Near the Zoldyck Estate, Friday Mid-Morning
The tour bus was well maintained, large, and rather spacious as far as things went. At the front of the bus, the tour guide stood and rattled off facts about where they were going.
"Thank you for taking the Lamentation Tour today. We will be visiting Kukuroo Mountain, home to the famous Zoldyck family of assassins.
"Everyone, please look to your right. That is the Kukuroo Mountain, where the Zoldyck family lives. A forest surrounds the 3,722-meter mountain, and the Zoldyck estate is somewhere on that mountain. But no one has ever actually seen it. The Zoldyck family includes ten members: a great-grandfather, grandfather, grandmother, father, mother, and then, there are five children. All of them are assassins!"
Given where the bus was heading, it was surprisingly full...
Kathy
Okay, so a tour bus of people going to visit a household of assassins was kind of weird. And this was weird to Kathy, who grew up with obnoxious tourists and their obsessions with taking tour buses through all of the Hollywood Hills. Still, it wasn't quite as weird as taking a tour bus to the house of the people who had kidnapped their friend.
Who also happened to be a entire family of famous assassins.
Yeah, that was definitely winning as far as weirdness went. Kathy looked around at the other passengers, trying to fit in with the type of people who went to tour assassins homes for funsies.
...Was that Mr. Starsmore? And Mr. Lecter?
Jono
//Too bloody convenient,// Jono was muttering to himself as he tried to make himself comfortable in his seat. //I don't know if the bloke at Portalocity was utterly full of it, but there's no way this could possibly be this simple, I don't care how much they respect you, Hannibal...//
He shifted his weight again, furrowing his brow and turning to look at the other people gathered for the tour. It was probably a trap. It basically had to be, right?
Hannibal
"I suspect the difficulty begins once we're there," Hannibal answered. Then mentally, as he noticed some of their fellow passengers, And I do believe we're not the only ones here.
Kathy
Kathy was doing something similar to Ringo and Anders, nudging them with her elbows to get their attention and jerking her chin towards their teachers. "Looks like we're not the only ones who know Alluka's been snatched," she murmured softly.
Of all the teachers in the school, these two were the last ones that Kathy would have chosen. She hadn't spoken to Mr. Starsmore since confessing her part in Gaunt's scheme for the letter; she still felt ashamed for what she'd done. But this wasn't exactly a situation where Kathy could let her tender feelings get in the way of help.
"I'm going over to talk to them," she said, sliding out from her seat and heading to the adults.
Jono
//We're no-- oh.// Jono blinked as he noticed Kathy making her way... their way. Right. If he had to pick any one person from the group of students at the school...
... He wouldn't pick any, let's face it. Jono hated it when students threw themselves into potentially dangerous situations.
//Kathy,// he greeted, giving her a small nod. //I don't suppose you're here as a tourist, are you?//
Kathy
Somewhere, Karla was having hysterics about Jono protesting the students running off into something dangerous and stupid.
"In a matter of speaking," Kathy said. "I mean, who hasn't always wanted to go a murder mansion for funsies?"
Hannibal
Hannibal raised an eyebrow at her. "I can think of any number of people."
Many of whom had ended up at his house regardless.
"In what manner of speaking?" he asked.
Kathy
Kathy was getting dirty looks from nearby tourists for talking smack about visiting the Zoldyck murder mansion. "Uhh, well," Kathy said, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot, "in that we're on a tour bus?"
Yeah, they weren't buying it. And there wasn't a good reason to try to keep them out. Kathy had no idea what to expect from the Zoldyck mansion, but the more people they had together, the better chances they had making their way through it.
"Okay, forget it," Kathy said, standing up a little straighter and lifting her chin. "You know why we're here. I'm guessing for the same reason you are. We care about her, too."
Jono
Jono gave a small nod of his head. Of course. He had figured as much, after all. This was a Fandom student who had gone missing, and it wasn't a Fandom kidnapping without a rescue posse.
//I felt her go quiet and then disappear,// he replied, wincing a little. //But she's somewhere out there. I can feel that much, too.//
It was difficult to miss the unique psionic signature that Alluka and Nanika put off together.
Anders
"So we're going the right place," Anders noted from where he had been eavesdropping. "Good. I'm glad they were too arrogant to hide her any better."
It was either stupidity or arrogance, and Anders didn't think Alluka's family was stupid.
Kathy
"They might not realize that anyone gave a damn enough to try to get her back," Kathy said, not bothering to hide her bitterness. "They locked her away for her whole life. Why should anyone else care?"
Jono
//Or,// Jono said, tone a little grim, //it might have nothing to do with arrogance. They might actually be every bit as dangerous as this arrangement suggests they are. It's a family who has made murder their business going back generations. Best to go in there knowing that's a possibility. We all care about Alluka, but that doesn't mean any of us should be dying for her freedom again.//
There was another pause, and then he shifted his weight a bit, uneasily.
//The truth of the matter is, whatever our feelings on the subject might be, they're still her family. And, captivity aside, she seems to have been well-cared for. Not starved or physically abused. Just... left alone, perhaps out of fear of, er, her sister. So far as we're aware, they might just think they've found their daughter, who went missing on them so long ago, and they've brought her home and that they're the rescuers in this situation. I don't agree with how they treat her, but we know nothing about this family except that they're very, very dangerous. Safest for us all to not assume arrogance, warranted or no, until we know what we're actually in for, here.//
Hannibal
"Even if they don't care for her," Hannibal added, "they may believe they are saving the rest of us from her. Until we face them, it's best we keep an open mind."
Personally he was still betting on arrogance, but he'd no idea if it were warranted. And he always hedged his bets.
Kathy
"The woman who came for Alluka knocked Mabel out, too," Kathy said. "I'm not arguing that they're not dangerous and that we shouldn't be careful. You don't get all this--" She waved a hand to indicate Murder Bus Tours or whatever it was called "--without having earned it."
At one point or another anyway. Not that knocking out one unarmed girl and kidnapping another was necessarily proof that they still practiced the skills that made them dangerous, but it did suggest a kind of ruthless efficiency.
"Either way, they're not in the running for any Family of the Year awards."
Jono
//And for all we know, they think that we're the kidnappers,// Jono pointed out, holding up his hands. //Trust me, I'm not leaping up to nominate them for any awards, either. But unless you know more about them than I do, I'm just saying... keep an open mind. We don't know the entire situation yet.//
Hannibal
We seem to be saying that quite a lot, Hannibal observed dryly. Was this why Jono hated to involve students?
Jono
//They're teenagers,// Jono replied, in an aside back to Hannibal. //And they're frightened for their friend. I understand why they're leaping to the worst possible conclusion. You should've seen me at that age.//
Jono's first kill was on a rescue mission to save Karla, after all.
His first good many kills.
//Still, I'd rather we not all end up getting murdered by an entire family of assassins if we can avoid it. That seems like it would be... counterproductive.//
Kathy
"Agreed," Kathy said with a nod. "We find out what's going on--what's really going on--and then we decide what the right thing to do is."
Not that Kathy thought leaving Alluka with people who kept her locked up and isolated was an acceptable option, but Banzai never jumped into a fight without getting at least a brief idea of the lay of the land.
[NFI, NFB. Pre-played with the most excellent spin_kick_snap, never_dull, furnaceface, and not_every_mage!]
"Thank you for taking the Lamentation Tour today. We will be visiting Kukuroo Mountain, home to the famous Zoldyck family of assassins.
"Everyone, please look to your right. That is the Kukuroo Mountain, where the Zoldyck family lives. A forest surrounds the 3,722-meter mountain, and the Zoldyck estate is somewhere on that mountain. But no one has ever actually seen it. The Zoldyck family includes ten members: a great-grandfather, grandfather, grandmother, father, mother, and then, there are five children. All of them are assassins!"
Given where the bus was heading, it was surprisingly full...
Kathy
Okay, so a tour bus of people going to visit a household of assassins was kind of weird. And this was weird to Kathy, who grew up with obnoxious tourists and their obsessions with taking tour buses through all of the Hollywood Hills. Still, it wasn't quite as weird as taking a tour bus to the house of the people who had kidnapped their friend.
Who also happened to be a entire family of famous assassins.
Yeah, that was definitely winning as far as weirdness went. Kathy looked around at the other passengers, trying to fit in with the type of people who went to tour assassins homes for funsies.
...Was that Mr. Starsmore? And Mr. Lecter?
Jono
//Too bloody convenient,// Jono was muttering to himself as he tried to make himself comfortable in his seat. //I don't know if the bloke at Portalocity was utterly full of it, but there's no way this could possibly be this simple, I don't care how much they respect you, Hannibal...//
He shifted his weight again, furrowing his brow and turning to look at the other people gathered for the tour. It was probably a trap. It basically had to be, right?
Hannibal
"I suspect the difficulty begins once we're there," Hannibal answered. Then mentally, as he noticed some of their fellow passengers, And I do believe we're not the only ones here.
Kathy
Kathy was doing something similar to Ringo and Anders, nudging them with her elbows to get their attention and jerking her chin towards their teachers. "Looks like we're not the only ones who know Alluka's been snatched," she murmured softly.
Of all the teachers in the school, these two were the last ones that Kathy would have chosen. She hadn't spoken to Mr. Starsmore since confessing her part in Gaunt's scheme for the letter; she still felt ashamed for what she'd done. But this wasn't exactly a situation where Kathy could let her tender feelings get in the way of help.
"I'm going over to talk to them," she said, sliding out from her seat and heading to the adults.
Jono
//We're no-- oh.// Jono blinked as he noticed Kathy making her way... their way. Right. If he had to pick any one person from the group of students at the school...
... He wouldn't pick any, let's face it. Jono hated it when students threw themselves into potentially dangerous situations.
//Kathy,// he greeted, giving her a small nod. //I don't suppose you're here as a tourist, are you?//
Kathy
Somewhere, Karla was having hysterics about Jono protesting the students running off into something dangerous and stupid.
"In a matter of speaking," Kathy said. "I mean, who hasn't always wanted to go a murder mansion for funsies?"
Hannibal
Hannibal raised an eyebrow at her. "I can think of any number of people."
Many of whom had ended up at his house regardless.
"In what manner of speaking?" he asked.
Kathy
Kathy was getting dirty looks from nearby tourists for talking smack about visiting the Zoldyck murder mansion. "Uhh, well," Kathy said, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot, "in that we're on a tour bus?"
Yeah, they weren't buying it. And there wasn't a good reason to try to keep them out. Kathy had no idea what to expect from the Zoldyck mansion, but the more people they had together, the better chances they had making their way through it.
"Okay, forget it," Kathy said, standing up a little straighter and lifting her chin. "You know why we're here. I'm guessing for the same reason you are. We care about her, too."
Jono
Jono gave a small nod of his head. Of course. He had figured as much, after all. This was a Fandom student who had gone missing, and it wasn't a Fandom kidnapping without a rescue posse.
//I felt her go quiet and then disappear,// he replied, wincing a little. //But she's somewhere out there. I can feel that much, too.//
It was difficult to miss the unique psionic signature that Alluka and Nanika put off together.
Anders
"So we're going the right place," Anders noted from where he had been eavesdropping. "Good. I'm glad they were too arrogant to hide her any better."
It was either stupidity or arrogance, and Anders didn't think Alluka's family was stupid.
Kathy
"They might not realize that anyone gave a damn enough to try to get her back," Kathy said, not bothering to hide her bitterness. "They locked her away for her whole life. Why should anyone else care?"
Jono
//Or,// Jono said, tone a little grim, //it might have nothing to do with arrogance. They might actually be every bit as dangerous as this arrangement suggests they are. It's a family who has made murder their business going back generations. Best to go in there knowing that's a possibility. We all care about Alluka, but that doesn't mean any of us should be dying for her freedom again.//
There was another pause, and then he shifted his weight a bit, uneasily.
//The truth of the matter is, whatever our feelings on the subject might be, they're still her family. And, captivity aside, she seems to have been well-cared for. Not starved or physically abused. Just... left alone, perhaps out of fear of, er, her sister. So far as we're aware, they might just think they've found their daughter, who went missing on them so long ago, and they've brought her home and that they're the rescuers in this situation. I don't agree with how they treat her, but we know nothing about this family except that they're very, very dangerous. Safest for us all to not assume arrogance, warranted or no, until we know what we're actually in for, here.//
Hannibal
"Even if they don't care for her," Hannibal added, "they may believe they are saving the rest of us from her. Until we face them, it's best we keep an open mind."
Personally he was still betting on arrogance, but he'd no idea if it were warranted. And he always hedged his bets.
Kathy
"The woman who came for Alluka knocked Mabel out, too," Kathy said. "I'm not arguing that they're not dangerous and that we shouldn't be careful. You don't get all this--" She waved a hand to indicate Murder Bus Tours or whatever it was called "--without having earned it."
At one point or another anyway. Not that knocking out one unarmed girl and kidnapping another was necessarily proof that they still practiced the skills that made them dangerous, but it did suggest a kind of ruthless efficiency.
"Either way, they're not in the running for any Family of the Year awards."
Jono
//And for all we know, they think that we're the kidnappers,// Jono pointed out, holding up his hands. //Trust me, I'm not leaping up to nominate them for any awards, either. But unless you know more about them than I do, I'm just saying... keep an open mind. We don't know the entire situation yet.//
Hannibal
We seem to be saying that quite a lot, Hannibal observed dryly. Was this why Jono hated to involve students?
Jono
//They're teenagers,// Jono replied, in an aside back to Hannibal. //And they're frightened for their friend. I understand why they're leaping to the worst possible conclusion. You should've seen me at that age.//
Jono's first kill was on a rescue mission to save Karla, after all.
His first good many kills.
//Still, I'd rather we not all end up getting murdered by an entire family of assassins if we can avoid it. That seems like it would be... counterproductive.//
Kathy
"Agreed," Kathy said with a nod. "We find out what's going on--what's really going on--and then we decide what the right thing to do is."
Not that Kathy thought leaving Alluka with people who kept her locked up and isolated was an acceptable option, but Banzai never jumped into a fight without getting at least a brief idea of the lay of the land.
[NFI, NFB. Pre-played with the most excellent spin_kick_snap, never_dull, furnaceface, and not_every_mage!]