Elite Comic Universe PBP

So... it was supposed to be somewhere around here. The 'Champagne Room', which she'd spent most of the day thinking was a club rather than a black market. Arms dealer made more sense at a black market, to be fair... but 'Champagne Room' just screamed club, yeah?

Anyway, she'd made sure to let the right people know to meet up in the general vincinity, before discussing how this was going to go. Hopefully they'd have ideas, because she didn't have a clue.

Frankie was in disguise, a ball cap and a jacket and the rest was her usual mish mash youth getup that evoked both style and a malaise about life. It screamed, I am cool but not cool enough to not be slightly disheveled. But also cool enough to have designer pants with holes built in but also wear a vintage faded jacket hoodie thing.

Plus her Fish Eagles hat. “So is that where the bad guys are?” she asked.

Bea kept her promises. And this seemed important.

She arrived, dressed in her usual western blouse, skirt, and cowboy hat. She had made no effort to avoid her camera crew. This was above board. Quietly (and legally) gathering information to help an on-going investigation and prevent harm.

"I can get you a quick summary of the layout of the building, the public and private spaces, if you'd like, to help guide planning. And I can keep an eye on those spaces. Listen. Report back."

"But please don't do anything inappropriate. We should not cause any harm here. This is just scouting, right?"

"Yeah, totally just scouting," she said, looking into the camera for a moment. "Nice disguise, by the way, Franks. I should've thought of that. Anyway, we got one more guy coming. Just... brace yourself, he's got a *look*. Anyway, so... remember I said it was a club? Turns out it's actually like a black market type thing. You know, I'm guessing arms deals mostly, maybe drugs, counterfeit fashion. The usual."

"So, anyone got any ideas on how we should do this?"

Camilo arrived on scene with his best clubbing clothes on, loafers, no socks, white linen pants, and a multi colored satin shirt that reflected what little light it caught brilliantly. His mustache had extra bees' wax in it to keep it crisp and sharp.

"Boa noite senhoritas."

Bea smiled. She'd seen him around, but hadn't had a chance to get to know him. He certainly looked sharp.

"Howdy, neighbor! I'm Bea Hawkins. From Oklahoma. Sometimes called Bee Haw."

He offered a very charming smile in return, "It is my pleasure senhorita Bea. I am Camilo. I suppose sometimes I can be called Bohemian. Are you the vaqueira Americana? The cowgirl?"

"I am!" She smiled brightly at the word.

"The North American variety. Once a junior rodeo performer and now just trying to do good as I can. I'm part of the contest, but not enrolled at the University. Where are you from? Are you a student here?"

Some bee somewhere was really proud of the good work the wax was doing for his moustache! So grand!

"Okay so basically," Frankie turned to one of the cameras and started narrating somewhat conspiratorially while Bee Haw and Camilo were talking, "These are all clearly euphemisms and what we're seeing here is a mating ritual. Mustaches and bees. Ask your parents about it, kids. When you're older."

She turned away from the cameras then. "Ahem. So, anyone have any experience with this sort of thing? I was thinking maybe I can go in all sneakily while you guys go in and go talk to people. Maybe like, try to buy something, so they know you're legit? Also you want a gun again, Frankie? Baseball bat? Maybe a mask just in case any robots show up?"

Frankie thought it over and said, "Yeah I think I might need a gun."

Bee Haw wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 15, 2025 5:12 pm

snip

"This is very impressive. I am from Brazil. We call the cowboy there the gauchos, very honorable. I am a student in the contest."

He was about to ask more questions, but noticed Frankie seemed to be getting down to business. Priorities.

Frankie Reynes wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 15, 2025 5:20 pm

snip

"I am not very sneaky, but I try my best to fit in." He motions to his outfit. "I can pretend to be the buyer. I am no actor, but I have bought a thing or two."

"Pistol or like, a rifle like before?" She'd offer Frankie the choice, "Maybe I could get like a phaser with a stun setting, if I think real hard about it. Wouldn't want to accidentally murder anyone or anything."

"Pistol is fine," she replied.

"My main scouting ability is to see and hear multiple places at once. I can let you know what's going on in each space. The general map. I usually am not noticed. Just little bees scattering around in the shadows keeping an eye. I can also read minds. I don't like to do that intrusively. But if there is something troubling going on, it's an option. I mean like, if I saw someone with a weapon or drugs or who was recognizably a known criminal."

"I can do my best, and let you know if I learn anything. It may help guide you to the right place?"

"Probably at least one person should just be clubbing? So the cameras have a reason to be there?"

"Right-o," she said, and pulled out something that was probably a pistol; though she did try and ask the universe to make it like a phaser with the stun thing, just in case Frankie turned out to be the evil twin after all. Whether the universe was going to abide by her wishes though, was not up to Frankie. She handed it to other Frankie.

"Remember though, if I have to like, do my teleport thing, it's gonna disappear, so don't go relying on having that, yeah? It's just in case."

"But like, I don't know if there's a club." She said to Bee Haw, "I mean, I know I said that earlier today, but I kind of got confused. So it's maybe a club. Or maybe it's just a black market. Or maybe it's a black market *at* a club. So I don't know. Maybe the camera crew can just do like, the zoom lens thing from afar? Or maybe one of you can come up with a good cover story to explain why they're there?"

She thought about it for a moment, but decided to trust in their ingenuity.

"Okay, anyway, I believe in you guys, and I'll be... around. Holler if you need me!"

Frankie then looked at the camera again, pointed in one direction, then waited until the camera turned that way, before she quickly ran off in the other direction to go stealth mode. The camera crew were maybe a little wise to her antics from the previous night, so they might've caught sight of her just as she rounded a corner to hide. But once she was gone, she was... well, probably maybe mostly gone. Shadowing the group for now.

Stealth | 1d20+18 ⇒ 22

What could go wrong?

"I can probably help answer that question. What it is? What the current activity is on each floor, room, etc."

And then, right in front of them, she dissolved into a swarm of honeybees. Which scattered to enter the building by various openings - vents, windows, doors, etc.

She had the ability to see all the places simultaneously, to search them with supernatural speed.

Stealth 14 (1d20+8)

Powers activated:
Limited Omniscience: Senses (radius-sight, rapid, tracking, danger sense)
Many Eyes of the Swarm: Remote sensing (range 120, visual) +simultaneous

Listening and observing, Camilo came to a horrible realization. He may have to act that like little yappy dog for the mission. The cameras added an element of publicity that was definitely not in their favor.

He turned to his crew and asked, "How discreet can you be? It would be better not to have a camera crew showing up at a black market. No?"

While he waited for an answer, 'Bea' became 'bees'. "Meu Deus!" He quietly exclaimed.

The camera man said, "Umm... we can use more discrete camera if that helps? And by us, I mean me."

But he was game.

Meanwhile, just around the corner, Frankie was stealthily watching the others, waiting for them to move, while thinking about the bee movie.

OOC: Just to clarify, everyone is preparing to go in, Bea as Bees, and is she inside already, and Frankie is sneaking around?