <~Oxford> They can hear the captain's booted feet on the floor of the hallway and down the stairs, and then the sound of the door opening. A few moments later, the sound of a car engine starting - one, not many - and driving down the road. Then nothing more.
[17:59:31] <~Oxford> /session