Summary:Ford seeks out Dylan to share information. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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After getting a message sent to SHIELD that someone wanted to talk to him about the theft of… whatever it was in the box, Dylan sent a reply to meet him at Cafe Wha? at eight in the evening. He called ahead to reserve a table in a back corner, (not that they normally do that but money talks), and arrived early. He's sitting there with his back to the wall where he has a good view of the entrance. He has coffee of course as well as a small plate with crumbs from some kind of pastry and his phone is on the table in front of him as he listens to the music.
Ford wasn't entirely sure how to distinguish himself to an unknown guest in a cafe he wasn't used to hoping to relay some critical information. What did he wear? What should he look like? That was hard to say. But, he did ask to speak with the guy with the magic horse who was at the bank attack, and all things considered, he knew precisely what he looked like. So, in an effort to both grab the attention of his contact and point out that he was the guy he they were looking for, along with hiding his identity in the process, Ford chose a special someone to look like when he arrived.
It has to be quite a trip when Dylan, sitting in the corner of the cafe, sees Dylan walk through the door and look around. Spotting his identical twin in the corner, "Dylan" approached and smirked as he came up to the side of the table. "I don't suppose this seat is taken?" he asked, puling back the chair.
Dylan looks curious when he sees himself walking into the cafe but looks down at his phone. "I was wondering who sent the message but figured it was most likely one of the ones at the most recent foray into our world." he says, his accent being very pronounced Welsh. "So you're the Oni." Same magical reading. "Have a seat. If you want any coffee, feel free to flag over the waiter."
Ford seemed a touch surprised to be referred to by what he actually was. That… boded badly for him, but his estimates. But nonetheless, he sat down and nodded. "I'm guessing you've got an array of little magical sensors wired to your brain somehow?" Ford asked, trying to do a little investigating of his own. "I'd like that. Any recommendations on beverages?" Ford asked, before planting himself in the chair and leaning back in it, waving to get the waiter's attention.
"I am indeed 'the' oni. Let's just say I have a vested interest in keeping… whatever these buggers are out of my turf. Enemy of my enemy is blah blah blah and all that jazz." Ford explained, clasping his hands together on the table. "You mentioned something about a crown to the dark elves. I wanted to know if you guys knew about the other things they were probably after… and if they managed to get what they were after the other night."
"Nothing so drastic. Just my phone." Albeit a very enchanted phone. "Same flavor of supernatural being as was at the attack. And how many oni can there be in Manhattan?" It's a rhetorical question as Dylan doesn't wait for an answer. "I like the French Roast coffee with cream. But tastes vary." He sits back in his chair and studies his doppleganger a moment. "Why don't you take on a different appearance. I try to avoid talking to myself. In any case, to answer your question, now we do. Previously, we knew about the crown. Now we know there are other artifacts they're searching for, if not exactly what. Though we can assume they got what they came for so any information you can provide would be good."
"Unless my dad is back in town, I'm the only one, so, fair enough." Ford asked, shrugging as he sat back at Dylan's question. "Any preference on appearance? I'm not above taking requests, if it helps." He asked, but not waiting for one, his form began to steadily… melt, for lack of a better word, before reshaping itself into a kindly-looking older Asian man. Once the waiter came by, Ford placed his order in line with Dylan's recommendation, before looking back at his company.
"I might have an idea of what they want, though what they look like or where to find them is beyond me. A bank certainly wasn't at the top of my list. I had a chance to speak with a few pissa-loving pixies a while back. Their leader, Xun, mentioned something about a group called 'dark ones' trying to wage war with the 'shining ones' through the middle kingdom. I'm guessing that's good ol' Earth, because Lord knows it'd be too much to ask that they wage it on somewhere like Mars or something." Ford mused, folding his arms over his chest. "They said to not let them get their hands on a trio of items… uh, what was it again? The Crown, the Sceptre, and… the Horn. I'm going to guess they got their hands on whatever was in that vault, so… off to a great start on that front."
Dylan seems fine with Ford's new appearance and doesn't comment on it. "Pixies? Probably the same ones I ran into under the dome. But yes, they have the right of it. The svartalfar of Norse mythos and the Otherworld of Celtic mythos seem to be headed to war and the battle field will be our world. We know about the Crown, I surmised it was a sceptre based on the shape of the box, but the third being a Horn is news to me." His tone's a bit distracted as he's going over the ramifications of this new info. "I'm going to guess it's the Horn that summons the Wild Hunt. That /is/ only a guess though."
"I had a suspicion… it hit me when I realized you were talking to dark elves that they might be the Dark Ones the pixies spoke of. I'm guessing the Shining Ones are the… what did Herc call them? Uh.. Too… Tuwa de Dannon? No, uhm… Tuatha de Danaan? I think?" Ford asked, tilting his head a bit. "I have no idea what any of them are. My expertise is more towards Japanese mythology, if that wasn't obvious. Even then, I'm a little lacking on it."
Ford looked at his coffee arrived, taking a sip and humming, nodding his head in approval. "Good choice." he stated, before sipping again and looking at Dylan. "Okay, so, hypotheical thought: they get their hands on all three. What happens? Typical end of the world scenario?"
"The Tuatha de Danann of the Otherworld, yes." Dylan agrees. At the question, he shrugs. "No idea but it's not going to be good. None of the three, from what I've been able to find, are connected to each other. So they're not reassembling a set of artifacts that becomes more powerful when they're together. WHich doesn't mean that they don't become more powerful when used together, it just means they weren't made to be. Did the pixies say where the other artifacts are or what they all do?"
Ford's mind was already racing. This was his element, interestingly. They weren't part of a set… Ford just needed to know what they did, and he could guesstimate what the "engine" they were building was supposed to be. He tapped his chin in thought. "Not part of a set… that means they're assembling something new. That leaves the question; what do the pieces do? Hrm… let's start with that Horn. What's the Horn of the Wild Hunt do?"
Ford shook his head. "They weren't too keen on revealing too much to me. Probably because I'm a demon. I don't blame them. I wouldn't trust another demon either." Ford stated, sitting back and taking another sip. "However, I can tell you where to find them. They might be more willing to talk to you. You should take Hercules with you. He sounded keen on chatting with them as well." Ford offered, tilting his head. "So they've got the Sceptre, likely the Crown… even if you got the Horn, that's 1 to their 2. Is there any way to just… I dunno, sneak in and take them back?"
"Not part of a set that I know of." Dylan corrects. "I only know what the Crown does, I don't know what the sceptre does or which it is, and I'm only guessing about the Horn. Which makes speculation little more than a thought exercise." Still, it could be a useful thought exercise. "If it is the Horn of the Wild Hunt, it summons the Wild Hunt. Supernatural hunters and hounds that chase down the target. The Crown is the Crown of Command. Which is exactly what it sounds like. They don't have it to the best of my knowledge. And the sceptre…" He shrugs. "Sneaking in would be difficult given they're probably based in another dimension."
Ford tilted his head, immediately cranking his mind into overhaul. Crown of Command. Horn of the Wild Hunt. "That alone is handy… then they don't need the Horn so much as the Hunt itself…" Ford supposed, mind wandering back to what he'd heard at the bank. "That one chick was pretty keen on gloating. When you get cocky, you show the kinks in your armor. Next time, might be useful to seperate her and get her blabbing."
At the notion that they are based in another dimension, Ford hummed, before sipping his coffee and looking into it. "Not really. They're being super sloppy about the whole thing. Those portals they come through have to go somewhere. And based on how confident that woman was, I'd bet it goes right to their base of operations, wherever that is. All you have to do is distract them and while they're looking one way, you slip in some kind of task force through one of those portals they like. Follow it, you find them. You find them, you find their spoils."
"Getting them talking often gives better results than just attacking." Dylan agrees. "Not to mention that they might actually agree to not fighting." Not that that's ever happened. Yet. "Their staging area is not necessarily the same place as their headquarters." he points out. "Though we won't know that until we get there so it's not a bad idea. It's just not as simple as you seem to think. Though I haven't been to the dimensions they come from, I know the home of the svartalfar is not a good place to be stranded in." He finishes his coffee then asks "Where can we find the pixies? I suspect I've met them before."
"They're cocky." Ford stated, knowing the difference between cocky and confident. The key being whether you underestimate your opponents, or overestimate your own. "That's why you need some breadcrumbs to get back. A trail of some kind. Some way to yank yourself back if things get out of hand. Never said you should go in without a plan. I just meant they've left a road right to them.
Ford finished off his coffee, nodding and setting the cup down. "It's a place called Maria's Pizzeria, on Rather and 22nd. They like ice cream and extra pepperoni, so, be prepared for when they ask for tribute. The leader's name is Xun. Take Hercules with you, he sounded like he wanted to chat with them as well. They might respond better to you than me." Ford shrugged, before pushing his seat back. "Welp, this has been fun, but I think saving the world is SHIELD's expertise, not mine."
"I'd say it's the business of everyone who doesn't want to see the world destroyed." is Dylan's comment. "At any rate, my thanks for the information. It's more than we knew before and hopefully the pixies will be able to tell us even more."
"Eh, not the first time the world's been in danger. I'm sure enough foolhardy heroes will crawl out of the woodwork to stop this one way or another. Besides, it looks bad when it takes a demon to save the day. I've learned appearances are just as important, if not more so, as the deed itself." Ford mused, standing up and nodding. "Hope they're more loose lipped with you. And that you have some luck in getting what they want. I don't envy you." Ford bowed politely, before taking his leave and heading for the door.
If they are the same pixies Dylan met, alcohol will be a big help in getting information from them and he makes a mental note to go well supplied. He just nods to the demon and watches him leave before doing so himself.