[Changeling] A Gathering of Mists IC

[SiuiS]

"Double blind. D'accord."

Charlotte looks from Kalina to the wicker man, but more his substance than himself - knots and such, intertwining. "Friends are better than enemies, non? So could we not make a fake plot to overthrow her, tell her about t and onvince her we are on the same side? That is how politics works, I thought?"

[Anarion]

Originally Posted by Raz_Fox

"Extreme political views?" Marchande raised an eyebrow, as far as canine eyebrows could be raised.

So, the situation: Kalina's fetch was a politician who was disliked by the Court. The question of why was vital, but a job was a job. Hopefully, she wouldn't have to play therapist for Kalina to get her to accept.

Hard as it is to read a wicker man, both Marchande and Charlotte feel like there's something they're not being told. Did the court already know this politician was a fetch? If not, why were they involved here? They both felt that the man was choosing his words too carefully.

Originally Posted by SiuiS

"Double blind. D'accord."

Charlotte looks from Kalina to the wicker man, but more his substance than himself - knots and such, intertwining. "Friends are better than enemies, non? So could we not make a fake plot to overthrow her, tell her about t and onvince her we are on the same side? That is how politics works, I thought?"

"We...could. You may take 3 minutes to explain your plan and why it would be strong enough to convince our "new friend" to alter some of her most strongly held beliefs."

[SiuiS]

Aha! So this was politics. Qian Long had done something similar... Perhaps that was training of some sort? If this was how the court worked...

"Si, sir. But first I would give you five minutes to explain what those beliefs are. I need the threads if I am to weave, rather than provide ideas for a pattern." Charlotte keeps her face open and passive. It is difficult to find balance between honest presentation, and hiding her pensiveness. The wicker one was somewhat intimidating, she realizes. Did he know that? Did he use it? She silently thanks the other girls for being so guileless, at least towards each other.

[Anarion]

Originally Posted by SiuiS

I need the threads if I am to weave, rather than provide ideas for a pattern.

[You'll need to roll for that. Manipulation+persuasion. There is a -4 penalty because the wicker man is very certain that you have 10 minutes at most, and he's highly unwilling to dedicate 8 of them to an unknown solution when he could just explain the plan they already have instead.]

[SiuiS]

Spoiler

on one hand, it was mostly jockeying. I don't have an actual plan, because I have nothing to plan with except "tell her about an attempt to make we look bad, convince her it's a conspiracy and to join my side". I'd be willing to take a "this isn't the time for impertinence" and move on.

On the other, you've already given me a penalty, and I've already said the thing. So I may be locked into the roll. Actually, why not. I can always acquiesce if I succeed.

Minus 4, that leaves me 3 dice.
6/6/2, no successes. Ah well. I made an impression, which is good enough :)

[Thanqol]

Stephanie occupied herself while the others were trying to work out what their plan was by drinking heavily.

It was pretty weak stuff, she thought. She'd drunk a lot of strange things on her adventures - there was that one incident in particular, with the Azura'goldir tribe and their traditional initiation rituals which involved drinking an awful lot of spiced blood laced with hallucinogenics. Worked out in the end, but blood made a pretty horrid shampoo and she might have eaten one of her shoes before she came down.

This stuff, in comparison, was tame. She'd have to drink a lot if she wanted to get any sort of buzz out of it.

[Raz_Fox]

Marchande can feel the wind shift. It's a funny feeling, and it's made up of a lot of little things, when you get down to it. It's the beginnings of a frown on a wicker face, the inhalation of breath before a storm, the sharp silence that heralds a gentleman berating his foolish staff. And, the thing is, the thing is. In those moments, a small pebble can change the course of a raging mountain stream. She needs a bit more time, a bit more intent, to give a blessing with power behind it, but if she steps in now, well, she can do it with nothing more than a smile and a few carefully-chosen words.

"Thank you, Charlotte," she says, stepping forward, snapping the silence. She smiles, and it's directed to everyone, most of all Charlotte and the wicker-man. "But I don't think we have time to go over all the specifics. The iron is hot, and it must be struck. Rose." Rose. Best, perhaps, not to call her Kalina yet. Rose is a good name, Rose is a name that isn't taken from someone here. Rose is a name that can fade into the crowd. Just like Marchande. "Can you impersonate the Speaker, or will I be interjecting the new questions?"

The iron is hot, and it has been struck. She has the reins, now, and even though she nods in deference to their employers, she's in control. Oh, isn't it marvelous? She is useful, she is in control, she doesn't have to sit back and watch everyone else contribute.

[Presence/Manipulation+Persuasion? What's the combo for acting like you're in control and having everyone else play along?]

[Anarion]

Originally Posted by Thanqol

This stuff, in comparison, was tame. She'd have to drink a lot if she wanted to get any sort of buzz out of it.

After her third drink, Stephanie begins feeling a little heady. She can walk straight still, she's sure of that, but she's not quite sure how her head got so high off the ground. Was it always that high up?

rules

Spoiler

Stephanie suffers -1 to all dex, wits, and int rolls (and her defense is reduced by 1). Thanqol, you can decide whether Stephanie is a sociable drunk or a mean drunk, which determines whether she gets a +1 bonus or a -1 penalty on any social rolls.

Originally Posted by Raz_Fox

The iron is hot, and it has been struck.

The wicker man nods in approval at Marchande's words and looks to Rose to make a decision.

[SiuiS]

Charlotte nods. Marchande knew what she was about. Trust that the point had been made, then? Time was like a ruler, so the longer she could go without pressing for surety the better the results, she supposed.

[Anarion]

When Rose hesitates, the wicker man nods in understanding and says. "Very well, we'll stick to what we have planned. Ms. Angel, Karl will escort you somewhere a little ways from here, so you won't be noticed.

Karl, still appearing as the freckled woman, nods and again takes Rose's hand. "Ms. Rogers, this way please, we'll need to get you ready for your proper appearance." They then walk off down the back side of the platform and Karl expertly maneuvers them through the crowd.

Meanwhile the wicker man turns back to the remaining members of the motley. "There. Now, in about 5 minutes, the other Ms. Rogers will arrive. She'll be carrying a set of speech notes, including several question and answers." He takes out a set of papers. "These papers are a joint project by members of our summer and autumn courts. They contain a copy of Ms. Rogers' notes and are enchanted to bring out strong emotions and passions in the reader. I'd like the three of you to switch the papers without being noticed, using whatever methods you deem appropriate. Afterwards, if you wish, you three may also serve as audience members who will be selected by Karl to ask certain questions, which should cause Ms. Rogers to reference the notes and answer somewhat more truthfully than she may have intended."


To Marchande and Charlotte's obervation, the delivery is smooth and even, calm throughout, as the wicker man gives the instructions.

[Thanqol]

"Right!" Stephanie said. Easy. "Where's she keeping them? Hand, pocket, assistant, or don't we know?

"Hey, Marchy, Charlotte, do you know any con games? Ever done a patter or a lift before?" Stephanie asked.

[SiuiS]

Charlotte simply shakes her head at Stephanie's eager grilling. Con games? It took a moment for we to even know what she was being asked.

[Raz_Fox]

This is troubling. Not the job, that's simplicity itself, but Stephanie's questions. If she admits that she has no experience with con games, or even criminal activity in general, she'll look incompetent in front of her new employer. Especially with Stephanie next to her, who's much more skilled, even if she's a bit off-the-wall. So she accepts the papers, and passes them to Stephanie. "Those are your expertise, Stephanie, but I know enough." Patter is distracting someone with talk, right?

Then, to their employer, she nods. "It'll be done. Although, when you say not to be noticed, I assume you mean in the act of switching notes, not in the sense that we are not to, well, distract her." She smiles, in what she hopes is a professional way.

A plan comes to mind: bless Stephanie with some good luck, if that's indeed what she can do, and then let her switch the notes unnoticed, with Marchande providing the distraction. Or, perhaps, have Charlotte bump into her and scatter the notes, if possible, and switch the notes by 'picking them up'. But that would require a more skillful hand than Marchande had, and would require that Mrs. Rodgers be carrying her notes.

She'd decide when the time was right.

[Anarion]

The wicker man nods at Marchande's question. He only meant that switching the notes shouldn't be noticed.

[You have 5 minutes of world time to plan, which you can do here or elsewhere not in front of the "boss" if you'd prefer.]

[Thanqol]

"One more time, where's she carrying the notes? If I'm going to make a switch I have to know where I'm switching from, otherwise it's going to be awkward feeling through all of her pockets one by one," Stephanie repeated.

[Anarion]

The wicker man gives a very slight shrug.

"We're not certain how she'll be carrying them. As full size sheets of paper, they could be folded in a pocket, in her hands, or in a bag or folder. Perhaps you could convince her to take them out?"

[Raz_Fox]

"I'm sure she could be convinced to submit to a quick review by a city official," Marchande says, rolling over the idea in her mind. It has a lot of flaws, but if it worked, it would work. It would be simplicity itself for her to hand over the falsified notes after a quick 'review'.

[SiuiS]

Charlotte turns full-body to Stephanie. "Miss, could you get an official worker's ID? I can make it show Marchande's face. Truth in fiction is good, yes?"

[Thanqol]

Originally Posted by Raz_Fox

"I'm sure she could be convinced to submit to a quick review by a city official," Marchande says, rolling over the idea in her mind. It has a lot of flaws, but if it worked, it would work. It would be simplicity itself for her to hand over the falsified notes after a quick 'review'.

"Yeah. Does mean she'll blame you personally if something goes wrong," Stephanie said, mind rapidly going through possibilities and patterns. "My idea, play Good Samaritan. Run up to her, say, 'Miss Speaker, you forgot your notes!'. She'll then check her pocket or whatever to make sure she still has them, then smile and say that she already has a copy and you must be mistaken. Then I know where they are and can make the switch proper, no one's the wiser."

She smiled. "Heck, a really good team can take the notes right after she checks she has them, or even as she's reaching to check she has them. Then you just got to keep a straight face and give her the doubles. Think you're good enough?"

Originally Posted by SiuiS

Charlotte turns full-body to Stephanie. "Miss, could you get an official worker's ID? I can make it show Marchande's face. Truth in fiction is good, yes?"

"No problem," Stephanie said.

[Anarion]

4:00 minutes left.

[SiuiS]

"So, Stephanie gets an ID. I change it, and Marchande tells the speaker of her notes. She checks them, Stephanie, what? Runs into her, switches them when knocked down? Or?"

[Thanqol]

Originally Posted by SiuiS

"So, Stephanie gets an ID. I change it, and Marchande tells the speaker of her notes. She checks them, Stephanie, what? Runs into her, switches them when knocked down? Or?"

"I pick her pocket while she's checking her notes, or immediately after she checks them. Just needs to be a light touch, no knocking down required," Stephanie said.

[Raz_Fox]

Originally Posted by SiuiS

Charlotte turns full-body to Stephanie. "Miss, could you get an official worker's ID? I can make it show Marchande's face. Truth in fiction is good, yes?"

"Good, yes," Marchande says. This is good. She believes it right until Stephanie, in that slightly abstracted manner, provides a better plan.

A better plan than hers had been.

Originally Posted by Thanqol

"Yeah. Does mean she'll blame you personally if something goes wrong," Stephanie said, mind rapidly going through possibilities and patterns. "My idea, play Good Samaritan. Run up to her, say, 'Miss Speaker, you forgot your notes!'. She'll then check her pocket or whatever to make sure she still has them, then smile and say that she already has a copy and you must be mistaken. Then I know where they are and can make the switch proper, no one's the wiser."

She smiled. "Heck, a really good team can take the notes right after she checks she has them, or even as she's reaching to check she has them. Then you just got to keep a straight face and give her the doubles. Think you're good enough?"

"I... you know that, Stephanie." Marchande grins, saving face. "If you can."

[Thanqol]

"Cool," said Stephanie, not being nearly perceptive enough to pick up on the fixed nature of Marchy's grin. Without further discussion, she stepped back and vanished into the crowd.

She looked for a staffer with an easy to steal badge. This wasn't necessary to the plan but would help, so she'd only make the attempt if she saw a relatively easy mark. Otherwise it was wait for the Speaker.

[SiuiS]

Charlotte gives Marchande a sad look for a moment. Not pity, but worry. It is a fleeting thing, a reflection in moving water. Instead, she puts her few talents to use. Being unnoticed, and noticing. Following Stephanie's eyes, finding her marks, and figuring how to helpfully interfere. In between pulls of this wonderfully terrible throaty, bready soda, of course.

[Anarion]

Originally Posted by Thanqol

She looked for a staffer with an easy to steal badge. This wasn't necessary to the plan but would help, so she'd only make the attempt if she saw a relatively easy mark. Otherwise it was wait for the Speaker.

Staffers aren't that common. Most of them are on or around the stage in a position of relative calm. It doesn't help that Stephanie's vision is getting just a tad blurry from all the alcohol. There does seem to be someone with an easy to steal badge though. He's over talking to a tall blond girl that he has no actual shot with, and his badge is partially sticking out of his pocket. Though Stephanie can't really tell which type of badge it is.

[Thanqol]

Good enough.

Stephanie swayed up past him and dropped her drink on the poor sod's shoes. When he bent down to look at his sodden feet, his back neatly got out of the way and his badge was nicely exposed.

"Oh my goodness, how clumsy of me! I'm so sorry," said Stephanie as she palmed the badge.

Eaasy.

[Dex+Larceny-1(Drunk), bonuses or penalties?]

[Anarion]

[+1 bonus for taking advantage of a poor sucker.]

[Thanqol]

Originally Posted by Anarion

[+1 bonus for taking advantage of a poor sucker.]

[3 - 10 - 10 - 2 - 6 - 10 - 2
10 Again: 5 - 5 - 3
= 3 successes]

Stephanie immediately stepped back the crowd to come out in front of Charlotte. "You said you could change this photo?" she said, offering the badge.

[Anarion]

Charlotte.

Spoiler

What you appear to have there is a regular press pass, not a staffer pass. It will still let you get close to people without raising suspicion, but it's also liable to make them react hostilely and do their best to ignore you. Stephanie is clearly not aware of the difference.