March 2nd

Events move quickly over the next few hours.  The soldiers take Zeiss and Javan, blinded, gagged, and with ear blockers and bags over their heads.  The rest of the party tries to find out what info they can but aside from the fact that professional Sho-military soldiers were in the town, there are no concrete facts that they can determine, though after a rather successful check they are pretty certain the soldiers are based somewhere in the city, probably close to the port if one were to guess.

Zeiss and Javan awake, separately and in different cells, which appear surprisingly sparse.  The walls, ceiling, floors are all solid metal and have no features that might be toilets, water dispensers, or even basic chairs. 

Javan Only:

Both of you hear the occasional footsteps of boots on sharp metal, quite close by and clearly passing by your room once in a while. 

It is now late the evening of the 2nd, at about 8 PM.

Javan, although glad his back wasn't hurting as badly anymore, did not bother to get up until he was sure he had calmed himself down first. He backtracked in his mind everything that had happened to himself until that point, and made sure to understand his current predicament before getting up.

Considering how Javan was taken to his place, by whom he was taken and how this place looks, the best-case scenario in his head was a maximum security facility, which made Javan sit down again and look around his cell some more, hoping there was anything that he missed his first glance of this room.

Otherwise, he decided to wait for his captors to address him for his questioning.

Zeiss groans as he wakes up. He tries to stand up on his two feet, almost fall to the ground, but manages to keep his balance. Then he examines his new cell and the lack of accommodations.

"...Huh. I would rather be in an Aluvian prison right now."

He approaches the wall.

"Javan? Can you hear me?"

As he waits for a response, Zeiss tries to determine in what kind of facility he is.

OOC:

@Zeiss: The metal appears to be polished steel.  No elements that you can determine.  No audible response to any cries.  You (and Javan) are both sans all your gear and dressed in basic robes with no amenities.  And you have no idea where Rainbow is.  Your Knowledge: Engineering is sufficient to tell that making a prison like this probably involves some kind of magnetic or magical seal on one of the walls that can be opened up, but if that's true then you are in a level of security that you have not yet encountered.

The rapier was successfully flung into the ocean.  If the rest of the party can chill if they want, or try to rescue Zeiss and Javan if they want, or leap off a cliff if they want.

"Hell if I know," Kolson says with a shrug. "This isn't my country and this is my first visit. Probably my last if we keep going at this rate."

He removes his hat and wipes the sweat off his forehead with his right arm. "Can you sense where Zeiss is, Advoc?"

Rory:

When Advoc joined the party, he explained that the soldiers captured Zeiss. However, he managed to hide the mirror so that Advoc could bring it to the rest of the party. Believing that it would be safer in Kolson's hands since he had an Exit materia, he gave him the precious heirloom. To his question. he answered :

"*insert Arch's response*".

Then he adds :

"Might I also suggest that we talk Glurghk of Squallidsallow for additional information?"

OOC:

".................................."

(because sometimes you need to specify that a character isn't saying anything)

"Well, i know life is cheaper here than what i'm used to, but i'm guessing murder of a high-ranking official of a foreign power gets you a few eternities jail time."

OOC:

Advoc hesitates for a long moment.  Then, stiltedly, informs Kolson and the others that he has a general sense of Zeiss as still being 'nearby', within a few miles... south of the city.  He mentions a vague impression of an enclosed box, but otherwise nothing.  Based on a quick memory check that means it's likely Zeiss is actually at the outskirts of the city, near that warehouse you'd set up as your defacto base in fact, where there's several abandoned buildings and otherwise not as much population or traffic.

"How long can you be up and about, isolated from your summoner like this?"

"Damn it. This again. We shouldn't have taken the Vyeotians' name, that was our first mistake."

Rory stews, sobering up, the mood of his tone alternating between his individual musings. He starts pacing, looking for an out, rambling on in his own little world. "No, if it wasn't for Lightmane, that would have gotten us all arrested last time...if we can assume this was indeed an official arrest made by Sho authorities. Meanwhile, Zeiss' 'avatar of light' over here is mentally deteriorating as we speak, so it won't be much help soon. Damn, we just have to go there, don't we? But what if it's those Vyeotian freaks? Oh...hmm, yes, that wouldn't be bad... But that would mean Zeiss is more at risk than just being caught by the law..."

He continues pacing...

"I'll say it aloud. Javan turned himself in of his own accord. Despite that, i still want to rescue him, but if we follow him down just as blindly, we won't be doing him any favors. We need something smarter than just storming a heavily guarded military compound with just the four of us."

"We aren't even ready to do that really. A vague direction is not a location. After we rest we'll need to split up; we need some resources and a location.

I'll be taking the mirror to the client and securing our deal. I'll need a volunteer to come with me to watch my back. The other team will need to go with Advoc and try to locate this prison to the south. Observe what you can but don't put yourselves in danger. All right. Who's going where?"

Rory snaps back into reality when the smart, sharply dressed red mage in red lays out their current course of action. "I got your back. I can stand still and look tough, and hopefully I won't get to have fun," he answers with a flicker of cheeky humor in an otherwise grim tone.

As he curls up on the ground, he mutters under his breath, droning quietly with this or that reason why it would be a good idea for the man on the other side of the coin flip to be deferential when he wakes: "Sorry big man, we're having a rough patch, as you probably remember..."

*To Advoc

"We should move now, while it's dark."

"I am quite easy to spot in the dark, but we still have to go. I'm ready."

Advoc follows Higaide.

OOC:

It occurs to Higaide that using a cloak might partially conceal the light emanating off him, but will do nothing for the Light emanating off him should anyone be paying attention.  Eight dice stand ready for confirmation of action... quivering with anticipation...

Slim is better than none. Unless there's something i'm missing, i'd be a fool not to take every advantage i can, so i'm doing it.