Joanna walks up to the entry way and looks for some way to announce their presence, like a bell.
As Joanna approached the entryway, Tatsuo called out a warning. "Be careful, the stairs have a spell cast upon them. It would not do to trigger it before we decide what our course of action is to be. Though we might not get arrested for doing so, I would prefer we avoid confrontation as much as we can. After all, we are here to rescue someone, not to...what is the term you Westerners use? 'Murder hobo' the inhabitants? If Berkanin relies largely on constructs, I suspect the golembane scarab will be of use in helping us avoid causing a commotion."
Joanna gives Tatsuo a confused look that turns into one of anger mingled with hurt.
"I had no intention of walking into this place just to murder everything I see. I serve Shelyn as a guardian of art and artist. I was hoping we might reason with Berkanin, though it will likely prove futile," she tells him. Despite her stated intentions, she backs away from the entryway.
"If we are to get in without alerting him, how are we to do so," she asks.
"Ah, my apologies Lady Joanna. It was not to you that that comment was directed." Now that he was once again wearing his hat, flicking his eyes meaningfully would not be noticeable. So instead he turned his head in the direction of Oster and held it there. If the rogue was insulted by the comment, so be it. This was what happened when you had a tendency to sneak into every room, move behind anyone in said room, and make a stabbing gesture at them behind their back as you asked if you should kill them.
"As for reasoning with him, that would be nice, but I fear we do not have anything to bargain with. We have not the coin to throw around nor, to my knowledge, anything else of value equal to a seer. If he is willing to bribe the guards to turn a blind eye to his deeds, it is unlikely that he will listen to a plea of the emotional variety. As to how we might enter, I could cast a spell to give some of us the ability to simply fly up there. Admittedly, I do not know what safeguards Berkanin has up there other than his spell on the stairway, so we might yet be discovered, but it at least seems less likely to alert him to our presence."
"Oh, my apologies for taking offense," she says when Tatsuo makes it clear who the comment was meant for.
Joanna, her back turned to the archway when it begins speaking, lets out a girlish "eep" and nearly jumps into Tatsuo's arms. Her cheeks are almost luminous from the furious blush as she realizes what has happened and hunches her shoulders as she covers her face.
"Well that's sure to inspire confidence," she mutters sarcastically while Halli prances about, obviously enjoying the moment, before coming to a stop next to Joanna and bumping her leg to get her attention and smiling up at her while her tail wags like there's no tomorrow.
"Of course you would find it funny, you stinker! If you got to decide my fate, I'd have no dignity at all," she tells the wolf. She sighs and lets it go, it wasn't as if Halli would listen to her if she didn't want to.
"You said you could get some of us up there? I could go first and help those that can't fly up by using a rope. I'm stronger than I look. I'm also pretty sturdy, and I can summon Halli to my side once I'm up there."
Xango looks at the woman and shrugs.
"Well I am neither, and we are here on business. So.. .let us in!"
Given his reading of the magical aura, Tatsuo wasn't especially surprised to hear the archway talk. What did surprise him was the at least a hundred pounds of heavily armored woman that attempted to climb him as a result. He probably would have let out a matching cry of surprise had the air not already gotten knocked out of him. Instinctively he wrapped his arms around her, though it was unclear if it was a gesture meant to steady her or himself. Neither would have actually worked all that well given both were off balance, but luckily, the fates seemed to be smiling upon them as they did not wind up in a tangled pile of metal and limbs.
He heaved a sigh of relief as he felt his unexpected momentum neutralize into a state of balance once more. Then quickly retrieved his hands when Halli's affectionate bump reminded him that he still had them around Joanna. Suddenly very aware of the lack of space between them, he took a step away, scratching his chin awkwardly as he mumbled something.
Then of course, Joanna mentioned his offer to get them up to the platform above. Which meant that he would have to step back towards her again. "Ahh, right. Yes. I can. Here. Let me just..." He reached out to lightly place one hand on her pauldron, this time remembering to remove it in a timely fashion. As his arcane energy filled the warrior with the ability to fly, Tatuso started to pull out his own rope from his bag to hand it to her. For some reason he had imagined whomever he cast the spell on would simply pick them up and ferry them up and down. But given what had just transpired, rope was probably the safer option.
Seeing Tatsuo's discomfort only makes Joanna blush even more from embarrassment. She manages to keep what's left of her dignity and gives the sorcerer an apologetic look. She notices that she's the only one being made to fly and looks a little puzzled before turning to Xango and Oster.
"Xango, if the spell holds both of us, do you think you could help me haul Oster and Tatsuo up," she asks.
Seeing the archway made by the trumpeting angels, she feels a lot better about having flown up instead of coming up the stairs. She still feels uneasy breaking and entering this way, but she saw little other choice if they were to do this without causing too much of a ruckus. She ties a loop in one end of the rope and lowers it to Oster and Tatsuo to bring them up with Xango's aid.
"Here's hoping we're half as clever as we wish we were," she says with wry smile as she begins to haul the last two of their group up.
Earlier
Oster grins.
"I've no problem with talking. But that doesn't always pan out. So if it's them going down or us, I choose them."
***********
"Cheers for the hoist."
Once he's up, Oster looks about.
Oster waves to his team for attention then points waving two fingers in the direction of the creatures.
"Plant things. Two."
He immediately tries to find angles on the roof to hide from the creatures.
For both their sakes, Tatsuo did his best to ignore and move beyond the shared embarrassed awkwardness between himself and Joanna. He nodded at her but offered up a small smile to try to ease the situation. He then turned his attention to the problem at hand, watching silently as Joanna flew up with Xango before hauling Oster and himself up.
"If possible, let us avoid those as you do not have a good track record with plants, Oster. Perhaps we should try to enter through a second-floor window?"
"Or I could fly us to the walkway," Joanna suggests as she points out the sloping structure connecting the two upper stories of the house. "That should avoid the plants, then I can summon Halli to our side."
Meanwhile, Halli spends her time on the ground level of Bis exploring a bit, some curious smell having caught her attention.
Once his feet touch solid floor, Oster begins advancing, slowly, carefully, and with rapier out.
After Joanna lands with Tatsuo, she looks over at Oster and sighs.
"Oster, do you really think violence will be necessary?"
"Maybe. Which is why I don't want to be caught with my pants down. How about that office to start? Looks clear so far."
"It's just... If we look like we're expecting a fight, we might throw away any chance we have of resolving things peacefully," Joanna replies, her tone pleading and her expression under her helmet one of worry. "I took a vow to avoid violence when I could. I feel that I would be betraying that if we walked about with bared blades."
As she speaks, she rubs the silver holy symbol about her neck with her thumb. After a moment, she takes in a deep breath and looks Oster in the eyes.
"Perhaps I should go first. I won't ask you to take a risk that I am unwilling to take. If someone has anything untoward planned, I should be the first one they attack. That should give the rest of you time to ready your weapons."
Joanna is as good as her word and takes the lead with investigating the first room they come to.
Oster shrugs.
"If you like."
"We are looking for a captive, are we not? If that is the case, why are we headed to the room that looks like an office? Joanna, did you not say you saw a bloody troll in one of the other rooms? I would have thought that that would likely be the captive we seek. And if not, perhaps we will yet have a chance to rescue some other innocent victim."
Oster nods.
"Just trying for a quiet way in. Troll sounds good."
Xango just smiles and nods before flexing his hand around his hammer.
"Remember to have acid handy!"
"Oh, that's right. It's the other way," Joanna says sheepishly as she turns around and makes her way to the other tower.
Shockingly for one in full plate, Joanna moves with a fair degree of stealth as she listens at the door and checks it for any signs of being trapped before slowly opening it.
Tatsuo followed the others, rolling his eyes at Xango. "We're here to rescue him. He'd have to be pretty far gone for us to need to beat up the guy we're trying to free."
Oster says:
"No need for that Xango. If he's lost his marbles from torture, then we knock him out and drag him with us. But no acid!"
Oster also checks the window for locks or traps. Quietly, with an expert eye.