Heart of Artifice: Part I--Engineered Enigma

[Patlin]

"I agree that your concerns are valid, but you will need to direct your request for additional information to Elizabeth. The information was provided me only under condition that I keep it confidential, and I agreed... it is, after all, better for at least one of us to know than for none to know at all. All I can say is that I strongly suspect that the Ruby is tied to these events in some way, and that its involvement strongly suggests a location of interest for our investigation. Elizabeth may be willing to tell you more."

"Very little of the information is actually of importance in our mission, and I expect Elizabeth will be willing to reveal those aspects of it that concern us. I suppose I can also add that the gem seems likely to be worth several orders of magnitude more than its apparent value."

 

[Velmont]

"Fine." Kharas leaves Anvuss and go see Elizabeth. "I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I see you and Anvuss strongly think that this ruby have some relation with the kidnapping of teh kids, or we would not waste time seacrhing for a gem. But thinking of it, it makes no sense to send construct to get a gem and risk losing them when they are made of a metal that worth more than the ruby itself. What is so special about that ruby?

I think if we are going after the kidnapper, we need to know. After all, I still think the Lord of Blades is behind that, or at least, there is a great chance of it, and he might have a grudge against me as I prevent him to take his schema and now I'm trying to stop him again. I'm ready to risk my life to save the lives of those kids, but I think it is my right to know in what I am going into."

 

[Erekose13]

"Lucy wouldn't have taken the ruby would she?" asks Aethelus, though he is being too polite to press Kharas' point he is very interested in Anvuss' responce. "She was the target of the kidnapping after all. If not for ransom, then who ever her kidnappers were they were after something in her possession or that of her friends."

EDIT: thats what I get for waiting half and hour to post while reading.

 

[Rystil Arden]

*Elizabeth shakes her head.*

"No Kharas, I don't think the ruby is involved, and please do keep it down. Anvuss thinks it might be involved, not me...and I still don't think it has anything to do with the Lord of Blades. Let's face it--if he sent minions to Helen's house, Helen wouldn't be alive right, now...at least I think. Listen, it seems we can't find it. Now I'm going to go 'check with the TA' about it, and why don't you meet me in front of Keynes's shop briefly. And if you make a big deal about the Ruby with Diggy...well, just please do not. Let me handle this, okay?"

 

[Patlin]

Anvuss feels he understands Elizabeth reasonably well at this point, and is willing to follow her lead.

"Very well. I will be pleased to meet you at Keynes's shop. Be carefull, though. I do not feel we have a complete grasp on the potential dangers, and whatever force we are interfering with may attempt to eliminate you."

Unless the others refuse the proposition, we head to the shop now.

 

[Erekose13]

Not entirely sure where his 'forged companion is leading them, Aethelus is willing to follow along for now given their lack of leads.

 

[Rystil Arden]

"Diggy, darling, we can't find it either, and I made sure that you-know-who didn't go rummaging through the you-know-what. But I think Tom may have seen it last, so I'm going to go ask him, okay?"

"Alright darling, but be careful!"

*Elizabeth laughs.*

"Honey, Tom's right across the way. I'm also going to pick up groceries. Can I get you anything?"

"Oh, you know that you know what to buy for me better than I do darling," the Professor teases.

"Okay then. I'll be home in a while. I love you honey!"

"See you later tonight my love--don't stay out too late, you know the streets aren't safe for a lone woman in the dark."

"You're telling me that? I'll be fine."

*As she is walking path, Elizabeth leans in for a hug and a deep kiss.*

"Now, don't you have a paper to write, mister?" she touches her finger to his nose and heads out.

*Anvuss leads the others back to Keynes's shop, where they are met by Elizabeth.*

"Welcome. So, actually, Anvuss has asked me to take you somewhere else because he thinks it might be important. I'm going to have to ask you to let me blindfold you for part of the way. Anvuss knows why. That's for my husband. As a personal request, I ask that you please not kill anybody along the way, even if we are somehow mugged or something. If you kill them to protect me and I stand here and approve of it, then it's basically the same as if I killed the person myself except it also puts you in danger, you know? Is that acceptable?"

 

[Patlin]

"I will endeavor to avoid violence while you lead us, and should it become unavoidable I will strive to achieve a nonlethal response."

 

[Rystil Arden]

"That's the most I can ask. Thank you, Anvuss."

 

[Erekose13]

"Blindfolded? how far are we travelling? I'll work to stay as non-violent as possible, but I'm not sure I like this blindfolded part of things." replies Aethelus.