Seishi - Monday, September 24, 2001, 4:30 PM

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The revolving door into the swanky downtown London hotel revolves, and in walks Indiana Jones. Having already checked into another place and deposited his luggage, he moves into the expansive lobby, looking for the rest of the expedition's party. He stops and stands by the information desk, hands in his pockets, glancing up at a glass elevator and the ritzy fountain.

Lara should be cheerful. She's in London, England. Home. Complete with Underground, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, Lord Nelson, and the pigeons that crap on Lord Nelson. But she sits in one of the lobby lounge areas with a weary, almost sullen demeanor. At least her poise allows her to fit even if her rather inappropriate clothes do not. She notes the man by the concierge. "Indy." she calls out, nodding.

Indiana turns his head at the sound of his name, then nods once to Lara. He moves towards the cluster of blandly fashionable furniture across the lobby. He drops his hat onto a stack of magazines and then settles himself comfortably onto a sofa cushion. "Terrible what they did to this place," he notes with a glance at an abstract expressionist statue of something with sharp points.

Seishi drifts into view presently, coming around the fountain, into which it would seem she has been mildly brooding. Her manner is as serene as usual, except for her hands, which fidget restlessly with the polished metal and glossy black lacquer of a folding fan, snapping it open and closed repeatedly. In her teeshirt and jeans, and lacking the poise and presence to carry it off anyhow, she's out of place here.

Lara has been somewhat cool to the archaeologist ever since the encounter with the Rom. Or perhaps cool is the wrong word: professional, detached. "Are you waiting for Seishi and the others?" she inquires, and then spots the aforementioned. Her hand lifts briefly to gain the woman's attention, and beckons her over before she reclines again.

Indiana folds his hands over his lap and slumps a little, allowing himself to relax after hectic day of flight, car ride, and assorted arrangements. He says "How're you doing?" to Seishi as she approaches, really wanting to know.

Seishi's eye is caught; she turns and heads over to join her friends, folding the tessen closed again and sliding it into the back pocket of her jeans. "Not so bad," she replies with half a grin, "but I hope you guys have had better luck than we have." She regards both of them, a critical look under that calm demeanor... no missing pieces or visible injuries...

Lara says "We've confirmed the location." Lara says. "And who has possession of it. Your passport is going to get more use - we're going to have to go to India."

Indiana shoots a quiet look sidelong at Lara, then shrugs a little, speaking to Seishi. "Depends on how you define 'luck'," he mumbles. "But, yeah, we found the place. Assuming that carnie act of the old Gypsy we talked to wasn't just another setup."

Seishi bobs her head, quietly absorbing all of this. "I figured," she tells Lara simply.

Lara mutters, "More like drug induced hallucination." She caught the look - doesn't he know if someone were tailing them, either she or he or Seishi would have figured it out by now? Her attention swing back to Seishi. "Did you come to the same conclusion here? I haven't had a chance to find out what happened."

Holmes appears out of the crowd. He is dressed in the plain grey suit of the Bond Street trader and looks, somehow, utterly bland and nondescript until he gets near to the group, when he straightens up to his full height and gives a polite bow to the assembled.

Indiana glances over, doubletaking slightly at the sudden presence of Sherlock in the company. He smiles ruefully, then eyes Seishi and Holmes curiously. "...yeah, what happened? I saw a news report about something going on down by the docks."

Holmes says drily, "We stumbled, purely by chance, into a conflict between two rival rings of black marketeers, a conflict played out in the chambers of a third. The nail was likely never in the country, but a false nail was. I believe this indicates that the true possessor of the nail wishes to retain it, but he was concerned that this second ring of criminals was on his trail. The trail, by the way, leads to India. I have just been making some inquiries regarding financial matters that may be of assistance in our trip."

Seishi offers Holmes a bright welcoming smile, which goes a little wry when the explanations start; "Not to be impolite," she remarks lightly, "but if we're going to discuss all of this in detail, can we do it someplace where I don't feel like people are eyeing me and waiting to see if I walk off with the silver?" She indicates their posh surroundings with an encompassing gesture.

Lara suggests, "Assuming it exists here, I know a place we can go." she looks around. "People are tired, though - perhaps one of the suites might be best."

Holmes nods. "Our hotel is very comfortable, though small. I suggest we hire a cab to take us there."

Indiana glances left. Then right. "Yeah, I think that'd be a good idea..." He leans forward to grab his hat and then use the momentum to stand. Still watching the crowd through the sparkle of the nearby fountain, he says "Let's go." He moves to the exit.

Seishi nods quiet agreement, turning to follow.

Holmes moves out to the street where he just has to stand relatively near the curb and cough gently into a fist in order to get a cab to stop for him. He can give off VIP vibes when he wants, apparently. The cabbie does look a little surprised when Holmes gives the name of the hotel and everyone piles in.

Lara remains quiet, looking out the window. How strange, to feel homesick in one's own home.

Indiana squeezes in. "So, we've both got a lead going to India...can't be a coincidence. You find out much about this place we're headed to? Or the person who's got the thing?"

Seishi looks to Holmes for that; these things are his milieu. She just beats people up now and again.

Holmes thinks about that question a moment. "Very little. Only that he is male, he uses the name Balaton, he is between five foot eight and five foot ten inches tall, wears black shoes which are shined weekly with Kleinschmidt Shoe Polish, he wears a ring on the smallest finger of his right hand, and he is the head of a relatively small but very powerful and influential smuggling cartel. An uncannily formidable opponent - where most smugglers work with large numbers of unskilled thugs, he uses finesse and a few trusted, tightly-controlled and well-trained agents." he says in an unmistakably approving tone. "When brute force is needed, it is..." He pauses, searching for the word. "...outsourced?" he guesses.

Lara comments out of the blue, "I'm doing what I can to find out more specific information. It'll likely take about a day to get the information back."

Holmes nods to Lara approvingly. "I too have more information on the way." he says. "I hope that together we can assemble a picture of the mysterious gentleman."

Indiana scratches an ear, smiling blandly at Holmes' 'very little'. "Balaton. Comes back to him after all. Wonder what sort of welcome he'll have waiting for us." He pauses, then asks "Do we know if he knows that we know he has it?"

Seishi listens and absorbs, as she usually does, fitting together bits of information in her mind's eye. "It would be nice to know what we'll be walking into when we get there, yes," she murmurs.

Holmes thinks about that. "No." he says. "Not us /specifically/. He knows that /someone/ is on his trail, hence the trap at the docks."

Indiana nods, looking a tad sulky. "Terrific. Guess we get to play dress up then."

Lara says absently, "Shaving never hurt anyone but you, Indy." Then her mobile rings and she picks it up. "Croft." she says curtly, and listens to the end.

Seishi promptly looks peeved. Dressing up again? Mmmph.

Holmes laughs easily. He clearly likes dressing up.

Indiana scratches his jaw stubble absently, mind wandering a little. "Guess I could try dusting off my Swedish accent..."

Seishi's good humor resurfaces somewhat as something occurs to her... "I guess the Swedish Chef is a little after your time," she quips at Indy.

Holmes grins. "Perhaps it might be to our advantage for some of us to enter without a disguise." he says. "It depends on the situation we find ourselves in."

Lara begins to speak in Hindi, her voice carrying the musical lilt with ease. <Yes, this is what I pay you for, Chandrit. No. Really? Very good. Yes, that definitely has possibilities.> a pause. <How many can you get? I don't think that will be enough. It will do for the moment. See if you can get more...or no, wait. Get me information on the party services. Can you do that? And schematics too?> a pause. <Do I need to remind you how much I'm paying you? Yes. Yes. Alright. Thank you.> another pause. <That will be acceptable. My regards to Lala and the children.> she ends the call.

Indiana looks somewhat perplexedly at Seishi. "No, we had some Swiss Chefs in my day. Why?"

Seishi, bright-eyed with humor, does a very passable mimicry of the Muppet chef: "Bork bork bork."

Indiana raises an eyebrow at Seishi, not quite sort what she's driving at. He smiles uneasily. "Bjork bjork bjork, huh? That's good." He looks quickly to Lara to avoid delving further. "Did you say something about a -party-?"

Seishi can't help but giggle, shaking her head. She's not going to try to explain Muppetry to Indy right now.

Lara looks back at him. "Yes. Balaton is throwing a little soiree for his few hundred closest friends at a palace not too far out of Calcutta." she smiles, her eyes bright. "Shall we crash it? Unfortunately I couldn't get enough invitations for all of us, but I'm looking into other means of access."

Holmes says drily, "I'm sure some of the other guests would be happy to let us go in their place."

Indiana smiles crookedly at Holmes. "I was about to say the same damn thing." Granted, his version is more likely to involve physically ambushing a waiter and taking his suit from his unconscious form, but the thought's what counts.

Seishi starts to look pained again. None of this is sounding especially promising from her point of view.

Lara smiles. "First let's see who's planning to go, and then we'll determine how we all get in, hmmm?" She seems far more perked up, whether it's because of the party, or the chance to cause a little mayhem, or both is hard to tell. "You know Seishi, you could just accost one of the service industry people and then you won't have to worry about rubbing elbows with anyone. Though I daresay if you opt for a kitchen helper, try not to get duped into massaging the monkey brains before the meal."

Holmes chuckles drily at the comment and looks to Seishi with bright eyes. He thinks her reluctance is humorous.

Seishi's tone is decidedly plaintive: "You are just filling my heart with joy, here."

Indiana says "It'll be alright, Seishi. We've done this sort of thing a million times."

Lara muses. "I'm considering that perhaps a com system might be extremely useful...what do you think?" she asks Sherlock.

Holmes has to parse that a little bit. "Yes, although I fear I am not yet very knowledgeable about their uses." he says. "I understand there are quite a variety."

Lara shrugs. "It's simple enough. You get several small earpiece and mic combinations, stick one discreetly in your ear, and it keeps you connected with everyone. I can have them waiting for us in Calcutta."

Holmes nods. "If they are concealable with a little work, I think it would be an excellent idea." he says.

Indiana furrows his brow. "So, we're just gonna get in there and grab the Nail, right?"

Lara says "Assuming it's that simple."

Seishi says wryly, "Somehow I doubt it will be."

Indiana grins loosely, shrugs, then says "I don't know. I figure one of these days something'll be EXACTLY as simple as it sounds. Someday."

Holmes says "Statistics indicate that surely one day you'll be right, Dr. Jones."

"I doubt it," Seishi opines brightly. "I mean, consider who's involved." She gestures around the cab.

Lara chuckles. "I suggest we all take the evening to enjoy ourselves in this fair city before we have to go back to work." And plotting and plan. The wheels are turning in Lara's head.

Indiana nods. "Yeah, sounds like a good idea to me. Could use a break after all this runnin' around."

Holmes chuckles, as the cab comes to a halt. "Very well." he says easily. Seishi knows that Holmes enjoying himself usually consists of a good book and a pipe, or an extended violin improvisational solo.

Seishi makes a good-humored face. "As long as it's nice and quiet. No jumping out of windows. Been there. Done that."

Lara climbs out of the cab, standing on the sidewalk with her arms folded in front of her. "Nothing says it has to be a group activity, Seishi. Though I'll be glad to come along with anyone who has an idea. I was considering a walk - but I'll acquiesce if there's a group decision."

Holmes pays the cabdriver and tips far more than adequately. No wonder he can't hold onto money.

Seishi scuffs the heel of her sneaker absently against the pavement, watching the cab pull away. "Well, I didn't have anything in mind, no."

Lara keeps her arms crossed in front of her chest. "Any ideas?" she asks the two men.

Holmes looks up, a little surprised. "I'm not very extemporaneous in matters of entertainment." he admits. "When you suggested an enjoyable evening, I thought of relaxing with a book and my pipe."

Lara nods. "Fair enough." she says. "Then I think I am going to take that walk. Seishi, Dr. Jones, if either of you wishes to accompany me, you're welcome."

Seishi smiles, waves a hand vaguely. "Nah, that's all right. I'll just head up to my room and vegetate a while. Maybe get some room service." Ooh, cheering prospect.