Search Core - 2009 [active/OPEN]

[cafedeinfierno]

Characters: Diego Armando, Kang, VERY VERY OPEN.
Content: The cooler heads of Manhattan get together for a discussion at Madison Square Garden.
Location: ... Madison Square Garden.
Time of day: The evening after the disappearances.
Warnings: None.

NOTES: This will be a party-style thread. If your character has any interest in discussing the

Comments

[bozakcommander]

Kang didn't like being so out of the loop. If Slith were here, he knew his friend would have ferreted out every scrap of information in the damn city, and the bozak was just now realizing how much he relied on others to keep him in the know.

The new clothes that Miwako had provided him with were much more comfortable than what he'd originally had, not to mention warmer, and much less ridiculous. Diego had said that he'd be in Madison Square Garden, and that's where Kang headed with purposeful strides, approaching the table when he got there, "Are you Diego?"

Kang had gone into commander!mode.

[cafedeinfierno]

If the sight of a real live dragon-dinosaur thing startled Diego at all, there was nothing on what little of his face you could see to show it.

"And you must be Mr. Kang," he said with a grin, rising to his feet and offering a hand to shake. "A pleasure to meet you in the flesh and scales, my friend. Pull up a chair. Coffee?"

[bozakcommander]

What in the Abyss was that thing on the human's face? Questions like that were going to have to be put on hold, however; there were far more important things to discuss.

Kang took Diego's hand in his and shook, then sat down in one of the chairs, "The Mr. isn't necessary, and no thank you." He paused, then leaned back slightly, "I'm afraid I'm rather new to Manhattan, and I don't have much information on events that have happened here before."

[cafedeinfierno]

"That's all right. I'm a regular native at this point and I still don't know too much," he replied without a beat, grinning widely. "But if you've got questions, I'd be happy to answer them. The more witnesses you interview, the better the case, after all."

[bozakcommander]

"Alright. I know that people went missing before, and were eventually found. Do you know the details of what happened, what state they were found in, that sort of thing? Did they have any special skills or abilities?"

Kang just wanted to get right to the point. Here, he had the luxury of not having to talk like a damn politician. And really, that was the only thing he hated about being the Lord-Governor.

[cafedeinfierno]

"I don't know all the details, honestly. But there have been several sets of disappearances before, with a several names in particular coming up several too many times for my liking," he said calmly, pausing for a sip of coffee.

"The name at the forefront of my mind is 'Flonne'. She's a neighbor of mine, you see. Her, the Sora boy, the little lady Flute. Let's just say this is nothing new for them."

[bozakcommander]

Kang nodded, leaning forward with his elbows on the table, "Do the people who keep getting kidnapped have anything in common? And how many times has this happened before?"

[cafedeinfierno]

"Word on the street says they might have some kind of special magic abilities," Diego went on, under his breath. He'd drawn the conclusion from Flonne and Sora, anyway. He couldn't speak for Flute or any of the others, but he knew enough of the two of them to make the guess. "I think they went missing once before and I don't know much more about it, unfortunately."

He paused again for a longer sip of coffee, finally setting his cup down and leaning a little closer. "Now, there are a few individuals missing this time who are new, and pretty evidently interesting. Local busybody Mr. Harry Dresden. Leader of the makeshift police, Ms. Aya Brea. Community service organizer Ms. Mia Fey."

[bozakcommander]

"Makes me somewhat glad I don't practice magic anymore," Kang muttered dryly. "That's interesting. Proof that either the network is compromised, or we have a mole amongst us. Possibly even both."

He sighed, muttering a curse under his breath, tip of his tail lashing against the ground, "Agofum! Who else has a position of power here, while we're not in danger of being overheard; also, who would possibly know more details about the past kidnappings?"

[cafedeinfierno]

"My bet is on the network, personally," Diego said, his smile evening out into something emotionless. "The mole accusations came flying, and let's just say I don't quite trust the logic behind most of them, particularly those against the 'chief suspect.'"

He reached off to the side and recovered his coffeepot, refilling his mug and enjoying a deep whiff of the aroma. "There is no real power here. People do what they can to help each other. There's no queen bees or positions of power other than those who come forward another step than the others. That's what labeled Dresden, Brea and Ms. Fey for the taking. I can't think of who to ask about the past kidnappings but the victims themselves... who are currently indisposed, let's say."

[bozakcommander]

Kang stayed silent for a moment, sensing a little bit of anger behind those words. Wings shifting slightly under his cloak, he looked down at his hands for a moment, "I'd put steel on the network as well, but I won't discount the mole theory. These accusations I heard about seem to have very little actual proof to them, and frankly, I think it's damn stupid to point fingers in that manner."

"That's just great," the bozak growled. "I need information if I'm going to understand the situation better, and the people that can provide it are the situation."

[cafedeinfierno]

"I'm in complete agreement," he said, and took the first sip of his coffee. "I can't speak for those whose tongues are not present, but I can offer anything else you might want to know."

There was a moment of silence before he spoke again. "Well now, you seem like quite the leadership type. There's an air about you that way, I mean."

[bozakcommander]

"How much do you know about the monsters? I've heard bits and pieces, but nothing more beyond that."

Kang chuckled, "I've been in a leadership position of some sort for all but four years of my life. Retired military, and now I have a nation to take care of."

[cafedeinfierno]

"Well, they're big," he said with a chuckle. "Difficult to harm-- they managed to kill one and she seemed to spring right back up the next day. Humans are not the only ones with a will to counter the pull of hell, it would seem." Diego calmly sipped his coffee to gather his thoughts. "They spend most of the time in the water or in tunnels underneath us. And aside from that... well, this place is just full of mysteries."

He nodded-- and his assumptions had been correct. As much as one could assume about a lizard man, anyway. "I used to be an attorney, myself," he said. "Presumably retired now."

[bozakcommander]

"Bigger than anything I've ever seen, and I've encountered some pretty big red dragons before. No one seems to know what they are; what about where they came from?" Kang asked, leaning forward suddenly and keeping his voice low. "...call me crazy, but maybe something about their presence is what's dampening everyone's magic and abilities? Russel didn't find anything abnormal in the rations we're being given..."

And speaking of rations, the bozak's stomach growled at him quietly, reminding him that it was getting close to dinner time. He ignored it, though, and blinked, "I'm afraid I've never heard of that profession."

[cafedeinfierno]

"I was here when they first attacked," he replied, closing his eyes beneath the visor. "Not that that gives me much more insight than anyone else. The most likely possibility is the water, since anything that big would have set off alarms far before it got all the way to Manhattan if it came by land."

Diego leaned back in his chair, his lips pressing into a thin line. "And I'm afraid I really can't help on the magic front. That's something alien to the world I know. I haven't the slightest how it works."

"An attorney? A lawyer. Representative of the law. My job was to ensure a fair trial for those accused of crime, and to defend them from the charges if they're innocent," he explained. "Explains a little of my distaste for false accusation."