The Evolutionist's Stone (RP Reboot)

[Celadon's Penultimate]

Having gotten used to the berating by now, Ivan answers Nadia with little more than a shrug.

"They looked cool to me. Cool enough to clear the bar, far as I can tell. Nice, dark, professional clothes, shades, briefcases, laptops. And real interested in current events and whatnot, like what I had told you guys about them assassins bein' offed in Colorado."

And though he couldn't hear a word Fitz had just mumbled, he turned to the Irishman for assurance, almost by instinct, "I mean, you sawr 'em, right, Toad? They didn't look like trouble, did they?"

Only half-expecting an answer from his timid friend, Ivan turns back to the barmaid for another tray of drinks, and Pierce and Jack come up beside him to take one.

[Philote]

"Shut it Fitz" Nadia says having no time for the man's whimpering

She turns back to Ivan, not done giving him the third degree yet. "Well, what did you get out of them. I know you didn't let them leave with only fond memories to remember them by, so spill it."

[Celadon's Penultimate]

The conversation seemed so plain and unremarkable, Ivan was unsure if the details were even worth mentioning. Still, if Nadia wanted to be bored by what felt like little more than five minutes of talking about nothing, then it was her call.

"Well, the taller, older guy said somethin' about telepaths and traitors, and it reminded me of that stuff I'd heard from Torres, about that rock dude offin' killers an' mercs, over in Arizona. We got to talkin' about that, and he wondered what else I knew. All's else I had to say was what Torres mentioned about the, uh, Sorcerer's--no, the Scientist's--"

"The Evolutionist's Stone?" Pierce scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, that's the one."

At the mention of it, Pierce cracked a grin, seeming outright entertained. The Evolutionist's Stone? It had been years (he was maybe fourteen) since he'd last heard it discussed with any note, at all, of seriousness. He took a sip of his drink and leaned on the bar, next to Ivan. Wherever the conversation with Nadia was going, he had to hear this.

[Philote]

"So you got nothing but some old fairy tale" Nadia scoffs "What a waste of time."

She looks over the man's current demeanor. "You're not actually taking this serious are you?"

[Celadon's Penultimate]

His face running hot from embarrassment at Nadia's nonchalant disapproval, Ivan muttered, "Well, it ain't like I said I found a pirate's treasure map. I only mentioned it, off-'and. Making small talk and all that. Sounded daft to me, too, to be honest."

As the barmaid went into the back room to get more ginger ale, though, Pierce looked back to the others. His first thought was to console Ivan--the two always did bicker like brother and sister--but his expression lit up as an idea hit him. A mischievous grin crossed his face, and he seemed even a bit triumphant about it.

Propping himself up to sit on the bar, Pierce said, "Well, I guess now's as good a time as any to let you guys know, I just got fired from me job today. Yep, I went and got into a fight with some wanker supervisor that thought his genius IQ meant he could boss me around like a low-level grunt. I mean, granted, I was a low-level grunt, but it still got the hell on my nerves." an arc of electricity darted through his hair at the mere thought, "So, I fried his precious vintage 2012 laptop, socked him one, flipped the manager off, and walked out like a total boss. That makes me the last in this group to have had a job, and recently lost it. On that note, anybody up for a road trip to Arizona? Job huntin' or treasure huntin', it's all the same to me."

[Philote]

"Might as well" Nadia comments as she returns to her drink "Better than what Ivan dug up."

[Celadon's Penultimate]

Pierce and Ivan exchanged glances. Nadia was right, whether Ivan wanted to admit it or not. If they were going to travel over to Gorak territory, they should at least have some legitimate reason for going.

Still, whether job hunting or treasure hunting, it sounded like Nadia was already in for a trip to Arizona. And if anybody would have been a tough sell, it would have been her. That left the others. With either he or Pierce barely able to contain the mischievous glee coloring their faces, Ivan decided it was time to put the idea up to a serious vote

He took a sip from his drink, and spoke, "So, it's a serious question then, right? I mean, this is actually a thing that's on the table? Well, in that case...whaddya say? Tessa? Jack? Toad?"

Marv: Sorry, Ivan and Pierce call you Toad. It's a term of endearment, even though Fitz hates it.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

It took a mere look of mischief from Ivan and Pierce, and it was settled. Jack was in.

"Hot damn, that sounds like a plan to me." he chuckled, before turning around to add his devious grin to Pierce and Ivan's trifecta of peer pressure, "But, I know it's not gonna just be us three. Right, guys?"

Everyone: Anybody who still cares to participate, please post something now. I'd like not to diminish to carrying the entire thread again. You only have to post a quick thing saying you're in, and then we move on to the journey itself. Much more fun, I promise, if everybody participates. (Also, yes, I'm narrating for Jack now, too, since Bug isn't able to be present at the moment.)

[Zaleramancer]

Fun fact about Telepaths: They tend to be clever.

No one's really sure why, exactly. It's just a common trend, a correlation that pops up whenever people bother to think about it. Some people think it has to do with having a mind open to the oozing psychic energy of others. Other, more cynical, minds think it's just that dumb telepaths never figure out what they're doing.

Tessa is no exception to this rule, which often came as a surprise to people who didn't know her. After all, a blonde in pink never meshes well in people's minds with the word Clever or Smart or Capable of Tying Their Own Shoes. No, in her experience, they usually thought of something about shoes.

Which wasn't that off from what she, personally, was currently pondering. A poker game with some vampires a few days ago had yielded a bit of cash. Almost enough to afford nice clothes that weren't bought off the black market.

A new pair of shoes would be fantastic. Tessa shifted in her seat, glancing at her current shoes. But even as focused as she was on her prize, the telepath didn't let the errant words -or thoughts- of her companions go completely unheard.

Looking at her carefully manicured and immaculate nails, Tessa glanced up with the practiced nonchalance of a girl who's never had to pay for a drink.

"Well I might be able to clear my schedule."

[Marvelous Miscreant]

Fitz, who was now sitting slumped forward in his chair, his face resting on the table and staring out sideways at the room, groaned.

"Ugh, I guess I'm outnumbered here...fine. I suppose I could go."

[Celadon's Penultimate]

It was settled. The lot of them were off to Arizona.

At least, they would be off to Arizona, if they could find some way to get there.

To their fortune, such was an easily resolved problem. Nadia had already put down her money for her drink, so the others put down theirs, and headed down the street.

Two-and-a-half blocks away from the bar, past not-so-subtle drug hand-offs, women climbing into cars with people they may or may not have known, a man situated on the ground between his girlfriend's legs to get his hair braided, they would find the building where a good friend lived.

If all went as planned, they would also find their ride, to reach pay dirt.

Pierce was volunteered to go up and knock on the door.

Before a third knock could land, the door flew open, and Diego Torres poked his head out, "Seriously, dude, I said you can come pick it up tomorrow--oh, it's you guys! Hey! Uh, come on in!"


==Torres House, 11:59 pm==

A rerun of some Spanish soap opera murmured in the background of the group's conversation in the kitchen, but everyone knew it kept Diego's Abuela happy on the couch, and happy Abuela was quiet Abuela, so no one questioned it.

"A transport?" Diego raised an eyebrow at Ivan's request, "And all the way to Arizona? I'm gonna be honest, that sounds like two problems. One, Arizona is a long, long way from here, and you guys know how Rico feels about long jaunts. And two, he's not even here right now. If I try to call him, I'm either gonna get a voicemail or get cussed out."

A sigh arose from the group. Rico was the only teleporter they knew, who they were on good terms with. There had to be some way they could get in contact with him.

Jack crossed his arms, and posted up against the fridge, "You got any idea when he'll be back in?"

"Oh, sure. He said he'd be here, morning tomorrow." Diego shrugged, "You got time to kill? Maybe you wanna stay tonight and meet up with him tomorrow? Or, ya know, you could always try your luck with the Controller's buses. The only ones that run all night. He says that they're for drunk folks who need a ride home after a night of partying, but everybody knows they help intercede, in case his emissaries get held up in tough neighborhoods, and need to get bailed out."

Everyone: Decisions, decisions. Do you stay or go? There is no right answer here, I assure you, only different paths on the same adventure. Naturally, consensus will decide which course of action the group takes.

[Marvelous Miscreant]

Fitz wasn't someone who ever seemed to pay attention. That's not to say that he didn't. He just never seemed like he was. He was too smart to and always appeared to be thinking about something else. Rarely did he ever really lock in on a conservation.

However, as Diego mentioned the Controller, Fitz was suddenly all ears. A slight furrowing in his brow betrayed his thoughts. He didn't like the Controller. Well, nobody really liked The Controller. In fact, he was pretty much hated by a large majority of people. But, Fitz.... Fitz despised him far more than most. It wasn't for any one reason in particular. The whole image of The Controller just rubbed Fitz the wrong way. He grimaced visibly as he thought about the loathsome Overlord before uncharacteristically blurting out,

"GAH! I don't want anything to do with that pompous asshole! I'd rather wait!"

[Philote]

"So the little one does have a voice" Nadia says snarkily.

"If he is willing to put up such a fight over this, then I don't think I care enough to argue. I'm just going to go up and get my beauty sleep" Nadia says before following Diego to one of the spare rooms.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

The sudden outburst from Fitz stopped all other conversation. His friends exchanged surprised glances, and were even a bit entertained (though, Diego was just glad his Abuela didn't speak a word of English).

Still, Fitz was right. The Controller's buses were even more of a crap shoot than was their general mission. By no means worth the risk of getting taken up by the strange and mysterious Controller's forces. And so the night would lend them rest.

A quick word with his Abuela for permission, and Diego allotted out the spare rooms.

The night would not be easy--their sleep would be shallow, their dreams were filled with anxiety and anticipation for things to come--but it would not be a night in the Controller's captivity.

That would simply have to do.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

Wayne sped along an old deserted highway on autopilot, his mind playing out one scenario after another. Gorak had to be handled, because regardless of how he felt about the freaks and psychopaths that made up his little organization killing them off was just not something you did. As much work as they were given by the overlords it was just plain hypocritical.

It was probably the magic rock Gorak thought he had. Made them think he didn't need the organization anymore, made him think he was untouchable. He didn't know how wrong he was.

A loud pop brought Wayne as he struggled  to take control of the car again. It was no good though, as he slammed right into a ditch.

Gingerly, Wayne picked himself up off the steering wheel and unconsciously reached down to grab his glasses off the floor. Out of instinct he went transparent, his body slowly fading out like a dimming light until only the faintest outlines of his eyes remained. With these he scanned around, for the first time in hours seeing the area he had been traveling through. He made no other move besides.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

His wait would keep him still, breath near silent, for something in the range of half an hour. Then, down the road, there could be heard the gravelly rumbling of approaching tires.

Moving pretty fast, but still lumbering. It had to be something big.

The sound grew nearer and nearer to Wayne's car, before finally revving up, and then coming to a halt. Through the rear-view mirror, the vehicle was easily recognized as a 2012 Hummer. The driver didn't step out of the car, but the remaining three doors opened revealing a tall, powerful blue woman, a green man with antennae and a man who gleamed in the light of the truck's headlights, as though made of pure gold.

The woman took a few steps forward and put her hands on her hips; she smirked, "See, boys? What'd I tell you? No need for hot pursuit. We just let him go about his merry way, and when he slips up, we collect the prize."

The golden man didn't look so sure. He could easily have taken off, and gotten his hands on some pheromone confusing chemicals, to throw the woman off his trail. Wayne was wily like that, or so he'd heard.

He exchanged glances with the green man, who rolled his eyes, "Ugh, fine."

To console his gilded friend, the green man raised a hand, and snapped his fingers. The car jerked, and lifted off ten feet into the air, as though taken up by some giant unseen hand. Its position held steady, but its axis left free-range, Wayne's car turned mid-air, slow and effortless, like a chicken on a rotisserie spit.

GV: You have no idea who these guys are. Tumble on out of the car, and get acquainted, why don'tcha?

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

Hit squad? Kidnappers? Maybe. Fan club? Not likely.

These are the thoughts that filled Wayne's head as he hit the roof.

Was this levitation or magnet powers? Should he kill the green one first because he knew what the guy could do was dangerous, or did he geek one of the others and roll the dice on one of them being more trouble? Could he just slip away? No, no, there was nowhere to hide along the road. How much did them know about what he could do?

Wayne settled back into his seat as the car started another rotation. This was just bad all around. Outnumbered, no information, caught flat-footed. This was not how he preferred to work. He sighed, visualized himself, and psyched himself up. Who was he? Wayne Cobane, assassin 4th ranked. Who were these guys? No name chumps, and freaks to boot. He took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and tumbled out.

He landed hard on the asphalt, rolled, and came up facing them like like a million bucks, his expression stern and unreadable in the hummers headlights. He spoke with a voice as cold a malicious as the ninth circle of hell.

"You have ten seconds to explain why I shouldn't kill all of you."

He watched them, trying to see what he could gleam.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

As her companions took a step back, the blue woman stepped forward. She cocked her head to the side and flexed her fingers, cracking each of the knuckles quite audibly.

In turn, her companions, from behind, reached their hands down slow to their sides. Just in case.

"We've been lookin' for you, Mr. Cobane. We sent a friend o' yours to meet you, and tell you about Gorak's offer for work." The blue woman replied, voice slick but defiant, "My pheromones had to do a bit of convincin', but, from the looks of it, you two met, and his message did the trick. Is that right? Were you on your way to arrange a meetin' with Lord Gorak?"

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Yeah, thought that a job sniffing out moles would be a nice change of pace from my usual work."

Wulf:How much did they know? How much did they think he knew? Depending on how he played this he might just be able to walk away.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

The gold man and the green man exchange affirming glances. This sounded like good news.

The blue woman smirks at Wayne's words, and tosses back her deep blue hair, seeming almost triumphant, "Now, that's what I like to hear. I knew we were right to trail you, in case you needed a proper escort."

She looked back to the green man. Again, he uttered a disdainful groan; with a snap of his fingers, the car fell from its midair suspension with a loud clattering thud. At the sign, the Hummer's horn blared three quick honks. It was time to wrap this little meeting up.

GV:They were listening in on the conversation from afar via the blue woman's senses, but through happy circumstance, not only did they arrive late into the conversation; they also had a hard time making out Ivan's words through his thick Cockney accent. They know very little, other than that Wayne seemed intrigued by what Ivan had to say. They have no clue what you intend to do, once you arrive in Arizona. Under the assumption that you've taken Gorak's bait, they want to offer you a ride into the state. Answer as a quick yes or no. I can roll with either answer, but we need to move the story onward into Arizona, which means 1) You respond to this post, 2) I respond to your response, 3) I move back to narrating the main group's move to Arizona. Should be five posts, at most.