RE: The Battle Royale S2 [Round 3: Endymion]
01-24-2014, 07:00 AM
"Here it is."
The group, led by Ellena, reached the hatch that led down to Johnny's bar, the area around didn't have many other attractions, and given the time of day, there wasn't much stopping them from just going inside. Ellena opened the hatch and started to climb down when Geoff stopped her, saying "No, we need to make an entrance."
"What?" Ellena looked quizzically at the Hattallan.
Jeremy gave his two cents, "No no, he has a point, I've seen it in movies, if we do it right, it will be really cool!"
"More than that, making an entrance causes a scene, something to react to, and how people react to that will help us determine who we should talk to."
"So what's the plan? Just bust our way down?"
"No, that's too hostile. We want to just show them we mean business, not start a fight."
"Alright, well how about this, we-"
As Geoff and Jeremy planned how to get in while Elena just stared and sighed, Wardell was tugged towards the hatch, and as he wasn't really expecting that tug, fell down into Johnny's. Luckily for him, it wasn't that big of a fall.
Geoff quickly followed suit, jumping down and stepping around Wardell with the intention of calmly and smoothly walking around and seeing who reacted how. Instead, he was greeted by a sign that pointed the curious in Johnny's direction.
As Jeremy climbed down himself, he meekly said "Oh... oh yeah I forgot about that, ha ha, whoops."
After everyone had climbed down and stood up straight, Geoff made a new plan of action, motioning for Jeremy and Ellena to stay behind, as it would be possible for them to be recognized by the people in the bar. He and Wardell would enter first and cause a small scene at the bar, after that, they would go their separate ways and question whoever seemed the most suspicious. Wardell agreed to the plan, but mostly because he really wanted to keep away from Jeremy.
However, when the pair entered the part of the cavern that was truly Johnny's, it was mostly empty. Besides the bartender, there was only a single person inside, sitting at a table and sipping away at their drink while reading a paper.
"Well then. That makes this simple," Geoff whispered to Wardell, "You should just sit down, I'll handle this."
The bartender looked up from the glass he was shining as Geoff walked up and sat down in front of him and Wardell sat down on a table to read. "Hello there, what can I do ya for?"
"Hello, the name's Geoff, and you are?"
"Name's the same as the bar."
"Ah, so you are the eponymous Johnny, good, good, just the man to speak to! Must be pretty tough running a business like this down here, huh? I can't imagine what sorts of trouble people get up to."
"Well, you don't gotta, the answers' none. No one's allowed to cause trouble in here, no one."
"Oh? I suppose that does make things a lot easier... troublemakers can really ruin a bar’s reputation, but that can’t be the only thing that keeps this ship running smoothly."
"I respect everyone here who doesn't cause trouble, and as a result I'm respected back. That's all there is to it. Now, tell me something, are you just going to keep sizing me up and asking questions, or are you going to buy something?"
"Oh, well, since you are offering, I think I'll keep asking questions. Here’s one, have you heard of the group of cloaked people doing things that everyone else is too scared to do?"
"I don't know nothing about that. Sounds to me like someone's got an active imagination."
"Mmm, imaginative is an apt word. How about rumors about an angel running around? Sort of a loud mouth? Sure must take a strong imagination to come up with something like that, eh?"
Johnny placed the glass down and looked at Geoff, "Listen up bud, I don't know what your deal is but it sounds to me like you're asking a lot of questions for someone who just showed up out of nowhere. Let me ask you something, cut the bullshit and tell me what you want out of this conversation."
"Alright, alright, alright, I'm Geoff, I'm a detective. There's been a murder and the only lead I have is with your cult."
"Humph. Some detective you are, I don't know what you're talking about, there's no cult here."
"Are you so sure about that? A bar like this sounds like an ideal hub for this sort of thing, you keep out trouble, just like you said, and you're respected enough that anyone who's around can be persuaded to ignore, say, some guys in hoods occasionally slipping in and out, right?"
"I didn't build this bar underground for some hidden agenda bud, I did it to keep my patrons safe, and I don’t enjoy what you are implying."
"Oh I'm sure that it didn't start off that way, but when they approached you about it I'm sure that you didn't object. Maybe you had the secret path installed, maybe it was already there, but the end result is all the same."
"My bar doesn't have any secret passages, an-"
"A popular establishment among the genetically unendowed is Johnny's, a bar built in underground caverns known for many spiraling passages and hidden areas, some of which are said to connect to the very heart of Endymion itself."
Johnny scowled, "That's it! I've had it with you," Johnny grabbed Geoff and gently tossed him off of his barstool, "Now get out!"
As Johnny pointed towards the entrance to his establishment, there was a rumble as one of the walls of the bar just opened up, with a panicked hooded figure almost falling as he jumped out from a hidden passage.
As the figure panted and tried to catch their breath, they looked up to see a shocked Johnny, a patron he'd never seen before holding a book up to his nose, and some grey person smiling like he'd just found gold.
"Uhm..."
Quickly, the hooded figure jumped back into the passage, closing it behind them.
"Well, then, that's quite a lead, thanks Johnny, I'll take my leave now if you don't mind. Jeremy come quick!"
Geoff smugly left the slack-jawed bartender to his worries as he walked to where the wall had opened up. The detective felt the wall around and knocked on it, there was no noticeable difference.
"Just amazing, amazing..."
"What's up?" Jeremy and Ellena had entered the bar proper.
"I've found our lead, Jeremy, I think you will find that this wall right here is actually a door. I think that you know what to do."
"Alright then, if you say so."
As Jeremy wiggled his fingers around the wall and pretended to grasp an invisible doorknob, Ellena asked, "Wait, what are you doing?"
The answer came in the form of the stone wall opening as easily as any other door would for Jeremy. While she didn't quite understand how, she figured that there would be time later, especially given that Geoff was wasting none of it now.
"Alright, let's chase!"
The Hattallan began to run into the passage, hoping that he could find his head before things would get any more complicated.
Ellena stepped in after him, but decided not to get caught up in the moment.
As Jeremy stepped through, he remembered the fourth member, and asked, "Wardell, you coming?" with a big, inviting smile.
Wardell looked at the only other two people in the bar, neither of whom seemed too happy, and decided to follow.
Johnny could only look in absolute horror as the secret passage closed behind them.
The group, led by Ellena, reached the hatch that led down to Johnny's bar, the area around didn't have many other attractions, and given the time of day, there wasn't much stopping them from just going inside. Ellena opened the hatch and started to climb down when Geoff stopped her, saying "No, we need to make an entrance."
"What?" Ellena looked quizzically at the Hattallan.
Jeremy gave his two cents, "No no, he has a point, I've seen it in movies, if we do it right, it will be really cool!"
"More than that, making an entrance causes a scene, something to react to, and how people react to that will help us determine who we should talk to."
"So what's the plan? Just bust our way down?"
"No, that's too hostile. We want to just show them we mean business, not start a fight."
"Alright, well how about this, we-"
As Geoff and Jeremy planned how to get in while Elena just stared and sighed, Wardell was tugged towards the hatch, and as he wasn't really expecting that tug, fell down into Johnny's. Luckily for him, it wasn't that big of a fall.
Geoff quickly followed suit, jumping down and stepping around Wardell with the intention of calmly and smoothly walking around and seeing who reacted how. Instead, he was greeted by a sign that pointed the curious in Johnny's direction.
As Jeremy climbed down himself, he meekly said "Oh... oh yeah I forgot about that, ha ha, whoops."
After everyone had climbed down and stood up straight, Geoff made a new plan of action, motioning for Jeremy and Ellena to stay behind, as it would be possible for them to be recognized by the people in the bar. He and Wardell would enter first and cause a small scene at the bar, after that, they would go their separate ways and question whoever seemed the most suspicious. Wardell agreed to the plan, but mostly because he really wanted to keep away from Jeremy.
However, when the pair entered the part of the cavern that was truly Johnny's, it was mostly empty. Besides the bartender, there was only a single person inside, sitting at a table and sipping away at their drink while reading a paper.
"Well then. That makes this simple," Geoff whispered to Wardell, "You should just sit down, I'll handle this."
The bartender looked up from the glass he was shining as Geoff walked up and sat down in front of him and Wardell sat down on a table to read. "Hello there, what can I do ya for?"
"Hello, the name's Geoff, and you are?"
"Name's the same as the bar."
"Ah, so you are the eponymous Johnny, good, good, just the man to speak to! Must be pretty tough running a business like this down here, huh? I can't imagine what sorts of trouble people get up to."
"Well, you don't gotta, the answers' none. No one's allowed to cause trouble in here, no one."
"Oh? I suppose that does make things a lot easier... troublemakers can really ruin a bar’s reputation, but that can’t be the only thing that keeps this ship running smoothly."
"I respect everyone here who doesn't cause trouble, and as a result I'm respected back. That's all there is to it. Now, tell me something, are you just going to keep sizing me up and asking questions, or are you going to buy something?"
"Oh, well, since you are offering, I think I'll keep asking questions. Here’s one, have you heard of the group of cloaked people doing things that everyone else is too scared to do?"
"I don't know nothing about that. Sounds to me like someone's got an active imagination."
"Mmm, imaginative is an apt word. How about rumors about an angel running around? Sort of a loud mouth? Sure must take a strong imagination to come up with something like that, eh?"
Johnny placed the glass down and looked at Geoff, "Listen up bud, I don't know what your deal is but it sounds to me like you're asking a lot of questions for someone who just showed up out of nowhere. Let me ask you something, cut the bullshit and tell me what you want out of this conversation."
"Alright, alright, alright, I'm Geoff, I'm a detective. There's been a murder and the only lead I have is with your cult."
"Humph. Some detective you are, I don't know what you're talking about, there's no cult here."
"Are you so sure about that? A bar like this sounds like an ideal hub for this sort of thing, you keep out trouble, just like you said, and you're respected enough that anyone who's around can be persuaded to ignore, say, some guys in hoods occasionally slipping in and out, right?"
"I didn't build this bar underground for some hidden agenda bud, I did it to keep my patrons safe, and I don’t enjoy what you are implying."
"Oh I'm sure that it didn't start off that way, but when they approached you about it I'm sure that you didn't object. Maybe you had the secret path installed, maybe it was already there, but the end result is all the same."
"My bar doesn't have any secret passages, an-"
"A popular establishment among the genetically unendowed is Johnny's, a bar built in underground caverns known for many spiraling passages and hidden areas, some of which are said to connect to the very heart of Endymion itself."
Johnny scowled, "That's it! I've had it with you," Johnny grabbed Geoff and gently tossed him off of his barstool, "Now get out!"
As Johnny pointed towards the entrance to his establishment, there was a rumble as one of the walls of the bar just opened up, with a panicked hooded figure almost falling as he jumped out from a hidden passage.
As the figure panted and tried to catch their breath, they looked up to see a shocked Johnny, a patron he'd never seen before holding a book up to his nose, and some grey person smiling like he'd just found gold.
"Uhm..."
Quickly, the hooded figure jumped back into the passage, closing it behind them.
"Well, then, that's quite a lead, thanks Johnny, I'll take my leave now if you don't mind. Jeremy come quick!"
Geoff smugly left the slack-jawed bartender to his worries as he walked to where the wall had opened up. The detective felt the wall around and knocked on it, there was no noticeable difference.
"Just amazing, amazing..."
"What's up?" Jeremy and Ellena had entered the bar proper.
"I've found our lead, Jeremy, I think you will find that this wall right here is actually a door. I think that you know what to do."
"Alright then, if you say so."
As Jeremy wiggled his fingers around the wall and pretended to grasp an invisible doorknob, Ellena asked, "Wait, what are you doing?"
The answer came in the form of the stone wall opening as easily as any other door would for Jeremy. While she didn't quite understand how, she figured that there would be time later, especially given that Geoff was wasting none of it now.
"Alright, let's chase!"
The Hattallan began to run into the passage, hoping that he could find his head before things would get any more complicated.
Ellena stepped in after him, but decided not to get caught up in the moment.
As Jeremy stepped through, he remembered the fourth member, and asked, "Wardell, you coming?" with a big, inviting smile.
Wardell looked at the only other two people in the bar, neither of whom seemed too happy, and decided to follow.
Johnny could only look in absolute horror as the secret passage closed behind them.