[open] liberté, égalité, fraternité

[cockade]

WHO: Arno and whoever else
WHERE: In the city and on the rooftops
WHEN: Mid to late September
WHAT: Arno has arrived and honestly, he's a mess
WARNINGS: Hooded shenanigans, a voiced query, and violence/trauma of a castle siege

[a. as crime unfurls its banners (labyrinth).

The smoke is thick enough he could choke.

Arno remembers this. Remembers being here, and the cries and the screams of innocents as swords plunged into the fray and silenced them forever. How magic tore through the walls and fire lit everything from floor to ceiling alight. The stone cracks, the walls shake, the earth seems to move even though the assassin knows it's the heat and the elements fighting against each other on the castle grounds- the Battle of Caer Scima.

He's been here before; once awake, and many more times asleep in nightmares. The end is always the same. He saves who he can- nameless, faceless people who he knows he should remember, but cannot. Try as he might, he cannot save everyone, and he knows he can't, since the revolution back home proves that on a daily basis. France is in turmoil and her people are uprising, and here he still is, locked in a far away realm focused on the survival of not only his world, but every other world that exists entirely. It's enough to drive a man mad.

Moving down the corridors has been a mixture of frustration and folly. Things seem to keep turning around, exits aren't where they usually are, and he's struggling to find where he needs to go. A turn of a corridor has him running, trying to get to one of the lower balconies to drop out–

The way is blocked. But he knows this is the path he took before, just how-

Something passes by the corner of his eye at this, and he turns, noticing someone else is in here with him. Someone else? Who could it be, they have to be absolutely insane for staying in here as things get worse. Arno calls out to them, trying to get their attention.]

Where are you? [He's trying to push past the falling wood and debris, blood on his face and cinder in his clothes.] How are you even here- you need to get out, the castle is going to fall!

[Said as if he's not the one stuck here, in this labyrinth, and is the one that needs rescuing.

b. we don't have any more nobles or priests. (rooftops)

It's taken some time to adjust to the modern setting, but at least the architecture is still somewhat familiar. Some buildings are far too smooth on the surface to climb upwards, but plenty more still have drain pipes, escape stairs, and clotheslines to adjust and leap across with sheer recklessness. That is to say that there is a blue robed man with an eagle-beaked hood traversing above people's heads, flinging himself from rooftop to rooftop in an effort to internally map out the city.

Those who notice him below may just get noticed back, Arno peeking his head over the edge of the roof and giving a bit of a cheeky smile.]

Bonjour, lovely weather we're having, isn't it? [WELL, THIS IS A BIT AWKWARD no one ever notices him from below, time to pretend he's not doing anything suspicious.

The ones who meet him on the rooftops, though? That's not as awkward as others who notice from below. In some ways, it's a comfort- though Arno doesn't say much to that effect at all. Rather, it's a sort of camaraderie that he hasn't seen in some time. He misses Paris, he misses France, he misses the Brotherhood.]

Well, I can't say I was expecting company, but here you are. Taking in the sights, I assume?

[c. liberty, beloved liberty. (network) un: pigeon]

How many of you have been through something like this before?

[There's no video to this, only a voice with a French accent that sounds both confused as well as curious.]

What I mean is being taken away from your home, or being brought to another for a certain cause. [He may just be pacing at this point.] At least this one doesn't seem to have any battles or any sense of the end of the world, so I suppose there is some merit to this city.

Still, I'm no stranger to it- at least how it happens and we're expected to adapt. Unfortunately I can't say I'm used to the time aspect of it. Going from a world where it was even behind my own time to one that is far ahead is... difficult. [A beat.] Last I remember, I belonged to another realm called the Drabwurld; and we had just begun to pick ourselves up from the world essentially reverting to its past so we could stop its future.

[At this, his tone grows frustrated.] We were ready to fight to stop the supposed end of everything and the Void- and now, somehow, I'm here. I don't suppose there's any way to send carrier pigeons to another realm entirely, is there?

[The amount of sarcasm he has in that question is enough to choke a horse. He already knows the answer.]

Comments

rooftops

[jackdawvision]

[It’s taken Edward some time to get used to the rooftops of Kaisou. There’s quite a lot about it that’s different from running around on a rooftop in Havana, or in Kingston, or even in Nassau—less slopes, for one thing. Surprisingly a lot easier to climb for another, on account of all the fire escapes and clotheslines and air-conditioning units, but much harder to get down the fast way, at least without needing three showers to wash the smell of rotting food off your robes.

He’s seen a couple other people on the rooftops. The White Shroud, notably—but none of them are Assassins.

Except for this one.

It’s the eagle-beaked hood that gives him away. Edward’s own hood is up, and he looks at Arno, really looks—blue. Ally. Assassin, he thinks, hopes.]

Not quite, no. [Looking out at the city below them.] It’s a nice view, I suppose. I’m still getting used to it.

It’s more—I’m looking for people like you, I suppose. [And he turns to Arno, takes his hood down, and lifts up an arm to show Arno the bracer strapped to his arm, the hidden blade snug in its place.] You are an Assassin, aye? I’ve seen hoods like yours.

[cockade]

[...This was definitely not what he was expecting- and the hidden blade alone gives him pause. Edward sure is a lot of things, all at once. Arno watches him even as he speaks, eyes a bit shadowed from his hood, considering his options.

You are an Assassin, aye?

Straight out of the gate, then, it seems. The Frenchman looks, Eagle Vision being brief but enough- green. This man who he just ran into, who just suddenly trusts him enough to show him a hidden blade, is an ally. Usually, those in the Brotherhood were subtle in revealing themselves; this is more akin to nailing an Extremist with an axe in the middle of the road.

Right, well. This suddenly has become a lot more complicated. Arno tilts his head, one eyebrow raised in confusion.]

Seen hoods like mine? Monsieur, I can honestly say I have no idea what you're talking about. [This being said while he steps backwards towards the edge... before there's the quickest shift in the Frenchman's face: a grin.

Then, he's throwing himself off the building- and leaping like a madman right to the next rooftop, twisting mid grapple before he drops onto a lower ledge.

If that action doesn't scream that Arno knows something, not much else will.]

[jackdawvision]

What the—you little shite!

[This is not his first time chasing down an Assassin. In fact this is probably his third—first Walpole, then Kidd. Unlike those other times, though, he has one advantage now: he knows Kaisou’s rooftops well enough, by now, to have a rough idea of a possible shortcut. He follows after the Frenchman with a curse, jumping off the building with the same ease and catching onto a clothesline.

Someone briefly pokes their head out a window, blinks, and just matter-of-factly shuts the window. The rooftop cryptids are out in force tonight, Christ.]

Come on, man, what in the bloody hell are you running for? I’m a friend! [He vaults onto another ledge, making a good effort at keeping up. The man is fast, Edward can see that, and just as good as Kidd had been, scrambling through an unfamiliar environment with ease. He barks out:] Slow down!

rooftops

[whiteshroud]

[Jun was up on the rooftops per usual to get some air. Something about being up here on the rooftops always helps give him calm. Maybe it's a fact that it's a place where he can observe the city without engaging himself.

Though, it seems he has company up here tonight. New company even, as he's not seen anyone with a blue hood or a french accent up here before]

Something like that. [He says in his modulated voice] Haven't seen you here before.

[cockade]

[For Arno, the rooftops are a safe space, both in height and allowing himself to look over the place without interruption. To see others actually in a place where most people didn't even think to either look or go... well, it's interesting. That's a start.

There's a bit of a laugh at this, and Arno shakes his head.]

Well- considering I fell nearly face first out of... [There's a hand gesture here as Arno makes a face.] whatever that place I was stuck in, I'd say yes.

[A beat, and he continues.] Kaisou is new for me, though coming from another realm or world is not.

[Certainly not what most people would say, that's for sure.]

[whiteshroud]

[Yeah, that sounds like an isekai alright. Which tracks, because nothing about his guy seems like he'd be described as a local.

But the second part... that certainly catches his interest. ]

You've traveled to another world before?

[Because yeah, that's not a usual response from isekais]

Labyrinth

[reignitions]

[Shio doesn't usually go into labyrinths like this. This one was close enough to home, he figured he might as well check it out. The Yarn of Ariadne on his belt is unwinding as he goes along.

He's aware, by now, that labyrinths mean someone's inside, and he thinks he just spotted the person who needs to be led out of here.]

Over here. [When Shio speaks, his voice is loud, as clear as he can make it.] This way! We both need to get out of here.

[cockade]

[The fire rages even as Arno pushes through the debris, eyes locking onto this newcomer, someone he doesn't recognize- but it hits him as he approaches that this person has a face. He isn't a vague figure or another nameless resident that passes by him without hearing anything he says. And so the assassin moves, eyes on Shio as he makes his way towards the other.

Arno's voice is part incredulous when Shio tells him which way they should go, and it shows even as he moves alongside the man and begins to work towards the exit.]

How did you even get here?! The ways out have been sealed, it'll only be a matter of time before the Seelie make their way in.

[reignitions]

[He taps the ball of thread at his belt.]

I've got this thread tied to where I came in. If we keep following it, we'll reach the exit.

[He'll go ahead and continue on--]

This is a labyrinth, of sorts. Not the actual location, but a recreation of it by the Spirit Realm. So there's an exit, we just have to get there.

voice: UN: trienemybest

[droptheious]

I've only ever spoken to one other person who's been like that- dealing with multiple worlds pulling them in? It's pretty rare from what I've seen. Most of the people on the app were either born here or they were dragged right from their homeworlds to here.

[He chuckles ruefully.]

No. No inter-dimensional carrier pigeons. I uh- at the moment you're kinda left...wondering. Not what you wanna hear, probably, I get it. But that's it. Trying to get the Spirit Realm to do anything you want it do ends...badly.

[cockade]

[There's irony in Varian's statement, one where Arno can't help but give a bit of a wry grin.]

Somehow, that doesn't surprise me. My luck was always one to end up upside-down in terms of being in my favor.

[A beat, and he listens, sighing.]

I suppose there's no point in worrying about it. I know so little about this world that trying to get back home from here isn't a good idea, if I'm to take your word for it.

[droptheious]

Hah, yeah. I understand how that feels.

It really isn't. I tried to get us out of here and everything fell apart super fast. I don't think it's possible. All you can do is wait for the spirit realm to eventually...I don't know, catch you again and send you back.

rooftops.... from the ground :)

[prunedworlds]

Ritsuka is not, herself, the kind of person to be up on rooftops. She is more or less a pretty ordinary person after all, having contracts with a few hundred spirits of heroes across time aside.

Ritsuka is, however, friends or otherwise well-acquainted with the sorts of people who do do things like traverse rooftops the way normal people would use the streets. So when she catches a glimpse of movement out of the corner of her eye, of course she'll look up to see who's there.

"Well, it's definitely not as hot as it was last month, that's for sure."

She also apparently is treating talking to someone up on a roof as though it's not especially out of the ordinary, which probably says a few things right there.

[cockade]

The sight of a normal person easily noticing him above is different, but there's no sense of hostility or questionable motives, so Arno doesn't just decide to up and leave. Instead, he hops down from the rooftop and onto one of the escape stairs, before twirling and dropping to the ground. Better to hold a conversation on the same level then to try and have her call up to him, honestly.

"Last month, you say? Now I'm almost unsure to ask how much it differed." Arno gives a bit of a wry look, hood still up, but a friendly grin all the same. "Are we talking terrible weather in general, or something more cataclysmic?"

Is he joking? Who knows.

[prunedworlds]

Ritsuka watches as he makes his way down, something almost evaluating (and approving) in her gaze. Evidently she must be familiar with seeing stuff like that.

"Mostly, it was just really hot."

There was also the whole defeating a calamity in the spirit realm, and people getting kidnapped and the organization behind that being destroyed, but neither of those necessarily threatened Kaisou directly.

"You just got here recently, huh?"

rooftops, ground level

[fionnuisce]

...I prefer summer, myself. But it's fine.

[Said the man who just happened to look up at the distinct sensation of Lurking overhead. But with that kind of greeting, suspicion turned instead to mild interest.]

Anything specific you're watching out for?

[cockade]

Summer tends to be lovely, until the streets become almost unbearable with the heat and the stench that accompanies it.

[Arno isn't one who tends to dwell long on what he considers as normal, but something keeps him here. The voice, probably, there's a certain familiarity to it, and as the assassin brings himself down to a lower level to take a good look at his new face, it hits him as to why it's familiar.

– it can't be, can it?]

...Lord El-Melloi? [This is not the name or title Waver was expecting, probably. SURPRISE.]

1/2

[fionnuisce]

The second, thank you-

[...which was the immediate kneejerk reaction, but:]

[fionnuisce]

...Wait, what?

[Waver blinked, not the faintest trace of recognition on his face as he looked Arno up and down. And while he was definitely the same person, there were a few details just slightly off--the silver-handled cane at his side, the hair tied up rather than left loose, and the apparent habit for wearing green and black rather than red and gold.]

I'm sorry--are you from the Association?

rooftops

[twofoldfury]

[This month hadn't been as messy as the last, but a quick view of the city from the skylines wouldn't hurt matters. Diarmuid has come to like this place and it was his duty as a knight to keep it safe.

He sensed a presence almost immediately, turning his gaze to meet the other roof cryptid's and eyeing him with a bit of scrutiny but can you blame him when a guy in a hood comes to you on a roof and just starts chatting you up?]

In a manner of speaking. [Such a non-answer, Dia, thank you.] And you? What business could someone else possibly have on the roofs of this fair city?

[cockade]

[The skyline by itself is a comfort in some ways, that even in another strange place, there's a connection back to home. Back to France.

But this, he doesn't expect. Arno may be in a new location, but he knows the figure in front of him. A dear, dear friend, someone who explained the Drabwurld and how it worked, where he would best find connections, alongside Lord El-Melloi II.]

I would say this is a habit for me, to travel through high places, but- somehow you weren't the person I was expecting to see, Diarmuid.

[WEEWOO WEEWOO so much for subtlety.]

[twofoldfury]

Hm? [Being recognized at a glance set his nerves alight, but not through any fault of his company's. It was because this happened earlier in the month with Rider which led to a myriad of complex revelations. Unlike Rider, however, this wasn't a Servant or even a known Master at all.

The only connecting thought they had was that Diarmuid did in fact stand by the second El-Melloi.]

You know me somehow, however I've never seen your face before this moment. Have we met?

rooftops!

[arsenist]

[Akira blinks at the man that's, apparently shown up on his roof.

...Then he blinks down at the watering can still in his hand.]

Uh... Not exactly. [He shoots a meaningful look at the little box garden. There's a pot besides the boxes that has a conspicuous crack, and seems to be empty of anything other than soil. Nothing to see there!] These are my plants. I live downstairs.

[All things considered, though, he's taking it pretty calmly. Arno definitely isn't the first visitor he's had up here.]

So, what brought you to mine? Did the plants catch your eye, or is it just my lucky day?

[cockade]

[Far be it for Arno to question shady things, really. All things considered, being an assassin is practically asking to meet unique and odd people at almost every turn.

So to see Akira with a watering can does cause him to pause, before the Frenchman widens his grin. His hands twist upwards in a sort of shrugging gesture that's honestly half-hearted at best.]

I had no idea there were people who did such a thing on rooftops, monsieur. It's certainly a way to make things more interesting. [A beat, and he tilts his head, laughing.] Ah, no particular reason other than simply getting used to the routes, as it were. I delivered letters and sometimes even packages via rooftop plenty of times back home. Being a courier requires me to think on my feet, as it were.

[He also climbed the Notre Dame and leapt right off it like a complete moron. ASSASSINS.]

[arsenist]

[leapt off the notre dame............... arno...............

Akira's brain does a few quick calculations - monsieur, back home... a courier from France seems pretty likely.

It's the rooftops bit that's a curveball, but it's a fascinating one.]

Monsieur is flattering, but just Akira is fine. [It's still kneejerk, sometimes, the instinct to introduce himself with his family name. But he's lived in America long enough now. He leans against an empty planter that he hasn't quite decided what he's going to fill it with yet.] And it can be a little rare, but rooftop gardens are good for the environment.

[Akira also just likes having a quiet place with plants to retreat to, but that's the nice little addition he gets to add in now that he's learned it from his studies.]

So, what about you? Don't see too many couriers jumping across the rooftops over here. Is it good exercise, or do you just like high places?

[An entirely too-lax response when Akira saw Arno make an entrance on his roof, but... Hey. He's not gonna judge.]