IC: CH2 - LONDON - Back at the Ritz

[Laraqua]

"I'm with you, brother," says Maksim with his usual sort of quiet intensity. "Just wish I had something a little bigger..." He pulls out his gun, checking it over and briskly reloading it.

[DSIGFUSS]

Nethaniel adjusts the rim of his glasses and looks nervously between the two Russians as they begin to assemble their artillery.

Yes.. Well.. The Bloody Tongue cult.. You lot is the first I've heard talk of this ruddy bloody tongue cult now isn't it? ha.. why that rhymes now doesn't it? ha...

Nethaniel smiles at Timour and returns to his thoughts when he realizes the humor might have been lost to the mood of the room. He stammers.

No? Ok then.. Well.. I imagine the Bloody Tongue Cult might be a sister cult of the Ancient Egyptian Brotherhood of the Black Pharaohs. Perhaps the sods that nicked Gwen are both... What's in a name really if the rituals are the same.. The Brotherhood of the Black Pharoahs is an ancient organization long thought dead amongst scholars of the last few centuries. Any persons of interest involved with such an organization may purposefully hide his practces and gather followers under this Bloody Tongue pseudonym. Otherwise the practitioners of the Brotherhood of the Black Pharoah's rituals may attract the attention of powerful men and ancient orders. Especially if dark and ancient creatures are invoked, which clearly is the case.. Just a theory really...

Nethaniel looks back to the guns and sighs nervously.

Now Mr.. Maksim is it? How effective do you truly believe those weapons will be against a creature with the ability to assume a gaseous form of some description? Well they won't now won't they?

[Laraqua]

Maksim looks down at his gun and shrugs. "You know another way?"

[Raiko]

"This?" says Timour, showing Nethaniel a loaded clip of bullets before slotting it into the assembled gun.

"This is for the bastards who took Gwen. I will leave the monsters to you and Andrei."

[coffee demon]

Andrei has stood scowling at the bathroom door, listening to everyone's opinions. He pays particular attention to Nathaniel's descriptions of the Bloody Tongue cult, and to Timour's weaponry.

"So there is no idea where Gwen went? No clues whatsoever? Were the people who attacked you - did they have access to the Spice Shop? Maybe one of them was the owner?"

He's calmed down somewhat, but he still sounds impatient and condescending - almost implying that his companions made a mistake that resulted in Gwen's loss.

OOC,In the middle of moving this week, internet is intermittent, will do my best.

[Raiko]

"The shop keeper Tewfik al-Sayed used sorcery of some kind! Unbelievable, but I saw it with my own eyes! Perhaps you think you could have stopped him Andrei Zatisov? With all those books that you read?

Timour's tone is almost as accusing as Andrei's

"The girl at the club, she said she would tell us everything, but meeting her will be dangerous now."

[Decrepit]

"More dangerous than a frontal assault on wizards?" Caroline says, trying to ground things before they get out of hand.

"We know we can't stay here, but running off half-cocked and getting ourselves killed in some crazy plan for rescue or vengeance isn't going to do anything for Gwen."

She continues more quietly. "We also have to assume the worst, that Gwen is already lost to us. I'd be happy to be proved wrong, but I think it has to be our operating assumption. We then have to think about what would do some real good. It seems to me as though what we need is information, and it's worth some risk to obtain it. The dancer sounds like a promising 'lead' to me. I'm also not ready to give up on exploring the Penhew Foundation more. The more I think about Beth's and my trip there, the more I'm convinced that Mr. Gavigan is not all he seems."

[DSIGFUSS]

Nethaniel nods at Caroline.

Your right as light luv? Unfortunately for Gwen she might be a bloody fountain of information for these cultists and if what transpired in this hotel room is any indication of their methodology.. Well you can imagine.

Nethaniel stops for effect and continues...

I managed to destroy a powerful artifact the shopkeep had been using for some dark purpose. An ancient mirror of some description.. We need to uncover what they've been playing at. How they are connected to this dark gaseous entity and what defenses we can gather to properly contain or destroy it. For that I'll need time.. I nicked some proper evil cultist possessions from the shopkeep. We got to duck and dive... Give us some time to sort this out. Maybe take a looky lu at that mususcript of Andrei's... Identify some of these pieces I nicked.

He then turns to the Russians.

Then we nail these buggers to the wall.

[coffee demon]

Andrei looks displeased.

He puts the pistol back in his satchel.

"I'm going to the Penhew Foundation. I'd like to leave soon, before we get tangled up with the police. Maybe we should meet at another hotel."

He looks again at the gruesome sight on the bed, and looks away.

"We have to get out of here."

[Decrepit]

"While I'm worried about splitting us up again," Caroline says, "I think maybe we ought to under the circumstances, given that there's so much to do and we're so easy to track.

"Andrei, I can go with you to the foundation. Beth and I were just there, and I have at least some sense of how the building is laid out. Plus, I'm damn curious.

"I think we should pick another hotel to rendezvous at at a designated time for tonight, but we may want to think about somewhere less public after tonight."

[Laraqua]

"Maybe a place we can use a fake name," says Maksim. "Where they don't check I.D." He looks at the Englishman, waiting for him to choose a place.

[imme]

Elizabeth is getting antsy to leave this gruesome room. "Well, so, then it sounds like Andrei and Caroline will go back to the Penhew foundation, the Rukovs will go talk to the dancing woman," knowing nothing about how they met this woman, Elizabeth can't help but let a little tone of confusion accompany that statement, "and Nethaniel will study the things he, um, confiscated from the cultists? Meanwhile Johnny and I can stay here and speak with the police." She looks unhappy at the thought, but determined to see this through. "And then we will all meet back again at ... some hotel."

[Grafster]

Johnny nods. The more split up we are the harder it will be for them to catch us all at once.

There will be two locations. They will not be hotels. If we are compromised and everyone can not make it to the first meeting location then they should not be able to direct anyone to where we are staying.

He removes the envelop from his pocket, slices the end open with a pen knife and unceremoniously hands the letter inside to Miss D. He takes the envelop and begins to write two addresses out 4 times each with a gnawed pencil stub. Each group winds up with a slice of envelop with two addresses written on it in tiny meticulous handwriting.

Memorize and then burn or eat it. If you are not at the 1st address tomorrow at noon the come the following day at the same time. If you miss both meetings... The second address is a house in Paris; we know the owner. If you can not safely remain in the city flee there.

[DSIGFUSS]

Nethaniel removes his glasses...

Eat it! Are you mad!

He quickly begins to clean his glasses with a small plain white hankerchief.

Now Now Mates... It's been a quite an evening... We can go to the Pig and Whistle.. Sort this all out!

He looks around at all the intense faces..

It's not too far... but bloody far enough!

[Grafster]

You can also burn it. Johnnys voice is neutral. He fishes a matchbook out of his pocket and offers it to Nethanial.

Moving to a bar would be an excellent idea; we badly need to share information. However we can not leave without speaking to the police and that will take a long time. He pulls a large naudical chart out of his pocket and gives it to Andrei. Miss D and I will stay here and occupy the police; the rest of you should go.

You remember the room I mentioned? That I think is in the bottom corner? He is looking at Caroline. If you can get in you should head there.

[Decrepit]

"Room?" Caroline replies. "Vaguely."

Spoiler:

Sorry. I tried skimming older posts, but I'm not sure which room Johnny means. I think there were multiple entrances to the foundation, and Johnny went around back.

[Decrepit]

"Oh, the room you thought that was hidden in the basement? Yes, of course, that seems the most logical place to get to. I'm not sure how easy it's going to be to get into the basement. As I recall, there's a fence with gates around the perimeter. But I think, Johnny, from what you said that there's a way to get into the basement from the outside, and that's what I'd probably suggest trying. I'm afraid I'm not the stealthiest person, but I'm willing to give it a try."

[Grafster]

I am afraid the room is not directly accessable from the outside; but there is an external door to the basement. I surmise, from the fact that they have bricked up the windows to that room, that that room is the most secure. In my experience it is a good place to look for contraband.

[Raiko]

ooc,There is an external door to the basement, though not necessarily to that room.

[Decrepit]

"Yes, well, I'm still willing to go," Caroline says, "but we'll need some sort of plan." She looks to Andrei with a half-hopeful, half-worried expression.