"Perhaps," Brune murmurs, noncommittally. He puts the mug down at last, apparently realizing he's been fiddling with it for several minutes. "A plan, then. Before I lose my faith again. I think it is in our best interest to aid Antonelli for now. I am almost certain his desire to end the suffering caused by the Deep One is genuine. So, what is our plan for approaching Zakkai?"
"Antonelli made reference to him owning an establishment on the docks. If it is not Andromeda's Sorrow, it may be the hotel itself, or another of the bars Jack and I saw the night we went carousing. But we had some... interesting paranormal experiences there that leads me to believe we were on the right track." Brune drums his fingers on the armrests of his chair. "And we know Antonelli has previously visited it to make inquiries."
"The table sprouted eyes," Brune says, nonchalantly. He stirs into motion again and rolls hazily back towards the washroom to splash some water on his face.
There's a faint sound of running water and sloshing from the sink. Brune starts humming idly to himself. Which, if nothing else, is certainly indicative of him being on strong drugs.
"Doctor, doctor, please, oh, the mess I'm in..." Brune's faint, painkiller-woozy singing filters back. "I'm on the run far away from you..." He trails off, apparently hearing Darrion and having forgotten he was supposed to be planning things. "Oh, yes. Right."
"Antonelli implied that had he gone himself, they would have made attempts on his life." Brune picks up his mug again and rolls over to pour himself more coffee. "But they may not know our faces yet. Although I suppose our encounters at the church have certainly put a target on our backs in other circles."
"Yes, yes. I'm in full control of my faculties," Brune says, firmly. He proceeds to almost slosh coffee all over the table in his attempt to pour some.
"Alex might be another valid option, given that they didn't confront Seapo face-to-face the way we did." Brune stirs his coffee and takes a sip. "If not Kiko, then they are the next person who might be able to go undercover, so to speak."
"Information, primarily. Antonelli doesn't know we already have the completed cipher he penned in a moment of madness - that was the main task he requested. But it would also behoove us to learn what Zakkai knows about the ritual, if he is sane enough to speak about it." Brune swishes his coffee idly in the mug. "We know where it will take place, but not its full mechanisms. Let alone how to stop it."
"Likely not. But Antonelli wishes to find him, and if we wish to ally with Antonelli, we must do as he requests." Brune twists the mug in his hands. "He was desperate. Almost frantic. He would have not have confided in me had he not been in the most dire need of help."
"So just to be clear on the plan, we send Alex in, hopefully not as a sacrifice, find out what this guy is up to, and then report back to the somewhat-less-insane guy we're allying ourselves with?"
"I think my appearance is too, ah... distinctive to serve as a stealth agent." Brune looks at Darrion. "But we do have a fashionable student who is very good at eavesdropping."
Brune nods solemnly, with an air of being fully willing to die for everyone in the room, and drains the rest of his coffee in one quick gulp like he's throwing back a shot.
As he waits for an answer, Brune quietly ponders whether Settlers of Catan was one of those board games that his wife used to thrash him at. He always won at Operation, at least.
It looks a bit hazy over the water, but the air over the shore seems to be as clear as it ever is. Seagulls fly overhead, squawking and diving at the water at times.
Brune nods and rolls back towards the elevator. His distant singing down the hallway announces his return to the room. "Doctor, doctor give me the news, I've got a bad case of lovin' you! No pill's gonna cure my ill, I've got a bad case of lovin' youuuuu..."
He is definitely on drugs.
"No forces of darkness to be found, Mr. Darrion," he calls. "Let's get moving."
Outside, aside from the gulls in the sky, it is mostly still. There don't seem to be any other people out walking this morning. There's some movement down at the industrial docks, but in the town itself it is quiet.
Brune looks for the least bumpy-looking sidewalk and starts rolling towards it, keeping an eye out for any passersby giving them unusual looks. He isn't sure how many people know their faces at this point, or if Seapo spread any news around to his allies.
It's around a fifteen-minute walk until you find yourselves on the boardwalk by the sea, by the row of buildings where Andromeda's Sorrow is to be found. You pass a couple people hurrying past on your way, none of whom seem to recognize you.
You don't see anyone you recognize outside. Then again, it is 11:20AM on a Wednesday, so presumably a lot of people are attending lectures, at least those who haven't had their professors vanish. There may be people you know inside some of the various storefronts.
Brune flicks his gaze idly at passing pedestrians as they converse - not just because he's paranoid of being recognized in the street, but also because he's had experiences on sidewalks where passing pedestrians who want to make room will just nonchalantly push his chair to the side without asking as if he's a piece of furniture.
An old lady hobbles past with a cane, holding several plastic shopping bags as if just coming from grocery shopping. She's muttering under her breath and frowning, pushing past your group without paying much attention.
Failure. Nothing special jumps out at you - she just seems like your average grumpy old lady. She continues along her way, the plod of the cane accenting her steps. The rest of the boardwalk stretches out in front of you.
