Downtown -- The Townhouse at 502 W. 12th St -- Apartment A(#364RFJLng)
	Like the rest of the townhouses in this complex, this one is two
stories. Open and airy, the lines are clean and crisp.This clearly isn't a
cheap place. The floors are hardwood, polished so that they gleam
brightly. The living area has little furniture beyond a couch and chair
and coffee table. All are wood, glass, and chrome. The only furniture that
appears to get regular use is the computer desk in one corner. Manuals for
the computer are neatly stacked on the shelves on the side of the desk.
	The living room opens into a kitchen. It is equally neat and tidy.
And just as sparsely furnished. Stairs between the two rooms lead up to
the second floor where the bedrooms are. All in all the impression is of
understated elegance just this side of being spartan.

	Harriet appears to be a woman in her early twenties. She's below
average in height, and thin and darkly tanned, making the bright green of
her eyes even more noticible in her sun-touched face. She has
short-cropped, unruly, ebony black hair, and green eyes. Her round, open
face is just a touch drawn, pointing to perhaps too many nights spent with
not enough sleep in her recent past. She seems to be used to doing a lot
of smiling. A pair of gold-rimmed glasses perch--slightly askew--on her
nose.  The woman is wearing a reasonably sober outfit, today. Her hair is
neatly pinned out of her eyes with clips decorated with silver and copper
roses. Her blouse is in an updated Victorian style, silk and the blue-grey
shade of storm clouds. Her black slacks are neatly pressed and
well-tailored. She's also wearing a velvet vest, black where it isn't
embroidered with silver and blue rose blooms. Her sneakers are the only
discordant note in the outfit, a piercing shade of yellow that doesn't go
with any of the rest.

	 Not a particularly tall man, perhaps five and a half feet or so
in height. Dark hair cut neatly, going to grey at the sides and indicating
he is perhaps in his later thirties or early forties. Wrinkles at the
corners of his brown eyes also indicate his age. His thin, sharp face
gives him a serious demeanor. He is clean shaven, without a touch of
facial hair. There is a faint scar in the cleft of his chin.
	He appears to be a man in good shape for his age, thin and
energetic. He wears a suit that hangs neatly on his wiry form. It is a
quality suit though not a designer label, perhaps Hugo Boss. The shirt he
wears is a stark white, starched and neatly pressed. His tie is a thin
black, tied in a single windsor. His cufflinks appear to be silver and
obsidian. His shoes are black wingtips that have been polished to a high
shine.

Cosmo is waiting for Zach and Harriet to arrive. he's dressed as
immaculately as always. And he has a briefcase ready with a laptop and the
candle itself. He checks his watch.

Harriet tromps up the stairs and to Cosmo's door, whistling a merry sort
of tune. She's got a duffle over one shoulder. She pauses at the door, and
knocks firmly. "Harriet from Avon calling," she calls out, in a sing-song
voice.

Zach sneaks up behind Harriet from Avon, sneakfondles her bum and raps on
the door too. "And Zach from Meatballs Delivery!"

Cosmo opens the door for the couple. Holding it ofr the pair. "Come on in,
both of you. I'm glad you can both go with me. We should be heading to the
airfield soon to catch the jet. I hope you've both brought a change of
clothes."

Harriet jumps, and mock glares at Zach as the door opens. Then she smiles
at Cosmo. "Oh, of course. Since we don't know how long we're going to be
gone, you know?" She indicates her duffle with a shrug. "Whose car will we
take?"

Zach nods and brandishes his old canvas sailor's bag. "Extra clothes, a
couple of tools and a deck of cards in case we get bored." And in case he
needs to get....busy.

Cosmo considers a moment. "We'll take mine. It should have enough room,
and I already have my luggage in the trunk." Seems he is anxious to begin.
Considering what's riding on this.

Harriet smiles. "S'fine with me. You've got the cool car, and I've just
had to replace the tire on mine, you know?" She grimaces, and shakes her
head, before stepping out of the way of the door. Both men get a fond
look. "Shall we go kill us a Box, then?"

Zach is ready as three eggs. "All set here, let's go do some work." He
bounds down the stairs to look for the car.

Cosmo , Zach and Harriet are exiting the apartment and heading down to the
car when they spot Pan. "Ah, there's Pan. I was hoping she'd make it on
time." What a crew they make. At least he had the foresight to get her
some appropriate clothing.

Pan waves to the group as she walks on over, though she certainly wouldn't
find anything wrong with -her- clothing. It's exciting! It's new age! It's
completely ridiculous! She did ask to come along, however, so she might
due it out of politeness sake. Maybe even wash her face! "'Allo there.",
she says with a smile, lowering her arm as she glances upwards.

Harriet waves to Pan, her duffle jouncing against her thigh. "Hey, there!
Slip your guards, you know?" she asks, with a wink and a grin. She reaches
over and hugs Zach one-armed, before getting to the car and going about
tossing her duffle into whatever space is provided for such things, when
such is provided.

Zach eyes Cosmo and Harriet's attire. "Say guys, noone mentioned anything
about dress code here, but... Er. Is this a case where I need to fit in?
'Cause I have some less denimy textiles in the bag." He looks dubiously at
them, then he beams at the sight of Pan and gives her a hug of welcome. He
is ready to board.

Cosmo pops open the trunk. "Ween chartering a Lear jet, yes. Pan, if you
don't mind changing, I've some clothing more appropriate in the car. If
you want to go change inside, we can wait. We aren't in that much of a
rush. Harriet, could you or Zach drive? I need to focus on the candle to
prepare the song." In fact, he has a small duffel for the young lady which
he hands to her.

Pan blinks and hugs Zach, winking at him slightly before pulling away and
looking over to Harriet, "One can only hope, yeah?", and then over to
Cosmo, "Huh? Oh no, not at all.", sweet, more clothes. Pan chuckles and
adds, as she takes the duffel bag, "I'll be back in a jiff. Or two if I
have trouble figuring out what goes where.", she bobs her head and jogs
into the apartment to get changed.

Harriet hmms. "I don't have any problem with driving, if y'all would
prefer to concentrate on other stuff. I certainly know where the airport
is, you know?" She looks Zach over, with admiration. "I think you look
just lovely, beloved, but...non-sparkly khakis and a buttondown of some
sort might be more conformist." Then she grins. "Then again, attitude
matters more than clothing, I've always thought." She watches Pan jog off,
and smiles.

Zach snogs Harriet, zips back inside and changes clothes at hight speed,
then bounds right back outside again. "I'm ready, and I can do the
driving."

Cosmo tosses the keys vaguely in a Zach/Harriet direction. Either of them
can drive. He slips into a backseat, without a glance at Zach's attire.
Pan should find a nice selection of clothing in about the right size. Most
are nicer label stuff. Appropriate for someone her age joining an
expedition like this. He opens his briefcase and starts to sing and make
motions with his hands while focusing on his target; the candle.

Pan falls into the Gap. Ooh, khakis, and nice un-smashed-to-pieces
sneakers for a change! And they even go together Black socks and a shirt.
How simple. "Well, sorry for the wait.", she says with a smile as she
heads to the car...again!

Harriet bats the keys over in at Zachly direction with a grin. She's not
going to pass up a chance to be chauffeured. She tosses in a playful leer
at his new clothes, just for good measure, before waving to Pan. "You look
great, you know?" she says, and slips into whatever seat Pan doesn't want,
buckling her seatbelt, and settling in for the ride.

Zach catches keys, and gets in on the driver's side. After some
adjustments to make room for his legs and get the rear view mirror in a
suitable position, he starts her up. "Everyone roped up and ready to
travel?" Oh yes, he's looking forward to this trip. It's blatantly evident
from the sparkle in his eyes, the grin on his face and the cheer in his
voice. And off they go!

VROOOM!

Cosmo is in the back, presumably with Pan, leaving the front for Harriet.
He is staring intently at the candle in his lap. His hands waving back and
forth in arcane gestures. Reaching out to touch the chords of the symphony
that bind the item to it's creator. The Jaguar handles smoothly, with
plenty of power to satisfy Zach's speeding urges. Let's just hope there
are no police, hmm?


Pan smiles pleasantly as the car starts. She even forgets to put her
seatbelt on and the like, kicking her legs back and forth. "Thanks a
bunch, too bad the socks're the same color though."

Harriet eyes Zach, and the speedometer, with a little wariness, but
doesn't say anything. Instead, she keeps an eye out on the other cars
around them, perhaps hoping to spot any friendly patrolmen before they
become /unfriendly/. To Pan's comment, she grins. "Yeah. Having socks that
are the same color kinda sucks, you know?" She sounds serious about that.

Zach is quite skilled at avoiding the Man in any way, shape or form.
Chances are they make is to the airport without much incident. "Just be
good to the socks, hon. They can't help being of the same colour," he
tells Pan with a fond smile.

<OOC> Zach says, "A smile in the rear view mirror that is. :)"

The traffic is perhaps not as light as it could be. Which gives Cosmo the
time he needs. By the time they get the car tot he airport and get parked,
he's nearly finished his preperations. He gets a little louder on the song
and finally lets lose the essence necessary to fuel the song.

AutoJudge:  Cosmo spends 4 essence.

AutoJudge:  Cosmo rolls: 5 + 3 = 8 . Check die: 2 

Pan says, "Yeah, it does, but we all must make sacrifices for the greater
good, and stuff like that, you know?", saying 'you know' is pretty
addictive, Pan realizes. She reaches for her seatbelt, realizes she never
buckled in, and says, "Woops."

Harriet chuckles. "Be strong, Pan. The socks, too, will pass, you know?"
She quiets down as the Song reaches it in, and looks back at Cosmo, her
expression hopeful and curious.

Zach parks and practices the noble art of selective perception. Thus he
fails to understand the source of that 'Whoops'. (Not that seat belts
concern him overly much anyway, but Cosmo might get annoyed if he got a
ticket for it today of all days.) He twitches his nose as the disturbance
flare out from Cosmo, and turns to look at him, waiting.

Cosmo smiles as he picks up the candle, able to feel it tugging westward
once more. "IT worked. Let's go board the Lear." He closes the briefcase
and gets out of the car. He heads toward the terminal for chartered
planes, leading the way. He's smiling. "We've got about six hours or so, I
think."

Pan says, "If it's more than six hours away on plane, think we can't do
much-like.", she looks over to Harriet and adds, "I'll try.", with a smirk
before opening the door and stepping out.

Harriet hops out of the car, pausing only long enough to fetch her duffle,
before following Cosmo. She resists the urge to whoop, but can't resist a
happy, "So, we go west, young men? And women, of course. Wouldn't want to
leave us behind, you know?" She nods along with Pan's observation. "Gotta
admire the speedy instincts of poor Mr. Tree..."

Zach grins as he grabs his bag and locks the car. "So, a journey to the
West then. Let's hope there won't be too many demons trying to eat the
Holy Persons to gain eternal life... Lead on, mr. Willingham!"

Cosmo looks for the pilot, walking toward the plane out on the tarmac once
they are let through. "Captain?" He inquires once he finds a likely
looking suspect. "I'm Cosmo Willingham, these are my colleagues, Harriet
and Zach, and my niece Pan."

The pilot nods. "Yessir, you wanted a charter jet to the West Coast? We've
filed a tentative flight plan for Sacramento based on what the
receptionist told us your needs were. Is this still a fly-over, or is
there an actual destination?"

Pan blinks. Uncle Cosmo! It sounds so...-RIGHT-. She waves to the pilot
cheerfully, almost in admiration. Hard to get much faster than a jet,
indeed. She looks over to Cosmo and decides to hold on to his hand. For
image sake.

<OOC> Fidelity says, "That's 'Unkie Cosmo' to you."

<OOC> Zach sniggers!

<OOC> Pan says, "he's so nice to me, and only locks me in the basement on
weekdays^-^"

Harriet tries to look all professional and stuff, standing next to Zach,
and peering around at all the shiny pieces of machinery. She glances at
her mechanic, just to see if she needs to get out the hankie for any
wayward drool he might be experiencing.

<OOC> Harriet says, "And you get fresh water every three days?"

Zach nods a friendly hello there to the captain, and peers wistfully at
the jet. He needs to get flying lessons one of these days. And there is no
drooling involved! Much... He doesn't see Harriet's glance, because his
eyes are kinds glued to his new love at the moment.

"Yes. Though, we may need to land before that, if it is possible. I'll
give you plenty of warning, but we're testing some equipment that may need
us to land before we get all the way out to the West Coast. I'll make sure
you know in plenty of time so you can notify the authorities. I'd explain
in more detail, but I'm NDA'd up to my eyeballs. That's why things are a
bit, ah, up in the air as it were." Cosmo smiles. He takes Pan's hand
without appearing to think about it at all.

The pilot pauses for a moment at the pun. "Right. Let's get you all loaded
up, then."

Pan smiles at Unkie Cosmo, and says, "Thank you Mister Captain. Do you
have any of those wing pin things, by the way? They look really neat,
maybe it's just that one group, I dunno.", ever the professional.

He laughs at Pan. "We're our own airline, little lady. We don't normally
wear that sort of thing. But I'll see what I can scrounge up."

Harriet grins at Zach's lovestruck expression, and pats him on the
shoulder. Cosmo's pun gets an eyeroll, and the artist gives the pilot a
sympathetic grin. She brightens at Pan's question, and just barely
remembers that she's supposed to be professional and adult, and not ask
for stuff like that. But she's wistful.

Zach files into the jet with Unkie and the rest of the menagerie. He makes
love to it with his eyes, but that's as close as he's gonna get this time.
Other times he's been allowed to touch, repairing and trimming pieces like
this for "friends"... He sighs a tiny sigh and buckles in.

Cosmo climbs up into the airplane once the luggage is stowed. After
helping Pan up first. The interior is nice, presumably, though it isn't
top of the line. He sets up his briefcase and plugs in the laptop. He's
whipped up a little program to make neat graphics and occassionaly an
interesting noise. The candle of course, is kept in one hand. "Everyone
buckled in? Once we get going, we can have something to drink if we like."
He leans over to make sure he can see the pilot.

Pan says, "Thank you!", brightly herself as she's helped up into the jet,
glancing around and whistling at the Jet's interior herself. She just
can't help herself. She sits down, and this time buckles in, since she
remembers having forgotten on the ride over.

Harriet clambers up as well, stowing her duffle, and blinking at the
interior. "Wow, this is wonderful, you know?" She practically bounces her
way to a seat, buckling up with the familiarity of habit. Her attention is
still roving the cabin, occassionally peering out of the window. "Planes
are so cool."

Zach grins to his friends and reaches over to squeeze Harriet's hand
happily. "They totally are! So, do you have any more info or orders to
share with us before showdown, Cos?" he asks the leader of the pack after
the plane starts taxing.

Soon, after everyone is settled in, the jet receives clearance, and takes
off. The plane banks north at first, if only to follow a mandated flight
path, then arcs west as planned. "Ladies and gentlemen," says the Captain,
over the speaker, "this is Captain Douglas O'Neill and we're now en route
to Sacramento. Even though this is a charter flight, some of the standard
FAA regulations do apply -- please remain seated until the all-clear is
given, and review the emergency information which our cabin steward will
be providing. Thanks, and have a pleasant flight."

Cosmo gives Zach a little shake of the head at that question. He looks up
and smiles at his group. He can relax for a while now. "None, other then
the fact that the objective is further west then we thought. I'm hoping
with the jet we'll be able to go far enough west, fly over him and then
land and start looking again." He doesn't review the emergency
information. Bad Accountant.

Pan doesn't review it either. Like Uncle like niece, it seems. She instead
chooses this moment to look for the headphone buttons usually around for
normal flights, but she isn't entirely sure this kind of flight will have
them. "M'like planes, maybe one day fly one, baboom, an'stuff."

Harriet reviews the emergency information, of course, and squeezes Zach's
hand back. She nods. "Can you tell if it's still, you know, continental,
or is Hawaii a possibility?" She looks at Pan, and grins. "I was under the
impression that 'baboom' is not a good thing when heavy machinery is
involved..."

Zach nods to Cosmo and looks around to make sure the steward isn't
listening in on them. Leaning closer to Cosmo he murmurs something about
having a backup plan if this doesn't work out. But he looks far from sure,
"...so I hope we'll succeed with this one." 

Cosmo lifts a brow at Zach, leaning over closer to hear what he has tos
ay. "Do you want to tell now, or just wait?" He smiles over at Harriet and
gives her a shrug. "We very well could wind up that far away, yes. I don't
know, honestly. We'll have to land in Sacramento if it is that far. We'll
deal with that if it comes up." He glances over at Pan. Smiling, he
offers; "The stereo is for the entire cabin, I believe. OVer there."

The westward flight eats up a great deal of time on the duration of the
Song, of course, and somewhere above Arizona it becomes obvious that some
course adjustments are necessary. But finally, with only about 15 or 20
minutes left on the effect, the plane touches down at a small municipal
airport somewhere between Reno and Las Vegas, right along the
Nevada-California border.

<OOC> Cosmo says, "WHich way is the candle pointing now?"

<OOC> Fidelity says, "Bluntly, it began to turn around as you passed into
California, so this is as close as you can get and land."

Pan says, "Well, seems like it's a good thing we -didn't- try to drive all
the way.", cheerfully, as she unbuckles and..well, stands up, stretching
out her arms, "Too bad it almost doesn't feel like you're moving in one of
these things. Too comfortable."

Harriet glances out the window as the plane touches down. "Hmmmm. Well,
it's not Hawaii, at least," she says, sounding relieved. She yawns, and
stretches muscles that've become slightly cramped from sitting on the
flight. She gives Pan a look. "That'd be a very long drive, you know? We
could have sung songs, though."

Zach shrugs. "I can tell now, sure. When I resonated that Tree guy, I was
nearly overwhelmed with images from his heart. Mother of all connections,
I guess you could say. It might let me find the way into his Dreamscape if
we get desperate. But I am very far from sure if it'll work. It's a long
shot," he says. After landing, he peers at Cosmo. "Got a tug still?" He
unbuckles and gets up.

Cosmo puts away his gear. He signs the bill for the pilot and thanks him
for the flight. "Let's get a rental car. I don't think we have much time
yet." Though once he's out on the tarmac, he lets the candle tug him,
trying to judge by the position of the moon which direction it is
pointing. At least they'll know whether to head toward Sin City or it's
little brother.

"Yes. Let's see if I can get my bearings." Cosmo replies to Zach.

Pan says, "Mmyeah, but I think the 'Are we there yet' song would've gotten
borin' eventually.", she says, "Bettin' on Vegas, but maybe that's not a
good thing to do near the place, if y'get my drift.", she smiles a bit
before stepping out.

<OOC> Fidelity says, "The direction seems to be northerly, towards Carson
City and Reno."

Harriet waves to the pilot and follows Cosmo's lead. She grins at Pan's
statement. "Awww...blackjack can be pretty fun, you know? And poker. I
wouldn't play for money...not much money, anyway, though."

<OOC> Cosmo imagines by the time we get a car rented, the effect will be gone?

<OOC> Fidelity says, "It would fade about two or three minutes after you
piled in and hit the highway. Do you continue driving? If so, fade in
there."

Zach has cheerfully taken control of the driving this time around too, and
they woosh along the road in a steady line. "If you need more Essence you
know I'll hand some over, pal. I got good Rites..." He grins.

Cosmo feels the effect fade out about the time they get on the highway
heading north toward Reno. He frowns slightly. "The song is over. I'd like
to make a deal with the three of you. What would you require of me to
contribute a bit of essence?" He laughs softly as Zach's comment, great
minds thinking alike and what not.

Pan wonders if Zach has any rites involving cutting people off. "Require
of you? Hum.", she glances upward. She's a pretty simple person with
simple needs, "Well, I got a pin, I'd say that's worth at least some of
mine.", she actually places it on her shirt with a grin.

"I'd just like us to stop in at a fast food place and get me something to
munch on, you know?" Harriet says. "Especially since you guys are likely
to put it to more effect than I." She blushes slightly at Zach's mention
of his Rites, saying, "Yes, well."

Zach just eyes Cosmo and says, with all due respect, "Dude." Then he spots
a sign for a trailer stop/gas station and concentrates on following its
directions. "Food for a sexy babe comin' right up!"

Cosmo pays for the food for everyone. This is his little adventure after
all. He gives them all a smile and then waits until they get food and get
back on the road. "I'll perform the song again, then whatever you're
willing to share, I'll accept." With that, he goes back to focusing on
that little candle. He's got every line and groove memorized by now.

Zach reaches over to lightly touch Cosmo's hand, giving him 3 Essence.

AutoJudge:  Zach spends 3 essence.

AutoJudge:  Cosmo spends 5 essence.

AutoJudge:  Cosmo rolls: 5 + 4 = 9 . Check die: 1 

When she hears the Disturbance from the Song go off, Harriet nods, and
then also reaches back to offer Cosmo three Essence.

Pan says, "'Mm...Fast food, much better than salad.", she glances around
for any giant panthers and the like, she glances towards Zach's maneuver
as well before reaching out to touch Unkle Cos's hand, but stops as the
Song goes off, and then offers Cosmo two, because she's cheaper than
Harriet and Zach.

AutoJudge:  Pan spends 2 essence.

AutoJudge:  Harriet spends 3 essence.

Cosmo smiles as he receives the essence. Though he wasn't expecting quite
that much. The candle jumps back to life in his hands and he gives Zach
the directions. He's not eating himself, not feeling the urge for a
change. "When we get there, if we can find Mr. Tree, I want to try to
negotiate with him first." He looks back to Pan. "That's where you'll come
in. I hoping you can insure I'm persuasive." Then he looks to Zach in the
driver's seat. "But if he refuses to make a deal, we'll have to take this
item. It can't be left in mortal hands."

Zach floors it out of there and in whatever direction Cosmo tells him to
go. "You get his attention and keep all eyes off me and the box, I can
*cough* move it with little or no trouble." He keeps a sharp eye out for
the HighwayMan.

Harriet smiles. In between bites of her dinner, she says, "I'm sure that
the three of us can keep his eyes otherwise occupied, if it comes down to
that, you know?" She bounces in her seat, perhaps enjoying the prospect of
causing mayhem just a little too much. "So, uhm...what's our story on how
we found him? He's probably going to recognize us."

Pan blinks at that, "Er. maybe, but the box might, uh, not enjoy being
removed either, so lets keep that in mind or somethin'.", she flicks her
'badge' a bit. "And I'll do what I can. Never been on somethin' this
'big', though.", she admits with a sigh.

The traffic is light and lazy, with occasional spurts of thicker activity.
Folks are traveling back and forth between the Reno-Carson City-Tahoe area
and Vegas tonight, for sure. At one point, the candle 'jumps' slightly, as
if after a long day of being stationary, the target has moved, but the
effect is only slight. Within another hour, about five minutes from
passing some small makeshift fairgrounds that seem deserted, the true
destination is reached -- a motel on the roadside, where numerous cars
with trailers are parked. Clearly, whatever Faire circuit Tree is on, they
closed up for the evening at their site, and have proceeded back to the
nearest lodging pace. Camping out in suburban Ren Faires is fine. But
camping out in the desert at night, well, that would just be awful.

Unless you're going to Burning Man. Now there's an idea: Cosmo at Burning
Man. Consider that a few minutes. "Harriet, I think we should tell him
we've simply tried to find him, checking local faires until we could find
the last one he was at. Then give him as close to the truth as possible;
the cashbox is a valuable item. If necessary imply that keeping it could
get him in legal hot water because if it's value as a historic item." He
is turning to reply to Pan, saying, "We'll do fine. And I brought some
thick gloves for Zach, just in cas..." That's when he stops and points
toward the motel. "Here!"

You paged Fidelity with 'Will I be able to Swipe something using thick
gloves? (I think I will, but your call.)'.

Fidelity pages: Yes.

Zach smiles to Cosmo. "I hope your skills as a diplomat will rule the day,
supported by the ladies here." He looks at his friends as they all get out
of the car. "Ready?"

Harriet raises an eyebrow. "If we're given the opportunity, I'd like to
find out more about his mentor, too. I mean, this may not be the /only/
artifact of this nature floating around out here, you know?" She smiles
and nods approvingly at Cosmo's preperations, and climbs out. "I'm ready."

Pan says, "...Mm....Guess so.", she drums her fingers at the side and
chews on her lip for a moment before adding, "Do m'best.", she adds. She
looks over to Harriet, "He's got a mentor?" she idly adjusts her clothes
meticulously.

Pan looks over to Cos, "By the by, I'm gonna dump most of what I have
remainin' into it. Don't want it to go badly, after all."

Cosmo leads the way to the right hotel room, letting the candle guide him
to the right door. He glances around at his coterie and then puts the
candle in his briefcase. He takes a breath and knocks his knuckles against
the door. "Here we go. Thank you all for coming with me." He offers while
they wait for the door to be answered. Pan receives a smile, as do Zach
and Harriet. The artist has a good point.

Zach winces a bit and sotto voce tells them just before they enter, "Erm,
we might wanna /try/ being a bit careful with the noise, even out here. We
don't know if he's got anyone from the other side watching him." Then he
quiets, and from the resigned set of his shoulders it's evident that he
doesn't expect them to share his concerns. Much. He gives Cosmo a 'No
probs' smile.

Harriet nods along with Zach's observation. "Subtle is good," she says,
quickly, before turning her attention to the door, and putting on her
friendliest and most harmless smile.

After a moment, "Who's there?" can be heard from the other side of the
hotel room door.

Pan rubs the back of her neck, "Huh? No explosions? Alright, I'll try to
be easy on it then.", she looks over to her Uncle, "No problemo."

"Mr. Willingham." Cosmo replies to the question. "From Kansas City, Mr.
Tree. I realize it is rather late, but I'd like to speak with you. It's
obviously important or I wouldn't be here, halfway across the country."
He's calm, relaxed.

The door opens, but is clearly still chained. Through the sliver of open
space. "What do you want?"

Zach stays quiet, letting Cosmo handle this.

Pan blinks and tries to get a glimpse through the open space. Someone's
being nervous, certainly. She doesn't speak yet, letting Cosmo handle it
for the moment.

Cosmo takes another breath and offers his best smile. "First, to pay you
for the damage to your stall that day. Could we come in? There are some
other serious matters I'd like to discuss as well." He reaches into his
suitcoat and produces an envelope. "I promise to compensate you for your
time if you'll hear us out."

He looks a bit upset at this. "That weird guy who knocked over all my
tables isn't with you, is he?"

Harriet raises an eyebrow at the envelope, but just nods in agreement to
Cosmo's words, and shakes her head at Tree's question. "No, of course not,
sir. He was simply a patron, you know? There's no reason to bring him with
us to discuss reimbusement."

Cosmo echoes Harriet's words. "No, sir, Mr. Tree, he is not with us. He is
not a friend of ours. I regret he caused the trouble that he did." He just
holds the white envelope in his hand. Waiting patiently as he knows this
is delicate.

He doesn't seem convinced by this argument, but, well, cash is cash, and
so he says "Just a sec." And shuts the door to unchain and open it again.

Pan looks over to Cosmo. Since it was requested to be careful with the
disturbance, she'll hold off throwing anything to the mix until it seems
like he's getting less compliant. When the door opens, however, she smiles
and waves to the man. Obviously a very important associate of the
business...firm...thing.

Zach stands by Harriet's side, looking his default relaxed and amicable
self. He smiles a friendly smile to the man and nods a hello. An arm is
being snuck around Harriet's waist, out of habit.

Harriet smiles, waves cheerfully at the fellow, and waits for Cosmo,
leader of the pack, to enter first.

Cosmo waits until the door is open and then he steps inside. Followed, by
his troop. "Let me introduce everyone, Mr. Tree. This is Zach, Harriet,
and Pan. She's a niece of mine." As if to explain her young age. He holds
out the envelope for the man to take. "That should more then compensate
for the damage Cristobal did, and the lost sales."

Randall Tree takes the envelope, starts to look through it. "Er, yeah,
thanks. I should have called you, but frankly, you guys all seemed to be
together and it sounded like something of a scam."

Pan takes a look throughout the room as she steps inside, just in case
there's anything interesting to see, like dead bodies or pentagrams. That
sort of thing.

Cosmo spreads his hands near his waist. "I can understand that." The
envelope is filled with cash. And the amount is as Cosmo described it. He
leans back against the edge of the dresser that has the TV on it. "To be
frank with you, he was attempting to steal your cashbox, or rather, the
item you're using as a cashbox. I prevented that from happening. At least,
partly."

Tree grumbles. "With what I make in a week, it wasn't worth the trouble."

Zach gives Harriet's waist a fond little squeeze and idly glances around
the room.

Harriet glances around the room as she enters, as well, one arm snaking
around Zach's waist in response. Her lips quiver in amusement at Cosmo's
explanation. Poor Cris gets no breaks. Not that he deserves them.

Pan winces slightly. He -is- in a rather cross mood, but it doesn't appear
to be interfering with the goings on yet. She crouches slightly, still
looking around and over, as if she wasn't paying much attention to the
boring adult stuff.

Cosmo considers for a moment how to proceed. He adjusts his tailored pants
legs. "Yes, well, it wasn't the cash that he was after. You see, that box
you were using is a rather important item. Historically speaking. And to
come righ to the point, I'd like to purchase it from you at a fair price."
Better to lay one's intentions out.

"What?" He doesn't seem to get it. "Hiram's grandpa was that important?"

Pan blinks at that, apparently not 'getting it' either. Or at least, not
the new information.

"Yes." Cosmo replies instantly. "At least, from our research. I'd like to
confirm that, if you could tell me a little about what Hiram said about
him, I would appreciate it. Just to make sure I'm not going to make a
rather large offer on the wrong item."

"Don't know much. Hiram showed me a picture -- one of those old Civil War
thingis ... daguerrotypes, I think they're called." Tree shrugs. "His
grandpa liked to whittle, is all. He left the box to Hiram. Hiram left it
to me, when he died."

Cosmo gives a nod of his head at that. "I see. That fits with what we've
learned about the item. I think it is the one I'm looking for. Would you
be willing to sell it? I'm prepared to make a substantial cash offer."

You paged Fidelity with 'Any sign/sense of the Box here?'.

He shakes his head quickly. "Oh, no, I couldn't. Hiram made me promise. It
was even in his Will. Can't sell it. I can leave it to any student I
teach, or my kids if I don't take on a student. But I can't ever give it
away or sell it to anyone else. Dunno why that is, but I signed the papers
with the lawyer for it fair and square."

To (Zach, Harriet), Fidelity pages: +rolls.

AutoJudge:  Zach rolls: 6 + 2 = 8 . Check die: 5 

AutoJudge:  Harriet rolls: 5 + 6 = 11 . Check die: 4 

Fidelity pages: You don't see it. You're pretty sure it's tucked away.

You paged Fidelity with 'No whiffs of bad mojo anywhere in particular I
suppose?'.

Fidelity pages: No.

Pan glances to Cosmo at that statement questioningly. She stands up, and
dusts off her clothes, not that they are dirty at all or anything.

"I can understand that then. You're certain there is no way you could sell
it?" Cosmo glances at the others, letting his eyes touch Pan briefly. Then
he adds. "Could I at least have a look at it, if you won't sell it?"

Harriet's eyebrows jump at that piece of information, and she glances at
Zach, then at Cosmo, her slow scan of the room broken by her sudden
curiosity.

Zach tilts his head at Cosmo, looking placid. He shrugs lightly and makes
no other move or comment.

Pan looks back to Mr. Tree and rubs her hands against one another lightly.

He suddenly looks a bit suspicious. "Uhhhh," is the non-committal answer.
Given that his first impression of at least half of you was that you
*were* thieves, and now here you are outnumbering him 4:1, it's clear he's
not inclined to agree to this request. But he simply makes that little
conversational exhalation.

Harriet clears her throat and speaks up. "And, if it would be permissible,
perhaps I could do a sketch of it?" She smiles at Mr. Tree. "If we can't
have the actual thing, perhaps we can make a reproduction for the display,
you know? And, if Hiram left it to you, I'd be terrible interested in
seeing the photo, as well. We don't have many for our records, I regret to
say." Just as if there was nothing unusual in the request at all.

Cosmo spread his hands slowly. "Mr. Tree, I understand your desire to
uphold your mentor's will and not sell it. I won't press you on the point
but, if, as Harriet says she could make a sketch we would appreciate it
immensely. And if you like, Zach can give you an appraisal of it's actual
worth if you're interested in that."

Tree says "Don't need an appraisal. Can't sell it. Means nothing." He
looks back and forth between Cosmo and Harriet. "Fine, though." He opens
the motel's small closet and pulls out a box-shaped thing obscured by the
silken wrap around it.

Pan glances over to Cosmo again before, trying not to look nervous, but
she feels somewhat helpless in the situation. She does spy the silken
wrap, however, lightly tapping her foot.

Zach looks a bit disappointed at Tree's refusal to sell but what can he
do. As the Box is brought forth, he eyes it with great interest.

Tree holds the box up, slowly removing it from its wrapping. The item is
made of dark-stained hard wood of some kind, and is simple but rather
lovely in its way. A brass clasp holds it shut right now.

Cosmo stands back to let Tree have room. He doesn't want to crowd him.
Though clearly he has his attention on the item. "Thank you. I appreciate
you letting her sketch it." He looks up, gives Pan a wink to let her know
she can relax.

Harriet smiles happily, and bounces a little. She heads off to the car to
fetch her sketchbook, and is back toot sweet. "Thank you," she says, with
sincerity. "If you feel uncomfortable, perhaps you could remove any funds
you might have in it to another, secure place? I'd like to sketch it
partially open, if that's okay?"

"Already cleared the money out, like I do every night. Hold on. I'll open
it up." He tugs a bit at the brass latch, but it refuses to open. "C'mon,
dammit."

AutoJudge:  Fidelity rolls: 4 + 1 = 5 . Check die: 4 

AutoJudge:  Fidelity rolls: 5 + 1 = 6 . Check die: 6 

Cosmo frowns slightly as Tree has a little trouble opening it. "Something
wrong?" He inquires. He remains calm in the changing situation. Waiting
for the right moment to act.

Zach twitches an eyebrow, but rmembers to breathe.

Harriet attempts to be calm and not at all apprehensive. She's not as good
at it as Cosmo and Zach are, though, and takes a tiny step backwards.

<OOC> Fidelity says, "Everyone +Roll, please."

AutoJudge:  Cosmo rolls: 4 + 1 = 5 . Check die: 2 

AutoJudge:  Harriet rolls: 3 + 2 = 5 . Check die: 1 

AutoJudge:  Pan rolls: 1 + 2 = 3 . Check die: 4 

AutoJudge:  Zach rolls: 1 + 3 = 4 . Check die: 1 

<OOC> Fidelity says, "All of you detect a disturbance in the direction
you're facing. I'll give specific details further to COsmo and Pan."

Whatever's going on doesn't seem to have any effect in the room -- nothing
changes, and Tree doesn't seem to notice it. He tugs on the latch of the
box.

Pan looks past the box for a moment, and then...says, "umm... 'scuse me
for a sec.", she mumbles vaguely before turning and walking out the door.

Zach eyebrows Pan as she walks outside, then smiles indulgently. Kids...

Cosmo glances at Pan, stepping back slightly and starting to mouth
something to her when she leaves. He frowns. "Harriet, could you look
after Pan, please. While Zach and I help Mr. Tree with the box?"

Harriet blinks, then bobs her head. "Sure, no problem." She gives Tree a
little wave, sets her sketchbook down, and then follows out the door,
looking around for the girl.

Finally, Tree seems to get the latch open. "Wow. I guess the desert heat
isn't good for it. Who knew?" He looks around. "Uh, didn't you want to
.... well, I guess not."

"She'll be back in a moment. Could we see that picture?" Cosmo asks,
trying to keep Tree looking away for the seconds Zach needs to lay hands
on it.

Tree says "Well, I don't have it *with* me. It's at home. In Portland."

Pan looks over to Harriet, "It felt like a song. Less than half a mile
away. Going to take a look outside i'the ggeneral direction.", she'll run
for the motel's exit, having spent enough time -not- running that she'd
prefer to get a chance to do it.

Harriet hmms. "Could it be the Box?" she asks the girl, quietly. "I heard
the noise but couldn't peg it...the Box has Songs in it, and they tend to
go off when someone touches it. But Mr. Tree isn't stuffing himself, that
I can see..." Somewhere around this time, she probably realizes that she's
talking to air, and wanders back inside the room.

Zach blinks and calls out the door, "Harriet? He's got it opened, so it's
ready to be sketched." Then he turns his attention back on the box.

<OOC> Cosmo chuckles. Seriously, the plan: Let Harriet make the sketch.
Then get the room next door to Tree's.

Cosmo rents the room next to Mr. Tree's, once Harriet has the sketch
finished. Once the door is closed, he loosens his tie and looks around the
room. "Alright, I think we need to have a change of plan. Harriet, can you
construct a simulacrum of the box?" He smiles at the artist as a plan
starts to take a more solid shape. "If so, we can let him go to sleep,
then switch the fake for the real one. And leave before he knows what's
happened."

Harriet hrms, thoughtfully, looking through her sketches. "It would
be...difficult, at best, to make a duplicate, you know? Especially on a
tight deadline. I should have worked on it before we got the heads up,"
she says, and sighs. "I'm willing to give it a shot, though. We'd need
another plan in case it proves unfeasible, though."

Pan has flopped on the bed, "He's had it for a while, so he might be able
to spot a fake too, but this thing's supposed to be worth getting hands
dirty for it, yeah?", she peers upward at the ceiling in a fairly
accusatory manner. "I'm not sure what I can do in this.", she admits.

Zach walks around the room to check out the materials available. "Build a
copy out of the stuff we have there, then use your gift form the Boss to
change it? I might be able to shape some of the metal here into hinges and
a clasp, maybe."

"I just want it something to put in his bag long enough for us to get out
of here." Cosmo replies. He walks over to Pan and sits beside her. He pats
her arm. "Your help is appreciated, Pan. One never knows what we may run
into. Do you have any suggestions? I thought, that while he is sleeping, I
might sneak into his room and give him a mild sedative, make sure he
sleeps soundly through the night. That would give Harriet some more time."

Harriet ticks points off on her fingers, "Brass for the clasp and the
hinges, some good quality hardwood for the box itself, and then I'll have
to figure out some way to make a stain that gives me a similar effect to
the Box's, you know?" She hmms. "So some test pieces. And then we'll have
to mark it up a bit and age it so that it doesn't show up as a fake on
first glance. Even then, I'm not certain it'll hold for more than a couple
of days. And he has our names." Nevertheless, she looks around for
materials that could be used. "Anyone know of a Wal-Mart or something in
the area?"

Pan says, "Sedative? Well, if you can make it, I can probably stick it in
him while Zach does his thing.", she rubs the back of her neck, "That's
fine with me, feel better than doin' something boring like standing
guard.", she looks over to Harriet, "Perhaps we should try to set
somethin' up so he won't think it was a theft or somethin' after those
days."

Zach fingers one of the lamps thoughtfully. The brass is a bit thik on the
base. Hmmm... He looks up, "We need to be extremely convincing when the
cops come knocking, unless we automatically get away with it for being in
a different state?"

Cosmo taps his chin, smiling at Harriet. "I'm sure there's a phonebook.
And if I'm not mistaken, Pan is very good at finding her way around? Or am
I mistaken?" He stands up, removing his tie and jacket. "As for the
sedative, Pan, I have some prepared. I even have a hypodermic gun for
injecting it. As for being caught, the item will be long gone before he
can report anything, and even if my home is searched, nothing will be
found. Any other objections or items we should consider?" As he speaks, he
opens his luggage and removes his black doctor's bag. He lays out the
sedative and fills the hypo with the liquid. He test it to make sure there
are no air bubbles.

Harriet twitches just slightly. "This is where I feel obliged to note that
I can't get a new vessel or anything, you know?" She gives the Celestials
Looks. "So if we can manage to not have police in any state wanting us
imprisoned, that would be a good thing." She turns her attention to
bedsheets and mattress. "I can probably change some of this stuff into
oak, for the box itself, I think. Then I can put it together, and try to
make a stain."

Pan says, "Well, maybe.", she gives a shrug and looks to Harriet and adds,
"I'd be in big trouble if I got placed in the locker too.", she looks over
to the sedative, tapping her foot against the ground as if to test its
sturdiness.

Zach pads over to the writing desk and bends down to pick up the waste
paper bin. "This might make some nice wood too?" He nods to Harriet, "Good
point. We do not want your name in the police records as a suspected
thief." He mutters, "Not that there's anything inherently wrong with
nicking stuff, but anyway." Speaking up again, he notes, "The sedative you
have Cos, is that one of those that won't show up in a blood test?"

Cosmo just gives Zach a mild look. "Of course. Unless a test were
administered immediately. By the time he wakes, it will be virtually out
of his system. I don't want to endanger the rest of you, but we have to
get his box. At least, I have to. I'll understand if anyone wants to wait
it out."

Harriet eyebrows at Zach. "Uh-huh," she says, sounding amused, and takes
the trash-bin. To Cosmo she smiles, and says, "I don't think any of us
have any intention of doing that, you know? I was just pointing out that
if we can do it without getting police involved, it'd be nice." She
evaluates the trash-bin for potential.

Pan says, "Ah well, I'm a minor, it's my job to break the law. Roger'll
understand.", she rubs the back of her neck, "Not that he knows my name or
anything, I don't think.", she lowers her arm and adds, "I'll do the
sedative thing, no problem. Where do I stick it?"

Zach smiles to Cosmo. "If need be, we send the girls home and deal here.
If worst comes to disaster, we can Ascend and take the short road to KC.
That should throw the coppers off. But we ought to try the simulacrum bit
first." He ponders. "And then afterward, take the time to make an exact
copy for the cops to find -elsewhere-?"

Cosmo smiles at Zach's suggestion. "Perfect idea. Yes, I think that will
do it." He gives Pan a mildly disapproving glance. But then smiles.
"There's no needle on this. Just press it against the neck and depress
this button. It uses air to inject the medicine instead of a needle." He
hands the minor a the implement. "You're right, Harriet, I don't want the
police involved either. Though I doubt anyone would believe him if he told
them his tale." He seems to regret having to go to these lengths. But that
box can't be left in the mortal world. "Anything else?""

Harriet starts clearing off the table, and gathering the proto-Stuff on
it. "I'll need tools, but I think Zach said he brought some, you know?"
She glances at Zach curiously, then grins at Pan. "You have a point. Or,
rather, since there's no needle in that thingy, you don't have one."

Pan smirks at Harriet briefly before shrugging at Cosmo, "Harriet's got me
there.", she takes the instrument. "All I can think of 'mraid."

Zach grins and opens his sack to take out a bundle of cloth. Unwrapping
it, he reveals tools! Tongs, screwdrivers, steel wire and a small can of
oil. (The kind you use for sewing machines and bicycles.) "It's just the
more versatil inhabitants of my toolbox. And the Leatherman of course."

<OOC> Zach says, "http://www.leatherman.com/"

Cosmo takes his bag and heads into the bathroom. He comes out dressed all
in black. "Good, everyone has a task. I'll go outside, take a look and see
if his lights are still on. "

Harriet grins, and gives Cosmo a playful wolfwhistle. "Wonderful. I'll get
started on this stuff, then, and...hopefully, should end up with a Box."
She bites her lower lip and gets started.

<OOC> Zach will help Harriet if she needs it. Like with bending metal and
stuff. :)

Pan looks over to Cosmo, "I'll bounce on the bede, 'kay?", she says
pointlessly as she, well, pats the bed for sproingency.

AutoJudge:  Harriet spends 2 essence.

<OOC> Harriet says, "That's in two seperate pings. One for the wood, the
other for the metal. :)"

Zach hovers around to help Harriet and waits for more wisdom from Cosmo.

Cosmo has gone outside, to take a look at Mr. Tree's window. Looking to
see if the lights have gone out yet and the man has gone to bed. Once he
sees the lights go out, he heads back inside. "We may want to check in the
Marches and make sure he is asleep."

Harriet reaches out and pats the hovering Zach. All the components
assembled, she looks around at the others. "Guys, I wonder if I could
borrow a little Essence, you know? I'll pay y'all back, when I can, but
wood /isn't/ my medium, and I want this to be as good as we can make
it..."

Zach nods to Harriet, "Sure - I'll give you a couple. Cos? Need me to pop
off a Song of Dreams to go check?"

Pan looks over to Harriet, "Y'need any from me too, or will that be enough?", she glances over to Zach but doesn't say anything, preoccupied with the bed which, after kicking off her shoes, she has decided to climb on top of.

Walking over and touching Harriet's shoulder, Cosmo lets some essence flow from him to her. Returning part (2 pts) of what she gave him earlier in the evening. "There." He glances over at Zach. "That might be a good idea. As long as it won't be too noisey."

Zach shakes his head. "Only 1 Essence. As long as we don't pile the disturbance, it should be fine." He calculates a bit. "Right, I give you tw Essence hon, then I need 1 for the Song and two in case I need to vanish the Box for a while and another two in case things go pear shaped and I need to do the out-of-body thing... Then I'm practically all out.

Zach reaches out and hands over some Essency goodness to Harriet.

AutoJudge:  Zach spends 2 essence.

Pan starts hopping on the bed experimentally, "Well that's great, anything else y'need?", bounce bounce bounce, "I'll have to drop by here again.", she says as she slumps down onto the bed again, "Nice furniture."

Cosmo smiles faintly at Pan's enthusiasm. But he doesn't permit it himself. He watches Harriet working, then decides she might not work her best under scrutiny. "Alright Zach, have a look, let's make sure he's asleep. Then Pan go give him the sedative."

You paged Fidelity with 'Okay, I have met him twice. Studied him just now
and I got that CD 7 or 8 resonance on him in KC. I leave it to you to
judge if that's good enough to find his dreamscape. :)'.

You paged Fidelity with 'WIth the Song of Dreams. :)'.

Zach nods. "Give him another 30 min to fall asleep, and I'll start
Singing." With that, he flups down on the floor and gets comfy.

Harriet doesn't seem to care about scrutiny. Once she smiles again to them
all, Pan getting a slightly wider grin, the turns back to the table, and
all expression falls away, as she tures out all distractions, and
concentrates on her task, occassionally referring to the sketches.

<OOC> Fidelity says, "Zach, Cosmo, both of you make +rolls, please."

AutoJudge:  Cosmo rolls: 2 + 4 = 6 . Check die: 5 

AutoJudge:  Zach rolls: 6 + 6 = 12 . Check die: 4 

<OOC> Zach will have to change his image. Not good being too sexy for
one's wings. It makes Lucifer stalk you.

Cosmo frowns as something occurs to him. "If I give him the
sedative...he'll probably go to Beleth's side of the marches. I'd rather
not subject him to that. Is there any way to keep him asleep once you are
in his dream, Zach?"

Zach blinks. "Well, I only get a few minutes in there. The only thing I
can think of, and I don't think he deserves that, is..." His eyes shift
over to Harriet and he looks pained.

Pan sighs at that and places the sedative to the side, "Even if it's just
to keep him asleep?", she looks over to Zach, drumming her fingers on the
side of the bed.

Harriet is, perhaps thankfully, oblivious. She's Working, and doing her
best to ignore all of her surroundings except her task.

Cosmo shakes his head. This is important, but he's not going to do that to
him. "No. I'm not doing to him what was done to Harriet. It's bad enough
we're taking something important to him away from him. I'd rather give him
the sedative. One night of nightmares isn't optimal, but it's preferable
to possibly hurting him. Do you both agree?"

Zach nods firmly. "I could try, once I'm in there, to lighten things up a
bit so he at least starts off in the Bright Marches, but... I have no
guarantees that that would work." He sighs. "As you say, one nightmare is
preferable to real damage. We can't do this without any fall-out at all, I
don't think."

Pan nods to Cosmo, "Definately. Maybe my attunement can counteract it
after the sedation, I don't know if it works on sleeping people.", she
admits, "Never tried it that way.", she admits vaguely.

Harriet makes a little grunt, and pauses for a brief second at the mention
of her name, but as there doesn't seem to be a question attached, her
hands continue their work as before, using skill, and a little something
Extra.

AutoJudge:  Harriet rolls: 4 + 4 = 8 . Check die: 6 

Cosmo settles back into his chair. To wait for Zach to do what he must
before sending pan over. "Good. We're in agreement then. Pan, can you pick
a lock? Or will I need to do that for you to go in?" He asks her.
Occassionaly, he looks over at Harriet. Watching her work briefly.

<OOC> Zach waits for 30 min game-time, then takes 5 min to Sing.
<OOC> Zach says, "For the +3 to TN -> TN10"

Pan says, "Nope, 'fraid not. Might be able to bash it down though if
that's what you want.", she smirks, "But don't think that'll go much for
subtlety.", she glances over to Harriet, wondering how she's doing.

Harriet finishes, and slumps back in her chair, staring at...a perfect
copy of the Box. But she doesn't look happy about it. She reaches back and
rubs the back of her neck, and stares at it. "It's...wrong. No, not wrong,
you know? Just...not /right/. The artifacty-evilness, I think. I'm pretty
sure he'll notice that it's just...not right. Someone who hasn't seen the
original might not, though."

Cosmo tilts his head. "I'll pick the lock." He informs pan. That little
toolkit is in his pants. As Harriet speaks he turns toward her. "I know.
He's going to know, but he'll have a hard time convincing the police of
the truth of his tale. I don't like putting him in this situation, but
it's better then leaving him with it." He waits for Zach to give the all
clear.

Zach gets even more comfy, and after some time he starts humming softly. A
slow, melancholy tune of an otherworldly feeling. A few miutes later, he
seems to fall asleep.

AutoJudge:  Zach spends 1 essence.

AutoJudge:  Zach rolls: 6 + 3 = 9 . Check die: 3 

Pan says, "If he can feel the artifacty-evilness, he might thank us for
taking it off his hands. He doesn't seem to care much about it aside from
legal issues, and I don't think he had to sign that he'd keep it from
getting it stolen.", she looks over to Cos, "Too bad we can't reimburse
him or something without him figuring it out."

Harriet nods, lowering her voice a little in habitual deference to the
'sleeper'. "I know, I know. And...I wish that we could make sure that his
business improves or something after he gets rid of it, you know?" She
continues to stare at the box. Perhaps wondering if a few glittery
rhinestones would help.

You paged Fidelity with 'So, is he asleep? :)'.

Fidelity pages: Yes.

Fidelity pages: He's close to the Marches border, though. One of those
'I'm doing okay but nothing special' dreams.

Zach breathes a deep breath and opens his eyes. Sitting up, he smiles at
his friends. "He's sound asleep, near the middle of the Valley. You better
give him the sedative in case that thing calls out to him if nicked."

Cosmo taps his chin a moment at Harriet and Pan's mention. "I'm certain we
can do something to see that he is compensated. I don't know if he would
accept a large contract for his goods, but I can perhaps arrange it with
someone. We can deal with that once we have the box, however." As Zach
awakens, he opens the door and heads over to pick the lock. Checking the
walkway to make sure no one is in sight.

<OOC> Cosmo says, "TN 13"

AutoJudge:  Cosmo rolls: 6 + 5 = 11 . Check die: 5 

<OOC> Pan says, "We're flirting with Satan a lot today."

<OOC> Cosmo says, "'sokay. He likes a tease."

<OOC> Zach eyes Lucifer. *whisper* "You -promised- to stay away while I'm
at work!"

The lock's open within seconds.....The door chain latch isn't.

Pan nods to Cosmo, carefully following after him, also making sure
nobody's charging through with enflamed torches and the like. She glances
to the chain latch, trying to see if you can even open the door at all
with the latch in place.

Cosmo frowns as he realizes the door chain is in the way. He looks closely
at the small amount it allows the door to open.

Harriet remains in the hotel room...graceful and stealthy, she's not. She
flops on the bed, and contemplates the Box some more.

Zach gets up to cuddle the Artist quietly. He murmurs to her, "You've done
an excellent job, honey. Absolutely great. Love you."

Cosmo motions to Pan to come with him. He walks back to their room. "He
chained the door. Zach, do you have something to cut the chain with?" Of
course, then Mr. Tree will know for sure someone stole it.

Pan follows along, "And so will the police, or at least give more of a
case.", she gestures vaguely with her arms, "Perhaps I can slip my way
past it?", she offers.

Zach looks up. "I have a couple of tongs that should do the trick. And
strong hands." Since normally you need long handles on the snipper to be
able to bite off a chain like that. "Once you've made him sleep well, I
can undo the whole security chain and swap it with our -whole-,
-undamaged- one."

Harriet cuddles back, and smiles at Zach. "Thank you," she returns
quietly, then looks back up when Cosmo and Pan return. She listens to the
comments, and adds, "And you might be able to refasten it with a
coathanger and a lot of patience, you know?"

Cosmo shakes his head at Zach. "That's true. He'd be suspicious that it
wasn't locked when he woke up, but it wouldn't be proof. Alright, let's go
with that." He walks over and puts a hand on Harriet's shoulder, giving
her a squeeze. His face lighting up. "Perhaps I could undo it that way.
Yes, I have a tool that's thin enough to slide in one of the links, that
very well might work. We'll try that, Zach, get your snippers in case it
doesn't work."

Zach nods and gets ready with tools. He'd the handyman and the ladies'
candyman, ohyeah!

Pan says, "Well, then I'm ready. Don't need to prepare myself up that
much.", she shrugs her shoulders vaguely and hops off the bed onto her
feet.

Cosmo is unable to get the chain jiggled. He frowns and steps back. "This
is going to make noise." He's clearly not happy with how this is going.
Not happy at all. He motions for Zach to try his hand at it.

<OOC> Harriet grins. Since Harriet's not going on the sneak-fest, skip her
for a while, unless something happens in the hotel room. :)

Zach slips over. He takes two lengths of steel wire, to hook into a
chain-link each. "Hold these, so the chain ends don't make a sound when I
snip it." He hands Pan and Cosmo a string each. Then, when that's all been
secured, he readies a tong to try and cut the chain.

Zach is, of course, murmuring -very- softly.

Pan takes the string carefully, nodding lightly.

Cosmo does as asked. Holding onto the string.

<OOC> Zach waits for Wisdom.

<OOC> Fidelity says, "It takes nothing to snip it. We can assume you do
so. All those involved make Move Silently checks, please."

AutoJudge:  Pan rolls: 4 + 4 = 8 . Check die: 6 

<OOC> Pan is teh sneak.

AutoJudge:  Zach rolls: 6 + 4 = 10 . Check die: 1 

AutoJudge:  Cosmo rolls: 5 + 5 = 10 . Check die: 6 

<OOC> Zach makes it! Barely!

<OOC> Cosmo says, "Barely."

Zach carefully squeezes the handles of the tong together, and the chain is
cut with a quiet *plink*. Cosmo and Pan can feel their wires go ever so
lightly more heavy. Zach takes a step back and gestures that the stege is
all theirs.

Cosmo slowly pushes the door open, as that is the side he is on. Moving
without a sound, he motions Pan to go inside and administer the sedative.
Then gives Zach a look and gestures with his head, indicating their room.
And the faux-box inside.

Pan slips inside like a ninja, thinking about that cool Janus dude. She
will take a quick glance around the room, particularly the floor so she
doesn't step on anything, and then will try to stealthily make her way
towards the poor guy, assuming his eyes aren't open and he isn't carrying
a giant cleaver or something.

Zach goes and gets the box, smiling to Harriet. After handing it over to
Cosmo, he starts working on unscrewing the chains and swapping so that
Tree's room gets a whole, undamaged chain. And while fiddling with this,
he also keeps keen ears and eyes peeled. It won't do to be observed now.

<OOC> Fidelity says, "Pan, another Move Silently, please."

<OOC> Fidelity says, "Zach, you have a choice between another MS and an
Engineering, or just one Engineering at a penalty for the 'wanting to be
quiet' factor."

AutoJudge:  Pan rolls: 4 + 4 = 8 . Check die: 5 

<OOC> Zach will go with engineering. And is smart enough to start with his
own door, not Trees. :) I am so fading... :/

AutoJudge:  Zach rolls: 4 + 1 = 5 . Check die: 5 

Cosmo is playing lookout as well. Watching the walkway and the parking
lot, an ear tilted toward Tree's room in case Pan should need help. He
stops his breathing, not wanting that faint noise to distract him.

Within moments, the sedative is administered, the chains are switched, and
the box is found, and 'switched'. The only sign of passage is that the
newly attached chain is unlatched unless someone cares to latch it and do
something Celestial to get out again afterwards. And here, we fade...

<OOC> Fidelity says, "Okay folks. That's a wrap. After I read follow-up
@mails tomorrow on what you do with the thing and so forth, I'll award
staff XP for this. Thank you all and goodnight from me. ;)"