ZincAboutIt

Lita suppressed a smile at Laurelai's sudden shift in tone, the voice conjuring an image of the woman as an Elendel noble, stuffed into a gauzy confection of a dress and whining about the carriage line to get into a party. "Well it's not my fault that I've never been here before," Lita responded, affecting a thicker version of her Scadrian accent and pitching her voice a bit higher. "How am I supposed to know one street from another? When we --" Lita turned around, her eyes going wide in mock-surprise at the sight of the man behind her, as though she'd only just heard him approach. She took one hesitant step backwards, then gave the man a bright smile. "Oh! Look, someone's come to help us. Hello there," she said, her voice comically loud and slow. "We," Lita motioned to herself and Laurelai, "are looking," she pantomimed shading her eyes and scanning a horizon, "for the pool hall." She finished by miming hitting a ball with a pool stick, then gave the addict another sunny grin. He blinked at them both for one moment, then his mouth lifted into a crooked smile of his own, and he lunged for Lita like she was a bag of sweets. Lita danced backwards, Tin having let her catch the minute beginnings of his lunge before he'd even begun. Already unsteady from the moss, the man wobbled, and one Pewter-enhanced kick to the back of the leg sent the man crashing to his knees with a howl. Lita stepped forward and followed her kick with a reinforced backhand that knocked him backwards into the stone wall; his head rebounded off the brick with dull 'thud' and he slid down onto the grimy cobblestones, half-dazed and groaning. "Right, well, so much for the pool hall," Lita said, moving behind the man and grabbing him by the back of his coat. He gave a strangled cry and struggled half-heartedly, but stopped when Lita stepped on his hand with one brass heel. His scream nearly drowned out the meaty crunch of his finger bones, but not quite. Lita grimaced and began dragging the man towards the shadowed end of the street motioning for Laurelai to follow her. Once they reached the back, she propped the addict up against the windowless brick and let the tip of her spike peek out from her sleeve. The man whimpered, squeezing himself into the corner where two tenement walls met, eyes darting from the spike, to Lita, to Laurelai, and finally to the little pouch on his waist. Lita bent down, and the man flinched as she reached for him, but she only swiped the little bag and stepped back again. He reached for it, but stopped when Lita let the spike drop down into her hand a little further. "Anything you'd like to ask, Laurelai?" @Voidus

Lita barely had the chance to hiss out a strangled "--what?" before Laurelai made a quick bee-line for a smaller, significantly more dilapidated street a few yards away. She resisted the urge to throw up her hands, careful to keep her steps measured and somewhat-casual so as not to reveal her Pewter burn. Lita caught up to Laurelai a minute later, and she turned her Tin down for a moment to get a better idea of just how dim this little street was. Shadow covered this place, turning piles of rubble and trash into indistinct lumps. It was almost an alley. Almost. But it was a little too wide, and it dead-ended after another thirty yards with no outlet. Great. Lita brought her Tin up again and listened hard, filtering out the sudden rush of sound: people talking in the apartment building next door, someone cooking five doors down, two feral cats fighting, a dog gnawing an old bone and -- there. The soft scuff of footsteps coming down the last street. "What are you doing?" Lita whispered to Laurelai, hurriedly jamming a hand in her pocket and fishing out one of her metal vials. She drained it quickly, wincing at the light burn of weak alcohol, then took Laurelai by the arm and leaned against the scorched brick. Lita stuffed her hand into her pocket, drawing out her long spike and then sliding it up the sleeve of her coat where it could drop easily into her hand. She hoped it wouldn't come to that, but she'd rather be over-prepared than not. "Seems like I was right," she continued. "He's about a minute away, thinking he's cornered two plump pigeons for a little R and R." Lita gave Laurelai a pointed look. "I realize you must have been bored as hell down in the records building, but if it's excitement you wanted, I could have just taken you to a pool hall." @Voidus

Deb pursed her lips at the newcomer, though she slid a questionnaire and a pen from a nearby table and held them out to her anyway. "Please fill out this form," she said, "and deliver it to either myself or Farren." Deb gestured to her assistant, who was nearly done collecting all the completed questionnaires from the other attendants. "My name is Director Stancel, and I will be the Expedition Leader on this mission. The final list of chosen applicants will be posted later, at which point you will assemble tomorrow morning at the tunnel entrance and prepare for the expedition. I'm sure you have questions - questions which would have likely been answered had you arrived on time. It seems as though you know someone else here; feel free to direct your questions to them, or to Farren." She smiled coldly, nodded, and then walked over to her assistant. "Handle the rest of this," she said to him, taking the completed questionnaires. "I need to send these to the Executive Committee as soon as possible for review." Farren nodded. "Of course, Ma'am." Deb felt her smile warm a touch, and she gave her assistant one more nod before giving the back doors a sustain Steelpush and striding back into the ACE headquarters. Her smile widened just a bit. I do love two-way hinges.

Lita blinked, drawn out of what had been a rather close inspection of one of the walls on the tenement bordering the missing building, and gave Laurelai a sidelong glance. She's jumpy, Lita thought, though she said nothing, giving the man a closer look as she pretended to adjust her cap. "He does," Lita whispered, feeling her pulse quicken a bit as she spoke, "though he's got them on all his fingers - of both hands. Rusts, he's either far deeper in than I thought, or those are sword calluses. Could be that he's a veteran looking to forget - wouldn't be the first, that's certain. The moss is genuine, I can see it from here. He could be staking this place out for someone, or he could just be sizing us up for a nice robbery." Lita gave a faint, cold smile at the reassuring weight of the dagger in her coat, and touched off a light burn of Pewter. "If it's the latter, he's certainly in for a bit of a surprise." Six months ago, the thought of someone trying to rob her would have sent Lita into a state of minor panic. Now, she sized the man up with a practiced eye, mind tracing the familiar patterns of a possible scuffle. I could break his wrist, she thought, chewing her lip and looking back towards the empty lot across the street. A kick to the groin would certainly do it, or the knee. She'd fitted her boots with brass-reinforced heels and toes, giving her both an easy emergency metalmind reserve and an added layer of self defense. "Or, I could just crush his windpipe with my hand, though that would certainly hamper any further questioning. Maybe --" Lita cut off, realizing a bit too late that she'd murmured that last bit aloud. She looked over at Laurelai, then cleared her throat. "Just...running through worst-case scenarios," she said, giving her friend an awkward smile. Her friend. The words carried a weight to them that she hadn't felt since leaving Elendel. Since leaving her father. Lita shoved those thoughts away, bringing her mind back around to the present. Focus. "This isn't the only site in the city that's disappeared - just the most recent. At least as far as I know. Maybe he's from another guild, or maybe he's just some random person come to have a look, same as us. Though I've hardly lived this long betting on the optimistic options." @Voidus

I will admit, this is still really confusing to me, but if it's what people agree on, I will of course figure it out

I like this idea, but often times things are happening at different times. I could begin an RP that only lasts 2 hours in-universe, but goes on for 3 days irl. How would we finesse that into a comprehensive and agreed-upon timeline? By your own time reckoning, people have been in the ACE meeting for 7 days, when in reality it’s been at most a few hours.

Here you go!

Lita watched Laurelai squint at the sun as if she were the one burning Tin. Survivor, but she needs to get out more. "By my best guess, it happened about four days ago," Lita said, watching a man loitering on the opposite corner. He looked about thirty, and he was rubbing something between his fingers. Tin told her it was firemoss, and Lita dismissed the man as any kind of suspect, though perhaps he might have seen something. She continued scanning the street, but let her consciousness open a little wider, listening to the surrounding blocks. "There's a man and a woman talking three houses down - longtime residents of this area, judging by their conversation. We could ask them should we need some context. That fellow over there is likely to be less reliable," Lita gave an almost-imperceptible nod towards the moss addict, "though probably more pliable when it comes to requests. He's been giving anxious looks to the little pouch hanging down by his left pocket; I'd bet ten chrysts he's running dangerously low on 'recreation' and will be looking to solve that problem soon. For now, though, I say we investigate with our own eyes." Lita made sure that her sleeves covered the tiny spikes in her forearms and flipped up her collar before calmly leaving the alley. She trusted Laurelai to follow her, and together they adopted the casual, slightly-despondent air of the few others walking through this area. It wasn't quite a slum, though it wasn't far off. Rubble from the invasion still littered each street corner, and plenty of buildings stood half-destroyed, bricks crumbling and roofs caved in. The skyline here looked like a mouthful of broken teeth. They stopped walking when they were roughly across from the building - or rather, where the building should have been. A vacant lot sat between two other tenements, completely empty of the building that, for all intents and purposes, had stood there completed not a week before. All traces of it were gone, even the foundation, judging by the churned-up earth. It was as if someone had reached down from the heavens and plucked the building from its place. "By all accounts, sixty-three people lived in that building," Lita said quietly. "None of them have been seen since." @Voidus

Lita laughed. It sounded strange to her ears, a foreign collection of notes. Rusts, how long had it been since she'd just laughed? Laurelai's open, honest grin was gone in a moment, but Lita knew she'd been lucky to see it at all. The world outside had no time for open, easy laughter or genuine smiles, at least not from two spies such as themselves. But Lita trusted Laurelai, at least as much as she could trust anyone. She had recruited Lita, gone through terror and fire and rain with her, seen her bleed. And Lita knew more about Laurelai than even Laurelai herself - though that was a secret so dangerous that even Lita tried not to think on it too often. Suffice it to say, she'd earned a few genuine laughs. "Rust and ruin, I forgot how useful that trick is," Lita said, eyeing Laurelai's newly-smoothed skin and perfect hair. "Some of us have to get ready the old fashioned way, though lucky for you I'm almost done." She stepped into her boots and quickly did up the buttons, then slid on a coat. Lita held another up for Laurelai. "You want one? It's been threatening rain for days now, and I'd hate for you to mess up that perfect hair of yours." She picked up her flat cap from where it lay on the table and fit it over her head, tucking her braid down under her collar. Lita slung the second coat over her arm and checked her pockets: Coin, three vials of Tin and Pewter flakes, one long spike dagger, and her Alleycant pen. Should be enough for a quick look around. Lita nodded to herself and headed for the door, then stopped one more time, darting into the little kitchen and emerging with two cookies. She handed one to Laurelai. "I've been trying to recreate the ones we had in that impromptu guild meeting during the whole PlasmaCore debacle," she said, holding the door open for Laurelai before locking it behind them. "I know I'll never come close to actually matching the Stranger's recipe, but I dream about those things some nights. I had to find an outlet for my frustration. Anyway, they're pretty good, or they should be, anyway. This is probably my 150th batch." She took a bite, thinking. "I'm pretty sure I've got the vanilla extract worked out," she said around a mouthful. "But for all I know there's some necessary secret ingredient I haven't even thought of. Anyway, this isn't important. Brace yourself, Laurelai - I do believe the sun is out there. You do remember the sun, right?" Lita held the piece of paper with the address of the missing building out toward Laurelai, trusting the other woman to follow her during their Alleytravel. For her part, Lita had already committed the address to memory, and the journey was an easy one as far as Alleytravel was concerned. After a short time, she stepped out of a dingy alleyway in one of the more ramshackle parts of town, and leaned against the wall, waiting for Laurelai.

There was a light in Laurelai's eyes now, and Lita could almost hear her mind whirring beneath her long blonde hair. Lita allowed herself a small smile, already glad she'd invited Laurelai over. They might have their differences, but they both loved a good secret. "No pattern that my source could tell," Lita said. "Though she's been working off gossip from the local slums. Still, rumors are consistent enough to indicate that something is happening. I got the address of one of the buildings that's reportedly gone missing - it was a relatively new tenement, just rebuilt after the invasion, so it's unlikely that it just, you know, finally fell apart. The only new development in recent days is that cavern discovery, though I've no idea how the two could be linked." Lita slid a small piece of paper from her pocket and set it on the table, tapping the address on it with one finger. "I was going to check it out, but I wanted to invite you first - if you're interested, of course. I mean, if you haven't had enough paperwork yet, feel free to go back to the records department." She winked. "But, at the risk of straying into 'impolite' territory, you look like you could use a little time outside the Alleys." And I could use the company of someone who isn't tied to a chair.

Lita felt her cheeks color at the reminder of their time in the tavern. What had possessed her to suggest recording an incident report after drinking something close to two bottles of wine? She lifted the mug to her lips to hide her blush, taking a generous sip before responding. “Yes, well, there’s more than one reason I’ve spent so much time out in the field,” she said. That report had spread through the Alleys like wildfire. “You know, someone actually put that to music? Tanarav and a few other guys from Acquisitions took me out one night after we’d worked to bring in a Bureau Bloodmaker, then sang it to me,” Lita wrinkled her nose and blushed a deeper shade of red. “I staked out a building for three days and gave Tanarav first dibs on that spike, and that’s how he repays me? Rusting oaf. As if that hangover wasn’t punishment enough.” It had taken her the better part of a month til she could even look at a bottle of wine, let alone drink any. “But, enough about the past,” Lita went on, recalling her chat with Lena earlier that day. “I ran across some interesting information this morning and thought I’d run it past you. Have you ever heard of buildings just randomly...disappearing? Apparently it’s been happening here and there throughout the city, at least as far as my source could tell.” @Voidus

Deb followed the young woman's finger to where she pointed, feeling a slight prickle at the back of her neck when she read the words "DA." It was hardly a shock that someone from the Dark Alley had turned up - this type of expedition had all the hallmarks of something that would catch their attention. The Executive Committee had figured that they'd have ended up down there one way or another - might as well open the expedition to all guilds and hope that some of the DA's resources and knowledge ended up on the team. It was practical and prudent, and while Deb had little love for some of their practices, she also knew it was pointless to condemn them outright. They'd built and maintained this world, after all, and had been the majority of what stood between the city and total destruction earlier that year. "Of course," she said, giving the woman a small, polite smile. "Though with your expertise, it is safe to assume that you will be granted a spot on the expedition. I don't want to give you any guarantees, but your knowledge will likely prove invaluable to us down in the caverns."

Lita looked up when Laurelai darted in, closing the door behind her and leaning against it as though hounded by some enemy. Tin was hardly necessary to catch the frustration in Laurelai's voice, thought Lita was burning some anyway. As usual. She brought her cup to her lips, taking a tentative sip of tea, then pointed to a second cup that sat steaming before an empty chair. "That bad, is it?" Lita asked, feeling the corner of her mouth drag upward. "I always figured that record-keeping would be interesting in a place like this, but then again, perhaps not." She set her mug down, a thought suddenly stealing the beginnings of her smile. The last time they'd spoken, Laurelai had been filling in the official records, transcribing incident reports over the last six months. It was a long shot, but there was a chance Laurelai had read through one or two of her own reports. Lita cleared her throat, shoving down the odd mixture of defiance and guilt that squirmed in her guts. There was nothing for her to be ashamed of, no crime in doing her job. All actions had consequences, after all. And for the last members of PlasmaCore, she was that consequence. Was, she thought, pulling her face back into a pleasant smile. That work is done, now. "Do let me know if you come across any reports authorizing my immediate disintegration," Lita said, forcing a small laugh. "Still, it can't be all bad. I should probably spend more time down there myself - you must know every last thing that happens in this place. Have you, um, read anything particularly interesting lately?" @Voidus

Lita stepped into the narrow alley that ran beside her old boarding house, rolling her shoulders as she walked deeper into the shadows. She smiled, Tin making it appear like twilight, instead of the deep pitch-blackness that should have lurked at the back of the alleyway. As she walked, she felt the air around her change, and she set her mind to the business of Alleytravel, sweeping away the last few pleasant hours and bending all her concentration on the task at hand. She had grown accustomed to this over the last six months; she'd hardly stayed more than half a week at a time in the Alleys themselves, always off chasing one lead or another. Alleytravel had made that significantly easier, and the constant practice had taken the process from utterly terrifying to simply unnerving. The twenty small spikes in her forearms aided her journey, giving her subconscious the hints she needed to direct the Alleys away from Eldritch abominations, dimensional tears, and those penguins everyone kept talking about. They were hardly foolproof, though. Two months ago, she'd somehow taken a route through an Alley that appeared to be completely covered in caustic molasses, and more than once she'd ended up on fire, under water, or, on one memorable and horrible occasion, both. This time was, blessedly, uneventful, and Lita soon found herself stepping into the familiar Alley that lead to her quarters. She took a deep breath, slipping her flat cap off her head and allowing her curtain of auburn hair to slide down her back. After a few minutes, Lita came to a stop before a blue door. Her blue door. Home. It wasn't until she stepped inside and shut the door that she allowed herself to relax completely. Here, surrounded by the trappings of her new life, Lita felt safe. Or, well, as safe as one could be while living in a parallel dimension created by a bunch of hemalurgists. She slipped off her shoes and allowed herself the luxury of a long shower, then made herself a cup of tea. While she waited for it to steep, Lita took a moment to jot down what she had learned earlier this morning, Lena's words running through her mind. She had free time, now. Now that she'd completed her work. Lita wrinkled her nose at a sudden memory, the splintered crunch of Jarret's wrist in her hand. Similar sounds hounded her in her sleep, strangled cries, tears, despair. That cold, hopeless tone of voice that always came when someone finally realized that there would be no escape. What she needed now was a distraction - something to put a bit of distance between her and the last six months. A new secret. Sometimes buildings disappear. It was an intriguing prospect, and she wasn't quite sure where to start. But, she knew someone who might. With what felt like the first true smile in weeks, Lita stood and pulled a familiar pen out of one of her drawers. It was one of the first things she'd ever received after joining the DA; Laurelai had gone with her to fetch it from R&D. Fitting, Lita thought, and twirled the pen. Still hiding in the Department of Records? She sent to Laurelai. I hate to pull you away from what is surely riveting and glorious work, but if you're craving some human interaction, I've got some free time and a cup of tea with your name on it. That, and I've got a bit of interesting gossip. That done, Lita pulled another mug from the cupboard, dropped in a teabag, and waited. @Voidus

"We have funding from a few separate entities," Deb said, somewhat surprised that Althea had taken her last reply without further comment. "Several independent local merchant families have pooled their funds together as investment in this organization, including our Chairman, Tycho Anvor. We have also taken out loans from the Bank of Chrysts here, and initially we hoped to pay them back after the subway system was up and running. As it is, anything valuable found down in the caverns would also help to repay the organization's debts. As members, anyone in our organization could also stake a reasonable partial claim or finder's rights on valuable resources discovered in the caverns." "Was there any report of anything alive in these caves, well not anything alive, but anything to kill?" Deb's head snapped up, singling out the speaker. She felt a small frown crease between her eyes. So eager to draw blood, even on an expedition? It was hardly a wonder that this city lay in ruins, if this kind of bloodlust was commonplace. "The initial team reported hints of life down in the caverns," she said. "Though there were no sightings, nor confirmations, of any sapient life. Insects, fish, and other cave-dwelling animals were reported. It is our deepest hope that there will be no need to kill anything while down in the caverns, a hope that I am sure is shared by everyone here." She breathed a short sigh through her nose, then nodded at Farren. Her assistant shut off the projection, then brought up the lights. "This concludes our presentation. Please remember to fill out your questionnaires and deliver them to Farren or myself. If you are selected for this expedition, you will receive more information on the mission, and be considered full members of ACE. We hope to have selected our final team by this evening, and will send word to all those who have made the cut. Feel free to help yourself to any food or drink, and thank you for your time."

"That is a secret," Lena whispered into her ear, breath hot and laced with wine. Lita felt all the hair on her body rise at once, an electric prickle that slid across her skin like one long draw of heat from her Brassminds. She took in a small, sharp breath, then watched as Lena leaned back in her seat and finished her wine. Lita still felt the whisper echo of Lena's lips against her cheekbone, and she tapped one lacquered fingernail against the tabletop, mouth twisting crookedly. Irritation and intrigue coiled within her like two serpents, and she fixed Lena with the full force of her attention. "I happen to be quite the avid collector of secrets," she said, taking another swallow of port. She barely tasted it now, her tongue too busy tracing the bottom edges of her teeth, which she bared in a hungry little smile. "Rest assured, I can pay for the privilege." Lena said nothing, continuing to stare at Lita with that wicked, knowing smile. Lita knocked back the rest of her port and took three chrysts from one pocket, setting them on the table next to her empty glass as a tip. Her heart thrummed in her chest, her body tense and alert. She realized she'd begun unconsciously burning Pewter, and it drove her forward, onward, even as Tin allowed her to feel the power whipping through her veins. Time to go, I think. "You value your information highly - I respect that," Lita said, leaning back towards Lena. "Why don't we take a walk? We can discuss terms more privately. Perhaps I can convince you to part with that secret. I may be a Tineye, but I've been told I have a Soother's tongue." She slid off the bar stool without waiting for a reply, heading towards the ironwood doors. Lita smirked when she heard the other woman follow her, and together they walked out onto the street. @Sorana

Lita smirked when she heard the slight acceleration of Lena's pulse, and she gave the Coin one last flip before sliding it back into her pocket. No need to reveal all her tricks so soon into the day. She cocked her head and took a longer drink, only wincing a tiny bit at the acrid yet cloying sweetness of the port. Rusts who made this? I'd like to ask them a few pointed questions. The young man who had walked in and ordered a coffee caught her eye, and she thought she recognized him. That funding party, she realized. What was his name... Alan? No, Alask. That was it, Alask, the new patriarch of the Forge. He looked about two steps from collapsing against the bartop and snoring. Long nights? Doing what, I wonder. Lita leaned forward, Tin allowing her to catch the delicate spice of Lena's perfume. She nodded just slightly towards Alask, lowering her voice as much as she dared while still allowing Lena to hear her. "Your friend over there," she murmured. "He's been making rather a name for himself amongst this city's ragged masses. Word on the street has it that he's working with some dark guardian, stalking the slums at night and protecting the weak. It seems a bit fanciful, but then again, who am I to talk? So, what's his story?" @Sorana

Why did I ever leave Preservation's Wings? Deb thought, fighting down the urge to snap at the girl. This sort of insubordination never would have happened in her old mercenary corp. But, reminiscence was inefficient. Better to live in the present. She nodded to Farren, motioning to the side with one finger. He switched the slide behind her back to the map. "Before we lost communication with the team, they reported many findings." She pointed to a steep, narrow descent labeled 'The Long Trail.' "Here, the tunnel dropped some one hundred meters into the earth and still continued onward, before they decided to turn back. Here," she moved her finger to a small, rounded cavern dubbed 'Mirror Cave,' "they found a cavern covered entirely in reflective crystals, every facet polished to a high shine." "The bottom of this cavern drops down into a deep lake, and could continue down further. This cavern, which is the largest found yet, even contained hints of ancient illustration. Cave paintings, Dr. Vann thought they were." As she spoke, she pointed out two locations labeled 'The Well' and 'The Grand Gallery,' respectively. Deb skewered the girl with a stern, amber glare. "The point I am trying to make, miss, is that the team found any number of things down in the caverns, and we are all but guaranteed to find even more on our next expedition. This is an exploration, a first foray into the unknown. We will likely map new portions of the cavern system, find new areas of study. When it comes to these tunnels, we are almost as ignorant as you are. That is the entire point of this exercise - to further our knowledge of this place, to catalog its many wonders, and to anticipate any dangers."

"Yes?" Deb said, pointing to the young woman.

Deb felt her mouth flatten into a hard line at the shadowy man's flippant question, but she forced her voice to remain neutral. "Until such time as we receive concrete evidence that Warrick's team is dead, we are treating this as a rescue mission. If even one of them is still alive, they deserve our best attempts to find them." She turned towards the pale young woman with the dark hair. "As far as support goes, yes, you will be receiving more substantial support from us. Our best guards and employees trained in defense and rescue will be along, in addition to any new recruits who might also specialize in those areas. In terms of resources, feel free to bring any equipment with you that might aid in your own particular areas of expertise. We are well-supplied with communications devices, spanreeds, as well as medical supplies, food, and water rations. Our surveying and cartography departments, as well as engineering and demolition, can and will also supplement any needed materials. Those of you who specialize in more niche scientific disciplines are encouraged to bring their equipment of choice. The Executive Committee has relegated a portion of Chairman Anvor's personal gemstone reserve for needed Stormlight, though you are all encouraged to bring any of your own with you as well. Our medics will carry limited supplies of the most common Allomantic metals as well, though these should be used as a last resort. You are all responsible for supplying your own means of Investiture. Necessary equipment related to cave exploration will be supplied by us, including rope, head lamps, harnesses and the like. You will all also receive one tracking node that is to be kept on your person at all times. This will enable us to keep track of one another, and reduce the risk of losing members substantially. In addition, you will receive a small device allowing you to observe the movements of your fellows. Everyone will be able to see where everyone is - this is not meant to be a secretive measure. Merely a safety precaution." Finally, Deb met the eyes of Althea Tenira. The Ghostblood leader was a bit of a surprise, but Deb had done her homework. By all accounts, Althea was cool, effective, and a brilliant Elsecaller. That kind of skillset wasn't something to take lightly; she would be an tremendously valuable ally down in the caverns. To Damnation with you, Garrings, for sticking me up here. This is politics, and I rusting hate politics. "Warrick's Expedition Logs are currently classified information," Deb said, choosing her words carefully. "Releasing the logs to the public now, while so much is still unknown about Warrick and the rest of the team, has been deemed inadvisable. These people have families, and it would not do to have the entire city abuzz with rumors and speculation before they are given a concrete answer. However," Deb tapped one finger against her clipboard, irritated, "I understand that transparency is crucial to establish trust. Once the selection process is complete, you will officially be members of ACE. I will speak with the Executive Committee and see about releasing some of these logs once we begin our expedition, to better keep everyone informed." @Invocation @ElephantEarwax @kenod @Sorana

Buildings vanish now and then? Lita allowed one eyebrow to arc upwards at this information, maintaining her air of sardonic ease. She took another sip of port, feeling the edge of excitement kindle at the prospect of a new secret. Lena kept her largely up to date with the overall mood of the poorer districts in the city, which was useful, if dull. Still, she'd managed to get a tip-off on at least one of PlasmaCore's stragglers that way. The barest twinge of guilt flickered through her, and Lita rolled her shoulders to disperse the feeling. Jarret had played his hand in joining with the Bureau, and actions had consequences. That was hardly Lita's problem; indeed, his loss was her gain. Lita slipped the Coin from her pocket and flipped it once before dancing it between her slender fingers. It was cold and heavy in her hand, each face stamped with the image of a skull impaled through the left eye with a long spike. Lita caught Lena watching her fingers dance through the air and smirked. "Fascinating gossip, to be sure," she said, continuing to spin and toy with the Coin, not even bothering to watch her own fingers, instead staring at Lena. "A neat little trick, isn't it?" She flipped the Coin again, catching it in her left hand now and allowing it to trickle down the ladder of her knuckles. "Requires continuous practice, but I like to keep my fingers nimble - never know when you'll need to pick a lock, after all." @Sorana

Deb watched as the crowd slowly ambled towards their seats, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes. A few, like the Ghostblood leader, eyed her with open, cold suspicion. Others were simply confused. Eventually, she felt as though she had enough of their attention to reasonably begin. She nodded to Farren, who dimmed the lights and removed a small remote from his coat pocket. The wall behind Deb was illuminated with the image of Caleb Raleigh's last official mapping transmission. She closed her eyes for one moment, banishing the small knot of tension that gathered in her chest, before taking a deep breath and addressing the group. "Good morning," she said, though by this point it was barely the morning. "On behalf of Alleycity Excavation, I would like to extend our gratitude for your time and attention. My name is Director Stancel, and for those of you who make it through the initial selection process, I will be your Expedition Leader. "After the destruction of the city some six months ago, our Executive Committee, headed by Chairman Tycho Anvor, decided to launch a public works project to help get the city back to work. The aim was to excavate and construct a basic subway network, allowing citizens a direct route around the city, unimpeded by rubble or the risk of turning down the wrong alleyway." "Two months ago, after beginning initial demolition, a large subterranean cavern network was discovered. It became apparent that more research and a thorough understanding of this cavern system was required before construction could begin. We adapted to this slight deviation, and our first expedition team was selected." Deb nodded once more toward Farren, who switched the image on the projector. Though she could not see it, she knew that eight faces now took up the wall behind her. "This team, hand-selected and lead by noted former Worldhopper Sawyer Warrick, descended into the caverns three weeks ago. Initial reports described a complex system of tunnels, caves, and caverns that appeared to have no end. As the team continued deeper, reports became more and more... infrequent." Deb gripped her clipboard a little tighter to keep her hand from shaking, though her voice remained steady. She did not agree with Garrings' decision to divulge this information so early and to so many unknown elements. But, orders were orders. Deb continued, barely managing to keep the disapproval from her voice. "Fourteen days ago, Expedition Leader Warrick's communications network went completely dark. Our leader cartographer, Caleb Raleigh, lost the use of his spanreed at roughly the same time. No new logs have been posted, and we have reason to believe that the situation in the caverns is critical. Executive leadership has decided that a larger team would be better equipped to explore these caverns, in addition to hopefully rescuing Warrick and the rest of our initial team." Deb squared her shoulders, now taking the time to meet the eyes of the assembled group before her. "This city has seen much hardship, and I can understand that some of you might mistrust us. That is logical, and I can respect that kind of prudence. However, I must impress upon you the fallacy of that mistrust. We began our work here in an attempt to rebuild this place, not tear it down. Though our goals have shifted in response to recent events, I can assure you of one thing: we do not wish to harm this city. We seek only to understand, and to recover those we have lost." She cleared her throat, blinking at the sudden, slight prickle in her right eye. Must be all the dust from the ruins outside. Deb did not turn around, did not meet the laughing eyes of Sawyer Warrick, the eyes that could possibly now be closed forever beneath hundreds of tons of rock. Sentiment would not help their team now. Instead, she stood up straight, and surveyed her newest recruits. "Are there any questions?"

Deb looked at her watch, frowning as the second hand ticked inevitably toward ten thirty. She could hear the low murmur of conversation within the meeting room, and she’d watched the group assemble for nearly forty minutes through a small angled window. The turnout was good, better than Deb had initially expected, and she allowed herself a small smile. It was very nearly time for her entrance. Farren had been right, of course. Waiting was far too dramatic for Deb’s taste, but making an impression had its advantages. Especially in a city like this. She sighed, checked to make sure her jacket was smooth down the front, and then turned her attention inward. The Steel flakes she’d swallowed earlier flared into life within her, and immediately, a dozen blue lines sprang out from her chest, alerting her to nearby sources of metal. The two largest lines shot out straight ahead of her, pointing at the two double doors that lead into the meeting room. Deb gripped her clipboard and pen a little tighter, then took a deep breath and Pushed. --- Corette was halfway through filling out her questionnaire when the double doors at the back of the room swung inward as if on an invisible wind. A woman stood there, smaller than Corette had expected from what appeared to be a substantial Steelpush. Bronze quickly confirmed her suspicions, identifying the woman as a Coinshot. She looked to be somewhere in her early to mid thirties, with a slender, almost delicate face, sharp cheekbones, and amber eyes. Her honey-gold hair was pulled back into a merciless bun, sides so smooth it looked like she’d lacquered them. Unlike the young man who’d given out the questionnaires, this woman appeared totally at ease in her olive and orange uniform. She had a military air about her, that firm, ramrod efficiency that only came after a lifetime of following orders. She scanned the meeting room in one long sweep, then nodded almost imperceptibly before walking to the head of the room and gesturing to the rows of chairs. “The meeting has begun,” she said, voice clear and sharp. “Please, take your seats.”