World War Doing Our Jobs For Now: S3

[11:59:36] * Oxford changes topic to 'DANGER - WATCH YOU STEP - DO NOT STAND ON WHEN TRUCK IS IN MOTION'
[12:00:03] * Kraken is now known as Loewin
[12:00:53] * BigTentacruel is now known as Henriette
[12:03:13] <@Oxford> The dawn breaks brilliantly across the breaking yard, the black sheet from the shadows of beached freighters split by golden light, washing over the tops of new-formed dunes.
[12:06:52] <@Oxford> By the base of the dirt ramp leading down to the bay, a convoy of trucks has pulled around to form a half circle. The drivers still wait in their cabs, engines running, while a narrow-framed man with a long coat draped over his shoulders approaches toward the center. The ember of a cigarette glows from the shadowed side of his face.
[12:10:39] <@Oxford> Opposite him, Loewin and Arthur stand alone on the sand. The girls from Glasholme are positioned a good ways to their left: close enough to be present, far enough to seem neutral to the proceedings. Or at least, that's the intention.
[12:12:28] <Lily_Blevins> Lily reaaaally wants a good stretch right now, but gotta' stay upright and stoic.  Bleh.
[12:14:46] <Cille_Lund> Cille supposes that this isn't going to go smoothly. While she's tense, it's easily mistaken as being upright, and she's pretty good at being stoic either way. This works!
[12:16:04] <Loewin> Loewin rests her hands on a cane in front of her. A smaller rubber flange at the bottom helps prevent it from just getting stuck in the sand. She watches her counterpart, vibrant eyes studying him.
[12:17:05] * Rosalyne_Holst isn't pleased at all about this. She's cuffed and if the rebels start shooting she won't be able to properly run away. Her wrists hurt and all she wants to do is report this to a superior.
[12:23:25] <@Oxford> The rebel leader walks forward, his coat flapping as the sea breeze rolls in off the bay.  As he gets closer, Loewin can see that he is a young man, in his mid twenties, with curly brown hair and blue eyes the color of glaciers.
[12:25:42] <Loewin> She takes several steps closer herself, a small gesture of humility her father was never fond of.
[12:26:09] <@Oxford> He stops about ten metres from her. "Jann Koemmer, of the United Action Committees. You're the representative?"
[12:27:45] <Loewin> "That is correct. Loewin von Stolz of the Von Stolz Armaments Consortium." She nods in greeting.
[12:29:47] <Rosalyne_Holst> "This shouldn't be happening." She whispers to no one in articular. Her wrists are red from trying to to get them off for hours. That didn't work too well for her.
[12:29:55] <@Oxford> "You honor us with your presence," he says carefully. "I know you have taken great risks in meeting us in person."
[12:32:28] <Loewin> "It would be a much greater risk to leave your country between the mongoose and the viper."
[12:34:12] * Rosalyne_Holst rolls her eyes.
[12:36:59] <@Oxford> Koemmer smiles, guarded. "It's a relief to hear you say so. There were those who said your company was only engaging with us for monetary reasons. Not myself, of course," he adds quickly.
[12:39:00] <Rosalyne_Holst> "I certainly think so." Rosalyne adds in her normal voice.  She's probably out of earshot but she really doesn't care at this point.
[12:40:15] <Loewin> "The money of course is a factor, but I personally know what it's like to fight for your loved ones and to feel those in charge do not have their best interests in mind." She spares a quick glance over towards Lily and Henriette.
[12:42:17] <Lily_Blevins> Lily gives a nod~
[12:45:22] * Rosalyne_Holst can't take this anymore and begins stepping towards the pair. Maybe someone will stop her?
[12:45:38] <@Oxford> Behind Koemmer, by the trucks, a squad of irregulars with rifles stand around nervously, watching the meeting carefully. "Of course," Jann agrees. "So, to business: Are the weapons here?"
[12:47:18] <Lily_Blevins> Lily gives Rosy a glare.
[12:48:50] <Loewin> "Certainly, they are within the freighter as...agreed" 'Cloral' hesitates slightly as her eyes dart over to Rosalyne.
[12:49:03] <Cille_Lund> ...Did they not tie the handcuffs to something for good measure? Knowing Rosalyne's implusive behavior, Cille sighs a quiet sigh (and the whispers, growing on the side of her face (covered by her hair, intentionally) and gets up to drag her back.
[12:51:54] * Rosalyne_Holst yells out, loud enough to be heard."HEY REBEL!" She starts and holds up her handcuffs, "JUST SO YOU KNOW, THE ALBEANS ARE VERY INTERESTED THIS DEAL GOES THROUGH!"
[12:53:51] <@Oxford> "Excellent, excellent," Jann says quickly, nodding. "The bearer bonds are in your car," he adds, gesturing back to a red sedan that seems out of place alongside the plainer convoy vehicles. Rosalyne's shout draws him back, and he studies the group of referees a little more closely.
[12:55:17] <Cille_Lund> "Good job!" The voices seem to be congratulating Rosalyne, considering that dragging someone who's screaming doesn't quite seem 'good job' worthy. Perhaps she should have been gagged, too?
[12:55:39] <@Oxford> "Ah, was there a problem of some sort with our escorts?" The men by the trucks are carefully positioning themselves behind the vehicles, weapons at the ready.
[12:59:22] <Loewin> "I believe she knows someone in the Cimbrian military. She is too narrow-minded to understand the implications of rebellion, she simply think you're traitors. Obviously, the others did not agree."
[13:00:21] <Lily_Blevins> "We'll deal with her~"
[13:01:33] * Rosalyne_Holst takes a deep breath once more and begins yelling, "YOU HATE ALBEANS, RIGHT? THINK ABO-" She begins yelling and got interrupted by something dragging her back.
[13:02:51] <Lily_Blevins> CRACK.  There's a sound like a whip as several vines wrap themselves around Rosa's arms and legs, and then start PULLING.  As they start dragging her along, more and more of them wrap themselves around her body.  "You need a time out."
[13:05:32] <Lily_Blevins> Eventually, they drag her off the side of the cliff, but by then she's almost entirely engulfed bya  vine cocoon.  The cocoon hangs, from the side of the cliff, with Rosa inside.
[13:06:07] <Cille_Lund> She's pretty sure she helped at some point! Time to go back and watch.
[13:06:14] <Lily_Blevins> "Anyone else want to start anything?"
[13:07:00] <Lily_Blevins> There's something sinister about the way her doll-like face smiles, like she's only something pretending to be human.
[13:08:05] <@Oxford> "Unfortunate," says Koemmer, as the vines pull her away. He grimaces at the unnatural display. "Clearly, the actions of other groups have cast us in an unfair light. For the record, the UAC is fully committed to working alongside both Albaean and legitimate Cimbrian forces."
[13:08:46] <Lily_Blevins> "I'm happy to hear that~"
[13:12:06] <Loewin> "I don't doubt that. Though I am curious...what is your take on them? The angels or valkyries or...however they're known here."
[13:12:33] * Rosalyne_Holst kicks and tires to yell out from the inside of the plant cocoon. For the first time she really can't do anything against other pendant users.
[13:15:36] * BTPhone (~Fomalhaut@A1AF02A:B6A78941:DE50D0B7:IP) has joined #WorldWarBurst
[13:17:22] * Rosalyne_Holst in the ends tires herself out, her voice can barely reach the outside of the plant cocoon.
[13:18:53] <@Oxford> "They're..." he pauses, looking over at Lily and the others, "Well, until I saw them, I wasn't sure I believed in them. You hear all sorts of stories: Novgoraadi witches breaking through the front lines, Albaean angels flying intercept. Even a squad of Cimbrians - that's them, isn't it?" He seems a bit shocked, like a man who's just seen a hydra sunbathing at the city zoo.
[13:20:09] <Lily_Blevins> She gives a wave~
[13:20:22] <Rosalyne_Holst> The cocoon shakes.
[13:21:30] <Cille_Lund> Cille figures she should wave since Lily did, so she does so! "We have fans!" Whyyyyy.
[13:21:33] <Loewin> "Quite. Granted two of the five are not Cimbrian."
[13:25:31] <@Oxford> "There are rumours that you yourself-" he begins, then stops himself. "Of course, the same happens to any famous young lady. I do not mean to dwell on gossip."
[13:29:43] <Loewin> "That I spend my evenings soaring through the air with a pair of angelic wings? If only I had the time for such frivolity." She hides a smirk with a feigned yawn, covering her mouth with her hand. "Ah, excuse me. Now then...assuming there will be continued business, how should I expect contact in the future?"
[13:31:22] * BTPhone (~Fomalhaut@A1AF02A:B6A78941:DE50D0B7:IP) Quit (Quit: Bye)
[13:35:38] <Henriette> A stark scowl adorns Henriette's face at the mention of wings that could possibly resemble her own. There's little veiling the contempt on her face at 'Cloral''s comments. "Vers peuvent voler dans les airs, mais ils venent encore dans la salete..." she mutters.
[13:35:55] <@Oxford> "Future exchanges will have to be set case by case, I'm afraid," Koemmer says, frowning. "The situation is too unstable for anything regular. However, now that we've established positive first contact, it is our hope that future meetings will not require such close personal inconvenience. The normal points of contact should still work, however - our agent is still in place."
[13:42:33] <Loewin> "Ah, good. Then our current deal is concluded? Arthur can give you the specific breakdown of the armaments if necessary."
[13:47:38] <@Oxford> "It is. I'll have your man work out the details with my vice-chair," Jann says, and makes a circular motion with his arm. The convoy begins to move forward across the beach, dismounted irregulars jogging alongside the trucks.
[13:50:05] <Loewin> She nods to him again and turns to approach the completely neutral third party.
[13:51:29] <@Oxford> "Just don't let your guard down," Koemmer adds as she walks away. "There's one more 'angel' I've been worrying about.
[13:51:32] <@Oxford> "
[13:53:28] <Henriette> Henriette glances at Lily. "Do you know who he means? Is it who I think it is?"
[13:55:42] <Lily_Blevins> "...I hope not."
[13:56:05] <Loewin> Loewin shrugs off the ominous warning, unable to hide her grin this time as she closes in on her old friends. "Henri, it is good to see you are okay after last night."
[14:05:40] <Henriette> With a deadpan stare, she answers. "Oui, et I see that you are doing well for yourself. No longer fighting aircraft for your country, are you? Running your company must be going well."
[14:12:48] <Loewin> She manages to overpower her smile enough for a visible frown. "Not...at all actually, the schism is bigger than before as I've begun to be considered an actual 'threat' to those that wish to thrust my brother into power." She frowns further, dropping her head in shame. "And I did not mean to abandon you or Lily...I just thought I could do more good."
[14:13:43] <Lily_Blevins> "At times I really wonder if I'm doing much good or if we're actually making THAT much of a difference and if we're not making things WORSE so I can see that Cloral!"  Fast-talking mode activate.
[14:15:55] <Henriette> Henriette stares at her feet for a moment. "Cl- Loewin, I am sorry. I did not mean to suggest that you would do anything to hurt us. Things have been... challenging since we were moved to Cimbria, et..." She trails off, shaking her head and trying to feign a smile. "It is good to see you, too! I have missed you and the others back home."
[14:16:58] <Cille_Lund> "14hehehehe--ow" Cille plucks off another crystal from her face, one that clearly overstayed its welcome.
[14:17:08] <Cille_Lund> "hehehehe--ow" Cille plucks off another crystal from her face, one that clearly overstayed its welcome.
[14:19:55] <Loewin> "Ah, Ternwald, yes. I have been away for some time myself. Trying to help keep Cimbria independent amongst this war is...time consuming." She perks up a bit and turns to Lily. "Did you tell her who is also with me?"
[14:21:11] <Lily_Blevins> "Enfys~.  I think I'll be taking him home with me~!
[14:21:12] <Lily_Blevins> "
[14:24:13] <Henriette> "Ah... I wonder if he will have gotten over his disdain for me." She smiles a little more confidently now. "I am looking forward to coming home to see you sometime, even if it isn't Ternwald. Perhaps... Perhaps Naida and Cille and... well, maybe they can see where we come from."
[14:24:50] <Loewin> "Arthur should be out with him soon, once he's got our guests settled." Looking between Lily and Henri, her gloom returns. "...your current assignment. How is it going? Truthfully."
[14:26:11] <Cille_Lund> Cille's eyes wander for a while. They eventually set on watching Rosalyne's plant cocoon!
[14:26:37] <Henriette> Henriette waits for Lily to fill in. She kind of looks off to the side to avoid eye contact for now, hoping she doesn't have to open her mouth about it again.
[14:27:31] <Rosalyne_Holst> The cocoon isn't moving much. Rosa must have gotten tired or she's just very tied up in there.
[14:27:49] <Lily_Blevins> Lily WAS waiting for Henri to say something, but she realizes that she's gonna' hav eto take point.  "Uh.  Bumpily."
[14:28:04] <Lily_Blevins> "I mean, you saw what Rosalyne did."
[14:30:39] <Loewin> "Yes...we didn't always get along ourselves but, it did not seem like...that." She shifts her weight, leaning more into the cane. "...do you need help at all? And not necessarily just with the bar. I could...probably find a way to get all of you out..."
[14:31:43] <Henriette> "...is that something you could do?" Henriette says, turning to actually engage in conversation.
[14:32:30] <Lily_Blevins> "Out, huh."
[14:33:47] <Cille_Lund> Her attention turns back to the conversation. She doesn't feel as though she can directly get in it, and perhaps ultimately useless since she has her own plan, but this is interesting.
[14:35:03] <Lily_Blevins> "While I'd love to get out, I feel like I still need to do something, anything...I doubt they'd let me become a field nurse like I wanted, though!  Nope.  If you can use magic, you gotta' do it."
[14:35:19] <Loewin> "I do not know...it's a possibility, there are various ways we could approach it. Albaea likely would not be happy to simply disband the first Cimbrian flight, likely due to saving face in some capacity, but we could work to spin it favorably. But we do have options. And I have the resources to protect you."
[14:37:17] <Henriette> "As Lily said, there is still... work to do, mais... it feels more and more as if this war will never end." She rubs her hands together to spark some imaginary warmth.
[14:41:00] <Loewin> "As I see it, there are two endings. One side will run out of resources and collapse in on itself. This will be...horrible for everyone. They will make more pendants, and more will suffer as we have, and it will leave any remaining vulnerable to attack from other countries. Or one side will use their pendants to deliver a swift, fatal blow to the operations of the other. And we all know conventional weapons are essentially in
[14:41:00] <Loewin> effective against the pendants. But the latter would surely be a suicide mission."
[14:42:14] <Henriette> "Do you know anything about how they're produced? Could we render them ineffective?"
[14:43:16] <Loewin> Loewin shakes her head. "No, I do not have sufficient access to really explore the pendants. Obtaining one for myself was difficult enough."
[14:44:51] <Cille_Lund> "hahahahahaha--w--oh, you're not breaking us this time. ...It's still funny, though, isn't it?" Strangely, the new crystal growth isn't broken. She pays attention all the same!
[14:46:18] <Henriette> "So... our choices are endure some long and terrible war where neither side wins or utterly destroy one? That hardly seems desireable." Especially given a certain someone's plans...
[14:49:07] <Loewin> "There is also a more...fairy tale possibility. It would require coordination of everyone with a pendant. Regardless of country. We would effectively have to serve as a neutral peacekeeping group. All things considered, it would probably be the most fortunate end to the war, but as I said...I do not believe it anything more than a dream."
[14:49:51] <Lily_Blevins> "I doubt the other pendant users want to keep fighting with magic, but I don't think we can convince ALL OF THEM to do that."
[14:51:42] <Cille_Lund> "We have an example of why that's unlikely right up there."
[14:51:42] <Cille_Lund> "We have an example of why that's unlikely right up there."
[14:52:32] <Loewin> "And given that we do not have access to the creation of the pendants, there is no way of knowing if there is a...weakness that could be exploited. I mean, it's dangerous to give this power to someone like us without a means of control. Perhaps the Novs exercise this power as well."
[14:54:44] <Cille_Lund> "The very effort...perhaps it would result in a civil war of the pendant users? And perhaps there's a weakness to magic, it's hard to know...I mean, they certainly haven't used this theoretical control against enemy pendant users from the other side, as far as we're aware, but..."
[14:55:28] <Henriette> "Indeed, it would be foolhardy to leave it to us without the ability to restrain us, mais what happened in Cremvale was something they never could combat, non? Perhaps they do not have an answer yet. Perhaps they needed to field us before they had designed a security meaasure."
[14:57:09] <Henriette> "Un rat accule va meme utiliser des dents cassees, non?"
[14:58:21] <Loewin> "Of course you need not decide right here and now, but...it seems the options effectively boil down to assured death, flight, and probable death."
[14:58:29] <Lily_Blevins> "Another problem would be timing.  If we get rid of one side's pendants too early before we get rid of another's, the side that still has pendants would probably easily win the war."
[15:01:06] <Henriette> It's all too complicated for Henriette. She shakes her head. Stick to the plan. Stick to what makes sense. "I do not know what is best, mais something must happen soon. I do not wish to keep putting Cille and Naida and even Rosalyne through this nonsense if I can do something to stop it. It may be too late for Rosalyne, mais we may yet save some."
[15:04:01] <Loewin> With a sigh, Loewin turns to study the freighter. "I ask that you consider what you would like to do, and I will have Arthur arrange for contact with your bar some time in the future. Whether you choose to escape, fight, or unify as many pendant users as you can, I will direct my efforts to aid you."
[15:07:06] <Lily_Blevins> "All right, we'll think it over."
[15:10:05] <Henriette> "Oui..." Henriette mutters before suddenly embracing Loewin in a big hug. "You are a most welcome sight, ma belle. You always did have a better head on your shoulders than I. Most of you did."
[15:10:37] <Rosalyne_Holst> Except the impulsive Rosalyne
[15:11:01] <Cille_Lund> Who probably hasn't thought a day in her life!
[15:14:33] <Loewin> Loewin buries her head into Henri's shoulder, selfishly using her clothing to wipe away some tears. "Just be safe."
[15:15:38] <Henriette> It's like seen more than a few lately! "I... I will," she says firmly, holding Loewin in a maternal fashion. It's very nostalgiac. Her sense of empathy always was her strong point, not her brain.
[15:17:34] <Cille_Lund> Cille wonders. Perhaps there might be more to do where she's going than she thought? Well, two different paths, anyway. Either way, things are starting to heat up! ...To 'warm'. It's a pretty warm scene.
[15:22:01] <@Oxford> /session