Children of The Divine (IC)

[Naamah]

A finger in the air. "Appreciate the amateur psychology," (lie!) "but seriously, if all it takes for someone to question their raison d'être is a few needles by little old me?" His eyes go cold, soft voice hiding the razor edge of cruelty. "Then perhaps you shouldn't join us. You already have blood on your hands, princess - if you think you can wash it off and go home, go for it. But I have a stake in this. If the jotunhammer is anything like I'm afraid it could be, so do you... but don't let me stop you."

Aiden sits down sharply to give a look at the maps, letting his talent for weak points guide him.

[Using ability - GM, any info?]

[KabeRinnaul]

"If nobody minds one way or another, I'll take an outside post like the lady. I'm too much of a risk in a crowd, and I'm getting a bit tired of listening to that guy's sniping."

[Kheldarson]

"Ah." Deann gets up, goes back into the clothes closet, and comes back in her regular clothes, handing the arrows and velcro back to Solomon. "Mr. Aiden, you say I have a stake in this, but I haven't been given one. All I was given was an invite, and then thrown into an inadvertent mess. So you're right, perhaps I shouldn't be here. So I'll leave you all to it."

She leaves the room.

[Mytical]

Lupo looks at Aiden "Smooth, real smooth. I've been told I have the personality of a brick, and even I realize we are gonna need all the help we can get. Might want to ask yourself if you think you can do this alone. If so, more power to ya, and you don't need us. If not, might want to rethink your attitude. Now I am gonna go see if I can't fix your stupid, but it ain't gonna mean much from me."

Lupo doesn't bother waiting for a reply before going out to try to find Deann. If he manages to catch her.

"You really gonna let that chump decide for you? Sorry, I know you can take care of yourself and all, but if you want me to make him not so pretty..just say the word. We need you though, regardless what tin for brains thinks."

If not he will wait outside for the others.

[KabeRinnaul]

Luke looks between the group in the room and the hotel room door. "Think I'll be joining them. My own gear is just fine for me, thanks." And heads out to join Lupo and Deann in the hall.

[Scorpodael]

Jack turns toward the door, adjusting his cestus slightly, and pauses, frowning... "Aiden. Emmett. Everything I have seen and heard so far seems to point to something... very nasty. The involvement of the Ice Giants. Something named the Heart of Winter, that we know next to nothing about. Jotunhammer. What sort of event, do you think, is in store if we do not succeed in our task?"

[Chanlin]

Emmett looks on as Deann leaves the room then to Jack, "Well, whatever it is, it's important enough that the crew upstairs thought they ought to call in all of us. I can only assume that whatever this is, failure means the scales tip in favor of the Titans quite heavily."

[Jay 2K Winger]

// GM Notes: I claim no actual knowledge of the layout of the building or buildings in question. Consider it Artistic License, and because I'm the GM, and I change reality to suit the needs of the game.

Location: Johnny's Room, The Mirage, Las Vegas

Johnny sighs as Deann leaves. "If she doesn't want to do this, she doesn't have to. For all that fate plays a role in the shape of the future, we all still have free will and the right to chart our own fates. That's something that a lot of the Powers That Be and their Opposite Numbers don't have the luxury of." He spreads his hands. "That's the going theory among the Smart Guys up on the mountain."(*)

Solomon sighs as well. "Best of luck to her," the big man says. "I can have a guy do surveillance and suppressive sniping, if ya need. I know someone."

But Johnny shakes his head. "If the someone is a mundy, there's no need to get them involved yet. But keep them on speed dial. You never know if we'll need them later."

When Jack speaks on the Jotunhammer and the Heart of Winter, Selene shrugs again. "No myths or legends associated with it that I can find. Strange, that. Might have to contact siblings working in Father's Library. Speculation, however, is valid. The Jotun involved, the Frost Giants, eternal enemies of the Aesir. Heart of Winter. Only one theory sound." She pauses, inhales sharply, then says, grimly, "The Fimbulvetr."

Selene's Tablet: The Palazzo Layout

Rodrigo Sevilla's collection is being displayed in an exhibition hall on the second floor of the casino, featuring various artifacts and items of an esoteric, but usually historical nature. The major entrances and exits are clearly marked, and Selene has also helpfully noted where the guards are typically stationed.

Notable avenues of movement or infiltration are the staff hallways, the maze of back corridors and rooms where the administration of the casino and hotel are being done, but which have recently needed some renovations, and thus are not quite as restricted as they used to be. If not a means for our ragtag band of misfits to get in, it's almost certainly where Matt the Shadowy Southerner or his heavies might come from.

// GM Note: Open for Aiden to possibly see any other security flaws. However, this is open to the others as well. If you have a suggestion for how your band should position itself to find or catch or intercept the bad guys, feel free to have them speak up.




(*) 'Up on the mountain' is a phrase popularized by some scions to mean the "overworld" or the Divine realms. 'Mountain' as in 'Mount Olympus,' supposedly, but the phrase has been adopted by scions of the other pantheons as well.

[Naamah]

Aiden goes very pale at Selene's words, but says nothing about them.

"Right. We're up against other scions. Who know who we are. Which is going to be a pain in our ass, because they probably have some idea as to what we're capable of, and will be able to work against it. The good news is, they probably don't know that we know, because I certainly had never tried to divine the past before..."

He purses his lips. "Of course, they might have thought that you," nodding to Emmett, "might have been able to draw the truth from them. Right. So much for positives."

"Four entrances - two near each corner of the north wall, and two Employee's Only leading to staff corridors. At best the guards are normal humans - at worse they've already been subverted by Mattie. In a happy situation, there's no skylight, and below opens up to the casino floor - probably not an access point."

"I'll craft the story for us to be part of the hired security. That way we can kick around and keep our eyes open."

He blinks. "Hey. Why don't we just borrow the damn thing? Pass it over to Olympus or something, get Heph to craft a non-magical replica, return it with our thanks and some cha-ching? It's not the hardest thing I've ever done. Just let me talk to Rodrigo, and see what I can do."

[Chanlin]

Emmett gives a slight smile, "I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking we should just steal the gem first." He glances over the map.

"I do think though we are falsely assuming that they will use any sort of mundane method to steal the gem. Either way I think it may perhaps be a smarter approach to focus on stealing it back and figure out what their escape plan is rather than trying to prevent the theft in the first place."

[Scorpodael]

Jack glances over at Emmett for a moment... "There are a few problems with that, the first and foremost being manpower. The enemy is already aware of us, and if we go for it first, they might just decide to throw enough minions at us to keep us occupied, to retrieve the Heart." He says, thinking about it a little more. "What we need is information- if the enemy has to adhere to a strict time frame, what, exactly, they're planning on doing with it... And the best time to interrupt it if we aren't capable of protecting the gem in the first place." He continues, looking through the weapons again, and picking up a single CS gas grenade and putting it in an inner pocket.

[Naamah]

"You've got points, Pointy." Aiden winks, a tiny smile coming back to his pallid complexion. "Selene - any time restraints on the show? And do you have any really tiny tracking chips, ones that might not be noticeable on the Jewel for any amount of time?"

He closes his eyes and tries to remember the future thief... Dark fedora, southern drawl, shadowy...

Shadows.

"Fuck."

He calls out. "Jack, while you're in there, please grab - light. Things that make light. Flares, flashlights, flashbangs, LED Christmas ornaments - anything. I swear the guy exuded shadows."

He bites his lip. "I don't know if 'follow the leader' is the best course of action. But it is something we may need to do, so we should be prepared. Emmett - if someone tells, like, a huge bald-faced lie, call me A or call Jack J, ask if we want another drink or something - just use the first initial of our names so we have a private signal."

Aiden leans back, looks at the ceiling. It's clear Selene's pronouncement has had a serious effect on him, but he's trying to regain the composure the suit originally gave. "As much as it's comforting to have a plan, I don't know how much info we're going to get, Jack. We may just have to wing it. But I think we have the brains for it - and the brawn outside, of course."

[Jay 2K Winger]

Location: War Room/Armory/Wardrobe/Hotel Room, The Mirage, Las Vegas

Selene purses her lips in thought as she regards her screens. "Next flight to Denver not until tomorrow afternoon, 3:45 pm local. Last flight was four hours ago." Well before any of this went down, in other words. "If 'Matt' is to meet with his comrades, he'll be stuck in Vegas until tomorrow afternoon."

"That's supposing they don't have some non-mundy way of traveling," Johnny points out. "If we knew more about who these people were, we might have a better idea."

Solomon speaks up as he straps his machete to his back underneath his crocodile-skin vest. "Twisty there," he nods at Aiden, "has some good ideas." He mutters, in a lower tone, "He usually does, the bastard." Then, in a normal tone: "But so do Butch and Truthy." (Yes, Solomon is the sort to come up with nicknames for people as well. But there's a definite sense he means no real insult, just good-natured teasing, if anything.) "The enemy's aware of us, and they have the advantage of knowing what they need the Heart for, as well as a head start."

He also answers Aiden's question: "Nothin' that can't be spotted easily. Them Above might have the best gear in the world, but they don't have nanotech." He points Jack to where the CS grenades and flashbangs/flares are.

"If I can make a recommendation," Johnny puts in. He looks over the tablet and points. "E.J., Jack, and Aiden, you go inside and see if you can't get to Rodrigo and warn him. Hell, maybe he'll even allow a swap to be made. Shouldn't be hard for Aiden to weave a cover story to convince him. Jack can keep an ear out for any of the Other Side's minions, and E.J. can see through any deceptions or illusions that the shadowy guy might throw up."

Solomon nods. "And you've got me, Brighto, and the Wolfman outside at some of the exits to intercept them if they make it out. We can split up and guard an entrance apiece, and if they rabbit, we have 'em."

//GM Note: Finalize any plans or make any additional suggestions you want. I'll GM-post us into the Palazzo raid when you're ready. (And you'll get more concrete info on the other scions soon.)

[Naamah]

[OOC: On my end? Let's roll.]

[Scorpodael]

Jack grabs several magnesium flares, tucking two inside the suit jacket along with the single CS grenade, and one in a pants pocket... Being the polite gentleman that he is, he also offers some flashbangs and flares to Emmett and Aiden, if they think they can get away with carrying them. And lastly, the salt he'd ordered... 12 ounces gets poured into a plastic baggie, and stuffed into another one of his pockets. Perhaps not the most discreet look, but it's simple enough to smooth out to look mostly inconspicuous. Mostly.