tushanshu_logs | confronting Evandau

Entry tags:

confronting Evandau

Characters: Evandau, Anton, Hawke, Septimus, whole bunch of others
Date: August 28th, 2014
Location: The Midnight Hotel, may move to outside one of its entrances in one of the five sectors
Situation: It’s time to confront Evandau.
Warnings/Rating: Probable violence, will update accordingly.

By the time Hawke calls Evandau out, the Hotel is as prepared as it’s possible to be. The radio set has been brought in so they can communicate with the teams outside using the portable WWII handset Akito jerry-rigged. Anton has warned the gang-kedan, particularly the Dust-user and distributers, most of whom are hiding upstairs. The commons aside from the lobby have their doors closed; judging by the rowdiness in the living-room still filtering through the door, ‘noise pollution’ is the going excuse. Anton wants his current patrons as protected as they can be, which is why he encouraged a couple of those present to guard the stairs up.

There are a fair few people in the lobby, which isn’t unexpected, but Anton has warned each and every one of them about the Hotel rules and the fact that, if any of them jumps the gun, he will be forced to defend Evandau. Nothing would ruin the plan more than Anton being obliged to stand up against those with whom he would rather be allies. He doesn’t know most of them, but it’s clear that they’re friends of others who are in on the plan; the only person who worries him is Wreath, sitting quietly in a corner behind the entrance.

Anton himself is behind the reception desk, going through his ledgers and waiting quietly for Evandau to arrive, and keeping Daisy the shotgun close at hand under the counter. Just in case.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Evandau didn't point out that he knew every one of the Foreigners, as well as what they were capable of. The calm politeness is certainly less of an irritant to deal with than Hawke's smarm at the moment but the Emperor's voice remains terse.

"Your candor aside, I'm not a patron here," he replied. "For all intents and purposes I am, however, your landlord."

"Well he's just full of himself isn't he?" Hawke says, glancing at Anton and grinning as always. It appears the threat of imprisonment did little to make him any less talkative. So far that appears to be working in their advantage. If Evandau doesn't care about Anton's rules then it will be much easier for Hawke to draw him into a fight.

His attention turns back to Evandau. "Here I thought you would just murder me outright. That seems to be how you've been running things lately."

Evandau didn't put much effort into hiding his scowl. "I am not in the mood for banter Hawke," he said tightly. "You claimed you had information regarding our Enemy, I do not have patience for distraction."

Valdis was quickly becoming annoyed with the Emperor, his pride was faulty and he didn't act or seemingly think as an emperor should. She focused herself, activating her soul sight. The room lit up with the energy of souls, souls that she would have to identify later, for all her attention was on Evandau and Hawke. Hawke lit up as human, but Evandau...

Valdis stared at the emperor, at the man who couldn't be a human, for his soul didn't register as such. She frowned, his soul didn't range in any spectrum she knew, demon, angel, human, or any mixture of the two. It didn't even register as similar to that of anyone in the room. She wondered if he possessed a power that counteracted hers, for there was no possible way that he didn't have a soul, for she could see its shine. Her power was seemingly useless when it came to the Emperor, if she couldn't identify his soul, how could she tell if he was possessed or not?

At this point, she was inclined to believe that he was not being controlled, but she couldn't know for certain and she hated to be wrong. Hawke needed to know that Evandau's soul wasn't normal, but she risked catching Evandau's attention if she moved toward them. Then, luckily enough, Evandau basically invited her to move forward.

"Excuse my interruption," she said, walking toward Hawke. There was no point in acting submissive, Evandau wouldn't believe it if she tried. After all, the Emperor knew exactly what she was. "But Hawke was just waiting for a bit more information before he told you." It was only kind of a lie. "He wanted to be certain of his facts."

She reached them and leaned in to whisper in Hawke's ear, "I cannot tell if he is possessed, but his soul is not normal." Then she stepped back, putting Hawke between her and the Emperor, but she kept her eyes on Evandau, wondering how he would react.

There was one reason Anton had created the Hotel: to provide a safe place for people unaffiliated with any government or political sphere. The Midnight Hotel was outside of all that, if only because Anton's magic and reputation were too powerful for any political body in his world to contest.

But that didn't mean he would accept it from anywhere here, either, and though his expression didn't change, some tension slipped into his stance. He didn't object, however. If Evandau felt he could enforce such a thing, he was going to be sorely mistaken.

"I would like to remind you both that violence is not permitted within the Hotel," Anton said quietly, because even though the confrontation was the goal, he wasn't going to encourage violence for it.

That bit of information throws Hawke off just a bit. Though just because Valdis senses nothing doesn't mean that Evandau is in the clear. They have to be absolutely certain. With a quick nod of his head, he gestures for Valdis to step back, then gives Anton a quick smirk. "I could always stick my hand in my pockets if you'd like."

After going through the trouble of setting this up Hawke's not about to let everyone down by finding nothing. Hawke's gaze falls back on Evandau with his almost flippant grin still in place. "We're all friends here right? Friends talk to each other?" Hawke asks as he takes a single step towards Evandau.

"So I'm sure our friend here would be willing to tell us why he's executing people in the streets. Or why he would rather ran from the big bad monster than fight it. Maybe then we can talk about how to kill it." His arms cross in front of his chest, keeping them away from his weapons as he takes another step towards Evandau. It puts him in a more vulnerable position but that's the risk he as to take.

The Emperor's gaze was hard and sharp on Valdis as she made her pronouncement of needing additional information; he was here, they were the ones stalling. Anton's echo of there being no violence allowed on the premise was likewise met with an unimpressed stare, even as Hawke advanced on Evandau.

"Not that it is pertinent to Foreigners," he said coolly. "But there have only been executions of criminals. And think carefully before accusing me of doing anything less than my utmost to stop our Enemy."

Edited 2014-09-04 02:47 (UTC)

"Actually I think it's plenty pertinent. There's a bit of a trust issue here I think, what with not telling us anything." Hawke looked just as unimpressed with Evandau as he did with them. Perhaps he wasn't being the most diplomatic about but everyone wanted answers. For someone like Evandau, he felt blunt was the best method for it.

"For all we know you've done nothing but put your fingers in your ears while trying to wish the problem away. You're bringing us here to fight but completely ignoring us." He takes another step towards Evandau. "You're not fighting anyone. You're not sending anyone to safety. So what are you doing? Give us at least some reason to trust you."

One of the Hotel's proximity alarms went off with an unobtrusive chime. From behind the desk Anton checked the wards--there was no way to see anything out the windows, not with the Hotel caught between sectors as it was, but he could still tell with some degree what was occurring outside, and right now, there was violence.

He couldn't tell who, or how, or when. And he couldn't protect those guarding the barricades. Besides the Hotel's location spells, the outside wards were among those most broken when the Hotel arrived. Instead he reinforced the wards defending the Hotel's physical presence, and looked up.

"There are people attacking the Hotel's exterior," he said, not raising his voice but allowing it to carry so that the others in the lobby could hear and choose to exit to support those outside if they wished. He looked at Evandau, quite evenly. "The question I must ask is this: Are they attacking a Foreigner-owned location simply by coincidence while you are inside, or are they attempting to attack you, or are they, even mistakenly, attempting to aid you?" He inclined his head toward Hawke, still watching Evandau. "But I admit I would also like the answer to Master Hawke's question as well."

Despite all her cautions about Evandau, the man was quickly moving down the list in order of respect, while Hawke and the owner of the Hotel were moving up. Perhaps it was foolish of her. She focused back on the conversation, which was heating up. Then she heard something outside the door, her enhanced senses engaged and she looked toward it just before the alarm went off.

The Hotel Owner's voice cut through, confirming her suspicions. Valdis turned her back on Evandau and walked toward the door, focusing all her energies into her soul sight, trying to see the souls beyond the closed door. They were fainter than normal, but there was an ill tint to all but one, which burned brighter. Then she felt the darkness radiating from beyond the door.

"The evil has come," she said as she reached the door. Taking a deep breath, she pulled it open far enough to slip outside. It was time to fight.

Wan tensed, shifting from one foot to the other as the confrontation started to get closer and closer to an actual fight. He could practically see it hanging in the air. The soft chime that sounded didn't help, nor did Anton's confirmation that it meant something was wrong.

But unlike Valdis who headed for the doors, Wan moved to join Hawke and Evandau. He took up a position that let him stand mostly 'between' them, though off to the side. He brought his hands up in an appeal for continued peace, "I know there's fighting going on outside, and that can put us all on edge, but please don't let it. There are people out there protecting the building and we can trust them to do so long enough for this to be resolved peacefully."

He wasn't sure if he was overreacting, but with the dark influence of Malicent that hung over the city, he didn't want to risk not stepping in soon enough.

"You are informed as much as you need to be," Evandau returned just as bluntly. "You may subsist on blatant displays of martyrism but I do not. Short of throwing myself against the Palace barrier until bloody, I am doing everything in my power to keep the corruption from spreading any farther into the city. If I thought that would accomplish anything, I would do that as well. As for sending anyone to safety, where in Konryu do you think is safe from this darkness? Nowhere. If anything you are safest here, where Tu Vishan's influence is strongest to combat the Death plane's poison."

Anton's statement of the exterior being attacked prompted a flash of seemingly genuine surprise that dissolved into a flash of anger, though not directed at the proprietor. "I have no idea why they're attacking but it cannot be a coincidence." Yet another reason why he'd wanted this meeting at the police station, but that was moot now.

Instead he spun on a heel and moved toward the door he'd entered through, obviously determined to engage the cultists. He shot a dark look at Wan as he passed. "Since I've obviously been baited here under false pretense," he said coldly. "Something I will deal with soon enough, I would rather offer aid to those who are doing something rather than posturing in here."

Hawke grit his teeth in frustration. Of course this would happen. No point in stewing over it now though, the people outside needed their help. He wasn't finished with Evandau however and he reached out a hand to grab the man's shoulder. "I'm getting answer even if I have to march into that station myself," Hawke said, low and cool. It wasn't a threat, just a statement of fact. A line in the sand had been drawn, he might as well see it to the end.

Releasing Evandau's shoulder, Hawke turned towards the others raising his voice for everyone to hear. "The pompous ass is right." Even now he wasn't above name calling. "Everyone outside needs our help. We'll just have to put a bookmark in this." That said, Hawke moved towards the door not waiting to see if anyone followed. Not that it really mattered, even if they did almost all of them would exit somewhere else. Nilin would be there though. He knew that.

At least it the meeting wasn't a total waste of time, he thought as he approached the door. That look of surprise was genuine enough, Hawke could tell. Valdis found nothing abnormal about Evandau either, other than the fact that Evandau was abnormal. So maybe the man wasn't possessed. Maybe he was just incompetent. Hawke wasn't sure which one was worse though.

The entire exchange had been faintly troubling, and what had they achieved-- nothing, save to put Evandau on the defensive. And now there were larger matters at hand. Raine slipped out of her corner and headed for the door, pausing briefly to nod to Hawke and Evandau. "As much as I understand not indiscriminately dispersing information-- continued opacity has led to a lack of trust, which hinders us all. We were all called here for a reason. There's no sense wasting energy fighting each other if swallowing one's pride to explain and to listen can clear the confusion." She meant that for both of them, if either was even in a state of mind to listen.

That said, Raine raised her voice to address everyone else present. "If you're wounded, fall back here if possible. I'm exiting to Earth sector to help there, but will return shortly to heal people here as well."

She would have added an injunction to be careful, but rather thought it might fall on deaf ears. Everything she had to say now said, Raine hefted her staff and slipped out the door.

Wan had hoped they could hash it out quickly and then go to help, but this was better than an all out fight inside. He gathered the elements of earth and water than he had waiting off to the side, sending the stone and ice chunks to orbit around him as he followed the others out the door. He didn't know where Evandau would exit at, but he was going to be in the Wood sector, where he'd entered from.

He'd help Anton clean up the rest of the water once the attack was taken care of.

Nilin had been present for the whole of the exchange, but the camouflage offered by her Sensen had kept her from sight. She'd been ready for a fight within this building, not one from the outside.

Invisible still, she puts a hand on Hawke's arm and flickers into view. "We should move."

Evandau has since produced a sword from... somewhere, since he didn't appear armed when he entered the Hotel, and is moving towards one of the exits. A straggling cultist manages to wedge himself in the doorway and is promptly shoved back out.

Shudder's voice sounded over the intercom, calmly warning the kedan what was happening and requesting volunteers to help barricade the inside. Solomon wasn't particularly interested in remaining. If the attack wasn't a ploy to sidetrack the confrontation, then it was coincidental indeed; and even if it wasn't a ploy, there was too much still to be discovered.

Fortunately Solomon had an edge. He shadow-walked straight to the door and then slipped out into Fire Sector, and shadow-walked from each sector's entrance until he found the one through which Evandau had arrived and was now exiting.

Having a chat hadn't accomplished anything, but if there was anything at all untoward about the way Evandau engaged the cultists, Solomon would know and be able to at least reignite the confrontation.

Evandau doesn't take long to orient himself in departing the Hotel to a different sector than he'd arrived in and crosses the distance to the nearest cultist and cuts them down with his sword. The movements are brisk, businesslike, and he sidesteps the next one who lunges at him and slashes them from behind. He moves preternaturally quickly, faster than the reaction times of the possessed kedan.

Solomon took the time to defend himself when he had to, not too difficult with his taint-sense, for lack of a better word, alight; but for the most part he was interested in observing the Emperor. Which was why he remained more on the Hotel roof, and the roofs of the buildings adjacent.

There weren't that many Foreigners in this entrance--and the cultists didn't seem to care all that much about the Emperor, either. Nor did the Emperor seem to care too much about defending--the manner of his attacks seemed more in the way of execution. They were precise, almost orderly. What was he? Solomon had to wonder. His soul hadn't been tainted, at least not that Solomon could tell with the sense he'd used in the Hotel--but he hadn't been normal, either.

In a lull Solomon shadow-walked down behind Evandau, shadows sweeping aside within a split-second of his leaving the roof. "Offence is the new defence, is it?" he asked. "One wonders why you wanted aid at all."

"If you have to ask that," Evandau said, not even slightly winded by the exertion of cutting down the cultists. "Then you are less useful to me than most."

Having cleared this immediate area, he began striding purposefully towards the sounds of further fighting, leaving Solomon to keep up.

"Unfortunately for all of us, we're not mind-readers," said Solomon, "and you haven't done much leading of the masses lately--so much as vigilante work. I wonder why that is?"

There was one way to find out, and while Solomon's conversation had been relatively pleasant thus far, he kept pace with Evandau. Proximity would make this easier. It took only a moment, a fraction of a second--hopefully that would be enough to work his magic before Evandau enacted whatever nullification power he had.

Solomon extended his senses and turned life to chaos, death to order; his eyes flashed red and he reached out to take Evandau's soul and whatever taint might be part of him.

Evandau whirled on Solomon at the exact moment that a huge blast of power shoved the necromancer back several feet, and then the Emperor raised his sword and pointed it directly at Solomon. Not an overt threat but a clear warning to keep his distance.

"Try that again and I will have you permanently incarcerated," he said coldly.

Before Solomon could think he was sent flying, and shadows swelled up and caught him before he fell or crashed into something. Solomon right himself, gripping the shadows, and looked up at Evandau, studying him.

"What are you?" he asked in a low voice, because no one should be that fast, no one could be prepared for an attack they couldn't even see coming. "The cultists aren't trying very hard to kill you. You aren't exactly endearing yourself to the people from whom you claim you want help. What exactly is it you want? What is it you're after?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

confronting Evandau

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject