Particepi Criminis - Vincenzo, NiccoloIndex | Time Under Chaos | Game Logs | Particepi Criminis Vincenzo Niccolo Vincenzo stayed at his post until the ship left the dock. A quick glance at his watch and a self satisfied smirk were the only warning Ramon got before the tall Coranon turned on his heel and left the deck, leaving the swarthy duelist muttering under his breath and in charge of the boards. The Security Chief took the security passages to the lower deck that housed the staff quarters. Specifically the large, and previously unused suite of rooms Petra had set aside years ago for just the purpose. They had been carefully, and painstakingly decorated to suit the future inhabitant's taste, and as such, they looked as if they had been plucked right out of Cornaro. She hadn't given her own rooms this kind of attention to detail. Vincenzo let himself in and swept through the suite, checking that everything had been put into place in the short amount of time they had to put on the finishing touches. Natasha's rooms were across the hall, but the rest of his staff would be with Niccolo in the suite. He hummed to himself as he helped himself to a glass of the finest Grappa from the small bar. Then Vincenzo took a seat to wait. Things were definitely about to get exciting. In a good way. A rainbow shimmer suddenly appeared at the center of the room. It began as a small scintillating light that danced with a myriad of hues, and then expanded with some alacrity, until it was roughly the size of a large doorway. It expanded still further, the light rolling back to reveal the edges of a gateway, and through it, a view into another world that was clearly not part of the Ramblin' Queen. There was small cluster of people standing in that world, in an well appointed Cornaran office, that was now a little cluttered with trunks and luggage, and a handful of people. Standing in front of them, focusing on a tarot card was Niccolo d'Medici. The hair on the back of his neck stood up, and Vincenzo looked up and smiled as he rose from the chair. Violet eyes lifted from the card, as the mind behind the Trump contact steadied the Gate. Lips that seemed perpetually on the verge of doing so, curled into a smile. His suit was tailored and impeccable, with white shirt, and a tie that matched his eyes. Tucked under one arm was a wooden cigar box, and the other four individuals, two other men and two women, shifted to the rear a bit at the sight of the Gate. It was one thing to hear about them, another to witness a portal between worlds. One of the other men looked through, and waved. This man was tall and solidly built, also wearing a well-tailored suit. His head was bald or shaved, and he looked at the edges of the open Trump portal with interest. He picked up some luggage, and was the first one to step through. He nodded to Vincenzo, and made way for the others. Next came a statuesque woman, tall, dark-haired and exotically beautiful...she entered the room with her back straight, and her bright eyes taking in the decor. The other woman followed, she was a bit shorter, and blond, but her Cornaron heritage was writ upon the soft tan of her skin, the fullness of her lips, and perhaps even the curves of her form. She sniffed, nodded to Vincenzo, and moved immediate to the desk, opening a ledger and taking a seat. Another of the two men remaining in Cornaro entered, his suit was tailored a little looser, his hair was slicked back, and his tie was loose about the neck, he stepped through as if he thought the Gate might close and cut him in half...with a quick hop, and a look of relief on the other side. Of the lot, only the dark haired woman and the bald-headed man made repeat trips through the portal for their luggage and their trunks, while the blond seemed to be taking an inventory. The other man that bore a resemblance to Niccolo, with his slicked back dark hair, was separating the luggage by owner. Vincenzo nodded to each familiarly as they came through. To the indispensable Cornaron female, he smirked knowingly. Finally, Niccolo himself entered, and the rainbow gateway collapsed behind him as he slipped the card into the pocket of his blazer. "Zito, " He said to Vincenzo, "You always did have excellent timing." "Monello," Vincenzo drawled. "You never have been able to simply enter a room. Always a production with you." He walked over to the seemingly younger man and clasped his shoulder warmly. Amber continued to be good to Vincenzo, at least physically. He looked better then he had the last time Niccolo had seen him. "It is good to see again." He glanced down at the box under Nicco's arm and smirked. "Even better to see those." Niccolo offered Vincenzo the box when the other man glanced to it, "Of course I do. I learned my lessons well, Zito. Someone once told me that one should never do anything in half measures, Si?" He smirked slightly, and clapped Vincenzo on the shoulder with his other hand. "It is good to see you as well, Vincenzo..." He tilted his head, "I know Marcello looked forward to it especially..." The bald man laughed a bit, and shrugged. He had pulled a book from somewhere, and was reading it, as he sat on a corner of the desk. He looked up from his book after a moment, and marked the page with a ribbon. "I should like to see the medical facilities, Zito, such as they are...I've brought a few things that should go straight there." Marcello straightened, "I know the way..." He glanced to Niccolo with a small frown, "He made us memorize the Queen's layout." At this, Marcello's frown was echoed to varying degrees on the faces of the rest of Nicco's entourage. The dark-haired man's was the deepest, "I'm an Accountant, not a sailor." The woman at the desk chimed in, without looking up, "Quintus is just upset because Natasha learned it faster than he did." She smirked as she continued to work, "And get off my suitcase, I've glass in there." Quintus straightened, and got to his feet, "Hmph...faster than you too, Carmen." "Yes, but I am not crying about it, am I?" The other woman, who could only be Natasha, was organizing her luggage near the exit. She knew her room was across the hall. She added, "Now Carmen, it is hardly Quintus' fault that unless there's a trail of coins, he can't find his way to the bathroom..." Niccolo smiled and sighed, "Vincenzo, you remember everyone..." He gestured at the others. "They are impossible to forget," Petra's Security Chief said lightly. "We all know you would be quite lost without them." Vincenzo turned to Marcello. "The ship's physician, she resigned today. Aura will be especially pleased to see you. She was afraid she was going to be called upon for what she calls her hit and miss Healer skills. Feel free to rearrange things as you wish." Marcello nodded, and picked up what seemed to be a Doctor's valise, and heavy-looking hardwood sided suitcase with large metal latches. "I will go and see her now. It is best done while things are quiet." He raised an eyebrow at the notion of 'hit and miss' healing. "Well, there will be no need hit and miss now, Si?" he hefted the heavy case easily, and moved to the door as Natasha opened it for him. Just before walking off into the Queen, the burly doctor looked over his shoulder, "Try not to get into trouble before I am done organizing things, hmm?" Vincenzo just snorted his amusement. "The staff is expecting you," he continued, addressing the group as a whole. He turned smoothly to Niccolo. "Except for one. Petra requested we keep Portia uninformed because you wished to surprise her. Shall I send for her to meet me in my office, or do you wish to have your reunion in public?" He smirked. "No doubt poor Ramon will be heartbroken for all of 45 seconds when he discovers exactly why she was never going to say yes to him." Niccolo grinned, "Ah, well, let us do so as we meet the rest of the staff." He glanced at his people; Carmen was finishing her count, and Quin and Natasha almost had all of the latter's luggage across the hall. "If we call her to a meeting, that will lessen the impact I think..." Niccolo gestured, "Let my people settle in, they can mingle and introduce themselves once Carmen is satisfied my office is ready." "Which won't take me long." Carmen offered. The man with the violet eyes smirked, "So, give me the tour, we can end it where ever Portia happens to be working." Vincenzo moved gracefully to Carmen and handed her a key on a silver ring that also held a medallion with the d'Medici arms on one side, and the Rossini's on the other. "To il monello's office," he smiled. "I trust you will find everything in order." "As do I, Zito, I am certain Il Monello will be grateful for your attention to detail." Carmen smiled winningly as she accepted the key. Niccolo sniffed and moved to the door. Tucking the wooden box under his arm, Vincenzo imperiously waved at Niccolo. "Seguitemi. Try to not frighten the guests, si? Petralina, she will take a dim view of this." "Frighten the guests?" Niccolo's hand went to his chest in a wounded gesture. "I am the very soul of goodwill and hospitality." He gestured, and then fell in at Vincenzo's side, wherever the halls allowed. "Petralina will take a dim view of you calling her 'Petralina'. What she does not know, she cannot complain about, Si?" Niccolo smirked, "So, it has been most of a day since last I was in touch... what have I missed?" Vincenzo waved his free hand vaguely, ignoring Niccolo's theatrics. "It has been most of a day for you. It has only been a couple of hours for us." He stopped and glanced down the hall before slipping the catch on the hidden panel that opened to reveal a secret passage. Niccolo was ushered into the carpeted hallway lit dimly by light seeping in through purposefully placed narrow slits near the floor. "There is a Claudio Bariman here this evening. From the Chaos Bariman's. He looks harmless. Which, of course, means he is probably anything but, si?" Niccolo's eyebrows rose at the sight of the passage, and he slipped within quickly, before other eyes could see. "Time differential. Always a pain. But in this case, it works to our advantage...I feared another passion play would be in the offing while I prepared things back home." He shook his head, "I could scarcely believe the torrent of events that Petra described." "It has been rather hellish," Vincenzo agreed smoothly in a tone of voice that indicated he had found it anything but. But he had been rather bored for a while now. "Ah, understatement again." He smirked, "And what does this Chaotian profess himself to be? A tourist? An ambassador? Minister of Bureaucracy perhaps?" Amethyst eyes narrowed slightly, "And a Barimen no less..." "An artist," Vincenzo sniffed. "Your family breeds them like rabbits. Perhaps it is to make up for the utter lack of a recognizable moral code in most of the rest of them." Niccolo's teeth clicked together, and his purple eyes flashed for a moment. Nostrils flared as he took a deep breath. "This Chaosian is no kin of mine. You may call a Donkey a Horse, but in the end it remains a Jackass. Put a Crown on a Pauper, and he still remains lowborn." He clasped his hands at the small of his back. "Be wary of what you allow the Artist to see. If he has any skill..." Niccolo did not finish his thought, he simply glanced to Vincenzo as they walked, knowing the other man would discern his meaning. Vincenzo growled as he gestured Nicco to proceed him up a narrow flight of stairs that doubled back on themselves. "Vesta's tits," he spat. "I loathe Trump artists. With the obvious exception." He paused a moment before adding. "And shape shifters. Imagine, if you will, the difficulties both create for Security. È un incubo. Petra, she has rules limiting the use of both while onboard, but you have to catch them to enforce them, si?" He fell to grumbling under his breath as he followed Niccolo. "Vesta's tits, as fine as they undoubtedly are, will be no help for this, I fear." Niccolo shook his head, and glanced over his shoulder. "We've a few extra eyes, and can place a rotating watch on the common areas...the problem will be the individual courtesan's rooms, Si?" He looked thoughtful a moment, "Shape-shifting we can defeat. I will need to interview the staff regularly...on some rotating schedule, call it a checkup, if you will...I can even have Marcello on hand so a Doctor is present. That will tell us if anyone has been tampered with or even replaced." Niccolo stopped on the stairs, and turned about, "I should like to begin with Petra, yourself, all of the highly exposed...but everyone eventually." He began to move again, "This will not detect a more active deception, of course... but I am considering options to protect mine and Petralina's investment." Vincenzo shrugged and slipped past Nicco to open another panel, this one leading out into another hallway decorated in the Art Nouveau style of the public areas of the ship. Various works of art decorated the walls. Nicco would recognize many of the styles they passed. Ahead of them came the sounds of music and laughter, the clink of crystal, and voices in conversation. Another turn and they were looking out over the main lounge where the art on the walls paled in comparison to the finely dressed men, and beautiful women. "Welcome," Vincenzo drawled. "To the Ramblin' Queen." Niccolo whistled lowly, "I had an idea...but seeing it is something else entirely..." He looked around at all the vices captured in the room, eying the beautiful women, appreciating the cash of the men. Niccolo took a deep breath, and sighed. "Are you certain I left Cornaro, Zito? Because this...this feels like home." He smirked, "Quintus may cry... you should have him check the floor, he can spot where you can mediate your losses, if any..." He preceded Vincenzo in what could be called a predatory strut. "Shall we meet the staff then?" Before he could say any more, a sudden disturbance struck the room. A man, wearing the costume of a Eregnorian nobleman, was on his feet and shouting at one of the girls. The Kashfan merchant who had brought him - who was himself a regular and a popular customer, (well-known for generous tips), was looking appalled and making futile attempts to catch his companion by the sleeves of his dark flowing robe. Vincenzo was moving instantly down the stairs, as were several others that Niccolo could see from other parts of the room. Portia among them, along with Aura and Sergio - who vaulted smoothly over the bar and was covering the distance quickly with long strides that managed to not look hurried. Portia, on the other hand, stalked and looked ready to toss the offender overboard. Aura was making a beeline for Rosa, the unfortunate young woman being yelled at. Arriving on the scene from another part of the dining area was a tall, auburn-haired man, also in the uniform of Ramblin' Queen security. He stepped up behind Rosa and placing his hands reassuringly on her shoulders, leaned down to speak to her quietly, his eyes all the while never leaving the troublemaker.
|
