Ordinary Days

[Dracos]

~Who's there?~

Dracos

[Bjorn]

A refusal to participate in a lousy joke.  Here's the short summary:  the Oracle says that if you help the kid, he'll become a great ally, and if you don't, you'll make a worse enemy.  She also says that the Forge and Home Guard have been essentially cut off from contact with the Cabal, so all they can do is work under old orders.  Since they need to avoid publicity as much as possible, as long as you stay in the open and the public eye, there's not much they'll risk doing.  Don't let anyone get you alone, though.

Oh, and Nathan and I are going to risk our lives in the depths of an abandoned coal mine.

Any questions?

[Dracos]

~Cool.  Good to know that as due to circumstances largely outside of our control we've already ended up well, 'saving' the kid.  Additionally, I think we've just had a run in with Pax's more subtle organization.  Interpol, you may have heard of them.  Anyhow, we got really lucky as apparently we'd saved the guy-who-was-ordered-to-capture-us' sister during the plane incident, and he's helping us get out from under the easy eye of his bosses who want us captured.  I think they are pax, but it could be another branch of Seventh Cabal.  Anyhow, we're alive for better or worse and currently being held prisoner by interpol agents on a busride somewhere prior to a planned accidental release. ~

~Oh, and good like with mineshaft.  I envy ye blokes, cave exploring is fun.~

Dracos

[Bjorn]

The Oracle warned that both Pax Arcana and the Cabal have their fingers deep in France's government -- and most of Europe's, for that matter.

Letting that aside... do you believe what you've been told?  Because from what you've just said, it sounds to me like you've been cut out and isolated, and are now being kidnapped.  Just like the Oracle warned.

Now, do me a favour, and look at the kid.

[Dracos]

~Quite possible.  But I sincerely doubted our capability when they came to fight our way out.  With huitz down and wounded and them having the official position of the police there, it'd simply was better to go along and hope at least they are honest.  If it's a ploy well, we'll have to get lucky.  Truthfully, if it is one, I don't see why they'd bother.  They could've simply either offed us or used the fact that we were separated, wounded, and associated with a terrorist bombing to go ahead and easily send us where-ever.~

Dracos turns his head, relaxing and glancing over the BCK.

Dracos

[Bjorn]

Bjorn slides behind Drac's eyes, studying the BCK kid carefully and memorizing his face, before pulling back to the mindboard.  Maybe because of concerns about witnesses.  Maybe they only control part of Interpol, and the other side has the police.  Maybe they left it up to their agent, and their agent has a sick ailing grandmother in the hospital he didn't want to endanger.  You don't know who you're dealing with, what they want, or the means they have available to them.  Stop making assumptions, and start acting to save yourself.  I'm assuming Paul isn't wounded at the moment, so get the hell out of now, unless you're damn certain you're safe.

Anyways.  Unless you have questions for either me or the Oracle, then I need to know what colour our pieces were in Paul's dreams, and anything else Paul knows about the kid.  Let's get it done quickly, so you can save your asses and we can save ours.

[Brian]

Phil: Having mental awareness, you are entirely aware of Bjorn actually looking out through your eyes, and it's actually somewhat creepy.  But, you guess, he knows what the BCK looks like, now.

[Huitzil]

<Which pieces, now? We were white, the kid was red... the other player's were black, and there we a bunch of other colors, too, all over the board.>

Apart from the brain-phone conversation, Paul nudges the BCK, and whispers.

"So, uh, thanks for the save. I didn't know if I was going to make it. I've never been shot before.

"This is kinda wierd, considering we both already saved each other's lives, but... I never caught your name."

[Rezantis]

Rez sticks his nose in.

Drac, quick note for you: our phones are off, and they're staying off until we're well away from here, so if you need us email's your best bet.  Ahhm . . . dammit, there was something else and I forgot it. Typical.

[Dracos]

~In that case...Bjorn, mind attempting this for a bit every night around... oh 9 pm or so?  Just as a touch base?  We're going to, regardless of how things go, be not easily communicatable otherwise.~

Dracos

[Rezantis]

"Oh! That reminds me. We found some assault rifles and all . . . does anyone actually want me to bring a couple, or are we all safe and secure in our combat effectiveness?"

[Dracos]

~...~

Dracos exudes speechlessness.

Dracos

[Bjorn]

Alright, enough already.  I'll connect again tomorrow.   Try not to get yourselves killed or caught.

And with that, Bjorn pulls the mindboard back.

[Brian]

"Namida Tetsuo," the kid says quietly, eyeing the driver mistrustfully.  The driver ignores him, continuing the van's leisurely roll through the city, and from there, onto a south-bound highway.  He blinks, and scowls, turning to face you.  Shaking his head, he says, "Namida is family name.  Is my family name."  He's got a pretty obvious accent.  "You are ... the one who came to ..." he trails off, and strugles for a bit.  "Yume?" he asks.

[Huitzil]

Paul continues to whisper, even though Tetsuo has spoken aloud; he doesn't know if there might be things he doiesn't want the driver hearing. "I don't know what you mean by Yume, unless Yume is the name of your house. I came to you there. Or at least, what you dreamed of as your house.

"My name is..." Paul considers for a second. He does havetwo names now, an 'outer' and an 'inner', and for a second he wonders if he should be telling others the inner one. "... Paul Durant. Uh, Durant is my family name in that one."