FORWARD-DATED TO... ???

[assassino]

[Ezio has had a bad feeling about this Apple for weeks now, and the feeling has only intensified as the days go by. It's clear the Apple is dangerous or powerful in some way, or else Borgia wouldn't have wanted it. The question is whether it's powerful in its own right, or if it just gives access to whatever is in the Vault –– and whatever is in there Ezio can't see in Borgia's hands.

Part of him still wants to believe that the Apple is harmless. He knows it's not a literal piece of Eden, but is only so in name. He knows that Altair thought and philosophized over it extensively, and felt that humans shouldn't have it, or something along those lines. What Altair thought actually troubles him most; he hasn't read the Codex pages in eight years, and when he did read them, he had dismissed them as some sort of fairy tale. Those same "fairy tales" have kept him up at night as of late, and whenever he isn't, er, preoccupied, he's staring at the ceiling, straining to remember what, exactly, the Codex said.

He just hadn't taken this seriously enough, and now he has to figure it out himself.

So here he is, relying on strangers for help. Jorge, Colonel Jade Curtiss, Stephanie Brown, Aziraphale the Angel, and his sister.

Ezio has the Apple perched on the top of a candlestick, as a makeshift stand, and he's now waiting for his motley crew of "experts" to arrive.]


Hmm.

Comments

[assassino]

[He knows he doesn't stand a chance against servants of God, so he's not sure what he intends to do beyond talk. He looks between Crowley and Aziraphale, and takes a step back again.]

I just want the Apple back, so that I might know what it does.

[bootsweremadeforcasting]

'And to do that is a slow process. Instant results are impossible with something so unknown and potentially powerful.'

[thwarting]

[It was nice to know he had Crowley on his side; although, he couldn't help but feel a mild twinge of guilt, he was fairly sure there was some sort of rule against accepting aid from a demon.

Stepping to his friend's side, he rested his hand on Crowley's shoulder for just a moment, smiling around at everyone in a way that made those oppressive shadows seem to recede slightly.]

No harm done, perhaps we can change it back after a little more research is done on what it might do. There may be some books in the library on the subject.

[noblefive]

I agree with Aziraphale.

[Jorge sounds like he's not being affected by those shadows, and the threatening demeanour, but that's just his training talking.]

I'd rather not nuke this place just because we were too hasty.

[onlyanapple]

[Contact form the angel seemed to calm Crowley somewhat. He folded his arms, huffing a little]

Until you know what it does, don't mess with something that could be apolitically dangerous.

[assassino]

[He feels so riled up about the whole thing, but how can he argue with that logic?]

How am I supposed to find out what it does if I don't have it? Do I just dig through every book in the library hoping even ONE of them mentions it? The Apple may not even be its real name.

[secondchances]

Ultimately, I guess that's the least crappy option of the crappy options. Better that than killing someone on accident, no?

[thwarting]

The library here tends to gain books pertaining to your own world, there would be no reason one would not contain a reference to this Apple.

[assassino]

But it could take months -- years -- to dig through every book.

[noblefive]

Maybe we could half that time if we helped.

[bootsweremadeforcasting]

'Ezio, could I ask where you got this item and who from? Also, how you know about it's power, at least on a basic level.'

[assassino]

I got it from Rodrigo Borgia -- better known as Pope Alexander VI. All I know is that this is the object of a prophesy, and has been sought after for a long time, to be used to open something called "the Vault". It seems to be a religious object of some kind.

[onlyanapple]

Yeah, you know what are never good? Prophesies .

[noblefive]

Tell me about it. We got an alien race slaughtering humans because of some prophecy where I'm from.

But we've got a reference point, yeah?

[assassino]

I've never heard of prophesies outside books.

[pause]

Would the Castle have every book that ever existed?

[secondchances]

It's definitely possible. What, do we ask for a book about the Apple-that-is-now-a-pillow? 'cause the idea of looking through a normal library doesn't sound appealing, let alone a magical one.

[bootsweremadeforcasting]

'That doesn't tell us much about where he got it or what its useful for. Even if the Castle has every book ever written, I would more assume anything about this would be written in a journal of some sort. It doesn't seem the type of thing that'd have research on it, otherwise you might have already found something more than 'prophetic device'.'

[Agreeing on that "prophesies aren't too good" part, though.]

[thwarting]

[More prophecies. At least it was unlikely they were by Her. Still, books of prophecy were something of an specialist subject, and he would at least recall the prophet in question.]

Do you recall who wrote these prophecies, by any chance?

[assassino]

The only book I know of that speaks of it is that of Altair, a man who lived hundreds of years before my time. But the Codex was torn apart and the pages scattered; I've been hunting them down and collecting them for ten years. One of them speaks about the Apple at length, but...

[He's ashamed to admit it:]

When I last read it, eight years ago, I was still convinced it was just some fairy tale, told by an old man disillusioned with his own life. I didn't pay it much mind.

It has something to do with controlling people, something to do with dominion. Something about people who used to exist, and... [grasping for words] there was a drawing, of a man holding an apple and speaking to a crowd, with little symbols all around them.

All I know is that I need to know what Borgia intended to use this for. What he will use it for, if it falls into his grasp. Perhaps it has something to do with how he becomes Pope.

[bootsweremadeforcasting]

'If it does what you've learned, they might be using it for control, as a means to become the Pope.'

[What is a Pope anyways. Jade will worry about that later.]

'However, if it's here with you, you at least know it won't fall into this man's hands for now.'