Play@YSDC

Felicity nods again and slips inside, getting her pistol ready.

Clarence waits with Andrew whilst the others head inside.
He silently draws his sword cane.

Felicity and Archie find themselves in a dusty and disorderly warehouse that has long been used for replicating and restoring sculptures. Fragments of sculptures, molds, and other tools are scattered about. The only light comes from dim lanterns in a corner where ten people are standing. Approaching closer, three old and rusted machines can be discerned, appearing to be printing and typography instruments. The group of people appears to be students and common workers. None of them is over twenty-five years old, except for one, with a stern face, who seems to be the leader. A man in his fifties with a severe gaze, gray hair, and a work apron dusty with accumulated years. Four people are listening to the leader, who gesticulates to explain something important. Another five are nervously gathering sheets of paper into open sacks on the floor. They are leaflets, with large symbols of hammer and sickle, with slogans written in large letters, such as "Proletarian power", "Fight for the workers' cause."
The leader of the activists, upon seeing Giorgio approach with two strangers, furrows his brows and strides toward him, gesturing in consternation.

"Have you lost your mind? Who the devil are these people? Get them out of here immediately!"
Giorgio, intimidated and embarrassed, still clutching Maria's paper in his hand, responds weakly,
"They... are... comrades... from the English section of the party... I think... they need to ask you for a favor..."

Meanwhile, Andrews and Clarence, who remained by the door, catch sight of about twenty black-shirted figures led by Rossini turning a corner and running towards the building, armed.

"Is there another way out of here, Comrades?" asks Felicity, amused at pretending to be a Communist. "Trouble may be coming."

'Time to go old man,' Andrew says to Clarence, closing the door and attempting to bolt or block it. He shouts into the warehouse - 'We need to find another exit - the fascists are coming and they're armed.'

"Well spotted, mate," Archie whispers to Andrew. Then he slips into the warehouse.

He grabs his handkerchief and holds it to his nose, trying to keep the lion's share of the dust away from his mouth and nose.

"Hmm, how does it go again? It's been awhile..." Then he sings a few lines, weak at first, of the International Worker's Anthem, "Debout, les damnés de la terre..." getting stronger as he goes. The chorus is quite strong, "C'est la lutte finale, Groupons-nous, et demain."

When he finishes, he says, "I was too chicken to get a card. Too problematic in Ol' Blighty. Queen and country and all that... But I went to meetings at Brichester. We ended our meetings with that song."

"And yes, we have a huge favor to ask, Comrade."

"Yes, we're hoping Nanni can tell us the whereabouts of the statue of Saint Isidore," adds Felicity.

Clarence slips through the door just as Andrew slams it closed.
“Sorry chaps, we need to skedaddle.” He says to the meeting at large. “There’s a whole bunch of black shirts inbound.”

Clarence slips through the door just as Andrew slams it closed.
“Sorry chaps, we need to skedaddle.” He says to the meeting at large. “There’s a whole bunch of black shirts inbound.”

Archie nods and starts looking around for any other exits.

The solitary entry lies at the forefront, while numerous and generously-sized windows adorn the surroundings. Most of them stands ready to be unlatched swiftly, offering ways of departure from the warehouse in any chosen direction. A sprint in the opposing course would lead towards the canal's waters. Flanking the warehouse are twin structures akin to the present one. With haste, the fascist soldiers are approaching, expanding their reach to obstruct avenues of flight. Dissent brews amongst the activists. Nanni advocates for seizing a boat tethered just beyond the shed's confines, while Giorgio favors a lateral evasion, seeking refuge amidst the interstice between sheds. The remaining comrades find themselves torn between the two proposals.

"Comrades, we must move quickly and get as far from here as possible," says Felicity quietly. "If we do not decide fast, we will be trapped. If we stay between the sheds, the blackshirts will eventually find us when they search methodically. No, we must escape by boat, and they will be unable to pursue us on foot. I'm sure you're all bright enough to see the wisdom in that."

Using Flattery.

“Absolutely!” Clarence strides towards the rear windows that open out by the canal and opens them one by one.
“No time to dally!”

Archie nods. There is no time to spare. He heads toward the open windows, and for some reason, suddenly has the overture from Carmen running through his head as he rushes across. He resists the urge to actually make any noise.

'And those of us who can swim could cross to the other side of the canal if there is not enough room in the boat,' notes Andrew.

The communists burst out of the warehouse and spill onto the dock behind it. The cold breeze from the Venetian canal greets them. Nanni flicks on a flashlight and uncovers two moored rowboats. Amidst the rush and confusion, the group hastily divides between the two small vessels. Activists are already splitting into two groups of five. Meanwhile, the fascists sprint, approaching with their own flashlights. There are no other boats nearby for them to give chase. Like trained soldiers, they take aim to fire at the fleeing boats. At this juncture, the activists also draw their pistols to provide covering fire.

OOC:   Describe how you split between the two boats and what you do once aboard (help rowing, provide covering fire, or something else).

OOC:   Archie's pistol is drawn so he can squeeze off shots any shots as needed. He can go to Boat 1.

Felicity goes in whichever boat Nanni takes so that she can later ask him about the statue, and she'll provide covering fire, crouching down low to present a smaller target and use the gunwale for cover. She knows that one of the weaknesses of Communists is their internal divisions, and she's glad that she was still able to get men to do what she wants.

Clarence is one of the first out. Not having a gun, he dashes to the other boat, gets the oars ready and waits to slip the mooring line once the boat is full.
“Almost as hectic as Henley. Just missing the boaters and parasols.” He thinks.