Haute Cuisine (IC)

[Supercape]

The next day, at Aliments Avenir...

"Ah, Monsieur Marceau!" said Monsier Verdeaux warmly, at the sight of the King of Suits.

They had arranged to meet outside the back entrance, by the Kitchens.

"How are you? all is set? I have... arranged... for us to have a quiet night. It is fairly empty here. And my preferred customers, the regulars, are not here. No honest Frenchman anyway hehehe!" he joked.

"So what is the plan? Monsieur deSaens is all ready inside. He has been very generous today, recompensed me quite well for the bad earnings today..."

[Ari]

Marceau made sure to sharpen his throwing cards twice over.

He made sure to re-fill the explosive cards, and check their volatility.

The smoke cards were refilled as well, to keep them from turning the restaurant into a gas chamber.

The flash-bang cards still gave him a headache. No issues there.

His armor was jointed smoothly and had no rips in the ballistic cloth.

His coveralls were clean and in good repair.

At around two P.M., Marceau walked up to the front door of the Aliments Avenir, having slipped a small square of stiff cloth and plastic into the corner of the doorway, which wouldn't be opened enough to trigger it unless flung open with great force.

He glanced around casually for Rene, the tense feeling in his stomach he had felt many times before battle beginning to grow...

[Supercape]

"Ah there you are" said Rene, spying Marceau.

"I have a little gift for you, some little trinket I conjured up yesterday, I thought perhaps it might help, given the name of who you are facing, heheh. "

Rene patted his pockets.

"Now where did I put it? Aha! here we are!"

He pulled out a little box, wrapped neatly with a white paper and white bow, and a neat "M" written in caligraphy on it.

"Pardon the presentation, it is ze artist in me, you know!" he chuckled.

Inside, as Marceau opened it, was a bone ear, on a small piece of string. A little amulet.

[Ari]

Marceau gave a low whistle at the gift, absent-mindedly pocketing the box, long years of thrift having taught him the virtues of that practice of saving every scrap that comes your way. "Many thanks, Rene, what does it do? Allow us to talk to each other over great distances? Block out sounds? I have, I must admit, little experience with things like this. As you have seen, I stick to generally secular sources of strength"

He had a much more alert air, his eyes glancing rapidly around them as if he thought the Silencer would strike at them from out of thin air.

[Supercape]

"Well" replied Rene "you put it around your neck and it looks very pretty" he chuckled. "Non, non, my friend, I jest. It is a little trinket, with some subtle enchantments. You do wear it around your neck, but it allows you to hear even when there is nothing but silence all around. Given that the Silencer, as you will be unsurprised to hear, silences, you may well find that little bone amulet allows you keep your ears open when all around you cannot..."

He shrugged.

"It may or may not come in useful, but I thought you deserved an edge, if I could give you one..." he smiled.

[Ari]

Putting it on and tucking it under the collar of his coveralls proved an easy task. "Thank you Rene, this will be of great help today I warrant. Shall we go inside, or do you wish to make some arrangements out here for us? "

He was certain that there was some secondary effect. Perhaps it protected his hearing, too? But what was important was that he and Rene were now much more prepared for battle, and that this time, there would be no reckless action on his part that would needlessly put himself or anyone else in danger.

Besides, the Silencer may not even show up. He might have decided that the Don wouldn't dare show his face back here so soon again. Maybe this would just be an unusually tense lunch with a new-found friend, perhaps there was no danger...

But the knot in his stomach showed no sign of slackening.

[Supercape]

GM

Monsieur Verdoux showed Rene and the King of Suits to the main restaurant. It was definitely less packed tonight, maybe two thirds or less capacity, and the staff looked a little nervous.

"I have warned them, I thought I owed them that much..." explained Verdoux.

"They are loyal, they will see this though. Getting rid of this little problem tonight means less problems in the future. Here at Aliments Avenir, we are like family, heh?"

"So! we are all ready! and at your service, and command! we serve the same food! the special is veal, and you are welcome to a bit in the kitchen, on the house. I suggest a strong cup of coffee. Myself, I will have a brandy to calm my nerves. Just the one. And then, I guess we wait?" he asked Marceau.

[Ari]

"Thank you for telling your staff what was about to happen, monsieur Verdoux", replied Marceau, shaking the proprieter's hand "It would have been truly heartless to keep them in the dark about what is likely to happen here today. Coffee and waiting for our man to strike would both be good idea, monsiuer. Black coffee, if you have any. I'm not really particular otherwise. I'd suggest keeping your staff in pairs if they have to leave the building, in case our friend tries that same trick as last time by stealing the clothes of one of your employees. Who was he trying to replace, anyway? And are they alright"

It seemed like a subject that Marceau was deeply interested in, a worried tone coming into his voice and his eyes filling with anxiety.

[Supercape]

GM

"Thank you for telling your staff what was about to happen, monsieur Verdoux", replied Marceau, shaking the proprieter's hand "It would have been truly heartless to keep them in the dark about what is likely to happen here today. Coffee and waiting for our man to strike would both be good idea, monsiuer. Black coffee, if you have any. I'm not really particular otherwise. I'd suggest keeping your staff in pairs if they have to leave the building, in case our friend tries that same trick as last time by stealing the clothes of one of your employees. Who was he trying to replace, anyway? And are they alright"

Monsieur Verdoux nodded, looking equally concerned and perplexed. "It was just a kitchen hand, we use them now and again when we are short staffed. The core staff are all part of the family, so to speak, but we have a few extra's we call in now and again. Young man called William... William Castle I think. Lives no far from here. We employ him now and again as a kitchen hand, he is a quiet nice man. Seems your friend the Silencer stole his identity that night..."

He paused. "I phoned him yesterday. Seems young William got knocked out by some assailant. Don't worry, he is al right, just a minor concussion. He is in bed resting. I sent him round some cheese and ham. We look after each other here. But, its another reason we would all be keen for this book to be closed..."

[Ari]

Marceau sighed in relief "Oh good, I was afraid he had been injured or even killed to keep up the charade" quickly regaining his composure he made a thorough scan of the dining room and kitchen doors, wondering if it would be a good idea instead to post himself by one door and Rene by the other..but it would let them be equally effective if they were roughly in the middle of the floor..

"Rene" he said suddenly. "If you can, could you put an illusion of us at a table outside? it might help a little with our deception if we had a sort of plausible deniability for our crime-fighting. At the very least, I'd need an excuse for where I was when the masked man came out of nowhere and started fighting the Silencer"

While he said this he was testing the elasticity of what looked like a cowl.

[Supercape]

"I can" replied Rene "for now. The illusion will hold as long as I maintain it. Of both us and the Don. And I think it is best I maintain it...however..."

He smiled. "Art goes only so far, my friend, even my art! whilst I can maintain the mystic appearance for as long as necessary, should my arcane skills be required for anything else, then they will fade... I am sorry".

He stroked his goatee and chin.

"It seems to me that our paths my fall in parallel but not meet...If I am tied up with the facade here, it falls to you to bring down the Silencer.... although I can always add in more facades to aide the deception!" he chuckled.

[Ari]

"It would be best then I'd say to have images of us be seen to walk out of here and into a side-street to vanish, preferably next to an open doorway. Then we have some deniability, and you can focus on your art when the Silencer arrives" after a moment he added "Ah, I apolgize for my...commandeering tone? I am rather unused to being any sort of leader, please forgive my presumptuous words. Is there anything you need to do to prepare yourself for battle? Or can you simply attack whenever you need to?"

Testing the edge of a boomerang he had seemingly taken out of his pocket, he adjusted a piece of shoulder armor concealed under his coveralls.

[Supercape]

"It would be best then I'd say to have images of us be seen to walk out of here and into a side-street to vanish, preferably next to an open doorway. Then we have some deniability, and you can focus on your art when the Silencer arrives" after a moment he added "Ah, I apolgize for my...commandeering tone? I am rather unused to being any sort of leader, please forgive my presumptuous words. Is there anything you need to do to prepare yourself for battle? Or can you simply attack whenever you need to?"

"Hehe" chuckled Rene "prepare myself for Battle? I have seen enough battles young man, I'll leave that to the young folk. Too much heavy lifting. As you know, I am just a helpless old man".

He winked.

"But If need be, I will come to your aide. I hope soon enough, without comprising the glamour I will craft..."

With that, he pulled out his magic paintbrush and started tracing it through the air. It was a complex process, and one which Rene found somewhat taxing and tricky, but with time and dedication, he had managed to create the illusion of the Don, the bodyguards, Marcau, and himself all sitting at the restaurant.

[Ari]

Marceau nodded thankfully, taking his coffee to a chair on the left side of the door. Adjusting his coveralls slightly to allow him that much more ease in getting into costume, he kept a watchful eye on the street through the window next to him, wondering about the manifold things he could do to make things that much more optimal for him and Rene's chances of victory. Casting those thoughts aside, he leaned back and turned his attention to his coffee. If the Silencer came, he and Rene would now have little trouble beating him, he thought. Besides, the old painter might well have some gargantuan trick up his sleeve that would leave relatively normal people like himself and the Silencer in the dust, Marceau had little experience with magicians, and thus had not the more-realistic level of expectations those familiar with them have.

While sipping his coffee, he suddenly said "You know Rene, I have some friends who would be glad to work here. It just struck me that that would be an admiral way to be repaid in, don't you think?" after another sip he added "And now I also see what it was that was wrong with the coffee last time. This is rather better"

[Supercape]

"You know Rene, I have some friends who would be glad to work here. It just struck me that that would be an admiral way to be repaid in, don't you think?" after another sip he added "And now I also see what it was that was wrong with the coffee last time. This is rather better"

"You would have to speak to Monsieur Verdoux about that, Marceau" replied Rene "but it seems you, or we, have made a friend - unless anything goes wrong today. I am sure ze right person could get a job, if there is space. Speaking French seems to go down well here - I don't know your friends... are they also countrymen?"

He took a sip of the coffee. "And you are right, ze coffee is better" he smiled.

"But I think thoughts of the future are best left to ze future, non? for now, we have to silence ze silencer... we still have some time, I imagine, but I think you look as prepared as you can be?"

[Ari]

Marceau shrugged a touch awkwardly, "No, Rene, they are by-and-large vagrants, the sundry dispossessed, and a harmless crazy. They attached themselves to me when I first arrived in New England a couple of years ago, I helped them with problems of theirs, and they were so amazed that I had actually done something to help despite my being actually poorer than they at the time that they decided to follow me around until they could find some way to repay me. I keep trying to find them employment, but it's hard going. Some of them do speak French, I taught them to pass the time while traveling here, but by no means all"

At the second question Marceau nodded eagerly "I am quite prepared, mon ami. With the talisman you made, my training, and the small traps laid around here, I think we shall have a very good chance of wishing the Silencer a pleasant trial" he glanced swiftly at the sidewalk outside as if he expected to see the barrel of a sonic rifle pointing through the window.

[Supercape]

GM

Meanwhile...

Opposite the Aliments Avenir...

The Silencer kept a careful watch from the apartment window. The resident had been easy enough to restrain and knock out, and was now unconscious and bound on the bed. It was a perfect watch point.

Where the hell was the target???

Had he got bad information? was this all a trick? he had bugged the top men in the organisation... but the Don was crafty.

Still, he had to be sure, and he always mad back up plans...

[Ari]

Returning his eyes to the main dining room of the Aliments, Marceau suddenly spotted a sight that in most conditions would be staggeringly bizarre, but in the world of super-heroics was just one more oddity on the massive pile of weirdness. A man carrying a briefcase with a flashing light affixed to it. As it was unlikely that the man simply had a poor memory for what his briefcase looked like, Marceau figured it just might be related the current case. With a quick murmur of "I think that man is in it somehow", Marceau slipped neatly out of his chair and set off to get some answers.

Stopping at the briefcase-owner's table, he tapped the man on the shoulder and asked politely "Excuse me, but may I ask why your briefcase has a light on it?" he smiled genially at the man, his left hand already curled into a fist in his pocket.

[Supercape]

GM

"Wha..?" replied the man, stuffing his face eagerly with a juicy steak.

"Can't a guy enjoy a steak without getting interrupted by some bum? what's your beef with my suitcase? hands off! its valua...hold on...what's that?"

The man frowned as he saw the small flashing light on the handle of his briefcase. He turned it over once or twice.

"This ain't my briefcase!" he thundered at no-one in particular.

[Ari]

Marceau's eyes widened as he realized what had happened. The Silencer had indeed decided to forgo anything complicated or likely to cause him harm. The possibilities of how the man's briefcase had been switched were endless, but that could wait for later. For now, getting rid of a probable bomb was the order of the day!

With that, Marceau scooped up the briefcase and dashed over to Rene. "Rene! How is your hat for containing explosions? Because I think the Silencer just took the direct approach here!"

Showing him the briefcase he added "If you can't keep it contained with your powers, I'll take it wherever I can be sure it won't harm anyone!"

[Supercape]

"I have never had ze occassion to find out..." said Rene, swiping his beret off his head.

"But now is a good a time as ever.." he conceded taking the briefcase from Marceau as quickly as he could. His old hands were fairly quick when they needed to be. He may not have had the reflexes and strength of a man in his prime, but neither was he totally infirm.

"Stretching the cloth, he briefly waved his hand over the beret and then quickly stuffed the briefcase in it, quite impossibly, for it disappeared from sight.

A soft whuhmmph noise came from deep within the beret, and a hint of smoke. Rene moved to the kitchen, excusing himself to Monsieur Verdoux's questions, and opened the bin. He opened up his beret again, and with a gentle tip, poured out some smoke and debris into the bin.

"Well spotted, and good thinking, Marceau" he said, congratulating the younger man.

[Ari]

Marceau had paled greatly when the tell-tale sound of a muffled explosion had confirmed his deepest fears. A deep flicker of anger burning in his eyes, he bowed silently at Rene's commendation, and excused himself with a quiet "I'm going to go get some air, on the roof"

Outside, he neatly ducked into a side alley where he removed his everyday disguise as Marceau, mild-mannered and often slightly grimy janitor, to reveal his true(?) self as the dark avenger of the oppressed, hunter of those who prey upon the innocent, the King of Suits.

Jumping nimbly onto the nearby dumpster, he sprang onto the roof of the Aliments, where he crouched behind the sign on the front of the restaurant, allowing him to see but not be seen by the people going in and out of the eatery.

[Supercape]

GM

Damn! Nothing!

The Silencer thumped the window in frustration. He almost considered abandoning the whole mission. Almost. But he had the Don in his sights. And he had got so close...

Damn it... he cursed.

He snatched up his Silencer Rifle and dashed down the stairs. So much for the subtle approach. He would just have to go in, blazing. He marched out of the building opposite, his weapon ready, and clicked a button on his gun...

...Silence...

Aliments Avenir was enveloped in complete and absolute silence. Not a single sound could be heard. And the Silencer started his march towards it, across the street...

[Ari]

As the eerie silence fell over the world, the King of Suits retained his hearing due to the amulet given him by Rene. Seeing the tell-tale signs(people trying to make themselves heard in unheard shouts, people pulling off earbuds and headphones with puzzled expressions), he quickly guessed what was happening.

A quick glance over the sign rewarded him with a sight of an oddly-dressed man in muted green and greys, bearing a very familiar weapon in his hands.

Dashing off the roof into the alley behind the Aliments, he whipped out a grapple gun, and fired it at the apartment building on the other side of the road. Once there, he planned to dash down the fire escape and attack the Silencer from behind, which would be quite unexpected.

[Supercape]

GM

The Silencer slowed slightly as he reached the restaurant. Angry as he was, no need to botch the job now, he told himself.

The staff, and customers where perplexed and somewhat frightened from the blanket of silence that had descended on them. Good, that was his intended effect. His entrance would not be heard. Of course, silence deprived him of any chance to make speeches, or gloat. But Silence was his calling card. And he needed no other.

As he crept in, soldiering his gun to his shoulder, he spied the Don and his two body guards. No sign of that young lady by his side this time, but no matter. She was not the target - collateral damage - irrelevant. The Don was his mission, and the mission would be completed this time.

Taking aim in the unearthly quiet, the Silencer was going to finish this once and for all. His finger started to curl around the trigger...