Open Carnival

[Derrin]

The palace walls buzzed with hushed excitement, an echo of Derrin's inner emotions. It was her first field assignment, and she was eager for the experience.

Everything her eyes met was gorgeous - the hotel, the people, the lavish decorations. It made her feel strangely self conscious. Before entering the Gold Room, she ducked inside a dimly lit bathroom for a final mirror check.

It had taken her a while to settle on the lapis chiffon gown she was wearing. The fabric was dark and flowy, essential in hiding her secret accessory - an LCP strapped to her right thigh. The side split was a lot higher than she would have liked, but it was the only dress she felt she could draw quick enough in.

Straightening her matching jeweled mask and pinning a back few loose curls that shaded her vision, she took a few deep breaths to compose herself. Finally feeling relaxed enough to exit out into the hall, she replied to Ivy's message.

"Cobra here, checking in." she murmured.

 

[Evgeni]

The Russian boy had no idea that he would be attending one of the most exclusive bashes in the world, but it was a flashy party, and those were the best. He had heard that tonight’s party was 1920s-themed, so in his excitement, he had quickly decided on the best 1920s suit he could imagine: a black-and-white checkered coat paired with pinstriped slacks.

He was dressed to impress. And he would try his best to impress the special lady he was accompanying to tonight’s celebration, a Swiss doctor based in ACME, with elegant, matte-red hair. He liked red the best. He also liked the powdery pale-blue dress she wore--explicitly broadcasting ‘classy woman’.

This would be an interesting ‘date’. Besides the fact that their relationship was strictly for this singular event, Evgeni would also be somewhat distracted from entertaining the beautiful woman in order to keep on top of the drug lord situation. Second to flirting with all sorts of lovely girls, the Russian’s specialty was investigating illegal goods and contraband. He had previous experience in these matters, but now he would be a little more legitimate.

As the temporary couple walked along the street and up into the luxury resort, Evgeni took in the sounds of gay music and bleated out his own chorus, which he was rather certain he had invented at that moment. “What’s fox say! Ra-ding!” It did not have to make sense as long as his partner laughed, and that she did.

Just before they stepped through the entrance and into the swanky lobby, the lively young man announced his arrival into his ACME communicator piece in a barely discernable whisper, “It’s Spock. I’m check in for drugs.”

The ACME agent absorbed the atmosphere and triply radiated it outward with his own personality, smiling boyishly and nodding politely at everyone, but especially at the girls, because that was the right thing to do. Then he would proudly tug at Sophie’s arm and beam, “This my girlfriend.”

 

[Sophie]

As the brightest gem on Avenida Atlântica tonight, the Art-Deco exterior of the Copacabana Palace Hotel was awash in golden light and the conglomeration of people and vehicles around its base glittered like the sea-foam swept up against fine sand. It was following an external circuit of the building that Doctor Sophie Conrad and Agent Evgeni Morozov allowed themselves to be swept up by the boisterous crowd and into the opulent interior of the luxury hotel.

The spirit of the Rio Carnival had always been somewhat euphoric and always contagious, and the comparatively subdued figures that filled the foyer of the Copacabana Palace was a welcome relief from it. Figures swirled her about and Sophie relinquished the arm of her companion as she accepted a proffered glass tulip. The humidity of the night and the gaiety in the air coloured her features and lit the laugh on her lips.

Most of her face was veiled by the mask she wore--a meld of leather and metalwork, its sapphire-coloured foundation flowing from the confines of her face-shape, adorned with eddies of luminescent glitter that evoked the shape of seashells. Pearls of varying sizes tracked the curve of her brow, her eyes, and her cheekbones; and a flourish of feathers and glass-beaded lace poured from the left-side of the mask to balance the architectural ruffle rested on the right arm and along the asymmetrical neckline of her single-shouldered dress.

Regardless of its external appearance, the pelagic-inspired mask camouflaged a gambit more insidious. Embedded within its curvatures was a pair of minuscule-sized transmitter and receiver. There was no better place to test the full capabilities of the nanoscale piezoelectric devices than in the field, and because of her affiliation with ACME Tech and her peripheral role in this mission, Doctor Conrad became the choice for piloting the devices. So far, they had worked in an appropriate manner and as Evgeni reported his entrance into the venue, she echoed: “This is Bones, in position.”

Indolently resting her hand on the bowed arm of the agent beside her, Sophie physically calmed as she followed the exuberant Russian to delve deeper into the meandering hallways of the Copacabana Palace. Her mind and her eyes remained alert, however, and she began to separate the interior landmarks from the gathered people and from the surrounding encased art. They rounded a corner and as her head turned, a domino-clad figure captured her attention. He stood within a crowd of masqueraders, and yet, stood apart from them with the taper of his raven-beaked mask pointed at--she frowned--her? She could not discern the look in his eyes behind the glass that covered them, and when the surrounding people shifted, he moved out of her line of sight.

 

[Lee]

Lee Jordan was making his way from one room to another under the watchful eyes of Barbas Chuate's henchmen. In disguise as 'Jason Teil', the agent had been undercover inside Chuate's team for only a few weeks. His job was to assist in some preliminary layout work on business dealings that should be beneficial to the millionaire, and the biggest deal he was opening in this case was a link to Dominic Geiser, a Swiss banker with a solid hold on exchanges in Madagascar.

In reality, there was no Dominic Geiser, and Lee Jordan was just leading Chuate in circles so that he could extract more information. But now, on the world's most popular beach, at the one place all of Carnival was eying, things were steadily going sour.

"Poodle, entering Golden Room, no Grub, no Grub yet," he exhaled a little, hating the randomly assigned ACME callsign. 'Grub' meant Barbas, who as far as Lee could tell, hadn't showed up. After this, he turned his communication to 'low'. It was too dangerous to go in there with a direct link to ACME command. If they wanted anything from him, he'd get a cell phone buzz first.

As he made his way to the Golden Room, he passed an Israeli who pretended to also not notice him. Knowing Mikal Darsha was here made things a little easier for Lee. If this all went well, Barbas Chuate should be arrested without needing confirmation of Jordan's falsified story of the Swiss Banker, but if not, hopefully he won't be thrown under a crowded Brazilian bus.

 

[Mikal]

Mikal Darsha scanned the room and made note of the other members of ACME who entered. He caught Lee Jordan's eye for a split second before turning to grab two flutes of champagne. He always found that he was stopped less often when holding two drinks, as if it was the universal symbol of a man who knew where he was going. While Mikal wasn't the type who could find information on Barbas Chuate like Lee, he was good at blending into the background.

He could see the drug lord's henchmen, but the man himself was nowhere to be seen. Spotting a young woman--recognized as ACME--exiting into the hallway, he made note of two things. One, that she looked very good in her lapis dress, and two, that she was packing.

Mikal stopped her in time, casually handing her one of his glasses.

"Your Ruger is showing," He whispered, "I see bodyguards at the west door. Keep an eye out here, yeah?"

 

[Acton Roux]

The masked Dr. Acton Roux received news of Carmen's quaint gathering of close friends on the evening of February 3, 2014. While not a man of much social privy, he was certainly a man who enjoyed the exchange of intellectuals within a close group in foreign places that may both excite and fulfill the mind in a myriad of ways.

Had he known that such a meeting was in the "Party of the Year" and at the "Place to Be" as the Copacabana during Carnival, the doctor may have brought a more colorful costume. He found himself wandering the beach-side promenade and suddenly pulled into a crowd by some people in tuxedos and masks, much like the early 20th century avant-garde fashion.

"That mask is legal!" A gay couple commented in accented Portuguese-English and Acton could do little but nod and tip his hat. They led him through and into the Copacabana Palace Hotel, he knew this because he read the sign, and Roux understood immediately that this was a strange party he had entered.

"Stefan hasn't said a word all night!" Someone mentioned this name many times, 'Stefan' and finally, Acton understood they meant him.

He shook his head and made a hasty retreat.

On his way further lost among scores of human beings on the happiest night of their lives, he spied a familiar face. It would take him some time to consider her correctly, and in fact, he had not the time to recognise her fully. The bodies of dancers and party people nudged him off to another location.

The doctor was, once again, under another layer of 'lost'.

 

[Joe Kerr]

Weaving through the crowd whilst spreading the Carnival cheer, Joe somehow managed to sneak out to the beach for short breather.

As he caught his breath and took off his stilts, he saw a figure in the shadows beckon him over with a whistle.

"I thought you'd chickened out, Romand"

"I've already laid the charges and detonators like you've asked, Mr Kerr. But, I'm afraid someone might get hurt tonight."

Joe paused to consider his reply as he recalled all the combustible ingredients currently present in the infamous hotel - Drug dealer and rumoured associates, ACME, VILE, massive parties, stars and a few priceless relics; all it needed was a spark.

"It's Carnival, Romand. Don't worry. You are Romand Kandell, the king of explosions; if anyone can pull this off, it's you. Your payment has already been wired to you by the way."

"Fine, but if anything goes wrong, it's on you. Here, take the remote. When you want to detonate all the charges, just arm the remote and push the button. But be careful, there's enough firepower to blow up the hotel if it goes wrong."

The Jester fingered the remote briefly with his gloved hand before slipping it into the safety of a secret pocket in his costume. When he looked up, Romand had already slipped away.

Chuckling, Joe turned around and headed back into The Copa Cabanna; he had a party to attend.

(OOC note: Romand Kandell is a neutral NPC. He is free to be used in future RPs by anyone, so long as you don't change his allegiances. And I think his name and the conversation gives you a good clue as to his specialty)

 

[Eartha]

[BCOLOR=transparent]February 27, 2014[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]“Between us girls, I’m mostly in this for the exotic meats.” Eartha Brute confided before taking yet another sip of her sparkling wine. She shifted in the spacious charcoal leather seat. Her voice competed with the typical in-flight cacophony as she prattled on. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent] “You can find sequined animal costumes and hot guys who don’t speak English pretty much anywhere, but you can’t get really taboo high-protein cuts everyday. Am I right or am I right?” Eartha plunked the drink down and turned her gaze to the silent woman in the seat next to her. The elderly Costa Rican lady stared at her quizzically. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]The wine consumption and one-way conversation continued for the next few hours until the Copa Airlines captain announced their descent for Río Hato Airport. Upon landing in the former Panamanian military base, the bodybuilder sent a bulk text to [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]her contacts[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]:[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]“I’m in Rio, guys!” [/BCOLOR]

 

[Carmen]

"Pull down in case of emergency," the fire engine red shorts of a man proudly displayed as he danced in nothing but that, a revealing body suit, and a printed silk scarf of Savador Dali's 'The Persistence of Memory'. Carmen (currently under disguise as Portuguese tourist Paloma Lucas) thought the trousers were a clever-but-overused gimmick, although she was obliquely grateful for the reminder.

She had seen nearly everyone. Johnathan Nimble exiting the elevator, watched by a rather curious young woman. Her Jester entertained a well-dressed crowd while Adrianna Covrenzi made a refined entrance into the Central Hall. To the far left was a man she recognised as Nace Bilby with a lovely blond in satin-v-neck. She watched Zack steady a Dancer of Lights, a well-hidden Lee Jordan passing a certain Israeli who provided commentary to a brunette in lapis. And then her eyes noticed an observant woman in a much more demure disposition than her young companion who occasionally shouted 'This is my girlfriend' in Russian-laced English.

Perhaps the red shorts were right, and her present situation indeed qualified as an emergency.

The thief finished her first glass of champagne.

From the beach to the interior of the Copacabana Palace Hotel were pockets of familiar faces--ACME agents--whose presence for her birthday clearly fell under the 'not-invited' category. While the logical part of her was willing to leave this outcome to coincidence, the dreamily phantasmal notions invoked by the party's theme convinced her that something else was amiss.

Further inquiry and clever leading revealed something sinister involving assumed narcotics lord Barbas Chuate and a new player in the game, Swiss-hailed Dominic Geiser. While she wasn't in this business, she liked to stay informed. This Geiser sounded like quite a character.

Carmen promised to connect with Vincent Fumigalli as soon as she was 'safely' here and she had no plans to break her word. Safety was paramount, but curiosity... that was something else entirely. Until she figured out the reason for this unusual concentration of detail from the San Francisco-based agency, she would not proceed.

As luck would have it she came across a friendly face, or rather, as 'friendly' as the form of a masked plague doctor could get.

"Lost again?" Hooking her wrist briskly under his arm, she guided him in a flowing pace through thick crowds. "Paloma Lucas," she introduced to thwart further confusion, "you have an invitation to an event of mine, Doctor?"

From the relaxing tension in his muscles she could tell he understood who she was but had no words to reply. Remarks from him were not necessary, and she continued.

"You'll find Vincent and let him know I'm all right, but I have a show to observe prior," by 'show' she meant whatever was about to transpire, "And if you can spread the word that Emca is about, I'm grateful. Thank you, Acton."

She enclosed his hand in hers, and with a light tap, released him as she disappeared into a wave traversing faces.


((If I tagged anyone incorrectly, please do notify. Thank you.))

 

[Ann Tickwittee]

ACME's instructor in archaeology was not as much here for the performance of the operation as she was to just enjoy a visit to Rio. In fact, her role in the mission was all but nil, as she would simply play to give credence to the covers of her associates.

Ann naturally stood to the side of the display case protecting the storied 'Band of Flight'. She had a glass of red wine in hand and was taking delicate but frequent sips. Her iris-blue moiré dress appeared rather drab in the dim lighting, though the gold bow and silk straps around her shoulders would gleam when she occasionally shifted underneath the glare of a light. The tassel streaming from the dress' long, asymmetrical ruffled skirt dragged along the floor. Her hair was unusually fixed with a flowing wave and draped behind her shoulders, and when she turned her head at certain angles, a rather sparkly ear might be visible.

She was hardly impressed by the company she was in tonight. None of these celebrities could be nearly as interesting as someone like Charles I or the Macedonian, Philipp II. The archaeologist was just thinking about Hatshepsut when she noticed a nearby attendee who seemed to be capable of projecting the essence of appointed significance. She betrayed quite the interest in the Spanish treasure, an intense twinkle emanating from the woman's eyes. Glad to be in good company, Ann half-waved at the elegant, blond woman and offered a placid "Hello."

 

[Contessa]

"Hello."

Adrianna's focus was interrupted by the greeting and wave of a nearby party guest. It was a younger woman with dark hair and light eyes who wore a unique style of dress and held in her hand a glass of red wine.

It had been several months since her last social soirée, and the Countess wondered if this was someone she had once met. Perhaps in Spain or Egypt? The princesses and heiresses that attended events were getting so young these days, and while the Copacabana Palace was one of Rio's most exclusive parties, the guest list was too extensive to narrow down. Without a name coming to mind, Adiranna gave a crafted grin and simply replied, "Hello darling. Have we met before?"

 

[Vic]

While Vic worked to keep the organizers happy and at the same time to keep himself calm, he started noticing a lot of the VILE kids were already arriving. He knew this because part of the gig to make sure Carmen's party was safe and secure was to set up some surveillance tapping throughout the Copacabana Palace Hotel. This was nothing beyond the usual. Party organizers set up their own equipment all the time, all Vic had to do was pay a little extra to rig the thing with WiFi-enabled nodes.

Then he remembered Eartha. She texted him several days ago, not exactly clear which 'Rio' she landed at. Being mindful, Fumigalli sent another note: Eartha, babe, you in the right place now?