DoubleChecker

[Aslan - The Grand Duchy] The Starry Entrance

Sa’Saori’s warning settled into the chamber with the weight of caution, but the dueling floor gave its answer almost immediately. The moment the Magenta group drew back toward the southern edge, the crystal passage behind them sealed with a smooth curtain of pale light. It did not slam shut. It simply ceased to be an exit, as politely and absolutely as a door being locked by the room itself.

A low tone passed through the circular arena. The runes along the raised rings brightened in sequence, first at the center, then outward toward the alcoves and pylons. The four guardians did not react to spellcasting. They reacted to presence. Their heads turned toward the group as one, and a calm feminine voice, neither Roffimières nor anyone visible, sounded from the chamber walls.

“Cohort Magenta. Combat evaluation initiated. Lethality restricted. Tactical adaptation permitted.”

The constructs moved.

Guardian One and Guardian Two stepped down from the northern ring in perfect mirrored motion, their arms unfolding into long, lacquered forearm blades of condensed light. They advanced along the central lane, not rushing, but covering ground with disciplined precision. Guardian Three and Guardian Four remained slightly behind them, spreading apart to either side of the runic center. The light channels beneath their feet flared as they moved, and thin geometric shields formed briefly around their torsos before fading into a faint protective shimmer.

The chamber’s layout became clearer now that it was awake. The outer walkway remained open, offering room to circle toward the alcoves. The crystal pylons along the edges hummed softly, their glow strengthening whenever a guardian passed near one. The central runic circle pulsed in regular intervals, as if marking the rhythm of the trial itself.

The guardians had not struck yet.

But the next exchange would begin with them in motion, closing the distance while their rear pair held the center.

[Widersia] Big Dom’s Champion

The clerk’s expression pinched at Elora’s words, then curdled further when Hwicce invited the voice forward like a tavern entertainer. For a moment, he looked less like a company man and more like someone who had just watched a lit match drift toward spilled oil.

From the inner hall came the sharp strike of shoes on polished floor.

The woman who appeared was dressed in dark plum silk beneath a tailored riding coat, with silver at her throat and a ledger tucked under one arm like a weapon she had learned to use long ago. She was not armed in any obvious way. She did not need to be. The clerks straightened when they saw her. The guards became still.

Piero’s smile cooled.

“Madam Velora Cask,” he said. “Brass Lantern’s managing director. How unfortunate.”

“Mr. Lanza,” she replied, eyes sliding over him with surgical disinterest. “I was about to say the same.”

Gears leaned toward Marcus, voice low. “That means they hate each other politely.”

Madam Cask’s attention settled on Elora next, then the faceplate. “Carriage fourteen is company property. If it was found damaged, Brass Lantern appreciates its return. If you are here on behalf of Don Calabrese, then I assume this is not about scratches in brass.”

The clerk looked as though he wanted to disappear into his own collar.

Cask noticed. “Mr. Orven has answered enough in public.”

Her gaze moved to Hwicce’s smile, lingered just long enough to acknowledge the danger behind it, then returned to the group as a whole.

“You may ask three more questions before I decide this conversation requires attorneys, invoices, or men with less patience than mine.”

Piero’s jaw tightened.

Gears grinned.

“Three questions,” she murmured. “How generous. I was hoping for three teeth.”

[Widersia] Big Dom’s Champion

Titles: Prime, Prime - Mundane - ed1c24

"Oh, look at that, seems like someone wants to have a little chat. Call them over, will you?" Hwicce told the clerk, taking one step back with a shit-eating grin splattered across his face. And, while his hazel eyes were kept trained on the clerk, he made sure to keep an eye on the four he had identified through his peripheral vision. The hand on his back never leaving the handle of the concealed dagger.

[Widersia] Big Dom’s Champion

The clerk did not appreciate Elora’s implication, which was precisely why it landed. His jaw tightened just enough to show the hit, though his voice stayed polished. “Brass Lantern does not release vehicles irresponsibly,” he said. “Mr. Bell paid for privacy, after hours service, and the waiver for self return. That is unusual, but not forbidden.”

“Unusual,” Gears echoed. “Like a brick through a wedding cake.”

Marcus pressed before the man could recover his balance. The question drew a pause. A real one this time.

“No,” the clerk admitted. “There were two with him at pickup. One drove. One remained inside the carriage. At return, only the driver was seen.” He hesitated again, eyes flicking once toward the counter staff. “Mr. Bell himself was described as tall, pale gloves, dark coat, hat low over the face. Deliberately forgettable.”

Elora’s suggestion of internal help hung over the polished lobby like a draft. The clerk disliked it, but not enough to deny it outright. “The coach was returned late. Inspected in dim light. If someone was careless, I will discover who.”

Hwicce, meanwhile, took stock of the room. Two front guards outside, one heavier man pretending to sort ledgers behind the far desk, and another near the inner hall who stood too straight to be ordinary staff. Brass Lantern’s muscle wore vests instead of coats, but it was muscle all the same. Not a war party. Enough to make trouble costly.

Then, from somewhere deeper in the building, a raised voice snapped through the calm.

“What do you mean fourteen is being discussed in the lobby?”

Piero’s smile returned at once.

“Well,” he murmured, “that sounds promising.”

[Widersia] Big Dom’s Champion

Titles: Prime, Prime - Mundane - ed1c24

The information revealed by the clerk so far felt certainly underwhelming to the mercenary. But with both Elora and Marcus pressing the clerk for more information, Hwicce's attention shifted elsewhere: to their surroundings. He began watching those around them, trying to do a headcount of who he thought could pose 'physical resistance' or danger if things turned south.

Actions:
1 - Using Street Sense F to try and identify possible fighters within the lobby.

[Widersia] Big Dom’s Champion

Marcus’s smile did not convince anyone that he was harmless, but it did something more useful. It sounded reasonable. Hwicce’s addition, meanwhile, carried just enough velvet over the knife to make the point plain.

The clerk’s eyes moved between them, then to the faceplate in Elora’s hand, then briefly to Piero and Gears. That last look was the telling one. Not surprise. Recognition. Calculation.

“One of our coaches being damaged on Calabrese ground would indeed qualify as a moderate problem,” he said at last. “Though records of private bookings are not discussed on the pavement.”

“Cute,” Gears muttered.

The guard with the cigarette shifted his stance. Not reaching. Just reminding everyone he could.

Hwicce’s read on the man was immediate enough. The clerk knew something about carriage fourteen already. Not everything, perhaps, but enough that this was no ordinary found-property conversation anymore.

Piero smiled the way a silk noose might. “Then let us save your pavement the indignity.”

For a moment it looked as though the clerk might refuse on principle alone. Then his gaze flicked once toward the smoked windows behind him, as if measuring who inside might prefer this handled quietly. He stepped aside.

“Very well. Briefly.”

As the doors opened, cool perfumed air spilled out to meet them. Brass Lantern’s lobby was all polished black wood, brass trim, and quiet money. Clerks moved behind a long counter with the forced calm of people who had already noticed trouble and were pretending not to.

The man stopped just inside and turned back to them. “Carriage fourteen was leased last night under a private name. Paid in cash. No company rider requested.”

Piero’s smile thinned.

“And the name?”

The clerk hesitated only a fraction too long.

“Mr. Bell,” he said.

Gears snorted.

“Yeah,” she said. “That sounds fake enough to be expensive.”

[Widersia] Big Dom’s Champion

Titles: Prime, Prime - Mundane - ed1c24

Hwicce grinned as the words came from Marcus' lips, leaning forward and adding to what was just said. "So you see, because of where the 'accident' took place, there is a bit of a problem. Maybe more than just a 'bit', a moderate problem. Was this carriage booked without a rider of your own respectable company, or was one booked with it?" The mercenary's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

Actions:
1 - Adding Street Sense F to Marcus' ability.

[Widersia] Big Dom’s Champion

Freyic’s demand for elevation was met by Gina “Gears” Gearaldi staring down at him for one long second, brass-lit gauntlets humming softly at her sides.

“Kid,” she said at last, “I respect the hustle. But if I carry you, people are gonna think I’m returning a lost package.”

Still, with a snort, she hooked one metal hand under his arm and hoisted him just high enough to get his “bird’s eye view” before setting him back down. “There. Scout responsibly.”

By then Elora had the faceplate in hand and was already moving. The guards watched her come without shifting much at all, but the one with the cigarette let his gaze linger on the plate, then on Piero and Gears behind her, and some of the practiced boredom left his face.

At her measured question, the second guard stepped forward first. He did not reach for the plate, which in itself said something.

“That is Brass Lantern property,” he said. Smooth voice. Expensive coat. Not a servant, then. Security with aspirations. “Damaged in transit, you say.”

The cigarette man flicked ash onto the pavement and gave a thin smile toward Hwicce’s very friendly expression. “Funny district for found property.”

Before either could press harder, the front door opened and a clerk emerged, lean and severe in a dark vest with a gold watch chain across his middle. His eyes went to the faceplate, then sharpened.

“That would be carriage fourteen,” he said. “Leased last night through a private booking.”

Piero’s smile never reached his eyes. “Wonderful. Then we’re making progress.”

The clerk folded his hands. “Perhaps. If you would care to explain why Calabrese people are asking after one of my company’s coaches.”

[Widersia] Big Dom’s Champion

Titles: Prime, Prime - Mundane - ed1c24

Hwicce shrugged. "Let's see what good comes from that then." He didn't say anything about Freyic's request, only mirrored Marcus' own reaction; a single eyebrow raised momentarily. He would let the woman herself deal with it. And, following behind Elora, the mercenary would put on his best impression as she began talking with the 'guards': a wide smile on his lips and one of his hands hidden behind his back, gripping the handle of one of his throwing knives, just in case.

[The Beastkin Republic] Will They Know Respite?

Itsy

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Titles:
Beastkin - Mundane, Small (4ft) - 6ecff6

The small beastkin eyes widened as Varius offered him his shoulders. "I do... t-thank you." He answered him quickly, getting on top of the legionaire's shoulder and sitting on it. "I'm ready!"