[CLOSED] Save the Princess

[faithfall]

Who: Adrian, Marc, Lucina, Fern, & Jason
Where: Panorama, outskirts of the Pavilion
When: Beginning of Feb, one night only
What: It turns out actions have consequences?

Warnings: Kidnapping, mentions of torture, almost-death, gore.

[ It was supposed to be a fairly ordinary evening. A coffee date with friends, perhaps some knitting and pleasant conversation, just like he and Lucina had done for the last several months. Adrian had invited Marc along, knowing that Lucina wouldn't mind one more, and then he'd gone to wait at their usual table.

It wasn't like Lucina to be late.

As the minutes ticked on into nearly an hour, Adrian had tried calling her. Then he'd tried again. By the time Marc had arrived, his concern was edging close to alarm.

In searching for her, they'd eventually crossed paths with another raider gang, and all at once it had become clear what had happened, and exactly whose fault it all was... ]

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adrian & marc

[faithfall]

[ Adrian is, if nothing else, good at putting his feelings aside in truly dire situations. Though the initial discovery of what had happened had been distressing, he hadn't fallen to pieces over it. He'd set all his worry and fear aside, and he'd called Fern. Despite their argument, he'd had no doubt that she could be relied upon in this sort of situation.

Jason had invited himself, and thankfully even he seemed to accept the brief summary of events that Adrian had given him without too much complaint. The plan they hatched together had been to divide up their resources, allowing those who were skilled at subterfuge to search for the kidnapping victims while everyone else managed the distractions.

According to Aegis, the Silver Nails were a much larger gang than her own, and that much had been easily confirmed when they arrived at the hideout. Aegis herself would be trying to sneak around to search for her brother, while the rest of her people helped with the distractions. They would take the north side of the main building, while Adrian and Marc had taken the south.

They had also offered to share a few small explosives — something that looked both volatile and home made — which Adrian, at least, had declined.

He and Marc have managed to climb up into the old factory's rafters without initially attracting any notice. It had been a bit dicey, what with the rusted meat hooks hanging on long chains from the ceiling and the old equipment everywhere, half-rotted, but they'd managed. Adrian might not be as athletic as Fern, but Barovia wasn't so long ago that he's forgotten how to climb. He's left off his jacket for ease of movement, and his white clothing is streaked with dirt and grime already.

It's worth the struggle. The vantage point allows them to scope out the situation without being observed. There are four people below, all of them armed, though at the moment they seem to be invested in a card game. One of them has a wolf's head from the look of the silhouette, and Adrian wonders idly if it's the same one from the diner.

He and Marc are meant to cause their distraction when the patrol shows up to swap shifts, drawing the attention of as many people as they can get — taking them out, if they're able. It still feels like there are a lot of them here... probably because they're expecting company.

Adrian flexes his fingers and glances at Marc, keeping his head bowed close and his voice low enough to carry only between the two of them. ] Once the patrol arrives, I can hypnotize them for a while, especially if they continue to group up like that... I don't know how many will fall under the spell, but it will help to even the odds. After that, I'll come and help.

[ The question is more in his expression than his words, the familiar furrow between his brow when he looks at Marc. Is that an adequate plan? Can Marc handle potentially double this number, if Adrian can hold some of them off? He still doesn't know how they managed to subdue Lucina of all people, and he's not keen to have Marc be the one to find out. ]

fern & jason

[longtooth]

[ It doesn't ultimately matter if things have been icy between Fern and Adrian as of late, ever since their talk at the new year. The moment that he calls her and indicates there's any sort of trouble, she tosses on her boots and jacket to rush over before she even receives the full explanation.

For someone of Lucina's caliber to have been kidnapped, this gang must be a relatively competent and organized one. Fern's gathered that Adrian and Mr. Knight are also involved, though how all of this came about remains less clear. For now, she's willing to accept that the full explanation will come later. The important thing is recovering Lucina in one piece.

She knows (thanks to a certain "coffee date") that Jason is also a friend of Lucina's, so when he arrives, armed and ready, she isn't surprised. Around the side of the main building that Adrian pinpointed, the four of them quickly hash out their plan of attack. There are times when splitting up is logical, and this happens to be one of them. Fern takes no issue with working alongside Jason, sending him a firm nod. He seems more than capable of sneaking into places based on their run-in at the garage a few months ago.

After Adrian and Mr. Knight head off to provide the necessary distraction, Fern turns to Jason, taking a moment to survey their surroundings. There's one main building with two off-shoots. All of them are half-dilapidated and in some state of repair, but it seems that the gang took advantage of that to hide their activities. ]

They may have hidden her away in one of the smaller structures. [ To throw them off. ] But maybe they weren't thinking so hard about it, or they want us to more easily find her to draw us into a trap. Where would you like to start?

[ Fern shows no sign of panic, all business now that their mission is clear. Her ears flick around as they plan, listening for any sign of someone approaching. Thus far, it seems they've gone unnoticed. ]