10976/Ruler-Wielding Penguins

Ruler-Wielding Penguins
Date of Scene:	04 February 2020
Location:	Casa Della Regina Dei Cieli, near Capaccio Scalo, Italy
Synopsis:	Cindy and Indy face down faithful nuns.
Cast of Characters:	Indiana Jones, Silk

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Indiana Jones has posed:
A few hours later, near the town of Capaccio Scalo, a dusty-looking Fiat rolls along a dirt road towards the structure called Casa Della Regina Dei Cieli (House of the Queen of Heaven), a convent that has stood for centuries. It is a rough collection of brick structures, with a church standing over the complex surrounding it like a lord over his serfs. Rough stone, rougher living by the look of it. There is a vineyard and wheat fields around it, as well as the signs of a garden with tomatoes and other vegetables on the left side of the complex.
The Fiat stops, and Indiana Jones steps out to take a look around. The faint smell of livestock, coupled with the smell of fresh air, gave it a rustic feel. For a few moments, he simply stood there and took in the sight of the convent.

Silk has posed:
Cindy steps out of the car and takes a long look around. "Looks like Y2K took a toll on this place. They must not have had a backup plan," she comments with a smirk. "I take it you've got a plan?" Indy always has a plan.

Indiana Jones has posed:
Jones nodded and sighed. He can't believe he's doing this. "Dr. Henry Jones, Jr. is writing a book about the valuable support the convents of Italy provided during the Middle Ages. This convent apparently played a valuable role in the support of Catholicism and some background should be documented on it." He looked to Cindy. "And Miss Moon is the assistant the university assigned to me. Dutiful, earnest, and harboring a secret desire for the author to look over her 'outline.' Sound like something you can work with?"

Silk has posed:
"You bet! I'm on this..." Cindy replies with a sly grin. "With any luck they'll take a shine to one of us. Or both. And they'll be excited to help you however they can."

Indiana Jones has posed:
Indy chuckles. "I like your optimism. Okay, get your game face on." He hefts his laptop bag, then starts walking towards the heavy oak doors to the convent. There is some activity going on behind the walls, and when Indy knocks on the heavy door, a square hole behind wrought-iron bars opens almost immediately.
<Welcome to the Casa Della Regina Dei Cieli,> the nun says in provincial Italian. <How may we assist you?>
<Good afternoon. My name is Dr. Henry Jones, Jr. I am the author of HOLY FORTRESSES IN EUROPE, and I am doing a follow-up historical work about the support of Italian convents for the faith during the Middle Ages. I was hoping I and my assistant...> He steps aside to indicate Cindy. <...might speak to the Mother Superior?>
The havel eyes of the nun behing the porthole looks at them, then says, <Let me speak to the Mother Superior. Please wait.> The porthole closes.
Indy looks to Cindy. "Might have to play this by ear." He smiles roguishly. "...Trust me." ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5ViX7QyaQQ )

Silk has posed:
If there's anybody anywhere Cindy trusts, it is Indy. She nods with a bit of a nervous smile and frets at her bottom lip as she looks back up at the porthole on the window, watching and waiting expectantly.

Indiana Jones has posed:
The door opens slowly, revealing three nuns in habits and an older nun in an all-white habit. She steps forward, her face placid, almost carefully so.

"Hello, Dr. Jones...Miss Moon. I have been told of your request, and I feel that God has sent you to us for noble purposes. Welcome to our humble home, and we will assist however we can."
Indy smiles. "If it is not too much trouble, we would like to see the archives. I would also like to interview you about your home, and if it is not too much trouble, my assistant would like to see the grounds. She is an artist, and has offered to make sketches for the book."

Silk has posed:
Cindy eyes Indy as he smooth-talks the nuns, and then she looks back to the three ladies and brightens. "It is so beautiful here. I would love to have the opportunity to share that with the world."

Indiana Jones has posed:
The Mother Superior smiled sagely. "Perhaps we could speak first? There are storm clouds, and we expect rain later today." She beckons to a younger nun, who steps forward. "Miss Moon, Sister Angelina can escort you around the grounds."
Indy nods, then looks to Cindy. "Have a look around. I trust you will exercise your eye for details?"

Silk has posed:
"Of course, Dr. Jones," Cindy replies dutifully. "I will commit it all to memory, so that it can be done justice. Not a detail will be left forgotten." She smiles politely and bows her head slightly to the Mother Superior. "Thank you very much for this opportunity."

Indiana Jones has posed:
Indy reached into his bag and took out a brand new sketchbook, handing it to Cindy, then followed up with a couple of mechanical pencils. "Got these for you."
There is a subtle crease at the binding along the top, revealing it had been opened previously.
Indy waves, then walks off with the Mother Superior, and Angelina turns to Cindy with a bright smile. "Hi! This is a rare treat. We are in a remote area, and rarely get visitors. You must tell me about the things you have seen!"

Silk has posed:
Cindy smiles brightly and tucks the sketch pad under her arm, offering Indy a wave before she departs with Sister Angelina.

"Well, there isn't a whole lot to tell, yet," Cindy replies. "I mean, I got here yesterday, and there hasn't been much to see yet. This place is the most amazing thing I have seen in....Probably ever!" She hugs the sketch pad to her chest and looks around, taking in the sights. "It must be wonderful to live somewhere so...peaceful."

Indiana Jones has posed:
Angelina chuckles. "I have lived here most of my life. It is a simple life, but we hear little of the outside world, other than the communiques from the Vatican. When we were told of the author Dr. Jones, we were given a copy of his book on European holy sites, and we were VERY impressed." She paused. "...you are Oriental, yes?"

Silk has posed:
"My parents were Korean," Cindy says with a nod. "But I was born in America. I have alllways admired Dr. Jones. He just has a certain...something. I am honored to be working with him."

Indiana Jones has posed:
Angelina nods, but her eyes remain on Cindy. "I have never seen a Korean woman, outside of books. You have a very exotic look about you. It is quite intriguing. You see the same faces every day, someone new is a novelty, and I pray your forgiveness in this, but your face is so different that it is memorable."
She indicates the side garden as they arrive. "Although we do raise livestock here, our garden provides much of the sustenance. Our vineyard provides grapes for a nearby winery, and our crops of wheat provide flour for bread." She smiles to Cindy, then asks, "I hope he is worthy of admiration, Cindy...if I may call you by your first name."

Silk has posed:
"Of course you may," Cindy replies quickly, and she smiles warmly, her cheeks blushing as she looks around at the garden. She opens the book carefully, as the woman gestures around at their surroundings. She wants to get a look at that sketchbook. Someone had opened it...and she is assuming it was Indy.

Indiana Jones has posed:
The first page had a picture of the Holy Grail on it, an artist's rendition of a simple earthenware cup. Along the bottom, in Korean, was written, "Check the confession booth, Jones." It was written like a standard signature one might find as an autograph.

"Thank you. The church was built in 1312, and much of the structure is still intact, even though there was some damage during a bombing attack during World War 2. It is a shame that much of our history was lost during those dark times..."

Silk has posed:
"It is tragic," Cindy agrees. "How much of the interior is still the original structure?" she asks, looking over the main building appraisingly. "I would love to sketch parts of it, too."

Indiana Jones has posed:
Sister Angelina chuckles. "All of it, really. The original builders used the best materials from the region. Even many of the indoor wooden structures are centuries old." She chuckles. "I have applied so many coats of wood stain to every single one of those pews, yet they feel like velvet to the touch."

Silk has posed:
"Ohhh," Cindy replies with an expression of awe. "You did that yourself? I would love to see your work. Could you show me, please?"

Indiana Jones has posed:
Angelina blushed slightly. "Uhm...follow me, please."

The church is not as ornate as most of the modern or city churches, but the scents are interesting. Incense, tallow, damp, and the faint smell of soap.
"The entryway is sparse, but there are enough pews for fifty people. We even have a full confessional." She points to the right side, where a confessional booth, the wood darkened by what is probably a hundred applications of preservative stains, sits ready to receive the faithful.
The altar is made of marble, with ornate candles and a golden cup sitting on a simple white cloth.
Angelina walks down the center aisle, running her fingers along the wooden pews, smiling with pride. "What do you think?"

Silk has posed:
"It's.....wonderful." Cindy follows along behind Sister Angelina with wide eyes, taking it all in. "The confessional is breathtaking. Did you do the work on it yourself, too?"

Indiana Jones has posed:
Angelina chuckles. "Me and a couple of others. Why?" She looks to Cindy. "Are you familiar with the use of the confession booth? Or...do you want to lift your soul of some burden?"

Silk has posed:
"I'm...afraid that I am not terribly familiar with them. I wouldn't know how to unburden my soul if I tried..." Cindy looks apologetically at Angelina. "Could you show me?"

Indiana Jones has posed:
Angelina nods, smiling widely. "Perhaps you will find holy guidance!" She walks quickly to the booth, opening one side to reveal a single seat with a cloth cushion. "You sit in here. When the sliding partition opens, you say, 'Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.' Then you say how long it's been since your last confession. Then you speak of your sins to me. I am bound by my vows to never reveal them to anyone."

Silk has posed:
"Really? You can't tell anyone?? Whoa. I bet that's tough. I could try it. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?" Cindy slides onto the seat as indicated, looking around the booth, and folds her hands a little awkwardly in her lap.

Indiana Jones has posed:
The seat isn't very comfortable, in spite of the cushion. Cindy can hear the other door being opened, then closed. After a few moments, the partition is slid back and Cindy can see Angelina through a metal screen that obscures her.
She waits patiently, breathing quietly.

Silk has posed:
Cindy takes a deep breath and blows it out slowly, softly. She can't lie in a confession booth, can she? It is sort of...well, sacrelige? "Bless me father, for I have sinned."

Okay, so far so good. "It's been like...Um. I've never had a confession." And suddenly panic takes hold. Does she have to list EVERY sin? She has an alter ego to protect, here. Is heroing considered a sin? "I um...I have thoughts about an older man sometimes. And I took two trips through the salad bar the other night and I am not sure that was allowed." She is visually searching the booth as she talks. "It didn't SAY just one trip, but I think it was sort of implied, but I eat a lot and nobody stopped me..."

Indiana Jones has posed:
Angelina chuckled. "You're doing very well, so far. But what sort of thoughts are you having?"

And then her Spider-Sense tingles unpleasantly. Danger. Slow danger, not in her immediate vicinity, but closing. Danger is coming, moving slowly, but coming in her direction.

Silk has posed:
"UHH..." The tingle catches her offguard and she stammers for a moment. "Like I mean this guy. He is WAY too old for me according to some people but I don't think so. And I think maybe it's wrong to think about him..." Cindy is feeling around for something. Anything like...loose or hollow. "And well, maybe I /shouldn't/ think about him naked, but I can't help it, because one minute I am writing an essay on an exam, and the next, BOOM. Nekked."

Indiana Jones has posed:
Angelina pauses, as if startled. "You have...feelings for Dr. Jones? Yes...yes, that is troubling. But there is something you can do..."

Closer. It's closer now.

"...here's what you can do to absolve your soul, Cindy Moon." She pauses, her voice soft and reverent.

*IT'S RIGHT BEHIND YOU!* The Spider-Sense seems to scream this.

"...sit very still and close your eyes."

Silk has posed:
Cindy loses all composure as her spider sense goes off the charts. She screams and flees the confession booth.....at least that's what she does in her mind. She silently tenses and prepares herself, shifting a little in her seat. "Wait, I didn't say it was Dr. Jones...."

Indiana Jones has posed:
Angelina's voice is calm and reserved. "You will be with him soon..."

One moment later, two feet of sharpened Toledo steel sword rams into the tiny gap between the boards, the sword-point at chest-level for anyone sitting in the confessional on Cindy's side.

Angelina continues, "...HERETIC."

Silk has posed:
Cindy dodges to one side with spider-like reflexes, and she screams. "HEY AREN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO ABSOLVE ME? This seems a little extreme for a trip to the salad bar. The instructions were in Italian. ITALIAN. I'm not even italian!!"

"Memorable," she heard the woman's voice say in her head. She called Cindy's face memorable. "Shit!" Can you cuss in a confessional? She doesn't stick around to find out. Cindy ducks and flees the booth, but immediately turns to face it again. "If you want to survive long enough to confess yourself, you better....Ah screw it..." She webs the door shut on Angelina and flees back toward where she last saw Indy with Mother Superior. "God, I have GOT to get that man a comm."

Indiana Jones has posed:
Cindy is able to make it to the courtyard near the center of the convent when she hears the shot. One...then two more, coming from the large building to the east.
Nuns begin to flee the building, scattering to the fields and the vineyard in panic. Then Cindy sees something else - four men, wearing what looked like SWAT gear and carrying both Benelli riot shotguns...
...and swords. And they are also heading for the main eastern building.

Silk has posed:
"If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me," Cindy mutters, and she sprints toward the same building, ducking behind the corner of a stable just long enough to doff her civvies. "Man did I ever misjudge my audience," she adds, as she reaches the building in a red and black ninja number with plenty of cutouts and skin. "When in Rome..." she says, mocking herself. Hastily, she runs inside.

Indiana Jones has posed:
Cindy's primary problem is the nuns fleeing OUT of the building as she heads IN. Moving along the walls seems quicker than pushing past these women.
Then the four men burst into the hallway and spot Cindy. "She has to be the other heretic! SLAY her!"
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, they ACTUALLY used the word 'slay.'

Silk has posed:
"Slay yourselves," Cindy shouts with a flippant tone in her voice. She swiftly climbs the walls to get around the penguin migration and stay out of slaying range. Unless it is counted as a slaying when you shoot somebody. She'll have to look that up later. For now, she fires off two big, sticky, floppy net balls of web at the men and continues moving

Indiana Jones has posed:
These men are trained soldiers. Ready to fight, ready to kill, ready to die.
But they are NOT ready for a spider-woman, and their attempts to dodge the web balls fail, finding themselves rooted to the floor, and unable to move. They fire at Cindy as she tracks the source of the shot by a mixture of dead reckoning and Spider-Sense, and comes to the office simply marked MADRE SUPERIORA.

Dr. Jones is inside. He has his revolver aimed at an angry Mother Superior. A derringer pistol is laying on the floor, still smoking. There is a line of red along Indy's right outer thigh, and the smell of blood is in the room.
"Who warned you about us, MOM?"
"We are as omniscient as God Himself. You will not summon the Devil to plague the world agai..." She stops, staring at Cindy. "What black sorcery is THIS?"
"The FUN kind," Indy says harshly.

Silk has posed:
"I'm fun! Don't I look like fun? I came to party," Cindy replies with a slight pout and drops to her feet on the floor, trying to methodically wind a web around the Mother Superior. "Besides, the Devil walks among us. I've seen her, on the Staten Island Ferry."

Indiana Jones has posed:
Indy chuckles slightly. "It seems Mom here had an in with the Brethren. She got a message warning her of our impending arrival. Fortunately, they don't have anything but a short-wave radio...and that will soon be kaput. Mom here spoke of the book not being here, but revealed that Machiavelli had written a journal and that IS here. Unfortunately..." He pointed to a painting of the Virgin Mary. "It's in that safe right there, and wouldn't you know it, Mom here won't pony up the combination..."

Silk has posed:
"Awww...what if I tell you where I left Sister Angelina? You give me the combination...I give you back Angelina. Fair trade?" Cindy holds out a hand to shake, ignoring the fact that she already webbed around the woman's arms, which are now stuck at her sides.

Indiana Jones has posed:
Madre Superiosa scowls at Cindy. "I will give you NOTHING, spawn of Hell!"
"She called me that, too. I even told her about the Grail, and she called me a liar." He walks over to the safe, eyeing it carefully. "Watch the door. I think Mom called for reinforcements, so they may be showing up any minute now." He rubs his hands together, then picks up a drinking glass and puts it to the safe, his ear next to the bottom of the glass.

Silk has posed:
Cindy's eyes look hurt above her mask. "You didn't even care enough to give me my own name?" She sniffles and looks back toward the door to keep watch. "The least you could have done was given me something original."

Indiana Jones has posed:
Indy smiled wryly. "I think this safe might ACTUALLY be older than *I* am." He turned the dial a little at a time, not seeming to mind the grazing shot along his leg. "I can actually hear the clicks fairly clearly. We can..." He stopped abruptly, then turned the handle below the dial to the left, and the safe door creaked open.

Silk has posed:
Cindy turns back quickly toward Indy at the sound. "You mean that worked? I thought that only worked in movies!" She moves closer to Indy, watching the door. "By the way, Mommy Dearest....Were those reinforcements by any chance about...yey tall, guns and swords? Stuck to the ground, unable to move?" Cindy's smile touches her eyes with a playful glint.

Indiana Jones has posed:
Indy was looking through the papers, and paused to look at Cindy. "Well...seems I'm not the ONLY overachiever here." He looked bac as he found the leather-bound book, then checked the first page. "Got it." He left everything else, taking the journal only. "I'll teach you a little about safecracking, something I learned from Houdini." He straightened, tilting his hat forward, then nodded to the bound Mother Superior. "Sorry, Mom...but I take a dim view of a nun who uses a revolver over a ruler. C'mon, let's go."
Indy starts towards the door when the head penguin pleads, "Please...do not bring him back to this world. There are enough demons in this world already..." She looks to Cindy. "And this one...? Is she your familiar? Your homonculus?"
"She's my PARTNER, Mom." He tips his hat to her, then looks to Cindy. "I guess we're going to have to pass on that research project, eh?"

Silk has posed:
"Well, I SUPPOSE. Twist my arm, why don'tcha? Force me not to do the assignment?" Cindy twists her arm around to place the back of her wrist above her waist on her back. "Help, help! I'm being coerced!!"

Indiana Jones has posed:
Indy chuckled. "Let's get to the car, then get out of here. I'll need to analyze this, see what Niccolo had to say."
Five minutes later, they were on the road again, and Cindy was changing back into her normal clothes. Indy had to marvel at it. Only Cindy Moon could be flexible enough to change clothes in the back of a Fiat 500.

"I get the feeling this isn't the last we'll hear from the Brethren. We might have to ponder an exit strategy. Maybe we can get a quick flight out of Naples." He sighed. "I suspect the convention staff are going to take a dim view of our little outing, especially if we leave before the convention's over." He looks back to her in the rear-view mirror, then blinks.

"Jeez, Cindy...ever thought of being a yoga instructor?"