epidemiology | EVENT ★ WELCOME TO LERAMZEN

EVENT ★ WELCOME TO LERAMZEN

WELCOME TO LERAMZEN

After nearly three weeks of "relaxation" in Oska, Audentes is given 48 hours to prepare for their next mission. Right on time, they are rifted to a different dimension, landing them in the futuristic city of Leramzen.

Instead of appearing in a large group, recruits are spread throughout the city center so as not to draw attention to themselves, arriving in isolated areas: behind buildings hidden from the street, in public restrooms, stepping into the street from behind parked cars. The key is to blend in, though the metropolitan nature of Leramzen allows for some wiggle room; the locals see enough country bumpkins from all over the galaxy that they're willing to overlook a faux pas here or there from an obvious tourist.

Recruits have two weeks before the day of the museum heist. During this time, they should contact their mission analyst, George, but the rest is up to them -- a perfect time to explore the luxuries that Leramzen has to offer.

CITY LIFE

Leramzen is a highly cultured city, with many museums and theatres, including its prized Lyushny Theatre which homes the galaxy famous Lyushny Ballet. While the natives of this planet are human, recruits will see a wide variety of other life forms in Leramzen, some humanoid and some most definitely not. Try not to stare!

The generous stipend will more than allow recruits to take in the sights and treat themselves to a luxury meal or two, but of particular interest should be the clothing and jewelry stores found in the city center. There are shops that cater to any style and taste, including a few bespoke tailors that have a convenient turnaround time of two weeks.

In addition to shopping and cultural pursuits, there is an ice rink in the city center, maintained for the long winter season, and horse-drawn carriages that will take passengers on a ride through Leramzen's historic Old Town.

This is also a good chance to observe the State History Museum to get a lay of the land before the mission begins. But remember -- don't draw attention to yourselves, so going in all together might not be a good idea.

Settle in and take in some sights, and get ready -- because when the mission begins, you never know what you'll be in for.

OOC NOTES

Welcome to the new mission! Heist sign-ups are now closed for current players, but all characters accepted after May 21st will still have the opportunity to sign up.

For more information on the mission, please check the dossier and direct all questions about Leramzen to this thread.

Questions about the game in general should be directed to the FAQ and you may submit mission ideas or player plots at any time.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Eight catches sight of this little drama playing out from a short distance away, surprised when a child just strides right up to Hayame and touches her. It strikes him as an oddly forward behavior — and so he's not surprised that she responds in that manner. The sharp teeth he barely spots, simply because she bares them like that, a brief flash.

All things considered, the reaction isn't unjustified. You don't just walk up and pet people. But when adults move in to intervene, Eight's own impulse is just as natural to him. With his unusual speed, he makes a bee-line for Hayame, stepping between her and the locals. A comically small barrier to be sure, but he plants his hands on his hips and tips his head back like he isn't the runt of the litter.

He expects she can fight her own battles, but they need to blend in. Covert ops is his line of work, so maybe he can handle this]

You'll have to excuse my [He pauses mid-sentence, hesitant. It's overstepping and it's weird and he doesn't want to say it because he's never called someone this, but it's simplest—] friend here, she's not used to people walking up and patting her out of nowhere.

[Those last words are quite pointed, for all that he sounds perfectly calm. It's not socially acceptable behavior to just walk up and touch strangers in any country he'd ever visited, that's for sure]

Edited 2017-05-22 14:36 (UTC)

[Hayame was not about to take lip from a stranger, let alone one who apparently raised a child with such disrespect. Hers was a highly ritualized society, where each slight touch could mean volumes, and the only contact she has really known from two-legged humans has been the strikes of harsh training.

Perhaps it could be considered an overreaction to another, to snarl over the well-meaning touch of a tiny hand on a leg, but to Hayame it is a rudeness- an opinion she is already rearing back to say to the little creature's parents, except-

That man from the hot springs, back in Oska, is suddenly there.

Her anger stalls out in surprise, stiffening in frustration, in the familiarity behind the word "friend". Inexperienced in stealth operations, covert identities, and related spyworks, she can't immediately connect the dots as to why he is interfering-]

What?

[The exclamation is grit out, fingers curling into fists with a twitch of her lips.

At least she's not arguing with the strangers in the street yet?]

[That's the difficult thing, working with people that he hasn't grown up with. Eight's pretty sure his adoptive siblings can roll with an act, but despite their lack of personal closeness they've been a unit for as long as they can remember. Certain understandings existed between them...just not the typical, normal variety expected of a family. Perhaps because they weren't exactly a proper one.

While Eight could pause and attempt to clear this up with Hayame, it wouldn't get them away from these strangers any sooner. So instead, he presses on, believing that he can resolve any confusion after they're sans one audience. That's the plan in his head, anyhow]

We've got places to be, if it's all the same to you.

[Not saying sorry because from his worldview, Hayame's reaction wasn't inappropriate. He's never seen a horse, and it's quite evident that his fellow ~~captive~~ recruit is a person as much as any other. Quite a towering one to be sure, but one doesn't simply stride on up and touch people. Sure she'd thrown him once, he hasn't forgotten, but they're both fighters and he thinks nothing of it.

He turns and gestures to one side with a sweeping motion of one arm, indicating that his fellow unwilling recruit ought to take the lead as they go off on their way. The sooner they clear out, the better off they are, and he's opting to ignore the indignant little comments that they're getting about manners.

Look who's talking, really...]

[What was he attempting to do? Unskilled as she is in deception and putting on acts, Hayame still cannot go along with Eight's attempts- mainly because she didn't yet see the good in not arguing in the street when one's personal sense of propriety has been grossly violated by a snot-nosed child.]

I can handle this affair myself.

[A hoof scrapes somewhat jarringly along the stone street as she shoots Eight a glare that speaks to her opinions on people involving themselves in her business, before she rounds on the parents of the child, rearing up to her full height with a fierce glower on her features.]

Apologize for your insolence and I shall let this incident slide.

[... which seems to actually be addressed to the child... who promptly begins to bawl.]

[Although Eight likes challenges, Hayame's insistence on correcting a child in front of her parents isn't the sort he'd ever have in mind. He lets out a clipped breath, the sum of any vexation he's willing to express, before he's stepping up again.

It's a difficult thing to get the point across to her without giving them away. They're not supposed to call attention to themselves here, intended to blend in with the crowd, and that is so far not happening.

This time, at least, he's going to address her directly]

You're drawing a lot of attention to yourself.

[He knows her to be a fighter — he's seen the way she handled her weapon before. And on a battlefield, sometimes being upfront and aggressive was the right approach. But sometimes, as was the case with his Code Crimson assignments, discretion was essential]

She shouldn't have touched you, but making a scene could be troublesome.

[Much as Eight thinks he gets it, they've got a mission here, and he hopes that he's getting through to her]

[She detests the sound of crying children. Of weakness, worn so easily and so publicly. That sort of behavior, that is what led to amputations, to being armless, and she had always been raised knowing so. She had been taught harshly, and so she teaches harshly, and anyone with combat training could likely tell she is mere seconds from slapping the child- well. Grabbing it to slap it, it's so small.

Jaw grits, fingers curl into a fist, muscles tighten down her dominant arm, a twitch, quite prepared to ignore everything Eight was saying-

But then it's Matsukaze's voice in her ear, in her head. The way he'd chastised her, when she raised a hand to the yearlings playing with their bows instead practicing with them. The way he'd shaken his head, and said she ought not to teach like she had been taught, but how she'd wished to have been.

It didn't matter anymore, did it? The master was coming, and that village, and those yearlings-

Her expression darkens as quickly as a summer thunderstorm, sudden and terrible, and before the parents can intervene she lunges forward, front hooves spreading in order to bring her heavy body down closer to the girl's level.]

Do not simply go around touching people.

[With a sharp sound of hooves on street she straightens back up, turns on her heels and with a flick of her tail... begins to storm off.

Coming, Eight?]

[It seems that she's cooled off by herself, and Eight counts himself lucky for that. Had they drawn any more curious onlookers, it could've been problematic for them, to say the least. The parents don't look particularly satisfied with the outcome, but they turn their attention to comforting their sobbing child, and he's content to leave that where it is.

He turns on his heel and follows her, supposing some explanation ought to be necessary once they're clear of the crowd gawking at them. It's an unusual situation for him, working with people who aren't in Class Zero. People who don't intuitively understand him.

The chill air bites at his hands, so he stuffs them in his pockets as he keeps pace beside her. For a time he doesn't say anything, watching their surroundings rather than her, quite aware of the task ahead of them. When it comes to missions, his focus sees little by way of rival.

Once the people-traffic things, however, he does speak up]

During covert operations...drawing that kind of attention can be a problem. The less people notice you, the less they're likely to question. [Those who confronted their foes directly, or were familiar with such warfare, might find the concept counter to their expectations, but it's the task placed before them] As for...calling you that... [a "friend"] it was the simplest explanation.

[Which is to say he doesn't assume anyone is a friend, and that's not really why any of them are here besides]

["Cooled off" would be a generous estimation of Hayame's mood. "Backed off", perhaps, but her hoofbeats are heavy on the clean and slick roads of this city that is more rich than she thinks even her lords' lord could dream of. The opulence, the ease at which these people seemed to live irritated her just by its very existence, but more than that-

The reminder of Matsukaze, of Kohibari, of Koume, of the yearlings she had grudgingly agreed to teach, is enough to darken her expression and keep her silent, resentful of her presence in this team, in this world, in this madness that transcended beyond what she ever could have imagined in her own world.

It's enough to make her momentarily forget that Eight is even there. Until he speaks, and her head whips about with a sharp flare of her long black hair.

Enough to stare for a moment before she replies.]

I do not see how those foolish people will have anything to do with the theft ALASTAIR expects us to make.

[She knows enough of covert operations to not do such things in front of targets, but is unable to conceive of a network of observation that would mean even things they do in other places, weeks before, could have much impact on the actual mission.]

[And there she goes again. There's no missing the grimace that pulls at Eight's lips for the brief time that it's there, a flicker of distaste before he's glancing around to ensure nobody heard that. At this point he is quite certain that Hayame is far more direct than some others might be, though with the mixed bag they're meant to work with, he can't be certain she's alone in that.

The people-traffic is thankfully sparse, and Eight tries to relax...though the tension remains in his shoulders. He can understand the frustration, but at least this is something a little familiar to him. Granted, he'd only ever taken bases and strongholds, not gemstones...]

They could report to the local authorities. In that case, there's the possibility of being taken in for questioning, and having our backgrounds looked into...

[It could only snowball from there. Eight doubts that family has any association with the museum, and there's not a high probability that they're in law enforcement, but it was easy to report strange behavior. Threatening a child was something that would likely prompt intervention, and the more attention they drew, the more probable questions would become]

So it's better to fly under the radar, rather than invite extra attention.

[The local authorities...

Hayame has tended to always been that authority, but then again, the outpost she'd been born and raised in was practically autonomous, located as it was on the outskirts of Lord Miyatsuta's domain on the borders where human civilization was attempting to break into the wilds of the mountains. There was not any higher than her Master...

But. She supposes this place must have police forces. She supposes she could acknowledge that.

But.]

So you would have us cower for two weeks with out heads down?

Cower? No. But I intend to act the part.

[Young as he is, Eight's got more experience than men twice his age. He's seen more combat than he could take count of, between missions and all the tasks others entrusted to or challenged Class Zero with.

This, if anything, seems simple by comparison. He has no more sympathy for this organization than he ever did, but it keeps him busy, for now. So he'll bide his time until he finds the means to return to the others]

I've had to pretend I was just some defenseless, overwhelmed cadet before. I've had to let people I could wipe the floor with beat me in the hope of making me talk. And I let that happen because it meant they'd take me to where my captured allies were being held. [Although in the end, his efforts were for naught; all were dead] Don't get me wrong; I've got my pride. But if it means we get this done with minimal casualties, it's better than the alternative.

[A pause, as he remembers speaking of war with Owain. This is different, they have no true battlefield or foe, but even so...]

If the authorities got involved, chances are this couldn't end peacefully.

[The "part" seems cowardly to her, and her expression remains sour with the concept. Deception... she had little interest in it. Oh, she could track a target silently for days if need be, disguise her presence in the shadows and trees to track her prey, but that was different than this, somehow.

And she doesn't like it.]

I have little interest in pretending.

[She has never pretended to be anything he whole life- unless you counted the time in her youth when she'd had to pretend to be a good horse. Before she forgot such things and simply became it. It chafes like a bit, and it seems her pride might threaten to be the worse between the two.]

I never agreed to this "mission" in the first place.

[By now Eight feels he's taken some measure of who she is and how she operates, enough so that he's not surprised by the reply. He certainly didn't sign up for this either, and he can't imagine viewing himself as a part of this unit. There's only one to which he belongs, and ALASTAIR has caused him to abandon them.

And he will never forget it]

Strength exists to protect others. It may not seem valorous, but this is how we ensure people don't get hurt needlessly while we're stuck here.

[He hopes that much resonates with her, as it has with the last person he discussed the subject witb]

I don't like the situation any better than I did when we first met, but it's obvious they have serious resources at their disposal. It's going to take time to get back where we belong, and they'll be less on-guard if we go along for now, or look it at least. I'd hope nobody actually likes deception, but it's among the few things we do have.

[Protect others. It causes Hayame to tch, slightly tossing her head at the very idea when applied to this situation. Of course she believed in the concept. She had always looked forward to the day that she would prove her worth and be acknowledged as a warrior, purchased by a great general... and she would protect that person, fight for their ideals and their lands and people-

But ALASTAIR asks her to fight for people she had no knowledge or connection to, for ideals she does not agree with, and gives her only the barest of reassurances that perhaps one day she will be returned to where she belongs.

(And in the meantime... what will become of that village? Those children? ... That man?)]

My lord has instructed me to cooperate with this mission, and I shall-

[At least, as far as the actual heist was concerned, but.]

But I shall not dishonor myself, nor him, in the process.

[And... little girls touching you in the street still counted for that. Apparently.]

[Eight arches an eyebrow about that. Her lord? Well, he can't exactly comment on that; somehow he got recruited as some kind of bodyguard. Strange that they're all drawn into this organization regardless of status, with no apparent attempts at ransom or anything else that might profit them. What was the point of putting royals on missions that were potentially dangerous?

It seems to him a strange game, whatever ALASTAIR is playing at]

I trust you won't do something that's beneath your role as a soldier, then.

[There's a weight behind his words that he doesn't explain. So far as he's concerned, it'd be dishonorable to go after civilians who can hardly defend themselves. Hayame may be easily provoked, and he still thinks that little girl was out of line in walking right up and touching her, but she ran the risk of an altercation. People could've gotten hurt that wouldn't have needed to.

She might've gotten hurt, depending on the weaponry people carry in this place. Neither prospect is one Eight wants to imagine, but his world's taught him that worst case scenarios aren't unlikely simply for being undesirable]

Back where I'm from, failure to meet objectives was dishonorable. [But having said that, he thinks he's occupied enough of her time] People around here...I doubt they share our customs, or standards. It's something we might have to keep in mind.

[He frames it as a suggestion that's mutually important, if only because it's not his place to dictate anything. While he can try to help he with his extensive experience in covert operations, there's only so far he can take that.

And so on that note, he takes his leave]

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EVENT ★ WELCOME TO LERAMZEN

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