Gavin

[SIZE="1"]As much as I don't want to start an argument with anyone, Malkav, D'Ann expressed most of my concerns about your post, in a far more overt way granted, but that's what she does and I'll always love her for it. I don't particularly have issue with you sucker punching Gravius, even if he's ex-special forces, he's an old man at this stage and mostly in a command role. The big thing is that Daedalus ordered Gravius to go and get his toolkit from his lab as quickly as he could, which means he wouldn't have been there for Jack to sucker punch. About the bomb scene, well I'm no demolitions expert, but the way that you've had Daedalus go about disarming the bomb, literally ripping the side off it, doesn't really seem right to me. By the way Rach described it, this is a really complex looking bomb, likely with redundancies, including trip-wires on the inside, so just tearing the thing apart might set it off. Also, everyone from Rach's post is still down in the basement, so Daedalus isn't about to go risk his family's safety by going at the bomb in such a way. I don't mind if you have Jack down there during the disarming of the bomb Malkav, but I would ask you edit your post to take account of what I've posted here.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]D, seems you may want to go to Round 2 on this fight.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]Heh, Solo finally makes his grand reappearance. It's been a while old friend, welcome back.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Malkav']Lol, I guess. Jeez I hate Almagests with their explosive violent tempers, always resorting to hurting someone than diplomacy (that someone being Jack, is it because [strike]he's black[/strike] a man?). They should be more like Deacons, such a swell bunch those Deacons. Anyways, expect a post from me in the next hour or so.[/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Heh sorry Malkav, Jack just happens to have the wrong person as a sister.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]After that chapter, a particular Marvin Gaye song comes to mind. Yeesh, Mayuri is one weird guy. The only thing I'm mildly curious about is who exactly was hanging there in his "closet of mad science" Seeing as it's finally moving on to the Kenpachi/Nnoitra fight, I can't wait for Kenpachi to really open up and start having, seeing as he doesn't seem to do serious. When that eye-patch comes off, Nnoitra is going to find himself smiling a whole load less. [/SIZE]

[CENTER][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/daedalusavatar.jpg[/IMG] [img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/harriet-chronicle.jpg[/img] [img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/ladybavariaavatar.jpg[/img] [img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/beatrist-chronicle.jpg[/img] [img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/jackavatar.jpg[/img] [/CENTER] [INDENT][SIZE="1"]If there was one thing that had been bred into Daedalus by the Mine Wars, it was the ability to sense when something was not right. It wasn't just that the whole event of Leonhart's wake continued to feel more like an attempt by Bavaria to reintroduce herself as the new Almagest clan head, as bad as that was, but something just out of reach... elusive and sinister. He regarded every aspect of the room with cold, penetrating eyes, but still could not see anything overtly out of place... ...overtly out of place...his eyes widened in horror, that was it. The security forces he'd deployed to maintain guard over the estate weren't at their positions. None of them !! How could he have missed that ? A freezing chill descended down his spine. If something had happened to them... he needed to find out immediately. Harriet was already looking at him with concerned eyes, despite the fact his pace maintained their slow movement through their wave of guests and dignitaries, he had suddenly drifted off into the distance. "[b]What's wrong Daedalus ?[/b]" Her voice was quiet thankfully, they were too close to other guests for him to speak normally. "[b]There's something wrong, the guardsmen I assigned are missing from their posts.[/b]" Although she displayed no change in appearance, Daedalus could tell Harriet's maternal instincts had automatically kicked in, Harrison being her first priority. Wordlessly the pair broke apart and made for opposite ends of the hall, drawing a few curious glances, it could not be helped. Daedalus made a swift bee-line for Bavaria who was chatting busily to nobleman who was vaguely familiar to him, though no name came to mind. Extending his arm out, he gently grasped her shoulder. "[b]May I have a word Bavaria ?[/b]" He could not easily discern the meaning of the look she gave him for interrupting her conversation. It was a mix of too many emotions. "[b]What is it Daedalus ?[/b]" Her voice was calm, even pleasant, but the undercurrent of frosty hostility was becoming more and more readily apparent. If that was the case, all hopes for mediation were futile. "[b]Where are the guardsmen I deployed Bavaria ?[/b]" Barely containing his fury, he watched as she drew her lips into a tight smile. Evidently she had expected him to notice their absence much sooner. "[b]They were...hesitant to take orders from me... so I dismissed them.[/b]" "[b]You what ?![/b]" "[b]There's no need to make a scene Daedalus. I've already requested replacements, they should be here soon.[/b]" There was that blasted superior smile again. It wasn't her arrogance or even her attempts to usurp his control, but to dismiss the entire security corps would leave Rosengard completely vulnerable... she had to know that. Was her ego getting so large she thought herself invincible ? As he was about to speak, he noticed a flustered servant make his way towards, them, his breathing was heavy, but it was the paleness of his skin and the look in his eyes that worried Daedalus the most. He knew that look... abject fear. Bavaria turned to speak to the servant, her most polite but dominant expression on her face, Daedalus noted with some amusement as the expression shattered into a cold rage as the servant addressed him instead of her. His voice was low but filled with dread. "[b]Lord Daedalus, we have a serious problem.[/b]" "[b]What is it ?[/b]" "[b]A few minutes ago two unknown persons broke into Rosengard via the wine cellar, Fontleroy discovered them and was subsequently shot...[/b]" Daedalus continued to listen without speaking, his own sense of panic growing steadily stronger. "[b]Worst of all sir, they appear to have left some form of explosive device. Sir Alexander told me to inform you and then evacuate everyone from the grounds.[/b]" Bavaria's eyes grew wide at the mention of Alexander's name, Daedalus suspected she had given instructions that intended he not be at Rosengard. "[b]Thank you, I'll handle the evacuation order, please inform the other staff and leave as quietly as you can.[/b]" Bavaria's shrill voice suddenly broke his concentration. "[b]Daedalus this is unacceptable !! I will not allow you to dictate orders in my home !![/b]" That was the last straw. "[b]You have done quite enough already... Deacon. Take your family and leave now. If you do not, I will order the guards to remove you all.[/b]" As she was about to retort, he turned to the assembled guests, presenting his most public face. "[b]Ladies and gentlemen. Unfortunately we're going to have to ask you all to leave immediately for your safety. I've just received word the estate may soon be targeted by insurgents and I do not wish you to be harmed. Thank you for your co-operation.[/b]" Daedalus watched silently as his words registered on their faces, to their credit most calmly began to walk towards the large manor's exit. The stray few, Moebius included, who cast glances towards Bavaria as though expecting her to tell them to stay were quickly escorted out by the other Almagests in the hall. The Deacons merely looked on stunned that Daedalus would make such an order, but unlike the stragglers, refused to move. Beatriste and Harriet quickly drew forward to Daedalus for an explanation in the now empty hall, as did several of his loyal servants, lead by Gravius. "[b]What's happened Daedalus ?[/b]" "[b]Alexander has discovered some sort of bomb in the wine-cellar.[/b]" He left out the part about Fontleroy being shot, Bea didn't need to know that for the moment. "[b]I want to find any family remaining and move them to Magitech's headquarters, they should be safe there, and Harriet, I mean everyone.[/b]" "[b]Sir, what about us ?[/b]" "[b]Gravius, I need you to get my kit from my lab and bring it to me. Have the others remove anyone who has stayed behind.[/b]" He cast a glance over to Bavaria and the other Deacons surrounding her. "[b]Use force if necessary.[/b]" "[b]Yes sir.[/b]" "[b]You can't be serious Daedalus ! If anyone should be giving orders, it's Bavaria.[/b]" Daedalus' fist impacted into Jack's midsection as he leapt to defend his sister's assumed position. He watched as the man slowly slumped to the ground groaning. "[b]Starting with him.[/b]" Gravius smiled. "[b]Aye sir.[/b]" Quickly turning, Daedalus dashed towards the wine-cellar. He could feel his chest beginning to burn again, but ignored the sensation. There was too much riding on this for him to be distracted.[/size][/indent]

[SIZE="1"]...you mean this isn't normal for everyone ? :animeswea[/SIZE]

[quote name='Rachmaninoff']I'm also going on the basis that Daedalus would know that Alexander would never do something like that if he didn't have a good reason. That and that it's standard Guard procedure to evacuate everyone in a situation like that. He would not wait for Daedalus to arrive to order that.[/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Yeah, given his close links with the RPG, by the time Daedalus gets the message he'll already have a fairly good idea of what's going on. [strike]Hopefully the Deacons won't make themselves a pain in the ass and evacuate as their asked.[/strike] Guess this no longer applies, sorry Malkav. [b][Edit][/b] Alright, I intended for Daedalus to actually meet up with Alexander by the end of my post, but it ran on a bit and I thought it would probably be better to let other characters give their reactions first. [/SIZE]

[quote name='Rachmaninoff']Well I'm currently working on a post regarding this situation, do you want me to have Alexander order one of the servants to fetch your character since he is the head of the household on some level? Then you could lead into that with how he responds.[/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Yeah, I'd appreciate that Rach.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]The only aspect of that entire story I found in the smallest bit insulting Phil, was when you said Irish culture was a part of British culture, that wounded me deeply. :p All kidding aside, it's a great story so far Phil. I can't wait to see where you go with this, as it already feels a little "Hot Fuzz" to me. [/SIZE]

[quote name='Desbreko'][color=#4B0082]Yes. I already had to raid OB's treasu?er, "borrow" some money to pay off the bets. [/color][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]You could have always just handed over that limited edition Master Sword of yours... :animesmil[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]Well now, seems Kishi is finally getting the pace moving again. We got quite a few surprises this week. As much as I actually want the fight to continue, I'd also like to see Itachi to reveal a few more secrets of his. I imagine even him telling Sasuke about Madara might be a bit of a no-no as far as the other Akatsuki members are concerned.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Shy'][size=1]After all, the alternative is Rosengard going up in flames, and nobody wants that (save for maybe Lady Bavaria. You know how she is...) -Shy[/size][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Am I sensing that somewhere between posts there's '24' style countdown timer old friend ? Maybe the loyal Almagests can use this situation to our advantage... you know, if we find and disable the bomb, we could claim it's likely it was intended to target her and the guests she invited for the "wake". I rather imagine compromising the security of some of Czenovia's most valuable citizens might not be such a good reflection on the new "head" of the family.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]I knew you had potential lad. On a side note, Des, you'd better pay up. :animesmil[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]"If you can read this, you're stepping on my crotch."[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]Crystia, if you want in your next post, Daedalus will want to speak to Harrison about maybe a bit of extra personal tutelage in his subjects under him. Given Daedalus' condition, this is both an attempt to reach out to his son and to make up for what he sees as Moebius' sub-standard instruction. You can note his skin looks a bit paler if you like, and maybe ask if he's OK, he'll just shrug it off saying he's fine.[/SIZE]

[CENTER][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/daedalusavatar.jpg[/IMG] [img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/harriet-chronicle.jpg[/img][/CENTER] [INDENT][SIZE="1"]Moving into a side-room off Rosengard's main lounge, Daedalus collapsed roughly into a chair, gripping his chest and groaning harshly through gritted teeth. Harriet quickly locked the door, before attending to her husband, carefully unbuttoning his military tunic and placing an attentive hand against his bare chest. He watched, wiping the blood that had come up with his handkerchief as she closed her eyes. "[b]How bad ?[/b]" "[B]It's not good Daedalus. The condition seems to be spreading.[/b]" As Harriet's eyes opened, Daedalus could see fresh tears threatening to spill down her face. He pushed as much warmth as he could into his own expression, drawing her into a close embrace. Wiping the vestigial droplets from her face, Daedalus kissed his beloved's forehead before quietly speaking. "[b]We knew this was going to happen. It was only ever a question of when. I suspect the stresses of the last few days have aggravated it, hopefully in time it will return to it's previous state.[/b]" "[b]I hope you're right... I...I couldn't lose you Daedalus... I love you too much.[/b]" "[b]I love you too Harriet... I guess I'm selfish, but the best thing about this... I won't have to know the pain of losing you.[/b]" She laughed through her whimper, striking him gently against the chest. Reaching into her dress, she withdrew a phial of silvery liquid and handed it to him. He regarded it, scowling before unscrewing the top and downing the potion in a single gulp. After a moment, Daedalus began to splutter painfully, doubling over himself into her awaiting arms, he held there, his breathing becoming more and more controlled, until at last he managed a few hoarse words. "[b]...I swear...[/b]" He coughed again, clearing his throat roughly. "[b]...this cure is worse than the condition.[/b]" Daedalus knew she rolled her eyes at the comment, she always did, every time he complain about it. Unfortunately his complaints, like his treatments were coming more and more often. Redoing his uniform, Daedalus stood out of the chair and began to brush out the creases as though nothing had happened. Harriet continued to observe him quietly, noting the improvement in respiration, she gave him a small smile as he caught her expression. "[b]What am I going to do with you ? I'd recommend that you retire for the evening... but I know you're not going to do that, are you ?[/b]" "[b]Believe me, this one time, I wouldn't mind it. Unfortunately, with Bavaria and the children on a collision course, I'll have to try and moderate it... Things are already getting out of hand.[/b]" "[b]You're right... I've never seen things so bad.[/b]" Taking a shaky first step towards the door, Daedalus quickly regained his sense of balance and offered Harriet his hand to lead her back to the 'function' . He would have to sort things out, there was no other choice. Inwardly he grimaced...if his condition didn't improve, and Harriet's deteriorated... all hell would break lose. He would talk to Bavaria privately, calmly, that much he was certain of. But right now, he would simply preserve some of the remaining dignity of his beloved brother.[/size][/indent]

[SIZE="1"]Come on Prem, God damn it, I've got money on you. :animesmil[/SIZE]

[quote name='Mr. Maul'][SIZE=1][COLOR=DimGray]That seemed to be the most common reason as to why people didn't find humor in it (if you read the comments on the vid). However, if you really think about it, I don't believe that reason holds much water. I mean, what [I]sensible[/I] boss is going to fire someone just because the product they were displaying was "faulty"? Granted, sales could be affected by unimpressed convention-goers, but even then, I suspect that the attendees of the convention only represented about 1% (if that) of their customer base. Please keep in mind, this is all (my thoroughly-unbacked) speculation.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]All I was thinking there is how much confrences actually cost to host, as well as the cost of putting up a presentation. There's huge amounts of stress over them, and I can accept that if things go wrong, someone's job could be affected if the presentation was badly affected by the technical difficulties. All it takes is one angry decision from a stressed manager and someone could lose a job. That said, in this case, it seemed the Motorola guy took it in his stride so there was no real harm.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]I know I said I'd have a post ready on Friday, but I'm after catching something and been in bed most of the weekend. That said, seeing as it's moved on enough it the timeline, I don't think there's any need for me to do the riot scene, though I will be revealing Daedalus' illness soon.[/SIZE] [quote name='Sandy']I'd imagine Leonhart's property is dealt evenly among his spouse and children, with the exception that Daedalus will become the president of Magitech Corporation (since he shared the ownership with Leonhart). Also remember that there are still characters that refuse to believe Leonhart is dead, since there is no body.[/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Well now, why don't we make it interesting and let Bavaria think she's "won" and actually inherited everything, including a large stake in Magitech only to reveal that Leonhart made no will and throw everything up in the air, inheritance wise. It would definitely make for an interesting set of scenes. Rosengard seems to be the home of the current Almagest head, that being Daedalus, for the time being. So really Bavaria is talking out of her backside when she think he'll allow her to get rid of family staff without his consent. I'd also really appreciate it immensely if anyone would include my character in posts, just to make it seem as if he's still around. I know I won't have much time to post, but I'd like to still be part of this.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]Heh funny stuff, but as Allamorph said, I dunno if doing it at a convention is a great idea, people's jobs could be affected by it.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Desbreko'][color=#4B0082]You would've fit right in during version 3. Actually, it's kind of scary to think what you would've been like in the Padded Room Party. :nervous:[/color][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Heh, yeah V3 was a fun time for us all, a very spammy, fun time. :animesmil Hard to believe it's six years ago isn't it Des ?[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]Yeesh, Sandy and fangirls, for fifteen hours ? There's no such thing as overkill with you is there honey ? Still, as Rach suggested, a Prem vs DB match would be fun, though I have a feeling, even if Prem did manage to defeat DB, such is his unwavering loyalty, he'd join him in the punishment. :animesmil[/SIZE]

[quote name='Sandy']That's where you're mistaken, since everything runs with Magitechnology, and many of the citizens of New Czenoble work in Magitech Corps factories. Sure, they might not know how to do alchemy themselves, but it's all around them. ;D[/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Ah, my bad, nevermind then.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Sandy']Any suggestions for the religion, btw? Or do Czenovias only believe in progress and machines? [B]Maybe they're "technotheists".[/B] ;D[/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]I think that's actually the most likely option, at least for the people of High Czenoble. As you pointed out Sandy, they seem to believe so heavily in technology and progression, it doesn't really make sense for them to have a heavy sense of religion, at least on a large organised scale. I can see the people of New Czenoble having religions though, as alchemy must seem pretty close to magic for them. I doubt many will have seen alchemy directly, so it's mostly stories handed down from parents to children. It might actually make an interesting plot turn, the development of religion in Czenovia. *Muses over the potential of becoming a 'deity' in the eyes of the commoners* :animesmil Anyway, it's finally Friday, so I should have a post written some time in the next 24 hours as I promised one for the weekend.[/SIZE]