Chapter 1 - Summer

Street Outside the Gambling Den | Elaine ~

Aloys walks with you out the front door of the den. The early morning air like a splash of cool water after the crowded, cramped hall.

You pass the two bouncers on your way to the cobblestreet.

Aloys chatters quietly to you as the two of you go. "I did get an odd feeling in there. Like I was being observed by someone with rude thoughts toward me."

He pushes his hand through his messy hair. "I thought it was because we were on a secret mission, so I was sensitive to others. But perhaps you're right. I too wouldn't know the feeling if it bite me on the--oh HEY, there's Mathis!"

Aloys points to the street at the corner of the Gambling hall, where two men walk away from the rising sun, toward you.

One is clearly Mathis, pipe clutched in his teeth.

The other is a hooded man with a placid face...

Issac is startled by the almost ghost like appearance of the Gear, but quickly regains his composure. "Well, hello there." Giving the machine a once over, "How long have you been..." twirling his hand around at the locale, "at your post?"

Elaine warily eyes the hooded figure, already on edge and less than willing to entertain some new acquaintance Mathis might have made while they were gone. Not to mention the glaring absence of Sans at his side... She catches herself on the thought, then squints suspiciously at the stranger's face. It's rather difficult to see the details when looking against the sunrise, and her lack of depth perception doesn't help the matter.

"Hey... Mathias." She greets the other musketeer with a wave, then considers if she should add anything. If the hooded man is Sans - and she can't for sure say that he isn't, - then he'd probably be insulted at not being acknowledged. Or would he take it as a compliment? They did go to craft a mask, so it's quite possible to be what's happening - but if it's not, then she'd just make a fool of herself...

Elaine is so preoccupied by this conundrum that she promptly fails to say anything for a whole minute, plenty of time for the two men to approach.

"Aloys! Elaine! Don't tell me you don't recognize a fellow Coat?" he calls, in a mock-outraged tone. In reality, he is thrilled that his new appearance might trick even his companions, well-acquainted with him.

"I present you..."
He pauses for effect, then slowly removes his hood...
"The new visage of Sans Visage!" he concludes with a theatrical flourish.

Elaine breathes out in relief, her problem having resolved itself by the way of the familiar voice coming from under the hood, and a further confirmation by the man himself.

"It looks very well, Sans," she leans forward to examine the mask more closely, a small smile on her lips at seeing how excited her fellow musketeer is about it. "I wouldn't notice anything amiss. Whoever you found to make it did a great job."

She glanced over her shoulder. "We should probably go and find Issac. He wasn't allowed to come in the bar we picked, so I'm not entirely sure where he is... But I did get the address of Julia Sardou, and we can go and investigate it once we're all together again."

Gambling Den Roof | Issac ~
No answer to your question for a moment. There's a sense of gears turning, perhaps the slightest audible whir.

"3 years, 7 months, 12 days, 23 hours, and 15 seconds," they respond with their echo voice. "17 seconds. 18..."

"Anyway, Halt. I am to kill anyone who trespasses on this roof. No one is to break in," they point to the hatch, "via that hatch. I can throw you off the roof. That is explicitly allowed." Their hands begin to bunch into fists. "I am not to let you flee. Sorry."

Thinking quickly "Ah, but there is fault in your logic. You explicitly stated 'break in'. I didn't. I broke out. And so I am no threat." Looking at the Gear's fists, "Feel free to relax those meat tenderizers, and perhaps we can talk? I imagine you've been lonely up here for the past 3 years, 7 months, 12 days, etc., etc...?" Issac states in a friendly, non-threatening manner.

"So quickly?" he reacts, impressed. "Why, your talent at finding information is second to none!"

"Where can Issac be? Still inside, you think? We could try calling..." he cups his hands and lets out a call, looking aroundl "Isss- sac!"

He pauses to listen.

The Gambling Den Rooftop | Issac ~
You'd hear internal gears slow--*tick, tick, tick*--then speed up again. The gear uncluntches their fists. "You are right. I won't confront you."

Their shoulders slump with a grating sound. "Since I won't be killing you, I will listen to you instead."

A shout from the street reaches the gears 'ears,' though who knows if human ears are good enough to pick the sound up as well...

Grinning at the Gear's response, "First off, do you have a name my friend? And if not too forward, may I ask who or what you have been guarding for such a long, long time?"

He stays poised, listening to the noises in the street, then shakes his head. "Maybe still inside. Let's wait for him, I am sure he will not be long."

Out of habit, he starts stepping into the shade of a nearby doorway to avoid his looks attracting too much attention, then forces himself to stop.
You can stand proud among your peers, now... you lucky bastard, what a gift Master Lorino has bestowed upon you... he thinks with an inner smile.

The Rooftop | Issac ~

The gear whirs and ticks. "I have a name but I don't recall it at the moment. I'll find the spool that contains it in a bit, I'm sure. I guard M. Gérard Héroux's office--he's what humans call a criminal--and he just calls me Gear."

Pigeons land on their shoulder and coo as they extend their metal hand to shake yours, asking your name in turn.

"The work is fulfilling, even though I've only killed six people." A rusty *screech* as they point past your head, Issac, to the horizon beyond the town. "The view is worth it."

If you turn to look, not only do you see the beautiful purples and reds of the rising sun but you also notice three air-skiffs escorting a larger air-galleon growing on the horizon, headed for the town.

"Ooo," says the gear. "They fly the royal insignia. Must be official business. Or a parade of ships."

Elaine looks back at the alleyway with some wariness, but Sans' more or less nonchalant attitude reassures her enough to quench the desire to go back and search for their absent colleague. Hopefully if things do go wrong for their quick-witted friend, it'll cause enough of a commotion that they will be alarmed one way or another.

So she joins Sans and Mathias in waiting on the street, placing herself next to the former and pulling her cloak tighter around her. It's not the familiar golden one, of course, but the morning is somewhat chilly and it still provides some comfort just by virtue of being warm. Not as much as the scarf, however... The silence is a little awkward though, so after a while Elaine hesitantly speaks up: "What exactly are we going to do when we get to Julia? Do we simply ask her what's going on, what we are pursued for? Or do we word it more... discreetly?"

Issac admires the changing colors of the early morning sky, soaking them in for a moment. Almost regretfully, he turns his eyes to the other interesting sight and quirks an eyebrow at the oncoming fleet of airships, could be for us, could be nothing.

"Gear, pleasure to meet you. You can call me Issac. Can I perhaps interest you in a proposition? Come work for us. Use your murderous talents where they'll be needed instead of rusting away up here. I can't guarantee the morning views will always be as captivating, but you'll be able to finally use your murderous talents, and in a more positive light no less, instead of rusting away up here."

The Rooftop | Issac ~
The gear whirs. "Mmm, Issac: 10 minutes and 27 seconds ago, someone called your name from the street below."

A grinding sound as they turn their head to look at the hatch. "We did have a handshake deal--no contract was signed." A hollow rumble you can assume is a sigh. "Very well. I will join you. We can climb down over there." They point to the side of the building, where you would have climbed up before, Issac.

"Well... we know from the Baron that he secretly gave a purse of gold to Julia... so we should let her know that, to instill fear in her. I think this secrecy... and keeping our faction unknown, should bring her to a state of panic, feeling that she's been found out. Fear makes us do rash things... Our goal is to know exactly what she has been paid for. What is her role in all this. "

my name?! It must be the others. "Gear, can you take me to where you heard my name called? Those are most likely my companions. I can introduce you to them."

As they head down, "Tell me, how did you get to be in the employ of Mr. M. Gerard Heroux?"

Alley Leading to the Main Road | Issac ~

Your boots hit the dirt of the alley, your surroundings in shadow; the brightness of the street beckons you.

The gear heads for the alley mouth, and the waiting sunshine. "When M. Heroux bought his manner he found me in woods on his land," they say in response. "I was watching a small spring bubbling from the earth. Must have been there awhile."

"He offered me a better place to stand, so I accepted." The two of you exit the alley, stepping onto the cobbled street.

Looking around, quick, would show you the others, huddled together and awaiting your arrival Issac.

"Information dealers are probably not easily scared." Elaine frowns. "At least I assume so. Can't deal in secrets if you go spilling them easily... And I was advised by the person who gave me her address to thread cautiously. Maybe we wouldn't all go meeting with her and leave someone on lookout? Or spy on her for a bit... I don't know, it's all too much planning, you all are better at this."

She sighs and leans onto the wall near the doorway where Sans almost stepped to hide earlier. "I almost wish I could write to my dad and have it all resolved with the signature person in a high place said so."

Issac heads toward his companions. With a grin, "Lady and gents, I am back. I'd like to introduce you to a new friend, this is Gear. Gear, this is Elaine, Aloys, Mathias, and...". As he looks his friends over, the grin falters when resting on the stranger's face. It takes him a moment of pondering, it can't be?! ... "Sans!? You son of an unwed mother, I leave you for two seconds and you go and get a new face?" In a more serious tone, "I am happy for you my friend, I hope it eases your pain."

With a gesture of his thumb pointing back, "Along with our new friend, I've found some damning evidence we should go over. How did your investigations go?"