Ivan watched the exchange between the two as he sheathed his sword. He straightened his coat when the gun was brought out, walking over to examine it with his eyes. It was less archaic looking than his, but something told him that his little hand-cannon was more powerful.

Part of him wanted to probe about that question that Jack sprung earlier that so disarmed their benevolent host. He took a deep breath, and decided to let it go for now, "Yar, as much fun as it be to play with swords, we got a crime ta solve."

The baron seemed amused by Tank's approach, but in a flattered way.

"Mr. Martinez, please consider yourself absolutely welcome to spend as much time there as you like after the day's... 'mission' is done," he offered, apparently amused by how serious-sounding their task suddenly was. Missions! He had never done a mission. "I'm not sure how interesting my old literature and local history books will be, uh, long-term, but, auh, I think you say, 'mi casa su casa'?"

And so, the group went on its way. Those who picked the hotel... were actually in for a surprisingly mundane visit. Whoever had tried to snatch Jack, Ember, and Key wasn't bold enough to do it again—at least not in broad daylight, at a fairly busy place.

Skipping all the chatter and interviewing that went on, it basically came down to this: the hotel owner was forthcoming with information, and said that Ms. Cauldwell had disappeared under the usual circumstances (bright light, loud noise) shortly after sundown one evening, while on her way out to the storage shed to get some supplies. She was young, athletic (a dancer), and had no family that they knew of.

Dureau had suggested following up their search by checking out the home of the last lead in town—the missing football player. Results were even worse, though... There was nothing but an empty house. This time, there was some sign of a struggle still visible, but nothing telling. It was clear no one had touched the home since police had first investigated—no signs of family disturbing (or cleaning up) anything, nada. It was like no one had since touched a thing.

As for the baron? He remained clammed up about Jack's question, at least so long as Ivan or anyone else was around. If anyone tried to broach the topic while they were out on the town, he seemed... not so put off, but more coy about it. "I'll tell you anything you want to know over dinner," he had offered the griffin jovially. He almost seemed like he was mischievously using it as an excuse to make a date of it.

On the other hand, Tank's side of the investigation had uncovered something... odd.

The robot had an intact capsule in it—a large one, like a three-and-a-half-foot-tall metal egg. It was a dull grey color and had what looked like caution tape wrapped all around it with various caution labels. It was a little heavy (no big thing for Tank, of course), and very, very sturdy. There seemed to be buttons on it, but it was hard to say what they did...

More evidence? Possibly. It was at least the only lead the robot had to offer.

So continues the investigation as the crew meets back at the castle much later in the day.

(OOC: Collab with the bossman.)

The normally-white castle was pitched in shades of blue. It was that hour or so immediately following sunset when it was just beginning to truly get dark.

Inside the castle walls, the courtyard was was alight with oil lamps standing high on their posts. They fully lined the cobblestone driveway that made its loop through the snowy garden. At the point where the driveway came under a shelter of sorts, in the "porch" area in front of the castle's front door, there seemed to be some odd activity. Some extra bright work lights (actual electric lamps) had been set out, presumably by Luc, to aid in the investigation of a strange object...

The baron approached alongside the rest of his group. He had that kind of look about him that was uniquely possessed by returning homeowners—the kind of peering, leering, squinting, "what on earth is happening at and/or to my house" look.

"... Mr. Martinez?..." he greeted with a hesitant tip of the hat.

"Ah, Baron Fremont!" responded the Power Mask in question. "Aye em glat yew haff errlived." He seemed to be hunched over something round and ovalish, heavy and steel. In short, it looked very much like an egg laid by a metal giant. Judging by the Power Hankie (yes, it had Power Hankie written in friendly green letters on it) clenched daintily in his fingers, Tank seemed to be taking the time to clean the strange device.

"Upon mai rle-eenvestigashun of the butcher's shop... and, thee," Pause. Cough. "Eenterlnal designs of the robot we had vanquished, Aye happened opon thees strlange eenstrloment." He heaved it up and gently set it down again, facing Dureau's direction for a better view. "Eet appears to be some kaind off... giant egg. But Aye know not for what purlpose eet serves...

Though relieved to find that things were in fact okay, and that his house had not been attacked by... robot eggs, as it were, at that instant, they entered the realm of things Dureau had no earthly concept of at all.

Which is to say he stopped in front of it, stood with his back rigidly straight, head cocked just so, hand on his chin, and looked at it as if it were from another planet entirely.

"... Excellent," he commended for the find, short on any other more profound words.

He chewed his lip.

"What is it?"

Seemingly out of nowhere, Ivan appeared behind Dureau, examining the egg uncharacteristic precision. Or at least, he seemed to. He examined it, circling around until he came to a small screen on it.

"It clearly be some kinda... Robotic ovary." He said, squinting at the diagnostic data that made absolutely no sense.

And then came the part that might cause some people to look in horror. Ivan began pressing random buttons on the keypad next to the screen. No rhyme or reason. It may also be worth noting that Ivan couldn't be trusted with a pager, let alone a complex stasis pod, or whatever this thing actually was.

After some button presses, he was interrupted by some loud humming as the egg began to twist in place... He stepped back, looking back at the others.

"Er... Could also be a bomb."

"Thet eez dees-gasting," Tank almost immediately, and rather openly admitted at the 'ovary' comment. A glance of disapproval met the hare's for only a moment before turning back to the man of the house, so to speak, with Ivan behind him. "Eet coold be anything," he explained, his furrowed gaze meeting somewhere between Dureau and the ground. "Some sorlt off a bleck box, or the rrlobot's mainfrlame... brlain... thang. Theeng. Bot there ees almost no way to tell weethout the use of the labs..."

"Er... Could also be a bomb."

"Hyes," he admitted with a brief peek over his shoulder, somewhat exasperated and only slightly annoyed. "Wheech ees why aye wos extrlemely carleful handling when I brlought eet to... hyour, home."

But while he was explaining himself to the Baron, some kind of humming noise was insistant on speaking over him, and when he turned around to ask just what the deal was, he saw just what could have provoked Ivan into speaking his second suggestion.

"Dios mio!" he exclaimed with a jump. "Mak-- eur, Ivan! Hhwat haff you done!?"

Jack may have had the right idea, but by the time everybody decided that yes, Ivan had set them up the bomb, it was too late. The thing burst with a huge blast smoke, steam and a gigantic shower of... rings?

*BRLRLRLRRLRING.*

File under "not as expected." Nonetheless, it was better to get bombarded by a wall of gold rings than by shrapnel. As the smoke cleared, the group would soon find that the framework of the egg still sat there. The top and base of it remained intact, but the side panels had been blown off, revealing something peculiar within.



As the smoke thinned a small blue light sparked into existence, flickered, then rapidly grew into a blue hued 'flame' moments before the rest of the smoke cleared revealing the purple colored figure still nestled in the center of the capsule's framework.


The creature glanced towards the nearest person for a split second before realizing the creature itself was missing something.. Something important, well, at least to it. The small ghostly creature quickly turned it's attention to the bottom of the capsule long enough to locate what it was missing and quickly pulled it's drab colored hat, slipped it on, then quietly floated out of the capsule's remains and proceeded to quickly dart between the others in order to inspect them.

Ivan backed away from it, and was about to take Jack's queue, but it was too late. He turned his back to the capsule with his head tucked under his arms as it sprung opened and showered..rings at him?

He turned to face it again once the smoke cleared. His expression was a less verbal form of what Dureau was saying. He looked at Tank as he made his own observations. Ivan then looked at the creature once again.

"Well, we be alive, so it be safe ta say it ain't a bomb." So far, chao seemed to be the theory to go with.