* It is Wednesday, the fifth of May, in the year eighteen eighty-six.  The late
morning sun shines brightly through the fading morning fog around the Avignon
manor.  A simple iron fence surrounds the estate, but the gates stand open and
the modest lawn is devoid of animals any more hostile than a few shrubberies
trimmed to look like lions.
* The street in front of the manor is quiet, but that appears to be hardly out
of the ordinary in a high-class neighborhood like this one.  The manor itself is
well-kept and fairly unassuming compared to the flamboyant Victorian and older
Baroque decorations of its neighbors, though a well-traveled path leads around
the side of the large house to a small sheltered pier.
* The paddle-wheel steamship tied to that pier is as well kept as the house
itself, and its hull glistens like a pearl in the sunlight.  Back at the front
of the manor, a visitor stands before the door...
[Session Start!]
* Gabriel stands at the front. He knocks three times with the back of his
knuckles, observing the lawn and other objects therein afterwards. He pays some
attention to the door for when it opens, though.
* Almost immediately after Gabriel's third knock, the door swings swiftly
inward.  A sharp-looking man in a taupe jacket is saying something to a younger
fellow as he steps outside and almost directly into Gabriel.  "--must act
swiftly.  I'm glad you were here when I got the messa...ah?"
* Elliott is the aforementioned "younger fellow." He's thin and a bit short,
with wavy reddish-brown hair and, behind a pair of round glasses, wide hazel
eyes. His lack of height contributes to his youthful appearance, as he looks to
be more in his late teens than the early twenty-something student that he is. He
peers past the Captain and gives Gabriel a curious look.
* The man turns and looks Gabriel up and down with bright blue eyes.  The left
arm of his jacket lies empty and pinned loosely closed rather than folded up in
the manner of many soldiers who've lost limbs.  His brown hair is peppered with
gray and tied back into a tail that reaches the middle of his broad back.  "May
I help you, sir?"
* Gabriel takes one step backwards. He clears his throat. "Hello sir? You
wouldn't happen to be a Captain Avignon, would you?" Gabriel is a somewhat
attractive man looking about the age of nineteen to twenty-one. He's got pale
skin and somewhat slender fingers. His hair's short and black, while his eyes
are a emotionless gray. He's dressed in decent, almost colorless, clothing.
* Gabriel is also fairly average height, as his player forgot to mention that.
<.<
* The man nods sharply while motioning Elliott outside with his hand.  "I am
indeed, and if you've business with me I'm afraid you'll have to either wait
until another time or walk along with us."
* Elliott steps outside, giving Gabriel a polite nod and a smile.
* Elliott is dressed in a simple white shirt, brown trousers, a brown jacket and
dark brown shoes.
* Captain Avignon closes the door behind him and hurries out onto the path
between his manor's front door and the street, though not without moderating his
pace enough for Gabriel to turn and follow him if he so chooses.
[Meanwhile, across town...]
* A broad street paved with old stones covers a fair stretch of a low hill in
the central part of Paris.  A great many shops and homes have grown up around
the street, and from the balconies of many of these buildings an observer could
see the Arc d' Triumph to the southwest.  The street is busy with foot traffic
and carriages alike, and the storefronts are filled with the luxuries of
upper-middle class life.
* Joan is walking down the street, doing that famous past-time, window shopping.
She's a very pretty girl with short black hair and green eyes, and is rather
short. She's otherwise fairly non-descript, and therefore won't get any more
description for now.
* Joan finds a fine-looking window, but doesn't buy it.
* Somewhere between a window full of remarkably colorful dresses and another one
with carefully arranged mahogany furniture, the feeling of the street changes. 
Pedestrian traffic seems to have vanished altogether, and a prickling sensation
of menace fills the air.  It is at about this time that Joan realizes that she's
standing in a group of rugged and unfriendly men wearing patched-together
clothing.
* Joan gasps. When did this happen? Stupid furniture store.
* For a wonder, though, they're not really paying attention to Joan.  They're
watching the front of another store... apparently one with jewelry in the
window.  It used to have jewelry in the window, though, because somebody inside
is hastily stuffing valuable items into a sack.
* Joan is rather glad for that, and takes the opportunity to duck into a nice
place where nobody can see her. If there is one.
* She manages to duck around the corner without anybody shouting at her.  There
is a frightened-looking woman in an expensive blue dress hiding around the
corner when Joan gets there, but she is apparently so nervous that when Joan
arrives, she faints dead away.
* Joan is rather glad for that, too. She nods to herself and takes a deep
breath. "I'm ready."
* Joan then pulls a crucifix out of her collar and holds it up to the sky. What
follows is 2.5 minutes of flashy special effects and stalk footage. When it
finally ends (thank God), Joan is replaced by an equally beautiful woman with
long blond hair and blue eyes. She's wearing white plate-mail customized to fit
her form, under a white tabard with a gold cross insignia on the front. She
carries, too, a white shield with a golden cross. A
* Joan carries, too, a white shield with a golden cross. And of course, she has
a shining sword.
* Joan charges out of the alley towards the patchwork men.
* A cursory look around suggests that nobody saw this miraculous change.  There
is no question, however, about whether the three men standing in front of the
jewelry store notice Joan now.  "My God, an angel!" One of them cries.  Another,
more astute one, shouts out "Earthquake, help us!"  Then all three have drawn
their weapons--shanks of metal with leather wrapped around the blunt end to make
crude handles--and battle is joined.
* Joan charges into one of them, shield out in front of her. And by charges, I
mean she's there practically instantly. She bashes the man with her shield.
* The rough man grunts and staggers back several steps when the metal shield
slams into him, but the other two appear much less impressed--now.
* Joan whirls and slashes at another man's weapon. "Away with you, criminals!"
* When three of the four inches of iron in one of the man's hands suddenly goes
whirling down the street, though, he appears much less eager to fight.
* The man who had been bashed with Joan's shield holds the back of his hand
against his nose for but a moment and then lunges at her with his crude weapon,
but it goes skittering uselessly across her shield.  The other man is a bit
quicker, though, and his blade pierces the elbow joint of her armor.  The third,
knife-less man simply runs down the street at a breakneck pace.
* A shadow darkens the window of the shop--it is too large to be a man, but it
certainly has the right shape.  The shadow seems to turn toward Joan as two
other rugged men inside the store crouch behind it.
* Joan glares at the man who stabbed her. "May God have mercy on your soul!"
Then she slashes at him. No more being nice.
* The man cries out and practically spins as he staggers away in pain, clutching
at a wide, clean slash across his chest.
* Joan spins around fully and cuts at the leg of her remaining foe.
* Two things then happen simultaneously.  One intersection away, a large
carriage drawn by two horses rattles past.  A man in his middle years, a bit
soft around the middle and with only one arm, hops from the back of the moving
carriage cautiously but with a fair amount of agility.  He takes a staggering
step and looks up and down the street when he lands, and then points in Joan's
direction.  "There!"
* Elliott follows him a second later, leaping nimbly from the back of the
carriage. "Yes, sir!" He runs towards where Joan is facing the remaining men,
and yells at them. "Cease and desist, you ruffians!"
* The third man hops away from Joan and throws himself flat on the paving stones
just as the window of the jewelry store explodes in a shower of broken glass and
the deafening sound of a dozen rifles firing in quick succession.
* Several bullets whir across the street; many blast into the opposite
storefront, shattering glass and knocking circles of paint off of the walls. 
Several others give loud metallic bangs as they pierce Joan's armor and send her
reeling across the street.
* Joan goes reeling across the street. Cheaters.
* Standing in the wreckage of the jewelry store is a man--presumably--about
three meters tall with a neck so thick that it slopes from the bottoms of his
ears to the middle of his shoulders at a straight angle.  His arms are as thick
as elephant's legs, and he carries in his massive hands a American Gatling gun,
its barrels still smoking with heat and a chain of ammunition hanging down from
one side.
* Joan jabs her sword into the ground (making a good sized hole in it) and pulls
herself to her feet. She's breathing heavily, but stays standing dashes at the
man so fast she's a blur. She slashes at him! "Villain!"
* Joan's sword slices through clothing and thick skin and flesh alike, but the
massive man only grunts, and barely flinches.
* Joan slashes again! "The divine justice is upon you!"
* The big man staggers this time, and scowls at Joan with a craggy face that
looks like it's seen more than its fair share of punishment in the past.
* Elliott stares at the huge man for a second, seemingly frozen, then shakes his
head. One moment, he's standing a bit of a distance away; the next, he's right
beside the giant, aiming a kick at the meaty hand holding the gun and silently
praying that this works.
* The massive man swings his gun out of the way of Elliott's kick just in time. 
He turns with remarkable speed for such a large man, and shouts "Take them!" to
a pair of men standing near the back of the store.  Sunlight pours through a
hole in the back wall behind a wooden staircase, which would explain how the man
and his friends got inside.  Just as he gets past the two smaller men, they step
forward to cover his retreat.
* The one uninjured man comes in through the front of the store, behind Joan. 
Though he is armed only with his crude knife, the other two men carry what
appear to be long knives with curved, strangely glimmering blades.
* The two knife-wielding men lunge for Elliott, slashing him across the right
arm and chest as they move in and then out, keeping their distance from him and
each other as best they can in the close confines of the ruined shop.
* Elliott cries out in surprise and pain as the men slash him.
* Joan ignores the man with the little knife for now in order to deal with the
ones with the bigger knives. She's over by them in a flash, and slashes at one
with her sword. "Evil begone!"
* The slashed man staggers sideways and crashes into an empty glass display
counter, toppling it with a smash and shatter.
* He keeps his footing, however, and hangs on to his knife as if it were a
lifeline.
* Joan doesn't let up, and bashes him with her shield.
* The man catches the shield with his face, and sails backward onto the fallen
display case with a wet crunch.  He does not rise again.
* Elliott takes a ragged breath and kicks out at the other man's knife-hand.
Perhaps God will have mercy on him this time.
* Elliott's kick sends the knife leaping and tumbling end over end.  The weapon
clatters to the floor somewhere behind a large wooden sales desk.
* Elliott then aims a fist at the man's gut.
* The man gasps and chokes as he doubles over, staggering away from Elliott in
what might be his attempt at a defensive maneuver.
* It is at this time that he, and the man in the front of the store, decide
they've had enough.  The run from the shop in different directions--the unarmed
man out the back and the shank-wielding one out the front.
* Joan charges out the back after the man with the big friggin' gun.
* The knife wielding man has his head down and is running down a street that
leads northeast, away from the Seine.  He doesn't pay any mind to Joan, but
perhaps he doesn't need to.  The giant with the gun is nowhere in sight.
* The sounds of whistles faintly coming up the street herald the latecomers of
law enforcement: the Paris police.
* Elliott races after Joan, in hopes of catching the man with the gun. It is a
safe assumption that Elliott sees the same thing that Joan just did, and thus
steps up his pursuit of the knife guy.
* Elliott catches up to him and attempts to tackle him.
* Elliott forces the man to the ground, knocking the breath out of him and
nearly winding himself. "I- oof! Have you now!"
* Joan dashes up to the man in no time and points her sword at him. "Where is
he?!"
* The running man falls, wheezing, when Elliott drags him to the street.  "Don't
kill me," he cries breathlessly.
* Elliott keeps a firm grip on him. Very firm.
<Joan> Speak, cur, whilst you still possess a tongue.
<Elliott> I suggest you do what the lady asks.
* He stammers out a reply, "I don't know, the plan was that we go to different
places afterwards.  He's not even part of my gang!"
* The shrill sounds of police whistles are much louder now, and closing in on
the ruined jewelry shop.
<Joan> Who was he?
* "I don't know," the man says, licking his lips nervously as he eyes Joan's
sword and glances in the direction of the police whistles.  "Everybody in his
gang calls him Earthquake, though."
<Joan> Where did he come from? How did you meet him? Speak!
* "I don't know!" He says again, desperately.  "He's from another gang, I don't
know."
<Joan> Which gang?!
* The whistles have stopped, which probably means that the police are milling
around not too far away... "HIS gang!" the man says.  "It's not very big, but
everybody around here knows about it by now."
* Elliott looks at Joan. "M'Lady, perhaps we should leave him here for the
police to deal with. He appears to have no further information of use."
* Joan scowls and sheathes her sword. "You are right."
* Joan looks down at the man. "The police are coming. Turn yourself in. If you
do not, you will have to answer to my blade."
* Elliott blinks once, and gets a distant expression on his face, as if he's
listening to some unseen person.
* The man nods, and does not try to get up off of the ground.
* Elliott focuses on Joan again. He seems to have finally gotten a good look at
her, and blushes slightly. "Ahh... If you'd forgive my boldness... there's
someone who I think perhaps you should meet. And I also think it would be for
the best if we departed here as soon as possible. Would you come with me?
Please?"
<Joan> Very well.  I shall do so.
* The man on the ground stares at both Joan and Elliott, though much more at
Joan if truth be told.
* Elliott stands up and winces as his body reminds him that, yes, he *did* just
get slashed by a pair of knives. "Please follow me, then." He then notices the
bullet marks on Joan's armor. "Oh! You're hurt! Should we get assistance first?"
<Joan> Perhaps. I am feeling rather wounded.
<Elliott> All right.  I'll see if I can find something on the way there. 
Please, this way.
* Elliott starts walking off.
* Joan follows.
<Joan> A moment, if you will.
* Elliott halts and turns around.
<Joan> I could perhaps get us there more quickly, if you would be so kind as to
tell me where we are going?
<Elliott> Oh?  Certainly.
* Elliott gives her directions to the manor.
* Joan nods. She grabs hold of Elliott.
<Elliott> Err?
* Elliott blushes furiously.
* Joan apparently doesn't notice. She jumps into the air annnnnd.... Just keeps
going up. At some point she stops, though, and starts forward towards the place
Elliott mentioned.
* Elliott gasps in surprise and then is speechless, his eyes wide. He takes the
opportunity, though, to look down at the city below him as they fly above it.
* It is difficult to say whether or not anyone below noticed the two flying over
the city, but luckily none of Avignon's neighbors come rushing out onto the
street when Joan and Elliott touch down between the boathouse and the manor on
The Captain's small bit of riverfront property.
* Joan lets Elliott go as soon as they land and turns towards the mansion. "Is
this the place?"
* Elliott stares at her for a moment, eyes wide with wonder and face flushed
from either exhilaration or the fact that he was just in close proximity with a
lovely woman. "Oh! Yes, this is it. Please, come in." He heads for the door,
glancing over his shoulder to make sure she's following him.
* Somebody does emerge from the manor house, though.  A tall but somewhat lanky
butler with a laurel of white hair encircling half of his head moves efficiently
from a side door of the manor and across the small lawn toward Elliott and Joan.
* The butler calls out softly.  "Monsieur Rowland.  You and your lovely guest
have a remarkable way of making an entry.  I shall have to think up a good
excuse for THIS if anybody had seen it."  He takes Joan's arm and guides her
toward the house, where she was already headed anyway...
* Elliott has the good grace to look somewhat embarrassed. "Ahh, yes. Well, I
wasn't quite expecting it..." He follows the unusual pair in.
* Joan says nothing and allows herself to be lead, because she's not a
crazy-psycho-sword lady who would chop off the butler's arm.
* "We must get the both of you inside quickly.  I can smell the blood from here,
Mademoiselle, and it just won't do.  If I had known that The Captain's little
project was going to involve lovely women getting shot, I would never have stood
for it.  Never have stood for it..."
* The butler leads both of them inside the manor, where they will presumably get
cleaned up and patched up, and perhaps actually learn each other's names.