2018-05-20: Bartlow's Scheme
- Log: Bartlow's Scheme
- Cast: Talia, Matilda Whitehead, Kaguya, Janus Cascade, Mathias Bartlow
- Where: Glaivend Basin
- Date: 5/20/2018
- Summary: Bartlow calls upon a group of mercenaries, to change the direction of the war...
<Pose Tracker> Talia has posed.
Word has gotten around a few mercenary circles. People who have proven themselves useful in Glenwood have caught the eye of Hyland's government -- especially people from Filgaia. In the end, three specific people were chosen:
Janus Cascade, who had proven himself knowledgeable and skilled. He had also navigated the underworld well enough to set-up, of all things, a speakeasy. Nations at war can't be pickers and choosers about morals, or so the reasoning goes.
Kaguya and Matilda, who had worked a few jobs in Glenwood. Matilda, for one, had made a name as a guard at the party attacked by the Phantom Thief... among other things.
The invitation went out: to call upon the command tent at the Hyland camp in Glaivend Basin, at the appointed hour and appointed time. The sky is dark and cloudy, though not storming. A wind blows through the dry, dusty canyons of the basin -- and the blue and silver banners of Hyland flap, mightily, in the wind.
The three of them have been invited -- and as they arrive, guards walk them to the command tent. The flaps to the inside of it are, currently, closed.
All channels have been gagged.
<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.
Matilda's been through Glaivend Basin more than once -- first to get herself out of that disaster zone, then almost immediately after, a second time to try to get information. She's fairly comfortable navigating it -- especially given she's not alone in doing so.
She gets more comfortable wearing her armor, more comfortable moving through the world of Lunar, every day. It isn't the first time she's had her world turned upside down and needed to reorient herself -- and this time, she's gotten to do it on, essentially, her terms.
She stays close to -- and just behind -- Kaguya as they walk to the command tent, moving with measured steps. She's pretty quiet -- at least, for now.
<Pose Tracker> Kaguya has posed.
Word has gotten around, all right. And Lady Kaguya is quite willing to take up this meeting. Not that she makes clear to most that she came here by way of Filgaia, of course. ...But the right people know. Now... she, too, is comfortable enough in Glaivend Basin. She's been here about as often as Matilda, after all.
So it is that she walks ahead of Matilda, dressed in loose, red attire, long pants and simple jeweled slippers along with a tanktop under a sleeveless vest; she gives every impression of being an itinerant martial artist, down to the wide knives at her hips... save for the jewels here and there, and the thick fingerless gloves, backed by sturdy material, on her hands.
She carries herself like an aristocrat--there's a swagger to her step, casually in charge.
She stops when they get there and looks around. Her pointed ears are obvious in her short blonde hair, her sharp teeth moreso as she does something that is... like a smile. "Heh."
<Pose Tracker> Janus Cascade has posed.
Janus, of course, is all too happy to be a minor, recurring nuisance to local authority. It lets him position himself to be a major, one-time nuisance, later. Regardless, the Cascade Gang have been contacted, and prompted with an option for...employment. Whistling up Green and Doc for it was logical enough.
As he agreed with Matilda, there's none but Janus and his two constant companions at his side as the Gang puts in their appearance. Dario and Romero clean up for the bar, but other than somewhat newer shirts, the trio dresses like the ruffians they are. Except Janus, of course, who dresses like the Wasteland mastermind he thinks he is, instead, with his blazing red coat and white chaps-on-white pants ensemble that should offend the dignity of most people with eyes.
If he's nervous about being so far from his center of power - and indeed dead in the center of someone else's - he doesn't really show it, strutting up with his ARM held openly, its massive bayonet shining, freshly sharpened. He flips a pair of fingers in an immensely casual wave at the two women as he approaches. Dario tips his hat. Romero hunkers further into his bandana. "Ladies," he says, by way of greeting.
No casual introduction, here. He has some ability to pretend to be respectable.
[OOC] Kaguya says, "bluray* green instead of red attire"
<Pose Tracker> Talia has posed.
Keen eyes might notice more guards than usual outside the command tent. One of them steps forward and nods. "Right this way, please," she says. Her voice is muffled by the helmet, with the slight metallic ring of someone speaking from behind a face-covering piece of armor. She holds open a flap, leading into a massive tent. It is big enough to be a room in and of itself.
The center of the tent is occupied by an enormous wooden table. Weights on it hold down a map on parchment, which shows Glaivend, Volgran Forest, and Lastonbell in some details. Wooden blocks, painted blue and red, show the units of the two warring kingdoms. It may stand out that there are a number of blue pieces deep into Volgran Forest.
Or, it may stand out that an obvious civilian is here: a grey-haired man, in his early sixties, with severe features. He wears dark blue robes, with a white collared shirt, and a red cravat. He looks the lot of them over, before he smiles slightly.
"Good evening," he says. "I'm Chancellor Mathias Bartlow. I've heard about you... and your world. I was hoping we could have a quick chat, about some possible work."
<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.
"Mr. Cascade," Matilda replies, calmly and evenly, as they sync up before heading in.
Matilda looks Bartlow over -- only briefly, only for a moment, but she does her best to take his measure quickly. He looks to her -- especially with the research she's done on Hyland's war footing -- like the sort of man whose appetite for blood increases the further away he is from it. She doesn't voice the opinion, though she does give a quick glance to Kaguya.
Matilda, clad in her bright green cloak and dark armor, nods to him -- though her eyebrows rise just a little as he mentions her world. "You have -- quite the intelligence network," she says, nodding respectfully. "I'm impressed. I'm interested -- though of course, milady has the ultimate say as to whether we take on any particular job."
She also takes a moment to size up the board. ... It's not quite what she expected; much of it meshes with her own estimations, but Volgran looks... off.
<Pose Tracker> Kaguya has posed.
"Hey," Kaguya says to Janus, for one managing not to use the nickname--it's probably a nickname--she has for him, doing something to retain a certain amount of dignity. ...But she doesn't show any nerve, either. But then, 'Green' is among the gang...
Kaguya's keen eyes notice the additional guards, all right. Strange and pale green, those eyes pass along each without seeming to make a big deal of it. She is not concerned.
Inside, the map drws her eye, and not for the first time, Kaguya tries to remember which side is which and decides she doesn't really care that much. "Chancellor," Kaguya greets him in return, "Good evening." An obvious civilian--but then, Kaguya is, too.... not that she looks it. She glances to Matilda instead.
"...Our world, huh?" she asks in return, re-appraising the Chancellor at that piece of knowledge. "Now that is interesting. You've heard of me enough, then. We're willing to listen to what you have in mind... if the pay's right."
<Pose Tracker> Janus Cascade has posed.
Green is part of the gang, though is Lady Kaguya? Janus doesn't seem to be a man who casually lets people into his confidence...
Regardless, he steps in, eyes hanging on that helmet as if wondering if he could see past it if he tried hard enough. Doesn't work out.
Janus' eyes scan across the map but he loses interest quickly. Romero and Dario take up their positions on either side of Janus. Props for the leader. Janus quickly pegs Bartlow much as Matilda did. A man who's perfectly willing to feed people into the fire, as long as it's not his own feet getting burned. Well, that's fine. As long as it's not Janus', either.
He plants his feet, grinning, shifting the weight of that ARM in his hands. "Well, well, didn't expect to be popular so soon," Janus chuckles, because he's not that good at pretending to be respectable. "Well then, Chancellor. What can the Cascade Gang do for ya?"
<Pose Tracker> Talia has posed.
"Ah, yes... the Lady Kaguya. I've heard of you." Bartlow does the sort of short, brief bow that nobles of equal rank give one another. It is, of course, the sort of presumptiveness that many a lower-ranking noble would do. The Chancellor smiles at Matilda, though. "We do. Hyland's military might is, at present, smaller than that of the Empire. I'm a firm believer in finding an edge elsewhere."
Hence their intelligence network -- and hence the nature of their meeting.
"The Blue Star, we call it," Bartlow says. "I've gotten a good look at... your interesting weapons." He looks at Janus's weapon. "And I've found myself needing a few good people. You see, my forces are ready to lay siege to Lastonbell's walls. We have Volgran nearly under our control--it should be, in a few days. But, we don't have the time for a long siege. If we do, the Empire can rally more of its cities' garrisons, and then rout us."
Bartlow shakes his head. "So, I'd like you to get into the city--and, by whatever means you'd like, open the city's gates. Or destroy them. Is this something you can handle?"
<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.
Matilda looks to Kaguya just as Kaguya looks to her -- she doesn't offer too much overtly just yet, though, instead letting her take the lead, a little bit, in the negotiations. Janus's lingering gaze at that helmet gets a brief, slightly askance look -- but not too much.
"You really have done your homework," she reflects quietly, though she doesn't offer too much more -- at least, not until the topic turns to practical issues, which she's much more comfortable discussing. "I think this is possible -- it'll be easier, I think, with a smaller force."
She chews at her lower lip a bit, considering this a little more. "I hope you understand, of course, that these services won't come cheap. Sapper work has a relatively high risk factor, especially in a case like this..." She pauses, considering the situation for a moment...
... and then asks the question that's nagging at her a little. "Why choose mercenaries from the Blue Star for this? Is there something else you're after?" It could just be the weapons, of course...
<Pose Tracker> Kaguya has posed.
Oh, Lady Kaguya isn't. ...But Green has proven cannier here on the moon than she ever seemed to act on Filgaia.
Case in point; Bartlow's bow is short and brief, and Kaguya's is even smaller, just barely more than a nod. It comes with a smile--and a look right in the eye. "Makes sense. Use what assets you can find." She seems to be fairly neutral on the concept at first--However...
"You're always popular," Kaguya answers Janus, and considers for a moment. "The Blue Star..." She rolls it around on her tongue, and shrugs. A ridiculous term. A planet isn't a star. But what does one expect of backwards humans? She sighs a little, and then answers after Matilda, "That's true. And of course, if their intelligence is any good and they noticed us passing the..." Which nation are they dealing with again, "Enemy lines, that naturally makes it a little less convenient."
Matilda's question she doesn't pre-empt--instead, she looks to a guard, "Here, to answer your lord's question, may I have your sword?"
There's a bit of checking with eyes, of course, but the guard shortly thereafter holds it out to Kaguya, watching her very carefully. ...She looks about to the others, "Our services do cost, of course. But..." She takes the sword in both hands, one on the blade, and begins to... bend it. It screeches unpleasantly as it warps under her thin fingers, as she starts to twist it around itself without showing any real effort. Indeed it looks contemplative.
"But I wonder that, too. There's always reasons to want to use outsiders instead of risking your own people. We just have to know..." Crrreeaaak. "Which it is."
<Pose Tracker> Janus Cascade has posed.
The nobles bowing to each other is of little interest to Janus, though to him, Green is Green. She's playing the part nimbly, though, he'll give her that. Also she praised him, so all is forgiven. He chuckles. "I am, aren't I?" he puffs. (it's not that easy) (it's close, though)
"Picking a fight you can't win fair?" Janus chuckles. But his grin doesn't even flicker. "Sounds like my kind of party." He considers the map, considers Bartlow; his boots shift against the dirt. Bartlow's eye on his weapon finds Janus watching him keenly shortly after. Interested in the rifles, is he? Well, any sane man in his position would be. He hems, considering.
Then Matilda and Kaguya put on a much better display than he had planned. Dang. He should be taking notes. He bobs his head in the ladies' direction. "My companions seem to have taken the words right out of my mouth," he says. "It's easy enough work, from my position. The question, seems to me, is what it's worth to you."
<Pose Tracker> Talia has posed.
"Money won't be an obstacle," Bartlow says. "I think of it as investment: if you do this, you can win a war for me. A hundred thousand silver, for each of you."
Though, some of the smooth confidence on Bartlow's face vanishes, as he watches the sword in Kaguya's hands begin to bend. He takes a step backward, nervously. His eyes widen for a moment, and he looks at Matilda. It is not lost on him that what Matilda asked is related to what Kaguya is asking.
"You're... astute," he says. "Yes. I am avoiding risking my own people. I'll be blunt. I want a spectacle. We've made... some progress in augmenting our army. Not enough, though. I want Rolance to think we have access to some of these 'ARMs,' beyond what we have. You can do what we can't -- and it gives us a vantage point for the peace negotiations."
<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.
A hundred thousand... that's a lot, Matilda realizes -- even if they had to melt it down to ingots to trade back on Filgaia, it'd be an almost unimaginable amount of money. Certainly enough to fund most of her extracurricular research.
Janus's comment gets a smile. Matilda has an appreciation for fighting dirty -- frankly, in a life-or-death situation, it's just the correct choice. ... then Kaguya begins to bend the sword.
Matilda shivers briefly. She does not offer any overt comment on it.
Eventually, though, she gets back to brass tacks. "I see -- you want to make your forces appear better-equipped and possessed of better intelligence, to shore up any perceived gulf in sheer size..." She nods. "Agreeable. I have no qualms with this job, at least."
<Pose Tracker> Kaguya has posed.
"Haha totally," Kaguya agrees with Janus, grinning a little--but the talk of an unfair fight... It is a bit of a party, though of course that part isn't very interesting to her. She does though get the chance to put on a bit of a show, and after the cash is mentioned...
Kaguya surreptitiously glances over at Matilda at the value--caring about money is not traditionally something she has to do that much--and then looks to the Chancellor as he steps backward, eyes widened. She smiles more widlely at that.
"See, she's my tactician," Kaguya points out. "And she's very good at what she does." A beat--Janus seems to agree. Matilda--well, that shiver saays everything. And this...
She of course knows the value of putting on a good show--just, it seems, as the Chancellor does. "Not a bad plan. It seems fine to me." Kaguya offers the sword back to the soldier without even looking at her. "We'll need to get it in writing, of course. Just a formality, you understand. And..." She has a lot of presence for someone so tiny, "...When your servants prepare dinner for us before we leave to get ready, I'm sure one of your guards will tell them that I don't eat meat."
Did Kaguya just add 'free dinner' to the deal???
"You got a timeframe you want this done, any operations you want to sync with? Or just 'as soon as you secure the forest'?"
<Pose Tracker> Janus Cascade has posed.
Janus chuckles. "Don't you worry," he laughs. "Men like me and the boys, we know all about doing somethin' so the pretty folk in nice helmets get to keep their hands clean." Dario and Romero chuckle, behind him.
Janus is not dazed by the amount, because he kidnapped a king once. He does get visibly more interested, though. "A spectacle, is it," Janus says, head canting. He can't emote with his hands because they're busy full-time emoting the possession of a gun, so he has to use his head for a lot. He seems to have got used to it.
For instance, that grin suddenly seems much scarier. "I got some ideas for spectacle, yeah," he says.
<Pose Tracker> Talia has posed.
"Just so," Bartlow answers Matilda with a nod. He recovers some of his composure, and looks back at Kaguya. He flinches, for a moment, before he cracks a smile -- and then nods his head. "Of course, Lady Kaguya. We will see to your culinary needs. I shall see to it that my cooks know."
Then, he looks at Janus. There is a moment of calculated hesitation, before he nods. "Good," he says. "Because we can use that. I will leave the details of it to you. But... I do have someone who might help." He looks over his shoulder, towards where a canvas wall divides off part of the tent. He calls out. "Talia, will you?"
What might have seemed like a storage area is revealed to be a small waiting area, as a woman with black hair steps out. She has leather armor, dyed blue and grey, on; a pair of blades are at her hips, one a longer short sword with a smoky, blue-grey texture. She steps out, red eyes looking amused as she glances between them, before she settles on Matilda.
The recognition shows. "Hey, there."
"This is a mercenary I've hired," Bartlow explains. "She knows Lastonbell. She can help get you inside -- and to the walls. The walls themselves... well. That, of course, will be up to you."
<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.
Kaguya adding free dinner to the deal gets a big smile. Matilda is... well, pleased, to put it lightly, by Kaguya (Lunar Edition). Janus's comment is the one that really manages to get her attention, though. ... There's something nerve-wracking about a man of his character promising spectacle...
... buuut it is what the client requested...
Matilda shakes her head for a moment, then refocuses on the task at hand -- and their new associate. Or perhaps, their recent, familiar associate. The dark-haired woman earns a small smile. "Ah -- we've worked together before, actually. I'm quite pleased to see you again, Miss."
Matilda doesn't offer too much else; she understands full well that 'I'll leave the details to you' means 'I'm not sure I have the stomach for them,' and is perfectly willing to accept that. ... after all, it wasn't so long ago that she wouldn't have had the stomach for them, either...
<Pose Tracker> Kaguya has posed.
Janus has that rough, pleasant demeanor to him. Kaguya, for her part, now has her eyes straight on Bartow, watching him like a hawk--she sees every bit of that flinch, that smile... His composure and his lack of same. She grins, her sharp canines showing. "Great," she says. But when Janus promises spectacle...
"Heh heh," Kaguya says, "I bet you do." She sounds like she likes the sound of that.
"Mm...?" The new person is shown; the woman in leather, with weapons, with red eyes... Kaguya tilts her head. "Hey," she greets, thoughtfully, looking between Matilda and Talia for a few extra moments.
Kaguya has no complaints about the details being left to them--she doesn't want to try to explain things to a bunch of people who barely understand the physics of what she's doing.
"Nice to meet you." A beat, "We can talk over more soon. We'll get it handled." Kaguya chuckles darkly. "...It'll be fun."
<Pose Tracker> Janus Cascade has posed.
The most eerie thing about Janus' near-constant rough, just slightly smug demeanor is that there's nothing plastic about it. Even though the man surely has something going on under that mask - he makes it look so easy to talk so welcoming.
Janus has already half-turned, regarding Dario and Romero with something diabolical in his eyes. It's something unseen, passing between them. But they're all smiling, now.
Every so often, the Cascade Gang reminds a person that they, one, knowingly have a job where they kill people; and two, truly enjoy their work.
He's almost retreated into quiet planning, but the call for another gets him to turn back around. "Inside's not so hard, the Cascade's there. Though I guess getting in from this side'll be a spot tougher, eh?" He chuckles, and regards Talia eyes scanning her, spotting those weapons, the posture, the outfit. If he looks dangerous, sizing up a person like that, then good. "Howdy," Janus offers, drumming his fingers on the side of his ARM rather than wave. "Seems we'll be in your care, darlin'." Janus, of course, habitually refuses to acknowledge that he knows just about anyone's name.
<Pose Tracker> Talia has posed.
"Mm-hm. I didn't think we'd be on the same job again so soon," Talia says, with a smile at Matilda. It looks relaxed; playful, even, which is out of place in this room. She rolls her shoulders. "I've been through Lastonbell. Getting in on this side won't be too hard, as long as we do it before the siege starts."
"In the middle of the week," Bartlow says. "We plan to begin on later this week. I'd like you to bring the walls down on Sunday -- a week from today." The chancellor nods his head. "That should give us enough time to be in position to do our part... without, of course, extensive Rolance intervention."
Talia glances back over her shoulder at him, and then looks to the others. "So, get into the city -- or at least on that side of Lastonbell's walls -- before the end of the week," she says. "We'll meet a week from today, if we don't see each other before then."
<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.
"We've stayed in Lastonbell for quite a while ourselves," Matilda adds. "I don't think it should be so difficult to take -- it's walled, but... I'm not sure it has too many other defensive advantages, and those I'm singularly confident we can take care of."
Talia's calm, relaxed demeanor is... almost nerve-wracking, in a sense, though Matilda has a good poker face. She's not quite so used to this life as... apparently, everyone else in the room -- it still weighs on her a bit. ... but it'll perhaps be good for her.
"Lovely," she says, though, keeping those thoughts firmly under control. "We'll get it done, Chancellor. Just be certain you have payment ready." Something gnaws at her, though... and she decides to add, "Ah -- actually, if you could put a modest sum aside... I'd like a special request -- please send any books you have on wasting diseases from your capital. Take the cost of the endeavor out of my share."
<Pose Tracker> Kaguya has posed.
It's part of why Kaguya likes Janus! ...And part of why, on Filgaia, she fits in so well with the Gang.
"I'll have to hear about how you know her," Kaguya says to Matilda, and it would be easy--perhaps preferable--for much of the room to ignore the obvious note of command in Kaguya's voice, all delivered without even a little bit of harshness. It's almost subtle. ...Almost.
"Yeah, it should be easy," Kaguya says, and then considers. "Sunday..." She mulls it over. "Write that down," she intructs Matilda thoughtfully, without really thinking about it. "Not hard. I guess I'll see you then."
She nods to Matilda, thinking. She does not seem troubled. But the payment... --
Matilda's request gets a pause, and Kaguya looks to her for a moment. "...Mm." She looks to the Chancellor, "Well, other than dinner, I guess we're done here. Nice working with you." ...The smile to Matilda--the actual instant of tenderness--is unmistakable. ...But it doesn't last long.
<Pose Tracker> Janus Cascade has posed.
"Next Sunday," Janus hums. "Seems downright doable, yeah." He glances back to his goons for confirmation, and they're both grinning wildly now. "I'll give y'all the location of the Cascade. Might be best not to gather there on the day - Guard aren't all that happy with the rumors - but if you need somewhere to lie low for a bit, I'll figure something out." He chuckles to himself, because 'something' might involve a pit trap for the Guard.
That all said, he glances at Bartlow. "Sounds like you've got yourself a crew, Chancellor. We'll take it from here," he says, and grins that crooked grin of his.