2018-09-30: Site Recon in St Centour

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=============================<* Saint Centour *>==============================

Saint Centour is one of the wealthiest cities in Adlehyde. Named after a prominent saint of the Granas Church in the wake of the Day of Collapse, Saint Centour boasts a lively art scene and rich markets. Its port draws in no small amount of trade, dealing with Port Timney on the mainland. However, it is also among the more conservative cities in Adlehyde, as the Granas Church has established a powerful hold here. The center of the town has an enormous cathedral, with many a priest to be found. A seminary insures a healthy traffic from across Filgaia, and one can even meet hopeful priests traveling from as far as Aquvy to study.

The markets are especially rich here. Because of Centalo Island's abundance, fruits and grains are common -- and local bakers in Saint Centour are some of the best in Ignas. One can also find the work of goldsmiths on sale, along with handicrafts of every sort. ARMs, however, are rare and prohibited, as both the church and elites frown on them. However, Saint Centour does empoy one ARM: a powerful barrier, which can be activated to cover the entire town and protect it from attack.

BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MQRL7xws7w
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        From the outside, the island city of St. Centour looks as it always did--rows upon rows of elegant stone buildings, sheltered within ancient, warded walls. Tall-masted sailing ships and iron-bodied steamers rest at the piers in its harbor, and piles of crates sit on the docks, waiting to be transported to their destination. This is what those aboard the Ruby Empress see as the vessel approaches the city.

        Everything is deserted. No dockhands, no sailors, no nothing.

        Ida has been standing on the deck with a pair of binoculars for the entire approach, scanning the harbor and the vessels still moored there. Judging by the frown on her face, she hasn't seen anything that might be a sign of continued human presence. She returns the binoculars to their pouch at her waist, and shakes her head. "I don't see anyone," she says. "And I can't see any signs of violence from here. We'd best go ashore, but..." She looks out at the gathered Drifters, and the large, muscular professor who more or less invited himself with Ida's tactit approval. "Stay in groups, and don't lose sight of one another. Whatever happened here, it happened very quickly."

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"Geez. What happened here?" Talise asks nobody in particular.

Anticipating some sort of problem when news came in about the state of St. Centour, Talise armed up just before the ship arrived. By the time they put in, she's standing a little to Ida's right, in the polished silvery-steel armour she found in the Elw ruins beneath Azado, not drawing her sword yet but holding a telescope up with a frown. "Yeah. We're gonna have to be careful," she agrees grimly, taking a step back as she looks towards the naturalist-turned-pugilist - as much as Ida's found her own way in life now, Talise still thinks of her as a friend.

With a curl of her hand, she gestures to the rest of the group. "Lanval, don't wander off," she urges the Seraph in particular. "We want to stick together and support one another if anything goes screwy."

Among the group, a tall, broad-shouldered man with a thick black beard and a facial scar nods, feeding a bolt into a large crossbow. "Sounds like a plan," says Benedict Greygust, the far-seeing courier who's been traveling with Talise, Layna and their group much more closely since arriving on the Blue Star. "I'll keep an eye out ahead."

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.

        Lanval's been adjusting to life on Filgaia about as well as anyone can hope to, so far. At some point he hears about the island city of St. Centour and how it is watched over by a Guardian as if hands-on, protecting them from intrusion by evil. That kinda-sorta sounds like what he used to do, in the vaguest sense, and he gets eager about wanting to go meet them - all part of a melancholy desire to grasp onto anything conceptually familiar.
        Change is difficult. He's had a few nasty ones over the last few years. Being condemned and exiled to the Blue Star's the biggest one yet, but this seems to be possibly the most exciting thing ever! He might even be hopping in that bottle of his! Hopping! (Maybe he's had too much bubbly stuff.)
        "Are we there yet?" Asks a five hundred plus year old, who has suddenly become the equivalent of a hundredth-aged toddler. Ida already supplies that answer. "Huh? There'sh no one there...?" He manifests, as if needing to really see for himself as Talise lays down the reasonable adult word - don't wander off, stick together. Something might be - no, has to be - wrong. "...Okaaaay."
        He quiets long enough to enjoy a sip of whatever he's got in that gourd as they prepare to disembark - but he still holds onto that spark of excitement. Both he and Ione Paua might have a lot to talk about... even if he's heard off-handed that the Guardians haven't been talking so much lately because of this Mother problem. It's something Tethelle's been especially tense about among his regular group of friends.

<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed.

Zed WAS on the boat.

Now he's not.

And Ida can see in her spyglass a shock of mossy hair swimming dolphin-style towards the abandoned docks far beyond. She can almost hear the 'eee-ee-eee~' except probably not, because Zed is not actually a dolphin.

But, like.

Can she... really put it past him to make those noises just because he thinks it'll make him go faster?

Probably not.

Anyway, they should probably go after him before he does something stupid.

<Pose Tracker> Ree has posed.

Ree scans the docks, scowling. She doesn't have binoculars or spyglass, so she's forced to rely on her natural vision. There's no motion, other than the lapping of the waves and the occasional flapping of a handful of seagulls. Staying together is a prudent notion, even if it'll limit the amout of looting she can do. No telling what happened here. At least there's no sign of violence, no circling carrion-birds indicating dead bodies, human or animal. No, it seems quite peaceful, almost eerily so. She has a gut feeling it won't stay that way for long...

<Pose Tracker> Rosaline Calice has posed.

This incident is of interest to the Ethos. A mass disappearance in a city of devout Granas worshippers is cause for concern. A Wel invasion, maybe? Unlikely on an island like this one, but you can never be too paranoid with these things.

It's been a while since Rosaline has seen Ida, and she was looking forward to riding the Ruby Empress. It's just a shame that these things were the prelude to such a potentially grim task. There will be time for levity later, she hopes.

"Stay vigilant, no matter what. We have no idea what could have caused this," she advises further. At this point, she's used to people looking to her for guidance in ghost city scenarios. "And try to make sure nothing-- or no one --sneaks up on you."

The ones present are mostly familiar faces, though the new ones get the occasional odd look from her. Rosaline is nervous around people in general, but there's something extra anxiety-inducing about, say, someone who seems like they could crush you into a tiny catloaf, as gentlemanly as they may be.

Her ears twitch, however, at a certain 'eee-ee-eee~' sound.

"Zed, no!" she calls out, turning around swiftly. Then, more quietly, as he swims on ahead: "Oh no..."

<Pose Tracker> Elvis has posed.

While Elvis may not be on good footing with some present, he had a good reason to be here. An entire Human city disappearing could affect his kind as well-- how disastrous would it be if an outpost at a Veruni Control Zone just up and vanished? It would be really bad.

Also, as if on some sort of paranoid kick, there is always that chance that Carol could have been there when people disappeared.

And while the Professor has remained quiet since leaving, standing on deck watching the ghost town's approach, he looks to be sweating, and his eyes are bugging out some. Something is definitely bothering him.

'I could TOTALLY reach the shore right now with a jump! I COULD. But it would capsize the boat. This waiting is killing me!' is said in his head, Distactions will have to come listening to the Human idle chatter. Also a voice or two from people that can't be seen? And... whatever that guy is out in the water doing.

"He has the right idea," Elvis manages to comment, grunting.

Patience isn't always his virtue.

<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.

An ARM meant to protect a town? Interesting on its own, but in times like these, the fact that it seems to have failed for some reason makes it all the more notable. There may be something useful there... or there may simply be clues. Technically, it would be moral for Lily Keil to be here to look into the missing persons. It would be kind for the Black Wolves to search for suvivors.

That's not the ex-soldier's plan. Quite the opposite, though when she heard of an expedition planned it wasn't difficult for her and a couple of others to join it. ...So she's spent some time talking with the crew, and now...

Lily looks out over the harbor thoughtfully with one eye. She's in a sturdy black dress, with long draping skirts and a pair of sturdy boots, long sleeves and an ARM holstered at her side. She glances Lanval's way, once, and then back forward again.

"If you hear explosions," Lily comments with a dry voice, "It probably means we found trouble."

"The center of where the barrier supposedly was... Is this way. I think it's the best place to start." She pauses, and turns once again to look at the Professor, who she has of course noticed by now. The right idea...

"Yes, he does," Lily agrees. "If there are any monsters in the water, he's being kind enough to attract them all for us." A beat, "...So good of you to join us, Professor."

<Pose Tracker> Chime Isa has posed.

        Sitting on a rail, feet kicking as she faces out away from the ship with her hands light holding the rail under her for balance, Chime hums happily as she watches the approaching island. "Ooo, that one's in a hurry~" she quips in amusement as her gaze shifts to Zed's swimming then back to the island. "If something's waiting think he'll get its attention for us?" she askes in a dreadfully unconcerned voice as she continues to kick her feet.

        One hand does come up from rail to check the holster of a crossbow on her boot, before going back as she picks up her humming listening to the others with interest to see what others know of St. Centour while she watches the approaching island.

<Pose Tracker> Celine Jules has posed.

The ship ride over was never Celine's favorite treck, but it happened to be nice enough. As Ida and the others stand on the deck with binoculars, working on figuring out what happened to the various members of the city, Celine is going to leave that to them.

Because Celine currently is laid out on a chair she brought herself. One of those folding chairs that just happen to be possible to lay out on - and that is what she did on the shipride over. "Oh? Maybe it's a holiday~." Celine remarks, though she knows that's likely not the case. "Mm, I know who I want in my group." Celine remarks as she takes stock of the members present, looking for the largest, bulkiest, monster of a person that could stand infront of her.

What luck, she thinks.
        Eyes move to Elvis.
                As she peels herself off the chair.

"Oh You're all worrying so much~. To Elvis, she stretches and looks out, "You know, if by chance they're all gone for good, do you think they'll miss their valuables, or whatever they've been stockpiling? St. Centour looks like it's a pretty rich trading port." Celine may be the worst of the idle chat, but she's not talking about danger, destruction, or threats - apparently unphased - or is she just unaware?

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

No one had heard from the city of St. Centour in quite some time. In this day and age, that was worrying. And so, an expedition had been put together to investigate. Layna initially wasn't too interested, but when Ida had requested her assistance, she agreed to lend her aid, as well as her ship - the Ruby Empress, a massive Lunarian sailing vessel(okay, let's be real, it's a pirate ship) with a red hull appropriate to the name.

And that was how Layna found herself approaching the docks of St. Centour. It looked like an ordinary dock in the middle of a busy shipping day, except for one very important detail.

Everyone was missing.

"I don't like this." Layna mutters with a frown toward Talise, looking through a telescope of her own. Ida decides that they'll need to go to shore and Layna nods, collapsing her telescope.

"Right." She says, turning to address her crew. "Keep the ship ready to sail, me hearties! We don't know what'll happen here, so we might need to move out posthaste! And keep a weather eye out for any trouble - be ready to defend yourselves."

There's a chorus of agreements as the ship in response.

Before long, the ship pulls into the docks, and the gangplank is lowered.

"Dahlia, you're with me. I might need your eyes." Layna says, gesturing toward the stern-faced Quartermaster. With a nod she joins her, and Layna turns toward Ida.

"Alright, we're ready to move out on your word, Ida." She says.

<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

Fei Fong Wong nods to Ida. His face is partially bandaged up and he looks sore, but this situation seemed too important for him to miss. Luckily a rest at a nearby inn helped with his injuries tremendously but uh...Weltall might need a lot more help. Giant robots can't stay at an inn.

"Good idea, Lily." Fei says. He glances over towards Elvis and he has a small smile for that, "We're almost there." He tells him. His opinion on Elvis has shifted drastically in learning more of his motivations.

But he doesn't smile too much and it's gone quickly. A town deserted like this usually means Wels, but he sees none of the telltale signs of that either. They are rarely ...quiet.

<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

        Work out west has been running a bit dry, so naturally when Josie caught wind of the stories surrounding St. Centour and its allegedly protective ARM -- no, not the sort she's more familiar with -- that she had simply invited herself along once she'd also heard that Lily was investigating.

        It's like that, sometimes.

        Wind catches the loose strands of her hair as the boat nears the shore.

        "See anything?"

        Up on the deck she leans precariously over the railing. She has her reasons. There are a few familiar faces on board, sure enough -- a few she's had decent enough interactions with at least! -- but there's one that she's been pointedly avoiding, at least simply because it's a dimly familiar face.
        Celine had only been a kid when Josie had left Marze.

        "Way I heard it, everyone in town vanished in the span of a night. Sounds like something out of a legend, huh? ...But then they said that Slayheim was turned to salt because of an ARM, too..."

        She straightens, keeping her hand on the railing.
        Penelope, atop her head, hunkers down against the wind.

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Solanine has posed.

Seraph Solanine was still invisibly haunting the effervescent Celine Jules, as cheerfully(-in-spirit) as ever, but was pleased to see that after their brief foray into culinary adventure she joined back up with Ida, Layna, and Seraph Lanval. They seemed a good sort and it's always nice to see friends both old and new, especially when they're both at the same time.

The group of people was much bigger this time around, full of many interesting faces she'd never encountered before, so she stayed fairly close to who she knew, and who she knew could see her (except for Celine, the special exception to the latter) and cautiously observing the rest. Particularly at the moment the "Professor", the gigantic yet elegantly dressed being Celine was currently chatting up. Celine was friendly with nearly everyone she meant, not taking their danger into account. Still, he didn't have seem to have a sinister presence in his words and movement aside from the intimidation of his size. Others however seem to have a history with him that seems tense and she's picking up on that in her estimation, though she hasn't met their acquaintences either.

Word is on the ship that the place they're headed to is a city that was suddenly empty of all humans with no trace. That doesn't sound too unusual, You wake up some days and your local human center is abandoned, they usually just die from old age or move on or something, all the children honk about adventure and move away and the older humans wait for them to send messages and they die and no one replaces them. It happens.

 I guess this sounds like it was more sudden though, and everyone seems fairly concerned so the Seraph tries to keep an open mind and see things from their points of view.

 Ah they seem to have arrived...

<Pose Tracker> Agatha Pyrelight has posed.

 Sometimes, you could just DESPAIR of things that make life interesting. Centuries rolling by at a time without much to engage the attention span, leaving you with little to do but allow the ages to roll past like some sort of lazy malaise.
 
 Thankfully the last year or so since the Sorcery Globe had arrived had put an end to the doldrums. Now there were always interesting things happening... and the Pyre Witch did enjoy interesting happenstances.
 
 A little birdie had told her that something interesting had happened in St. Centour, that people had vanished with nary a trace. That seemed like enough of an unusual happening to get Agatha's attention - and thus she had traveled at the speed of darkness to the town. And thus far it had proven as interestingly vacant as she might have hoped. Such a mystery to unravel.
 
 But a ship pulling into harbor... that was also interesting, and Agatha twists a hand. An inky black raven with red eyes arises from her shadow, and she sends it winging towards the boat with nary a word spoken.
 
 The view is... interesting. And the red-haired witch's mouth quirks in a slight smile. Oh this promised to be even MORE interesting now...
 
 Meanwhile the bird soars across the open water, coming to light on one of the spars for a moment as it surveys the heroic group assembled. Suitably impressed by their determination and grit, it then goes to do something more amusing.
 
 Like swoop down on Zed as he attempts to swim to the town and peck at his head in passing.

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        As the crew brings the ship in to dock, Ida walks back to one of the equipment lockers on deck--after rummaging around, she comes up with several cases, which Lily and Josie might recognize as Kislevi military surplus. She passes them out to the others: Lily gets one, and so do Rosaline and Josie. "Flare guns," Ida explains. "Use the red flare if you're in immediate danger, the gold if you've found something suspicious, and the green if you've found a survivor." Ida shakes her head, and shrugs to Rosaline as she passes one of the cases over. It's not clear if she, too, is exasperated at Zed, or if she's just not that optimistic about finding survivors.

        Ida steps down the gangplank. She walks down the dock, slowly but purposefully, scanning the surroundings with the sort of borderline-hypervigilance that comes with the Drifting profession. There are no signs of life, and very few signs of struggle--damage to the docks here and there, as if something tore up the wood, but there are no bodies.

        Ida stops just inside the archway that spans one of the gates leading from into the city. The icon of 'St. Centour'--recognizable to those familiar with Guardian iconography as Ione Paua--stands rampant on the city's crest, carved into the keystone. "The shield was said to repel those not of human blood," Ida says. She steps forward, and through. She isn't instantly killed by a malfunctioning defense system, nor does she vanish. She lets out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Nothing," she whispers. "I think it might be disabled in truth."

        Beyond the gateway lies St. Centour's vast marketplace. It, too, is empty, the carts of produce long since rotted to foul-smelling mush, or picked over by scavenging animals. Bolts of textile are visibly weathered, and flap aimlessly in the wind. Pouches of gella lie abandoned in the street. Bits of cloth and leather are strewn about, dotted with drops of blood.

        There are still no bodies.

<Pose Tracker> Ree has posed.

Ree picks her way past the remnants of the Guardian's barrier and into the marketplace with the overly-cautious paranoia born of living in Filgaia's Badlands. The pouches of gella immediately catch her attention, and she surreptitiously retrieves a few. The blood-spotted bits of cloth and leather are more concerning. She moves to examine those, trying to piece together what happened here. None of them seem to have a LOT of blood, the type you'd find with a fatal injury. This place was clearly suddenly abandoned. The big questions are HOW and WHY...


<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"Zed," Talise sighs as she realizes he's dolphin-swimming towards the village. She buries her face in one palm. "Goddess fucking damn it."

She grimaces and begins to move, glancing sharply towards Layna. "I don't like it either, but we'd better get down there and look around before Zed ruins it somehow." There's no question in her mind that he will - he is, after all, Zed.

Once Ida equips Fox and Friends' resident kitty with a flare gun, Talise sets to disembarking. She draws her sword but there seems to be nothing to stab with it; it does, at least, make her feel better. With a frown, she moves along with the rest of the group, up towards the city gate, then squinting past it.

Ida doesn't get killed instantly. Pausing, Talise looks down at herself, remembering that, no, she isn't fully human. "If I don't die instantly, then we'll be fine," she decides, before stepping forward.

She does not, in fact, die instantly. She blinks, then looks back towards Layna, Rosaline and Lanval. "...Okay," she says.

The offensive scent of rotting food hits her, and she screw up her nose and curls her lips. "Shit. That's vulgar," she grouses as she begins to move forward, her free hand over her mouth and nose as if to try and ward off the worst of it. As she moves along, she kneels by some of those cloth bits.

"...Blood," she murmurs as she leans in closer. "Then whatever happened must've been violent...."

"...but no bodies," Benedict says with a frown, before bowing his head a little and murmuring a brief incantation. The bearded courier's eyes flash a subtle white for a moment as he lets a scrying spell go, checking the square for signs of incoming trouble.

<Pose Tracker> Chime Isa has posed.

        As the Ruby Empress comes into the dock, Chime doesn't really move off from rail to the gangplank. She's just brings her feet in against part of the rail and the small elf says "Well~ This will be an interesting experience I hope." in a cheerful voice, and launches herself off the rail landing nimbly on the dock and checking the other crossbow casually. The small elf stands straight, staring down at the pouch of gella between her feet before poking it curiously with a foot.

        "Uh, people don't just... leave things like that laying around in town." as she looks up the dock into the town at the other bits of cloth and leather and pouches. Pushing the gella pouch between her feet to the side she idly begins to stroll up the dock towards the street towards the marketplace looking around as she goes with curiousity.

<Pose Tracker> Elvis has posed.

"That too."

Indeed, some folks here Elvis recognizes, and is recognized by. He is rather hard to miss in a crowd. "Hm." Lily gets a look-over. He remembers that fight at Adlehyde. "...Yeah. Thank you. The fact of an entire city's populace vanishing does raise alarm. Plus, someone I am looking for could have been there...!" As that statement goes on, it becomes more strained and tense." A pause. "What have you been up to?" he asks, trying to brew conversation to pass the time.

A glance to Celine-- what is she wearing-- to comment. "Suppose not, could be used better elsewhere in such a case." Gives him an idea for certain if this can't be solved. Has to be some valuable tomes or magical devices there somewheres.

Fei was present as well, someone among the Humans that knows how to throw a half-decent, properly formed fist. "Could go a little quicker for my taste...!" is added. He sounds like he is used to faster travel. "...But better to be in a group than forge it alone. Even if I do think I could handle it, I do not have more eyes to compensate preparedness compared to this group."

And yet, it still feels like there are more aboard this ship than Elvis can see. He can hear people making comments to people speaking that he can't quite get a bead on where they are. More pointedly, he can feel himself being watched. It was unnerving.

Upon docking, Elvis courches and leaps off the boat. It enough to rock or capsize it at this distance, but there might have been a slight shift, He lands on the docks proper, before Ida states what defends this town. "Wh-What?!" He freezes. Thankfully, nothing happens. "C-Could you could have told me that before we landed?!" he stammers. "...At least it is not in effect. At least here, anyway." If that held true, bad things might have happened to him!

A look forward to the area beyond. The Professor approaches one of the scraps of leather with dried blood upon it. Beside it a bag of currency. "Whatever happened, wealth was not on their agenda. Perhaps revenge on the town? Spite even?" His mind was already turning, conjuring possibilities and motives. A highly tuned mind at rest is one wasted.

<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed.

Hey now! Just because Zed is both a monster magnet and also a majestic swimmer does not mean that people get to be SUPER MEAN and CALL HIM NAMES! He's going out and scouting ahead so you don't have to! Be thankful! Praise him! Gwahahahaha!

"Ow!" Zed says, as he is given terrible pecking instead of the praise he so deserves. "Stop that, bird!" Zed leaps out of the water and swats at this THING PECKING HIS HEAD. "My hair is not seaweed! You are blind to both shape and color, you terrible thing! I am not for eating or for nesting!"

Zed slides back into the sea, wiggles a bit underwater, and then emerges again-- with what looks like a barracuda in his grip. "Here!" The Hyadean declares, flinging his fish at this overly aggressive avian, "Have this instead! Fish are tastier than my hair, and less likely to choke you like plastic bags choke turtles!!"

And so Zed, making as much sense as he usually does, leapfrogs back up and onto land. Abandoned land. Land that stinks of old, rotting fruit, abandoned homes and the distinct scent of ~mystery.~

"Hmmn," Zed murmurs, rubbing his chin as he strolls RIGHT PAST where the barrier should be repelling anything even resembling his kind. "Weird. Hey Ida! I'mma go check out that thing that looks shiny over there!" What thing that looks shiny over there?

The... The shield projector?

Yeah. That! The one RIGHT NEXT TO where the Guardian Statue aught to be...!

That's totally a good place for a metal demon to go poking around.

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.

        Lanval stumbles down the gangplank with the same apparent disregard for the proper way for one to walk - let alone in straight lines - as he goofily pirouettes right back down onto the docks. He catches himself here, in a rare show of not quite letting himself flow as water naturally would. There's plenty of cracks in the wood for him to slip through. He doesn't want to go sloshing around in the ocean (right now). In that respect, he at least lines up with the more tense and trouble-ready Talise as he overhears Ida's explanation about the place.
        "Wooooow." Lanval kind of wonders, then, if it's okay for him to try and step through, even after Ida thinks for certain that it might be disabled. He notes Ida's exhalation with curiosity. Why would she worry, if she's a human? Similarly he thinks to look to Talise as she steps ahead... she gets through. He hears someone else express shock about the idea but doesn't think to register who (the huge older mortal a ways back?) Maybe Ida's idea is right. Oh, then that means he can go meet Ione Paua! (There is a subtext to this that should be way more worrying that he doesn't pick up on, other than acknowledging everyone's been worried or tense about what they might find the entire time on the Ruby Empress.)
        Lanval eagerly staggers on ahead - but not too far, remembering Talise's advice which he has generally found sound - to come up and see--
        "Heeeeyyy... Ione Pauaaaa?" Lanval calls. "Heeeeeyyy... are ya here? Uhh... thingsh aren't... lookin'... good." That's an understatement. Blood. Rotted food. Things left weathered by neglect. Lanval laughs, as if to reassure himself that maybe this is just a small part of the town having problems and not representative of something being truly wrong. He was looking forward to seeing Ione Paua at work...!
        The laughter slows. "Thish ish bad, ishn't it," Lanval concedes as he falls to his seat, nursing his drinking gourd.

<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.

Lily looks thoughtfully at Elvis; she notes his tension, the strain... the fact that he isn't causing any trouble himself. So the Metal Demons aren't behind this? Maybe, maybe not. "It does. ...You're looking for someone? I can keep a look out, if you tell me who it is." She pauses. She's... "Mostly I've been helping the refugee camps from Lunar. Yourself?"

From there, she looks to Celine and adds more loudly, "I don't care if you loot, but if you find anything, show it to us first. There may be clues." Elvis mentions preparedness--wise, anyway. But as they arrive... Lily glances to the cases Ida brings, lifts an eyebrow. "That's convenient," she mentions, and takes the flare gun; she needs no introduction to how it works, nor to the different colors of flare for that matter; she simply looks it over to ensure it's in working condition and has the necessary ammunition and shoves it into her belt away from her ARM.

From there she looks out forward again, and those who know her would have little trouble understanding that she is distantly troubled by something.

"So they do," Lily answers Josie. "I've got my eyes open, at least." She pauses, at that, and shakes her head, not correcting herself. She... couldn't say why Fei looks friendly with Elvis, but if nothing else it's not a fight she's planning to start. She has established that ELvis is honorable, and that's about as good as she can do right now.

...If she happens to be amused by Elvis's close call, she certainly isn't going to say so. Instead, she starts forward--and then stops short, narrowing her gaze at the bird. "That..."

She frowns. "Fei," she says, walking next to him. "I feel..." She looks around. "There's a sense of fear, here. I can't put my finger on it. Something is wrong."

She looks to Josie then, nods, and steps down the gangplank, moving into the city. Her hands are out at her sides, careful. The talk of a barrier doesn't seem to dissuade her much. Not with everyone else already going through it. So instead...

"Zed," Lily says. "...That's the same place I'm going. I'll watch your back."

...That's... diplomatic?

<Pose Tracker> Celine Jules has posed.

Unaware regarding Solanine's presence - behind a specter so carefully following her - Celine hasn't really seen any problems with them on the adventures she has been on, or been about. There were plenty of times they may have even stayed at the same hotel! Yet Celine didn't seem to be bothered at all through Solanine's spectral stalking. Unfortunately, with how well behaved Solanine was, Celine either was talking to herself half the time, or it felt that way! It would take a bit before she would still be able to see any Seraphs.

Yet it isn't the Seraph or Elvis that gets Celine's attention - not immediately. Eyes raise to Josephine, the woman currently leaning on the railing - some remnance of someone like her - unless she had changed her attire, it'd be more likely that Celine recognizes the elder from Marze - she, amoung others, was the reason Celine had left as well. To see her now, here, of all places - yet the ship comes to the dock, breaking her thoughts. With the others, she slowly disembarks. Very slowly. Platformed heels and a symbolic staff held in her hands, a massive floating 'cape' that matches her hat, she quite easily stands out.

"I remembered when I vacationed here after a particularly good adventure..." She says to no one in particular, walking along to see gella pouches and ... blood.

Well, that kills her hopes.
        Eyes close for a moment, Celine focusing.
                It wouldn't be just a nice visit.

Elvis of course leaps off the boat in moments. The professor going on ahead. With a slight sigh, Celine shakes her head, "Guess I'll just have to fend for myself~. Not even a goodbye. Some men really are always in a rush~." She almost sings, letting those prattle on about what could have caused it. Alone, but not entirely, Celine starts to follow the street rat. "Oh, don't worry, it's more of a recovery, if things have really gotten bad, dear~. I have no intention of rushing off and rummaging through the site of a possible... massacre." At worst case scenario. "I had hoped it wasn't as bad as it seemed." Yet it is looking rather grim now, isn't it?

<Pose Tracker> Rosaline Calice has posed.

Rosaline takes a flare gun from Ida with a nod, adding it to her belt's ARM arsenal. "Good thinking."

Celine gets an odd look-- It's partly about her clothing, what with Rosaline being a nun and all (though in no position to judge, not that Celine knows that recent phase of her life), but mainly about what she's saying. She looks for something to say, fumbles with her words a bit, then looks away, scowling. She decides to just pretend she didn't hear that.

The ship docks and the Drifter crew descends. The security system has her nervous, even as Ida confirms that it let her in, and might not even be active at all. A paranoid part of her mind wonders if St. Centourians even consider beastmen as humans. Of course they would, she thinks, but it's hard to shake the unpleasant notion. But Talise is next, and she's fine too. This must mean...

Rosaline takes a step forward...

...and isn't disintegrated. Her shoulders slump in relief, though they quickly tense up once more. She's following her own advice and making sure to remain vigilant.

"This is very bad," she tells Lanval, softly, as she takes in the sight. Blood, abandoned items and eerie silence. "Perhaps someone disabled the field, and flying creatures swooped in... But that they be this thorough..." She bites her lip. Her tail sways nervously.

<Pose Tracker> Agatha Pyrelight has posed.

 Truth be told Agatha had no clue what the nature of the defense for the city was - if it had been working, of course, her minions would have let her known in advance. Probably when they exploded into flame or something similar. But without it being up, she's just left to explore the city on her own.
 
 The bird grows bored of tormenting Zed, and instead flaps off to perch on a building, watching the progress of the group as they advance into the city.
 
 In the meantime, Agatha dispatches her familiars, trying to look for something in the city of interest. She does like a good mystery herself, and guiding this group to a good clue would give her an excuse to bother them without things coming immediately to blows. Not that a good fight wasn't fun, but cooperation created opportunities for more fun than simple conflict~

<Pose Tracker> Ree has posed.

Ree hears Lily's remarks about looting and assumes they're aimed at her. Oops. She must not've been as subtle as she thought. She's going to keep the gella (but not jewelry...she's found over the years that jewelry is too...identifiable. Money, though, is spendable anywhere!). Rosaline's theory about flying creatures catches her attention. "Flying monsters...maybe." Guardians knew there were enough winged monsters on Filgaia! "But monsters wouldn't be so...coordinated. This may have been intelligently planned. But why?"


<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

As Ida passes out cases of flare guns, Layna turns toward Dahlia, who is busy readying some equipment of her own - a crossbow and a large two-handed boarding axe, her weapons of choice.

Once she's ready she and Layna both move out down the gangplank, meeting up with Talise at the bottom.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, lass. Probably." Layna says reassuringly...and then watches as Talise passes through safely. Well, that's a good sign! Dahlia just offers a shrug.

"Aye, that's a fair guess. I'm not feelin' anythin' - I figure there'd be some kinda sign if the shield was up." Layna muses, folding her arms in front of her.

They proceed forward into the city's marketplace. The place is...empty of all life. Layna frowns, folding her arms in front of her quietly.

"...Indeed." Dahlia comments with a glance toward Benedict and Talise. She studies the ground intently for signs of subtle trails. There were signs of violence, but no bodies. They had to go somewhere, didn't they?

...Unless everyone somehow managed to escape or, as Rosaline suggested, flying creatures took them.

Dahlia rises, drawing her axe from her back and resting it against her shoulder.

Just in case.

<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

Fei follows after Ida for a moment. He doesn't seem to notice the gella, but he does duck down at a seemingly insignificant portion of the street before one realizes there's just a tiny splotch of blood on the ground there. Are they all dead, Fei can't help but wonder, or is it something worse. "Even if they were killed...why would they keep everything so clean..?" He murmurs to himself. He stands himself up shortly thereafter. Even if he doubts it'd be of any use to their original owners, he can't bring himself to pick up the fallen pouches of gella. Let a drifter team of five hundred years from now rob this dead.

"The no bodies is what concerns me," Fei agrees with Benedict.

Lily comes near and tells him what she feels. If Fei was able to feel an EMOTION he doesn't comment on it, but he doesn't disagree. "Fear..." Fei murmurs. "Is it an echo left in this place, or are there some survivors still hiding out?" He looks over to Lily. "Let's look and find out."

<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

        Josie certainly hadn't been dressing like that when she'd left. She looks like the stereotypical Drifter now -- longcoat, guns, scarf and all -- the image only undercut by the pigeon on her head.

        "A flare gun, haven't used one of these in a dog's year," Josie says, spinning it loosely in her left hand. "Heh, interesting. What sort of powder gets you different colors?" ...She's not expecting much of an answer. Besides, with some research, if she were so inclined, she could narrow it down to the likely suspects.

        Fo now, once they disembark, she waves to the occupants-at-large. "Hey, kids! Anyone who wants to go looking around with me, gather up!"

        To Ida, as they approach the gateway, she finally does admit: "I've never been, you know. I'd heard a few stories, but a boat ride's always a pain in the ass... Wonder if it's still working?"

        One moment later and she's passed on through where the barrier should be. Nothing happens.

        Penelope doesn't so much as stir atop Josie's head.
        "Might be," she says, shrugging. "Testing it's going to be a bear. So we might just have to wait for the academics." She pauses briefly, watching as Zed and some of the beastfolk among them pass through the alleged barrier. "Hmm. So human-human, or also beastfolk? ...Anyway, I think you're right, sweetheart. Hey tiger! If you're going over there, and Sister Rosa's going thatta way, how about we take the other point on the triangle? So to speak."

        She ventures off away from the other two, with whoever else might see fit to follow her.

        And stoops to pick a piece of discarded cloth from the ground.

        "Just drops of blood, huh... Can't have been a massacre."

        Penelope picks this moment to hop on down and peck at the scrap dangling from Josie's fingertips. The archaeologist frowns.

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Solanine has posed.

Solanine overhears Ida mention the projector, and gasps with a look of concern echoing the Professors. But nothing has happened to her, Lanval, the professor or any others who might be. She listens as she can to conversations nearby and particularly to Ida and Layna who seem to be calling the shots, she's here if they need her, but she's more than used to fading into the background. Speaking of which, as the bigger group seperates, she follows Celine, smiling softly at comment about her needing to fend for herself, presuming she's alone). to land as the girl follows someone in turn and observes the marketplace and its state as they pass it by, (with mildly disapproving looks to the looting of money by some among them): Rotting fruit, weathered cloth, this all seems good and normal to Solanine, something of a student of gradual death...but blood without a body. She supposes it could it be from the animals, from her rare forays to markets in her home town and the many shopping trips on which she's accompanied Celine, the Seraph is aware that humans rarely buy their leather to order, and rarer still is the merchant who cuts it right off of the animal while they wait. Every human land has different customs...but...the blood, the blood might be a clue. Beyond that she wouldn't know what to do or who to ask, however one of the group offers her expertise and claims that it couldn't have been a massacre.

 "Maybe it was a robbery in progress... there are certainly a lot of coinpurses around..." she whispers idly.

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        "I'm sorry," Ida says, turning to Elvis and looking up to meet his eyes. "Everything I could find indicated the perimeter of the shield was the outer wall itself--the harbor technically lay outside it." She wrinkles her nose as the wind carries the scent of rotting fish towards her--rotting fish that seagulls haven't finished feasting upon. In the background, Lanval makes his plaintive plea, and Ida turns to look at him. She shakes her head. "Let's hope Saint Centour is listening," Ida whispers. She doesn't sound hopeful. "The locus was a well-guarded secret, but--"

        'Hey Ida!'

        Ida's head jerks in the direction of Zed's voice, instinctively. She sees him running towards the Cathedral of St. Centour, towards the massive dais that once held an equally-massive statue of the town's patron saint. That statue is rubble, now, so thoroughly smashed that only bits of it are recognizable.

        Ida scowls. St. Centour was always a provinicial thing, but the sight of a holy icon so thoroughly desecrated makes her blood boil. But it looks like there's more than just bits of stone there. "Keep talking, Lily." A crow flies up to perch on a long-dead gaslamp, and Ida looks at it, evenly. She turns a corner, walking between two stalls, and--

        There. There in the street. Broken, torn-up cobblestones, as though something massively strong had clawed at them. Bits of cloth still cling to the edges. Smears of blood mark it as well, weathered with exposure and age, but recognizably human... and something else. "Professor?" Ida says, her jaw falling open as she approaches the tableau.

        Benedict and Agatha, both of whom have a bird's-eye view of the place, can easily confirm that there is zero sign of human life. Doors have been left open, moldy pies and bread loaves still sit on people's windowsills. There's a pile of newspapers in the window of a bookstore nearby.

        And not far from the statue itself--where Zed dashes up the Cathedral steps with no reverence whatsoever--a shadow ducks behind a doorframe.

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        "No burglar could have done this," Ida says, to Solanine. The blood is steadily leaving her face. "Professor, could--do you have an ARM sensor on you? I think this may be Hyadean blood."

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"Scavengers, maybe. But you would think they would take the food before they'd take the bodies," Talise says as she looks up towards the Professor. She doesn't know Elvis from Adam, but so long as he's here with the same objective she is, she's got no reason to look askance at the guy. Well, aside from the fact that he's even taller than she is - not a mean feat given that Talise looms over a lot of people.

Talise looks up and watches Lanval staggering about with such childlike wonder. "...It's real bad," she agrees as she straightens, briefly tightening her hand around the hilt of her sword. "Keep close."

Not that Zed's going to listen to them. When he starts shouting from over there, Talise straightens and peers after him, one hand brought up to her forehead like a visor. "...I'm not sure I like how he keeps running ahead," she mutters. "but I guess it is Zed." She shrugs and begins to move in that direction - into an area of torn-up stone and blood. "...Nope. That's definitely not the work of a human being," she murmurs, tensing a little.

From behind Talise, Benedict clears his throat. He grimly levels his crosbow towards the Cathedral steps, not far from the statue.

"Someone is there," he says. "I can't tell what it is but it's the only thing other than us that's still alive."

Talise blinks once. Then she rolls her shoulders and shifts her sword into a defensive position, beginning to move that way. "I hope Zed's not running straight for it."

"Pretty close," Benedict says. "It just ducked behind that door."

<Pose Tracker> Chime Isa has posed.

        "So far as I've ever heard in forty years, the barrier keeps out monsters and certain types of spirit related creatures. My parents visited once and had no issues and they were elf and human~" Chime comments offhandedly as she moves along, looking into windows along the way. "Through," she adds, stopping to look at a number of people, "I'd say you're safely right it's not working." with a cheerful smile.

        "Through is that because of the statue, or something else? It's possible it's not be working probably for some time. I'd imagine it not something one can test, or wants to test if you live here, often." the short elf comments in an idly tone as she moves along. "I can't think of any tales that follow this sort of thing through." as she moves to examine the statue before moving towards the Cathedral

        "Legend has the shield was based around the center of the town, so the Cathedral would be the most likely spot no? Well, under it too I guess considering the propensity for Elw ruins to be responsible for such things." with an amused chuckle missing the shadow movement as Zed dashes up the steps well ahead of her and maybe others?

<Pose Tracker> Agatha Pyrelight has posed.

 Hmmm, wasn't *that* interesting? Agatha sends one of her birds to land nearby to where the shadow vanished, and it melts into the ground for a moment- reforming in the shape of a rat, which scurries along the wall towards the elusive figure. Agatha shapes another bird, sending it to keep an eye on the area before she steps into the shadows herself, racing down a wall and into the streets as she goes to meet her 'friends' down in the city.
 
 "You know, Lily dear~" a voice lilts from a nearby alley. "While I WAS thinking that I was just going to watch, I think it would be much more interesting to be of... assistance here. There is someone trying to keep out of sight near the cathedral - while I can't say who or what it is, given the rather depopulated state of the city, anyone moving around is probably ripe for interrogation."
 
 Anyone near to Lily who has met the Pyre Witch before will recognize that voice, but Agatha seems to be keeping to the shadows for the moment. Of course, Lily has encountered Agatha's darkness in a much more intimate manner, and she might recognize that the shadows of the alley are probably not... quite safe to approach.
 
 Well, they are safe enough. The Pyre Witch IS having a good time with this little romp, she'd hate to spoil the excitement so soon.

<Pose Tracker> Elvis has posed.

"She has brunette hair, about neck length, always wears a blue ribbon, usually sports a red tunic ensemble, and is very smart and sweet!" Elvis calls to Lily. Those last two things don't... really fit into a physical description but he seemed to feel like it warranted mention. Okay, sure.

"Been busy trying to get the lay of the land in this area for my own person reasons, unrelated to what is going on, I assure you." It has been a long time since he traversed these areas of Filgaia. Remembrance would be the best excuse for it. "If we just stay grouped up, everyone should be fine!" Elvis calls toward Celine. Though his hurried gait to check for clues did show he felt like he was in a rush. A glance to Ida. "No harm done."

A look to the others as he examines the traces of blood. A look to Fei. "...Whoever or whatever did this wanted them alive. For any kind of attack this is far too little blood to be shed to suggest they are dead. At least not dead at this location."

He hears Josephine's callout to form a search party. The man stands, and walks over to her, looking her over. She was a capable sort. He knows from their fight. She could handle herself if anything happened and wouldn't be a liability. "I'll go with you," he says sternly, arms crossed.

"Hm?" Ida queries Elvis for a possible useful bit of equipment. Something oft carried by Veruni. "Really now?" A massive hand reaches in to a satchel, and pulls out a small rectangular device, one side is glossy and reflective. A few large fingers tap the shining surface, before it begins to make noises in a pulsing fashion. "We should get a response shortly-- it takes a bit of time," he comments, working some side controls to fine-tune the signal it gives off.

"Though, you think it was them? With the barrier, how could they have accessed this place?" A moment to think as his scanner runs. "Hum. What was the shield generator powered by, out of curiosity? Sabotage of its source from the inside is the only recourse that makes sense."

<Pose Tracker> Rosaline Calice has posed.

"Wels are sometimes not as mindless as they appear," Rosaline answers Ree,"or this may be a Metal Demon plot." Worry is obvious in her voice despite an attempt to look composed. If this is the case, who even knows what they could need live bodies for. Considering Elmina's fate... She shudders.

Her sub-group advances through the streets, as she remains on the lookout for anything remotely dangerous. They approach the Cathedral, where the statue that gave the town its name lies, thoroughly desecrated.

"A destroyed statue..." She approaches to investigate the rubble. "It was a Guardian, correct? In that case..." She trails off. It lends credence to her Metal Demon theory, and she doesn't like it at all.

<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed.

Zed...

Has only really interacted with Lily a few times. Like that one time that they were in that dungeon and she wrote his name down in a notebook under the I column and he still has no idea what that actually means. But hey, she's nice! Zed flashes her a thumbs up and a great big grin that just seems unnatural when juxtaposed against the eerie bleakness that surrounds them on all sides. "You got it! It is a very nice back, or so I am told. Feel free! I will watch yours as well! We--" Zed pauses, then thinks for a moment, "We might need a mirror, if we're to watch each other's backs...? I don't think my eyes can... do that."

Beat.

"Ah well. Let's go! Time's a wastin'," Zed forges ahead toward the grand cathedral, and only shows any hint of hesitation when the ruined statue of Ione Paua draws into view. He frowns and kneels near the rubble, touching his fingers to the jagged, crumbling stone. "...Well. You know, if I didn't think this was Uncle Zeik and the others, the fact that this is broken so bad just kind of... seals the deal. You know?"

Zed sighs, shaking his head. Only a few groups of people (that Zed is aware of) would go so out of their way to break a monument to a Guardian like this one. And to do it so thoroughly...

He remembers what Siegfried did to the statue in Adlehyde. It's not out of the question that he couldn't just straight up obliterate this one, too. But.

Most of the rest of the town is... unusually untouched, for some reason?

How strange.

But then, out of the corner of his eye, Zed sees... Something move. He turns and frowns, then before anyone has a chance to yell HEY NO THAT'S PROBABLY A BOSS FIGHT, Zed does as Zed will and goes running after it.

Which is good, since it means he completely misses Agatha showing up, which would have possibly led to the kind of hilarious skit that is probably maybe a bit tasteless given the circumstances.

"Hey, wait!" Zed calls as he races after the shadows, his scarf wiggling about like feelers or antennae probing into the darkness for any sign of motion. "We're heroes here to save you! Don't run awaaaaay!"

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.

        Lanval's told what he finds himself needing to accept. He doesn't look like he's going to get to meet Ione Paua today. He needs a moment to work through the sadness and disappointment to get up. He only gets three-quarters of one, because this empty scene - the idea that everyone and everything has just disappeared and been abandoned is beckoning so many people forward and Talise told him to stay close.
        He's older than just about everyone here - Solanine possibly the exception, unaware of her time alive on creation - and he is rarely the adult in a given room. He has another sip from his gourd to console him as he happens along in vague proximity of the collected groups and then finds himself reclining against - and over - one of the stalls along the way because there's something to drink there.
        Not much. Almost all of it evaporated. He can accept a drop or two to keep the edge off.
        "Mmmmph," Lanval mumbles as he opens one eye half-lidded. "Lemme tell ya... I know shome colorsh that... well, mortalsh got." He doesn't tell in too great detail as he flops over the stall, rocks back up to his feet, and comes close to the destroyed patch of street as he lays down next to one of the blood smears as if he has to do be sure...
        "...Yyyyep." Yep what? "That'sh mortal blood... over there," he gestures with an arm in the direction of some of the human blood splatter. He must mean 'human.' Mortal is probably the blanket term Seraphim like to use for those who are more confined to things like 'space' and 'physics' compared to them, as Elvis goes on ahead and gets out an instrument that will be more helpful and definitive than Lanval's slurring.
        "Iiiii've no idea what that ish... mmmph."

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

"Robbery? Nah, I don't think so. A robbery wouldn't be this...thorough." Layna comments, glancing back to Solanine. She and Dahlia then watch as Zed runs his way up to the Cathedral. Layna shrugs, glancing at Talise.

"It's probably fine. Knowing him, he might just trip over somethin' important." She remarks, then follows along with the others as they reach a scene of violence.

"...Aye." Layna agrees, folding her arms in front of herself. Dahlia then looks toward the Cathedral as Benedict mentions something there, then back to the others.

Talise hopes Zed isn't running straight for it.

Dahlia looks back to the Cathedral as Zed begins running straight for it.

A slow frown begins to appear on her face.

<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.

"...I see. I'll look out for her. Do you have a name for this woman?" Lily can guess this is a personal quest for Elvis--he doesn't talk about her like an escaped prisoner. But she can't be sure, of course. Instead, "All right," she says to his answer. She's wary, but--It's not the time for a conflict there. Lily has noticed the blood too though--and how little there is. To Fei she nods again. "Yes, if there are survivors... We should be able to find them. If not..." She shakes her head, letting the trailing-off be her answer. She doesn't answer the question of flares, either. Instead, she calls to Josie in return, "We'll meet up when we have some clues or on the hour, whichever is first." She doesn't need to tell Josie to be careful, to call if she needs her.

Or, well, telling Josie to be careful is about as pointless as telling herself to be careful, more properly.

"Right," she answers Ida meanwhile. The locus... She closes her eye, trying to focus; separating out what she sense with what she's feeling takes work. ...And the growing presence remains uncomfortable, makes it harder to keep that focus.

"I don't like this," she murmurs, opens her eye again. "There's something..."

Zed's answer--Lily glances down to his thumb and up to his face again. "It's a figure of speech," she answers him, deadpan. "But by all means, lead on. We can stay ready."

Lily keeps walking, now that she's looking where she's going again, picking up the pace. Her gaze lingers only briefly on the pieces of the statue there. "..." She clenches hte fingers on her left hand into a fist. "It feels... more urgent," she starts, on the heels of the explanation of the rubble, as she looks down to it. "They're the ones most likely to break such a statue. But that doesn't explain this... strange feeling. Panic, somehow."

But something else could. 'You know, Lily dear~'

Lily turns the instant she hears the voice, her right hand rising, fingers out with palm facing its source. But she doesn't cast a spell despite the flare of Ether that comes from her being close. "...Fine," Lily says to her after an instant, performing the calculus in the moment that determines whether to listen to Agatha or not. Lily recognizes those shadows all right. "No one go into that alley," she remarks sharply as she gesture to it, looks towards the shadow near the cathedral--

And suddenly there's a gleam of gold from her throat, from her hands, as light bursts beside the doorframe; it won't... hurt anything, but it may be shocking. Shocking enough as Lily pulls her ARM, anyway.

"Stay where you are. I don't want to fire into a church, ruined or not."

<Pose Tracker> Celine Jules has posed.

The idle whisper is wind, a breeze, to Celine's ears. Barely noticable, and not looked back to - not that Celine is ignoring Solanine. She simply cannot see her yet, barely can sense she is there. Yet it almost feels weird when she is there - as if Celine knows something is there, barely. A budding understanding, perhaps. One that is barely even really there.

Yet it's not long after beginning to follow Ree that there comes a yelling from Josephine. It's a familiarish voice, but the outfit is so ... different. Duster, wasteland attire, that any old adventurer might wear. Certainly not the attire of witches and warlocks from Marze! So is it her? Celine isn't sure at all. At least there's a way to find out, isn't there? "Alright, you heard her, my spectral friend~. I think we'd do better with them anyhow, than alone." Celine adds, twirling her staff once and turning slightly to look over her shoulder - away from Solanine (she tried) - before turning back to Josie.

"Not a massacre then? Well, then we can cross of the wost idea, can't we. As Idea talks to Solanine, Celine turns over to Solanine as well, "Oh - my, my apologies - so there you are~." Yet turning her head to glance back around, Celine sighs, "Can't say I'm really much of an inspector, I'll just keep everyone covered, okay~? If you have any problems, yell really loud! I won't have to move far, okay dears~?" Standing near the middle, Celine helpfully plants herself in the middle, letting the others focus on inspecting and investigating the area. Celine prefers this anyhow - less movement, and certainly more to her strengths! "You're right," She responds to Elvis, "So I'll do what I do best then~." Which is at this point apparently standing around, though following Josie is definitely a thing she tries to do~. "Looks like we're going to be sticking around in the same direction." She so claims.

<Pose Tracker> Ree has posed.

"Staying together is the best idea," Ree mutters to Celine. "Whatever did this...might come back." She approaches the torn-up cobblestones looking for clues. The stones have been clawed. Clearly, nothing human was responsible. She examines the scraps of fabric...some is spattered with blood, and others with ... something else. Visually, she can't tell what it is. Maybe Elvis's scan will provide the answer...

<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

Fei exhales as Zed starts rushing down the street. He couldn't match Zed's energy if he wished to. If it's a trap, Zed can handle himself from most problems. If it's a civilian, well, hmm, actually maybe he should rush after him too.

But Fei is interrupted by Agatha speaking to Lily. Fei turns around to focus his gaze towards that alleyway. Lily says to not go towards that alleyway and he says, "You're right." He says after a moment. "The best way to deal with bullies is timeliness."

He follows after Zed and Lily, though he doesn't move faster than a jog because he's certain an ambush is coming. Possibly from Agatha.

"Are you a survivor?" Fei calls out, but his proximity to Lily might make even this attempt at diplomacy, well, flawed.

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Solanine has posed.

When Sola sees the cobblestone, she knows for certain that Ida is correct, that the blood wasn't incidental from a robbery at the time of the mass disappearance.

There is so much going on here.

The Professor is examining the blood with a device the likes of which she'd never seen and she watches carefully whi- *BONK! BONK!*

Staff twirling in progress. Hazards of the invisible..!

When she comes to there's a sense of something someone told her she shouldn't expect to find here often on the Blue Star, yet here it was, and in quanitity, a horrible reminder of home: "Malevolence and a lot of it... and looks towards Lily."

 Celine, post-twirl acknowledges her and announces(!) that she will take point in a central view of the investigation and Sola is inclined to do the same, as a Seraph vulnerable to it, she's not particularly keen to blindly investigate that sort of thing on her own. Besides, while most will listen to the sound advice of keeping everyone together, this is a big enough group of adventurers that someone here will doubtlessly volunteer to run into the danger, maybe they're even already on their way..."

Sola notices Layna's growing frown the corner of her eye with concern and follows the Captain's eyes to the source: shadows unlike her own.

"Yes. This is bad." she confirms to the Seraph Lanval of minutes ago.

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        Ida nods to Talise, and then kneels down to inspect the suspicious site. The cloth is ragged, but looks like it was nicer stuff, at one point. The way the blood is splattered is... strange. Were there two beings here, or just one? She stands bolt upright, and whirls to Benedict, eyes widening. "Be cautious!" she shouts, at Lily, Rosaline's group, and what is probably Zed's back. "They couldn't have," Ida says, "unless they somehow managed to bypass it. If the statue truly was the power source, like the legends claimed, then..." They wanted them alive, Elvis said. Ida can imagine why. An involuntary shudder runs down her spine in response.

        The terrified figure by the doorframe is suddenly gone, running off into the darkness of the main sanctuary. Zed charges in after, dashing down the aisle, and then--

        A length of sturdy wood shoots out from one of the pews, right into his path. It is probably a recipe for a comedic pratfall, or would be if things were less bleak. Either way, the entity that did it stands up, and brandishes the pole--which, as it so happens, is one of the sturdy spears used by the town's ARM-averse guards. She's a woman, perhaps in her early twenties, with blonde hair and pale amber eyes and a pink-and-white dress that hasn't been laundered in some time. Lily can see her through the window, see how she moves like she's being watched and knows it. Her every move screams fear--like she's perched on the razor's-edge of adrenaline. Lily shouting doesn't help. Fei's might? Either way, the woman levels the spear at Zed, but doesn't look at him directly. She starts walking forwards, tapping the pew gently with the butt-end.

        "Get back!" Terror is plain in the woman's voice. Lily can sense an undercurrent of desperate hope, as well. "How do I know you're not one of them?!"

<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

        "Sure thing, tiger. Don't worry, I'm not about to go wandering too far off. ...Listen, you know I've dug around in tombs, right."
        She pauses, as if weighing her response.
        "So believe me when I say 'this place gives me the creeps'. It's dead. Even a tomb isn't like this."

        A shadow falls across Josephine.

        "...Huh. It's you."
        This is how Josie greets the man she shot repeatedly and attempted to kill several weeks back. She looks him over briefly, tilts her head to one side, then nods. "Don't worry. I'm not your enemy today," she informs him, all the while aware that he could probably break her over her knee if he felt so inclined.
        And yet, she knows he wouldn't without her giving him a good reason to. It's a rare thing to meet an honest man -- rarer still that they've survived and thrived.
        So she sticks out her left hand, as if to shake on the truce, of sorts.

        "Come on with. Let's see what we can find, alright?"

        Sidelong, she glances up at Celine. Yeah, that's a familiar face. A familiar tattoo pattern at that, though using the reds, she sees. That suggests a certain family by itself.
        But it's still one thing to recall the face she knew, and place it up alongside the woman standing there now.
        ...Even that clothing...

        "Seems doubtful, unless they strung up the whole down and let them bleed out drop by drop. It's odd that there's so many of these cloths, but it's still not enough to suggest anyone died. ...People have more blood in them than this." Attempts to dissuade Penelope don't really work. In the end, Josie stands to leave the pigeon with her bloodied prize. Sometimes you don't want to know: the lament of pet owners everywhere.

        "Come on, let's keep going." She presses on, walking the streets in search of something likely.

        "Doesn't look like anyone's been home in a while," Josie comments, cracking open an ajar door to peer inside. "Like everyone just suddenly up and left. You know," she says, glancing over her shoulder and up (the 'up' part is crucial) at Elvis, "There's this old ghost story about a missing ship adrift on the high seas. They said that when another ship found it at last, no one answered their hails. When they came aboard, it was like the crew had vanished -- meals left partially eaten on their tables, shipwork left halfway done. Of course, that's just an old story, but sometimes in my line of work..."

        She leaves the house, walking along to a bookstore with aged newspapers stacked against the windowframe. "Sometimes you wonder."

        A shout in the opposite direction prompts Josie to turn. "Hey? What's going on, did you find something?"
        She takes a step or two. "Or find someone?"

<Pose Tracker> Agatha Pyrelight has posed.

 Oh, that was nice. Agatha grins, and while it is shrouded in shadows it is not a NICE grin. But she can appreciate Lily trying to be 'good' - that contradiction, torn between her desire to shield herself from the world and yet caring deeply about the people around her... it was never boring. Such tension, and eventually something would give.
 
 The devastation that would come from that tension releasing would provide quite the fine show, the Pyre Witch was certain.
 
 However, the shadowy rat that has been following the frightened woman is also listening to what she is saying. And the Pyre Witch grins, listening to the exchange from a closer angle as the shadows flow and she steps out of the alley to join the rest of the group. The fact that her presence, unmasked of the usual measures she takes to hide her malevolent aura, is probably giving the Seraphs with the group the heebie jeebies is just part of the fun.
 
 "My my, this does seem interesting. I wonder just what swooped down upon this town and left only this poor woman behind? As horrifying messages go, this is probably one of the most effective."
 
 Agatha is dressed in her usual loose robe, tied just above the chest and with detatched sleeves, and her usual broad brimmed witch's hat. She narrows her eyes in amusement, the yellow irises glowing against the jet black of the remainder, and considers the scene. She looks at Lily and grins, although the gun is probably swinging in her direction by now. Well, all the better - at least Lily isn't threatening the poor girl if that is the case.
 
 And then her voice echoes inside the church, coming from her minion within. Zed can recognize it easily enough, and she at least *sounds* reassuring. "Oh these folks are with a great many 'them', but none of them are exciting enough to engineer something like... this. I would be careful, the man in there with you is something of a klutz and might hurt himself by accident if you keep swinging that around."

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Talise jumps a couple of inches as Lily sets off that flare of light. Benedict, who has had very little exposure to her before now, just stares at her. "Althena's well-oiled codpiece!" he swears with a brisk shake of his head. "Hopefully that's some critter and not just a scared kid...."

Talise starts forward nevertheless, jaw set and sword in hand. Benedict, for his part, holds his fire, keeping his crossbow trained on that doorway even as Zed charges in like an idiot. More cautious than the Metal Demon of the bunch, Talise eases up towards the door, her weapon at the ready.

She doesn't rush in. Mostly because she's positioned in such a way that she can hear sounds.

They are not monstrous critter sounds. In fact, the only monstrous feelings she's getting are from who just stepped out of the alley. Talise tenses up and begins to turn --

But there's a scared-sounding girl in there. Talise glares at Agatha for several seconds, restraining herself with a Herculean mental effort and reminding herself that as much as the Pyre Witch is a monster, it would probably ruin things if Talise tried to behead her while there's someone in there who is probably a terrified innocent.

Breathing in and letting it out, Talise forcibly releases her tension, giving Agatha one last scowl. "Don't you try anything," she mutters acidly before leaning over to Lanval and lowering her voice.

She leaves the negotiation to people less tense than she is - but at least she's not starting a fight.

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        The latest day's papers--at least, the latest in this shop--are dated July 18, 500. A good several months before the return from Lunar. It fits with the timeframe of the city going dark a while ago. Josie can easily grab one!

<Pose Tracker> Elvis has posed.

"Carol Anderson!" Elvis says, brow furrowing at his working sensor. "She has decided to suddenly go gallavanting off on some wanderlust and she could be in danger-- been looking for her for months." There is a definitive tone of worry in his voice, one say, a father would have for a daughter. Just taking a guess.

The Sentinel's eyes flick up to the sudden takeoff of one of the members in to a building of religious import. "Gonna get himself killed," the man grumbles. Admittedly if he wasn't working delicate equipment he would join whatever fight he may be starting. To Celine, he comments hastily, "Good! If it is what--" he stops talking when he realizes that it is not some sort of spellcasting with her implement and just hanging around. "Hm."

Seems like a Human along for the ride. Or perhaps he capabilities have not yet had a chance to be tested. Must be here for a reason, right?

A nod is given to Josephine. He has no plans to chase any kind of revenge or wrath this day. Or honestly many days. He just isn't that kind of person, though grudges with him do run deep. but Miss Lovelace does not have one held by Elvis. A spare hand not holding the device shakes Josephine's hand. It is a massive hand, and could possibly snap her wrist at any moment.

But the handshake is firm yet polite. "Yes, better to hold together and not run off." this of course is said at roughly the time as Fei and Lily approach the cathedral as well. The man throws up that spare hand once let go of the shake. "I swear, Humans..."

The man follows those that stay with Josephine. "History repeats itself, young lady," Elvis adds, still staring at the device, leeching his attentiveness. "It make have a fresh coat of paint, or rewritten to avoid plagiarism, but it is the same at times."

The device in his hands blips repeatedly, a response given to that leather swatch with blood. "It's Hydaean!" he calls over to Ida. "You were right!" Boy his voice carries. "Should we go see what they are doing in that temple of figure worship?" he asks.

Elvis, that is clearly a cathedral, get with the times.

<Pose Tracker> Rosaline Calice has posed.

"Hm, then how..." Rosaline furrows her brow. It doesn't make any sense. They would have wanted to destroy the statue, but couldn't get through the barrier without achieving that very objective to begin with. There may have been ways to get through, but...

She keeps on examining the statue's remains, until she sees Zed going after an apparent survivor, and other others following him in. She fires off a green flare, perhaps a little redundantly, and gestures to follow after Zed. She knows his heart is in the right place, but he might not be the best person to handle this sort of situation. Right?

And there she is, wielding a spear and visibly terrified.

"Please, don't worry, we're here to help. I'm with the Ethos," Rosaline offers, likely contributing to a sudden cacophony of helpful voices.

Then echoes the voice of a rat. A second later, Rosaline has drawn one of her SMGs and trained it on the creature. She likely would have shot already if this weren't a church. "You don't belong here, monster!" she attempts, "Get out!"

Yes, Rosaline, she tells herself, nice job shouting and waving an ARM in sight of the likely traumatized civilian.

<Pose Tracker> Ree has posed.

Rosaline's flare draws Ree's attention. There are survivors? She ceases contemplating the cobblestones and starts toward where she saw the flare go up. The cathedral? Well, at least it was a sensible place for survivors to hole up...

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.

        Lanval rises up from musing over the weird stuff that he knows is not human in origin and manages, simultaneously, to leisurely but hurriedly stagger over along to the cathedral behind Talise as a commotion builds over there. He does catch wind of someone being there. Maybe it's Saint Centour!
        The presence of Malevolence, it being something that just doesn't happen on Filgaia naturally these days, is a cause for concern for any Seraph... but he's also in the company of mortals, many of whom know and understand what it is. He can already reason that this may not be the work of a Hellion proper, which is to say the remaining environs - there'd be way more of the stuff lingering around, but there is a Hellion about.
        Lanval ends up in leaning-into-whisper range somehow as he leans up against the nearest available structure. Another 'mmmm' and an exaggerated, animated nod later, he slumps down as he overhears the commotion. Another voice asking how they know if they aren't one of 'them.' Who's 'them'? Lanval's half-lidded eyes gaze after Rosaline's furious shouting. Is the owner of the voice he's not seeing (a young woman) talking about the Pyre Witch...?
        "Heeeeey," Lanval takes a dumb, innocent shot in the dark as he strokes his beard, thinking about this mysterious new voice, "ish that Centour in there...?" (Why he'd confuse a scared young woman for a mythological figure... is anyone's guess.)

<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed.

Oh come on guys! Zed knows what he's doing! Zed is a hero to all children great and small! There's no way he'll be in any trouble at a--

"Barf!"

Zed! Trips on a wooden pole, tumbles head-over-heels, and ends up somehow landing on his feet despite spending at least a second or two on his ass. "What!" What was that for!? Zed looks offended and aghast, like his honor is being spat upon! Because it is! What is this girl doing, tripping him in the middle of a cathedral! Zed stares for a long moment, his face a conflicted combination of emotions. This girl... She's moving like... Like...?

"Hm. Hmhmhmhm..." Zed... "Hmhmhahahahahaha!" ...begins to laugh!? Laughing in the face of speary danger. What else could a Dark Hero do when faced with such things!? "You are right to be afraid, pretty lady! After all, with all that you have been through, you have every right to be! There is no reason NOT to be afraid, except that we are telling you not to be. But that's just not right WHEN THERE'S A WICKED WITCH RIGHT OVER THEEEEEEEERRRRRE!"

Zed.

Points right at Agatha.

...And then sort of pivots around to face the girl again. "But we are not with her. Nor are we with 'them.' We are here... Because we have come to help. And that... Is the truth! But I am told that humans... Are bad at this kind of thing. And so...!"

Zed steps forward, and reaches out to place the tip of that spear against his neck, "Here! I will give you power. The power to negotiate. The power over my life! So. Don't be afraid, okay? We're here to help! And if you don't want us to, just say so. But if you do want help, we're here to give it with a smile and a you're welcome, just like proper heroes should!"

Beat.

"Except for the witch," Zed says. "She might dance with you and then steal your first kiss and drive you mad for a little while. So don't you let her touch you, okay!?"

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"Zed, holy shit," Talise says from outside with complete disbelief.

<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.

If the place actually gets to Josie... It's not a good sign. Lily doesn't have any better a feeling of this place.

Lily is not exactly not expecting an ambush, she just definitely doesn't want people to wander into Agatha's shadows and never come back out again. ...One problem at a time, though frankly the number of problems they're dealing with are mounting quickly.

As soon as the woman's presence is clear, Lily--who is about as cautious as she's ikely to be--looks her over, trying to square what she's looking at with what's prickling through her mind. She can judge from posture, from stance, from condition, but the fear drives at her mind, threatening to distract her.

But there--a question.

"You don't," Lily starts to answer, and turns to train her weapon on Agatha instead, her other hand rising as if to prepare to direct magic. The Malevolent aura is doing nothing good for her mental state, frankly. But Agatha's statement is--...not the worst it could be.

"We wouldn't be stopping to talk if we were whoever..." Lily chimes in in turn, but slows while speaking when Zed starts, quiets and looks over Agatha. "You're really just exploring?" Lily asks. "I guess it was too much to hope you stayed behind."

It might be better if it were this 'Carol Anderson', but she sure doesn't match Elvis's description. ...Agatha, however, has a chance to look at Lily, and note the changes in her condition... among them the eyepatch she wears, the glow of circuitry at her collarbone and throat as well as hands.

...And anyone can hear Lily pause, and remain quiet. She looks at Zed, calmly, as if he hadn't just done what he did. She lifts an eyebrow.

"...I don't think the witch is here for you," Lily says to the woman. "You've got our... friend, at your mercy. We'll have to do as you ask."

Lily just bald-facedly, outright lies about whether she cares if Zed lives or dies. She's going with it. It's better than her plan.

<Pose Tracker> Agatha Pyrelight has posed.

 Zed might be pointing at the sound of Agatha's voice.
 
 Agatha isn't there. She's outside.
 
 There is a rat, and it chitters at Zed in amusement.

<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

Fei thinks that blabbing more to this obviously terrified woman is only going to worry her more, but he can't help but smile at Zed's antics. They are completely out of place considering the situation, but sometimes being a little silly in a scary situation is the best way to overcome something like this. Rather than press the woman for details, Fei elects to just let this happen.

"We'll make sure she doesn't steal your first kiss," Fei says, rather than jumping into an interrogation.

Fei then turns to focus on Lily's conversation with Agatha. He doesn't know much of the details here, but he knows enough to be intensely distrustful of Agatha. He only knows that she's sassy and spooky, a combination that puts him intensely on edge.

He's also not entirely sure Lily doesn't want him to ambush Agatha right now but he's erring on the side of not violencing the witch. He worries it may indeed be an err.

"Ventriloquists are the greatest evil of Filgaia," Fei mutters.

<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed.

For all Zed knows, that rat could be wearing a big old witchy hat and have amazing red hair that goes on for miles! Witches are tricky! Their powers are witchy! She could be a rat or a cat or a bat, and Zed would never know until it's too late!!

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

Yeah, Layna doesn't like any of this. She frowns, folding her arms in front of her, and then follows the others forward with Dahlia in tow. And of course, who else would show up but the Pyre Witch?

Layna remembers her, and she has a feeling the Witch remembers her, too. Layna gives her a look. Ordinarily she'd claim the Pyre Witch had something to do with this...except there was no Malevolence in sight except what the Witch was producing, and that was more her style.

And now Zed's apparently stumbled into the only survivor, and put himself at spear-point. Dahlia just sighs, shaking her head.

"Is he always like this?" She asks. Layna nods.

"...Aye, pretty much." She replies with a shrug.

<Pose Tracker> Celine Jules has posed.

B-O-N-K. Celine's staff mis-twirls and she nearly drops it, reaching out with a surprised flailing as she catches it. "Oh~. How careless of me. I should have thought about that before I did it~. Please accept my warmest apologies." It's possible to hear the care dripping off of it, even during the possibly deadly situation. Yet Celine owns to it immediately.

Right now, to Celine, it seems, if she recognizes Josephine, even the slightest, it wouldn't likely be her. To have completely thrown away the villages history - would others be so brazen? Yet many stay in the town now, as things get more dangerous. People like Celine are not incredibly rare - but for her to completely fly the flags of Marze - the style of Symbolic dress, no matter how odd it may seem, is entirely in her pride to do so. Eyes dispassionately watch Elvis and Josephine talk, the Marze symbologist turning to looks back at the others. Apparently she only recognizes the voice - even barely. The command to 'go over' followed, but nothing more.

Celine simply doesn't recognize her.
        Yet she still listens.
                It's irritating, really.

Shaking her head, the normally cool woman grimaces, "Ugh. It feels like there's something I'm forgetting... is it about this place?" She asks to herself, sighing and leaning a bit - only to stumble as there's a yell from the others, a commotion apparently bringing everyone back together.

Glancing at the actual 'witch', Celine gives a smirk, "My, I wonder where you hail from~." The woman remarks, dressed almost like a 'slutty witch' version of a Halloween costume, talking to someone who takes the costume seriously. "Doesn't that ever get in the way?" She asks of Agatha's robe, her floating 'robe' bobbing carefully around her shoulders. The irony is lost on her. Elvis, meanwhile, would see that Celine's specialty does not apply, or see any help, at this moment. "Well, hopefully I won't be needed~." She sing-songs almost to Elvis, "Unless it's highly magical... then I can certainly lend a hand. better to be prepared, right~?"

Striding along, she watches Ree skip forwards. How youthful!

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Solanine has posed.

Seraph Solanine notes the name and description of CAROL ANDERSON! spoken at her, essentially through her, with passion from the mountain of a man and nods softly at him, though unaware if he can detect her. If the Seraph encounters this girl, she'll try to remember to reunite them. The feeling in his voice when he says her name is very sincere... it's moving, even to someone as detached as Sola.

The source of Malevolence reveals itself, and steps foreward. A humanoid woman, but certainly a Hellion still. Sola draws her hood over her head, and conjures down a flowing cloak of shadows, shrouding herself in their darkness, finding comfort in her element, and putting something between herself and the witch. The Shadow Seraph has already summoned her sword from its depths and is holding it with hand on hilt, at her side, sheathed, beneath her cloak should an attack happen.

Others have trained their weapons on the woman, but they've held back, so she takes their lead, especially those like Lily and Layna who act as though they've encountered this Hellion before. Fully sentient and methodical Hellions are rare and unpredictable,(This one seems especially so with voices speaking from many places) but experience is better than none.

Solanine appreciates Fei's levity at this very tense moment.

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        Ida hears the telltale whistle of a nearby flare rocketing up, and looks up just as it cooks off. Green, she thinks, and her heart all but leaps into her throat. The hot, acrid scent of Malevolence hits her a moment later. Her eyes widen. She knows this Domain, and its master. "This way!" she cries, and she starts running towards the cathedral with no other explanation. Elvis may well end up very confused.

        'I would be careful, the man in there with you is something of a klutz...'

        The haggard woman steps forwards, keeping the bladed end of the pole between herself and Zed--more or less. It wavers in Agatha's direction several times, and she taps the other end against the nearby pews. "Who are you?" she demands. "What are you?" The sheer number of new voices seems to be frightening to her, in its own way. "The Ethos. Are you--are you with the Ethos?" She doesn't move the spear-point, nor does she move much of anything else.

        And now that the survivor is closer, it's easier to see what exactly is up with her: in addition to being dirty, she also looks a little malnourished. Otherwise, she appears perfectly fine, which might be unusual in and of itself. "I'm--I'm--" Her grip on the spear remains tight, but her shoulders bunch up. "Oh God."

<Pose Tracker> Agatha Pyrelight has posed.

 "Exploring? No, no. I'm just here looking for some entertainment, and what can be more entertaining than an entire city disappearing for no known reason?" The witch leans back, her clothing swirling around until she is more or less just... lounging, although the effect is more like floating in the air. Which probably more or less answers Cecilia's question, as the Pyre Witch's flowing robe also rises up slightly and gives her a tsk tsk motion.
 
 Agatha herself just smiles a bit wickedly. "Oh but I do enjoy seeing someone who is willing to use their charm as a battering ram," she teases the Symbologist. "Far too many prim and proper young woman in the world who feel that showing a bit of skin means they are throwing their worth away like cheap rags." Those black eyes take the other woman in for a moment, and the amused smile deepens just a step further.
 
 And then Agatha glances at Lily and gives an aggrieved sigh. "Oh if only you were this daring, Lily darling..."
 
 Of course, back in the church Agatha continues to speak in a more calm and (probably?) reassuring voice. At least next to Zed's spastic performance. The others might also be helping some as well, but the Pyre Witch does know how to sooth the savaged soul. So many who came to her had endured great tragedies, after all. They needed to be reassured. Guided. Soothed.
 
 "The Ethos... I am afraid not, but you will find these to be reliable heroes who are here to help you," the sultry voice reassures the frightened woman. "They have your best interests at heart... even this fool who is putting on the most comic of acts for your sake. We are simply interested in finding out what happened to the people of this town. This young man and his friends will, I am certain, help to rescue or avenge your people... if you can but tell them what happened, and point them in the direction of its cause."

<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

"Is she really trying to steal her first kiss," Fei murmurs to Lily under his breath, trying to limit his speech so that the poor woman isn't frightened any further. Before it was levity, now he has a genuine concern.

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Talise just scowls at Agatha for a long moment. While her instinct is still to try and stab her, she restrains herself for the sake of the young lady Zed is currently doing things with that she would not have expected Zed to be capable of. Downright normal things. Downright clever things.

"I was not ready for today," Talise sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger.

She reaches out to rest her hand briefly on Rosaline's shoulder, flashing her a tight, reassuring smile. Then she turns to move through the door. Despite the fact that she's wearing a full suit of plate, she's sheathing her sword and she's put a smile on to soften her face.

"The honest truth is, Zed here is a bit of a goof, but he's also pretty okay," Talise finds herself admitting, realizing full well she'll probably end up blushing over it later. "You don't have to be scared of him."

I'm honestly not sure how anyone COULD be scared of him, Talise leaves unsaid. But she sure as hell thinks it.

<Pose Tracker> Agatha Pyrelight has posed.

 "I made quite an impression upon Zed," Agatha states with some amusement. She leans a little closer to Fei. "I'd offer to do the same for you, but I am sure that you have another sultry redhead in mind~"

<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed.

Ohoho, now you see... How smooth Zed can be...! Behold, his style! It is impetuous!!

TO THE EXTREME!!!

Zed frowns and... lowers himself just a little bit, his grin still firm on his face (as if anything could ever get it to go away without Zed's say-so...!!) "Oh, no! I am ethical, but not with the Ethos! I am, as I said, the Dark Hero. The Ultimate Macho Man! I am here to help. You have been here for a while, yes? Alone, hungry. Hm."

She is struggling to find her words.

Zed understands. He loses his words all the time, too. It's normal and ordinary. A perfectly relatable sensation.

"Well, 'Oh God,'" Zed starts. "Let's start with names, then! That sounds alright by me. I am Zed! Nice to meet you, Oh God. That is a very strange name, but I suppose your parents picked it for you special! These are all my friends and other people I don't know very well but who are here to help. Everyone! Please, introduce yourselves!"

<Pose Tracker> Rosaline Calice has posed.

Rosaline's ARM-wielding hand is still raised towards Agatha's familiar. The real Hellion seems to be nearby enough that she can sense the Malevolence in the air, too. She doesn't like this one bit.

"I'm with the Ethos," Rosaline reiterates, a free hand on her chest. "I am Rosaline Calice, and these are my friends," aside from the talking rat, but THAT PART CAN LIKELY BE INFERRED FROM CONTEXT. "They can be trusted." Well, most of them can be. "And that includes Zed," she says, motioning to the eccentric swordsman.

"We came to investigate what happened to this town," she explains further, corroborating "Agatha"'s claim. Is the witch going to steal that poor woman away for some nefarious purpose? Oh God, she's planning to do that, isn't she? Rosaline's tail continues to sway nervously, even as her front remains something resembling composed. Zed's words, however, actually manage to make her smile. This may not be the moment, but his... Zed-ness is strangely welcome right now.

<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

        Indeed. Josie is no small woman by any means at her six-foot-even but Elvis still dwarfs her.

        With anyone else she'd be watching her back, particularly if they'd had cause to scuffle prior. With him...
        You can trust an honest man to do the right thing, but beware the moment when the right thing does not include your wellbeing. For now at least, she thinks it likely that her personal safety is assured.

        She'll know when he changes his mind. It's almost a little nice.

        "Eh, let the kids go. They'll find something -- or not -- and come running on back once they get bored. I've got the feeling we're going to find a lot more questions than answers, though..."
        Unless they can find a survivor, or some concrete evidence.

        No one in the city so much as was able to reach a Memory Cube, though. Whatever happened had been fast.

        "Heh. Do you say that to all the ladies, big guy?" she teases Elvis, when he calls her 'young lady'. She waves her good hand in the air. "But you're still right. Time flows like a river, and sometimes you go by a similar enough turn twice over before you hit the sea."

        A ship. A town. Hm.

        There's no question about it.
        Damn, little Celine sure grew up fast, Josie thinks to herself, her brow creasing. "A Symbologist, huh?" she voices at last, as if in idle conversation. "Marze, if I'm not mistaken."
        Just to confirm. That's all. The last thing she wants is questions... particularly from home.
        Particularly if word gets back to him.
        Her father.

        The door to the bookstore is open, so naturally Josie lets herself in. It's a simple matter to help herself to the last edition of the paper... and anything likely looking on a nearby shelf (beggars, or at least often-with-emptier-pockets-than-she'd-prefer archaeologists, must take any discount they can grasp) before re-emerging into the street.

        "Looks like this one prints weekly. Dates a few months back so... that lines up with the stories," she tells those with her, brandishing the front page. "Wonder if it means they disappeared that day... or just before they could get the next edition out."

        Printing a paper takes time, even in the more modernized cities. Out in Guild Galad, she's heard single-day broadsheets are the norm, and some papers even print twice.

        "...Yeah. Let's go see what they're up to."

        A beat.

        "It's a cathedral, by the way~"

        Peering in, she can see that there's already a bit of a disturbance underway. Letting out a low whistle, Josie arches an eyebrow. "Looks like they found someone, huh."

        It's Penelope, suddenly close at hand and beelining through the air for the doorway that prompts Josie to take a step back. "Whoa, uh--"

        Oh. She can feel it now, too. Malevolence.
        ...Penelope hates it.

        "Hey, can someone catch her? Thanks!" she calls inside.

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

Finally, everyone's been lead to the Cathedral. There they can get a better look at the situation...and it's clear that all the voices are probably a little overwhelming to this young woman.

Layna frowns, taking a moment to study her.

Zed suggests they introduce themselves, and Layna nods.

"I'm Layna Manydays, Captain of the Ruby Empress - a sailing vessel. We came from the mainland to investigate the town." Layna says.

"I'm Dahlia, the Quartermaster of the ship." Dahlia provides, then looks toward Layna.

"Captain." Layna looks at her and nods.

"Right. Folks, Dahlia and I are gonna head back to the ship and tell Wilhelm to prepare a meal. I've got a feeling our new friend could use it." Layna says, then turns and begins to head back. They aren't too concerned about being jumped by anything on the way back - between the two of them, Layna's confident they can handle it.

<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.

Frankly, Lily hasn't decided yet whether she'd like for Fei to ambush Agatha. Rather than moving further into the church, however, she keeps her aim on the Pyre Witch. ...Frankly, comforting a shellshocked girl isn't where she's best placed right now. As strange as it is for her to experience doing so, she actually leaves the matter to Zed. Instead--

"...Entertainment. Of course. Well, sure; the population disappearing is interesting, all right." What if she can find the source of that barrier? Would it work on Agatha?

"It's not a matter of daring," Lily answers Agatha darkly about her sartorial choices. She tilts her head slightly in Fei's direction and answers, "Frankly I think she'd be more interested in mine." Or Fei's, as it turns out. Not that either is particularly possible, Lily is sure. "But I wouldn't rule it out."

All about what sounds more entertaining, right?

"But I can show you a different kind of daring. How about the three of us walk farther away from all this?"

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Zed wants introductions made and Talise is there to make one. She smiles crookedly, sliding a gauntlet off and pushing a hand through her hair. "I'm Talise Gianfair, singer and swordsperson," she says, "but you can call me Tal!"

Again she gestures at Zed. "As you can see, Zed here is a little... unique. But his heart is in the right place! Spiritually, I mean, though I assume it's also in his chest."

She'll be quiet from here, but will stick around. Largely because of Agatha anxiety.

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.

        Lanval keeps about as calm as anything can, in the face of an agitated survivor who only has a spear to defend herself while they are in the presence of a creature who feeds off of contradictions - contradictions easy to produce and magnify under extreme emotional duress. Lanval turns a more open eye in the direction of Agatha's voice, but the dumb cat-like smile on his face doesn't fade.
        The Water Seraph rises up as the mortals exchange names and greetings in a great big, confusing chorus for an overwhelmed young woman who has nothing but a spear in which to keep whatever's all happened at bay.
        Lanval quietly casts up a Seraphic Arte, a refreshing misty air from where the Seraph does what he does best. Held gently in his hands is just a meager drinking glass he decided to carry along with him as he walks up behind Rosaline, completely upright and not at all staggering and walking all silly.
        "Hey, Roshaline," Lanval says, quietly, and not with the drunken rancor of someone shouting for attention. "She looksh thirshty."
        He hands Rosaline the glass to give her. Inside the glass is - what else - clear, refreshing, pure water.
        Water may as well introduce itself as water.

<Pose Tracker> Elvis has posed.

It seems there is tension between others present in the party not involving Elvis. Hum. The man makes note of this for the future. "Of course," is given to Josephine. To both questions. "Huh, interesting. So a bit of time has passed. Perhaps while some of us were on Lunar. Makes sense when some of the brightest fighters were translocated this would happen." A nod is given when the time to chasnge scenery comes and follows suit. "Oh. Uh, right!" The Veruni adds, as if he knew all along.

Yeah, no he didn't.

Elvis makes his way toward the cathedral, keeping the sensor running general scans for possible. Ida makes a callout to rush the cathedral. "Uh...?" He shrugs and hustles a bit faster to catch up.

On arrival, it seems others are talking to some weakened young lady. "Huh. She survived, and no one else?" he asks. A hand runs along a side of moustache. He was suspicious, to say the least. But she also could have gotten lucky. Not been in town directly, perhaps on one of the beaches or somesuch.

But. Zed.

This guy.

"Please tell me this isn't normal," he states, sighing dejectedly. As well, it seems the others are rather irritated with another present.

But that poor little girl seems like she needs help, and something inside tugs at his heartstrings something fierce. Elvis even sniffles a little. "Elvis," he states. A pained look is on his face. Perhaps he sees something in this poor little girl he wishes he didn't?!

"G-Good idea on the meal," he adds in.

<Pose Tracker> Rosaline Calice has posed.

Rosaline looks at Lanval, briefly confused, as she takes the glass. "But I'm not-- OH."

She finally lowers her ARM (figuring that, with the amount of people here, the rat familiar may be... unlikely to start anything after all) and takes a step forward to present the glass to the girl. "You must be thirsty, here," she says, echoing her Seraph friend. "We also have rations."

<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

Fei is quiet for a moment, turning his focus on Agatha. The actual Agatha. He then exhales faintly and he says, "In my experience, those who laugh at the world most are the ones who are the most desperate. I am sorry your circumstances have been so difficult." He doesn't comment on Elly at all in this moment since he suspects nothing good would come of it. Frankly, he's surprised this lady even cares enough to know about that.

Still, he doesn't deny her claim that a different sultry redhead is on his mind though he would use the word passionate instead of sultry because sultry carries different connotations.

He nods to Lily and adds, "That sounds like a good idea, all told. The last she needs is a chorus shouting at her."

<Pose Tracker> Ree has posed.

"I'm Ree," Ree murmurs, without elaboration. No sense in revealing too much, especially to strangers! "Indeed, we do have rations." She is carrying three day's worth in her pack right now!

<Pose Tracker> Celine Jules has posed.

With Agatha leaning back, clothing swirling around, cloak and robe moving with her into the air. "Aaaah~." She remarks, smirking, "My, you're quite the show off too~. I guess it suits your look." The symbologist exclaims, having very limited... floating experience. That was a bit more difficult for her than simply walking, and it's mostly just her clothes that do so!

"Mhm~?" Celine asks, turning a bit to Agatha in a good natured (or is it!?) smile, "I know, though you have to agree... only some of us could really pull it off and look this good~." Whether Celine is being entirely truthful or is teasing right back in a somewhat display of good natured glaring that others are doing for being called (possibly!?) a harlot is anyone's guess. Likely only Agatha and Celine would really know!

"But you really should know, beyond just being comfortable and extremely ... beneficial in a lot of ways~, this happens to be based on the Symbologist for the village of -" 'Marze, if I'm not mistaken'. Celine pauses for a moment to look at Josephine, before she moves to follow - the symbologist staff touching the ground in time as she walks. "Yes... exactly. Not many seem to be interested in wearing such things anymore." She shrugs, "Honestly, it's a shame. Then again, I think beyond me and maybe another five, ten years before me...," Josie who happens to be right in the same area but not recognized, who even noted that it was from that city, "Not many have chose to leave the village."

Then the Malevolence hits her, causing her to reel backwards somewhat - "G-Geeze, I haven't felt anything like this in... a long while." She remarks to everyone, and no-one, in particular. "Unfortunately all I have to offer her is a jewel or two, at this time." Only.

<Pose Tracker> Chime Isa has posed.

        Having taken a seat on one of the pews in the back of the church to watch and listen with an amused expression, Chime says "Keeping calm is always good, and knowing someone makes them not a stranger~ I'm Chime~" in a cheerful, friendly, warm voice. "Through I think a warm meal on the Ruby Empress would be better than just plain rations~"

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        "You want to know what happened," the woman says, her tone somewhere between disbelief and wariness. Agatha's words would be reassuring if it weren't obvious there was some manner of conflict going on here. Zed's lame joke(?!) prompts a low, tense laugh from her. She steps closer to Sister Calice, and finally--finally--lowers the weapon from Zed's throat. "Everyone is dead. Or gone. It was all so sudden. They said Granas and St. Centour would protect us, but the statue is gone. It's shattered."

        Ida, who has been watching this fracas from the back of the crowd, steps forwards, moving to stand beside Rosaline in a gesture of moral support. She looks at the poor, terrified survivor, but doesn't make any sudden moves. She glances sidelong at the Agatha presence she knows is there, allowing herself to feel the anger, the disgust, the anxiety. She takes a deep breath, and lets it out. What does she have to be ashamed for? "Are you hurt?" Ida says.

        The woman shakes her head. Lanval provides water. She reaches out to take the glass, her hand searching for it for a moment before taking it. She raises it to her lips, and drinks, gratefully. "I... don't think so?" the woman says. "Just hungry." She taps the butt of the spear against a nearby pew, walks over, and eases onto it. If nothing else, she seems far less likely to try gutting someone.

<Pose Tracker> Agatha Pyrelight has posed.

 This one was at least amusing, and Agatha chuckles as Celine does her best to not stagger at the malevolence coming off of her. With a bit of sympathy, the witch dials it back a bit, engaging one of her spells to decrease the amount of malevolence she puts off. She prefers not to when expecting trouble, as they also limited her ability to use her power, but it seemed like the others had this in hand. "I've seen enough Symbologists who are proud of the work carved into their body dress like that - after all, what is the point of having both power and a pleasing form if you are unwilling to flaunt both?"
 
 And then Lily speaks, and Agatha listens politely for a moment.
 
 "Oooh ho." The witch smirks as Lily starts focusing on her instead. She chuckles quietly, her hat tipping down over her eyes for a moment. "Fu fu fu. Leaving this all to Zed while you try and get me out of the way? How trusting of you, Lily darling~ That is pleasing in its own way, I have to admit."
 
 Her familiar walks into the shadows, where it seems to fade from view for the moment. Agatha is fine letting the others control the situation. What SHE is interested in is the device that was protecting this city. If nothing else, it could prove to be... interesting, and while she wasn't interested in protecting very much, its restrictive abilities might be quite fun to play with. Of course, that would ultimately lead to some amount of conflict, and Agatha wouldn't want to court that unless the gains would be significant.
 
 The Drifters were just too much *fun* after all.
 
 "Oh dear boy, it's so kind of you to say that - such empathy is rare these days. And you are more correct than you might think, and yet fall so far from the truth of it..." Agatha states, drifting a bit closer to Fei. She starts to reach up with one pointed finger, perhaps to simply touch Fei... but pauses at Lily's probably defensive reaction. "Although I'm sure Lily will tell you to be careful quite soon now, lest you kindle my interest. Although the two of you together..." The Pyre Witch allows her gaze to drift between the two, and she smiles. "...you really shouldn't tempt me. I'm terrible at resisting it."
 
 There's something in those yellow eyes, something inhuman and terribly hungry for a moment... but it is gone a moment later, as she hears that the statue seems to be part of this mess. Agatha turns, and looks at the church for a long moment. "...is that it then?" she murmurs. "Hmmm."
 
 She makes no more to leave, but it's clear her attention has been diverted for now.

<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed.

        Zed... is freed from spearpoint. The situation deescalates. Everything sort of... Calms... down.

Zed doesn't breathe a long sigh or anything sappy like that. He just sort of grins like he always knew for a fact that things would go well. And they did! So he's proven both right AND clairvoyant! Hooray!

"Well, if you're hungry, I do believe our boat is going to be preparing meals for everyone! Nice, hot, fresh meals, with grog! It's the most piratey of alcohols." Beat. "I mean, not that it's a pirate boat. More like a... Corsair. Or a privateer? They're good people! And they make good food."

Zed pauses, and then sinks into the pew next to this poor, shell-shocked survivor. "Soooo," he says, leaning in and grinning between Ida and Rosa and the girl whose name he still doesn't know. "Miss Oh God, Wanna go hang out on a cool ship for a while? I mean, it's okay if you don't. I understand completely! This must be kind of sudden. Like a thunderbolt in your dreams, or something like that. Hm."

Zed... fishes around inside his scarf.

And retrieves...

...Are those churros?

They're wrapped in foil, at least!

"Here," Zed offers, holding his tasty, sweet snack out for this poor girl to take. "Have this! These always make me feel better when I'm down. They're tasty!"

And...

Probably sanitary????

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        The woman turns in Zed's direction. "Aura," she says. "My name is Aura."

<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed.

"Aura!" Zed says, completely understanding how 'ohgod' could have been mubmled out of the name 'Aura.' They almost kind of sound the same. "That name is much prettier than Oh God. It's good to meet you, Aura! Like I said, I am Zed. Ultimate Macho Man. Grim Reaper's Pen Pal. Dark Hero. Etc. Etc. Feel free to call me Zed! All my friends do."

"Sometimes," Zed says, reminiscing, "They also call me 'wait stop' or 'no don't!' Haaah, friends can be silly sometimes."

<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

        "Sure seems like it. Unfortunately, it also seems like whatever happened was fast -- no one was able to escape, and certainly no one used a Memory Cube to send a message, like, you know, 'help! we're under attack!'" she stiffly wiggles the fingers of her bad hand as if to suggest some sort of abject peril at this current moment. "So it narrows it down some. I wonder where this legendary ARM was supposed to be kept... or if it's even still here."

        Was it just an ancient ARM going haywire? Or did something else happen?

        "Hmm. So I was right. Haven't seen that garb much," she says, then sighs, shaking her head. "Anyway, don't worry about it. Call it... academic interest?"

        Damn, damn. I don't think she recognizes me. I suppose there's some fortune left in this world.

        Josie, for her part, continues to linger at the doorstep. Seems like folks largely have things handled in there...

        ...Except for the part where Penelope does not stop and keeps on going, less-than-one-pound ball of ancient indignant fury aimed right for that... Malevolence-ridden lady there.

        "PENELOPE! Young lady, stop that this instan--"

        Before she charges right in after the wayward pigeon with all the speed of an angry parent and snatches the bird right out of the air before the pigeon can make good with her pretensions of raptor-hood and divebomb Agatha.

        "You," she informs the bird sternly, "are not a hawk."

        Which is followed by a lift of her head, a hooded gaze Agatha's way, and her own turn and exit from the cathedral.

<Pose Tracker> Rosaline Calice has posed.

The familiar leaves, Ida stands beside Rosaline, and the woman lowers her spear to take the glass. Good. Rosaline allows herself to relax ever-so-slightly.

"I'm so sorry," she says, gently. "We live in very trying times. I can't even imagine."

Rosaline is about to fish in her satchel bag for rations, but luckily Zed provides much-needed levity and churros. "We can escort you back to our ship whenever you're ready, yes." Well. Layna's ship. Rosaline glances at the captain, wondering if she just commited a faux pas.

She wants to ask for more details about what happened here, but it seems as if Aura has already been through so much. Questions can wait until she's away from this place. And hopefully they can find more survivors like her.

...though the outlook seems grim, Rosaline can't help but think.

<Pose Tracker> Celine Jules has posed.

"If nothing else, that's one thing we'll both be able to agree on entirely~." Celine remarks, suddenly not being swamed by the Malevolence. Being around Agatha a bit has probably pushed Celine forwards to seeing the Seraph hanging around her than a whole week around the Seraph! For good or ill, it still happens. "You need to appreciate what you have~." Her head bobs as bit as the witch focuses on other issues. Celine gets the picture rather quickly that Agatha isn't remotely a good person, but she's holding back. Likely because others might get involved, rather than because she has a sense of justice and fairness.

"Oh?~ Was it Hansel or Gretel that told you this~?" Celine teases back, making an offhanded comment regarding the terrible at resisting temptation. That's .. more or less all that she adds, to it, though.

To Josephine, Celine blinks and nods, shrugging, "I know, I was hoping to see someone dressed like me as well. Still haven't~. Guess that just means more eyes this way, doesn't it~?" She turns to Josephine with an odd smirk and a wink, but none of that is that Celine recognizes her. "Sure, call it whatever you want, dear~." She's a bit older than her, though! Like, five to ten years! Nothing that trips up a thought to Celine, though. The bird issue does make her chuckle a bit. As the others are consoling the poor girl, Celine walks outwards a bit to 'stand guard'. It's a bit like standing, but you angle your body to take in the sunrays.