Just like the drills, Dianna. Quick, quick, quick.
Luxe silk was traded out for what supposedly passed for streetwear in Rhydin. Gone was the sleek black couture suit and in its place she wore some atrocious combination of denim and cotton-polyester blend. Dianna Marshall Faulkner was not a jeans girl, but upon completion of the escape room and formation of the associated emergency plan, it was decided that should plain cover be needed, it was the most commonly found trend.
Jeans. Bah.
They were just a little too long so she had to cuff them to keep from walking on the hems with the awkward feeling sneakers that had been sized for her but never worn. The plain t-shirt that went with the outfit was drab and shapeless and thankfully covered up by a thick kevlar lined bomber jacket. All in all it made for a mundane combination that hardly seemed suiting for the more technologically advanced touches that made it a true disguise. The deep brown ponytail of her hair had turned dirty blonde beneath a West End Wargs ballcap thanks to a chameleon filter and a similar effect was invoked to change her eyes from green to blue with a pair of black rimmed glasses. Wholly illusory, the effects were easily changed as needed but as she emerged from a storm drain near the river, she figured the alterations would work for as long as it should have taken her to get across town. Headquarters wasn't safe and it wouldn't do to linger anywhere near Dockside as emergency responders descended upon the scene. Not once did she look back as she made her escape, traversing the narrow streets of Dockside until they gave way to Old Temple. Crossing the bridge to the north side of town helped her breathe just a little easier but it failed to lessen the conflict of just what to do.
They doubted her. They killed Francis. They were going to kill her too. And the only remaining people she trusted were either off world or back at a half destroyed building.
Maybe they were even dead.
Dianna couldn't stop to think about it or she would have lost the last shred of her composure that she clung to as if it were her last chance at salvation. The thought might be closer to the truth than she even wanted to consider. While the local law enforcement as a whole couldn't be trusted, not after the things that were said and implied during the investigation of the rally bombing only a month prior, but perhaps" perhaps there were individuals with enough merit to be trusted on their own. Few had chanced speaking to her save for vitriolic accusations and passive aggressive pseudo-pleasantries so it wasn't difficult for singular faces to stand out in her mind.
The Red Dragon Inn served as her only point of reference in which to seek said faces but she found the commons woefully empty despite the early evening hour. Fortunately for Dianna, the power of observation made it relatively easy to find the ledger in which each occupant of the inn was recorded. Just how many rooms could such a place have"
Obviously more than Dianna realized.
It took far more searching that she would have liked to admit but finally she pinned down a single name. He had been blunt, brash almost in the way he had questioned her upon their first meeting, but in review of his visit to the fae prisoner responsible for the rally bombing, his intentions at least seemed transparent enough to make him worth a try. Pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose, she shut the ledger, tucked it away, and started for the stairs to the inn's upper level in search of the room of Will Somnia. At the very least that didn't take that long due to the room's proximity to the central block of the commons and with no lacking amount of apprehension, she raised a fist for a trio of daintily polite knocks. Each moment that stretched between the knock and the answer felt infinite but finally, she heard a voice.
"Yeah?"
"Ser Somnia" Might I speak with you a moment, please?" She answered near the door jam. For all that the casual disguise hoped to imply about the woman at Will's door, there was little she could do to mask the prim lilt of her tone. Shifting her weight from foot to foot, she crossed and uncrossed her arms, trying to find some way to stand in the hallway that was both relaxed and innocuous at the same time.
Will stood up, head cocked to the side as he padded barefoot to the door. Not expecting visitors at this or any hour, he was wearing only a pair of dark green silk sleeping pants. He grabbed the black robe from the coat hook next to the door and threw it on, tying it closed around his waist. He looked down at his crossbow, loaded and propped up behind the door. Planting one foot firmly about six inches inside the door he clicked it unlocked, opened it and peeked out. He glanced her up and down, then looked her in the eyes for a moment. It was a good disguise but from up close he recognized her features from the first time they had met, as well as the broadcasts he had watched on a loop.
"...Dianna?" Will asked in a hushed tone.
Each second that ticked by between issuing her request and when the door finally opened felt like an eternity but at last the it creaked open and just as she had hoped, he was there. The ledger hadn't lied, at the very least, but it was still yet to be seen as to whether this was a wise move on her part. When her name fell from his tongue, her eyes widened and an index finger came up in front of her lips in a shushing motion. When she spoke, she did so through a soft nod of confirmation and around the lift of her finger before dropping it midway through once she thought her point was made.
"I think you may have me mistaken for someone else, however I was hoping to speak to you on a rather urgent matter regarding some of your recent work. Do you have a moment or two?" Again her arms crossed, clearly uncomfortable in having to make such a request.
Will stepped back and opened the door, motioning for her to enter.
With a grateful bow of her head, she quickly slipped inside without so much as a look over her shoulder.
Will poked his head into the hallway and looked left and right before closing and locking the door. He turned around to face her, hands in his robe pockets. "You weren't followed?"
"To the best of my knowledge, no. I didn't take a direct route here, just in case. Full disclosure, I am armed, however I'm willing to disarm since you've granted me an audience within your private domain." There was a slight tug at the lapel of her jacket to one side for emphasis.
Will shook his head slightly. "Don't worry about it. I would expect you to be armed" I heard about what happened at your headquarters." He walked back to the coffee table and picked up an unlabeled bottle of what looked like whiskey. "So what can I do for you?" He unscrewed the cap slowly, almost idly.
Her shoulders dropped just slightly with relief though the furrow of her brow easily indicated that what he said troubled her. It was no surprise that such news would spread quickly but she couldn't help but wonder just what was being said. Lingering near the door, she watched his progress across the room with a small frown.
"You know, I practiced what I was going to say all the way here and now that I stand here, it all sounds like insanity. I need assistance that I do not believe I can get through my conventional means." She took a breath, holding it long enough to let her nerves settle. It wouldn't do to dance around the subject, she knew that much. When she exhaled, it came with further explanation. "They assassinated Francis. I'm fairly confident that I'm next if I don't act quickly."
Will paused, the cap in his hand. His brows shot up. "Wait, what? Who did?" He was genuinely surprised" not that someone would attempt to assassinate either of them, but that someone managed to pull it off. Regardless of his feelings towards their movement, Will had sort of hoped they would just leave town.
"A member of his security detail, they say was responsible." Her teeth worried at her bottom lip. For all that her upbringing taught her to look a person in the eye when you spoke to them, she wanted nothing more than to stare at the ugly tennis shoes she had to wear. "They think me nothing more than his stand in mouthpiece, but I'm more observant than they give me credit for. I know how these things work."
Will motioned to the couch at the end of the coffee table and set the bottle in front of it. "Sounds like you need this more than I do." He sat in the chair. "Who did this person work for?"
A few moments of hesitation gave way to a brisk crossing of the room before she sat on the edge of the couch, crossing one leg over the other. Smoothing her hands down her knee, she clasped them over her kneecap and took a breath, straightening her thoughts. "Our security detail is assigned on a higher level by the movement's central offices. When an internal investigation failed to yield any definitive results, I looked into things myself. There wasn't much I had access to, but the man's personnel file indicated he specifically requested our sector. There were a few others too that have but I always chalked that up to Francis" popularity, you know?" A beat, two, three. "I'm rambling, please forgive me. I'm just at a loss for what to do."
"That's all right," Will replied. "Do you think your central offices....knew what this guy was planning?"
"Pure speculation rather than anything substantiated, but yes. Failure is not' taken lightly." She grimaced and tugged off the fake glasses, folding them shut and tucking them inside her jacket.
"By "failure" I'm guessing you mean the election' but if Francis let on that he knew the governor's seat here held no power, then" I'm guessing he had planned to....take power," Will mused out loud. "Otherwise there'd be no point to even running." He shook his head, feeling that he was beginning to go off on a tangent.
"Take power?" She tilted her head to one side, her brows lifting with what appeared to be genuine confusion. "I think" I think you may misunderstand. Such posts are stepping stones. Platforms of sorts for our message. Integration is a slow thing but having such prominence can speed the process greatly. There's no' power taking involved." Running her tongue over her bottom lip, she considered just how much she wanted to say. Such things were precarious when she was already on thin ice.
Will nodded. He understood, and by this point the intentions of the movement were moot. He sighed. "Sorry, I guess it doesn't really matter at this point does it?" He paused for a second. "If they'll be coming for you, then....you'll need to disappear." He leaned over and picked up the whiskey, bringing it to his lips before pausing again. "Is there anywhere off-world you'd be safe?" A swig. "Any family or remaining contacts you trust?" He set the bottle in the middle of the coffee table.
"It matters if you feel it does. I know our viewpoints differ, I'd be blind to think otherwise, but it has long been my job to adjust perspectives of our mission." Her gaze, back to green as it was after removal of the glasses, followed each of his motions, interrupted in her study only by the intermittent drift toward the door. The whiskey was tempting despite the fact she'd never drank in her life. A twitch of her fingers said that might change sooner rather than later. "My father encouraged me to stay here in spite of everything and he's my remaining family at this point. He's blind to the risk" or more over, I think the cause is greater than the cost in his eyes. I couldn't return to New Braemia, not if I value my life, but yes, getting away is my ultimate goal. Are they any alternative spaceports to Stars End?"
One of Will's talents, if you could call it that, was an attention to detail. He had noticed Dianna eyeing the whiskey but had not pegged her for much of a drinker, given her prim-and-proper demeanor. He stood and stepped over to a nearby wardrobe and opened the doors, revealing a wide selection of almost every type of alcohol available in Rhy'din. He took a rocks glass from the middle shelf of his personal bar and walked into the room's kitchenette. "I've never been off-world, so I'm not sure," he said as he opened the freezer and reached in for a couple ice cubes. "Honestly, closest I've ever been to leaving the planet," he said as he dropped the ice into the glass as he turned to head back into the living room, "was being on your ship when I went to talk to the prisoner." Will picked up the bottle and poured into the glass, setting the double-on-the-rocks in front of Dianna. "But I have a guy. I can head there tonight and get the ball rolling." He sat back in his chair, bottle in hand.
"Thank you." Read like a book, she assumed, judging by the glass before her. The red that suffused her cheeks was thankfully a brief thing. One hand curled around the glass but though she drew it up, she didn't drink immediately. "If it's a matter of payment, I assure you I can pay well. Particularly if this" guy' can be discrete about it."
Will grinned. "He's nothing if not discrete." He picked the bottle up and took another drink. There was a long silence before Will spoke again. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry for your loss. You're right, I'm sure we disagree on a lot of things" and I'm sure you came to me for help because I'm one of the few here who wouldn't rather spit on you than give you the time of day." He swirled the whiskey in the bottle. "I don't care for all the murders that have happened lately, and that goes for both you and Francis." He considered another drink. "We're all free to exist in disagreement."
He drank so she took the opportunity to do the same. The whiskey went down smooth but burned all the way into her stomach. It was impossible to hide the bitter face she made as she swallowed. "Thank you, truly. I've been in this city for nigh on two years and though we have our support, the opposition is quite loud. I've an inherent mistrust of the local law enforcement but Commander Nastani spoke highly of your conduct. You seem a" what is the local phrasing" no bullshit sort of guy." For that she had to down the remainder of her glass's contents, the language strange feeling on her tongue. "Anyways. I don't wish to inconvenience you long. How long should we expect preparations to take?"
Will laughed at that. "Well, I won't know until I talk to my guy. Shouldn't be too long though' I can see if we can do this before sunrise. It's still early enough." He stood, setting the bottle on the table. "I'll have to get moving though." He stood, walking to another chair and picking up the clothing draped over its back. "I can give you the keys if you want to stay here until I get back. You'll be safe here, and the doors lock from the inside."
For the first time since showing up at his door, she offered him a smile. Wan and tired, it was still genuine in the way it caught her mouth. "If you think that's best, I can remain here until I receive further orders. Otherwise I'm certain I could commandeer one of the other rooms here. Either way. Thank you again, Mister Somnia."
"Don't mention it." Will gave his trademark half-smile and headed for the main bathroom to change. He stepped back out a minute later, fully dressed. "Seriously though?" he joked, "if you're trying to disappear, it would probably be best to not mention it. Ah?" Will pointed to various doorways in the suite as he gave her the abridged tour. "Bedroom's there, has its own bathroom and key, never been used. Kitchen, food. That's..." He paused, looking around with a slight frown. "Pretty much it." He picked up the crossbow and slung it behind his back. "Get some sleep, eat, whatever you need to do. I'll be back." He opened the door and poked his head out to check the hallway again.
"Oh." She said lamely as it dawned on her that he was right. It was best not to mention it should she wish to make an escape on the low down. "Right. You're completely right." Her intent gaze darted with each gesture, noting his on the fly layout as well as the momentary frown. It was a feeling she understood, at least on a base level, the spartan accommodations making for easy movement should the need arise. "Very well. See you before long. Good luck and godspeed.? Sleeping likely wouldn't happen, but she leaned far enough to retrieve the whiskey for a refill for the short term.
Will nodded and stepped out, pulling the door closed behind him.
New places were always so weird feeling for Dianna. Though she was no stranger to moving around, sitting by herself in the room of a man she had spoken two a grand total of twice was an exercise in just how still she could sit. Her quiet was broken only by sighs and the occasional shift to refill the glass Will had given her. It seemed to go down easier the more she drank and though the nanites in her system did their best to filter out the toxins, she did her best to outpace them.
Once her head was nice and fuzzy, Dianna curled one leg beneath her, tugged the other knee to her chest and wrapped her arms around herself. For as uncomfortable of a position as it may have looked like, it didn't take her long to set her head on her knee and fall asleep, bulky kevlar bomber jacket and all. It was an unease sort of rest, just barely there in the realm of dozing, and her neck would likely hate her for it later, but sleep was sleep.
((Thank you to Will Somnia for writing this with me!))
