Children of the Gods: Arc 2 [Game/Closed]

[Terratina.]

Etna sighed and continued to push the pasta around her plate.

It wasn't the restaurant's fault - the food had been cooked well and the dish, while simple, was filling. The fault lay at Nicole's feet, the topic of weapons being an uncomfortable one for her. Then again, she wasn't from a country where guns were a common sigh or where shooting was a common hobby. She had been born in Ireland; apart from the fact that Etna was Badb's daughter, it had been a relatively normal existence. No guns, no random acts of violence... Well, at least the first one was true. Certain incidents had happened during P.E. classes, after all, back when she had stuck to the proud notion of fighting back. Etna didn't want to think about it. Hell, she just didn't want to be reminded of her school days anymore. Still, school had taken up the majority of her life.

She left that conundrum for later and thought about the whole weapons thing. Did it really matter? A weapon was a weapon - a tool designed to inflict injury on another. Why not just bash 'em with big stick? However, from the amount of chatter from Remus, Steven, and Andrew, it was probably a case of boys and their toys. Regardless, she really didn't see any need to add something to the conversation, leaving it to the ones more experienced or educated about the topic at hand; just like she had done before with the topic of Norse Gods. Etna ate a mouthful just to keep up the appearance of being too busy to talk. As if she had anything nice to say, anyway. If it wasn't the chatter about weapons, it was their choice of food...

Their last meal had been venison, did they wish to stuff their stomachs with meat or something?

 

[Dogmatic99]

"What about the Frost Giants? Are they still around? I remember when I was reading up on Freya they where mentioned as an enemy to Odin and basically every god the follows his rule, 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend' and all that."

Able perked up, nodding enthusiastically at Aria's point. How could I forget the frost giants?

[That's true.] He scribbled down. [Butt there are a few different kinds of giants and Vidarr is half giant so we might be able to call in others as allies. I wouldn't count on that too much though.]

Of course if they were counting on logical genetic links then that would mean Able admitting that he was a quarter giant. A thought that had crossed his mind when he was first finding out about Vidarr. Though as far as he could see it hadn't had any major effect on him. He wasn't overly tall and he didn't have their famous apatite, not that anyone would have believed that the way his eyes lit up once his pizza arrived at the table. Maybe it was where he got his durability from? His dad was only famous for his strength.

Guess those are some of the questions I'll have to ask when I get there. He took a bite of the pizza. Oh god that's good!

 

[Green Shoes]

The waitress finished bringing everyone's food over; varieties of pasta, pizza and steak crowded the table. Prometheus himself had ordered two rounds of pasta, and ate heartily while listening to the others. The choice between gun and bow was interesting; though he personally would rather not be stopped at a crossing point and be arrested. That would not be an efficient way to find Dionysus.

Setting his fork down, he wiped his mouth and spoke, careful not to speak too loudly.

"I think we should try not to acquire too many guns. Bows or other alternatives do sound good. As to frost giants, I think we should avoid anyone we can't converse civilly with."

This got Prometheus thinking about weapons. Surely they could find someone to properly arm them. Someone had already sent them a spear; probably Mars, which Able had passed off as an ornament, leaving it under the table.

"I don't know if Nike will have any weapons for us; Maybe Artemis or Vulcan - Hephaestus to you, Steven. Or one of the Norse Gods; Thor or even Vidarr. We should probably arm up before finding Dionysus. Especially if there have been more sacrifices."

The door to the restaurant opened, and a deeply-tanned man with jet black hair stepped in, dressed in a sharp suit. After speaking to the waitress, she pointed over at the group. He flashed her an official looking badge and walked over. He spoke with an incredibly odd accent; impossible to place.

"Afternoon. My name is Jack Roce, I'm with AISI."

He flashed his badge to the group, confirming his authority.

"You were all seen walking from the forest, do you have a moment to answer a few question regarding the death of two women."

It was not a question, and he stared at each person sternly, his eyes searching for any tremor or movement.

 

[Deu Sex]

"A gun is only more accurate if you suck with the bow."

You've got to be kidding me." Remus assumed that Andrew was just being arrogant, because only someone completely thick in the head would believe a bow to be more accurate than a firearm. He decide not to comment on that remark though. The rest of Andrew's points about the difficulty of acquiring and using guns in Europe were sadly right though. They could carry around hunting weapons like non-automatic rifles or shotguns with general ease, or smuggle concealed guns like a small pistol or sawed-off. But ultimately the smartest option would be to avoid the complication of travelling with too many guns in the first place.

"I wouldn't mind getting both of course. But I think for traveling a bow would be a safer choice for right now, easier to carry in public and the arrows could be reused, less concern about running out of rounds, also means I could practice without fear of wasting ammo. Besides a good compound bow can hit pretty hard too, some of those things don't fire arrows they fire mini-javelins."

Remus nodded his head. "Whatever you'd prefer. But if you are interested more in guns, I'd be happy to give you some training." he said with a smile.

As Prometheus continued to discuss the topic of weapons, Remus decided to dig into his meal. It was delicious. Even more so that it would normally taste, considering it had felt like forever since he had eaten genuine Italian. Not long after he begun his meal was it suddenly interrupted.

"Afternoon. My name is Jack Roce, I'm with AISI."

Remus observed the man as he showed off his badge. He had dark skin, common in Sicily, and wore a suit similar to Remus'. Somehow though he doubted the agent's shirt underneath had any hidden blood or wine stains. His accent was bizarre, and his name sounded more American than anything.

"You were all seen walking from the forest, do you have a moment to answer a few question regarding the death of two women."

Remus' expression became a bit more grim. He had a rotten suspicion that he, and the others, already knew what this would be about. "Chi?" he asked in Italian.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

Steven had to admit that getting their hands on a bow would be easier, although he was not familiar with EU or Italian regulations on bows. Maybe he could get a crossbow, that would be more comfortable to use. Now, bows being more accurate was beyond stupid...

"Afternoon. My name is Jack Roce, I'm with AISI."

Steven's thought was interrupted by... Jack? That wasn't very Italian. He didn't sound Italian... although come to think of it he really didn't distinctly sound like anything.

"You were all seen walking from the forest, do you have a moment to answer a few question regarding the death of two women."

Steven became very aware of the firearm in his conceal holster, and how screwed they would be if the police found him with it. Come to think of it, their passports never got properly stamped either, so they are screwed if the policeman even asks for basic ID. If this was the US, Steven knew he they could refuse to answer anything and just go... but this was another area of European law Steven wasn't sure about. Best to act like some dumb tourist...

"Umm... what is the AISI?" Steven asked.

 

[Lunar Templar]

Aria swallowed the piece of steak she was chewing on, her meal having been delivered shortly before this 'agent' showed up, then stuffed a bit of salad into her mouth. She was starving, not having eaten for least a day and having burned up all that energy left her with the kind of hungry that made her perfectly willing to ignore an officer of the law until directly addressed. She did however, have enough sense to acknowledge his presence by looking at him between forkfuls of food.

 

[DarkRawen]

"Afternoon. My name is Jack Roce, I'm with AISI."

Andrew finished the last of his meal before looking towards the man. From the look of it, AISI was some sort of agency or group connected to the police in Italy, that was all the sense of it he could make at least. Or just a fancy name for the police. If not for the recent events, Andrew would have been more inclined to even believe what the man said. After all, the people who approached them like this all had turned out to be gods.

"You were all seen walking from the forest, do you have a moment to answer a few question regarding the death of two women."

It was clearly not a question. Did this guy even have the authority to hold them, based on that little? They walked out of the forest, and two women died somewhere connected to that. Andrew never had feared or let authority stop him from doing anything, of course he followed the law, but the law held a greater meaning to him than an officer with a few questions. Heck, even if it was a god, approaching them like this, attempting to fool them, should mean that this person wasn't on their side.

"Do you have the authorization to hold us?" he asked, tone somewhat friendly, and eyes kept on the man who called himself Jack.

Would asking about it sound suspicious? Perhaps. However, they had done nothing wrong, and they were not connected to the women. Andrew knew his rights and all that, but he wasn't from around here, so that didn't mean a thing right now. Still, Italy couldn't be that different, right? He didn't add anything else, the man would answer if he felt like it, it was a legitimate question, but he struck Andrew as the easily offended type.

If something should happen, we could easily over-power him if he's a normal human. If he's a god, we'll have a bigger problem. I'd rather just avoid confrontation, though, it's a waste of time.

 

[hiei82]

Vera - now in her normal form - ate far more than she should have in an attempt to offset her lack of sleep using calories. She was fairly sure she'd consumed an entire pot of coffee by herself, despite her general dislike for the substance, all for the precious precious caffeine. Also due to her sleep deprivation, she avoided speaking too much. She was in general agreement with what Prometheus had to say, though she was inclined to agree with Steven on the matter of a gun. Though she wasn't sure how to use one, for the moment she was limited to her sword for fights which - despite its power - lacked the ranger of other weapons. Then again, she had more experience with a bow...

She shook her head free of the thoughts. "Less thinking, more coffee".

As she was reaching for another pot of the glorious brew, a man came over to the table. "Afternoon. My name is Jack Roce, I'm with AISI.". First, she had no idea who AISI was, but someone had said just that not long ago. In this particular case, she WAS just another dumb American in a foreign country, so she decided to do what any dumb American would do: she paused to stare at him for a moment before continuing her quest for the coffee pot.

"You were all seen walking from the forest, do you have a moment to answer a few question regarding the death of two women." the man said as a question while making it anything but. "I'm not sure what the connection is between the forest and two deaths but I don't know anything about it. Can you be a little more..." she said, searching for the right word before finishing with "... specific?"

 

[IFS]

"Whatever you'd prefer. But if you are interested more in guns, I'd be happy to give you some training."

Nicole smiled "Yeah of course," she said before turning to start eating. The burger wasn't the best she'd had but after everything they'd been through it might as well have been ambrosia, who knows when we'll get to stop and eat like this again. So of course the meal was interrupted by an official of some sort.

"You were all seen walking from the forest, do you have a moment to answer a few question regarding the death of two women."

Apparently some sort of cop, his demeanor felt like he was the local equivalent of the FBI, then again she only knew how they acted on TV shows. She decided to stay silent and keep eating, saying the wrong thing would be worse than saying nothing at all especially if it conflicted with what everyone else said. Besides she was very hungry.

 

[Green Shoes]

Roce looked at Remus in surprise. Clearly he had not expected to hear Italian. Composing himself, he addressed several questions at once.

"Two women; a teenager and an old woman. That's all I can say. And yes; I can detain you if you don't wish to answer my questions; emerging from the crime scene bloodied, bruised and with ruined clothes is suspicion enough."

Flexing his fingers, he spoke again.

"AISI is the Internal Information and Security Agency of Italy. Now. Could I please see your passports or some identification?"

Prometheus started breathing deeply; he had no idea how much of their credentials were going to be okay. Unzipping his bag, he found that the passports and credit cards were okay, if a little soaked. All else was soaked, including his spare clothes.

Handing over his own passport, Prometheus watched as the agent thumbed through it. Making a face of approval, he handed it back, before relaxing his face, approaching the group with more questions.

"What were you all doing in the forest anyway? Did you see or hear anything out of the norm? Birds, by chance?"

 

[Deu Sex]

Remus watched the agent's expression carefully. He seemed surprised that Remus spoke Italian, a fact that...should not have been surprising at all, considering they were in the Sicilian old country. In fact it was odd that Mr. Roce had decided to speak to them in English at first, rather than Italian.

"Two women; a teenager and an old woman. That's all I can say. And yes; I can detain you if you don't wish to answer my questions; emerging from the crime scene bloodied, bruised and with ruined clothes is suspicion enough."

His expression soured further at the mention of one of the casualties being an elderly woman. "Maybe my mother. But what would she be doing this far from the Northern shore?"

"What were you all doing in the forest anyway? Did you see or hear anything out of the norm? Birds, by chance?"

Remus decided to respond in Italian again. "Eravamo a caccia di cervi. Ecco perché abbiamo macchie di sangue e lividi. Qual era il nome della donna più anziana che è morto?" The boy was getting suspicious. If this supposed agent showed any sign of not understanding what Remus just said, then he knew something was wrong.

 

[DarkRawen]

Two women; a teenager and an old woman. That's all I can say. And yes; I can detain you if you don't wish to answer my questions; emerging from the crime scene bloodied, bruised and with ruined clothes is suspicion enough."

I suppose he does have a point of some sorts. Still, this is a waste of time.

Andrew didn't take his eyes off the agent, attempting to read the man, to see if he could notice anything. Something felt wrong, but he had no idea what. He guessed they had no choice but to answer the man, whatever his questions were.

"What were you all doing in the forest anyway? Did you see or hear anything out of the norm? Birds, by chance?"

Birds. Why would that be out of the norm in a forest? He's talking about the crows, isn't he? Does this mean it's connected to Etna's ***** mother?

Andrew was about to reply, simply using the excuse Prometheus had told them to before, about them camping. However, then Remus spoke in Italian.

"Eravamo a caccia di cervi. Ecco perché abbiamo macchie di sangue e lividi. Qual era il nome della donna più anziana che è morto?"

Andrew frowned mentally, although he didn't show any sort of change on the outside. Now he couldn't say a thing, in case it didn't fit in with whatever Remus had said. Of course, he could choose to trust in Remus, believe the other had said things that was according to the whole camping thing, but Andrew didn't trust Remus nor Remus' judgment. Sure, if what they said made sense together, that would probably make it seem more believable, one man speaking in Italian, while another, not capable of understanding Italian, said just about the same thing.

I'm not going to take that chance, though. Remus is an idiot.

Just like everyone else, right?

This is why I don't trust morons. He could at least have had the sense to speak in English, even if we're in Italy. This just makes it impossible for everyone else to say anything.

 

[Dogmatic99]

"Afternoon. My name is Jack Roce, I'm with AISI." The new comer flashed an official looking badge, showing his authority.

Able didn't really think anything in the form of words at that point, it was more like a mixture of instincts and emotions. Though if he were to put it into words it would probably be a long, awkward Oooohhhhhh, all while he nudged the mystical war spear that he'd stowed under the table further out of sight. Hell he was already pushing his luck when he tried to walk through the street covering the tip with his hands like it was a walking stick that he didn't know how to use.

He went on, explaining himself while giving away as little information as possible and to be fair they did look like a pretty weird group. Even on a good day.

"What were you all doing in the forest anyway? Did you see or hear anything out of the norm? Birds, by chance?"

How are birds out of place in a forest?

Remus was trying to talk to the agent in Italian, which made sense, they were in Italy and presumably the agent was Italian. Except he introduced himself in English, what could he just tell we weren't natives by look? I guess he could have just heard us talking as he came in. Of course any answers would have to wait until he could understand what was being said again or until someone was good enough to translate. Until then Able did his best to look relaxed and sneaking a slice of pizza.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

"What were you all doing in the forest anyway? Did you see or hear anything out of the norm? Birds, by chance?"

Oh, he is lying. This guy is involved with some god, if he actually isn't a god.

Steven wondered why the guy was bothering with the questions. If Dis wasn't lying, than the crow on his arm should of given them away. Still, best to keep trying to act stupid.

"We heard plenty of birds," Steven said, trying to sound confused that such a thing would even considered out of place, "I even think I saw an owl. Why is that important?"

 

[Green Shoes]

The agent stared at Remus, before back at the group. He couldn't quite understand why only one of them was speaking Italian; especially seeing it was evident they all spoke English.

"The bodies are covered with feathers. Are you planning on leaving Sicily anytime soon? I might need you for further questioning..."

Turning back to Remus, he looked at him intently. The face looked familiar; though he thought he had seen it somewhere else.

He asked in Italian.

"Sei di queste parti? Hai un aspetto familiare."

------------------------------

The agents constant presence put Prometheus on edge. They could knock him out and then leave, but that opens up the avenue of international pursuit. Had others seen them come out of the forest? What would they do about the waitresses? Modern problems like this perplexed him; he nudged Etna with his foot, making eyes towards the agent. A child of Badb would certainly have some influence.

He just hoped she understood his vague motions.

 

[Deu Sex]

"Sei di queste parti? Hai un aspetto familiare."

Remus' expression softened as his suspicions were denied. The agent was clearly fluent in Italian. Still, there was something about Mr. Roce that just seemed fishy. "Maybe you're not thinking clearly...you're tired as can be, and that swig of whiskey in the morning couldn't have helped." he tried to convince himself. Maybe this fellow really was just an ordinary agent trying to conduct an investigation.

While disappointed that Mr. Roce hadn't answered his own question, Remus decide to answer his. Maybe if played along the agent would be more willing to disclose information. "I'm not from around here. I'm from near Palermo, by the northern coast. Sometimes I work in the city." he said in English. "Who do I remind you of?"

 

[DarkRawen]

"The bodies are covered with feathers. Are you planning on leaving Sicily anytime soon? I might need you for further questioning..."

"What kind of feathers? Some birds feed on just about everything they can find, like crows and ravens," he said, still sounding friendly. It was a subtle way of asking whether or not he was correct when it came to his suspicions. If Etna's mother was involved with this, there was something more about it, not simply a murder. Of course, nothing ever was simple, only an idiot would underestimate the amount of trouble a situation could cause.

"Obviously, that would depend on the state of the corpses, how long they've been lying, and so on. As for leaving Sicily, we're headed further north, and we are in somewhat of a hurry," he added.

There. Helpful, but clearly unaware of what's going on, and with the intention of leaving soon. Should be enough to make him get the point.


Andrew wondered how long it would take before one of the others spoke. Considering what they could say, he'd rather they didn't. However, one could get lucky, say the right thing, and make it easier for them to leave.

As if. Etna knows how to brainwash people, right? Hopefully, she's working on that.

 

[Terratina.]

"Tch."

The nudge irritated her, the agent's words irritated her and the whole situation irritated her. The whole thing had completely changed the atmosphere, and as a result, had ruined the meal. Etna's already foul moody worsened. Here she was, with the group, trying to enjoy a nicely-cooked meal - possibly something she wouldn't have for ages - and the agent had come along and asked awkward questions and stated some awkward facts. Feathers? She sighed, any more trouble from mother dearest and... Well, best not to think about that. After all, it seemed that they needed her. Regardless of whether the agent himself was a god in disguise or not. She doubted it was safe to use her power, or even moral. Even so...

'Fine, I'll do it but don't blame me if something bad happens...' Etna though as she begin her mental assault.

 

[Lunar Templar]

Aria continued eating through the back and forthing with the agent and the others, though she had to force her self to not roll here eyes when he asked about strange birds, seemed a rather stupid thing to ask in lue of the explosion she caused, which struck her highly odd, most local authorities would have been all over the site back home and there's not even been a peep about it from this fed, she didn't like that, and she doubted he didn't know. That told her these 'birds' where a greater threat, and the only way that would be possible is if they where supernatural, the implicstions of that though didn't sit well with her. Aria how ever just finished her meal and took to knocking back glass after glass of water due to the dehydration from her burns.

 

[Green Shoes]

The agent massaged his temples as Etna began to twist his mind. Remus' and Andrews' questions sounded far away and vague. He felt a pull, away from the group. I'm wasting my time, I need to talk to anyone flying over the area.

"Who do I remind you of?"

"What kind of feathers?"

He blinked a few times and spoke.

"Just a woman we found...earlier this week. Just black feathers. I think I have all I need - thanks...thanks very much..."

Turning around, he began to walk out, loosening his tie as he went. Before he left, he spoke into a transmitter, requesting pickup from outside. Roce felt sick - feverish and exhausted.

-------------------------------------------

Prometheus raised his eyebrows as the agent left, finishing his meal and slinging his backpack over his shoulder. It was afternoon, and they needed to move quickly, before more questions caught up with them.

"Remind me not to upset Etna. Now, how do we cross to Europe from here? Should we cross tonight?"

Catching the waitresses eye, he saw her look at the agents, and then back to them; she was deeply concerned, and began chatting to the manager behind the counter; a stern man with greying hair, he eyed them suspiciously.

"I believe we've outstayed our welcome; I'll fix the bill, you guys get ready to leave."

Leaving the table, Prometheus paid the table in silence, all the time being scrutinized by the manager. Under his breath, Prometheus could barely make out some vague Sicilian insult. Screwing up his mouth in resignation, the Titan shrugged and waved the group over, opening the door. As the manager kept staring, Prometheus spoke low, jerking his thumb at the agent who was just stepping into a dark car.

"We had some travelling stuff stolen the other day; turns out they caught the guy."

With a weak smile, he stepped outside, awaiting the others.