LUCIDUS MAGUS

[Valyrian Steel]

Ben was silent for a moment, contemplating the ideas with a face hidden behind a mask. He knew the Council was currently in a position that gave very little leverage or opportunity for Ben to use, even with the resources that the Agency brought him. An action of this magnitude would trap the Council members if it was executed with perfection. For years he had been watching the actions of the corrupt handful of people that governed Lucidus with discontent. Now, all these years later, the wishful ideas could become reality.

"Give me the opportunity to cut the infection from the body of Lucidus, and you have the Agency's assistance." He looked up at chance from behind the mask, and stood up straight to look him in the eye for a long moment. It was unclear what Ben was thinking, but then the silence was broken when Ben lifted his arm to offer a handshake that confirmed his words. Behind his mask, a silent smirk played across his lips. The idea of ridding the world of the council members was an intoxicating one, and now his friend Chance was providing the means.

Ben couldn't have been more pleased.

 

[r0guish]

Ghosts in the Dragons Lair; -- The headquarters, although being only a tent, was rather spacious and well lived in for being such a new structure in the city. As the two superiors allowed a silence to fall for the benefit of thinking over this rather large pill, the men around them never ceased to move - one way and then another, always accomplishing some unknown task. The man at the tent's doorway seemed most busy, although he seemed to move very little, stuffing documents into leather pouches, given to him by a man on a portable typing press clicked away at communications unknown, to be given to the surplus of trodden on people as errands, and they were paid handsomely for their task.

As Chance sat and took in the orchestra that was his troops at work, he couldn't help that he thought his face should be hidden from the improbability of someone simply bursting in - which would explain his next act. Left hand searched blindly behind him, looking for the small loop of a grip that attached to the pull away curtains that were installed. They were of a fine burgundy silk, and it unfolded with Chance's tempting tugs at it, giving it the distinct impression of being alive in some way - rolling against the natural flow of things so elegantly, and all this - for a speck of privacy.

When he was done with that he consciously dusted his hands off of one another before returning to see where they had landed on their agreement. Ben's words were sly as ever, the first utterances enough to make him feel uneasy, but once he clarified by continuing it was as if he had the world in the palm of his hand he was so pleased. Broad, white smile broke across that tangle of beard as his hand shot in to take Ben's, perhaps a little too enthusiastically, for the shake was a hard one.

"You've done me a great service, Ben." Slapping the man on the back a couple of times in renewed bonds of friendship. "All those fools do is bicker and fight. What we do here will change history! We shall shape it with our hands." Chance was pacing the tent now, all eyes within on the giant of a man as he preached that rhetoric to them - eyes ablaze with conviction and hands uplifted to signify his closing words. "We should have thought of this sooner. Nothing could hold up to a joint operation headed by us." Tone had returned to mildly happy and aloof as he tracked up to Ben, standing at arms length to the man.

"Alright, so we're going to need to start swapping information as soon as possible; the more we have the easier this gets." Of course Ben knew this, but Chance only saying it to rib at his old friend in that serious matter of information dealing. He was sure there was things Ben didn't want Chance to see, and likewise for Chance - such was the game.  

[Valyrian Steel]

The masked assassin smiled slightly at Chance, though it went unseen behind the cloth. "Indeed, it never occurred to me to combine our resources like this. It is...a brilliant circumstance." He eyed the men around him, before returning his attention to Chance after watching the curtains fall behind him.

"Alright, you first. How many operations have you already successfully implemented, and which areas of the city do you have men in? I need to know where exactly you have the strongest influence, so I can focus my efforts on the areas that have yet to be touched." He paused, looking down at the documents before him. "...We will need airships. The Agency is well connected, however not in the means to possess warships, or anything of the like. We need to be prepared for the possibility that Aes warships heading this way will become a problem for us, not to mention the Lucidus Warships that still occupy the fleet that guards the city." He glanced up at Chance, making it clear with the motion that Ben meant business about making this a flawless execution of their insane plan.

"Also, theres the matter of our dear friend, Triesten, the current military leader of Lucidus. Not to mention making sure the Council doesn't get work of this and flees. Tell me what control you have over this situation, so that I may double it, and extend it with my own resources. Then, you may ask me what you need to know and I will tell you what connections and resources my organization has here in the city." The man's thought process was brilliant as ever, and he never attempted anything without taking every little detail and possibility into account before implementing a process.

 

[r0guish]

Philosophy of a Dying Breed; -- Though Chance shouldered the responsibility of a shadow organization, his body showed primarily a man swept up in the arms of lady relaxation. Form was hunched in his chair, allowing him a better view of the multitude of information in front of him, but also maintained a silent vigil on Ben in case the unforeseen occurred. Fears were put to rest as his comrade slung himself into the task of trying to conquer the mountain of information, pulling a satisfied grin from Chance's once neutral features. Fingers vied for purchase amidst his draping attire, finally uncovering the military style pouches which hung from his belt.

Knowing digits reached their destination and withdrew two large off white pills - the cause for his unsettling calm, a pair of heavy duty painkillers which disappeared as soon as they had been uncovered, right into the man's mouth. Forced swallow worked the heinous tasting pills down, and he seemed as a man reenergized, the only hint he was not being the unmistakable look of the restless etched into his face, the dark circles and sallow features telling the story all too well. As if the bad habit were some sort of signal, one of his men had broken from the pack to bring him a shallow tray filled with sand of pearl black.

An inclination of his head harried the man away and Chance swept his right arm dramatically to gather the bulk of the material swathed over his appendage and picked up a quill of no import. As he deftly scribbled across the flat surface of the sand, the words disappeared no sooner than he had lifted the quill with which he was writing. It was a rarity to say the least, and narrowed his exposure to the world in regards to passing messages. Even as he formed up the suspect 'letter', he began to speak in regards to Ben's concerns about the operation.

"All in good time, my friend. But it's time for us to leave the quaint pleasantries of Lucidus Magus to absorb some culture." Sly look was given across the table, confirming that he was indeed keeping things secret from Ben only because it made the man squirm. "I hear Novum is nice this time of year." He said nonchalantly as he finished up his address to an unknown recipient, slipping from his chair to stand once more. "I do still hold some semblance of my old life, you know? Like my plane." As soon as he stood up the room closed in around them, his men packing up the documents for transport - though not the only copies, they were sensitive enough to be given great care. It was time to depart.

( Chillin' in the chat. )  

[Valyrian Steel]

Ben nodded.

"Very well. Though I think I will need to pick up a friend on the way...."

((Exit: Novum Fulgar))