Scene #6264: Delving In

Owner	Pose
Cu Chulainn	LATE AFTERNOON NEW YORK STATE Ever since the attack on the auction house, the Paladins have been looking into the lead of one Delvo, a Grail Shard information broker who the thieves got their source from. It was only recently that they found out his name. Damien Davori is a man in his 60s living in New York state, in a secluded farmhouse that likely doubles as his atelier. The man worked for the Association in the past before disappearing off their radar, and must have tight connections to be able to sell Grail shard information. It's little secret that Grail shards are useful. They're crystallized pieces of the Holy Grail, granting wishes to those who use them. So in the wrong hands...or in the hands of the group known as the Inheritors, who apparently seek Grail shards for membership so that they can break the masquerade, it might be troublesome. The location is a small woodland stretch of New York, with a tiny forest off the beaten path leading towards what must have once been a farm converted into an abode. There's a decent sized farm-house, as well as barns, coops, and a water tower a decent bit away. The house must be 19th century, and certainly a nice place to live by yourself. Though as the group gets to the border of the farm, those with magical senses would notice that there's the telltale sign of magic nearby and underfoot. Probably an alarm system, which they might be able to bypass...or they could go in loudly and alert Delvo they're coming, giving him time to prepare. But certainly this is just a talk and nothing more, right?
Maya	Maya finds a masquerade alien to her given she's from a world so steeped in magic? There was no line between it and science. Which had been jarring and still sometimes is for her in the multiverse. She was making for the farmhouse she's arrived via a motorcycle native to the world rather than bringing something that would get attention. She pulls in turns the bike off grabbed the keys. She was some distance away. Maya intends to talk not to set everything on fire as she takes a bit to scope out farm before she figures out how she's going to be going in. She could cloak but the spell wouldn't do much good, against a magic user or someone with tech-based things like thermo scanners. "So anyone have ideas?"
Thomas Alva Edison	Of course they're here to talk. It does not mean that he trusts the man, or does not trust that he won't try anything if he feels pushed. To this end, he had Homeland Security pull back, thanking them for their good work, and instead his Secret service would take point. He would put them at various positions around the farm, waiting to intercept and stop anyone from coming in or out. Once done, Edison looks towards those who came with him, or rather, came with him overtly. Looking to Maya specifically as she asked her question, "There is no reason to sneak. The place is surrounded, so we will walk through the front door and let him know we are coming. He may prepare, but he is only a mage..." he says, calmly, "We will simply talk to him, and resolve this situation peacefully. If all goes well, we can bring them under the banner of the United States, if not..." Edison sighs, He does not want to say it, but he knows what would need to be done. "Mums the word on our forces around this place, we are here to negotiate and bring in. As of right now, he has not technically done anything illegal, and I do not regonize the laws of the Mage's association, as they are not a actual authority recognized." he says, and then...simply walks through the threshold. Edison is confident, holding himself high as if he was supposed to be there. He is flanked by two of his Secret Service drones, as honor guard. Right now, he is here as he said: to talk.
Ryouma Sakamoto	"Ah... I'm afraid no," Ryouma answers Maya, as he stands a few feet before the edge of the magical field surrounding the farm. Oryou floats behind him, idly. "We're somewhat resistant to magic, but that doesn't include the ability to not set off alarms. Merely resist the ill effects the alarm might set off," he adds, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Oryou could just torch the entire place," his flying companion offers, obviously bored and disinterested. "Ah... let's save that for plan B." Ryouma replies. Though Edison suggests they not try sneaking. That works fine for both of them, honestly. "I'm fine with that. Though I suspect we're about to step into a literal minefield, if he's put as much effort into protecting himself as he has in collecting the shards." Magi do love their traps. Ah well, onward. Oryou and Ryouma will be able to rely somewhat on their magic resistance to walk through this mess, if it turns hot. Or fly, as the case may be.
Ritsuka Fujimaru	It had taken a while for Jeanne to realize that New York is not simply a city, but a small part of an entire landmass called New York State. Upon making this realization, the Avenger finds herself exploring the significantly more rural parts of the state, partially to sate her own curiousity and partially because of a mysterious invitation. An invitation for what, though? She'll see soon enough. Approaching the farmhouse, she pauses as she realizes that others have been drawn to this location as well. For what, she has no idea, but there's enough people with magical energy coming off of them that even she wouldn't be dumb enough to dismiss as a coincidence. There's Servants here. She's dressed in her usual armor, but she's keeping her sword sheathed and her flag billowing behind her as she glowers at the others suspiciously (moreso Edison and Oryou than Ryouma and Maya). "If you've been invited here as well, then stop wasting time and step inside. There's no reason to waste time skulking around like common bandits unless you are." And with that, Jeanne starts moving forward, precautions be damned. "So what if this is a minefield? You're not afraid of a little fire, are you?" She sneers at that last part, purposely moving without letting her head even tilt downwards in the slightest.
Ryouma Sakamoto	"Oryou likes this witch," Oryou says, floating on ahead to keep up with Jeanne as if she had decided to change companion that quickly. "Ryouma should take notes." Ryouma just laughs nervously, taking a few larger steps to catch up. "Ah, well, yes, I'm rather flammable when Oryou isn't taking the hits for me," he admits. "I really do wish to apologize for last time, I believe I gave off entirely the wrong vibe. When I asked for dinner, it was..." He doesn't get to finish, because Oryou does for him. "Ryouma doesn't like fighting. He thought he could bribe his way out of your fire with food." But then the reason for her finishing the sentence reveals itself: "If Jeanne doesn't want the free dinner, Oryou will take it all, of course. Oryou can eat for two people to make up for the empty seat."
Priscilla	One can't let the Paladins have everything. After all, the information she'd ordered pried from their fingers, and that of the Association, by force would be totally worthless if not followed up on. Priscilla shows up. That is, just 'shows up'. One moment it's the Paladins, and the next she's just there as is her prerogative. Despite being the leading figure of the Paladins' chief rivals, she hasn't given up that habit of being wherever she chooses without notifying anyone. It sends another sort of message that she appreciates, though in this case it also helps with not immediately having a Mage's atelier countermeasures readied for her. Walking out of nothing, she drops a pile of papers right into Thomas' big meaty American hands, detailing a series of experiments involving death row inmate volunteers, and a report covered in black ink and [DATA REDACTED] involving Psychonaut experiments with a sliver of True Magic. It specifically ends up in Edison's hands, almost off-handedly, like returning a set of borrowed car keys. "Feel thou free to do so." she says, with an equally offhanded air. "I hath no intentions to so boldly announce mineself, but then I am not party to thine excursions here either, am I? Thou art under no obligation to divulge such, as I hath no obligations to the desired ends of thine investigation." After a second, she adds "Merely some moderate acknowledgement that this soil is that of thine kingdom, and some limited patience to alloweth such to be seen through to its end." Then she disappears again. Just like that. There's no footprints in the grass or stepping on magical landmines, because Priscilla has immediately exploited the uncertainty surrounding that kind of thing to directly teleport to the house itself. Outwardly, it's near impossible to tell the difference between 'really good invisibility' and 'actually just not being there'.
Cu Chulainn	Secret Service will have little trouble taking the perimeter of the area. The group, meanwhile, crosses the barrier. At first, it seems like there's nothing. Maybe it just alerts the master of the house to their presence? But as they get closer to the door, something weird happens. Shadowy vines reach up out of the ground, and move to ensnare themselves around ankles. They suddenly, rapidly, move to drain energy with sharp ankles, as well as to ensnare and try and trap people to the ground. For a mere mortal who activated this, they'd probably be unconscious fast, left to the whims of the manor's owner. For Elites powerful like this, especially those with resistance to magic, or are robotsm, it's sheer purpose is to slow them down and weaken them, unable to take them out. Invisibility allows Priscilla to completely bypass it, while the vines can be cut with a weapon, too, though more try and sprout up. At least, at first. When Edison reaches the front door, there's a brief flicker of magic, and then the vines suddenly start to retreat themselves if they're still there. This coincides with him being near a window, perhaps not coincidentally. The front door unlocks, the double doors quietly opening without anyone to guide them. There's a nice large hall inside, full of statues that resemble suits of armor, which also feel magical. The hall leads into a small dining area near a series of large windows looking over the forest to the rear of the house, though there's a back door leading here as well if Priscilla wants to go in there, or she could just honestly teleport past the walls. It turns out that no one expected teleportation magic as a problem, because it's not something a mage can just do. Sitting in the dining area at a fine table, eating a salad, is an old man in his sixties, with balding white hair and a thin beard. He's aware of the party's entrance, as he finishes a bite. He seems like the type of man who feels he's in control, and since the entire house feels magical, there's probably more traps that he's just deigned not to activate yet. "Is that the Presiking himself?" Delvo speaks up, confident in his security, but somewhat...nervous about something all the same. "My, I almost thought I was being attacked when I felt so many presences, until I saw your face. It's a pleasure to meet you." A soft laugh, as one who is standing in front of the statues might feel like they're being watched from behind. "I would ask what I owe you the pleasure of this visit for, but I assume it's business. So please, let's talk." It might be weird for a magi to suddenly be friendly and not trying to start a fight, but honestly, Thomas Edison is the /Presiking of the United States/, is a known Heroic Spirit, and has a lion head. He might just have strong self-preservation instincts.
Maya	Maya is glad to have someone like Thomas along for this, he's far better versed in political affairs than she is. It often ended badly when she had to get involved back before her world unified. She gave the Presiking a look and a nods for a moment. "Understood, I'll follow your lead then." To Maya's credit she's not got the large assault rifle she normally travels with on her today. She falls in with Edison and gets ready to head in. She'll look to Ryouma for a moment and nods. "Well just going for a talk would be a nice change." Jean Alter was noted and Maya didn't know what to think of her there, given the reports on her, best to be polite and not try to offend her. With that they are off heading for the farm and Maya is keeping alert for trouble. Then comes the vines and they do wrap about he legs for a moment, with a swift action Maya has a wicked looking survival knife out and is hacking away at them to get clear but it does slow her down and it does drain a fair bit of magic from her. Once clear of the vines she will put the knife away as it's a tool not a weapon at least for how Maya uses her father's blade. They will soon reach the farmhouse, no further traps befall them as they make it inside and find an old man having a meal. He says he wishes to talk and that's good news to the blue-haired junker. "That is good to hear as we only came with the intention to talk. We just wish to ask you a few questions." Maya's tone is pleasant polite and there's no sense of hostility from her in this. She will keep watch as she shall let the far more verbose people handle the talk for the most part.
Ritsuka Fujimaru	"Is that the case, then? Hmph. I should be more insulted that you think I'd be bribed with mere food." Because that's never happened before. "... But I'll ignore that for today. Be grateful!" Jeanne barks at Ryouma, then squints slightly when Oryou suggests eating the food in her place. "But it'd be rude for me to turn down an invitation like that. So... Be grateful!" That's twice already. Spotting Priscilla appearing out of goddamn nowhere, Jeanne's gaze goes between her and Edison a few times in both confusion and veiled curiosity (while the former is still visible, anyway). Part of her starts questioning what just happened, but not for long as she notices those vines being a nuisance. She waits a few moments to see just how much they can drain from her before stabbing them with the end of her flag and tearing them apart. That only lasts for a few moments before they stop, though, and entry is soon gained! Staring at Delvo dully, Jeanne looks from him to Edison before frowning at the old mage. "You invited me here. I'm here, so... What do you want, then? This had better not be a waste of time!" He... Is the person that invited her here, right?
Thomas Alva Edison	Edison gets a large pile of papers...he blinks, looking towards Priscilla. He did not know she could do that...though it would explain how she got out with the arm the first time. The papers are taken, and handed to one of his robot Secret Service, "Your job is now to get these back to DC, on my desk. Make sure nobody else sees them until I can go over them and make the proper report." And with that, the report is taken safely away. He turns, looking towards the Leader of the Concord, "Well your assistance is much appreciated, and your announcement of your presence is also...I'd like to co-...annd she's gone." There is a beat, and he just keeps walking. Well, he knows she's there, and she handed over something to him. Perhaps it's just knowledge he can keep in his back pocket, should things go south...assuming she feels the need to do anything. He keeps walking, the vines find it hard to find purchase on him, due to his natural resistance to magic, he considers using his Noble Phantasm...but then he realizes it might hurt the enchantments, and they're on a mission of peace, not war. "Just push through." he says, and then they subside. "The door opens and he is greated with another older man...memories of the last time he saw an old magus haunt him a little, but he speaks calmly. Though he wishes people who have come with him, Jaine excluded, would not answer questions aimed at him. He speaks, calmly, "You have naught to fear from me, though we should discuss your recent activities, their purpose, and how the United States of America can help your people. I am no friend to the Tower, for reasons you should know. However, the people sent to the Smithsodian said they came by your hand...and that is something that is a problem. So, let us talk about it, about your buisness, your goal, and how we can coordinate them for future cooperation between us." A beat, "I'm offering you a job assuming your plan isn't trying to destory the world, harm my country, or something silly like that."
Priscilla	Priscilla is, in fact, aware second hand of the fact that actual teleportation is considered a True Magic here, and not something that magecraft deals with. Even Servants only dematerialize, rather than actually just disappear, and it requires a Command Seal to travel through space. It's more or less what she'd actually played on to get in. Why she'd done so at all is still up in the air. If she's not here to fall in line with the Paladins and negotiate with the old man, it seems like there would be little reason to appear at all, especially in lieu of an underling or three. It seems sort of pointless to show up only to disappear again and not actively contribute. Sharper minds might assume that whatever it is, it's mutually exclusive with what Edison wants. More knowing ones still might go further to assume that it is only waiting in the wings for Edison to have his one shot, if even that, and so the margin for error is now suddenly very slight. That's kind of the thing. Even when there isn't anything to her presence, Priscilla 'being around' has weight. She is intentionally leveraging her known presence, but unknown status and location, to steer the direction these questions take, and the urgency of Edison's task. For reference though, she's taking the time to poke about the rest of the house while listening in, rather than lurking ominously in a corner doing nothing.
Ryouma Sakamoto	"Ah, I'm very, very grateful," Ryouma says, smiling honestly. "I merely wish to know more about you and your story. It differs so much from what history tells, it must be quite the tale." Likely quite a heated tale, too. The sudden appearance (and disappearance) of Priscilla makes both Ryouma and Oryou perk up, though it's so short, and seems cooperative with Thomas, that neither sees cause for immediate alarm. Things will surely work out, Ryouma figures. Vines are torched and cut along the way; when they withdraw, it's not one moment too soon, and the pair enter alongside everyone else, with Ryouma especially surprised that their target seems so... Well, he's not what he pictured. Ryouma removes his hat, trying to keep his nice face on despite what he says. "Ah, for me, it's a bit more complex than that. I'm afraid your activities have drawn notice from the Counter Force. You haven't warranted a response yet, but... surely you understand the risks if your actions wander a bit too closely to being a detriment to humanity. I've no more interest in needing to address them than you have interest in having me address them." Less a threat, more a warning. "Oryou will happily eat you if you mess up," Oryou adds. That's more a threat than a warning.
Cu Chulainn	As the party questions Delvo, he seems polite enough. "Ah, I have no idea what you're talking about." He responds to Jeanne, tilting his head. "Who may you be?" It seems he's not the person who invited her. Maya gets a nod, while Oryou and Ryouma get the first response - he seems to be mulling over what Edison has to say. "The Counter Force? Why would it be interested in me? I'm nothing more than an information broker." He's playing ignorant, as he likely absolutely knows what he brokers information about, and it's likely that this is his way of a joke, as he doesn't seem to think they'll believe him either. Though, Delvo does sweat when Oryou threatens him. "I bear no ill will to humanity. I am a human myself, after all." And then, Delvo replies to Edison. "An offer of cooperation? Well...that would be nice, actually. Yes, somewhere safe, away from this city." He grabs his collar briefly, anxious again. It doesn't seem like he's done a bad thing, more that he's worried about something else happening - not from the group. "I've been a citizen of this great country my whole life, Mr. Presiking. I want it to do well. My business is simple. I find information on Grail shards, and I sell it to prospective buyers. My goal was simple as well. Money and connections. Something to allow me to affect this world, right? My research was never suited for reaching the Root...and I have no family to pass on my Magic Crest to, yet. But even a 'failure' of a magi can do something with his life, can't he? It turns out that I'm quite good at spending all my free time digging stuff up." Priscilla, meanwhile, won't find much interesting on the main floor or the second floor, just normal house stuff and bathrooms. It's when she stumbles upon a slightly-hidden stairs to the basement, full of traps that she can just bypass by way of teleportation and a lack of leaving any traces of herself for the audiovisual alarms to affect, that she finds Delvo's lab. It's practically a botanical garden down here, cages full of strange plants and flowers, including very large carnivorous plants that seem big enough to eat a person. The floor of the lab is likely full of pressure sensors and traps, but the most interesting thing is hidden in the way back of the basement area. It's a safe. It's a very thick safe, and looking at it, it can't be made of mundane material. Carnivorous plants surround it, it's probably trapped to hell and back, and whatever it is, it's dust-free, as if the safe is inspected and kept up regularly. Even though Priscilla doesn't have inherent magical senses, she too can feel a thrum of something coming from the safe just by getting close. Whatever it is, it must be important, valuable, or both.
Maya	Jean is civil enough that Maya isn't too worried about it right but she raises a good point, are they talking to the person in question they need to do. Thomas makes a job offer to the man seems interested in it. Maya notes after a moment. "I have no love for the Clock Tower myself." Mays is unaware of Priscilla s she goes hunting for information in the house and she looks over to Ryouma brings up a very legit warning that the counter force's attention has been gotten and that clearly isn't good for anyone's health. She seems thoughtful as the questions and answers go back and forth. She catches the man's concern though and she thinks for a moment. "You seem troubled by something care to share? If you have trouble we could be able to help."
Thomas Alva Edison	"Then, Mr. Delvo, as a man of this country, I ask you to serve. You will be well compensated, of course," He says, calmly, "And a measure of a man is not about how he finds something, it is what he does about his failures. You seem to have found your answer to life, and right now it is something not just America...but this whole world may need." Edison is calm, noticing the hint of concern and fear in his voice, "To that end, sir, if you were to take this offer, I would need to know about other deals you have made, and any trouble you may be in with other groups. The very safety of our world may depend on it. I will promise you safety in return, money, and a steady life for yourself." Edison continues his calm expterior...though there is still the matter of where Priscilla is. "I would need to reclaim any shards you may have, and of course, any information on shards you have currently. The last thing we need are shards out there, being used for heaven's knows what...and of course, by who knows wh-..." There is a side look towards Maya. "By who knows what."
Ryouma Sakamoto	Ryouma is far too nice and trusting to call that lie. Or joke. The others handle it well enough, besides. "Ah, I suggest listening to the Presiking. It isn't a matter of what you are or what your intentions are, it's about the long term. It would only take one wrong pair of hands to turn those shards into an issue for the whole of the Earth. I don't believe you want that any more than we do." The masquerade, in the end, didn't concern Ryouma. Truth be told it'd be easier to parade around with Oryou and do his job if he didn't have to hide. The only thing that did matter is that he didn't end up needing to clean this mess up the planet's way. He has nothing else to hide for the moment, letting the actual politician and president handle the whole talking part. Anything he could add would be redundant.
Priscilla	Truth be told, Priscilla has never actually been inside a Mage's house before. Somehow, all the owners of Servants she knew forever happened to be totally unrelated Elites that somehow bumbled into having pretty magical ghost girls out of history fall into their lap through circumstances of totally random chance. Weird. The first and second floors being entirely mundane is a little disappointing, albeit she is sure not to stray too far to where she can't hear the conversation from the floor below with moderately sharpened senses. Heading into the basement is definitely sure to risk what she'd like to hear, but it seems to be going nowhere interesting just yet, so she rationalizes that she can spare a quick look at the last place to check, given that a basement will definitely be smaller than the rest of a 19th century manor. Immediately, she hits the jackpot. She doesn't actually say 'jackpot', or any other audible token of exultation. As usual, it's a quiet, meticulously analytical sort of appreciation. The lab is cozy enough to easily be obscenely dense with traps, and since she can assume it's only ever meant to be used by one person, they don't necessarily have to be very discerning. The plants don't worry her, but being invisible doesn't really help one dodge an entire room full of the analogue classics. So of course Priscilla is entirely aware of the limitations of her main abilities. She doesn't ride of supernatural ability and assumption alone. This isn't close to the first time she can't just walk through an area, and the extremely obvious, almost magnetically attention-grabbing PoI of the safe presents a convenient opportunity. The floor and walls around the safe are almost definitely trapped, she reasons, and the door and hatch would absolutely be, so she makes for the spot in the room which wouldn't and probably couldn't be, and isn't a growing plot for a killer magical plant (which is in of itself a trap anyways). She takes careful aim, and then places herself directly on top of the safe, most likely having to crouch low to not hit her head on the ceiling, but having the convenient side effect of standing where there is no dust either. This is where she can leverage her invisibility; the defense against this is the ring of killer plants, but those are the thing in the room that rely on senses to kill someone. She'll be doing the killing though. Crouched atop there like the kind of Hassan that comes from a different but pretty specific world, she wields the Lifehunt Scythe in its incidental capacity as a tool that mows down plants, and sweeps it once around herself to carve a wide and deep no-plants-allowed zone, flicking the blade to toss the remains into their plots rather than scattering them all over the floor.
Priscilla	Still, she's not entirely sure what to do with the safe. She is hardly a safe-cracking crook, and doesn't have much in the way of actual for real magical ability to decipher and unravel its wards. She finds herself in the rare scenario of getting in quiet and then doing it loud not being the ideal course of action, and so the uncertain nature of the safe's defenses and its exotic, unidentified materials stymie her progress for a significant chunk of time, milling over the options in her head, as she absolutely must confirm her suspicions about what's inside of it (and never agreed to be diplomatic). She arrives on her best bet being the material structure itself. Metals like this are almost definitely going to be extremely resistant to physical impact/cutting, high heat, and magical blasting, being the prime methods to crack open a vault by force. Priscilla decides that the most likely to succeed --and least risky if it doesn't-- option is to test the material's ability to deal with obscene degrees of sustained, fatal cold. She targets the hinges specifically, focusing down the point of action, and summons up her limited experience with the technical abilities she has recently been developing, channeling the ice and the snow and the dark and the cold of the Painted World into the metal directly, instead of an unholy snowstorm or a lethal weapon. Ideally, the metal will stress and crack, or in a bad case, it won't do anything, but won't set off any alarms, being an absence of heat rather than a spike of energy.
Ritsuka Fujimaru	Jeanne squints at Delvo. "... So if it wasn't you, then someone here had to have invited me." She sounds a little more curious now, but considerably more agitated. "I am Jeanne d'Arc, and you had best explain yourself!" Never mind that he had just said he has no idea what she's talking about. His talk with Edison and cooperation doesn't seem to interest her much, but the mention of Grail shards does pique the Dragon Witch's curiosity. Edison handles the question about his trouble with others already, and Jeanne follows that up with one of her own. "Is there anyone you know that would want /me/ here? Beat. "Or someone that would want this place burnt to the ground?" She knows her reputation well enough on that end, too.
Cu Chulainn	As Maya responds to Delvo, he moves to distract himself by taking another bite of salad, chewing it and continuing. "Ah, I'm fine. Just nerves meeting all of you, of course." Jeanne also gets a reply. "Jeanne d'Arc...the hero? I have no idea who would want you here...I'm sorry." Edison gets much appraisal, and Delvo seems to approve of the idea of serving. He glances again to Ryouma, first. "Of course. I don't want to anger the Counter Force. I'll help as best as I can." The idea of 'safety in return', every time something such as that is mentioned. "I don't collect shards myself, being far too old for the adventuring that requires...but I have a list of all leads and all sales, if that would be enough." Delvo says, as he moves to stand up. Meanwhile, Priscilla is safe cracking. Her teleportation guess for on top of the safe is right on the money, as there's no traps on top of the safe - why would there be? The plants, while large and dangerous, are nothing in the face of the Lifehunt Scythe, even while in the cramped room and crouching, and so they fall into their plots easily, masses of magical wilted leaves, surely not having been normal plants. The actual challenge is breaking open the safe. The cold helps. The metal weakens, cracking, but it's not as nicely as Priscilla would want it to be. It doesn't just pop open the door, and she'll likely have to put physical effort into either shattering the door open, or have to concentrate on freezing it more. It's not because her powers aren't enough - this safe has been specially designed to keep people from cracking it open even if they have magecraft, it seems, and so whatever is inside must be quite worth the catch.
Cu Chulainn	At that moment, though, the safe might be less interesting than what's going on above, if Priscilla's still listening. For those with magical senses, there's suddenly a very strong sensation in an adjoining room to the front hall. Delvo's last reply, the one about not collecting shards, gets a tsking laugh as several magical signatures suddenly pop up throughout the first floor of the house. In the main foyer to the side, someone steps forward, and while they're hard to make out due to invisibility, they're flanked by what appear to be soldiers with assault rifles, except they're almost certainly some sort of ghosts, and their rifles have small runes inscribed into the barrels if anyone looks. The person who tsks is peculiar themselves. It's a boy, no older than 15-16 at the most, dressed in a cloak, a long-sleeved shirt and combat vest, a pair of matching gloves, and a domino mask. He has short red hair, is holding the remains of some sort of metal ring that was previously filled with quite a bit of magic, and neither him nor his bunch of soldiers, who flank to surround the building, seem immediately hostile. "Oh, don't lie, Delvo. Did the shard that we give you already get used? I thought you were saving it for a rainy day. We even helped you find somewhere to put it. Is all you do lie and betray others? Such as these fine heroes such as the Presiking himself?" The superhero boy glances to Edison, and then glances over to Jeanne. "Ah! Miss Jeanne d'Arc. I'm so glad you could have received my invitation. I am Proximus, the Masked Tornado, and believe me, I don't want to fight any of you if we can avoid it. I just came to retrieve Delvo here." Delvo suddenly moves to try and get behind Edison, back towards the windows on the side of the hall. "-Inheritor! I don't, I didn't-" Proximus just laughs, and waves a hand. "Save it, Delvo. We don't plan on killing you, don't worry. We just want to know why you started undermining us, after all our work setting you up in this business. Trying to sneak shards under our nose, giving false leads on purpose to those who would want to join us...I believe these gentleman might be curious as well to the extent of the lies you told them?" Proximus waves a hand at Edison, going 'ehhh, ehh?'. He seems boylike, even if he's leading a mercenary squad of ghosts. "Sorry for the unannounced crashing of the party, so to speak. We thought using a Grail Shard to arrive would be the flashier option. I think we can possibly come to arrangements on what to do with Delvo here, yes? You're all reasonable people, yes?" Proximus speaks again, and then realizes something. "Ah, did Delvo not tell you about us? Of course he didn't, not one word. We are the Inheritors of the World." "And we seek to redeem it, and all of humanity with it. Bring back the gods and monsters of the world. Bring back magic. Bring back the heroes who save it. It's better if I just get our spiel over now, right? That's what fellow heroes like, I assume."
Ryouma Sakamoto	So Delvo isn't nearly as behind everything as they thought. No, actually, it seems like Delvo was making his own plays for his own sake, at the expense of both parties. And clearly the Inheritors aren't happy about it. It explains Jeanne being invited. They probably want to swoon her over to their side, or hoped she'd assist in capturing Delvo. It'd be a huge problem if that happened. As the old man hides behind Edison, Ryouma reaches out for him, and Oryou gets in front of him, per Edison's cue. "Ah, will you please stay near us? We'll handle your safety, and if necessary we'll fly you out." Ryouma's not sure they can cover him 100% - for the same reason Edison likely doubts his own trump card. Magic as potent as the Holy Grail's, even partial, is almost impossible to dampen. They'll have to fight and defend against it the old fashioned way. Pointedly, Ryouma doesn't engage the Inheritors with so much as a word, because Edison's obviously about to take point. Keeping Delvo safe is more important to the investigation. Maybe he'll talk, after this.
Priscilla	Noise and commotion upstairs, though perhaps 'more interesting' than the safe, is actually exactly what Priscilla needs. Tense from the constant, straining effort of trying to direct and finely control her power in a field situation, the sudden intrusion up above is a welcome relief; the subtle way has been slow and tiresome going. The hinges are damaged at least, but she little relishes the idea of keeping that up for an entire lengthy discussion. Continuing what anyone skilled at stealth knows, Priscilla takes advantage of the noise and confusion to mask the distress she's about to cause herself. Like a sniper waiting for a passing plane to mask the sound of his shot, she lowers the scythe under the safe door, wedging the point into the gap created by the failing hinges, and waits for the most dramatic point of the sudden intrusion and flashy entry, timing an abrupt, superhumanly powerful upwards wrenching to be simultaneous with it. She works the razor edge into the gap and peels the door away in such a way as to put all the strain on the frozen and cracked hinges, aiming to rip it off like a foil film. If that tips off Delvo: who cares at this point? He's in deep right now and she can tell.
Thomas Alva Edison	It is like someone packed litterally all of the worst parts of the Mages society and packed them into one small masked asshole package. He allows Delvo to move behind him, though a gaze is given towards him when his duplicity is revealed. "We'll talk about that after." he says, calmly, "I knew your organization existed, but not it's name or goals. That, was going to be a long conversation with the Gentlemen cowering behind me. He gives a look towards Ryouma, and then back towards the masked mage. "You thought using a potential wish for someone in desprate need of something was worth being fancy? I see, for someone who is part of an organization that claims to be better and throw off the shakles of the Clocktower, you do a good job of showing everyone that they didn't do anything wrong." He says, calmly, facing the man and nor fearing his ghosts. "I am a very reasonable person, Mr. Tornado." "There are several things that, in the span of seconds, have made me very upset.." Edison starts calmly, "First of all, the inheritors of this world are all of mankind. Not your group, not the Watchtower, but all of humanity." Second, 'Bring back the gods'. You will do so over my dead body, and trust me...I've already died once. I am a lot harder to put down a second time, especially by a boy who has probably never known the touch of the flesh. I will not be told by a boy why such a thing is good, when it is bad. You seek to horde knowledge, no doubt, and keep it from those who are your lessers. To use ignorance as a weapon. Magic? Monsters? Heroes? Heroes have strived for humanity, and while they are not as common today, they exist. Man always looks towards Heroes of old, inspired to become more. However mankind as a whole has moved to a point where EACH of them is better than they once were." "Is this world perfect? Nothing touched by man is. Perfect, for humanity, is a goal, not a destination...to believe in perfection is to believe in nothing. We, men of learning, strive for it, but we all know that if there was a thing as true perfection, there would be nothing to aspire to." "Your aspirations for this world are to drag it back into the ignorance and death that I saught to rid from humanity's suffering! I will not allow it." "If you threaten to drag it back into the dark ages, then I will be the beacon of light that shines on your masked faces, and drags you from the shadows. You will not have this man, you will come with me and renounce your ways."
Ritsuka Fujimaru	Being called a hero draws a slight grimace from Jeanne, then an irritated smirk. "Right. The 'hero'. You must not have /that/ much information if you can't think of who your enemies could be, then." Alas, she's just amused enough and simultaneously curious enough not to just burn down the place, and her patience is actually rewarded for once! In the form of ghosts with rune-infused rifles. Raising an eyebrow slowly at what appears to be a masked boy, Jeanne glances over at Delvo as he starts to hide from the boy calling himself Proximus and revealing himself as the source of the invitation. "So it was you, hm? Alright. Why did you bring me here?" Although her expression is one of curiousity at first, her expression darkens when those accusations of betrayal are leveled at Delvo. "Is that true?" The Avenger rests a hand on the hilt of her sword as she turns towards the old mage slowly, taking slow and deliberate steps towards him (along with Ryouma, Oryou, and Edison by extension). "You would betray a child for your own gain?" Never mind that said child has a posse of gun-ghosts with him or anything. She does pause, however, to glance back at Proximus. "You style yourself a hero, then? You /do/ know my track record with heroes, right?" A beat, and then she steps to the side so she can keep her eyes on both the Elites and Proximus' squad. "Or.. Is that exactly why you've brought me here?"
Maya	Well the offer is taken it looks like things are going to be sorted out here all well and good? Nope, it's never that easy. There's a sudden burst of magic and then a number of soldiers? Are they ghosts? She's not sure but she does catch sight of the runes on the guns. The boy catches her attention for a moment as she looks at them. The superhero looking boy gets her attention, that age means little to her. The oldest of the children she raised was gun running at a year younger than this boy was. Things were about to get complicated. So she now gets some information direct from the mouth of the Inheritors a she looks at them her green eyes narrow. "You wish to turn it back into a world of mystery and monsters? Where people lived cowering from the dark? I am not of your world it's true I come from one steeped in magic and monster but even our Gods have stepped back to let Mankind and it's kin make their own way in the world they were given. I would suggest you accept Mr. Edison's offer." She makes no move to attack, it may not come to that and she's trying to keep herself under some level of control but it's clear her hackles are up. It's one thing for people to be aware of magic and guard from what lurks, it's another to turn the world back into a playground for the likes of Gilgamesh.
Cu Chulainn	Delvo is protected by Ryouma and Oryou, though they'd probably get the feeling, being close to the windows, that something's amiss. There's another magical presence somewhere, but they don't have strong enough senses to determine exactly where, or what it is. Meanwhile, Proximus shakes his head at Edison. He clearly expected this response. "What a nice thing to say. That man is better than it once was. That you're bringing us from ignorance. That you're a beacon of light. I truly admire you, even if you're wrong." The superhero just shakes his head, as the ghosts surround him. He moves so that his back is facing the door, allowing him a potential escape vector through the ghastly soldiers. "The heroes of old are mankind's potential, yet they're stifled. Individuals no longer have the same potential they did. They live 9-5 lives, boring, meaningless lives, without any chance to do something truly excellent. There's only a few who have. You, Oppenheimer, the Wright Brothers perhaps. But how many are 'heroes' compared to the ones in the past? The Herakles, Solomons, Perseuses, Bellerophons, Arjunas, Karnas, Guan Yus. Even Arthurs. I could go on and on and on. About how many fulfilled their potential in a harsh world. The world's too safe. Too comfortable. The wings of birds have been clipped." "They can't fly. But I'm sure they'll be able to." Maya just gets a sharp laugh. "Oh, so because your gods retreated, we should accept the world the way it is? One where man can't evolve? I'm doing this for humanity. Not for ignorance. Not for control." He seems...to genuinely believe that, at least. "The problem wasn't the gods. It was that there's not enough mystery. Not enough magic. And some people are fine with that. The Inheritors are not. We're going to crumble the masquerade. And we're going to bring back heroes." As Jeanne confronts Delvo, he stammers. "I-I did what I had to do! Their actions are going to get a lot of people killed!" He's a mage, so the subtext is very obviously, based on the way he gestures, 'including me, probably'. "We could have been great together, Delvo." Proximus responds, and then turns back to Jeanne. "Sure, you don't get along with heroes. But there's certainly a more interesting world out there for you. Perhaps you want revenge on the God or people who betrayed you? We can make that happen. We want to work with you. All of you..." The guns are pointed up, as Proximus glances out the window. "But it seems not all of you agree. So, we will have to fight." But the soldiers don't start hostilities. Not until one of several things happen - someone starts firing, or Edison speaks again, any signs of magic starting to build. If World Faith Domination seems like it'll be fired, they immediately move to fire on Edison, the runes on the rifles making the bullets more accurate and hit harder, though the guns are otherwise not magical. Otherwise, they shoot on attackers. Their firing is strange - they're aiming for his head and chest, but don't seem like they think they'll kill him. They're trying to distract him from firing off his Noble Phantasm, actually. Meanwhile, Priscilla focuses on the safe. She uses the scythe to wedge the door open. As she does so, alarms go off on Delvo, but it's too late, as his eyes widen. Ryouma and Oryou would notice that he's suddenly super anxious about something. As the doors open... There's a single large coin, carefully placed on top of a cushion. It would look to be nothing, if it wasn't so plainly magical even to those without the senses. Knowing where she is, whose house this is, and what this blank coin feels like, Priscilla can easily figure out what her acquisition is.
Cu Chulainn	Delvo stammers again to Ryouma and Oryou. "The...the Grail Shard! They've got the Grail Shard!" He's not hiding the fact he point-blank lied to them. This is bad. Really, really bad.
Thomas Alva Edison	Edison stares at the boy, speaking calmly. "Your are right on one occasion, the world is not what it once was, and I am changed in my ways, even as the most flexible of Servants, I am still someone formed and guided by his past. I will not change things, as I am now...but I will do what I have done in the one hundred and so years sense my death...inspire a new generation of people." "You say mankind has lost it's heros? Then what about the man in science, those who push the limits of what we know about the universe? The leaders of medicine, who have taken man from being fearful of the next break out of any disease, to controling most of the deadliest. No more in this age have man lived not just prosperously, but enlightened and without fear of death or suffering." "And you would have us /go back/?! You would throw away /EVERYTHING/ man has built so that you can throw yourself at the foot of beings who do not deserve our respect? Nah, our obedience?!" "You would put fear in the hearts of people, so that they wish for those who could rise above, instead of dreaming, with perhaps tinted glasses, of the past? YOU WOULD drag us back into the dark night I personally helped push away?" "Then I only have three words for you..." "Surrender, you're surrounded." He says, as the Secret Service Drones appear litterally around the house, having closed in. Guns from them, are now pointed at the ghosts and Masked boy. "You are a fool to think that I would only rely on a single power, one that I know you are prepared for. Nothing comes in or out, including your agent trying to take his shard." There is a long stare, "If you attempt to fire, I use my Noble Phantasm, which will empower all of my allies here. Your ghosts may be formitable, but they would also be effected by it too." "Checkmate."
Ryouma Sakamoto	Delvo panics. Ryouma shakes his head. "Shards can be retrieved. Your life cannot. Please don't concern yourself about such for now. Oryou, please, let's go," Ryouma says to Delvo and his partner, as Edison prompts them. Oryou nods, and literally picks Delvo up, scooping him up under her arm like he's a sac of grain or potatoes. It's probably not comfortable, but it's safe, and one way out. She scoops Ryouma up in much the same way. But he's used to it. Ryouma Sakamoto, Rider-class. Oryou's hair suddenly whips out, like a hundred angry blades of shadows. They tear apart a wall into so many chunks, and Oryou immediatly rockets out and, unless stopped, high into the sky, with her cargo (and "Rider") in tow, no doubt having to take a few shots to the back for it.
Maya	Maya looks to the boy for a moment her eyes narrowing there's something odd, the look is not one Maya normally gives. It's more something you might expect out of Gilgamesh, it's passing and one might miss it but there's no missing her reply. "You presume they do not watch and act when they must, they simply respect will they gave on to Man. " Maya bites own something as she gets ready. Maya does not have her rifle and a knife to a gunfight is right out. So she'll make for a deck of simple alien tarot cards. She does not move to strike with them yet but it's clear he's hit a sore issue for Maya, odd that really. A brief comm message is sent and she gets some marching orders. WIth that she's going to move to fall back putting her cards to use in casting spell on her self, she's then going to move to follow the dynamic duo of Oryou and Ryouma to get the heck out of here with the man they came for.
Ritsuka Fujimaru	As the ideologies clash, Jeanne starts to chuckle quietly before breaking into more pronounced laughter. "I've seen enough evil from humans in both eras, yours and my own. Your old gods can die for all I care, but bringing monsters and stirring fear once more..." Jeanne shrugs lightly, then draws her sword with only a glance towards the drones, the Elites, and even the house itself. "Why not? Children have fought enough of their parents' battles in my own era as well as this one." She doesn't seem all that concerned, but she does appear to be growing more agitated once again despite not looking anywhere near Proximus. It certainly doesn't help that he's right there, though. "If all of your progress hasn't stopped even that from happening, if you're feeling threatened by a foolish child seeking answers, then your great inventions have failed them as well!" Flames churn around Jeanne as her anger bubbles over, having hit upon one of many sore spots for the fallen saint. The dark magic distorts the air around Jeanne as she conjures up more and more flames without regard for where she is and who she's around. They converge quickly, but not upon Delvo and the pair trying to physically rescue him. Instead, they flare up in front of Proximus and expand towards the rest of the Elites rapidly. Jeanne is giving him some literal cover fire as she leaps through the flames, making it fairly clear who's side she's on in this matter.
Priscilla	Even without the aura of magic so disgustingly overwhelming that Priscilla doesn't need to be a Mage to sense it, seeing a teeny tiny 'mundane' object like this sitting in a safe in the basement of a known Grail Shard dealer would be obvious enough. In her desire to kill time examining her mark's abode before 'asking' some 'questions' of her own, giving Edison enough time to try (and fail, is her assumption) his own negotiations out of the minimum amount of respect necessary to maintain relations, she'd apparently managed to acquire a Grail Shard by accident. Certainly not a gift horse to look in the mouth. It sounds like Delvo won't be using it. Without a second thought, Priscilla pockets the item, not caring in the slightest that it'll be blatantly obvious she has it by its aura, given her own is fearsome enough when need be. Why the house is suddenly on fire isn't hers to determine, but it's a good enough reason to get outside, which she does promptly with another teleport. From there, she takes a good look at the secret service robots, idly wondering what fight Edison had managed to pick as an avowed peaceful negotiator. Let Delvo and Proximus figure out at the same time that neither of them has the shard.
Cu Chulainn	"Without those fears, they lose their want to become excellent, to push past barriers." Proximus replies, but doesn't comment ont he gods thing. Maya just gets another laugh. However, soon, robot secret service are surrounding the group. Proximus just sighs again, and puts a hand up. "Now, Archer. Take them out. We'll go for the Grail shard later." The soldiers don't move, not until it starts. It starts with a whish through the air, as a magically-enhanced arrow suddenly smashes through one of the robots. And then another. And then a dozen. They burst through the windows, starting to take down the secret security robots, and mixed with Jeanne's fire, manages to clear them room. However, the robots and Edison are certainly going to attack...and the ghost soldiers interpose themselves, firing their rifles in defense, but getting blown away, many fading away after their corpus gets destroyed. Proximus spares no worry for them, as wind suddenly bursts around him, deflecting bullets and allowing him to move much faster as he launches himself through a side door. "Can you get clear eyes on Delvo?" Proximus asks as he moves to escape, but he gets a negative. "Fine. Let's escape." Another arrow flies for the exit, this one with a smoke grenade attached. It bursts, obfuscating Proximus' escape, as a blurry figure dashes forward. The Elites would be able to get a brief glance at him - he is also a redhead, his hair in a short ponytail, dressed in a coat and an Asian-style tunic underneath. He's holding an ornate wooden bow, which he suddenly turns and fires another arrow, this one coated with flaming mana, which moves for the upper floors of the house. The Archer moves to grab Proximus, and the two bail. The ghosts surviving try to escape as well, but if they're surounded...they take their own lives with their guns, or grenades if they have to. The end result is this. Priscilla escapes unseen with a Grail Shard, though both groups are likely to realize that the other doesn't have it - Delvo realizes mid-flight and tells them as much that Proximus didn't seem like he was aware. Delvo is alive. He may be of use to the group. The house, and all the evidence inside, is gone. The mixture of Archer and Jeanne's fires burned it all. While the group has time to escape, they don't have time to salvage anything. The Inheritors are now known. If their goals are really what they say they are, and they could pose at all a threat to this group...there may be something to fear.