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The summary was there were a lot of words Triton had for Maximus and few of which were 'put that down' or 'can you please just not do that'. The royal that was scout and long suffering diplomat had apparently breeched the surface and has been probing about for the ever moving Maximus. Instead of hitting the moving one he hit the stationary target: Corvus. He who would reliably know how to fit all of these pieces together.
The message was simple: Lighthouse out on Long Island. There was a time. Inside the lighthouse Triton paced idly in worn and weathered combat boots looking up to Vesper. "Sometimes we have to give trust to get trust but I'll be honest, waiting can take forever sometimes."
Vesper is not someone widely known to the Inhuman community. The number who recognize her by sight is low. Partly because she doesn't use the name she was born with she has some anonymity. So her presence at the lighthouse isn't very exciting outwardly. She wears a pretty scarf and big sunglasses. A thin coat keeps her warm and not far off, she has a bag with a towel in it just in case.
"Trust is a rare and expensive commodity, more valuable than gold and pearls. A sight more useful too," says the Gallic scientist. Her arms rest on the rail and she looks down at the water. Its cool depths flecked in a lacework of white foam do not hold a great appeal.
The sound of footsteps in the stairwell announces Corvus' arrival several moments before he reaches the top. The man is dressed in a fitted black suit and shiny leather shoes. "Sorry about the wait. Maximus said it'd only be a moment, but you know what that means."
Reaching up he plucks the glasses from his face and cleans them off with a small cloth. "But, late is better than never I suppose. He should be up shortly, but then again he may leave the speaking up to me." Peering down he makes sure the lenses are clear once more, then return them to their proper perch on his nose.
Footfalls on the stairs would be enough to bring Vesper off the railing. She has a talent for using curved walls for her own protection and barriers againsnt threats of all sorts. What's good for a seagull is good for a mad king. It also explains why she has not eaten for some time in the interlude of silence since their arrival.
"You are a good speaker. That should not cause trouble, non?" The speckling of her Parisian influenced accent is there. The sunglasses perched on her nose do a fine job of concealing the fact her usually doe-brown eyes are electric blue.
Triton turned his black, orbed eyes up to Vesper crinkling at the far edges in amusement, "Well, then I value yours doubly so because this is a big of a long shot." It still amused him. Footsteps. Excellent. Either it was about to get very quiet or rather messy. The sight revealed Corvus. Well then hopefully just quiet." The scout stood up and greeted Corvus with a nod of respect to him. He did good work, what he had to to keep at least part of his family protected which, truth be told, he appreciated. To Vesper there was a tone that seemed to suggest that under the mask was an easy grin to go with it. "Not even in the slightest. Corvus. Glad you could make it. This is Vesper. She's presently working with me. And yes… I know Maximus has… many things that occupy his time. How is he?" It wasn't a wary question but a sincere one.
"He is fine. Though, why you are keeping company with that ungrateful traitor, I have no idea." Comes the purring, seductive voice of Maximus the Mad, coming in the opposite direction. Its funny timing, he and Corvus arriving almost simultaneously, but, Maximus does kinda have a thing for timing. And finding people. Still high from his time in Attilan, he looks as well and healthy as he can be, and is dressed in his Attilan trench coat and tight suit.
"That answers that question, I suppose." Corvus straightens up a little as Maximus arrives. There's a slight hiss as the armor underneath his outfit engages and his helmet moves into place, mirrored visor concealing his face. He moves out of the way and clasps his hands behind his back. Apparently the alternative was to let Max do all the speaking.
Who really expects her to be the spokesperson? Wrong place and age. Maybe Attilan sees no gender divide on matters of ability and leadership but Earth does. Vesper is still wholly rooted with one foot in her adopted culture. She nods a little to Triton, still fallen back out of sight. An obstructed view means she is heard before seen if she speaks up. And like a good scout's companion she does not speak to give herself away.
"Hello. Corvus." Her French accent can't be overlooked in the way she pronounces it. The brunette keeps to herself the mental bookmark to brush up on her Latin for the umpteenth time thought. Maximus sliding in to accuse what he will - her - does not get the rise it should. Other than her shoulders going back, she weathers it well enough. But the faintest hum of plasma around her is just reminder to drink the waning sunlight. And she does.
Triton rolled his head around first wearing all the gear Max knew better than anyone as he built it that Triton might have a conversation for more than five minutes without looking like a gaping goldfish on the carpeting. Deposed? Perhaps so, but Triton still showed him deference. "Cousin. It is… good to see you." Judicious as ever and always. It was something to live in the middle of the divide. Still he didn't seem to react to the insult to his companion any more than the last time when he was asked why he was still wearing the same boots. Some questions really didn't want answers. "Maximus, The why is because you sent me for answers and as I have always, I am bringing them back to you." It occurred to him that it was quite possible in the two year gap they have spoken something may have changed that no one bothered to speak to him about. That Maximus was at one door and Corvus at the other was not lost on him. He opted to trust his family and keep things casual for now. For now.
"Yessss, well, I have something for you, as well. A message. From the Kree. Right up your alley, too, as I believe the signal was coming from the middle of the water." Maximus wastes no time and though he doesn't know Corvus as well as he knows his own family, its Vesper that his steel eyes rest upon, "Once this one apologizes for having all my work destroyed, and my face punched, or /gets out/."
Corvus doesn't actually appear hostile, more like he doesn't wish to upset Maximus. Though that could be lost in the reflection where his face should be. The man does give Vesper the slightest of nods though. You could say it was the classic tactic of bad cop/chaotic neutral cop.
Bad cop, chaotic neutral cop, fish druid and techno-bard. What an interesting motley they would make in the idea of a fantasy game. But fantasy this is not.
Vesper reaches her fingers to the plastic arm of her sunglasses. A push lifts them over her dark hair and wipes away any indication of her being 'normal.' She looks normal by human standards until she isn't. The terrigen mists have a similarity to the colour locked up in her burning blue eyes and, briefly, the slow condensing halo around her as she loses a fair bit of her corporeality. "I regret that my awakening caused such disarray." She doesn't blink because it's an irrelevant point. Besides, it's supper time. "I have no control over Karnak Mander-Azer and cannot take responsibility for the magister striking you. Take it up with her."
Triton remained patient. The news Max had? Well well well he was staying informed. This was a good sign. Triton looked from her to Maximus back to her and then to his cousin once more with a shrug of shoulders in the long army coat he wore. He really did like his utilitarian materials didn't he? As his sister came into discussion there was a blink of both sets of eyelids; inside and then outside. His heart was heavy but he was not the hand that rocked the cradle as it were. Maximus was offered a sympathetic tone instead, "Maximus, I didn't bring war to you, but answers. We may need her help. I need yours and I know you need mine. This is bigger than us. For the sake of all things can we put that aside for tonight, cousin?"
As Maximus clipped off the middle of the water there was a part in his head that flipped to utilitarian function. "Yes, Not…Guatamala as was originally interpreted by some. I caught parts of that. I have a location and potentially a key." Hopefully that was enough of a hook to get him off Vesper and onto the project. He paused "And I might have brought you back something but that…can wait for now." He looked to Corvus with a silent appeal of 'give a brother a hand here?'
Maximus glances to Corvus, then lifts his chin, possibly aware that even if he isn't King, by a technicality, that he can still get away with ordering around ONE person, here. "I regret your awakening at all. But, so much time has passed, its not important what the real reason was. I accept the apology." He will sit down with the others, and gestures for Corvus to sit as well. "What have you heard?"
The young woman simply melts into the faded shadows on the lighthouse. Stands to reason: her brother does well with technology and she might have the same fundamental weakness.
"So, what exactly are we dealing with here, if I may ask?" Corvus glances aside to Maximus as he asks, moving forward to join the group properly. The mirrored visor over his face withdraws, allowing everyone to get a read on him once more. Though he usually isn't one to sit, when Maximus gives an order you listen. "I'm a little behind after my last mission. Though it sounds like I shouldn't have been taken off guard duty."
Triton seemed to take Max's stand down off the crusade with an appreciation. He looked back to Vesper though. There were lights wired through the lighthouse but that might do her no better than someone claiming that a bathtub existed on the moon for him. She has his sympathies in that regard. He opened with the meat of it. "Two years ago you sent me out to the South China Sea to investigate that lead, aaaaand we were right. Seems the thing the Kree are looking for and probing at is dead in the water at approximately 20.9101%<176> N, 107.1839%<176> E." He pauses and wobbled his head, "I redid the math on it. From the transmissions it's striking me that they are finding a living organism of substantial size at that location of the point referred to as 'mother dragon' where they say 'she sleeps'. I'm presently believing this to be a Kree research or testing facility as signs of 'human interaction' seem to be found to what I can carbon date roughly 16,000 BC." Large black eyes watched his cousin and moreso watched the processing of that information to see what was pulled and what was known and what was yet to be shared.
Maximus crosses one leg over the other. "It is true. They should have send you with me, rather than Gorgon. He did a terrible job protecting me. Is that why you have come, Guardsman?" Max exhales and then reaches up to scratch at his stubble-goatee. "Interesting. Perhaps. It sounded to me…that the Kree were in distress. They may have discovered and awakened something they should not have. Is there anything you can recall, of the ocean people, that might relate to this…./mother dragon/?"
Vesper simply puts her back to the wall rather than fading through it. Triton gives a suitably detailed explanation that does not require her input in any fashion. She has to translate finer points with the leisure of someone not confined totally to conversation.
"Maybe they found Jormungand." Corvus offers with a slight shrug. "Whatever it is, it doesn't sound like it's going to be a good time." He frowns thoughtfully for a moment before he realizes Vesper isn't saying anything, so naturally he offers her a small smile.
Belatedly he nods at Maximus, "That's my job sir, hopefully I'm better suited to the task."
Triton sat knees apart, elbows resting on then as his webbed fingers loosely laced together thoughtfully. It was to Corvus he answered. "That's just it. it was one of my first thoughts too, but notice of them would be common discussion for us. They're," He squint his eyes closed and shook his head with a bubbling inside the mask that passed for a sigh, "unbelievably annoying. Very hazardous to structures and submarine infrastructure, not to mention coral in the reefs which… is another issue and unrelated. In that regard though called 'Mother Dragon' I do not have cause to believe Jormungandr to be involved. Were it I'd be reporting back to you, Maximus, letting you know I had to contact Namor to get it out of the area of investigation. Plus with the human vessels starting to circulate in that area? I'd find it less likely they'd bother out of habit. Which leaves us to either the Kree messed up which historically has never happened." Oh look, Triton learned sarcasm, "Or they're looking for something they left behind that's in a hotbed of a human war in the making. But we know something is alive and they either want it or want it gone. I ask you, cousin, what would you project the fallout to be if they came here to deal with it."
"I think they are /already/ here to deal with it. It sounded to me like they had a submarine, or some sort of ship, under the water. When they sent out a distress to space, to the Kree, they misjudged the frequency and allowed us to hear it on some radio stations." Max theorizes. "What we need to do…is find a way to intercept them. If we need to do it underwater, I will have to invent something." he doesn't sound like its a big deal. It actually makes his tone fairly…positive.
Vesper's silent testament to such behaviour is in part because she is entirely transparent at the moment. Triton has his camouflage. She has not being there except in the most transitory of senses. "Your intention makes sense," she tells Triton. Corvus doesn't get a return smile. A nod will suffice for the grim tone of things. "Proceeding in that direction would give an advantage for time and any detection. Do you have any idea of what sort of security protections there would be? If it is a thing. Or a person, a being or a dragon." Skepticism is healthily present about the front of dragons.
"Wait." Corvus turns his full attention to Triton. "I wasn't serious, Jormungandr is real? Well.. I guess I shouldn't be that surprised after the Asgardians opened that embassy." His gaze slowly turns to his hands as he contemplates the existence of such a creature. After a moment he looks back up and purses his lips ever so slightly, tackling one problem at a time.
"If we have to do it underwater, I can make some slight alterations to the Skanda, a propulsion system of some sort?" That helmet from before raises once more, and is accompanied this time by the suit locking down over his hands as well. Apparently he was already making notes.
Triton blinked at Corvus, inside lids then outside lids in opposite directions. He really was more lizard or fish than man. This is why you don't let kids near crystals. A cautionary tale. Finally there was a nod to Corvus and Triton, for a moment, felt so very tired all over again. "It took foooooreeeever to fight too. As a note, the back end is every but as dangerous as the front- Know what we can discuss it later." Because he could go down that hole and back again though it might require a drink first. To Vesper he tapped where the mask rode high on the bridge of his nose. Now she was getting it. Because she was the only other Inhuman immediately on hand who could submerge. "Yes, Vesper." Max was ratting a few ideas off and he offered, "I can leave, well, immediately? I would want to speak to my sister first." Brace for impact of warring look in case. "But we have someone I believe you met at…well the MET. Nikandros. He can shape all matter of…"he paused and felt like he was really using words to define themselves. "…matter." Usually he was a much better orator than that. "We likewise have someone that can commune with the fauna of the area as well. If we can get her down a league safely that would be pretty fantastic and helpful. By my assessment? We have little reason not to get into this thing. We have a technopath on the ground presently as well so there's that as asset. I think honestly though the next step is to go back."
The shape is gone, and with it so is Vesper. Convenient ability to slip away into nothingness. Especially if she wants to go find a baguette or something French for dinner.