2nd adventure: sightseeing and debrief

"Once we figure out a way to arrest a moving statue, we'll do it. For now, you will come with us."

"Yes, and they can explain to the public how the city keeps dangerous artifacts in public square, that can go off by talking to them. And you can explain how it happened on your watch that a statue nearly struck down my friend while you were examining it. Pretty sure that goes somewhere between criminal negligence and endangerment of pubic safety."

Konrad waves his hands at his friends. "Forgive them, they can be a bit overzealous." He pulls out his pipe, and lays a hand on his own weapon. "But we're not coming, not yet. I want to talk to it some more, and we're making progress. I promise I won't hurt its feelings. Give me five minutes."

It occurs to me that I haven't but my red armband back on yet...

Diplomacy
I'm phrasing this in a way to give him a chance to haggle me down to a countdown he and I can both be satisfied with. I've got a lot to say. 2 minutes would be plenty enough.

Finally seeing someone else act calmly seems to appease the mage, somewhat. However, he still looks pissed off. "Nobody is going to speak to the statue. Robert! Go to HQ, and report what happened here. I recommend that we restrict access to each of the animated monuments." He returns his attention at the party while his subordinate takes off. "We do not need to arrest all of you." He looks at Steve. "Only him."

Zelk rolls her eyes. "Steve, let's just go with them. They can't prosecute you."

He puts his hands up in surrender. "Pfff. Whatever. Like I'm worried about some bureaucratic tool and his authority complex. I'm just sorry this date didn't turn out how we wanted."

Mihai steps beside Steve. - "He's not going alone."

"Very well, you may take my fellow Coins adjunct member into custody if you wish. Now, where did I put my armband...?" Konrad takes his hand off of his sword, and begins to light his pipe, for it is his peace pipe. "But what have we learned? It turned its head to look at me. It swung at my friend when he taunted it. It responds to talking, and has only responded to us. In comparison, what will you gain by continuing as you have since sunset? I wager whatever fine that might be reasonably levied on my friend that you have learned - and will learn - nothing new tonight. What I've got to say is productive and helpful for the people of this city, the statue included. After that, nothing more."

Diplomacy
Trust me, as a member of the Coins and as a fellow mage.

[The wager is not serious, at least not to Konrad, but it shows how far he'll push the matter.]

"I am not interested in learning more about the true nature of the statue."

He gestures to four of his soldiers to surround Steve, but since he is surrendering peacefully (and considering the peculiar nature of this arrest), they will agree not to put handcuffs on him. Fedler, Zelk, and Breeze also decide to follow him.

"As of this moment," continues the mage,"there's only one thing I want; to get all of you way from this statue. As you said, you're the only ones it responded to. You should go wit the rest of your adjunct."

Steve is now being escorted to the HQ, and the leader of this small unit is ordering his remaining guards to disperse the crowd.

OOC:

Mihai is clearly having some trouble stopping his palm from slamming into his forehead right about now.

Konrad look at Breeze and shrugs. "We can still do that thing tomorrow if you want. I hope Steve can come. Right now, you should go with him."

Breeze looks at Konrad with confusion. "You're not coming?"

"Would if I could, but I've got something to look into, need to run by the rumor mill. Don't worry Blueshot, I won't get into any more trouble." He smirks.

Diplomacy
Nothing to worry about. Don't worry, be happy--er, relieved.

"Then I'm coming with you!" declares Breeze. She quickly tells Steve and the rest of the party they have something important to do, and she then comes back to the red mage. "I'm ready!" she says.

Konrad sighs. "Yes you are. Well, if you insist."

On his way to the seedier parts of town, Konrad will stop by a statue known to be one of the movers and tries to say what he wants to say there, hopefully too far from the other statue for the word to get out quickly enough.

Konrad manages to find one of the movers, surrounded by 8 guardsmen. Word hasn't gotten out about the incident yet, which Konrad is thankful for.

He walks up and faces the statue, smoking his peace pipe. For it is a pipe of peace. "I know you can hear us, and I'd like you to be aware of something your friend 'Alvo' up and did. Turned his head and looked at me When I came by. Then swung his sword at my friend for taking the piss at him. Now why did he have to go and do that? I can make an exception to you attacking my friends with deadly force, but just this once. Anyway, just want to help you help me help you, so hear me out."

"I know he's not really Alvo, and I know you're not really what you were sculpted to depict. You have options from here on out, branching paths from this night. People are going to be afraid of you, the movers if you will. If you continue to attack people who are only trying to understand you, they'll bring the soldiers in and decide to get rid of you. I don't want that to happen. Your face must have been carved by angels. But, you'd become a pile of burnt, chipped stones."

"And let's say you don't," he continues, blowing smoke. "You decide for the next hundred years, you'll do nothing. How many days do you think the people will let their fear of you control them? Before they go to the rulers of this city and ask them to get rid of you? And how long do you think they'll wait before they decide to destroy you? They'll have a debate about it, sure. It may take them months to reach a decision, provided you do nothing. But someone, not saying it's me, might take it into their own hands to reduce you to rubble."

"Maybe you can't talk. That's fine. But your best option from here on out is to open communication to someone you deem friendly to you, and yes, I do mean myself specifically. Otherwise, your time playing the ignorant and stoic statue together with the others, during the night here in Zest's Gate, is limited."

He waits for some sign, or response. Assuming he doesn't get one, he'll add, "You do with that what you will, but I'm glad we had this little talk."

The guards and the small group of people standing around the fountain, in the middle of which stands a human-sized statue of a woman wearing a toga and whose hands are extended in a way white mages do to heal someone, don't really pay attention to Konrad or Breeze when they approach the human effigy. However, the statue does; it immediately turn its head to look at the red mage when he's close enough. Once he's done talking, the statue slowly extends her right arm, which amazes the onlookers. Then, it bashes it against its own torso, crushing it in multiple pieces that fall into the water. That baffles everyone, even Breeze. But soon enough, the pieces slowly float out of the water, and then cluster back together towards the broken arm. One part at a time, the limb is reassembled. The process must not have taken more than a minute.

Everyone's jaw has dropped, and the statue has now retaken its initial posture. Nothing will make it move again.

"What was that supposed to mean? asks Breeze, who's completely lost.

Konrad shrugs. "Hmph. You may think so now, but we'll find a way. We always do. Maybe you don't mean to cause trouble. But it still stands, we don't want to ruffle feathers on either side. Do with that what you will. Honestly, I'm a little happier than I thought I'd be after we had this talk."

He puts out his pipe. For it is his pipe of cool. "Take care, mover."

As he walks away with Breeze, he says, "You saw what happened, right? It's obviously confident that it can't be destroyed. Not necessarily a threat, more of a statement."

"Oh! I see!" replies Breeze. "Well, now we can go back to the others and tell them what happened! Then we wait for the police to release Steve. Maybe we can play cards in the meantime?"

The crowd watches the unusual duo leave the scene, completely bewildered.

Her seemingly clueless attitude cheers Konrad up a bit. "Nope. Remember what I said? I gotta run the rumor mill."

However, he braces himself for her mood change toward elaboration of his goal tonight.

"Let me be blunt, kid. I need to go to a not-nice part of town, and find some not-nice people, and make some offers that may be frowned upon by polite" - peaceful, civil, - "company, in exchange for information." And money, and further business down the line. "It will be good to have you watching my back, but we will both have to be careful around them. If you don't want to be with me, I understand. I just want to keep you from getting mixed up in it." And on the subject of fairies, that could happen literally, I have no idea.

"But... what about Steve?" asks Breeze with an imploring tone. "Shouldn't we go with him now? He's our friend."

Konrad folds his arms over his chest. "Steve will be fine, being in a cell isn't so bad, and it'll only be for one night Maybe just a few hours, after all he's got Mihai and the others to vouch for him. He did nothing wrong. Besides, this is a delicate matter, and I may need to visit the not-nice people more than once. But I'll be with him in spirit, okay? You choose to return to them, you should pass that along."

Breeze is left speechless for a few seconds, and she looks at Konrad with bemusement. Then, her shoulders slump forward, she looks down at the ground, and says, "Okay... I'll go back..."

She turns around, and flies away from Konrad at a slow pace.

Konrad:

Ow. My mind... Konrad rubs his temple and watches her go. He remains rooted to where he stands until the feeling passes, and sighs heavily.

"Alright. Time to make some new friends."

/Exit

Steve and the rest of the party are taken to the police station, a large building surrounded by a wall of stone with a large entrance guarded bb two heavily armed guards. It takes only ten minutes for the party to get there, during which their escort tried to be civil with their charge, but were nevertheless wary. Once the group have entered the building, everyone but Steve is told to stay in the waiting area; there are plenty of chairs to sit around, and as soon as a decision regarding their friend has been made, they'll be the first to know. The young man is then taken to a small interrogation room, and he will be left there alone for the next thirty minutes, after which a middle-aged man with a balding head will enter the room. He is wearing standard mage robes, and seems to keep a clean and tidy appearance overall. Just as the older mage sits down on the other side of the table, Steve notices the colors on his armband; green, black, and white.

The interrogator places a folder on the table, opens it, and takes out a magical quill out his sleeve. "Your name, please?" he asks with a raspy voice.

____________________

Back in the waiting room

"...Wanna play a game?" says Fedler

Mihai still stares coldly in the direction he last saw Steve - in keeping with his demeanor ever since Mage-r Asshole called for their arrest, but Fedler's voice thaws him out of it.

"Uh...?" - he acknowledges - "What kind of game?"