OUBLIETTE-1127 (Current, Fluxx, Greystone, Imago, Shiver, Taheka, Ursa; NPCs: Ashworth, Benson, The Drifter, Fach, Fiore, Gabrielle, Magnitude, Maze, Puck, Sidestep, Sophie, Stephen)
"Are you going to be providing a letter for me to drop off, or am I supposed to... uh, recite the story?"
"I'll be providing each of you with letters of introduction," Sophie said. "Under normal circumstances, I would expect it would be enough to get you an audience with the heads of each house, but given that Locus has already moved to shield Volkov from me, we can't be too sure if you won't be intercepted."
"All right," Violet said, "but you're going to have to tell me that story again, slower."
"Yeah," Lex sheepishly added, "I wasn't really listening either. I think the story was that criminals from another dimensions jumped ship, married into power, took that power for themselves and are currently trying to murder off anybody who can stop them and building up an army to take over everywhere else. Also they assassinated a tsar and blamed it on you. And the Russians are trying to murder you."
"Close," said Ashworth. "As I understand it, calling them Russians may create some confusion."
"Also, we don't know that they killed Tsar Volkov," Sophie interjected. "We went to speak to him and were ambushed by people we presume to be working for Locus. We were forced to retreat before we could investigate further. Otherwise, gold stars all around."
Lex nodded, taking it all in. "Oh, and how much do you weigh, Tamati?"
"About 70 kgs or 11 stone now like this, but I think I am a lot lighter in my water form. Never thought of weighing myself though."
"Kilograms? Stone?"
"70 kilograms is jus' under 155 pounds for ze Americans in ze room."
"You won't need to worry about that," said the Drifter. She grabbed the strap of her messenger bag and slipped it up over her head. "I'm pretty sure you've seen me use this before and get that my bag contains an extra-dimensional space. It was a parting gift from my brother in another dimension. It's been exceptionally useful. If it can fit into the opening, it can be stored inside until I retrieve it.
"There's no oxygen inside the bag, but... that won't hamper Tamati. The downside is that Lex has to both put him in and take him out. You haven't done this yet, Tamati, but I've done this with you before. Inside the bag is an endless void. There's no door. No entry way or exit. Just... all of my stuff. The only way to get out is for whomever has the bag to reach in for you." She offered the bag out to Lex. "You'll have to open the bag and go to reach in. Tamati will have to put himself in your hand. Once you start to put him in, he'll be able to let the bag take him. To get him out, you open it, and reach for him."
"So, like, I can't pull out anything you put in there. And I'd have to remember what I put inside it to pull it out?"
"No," said the Drifter, "anyone can pull it out, but they have to know what they're retrieving. Inside of that bag is a nigh-infinite space. When I reach in for something, I don't have to dig around to find it. Whatever I'm thinking of when I reach in? That's what my hand finds. That's how you take things out. If something happens to Lex, all it takes is anyone else reaching into the bag intending to pull Tamati out, and that's that."
"Uh... that's cool," Lex said cautiously, "but maybe it's safer if I just carry him."
"Nonsense," said the Drifter, "it couldn't be safer. As I said, we've done this before, but... I guess you haven't done it yet."
Curiosity got the better of Lex: he took the offered bag and put his cell phone in. He pulled his arm out, then reached in, closed his fingers around his phone, and pulled it back out.
"Most groups have the ability to get where they need to go," Dennis observed. "Our group doesn't, unless Abe is dropping us off first."
Again, Abe was shaken out of a trance. "I, uh... I mean, yeah, I can... I can do that. Sure. Yeah."
"Are you all right, mein freund?" asked a concerned Kas.
Fiore put a comforting arm around him. "Considering the only other time he crossed time and space his home dimension was sacrificed, I'd say he's doing great." He gave the young man a reassuring pat. "You're doing great, Abe. Don't worry."
Sophie approached each of the groups and handed them a letter, sealed with wax and bearing her seal. "Show this to the rulers of each kingdom. It should buy you some trust."
"Are we ready then?"
With everything in order, the groups were dispatched...
BERLIN (NPCs: The Drifter, Fach, and Magnitude)
"So, who is the ruler of the German Empire," Magnitude asked as he lifted their trio into the air, "and how do we address them?"
"The German Reich is an anomaly here," explained the Drifter. "They established the Kurfürst and transformed them into an elective monarchy. Every Five years, an... exhibition is held. It's a chance for the nobles to show their power off. They televise it to the whole world. It's a way to show off--to intimidate other countries into thinking of attacking them--but it's mostly to find the best candidate to rule for the next term.
"At the present time, the Kaiser is Karl, of House Markovich. He's sort of an enigma among the nobles in that he may be the least powerful--at least on paper. The last time time the Kurfürst met, he defeated all other challengers."
"What does he have?" asked Fach.
"A healing factor and prehensile hair."
"What about his composure?" asked Magnitude. "Queen Sophie is sort of the antithesis of what I imagined a ruler would be: modest and casual and exceptionally open. Is that a trait of this world, or is she unique?"
"She's very unique. Most of the others are... well, it sort of depends on a lot. The King of England is very stodgy--trenched in tradition and decorum. The Emperor of Japan puts honour above all else and challenges those who insult him to one-on-one combat."
"And we sent Lex's brother there?" Magnitude shuddered. "I wish I could say it was nice knowing him, but it wasn't."
"Kaiser Markovich is very down-to-earth, but stubborn. He's accessible and good-hearted, but he won't be swayed. If he's made up his mind about something or someone, that's it. There's no convincing him otherwise."
"Then what is the plan if Locus has already gotten to him? Convinced him they have enemies among the other houses?"
"Reconvene with the others and plan for war."
ISTANBUL (NPCs: Ashworth and Fiore)
Mister Ashworth led Fiore through the busy streets of the capitol--the closest Gabrielle could get them to the palace. Though herself the ruler of the Persian Empire, she hadn't been close to the throne until recently. She had never imagined herself a ruler and had never actually had to meet with any other dignitaries. She had not been raised in this sort of life--only thrust into it. "Pasha is the highest ranking office," Ashworth told the redheaded boy. "Currently, it's Osman who rules, but he is old and not expected to last much longer. He never had a son, but women are not allowed to rule, so his daughters are ineligible."
Fiore rolled his eyes. "So, it's incredibly progressive. Good to know."
"That's what worries me," Ashworth said. "Locus knew how to play the system in Gabrielle's kingdom--he could be doing the same here. He may have a lieutenant he trusts and is trying to marry him into the Pasha's family. If that's the case, he may have both kingdoms soon."
Fiore looked down at Sophie's letter of introduction. "Then we'd really better hurry."
LONDON (Current and Taheka)
In no time at all, Current was in London. At the fountains out front, he moved to retrieve Taheka.
MOSCOW (Fluxx and Imago; NPCs: Puck)
The first order of business would be getting identities. Puck was able to turn invisible, and Imago could mask the entire group from sight, letting them observe and infiltrate...
PARIS (Shiver; NPCs: Sidestep)
Sidestep and Shiver walked forward towards the wall of the cabin and into the street approaching the Eiffel Tower. "Sorry I couldn't get us closer," he said. "I've never actually been to Paris, but everyone's seen this."
TEHRAN (Greystone and Ursa; NPCs: Gabrielle and Maze)
Gabrielle led the group into her brother's walk-in closet. "Here," she said, taking a shirt from a hanger and passing it to her companions. "That should be enough to get you Gabe's scent."
TOKYO (NPCs: Benson, Sophie, Stephen)
As Sophie flew the pair towards the palace, Stephen noticed someone flying beside them. "Incoming!" he shouted, hoping the small woman would hear him above the rush of wind. The figure drew nearer--gliding on wings that erupted from his back. He swept in and Stephen's eyes bulged as he recognized the man. He was older than he knew, but there was no mistaking it was him. "Holy shit, is that-?"
Jack Rexroth opened his mouth and unleashed a jet of flames for the trio.
Lex sits down on the fountain, trying to catch his breath. With a pop and a snap he felt his knees both pop out of and back into position as he sat down. He was getting better at pulling in ambient static electricity to repair the damage, but he hadn't gotten the trick down pat yet.
With a quick look around he tried to make sure nobody was really looking at him, then reached into the bag and pull Tamati out of the bag and into the water of the fountain.
"Welcome to London, home of the fish and chips," Lex says, still breathing hard. He unconsciously went to straighten out his jacket, which was now currently somewhere near Japan and frowned. He always felt naked without the thing these days.
It was very weird inside the bag, afterwards Tamati couldn't really find the proper words to describe it but then he felt something coming for him and next he was in a pool of water and it was sunny.
"Now that was faster than I thought" Tamati said stretching out of the water and changing back into his human form after taking a quick look round to check no one was looking.
Arkrite wrote:
"Welcome to London, home of the fish and chips," Lex says, still breathing hard. He unconsciously went to straighten out his jacket, which was now currently somewhere near Japan and frowned. He always felt naked without the thing these days.
"Yum fish and chips, I haven't had real fish and chips since I left New Zealand. Once we have got everything sorted we will have to grab some but mushy peas is a big no from me."
Imago created an illusion over himself, altering his appearance to look a few years older, with black hair, no piercings, some dark fuzz over his lip and chin, adding couple extra inches of height, and tightening his face a little too. Combined, it should be enough to throw off observers from his normal appearance, as long as he didn't use his powers noticeably at the same time.
"So, if anyone asks, my best friend, girlfriend and I are tourists sightseeing in historic Moscow, and happen to be in the vicinity of the Kremlin." With a quick incantation of "Nimor Racetion," Imago conjured up a small portable camera. He had no idea if it would actually work, but as a prop, it would certainly support his cover.
"Well, I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is we are right in front of Buckingham Palace," He hooks a thumb over his shoulder at the building, "Which is where the royal family lives in my dimension."
"The bad news is I don't have any money from this dimension, and I suspect my UK money is probably about as good of legal tender as monopoly money here," He sighs.
Fish and chips sounded really good right now.
"If we run into Mr Arnett we might be in some trouble. So you know Kirstie's powers right? Bouncing back elemental attacks and doubling up the shot that goes back. He might also have the bounce everything back at you variant," He ran his hand through his hair, "Also he's a scary SOB in our world, I can only imagine he's the same or worse here. If we run into him there's a slim chance I might be able to convince him we're from another dimension, but chances are we'd be smarter to just run."
He stretches his legs again, "Then again meeting with him might work easier than trying to find the King. Who might be anywhere. I don't know. Anyways, don't try to hit Mr Arnett, it never ends well."
"Hopefully his second in command isn't trying to overthrow him in this dimension."
Before the group dispersed Fluxx handed Drifter a note.
You should be made aware, you are with child. There was no other good time to inform you. It says simply.
****************
"You're assuming zis world 'as a zriving tourist industry." Martin says. "We should observe to see if such is ze case. If zey challenge everyone for papers we do not possess zis will go just as poorly for us."
"If we do go ze tourist route we should zrow off our numbers. If discovery occurs eet eez to our disadvantage if zey know exactly 'ow many we are. I can be a coat zat one of you wear. Or Dennis and I be boyfriend and girlfriend wiz Puck invisible nearby." he offers. He was less concerned about the gender of his disguise; he'd spent so long now thinking his core self was an amorphous blob that he didn't have an attachment to the 'maleness' of his cloned body.
"Shall we watch for a moment before proceeding?"
"It's fine, Abe. It's only a couple of miles to the Élysée Palace from here. I've been a couple times." Violet's pronunciation was distinctly British. Nobody was going to confuse her with a native. She looked around for a few seconds and pointed the way, towards the river. "And we're not in a rush anyway, right? For all we know, we're not even getting in today, if ever. How often do a couple of teens pop in on the Emperor of France?"
"I hope you got a good look at the shack before we left. We might have to get out of here in a hurry and that might be the only safe place in this dimension."
"No money?" Tamati sighs dramatically "Now I do feel like I am back home home."
"So no hitting but drowning okay then. Do you think he will listen first or is he more hit ya hard first?"
Ignoring the rumble from his stomach Tamati took in the site of Buckingham Palance, this was the first time he had seen it in the flesh and not the balcony shots with the family you would see on the telly for events like the Queen's diamond jubilee.
"I wonder, back home they use to do tours of the palace so you could go ohh and ahh at the fancy pictures and other shit. If they do that here it may be a way inside and then we could leave the tour party when we felt like it?"
Lex winces when Taheka mentioned drowning the alternate reality version of his girlfriend's father.
"He's been fairly nice to me but I get the feeling he's a scary son of a bitch. You don't get his kind of job by being nice, ya know?" He watches the crowd of tourists wandering around, "Honestly he'll probably chat us up so his troops can get in place, or try to trick us into attacking him. His abilities don't do much if we ignore him. But he's probably got a gun."
"I think."
Lex shrugs, "I mean, I think he might, but England has this thing with people having guns. Or trying to defend themselves. It's weird."
"And I got two problems about touring the palace. One, they probably track the tourists every moment they're in there with cameras and headcounts, and two, uh, I think you have to pay to go on the tour," Lex grins, "If Drifter has a guitar in this bag I could always try busking for some spending cash."
"We could always just take a walk around the outside and see if anything jumps out at us," Lex suggests.
Not even picking up on Lex's reaction to his comment, Tamati just thought the older boy was feeling a bit cold, after all he was wearing a jacket.
"Yeah, England is a lot like NZ. Police don't carry guns as a matter of course and unless you are hunting or at a shooting range you never see anyone with a gun but it seems to work." Tamati sounded a little nostalgic as he spoke.
"But no money is a b####, you know the Drifter quite well don't you Lex. May be you could suggest to her that if she is going to take us to other worlds that she also gives us some spending money just in case. Okay a walk sounds like the plan and you never know we may bump into this guy."
