“I see!” In the tone where that means ‘that’s cool; you’re cool’. 

Stepping back and handing over the pastries. “I should run off before the captain finds me and gets on my case for missing the whole practice.”

"I see." Sympathetic, commiserating. A pat on the shoulder and a firm nod. She didn't get all of that sentence, but the gist makes sense. "I like this gift. I gift you some time. Go."

Running off to a nearby building, still grinning. 

day/night cycle progresses as is standard 

The archers have assembled. Various other members of the Eyerarchy are outside to wish them well in recovering lost friends and family members. 

Captain greets the kitsunes with something halfway between a wave and a salute. “Morning. First the divinations?”

Weiss spends most of the night dancing under the moonlight- And there is a moon in their hex, which is good, though she doesn't have time to mess with it too much today.

A slow, naked dance under the moonlight... With an illusory screen reaching over her spot like a dome in the direction of the skyscraper. She's earning far more energy from this than she's spending, and it always tastes so reassuring... Cool, patient, and clean, more like cuddles than sweets or food or - the other thing - but not quite like any of them. It's calming.

She's ready. The other kitsunes aren't going to fight, except Mati, who's willing to watch out and bark loudly if enemies approach, at least.

She has to touch the Captain (a duty to rescue is enough connection) or someone who knows them.

"Oh runes of fate, beads on the weave... I call upon my sight to know what can be foretold. Let the future reveal what portents may come, and the truth I will see. O runes, where in the factory hex are those who we seek to rescue?"

Power’s fort. Holding cells. Two gates.

"...So, this is a pretty clear one. They can get weird but this is clear. My reading is 'Power’s fort. Holding cells. Two gates.' Presuming they have an obvious base of operations, that would be the fort. There are holding cells inside it, and in those cells are our hostages. There are two entrances to the fort. I could proooobably manage another one if we want to know more about the entrances, or the cells particularly. I don't have a full tactical picture there, though, but I'm sorta leaning on reserving it for the possible reprisal."

Captain nods. “Understanding. Fortress equivalent to factory. Possess knowledge of only one entrance. Capable of finding second entrance. Reserve the second information.”

"'Kay. Weiss, did you ever get that trick you were thinking of for distant communication through illusions working? So you can ask me while you're in there?"

Headshake-headshake.

(The cost of single illusions that technically span hundreds or thousands of feet quickly grows unsustainable.)

There’s some discussion of a three-eyed sorcerer with a communication spell, but the consensus is that bringing a noncombatant along would be more trouble than benefit. They would rather keep a small group; send Weiss and the captain invisibly into the factory, with the rest of the archers hanging around nearby for when reinforcements are needed.

She works up the saddle, and pulls up her invisibility with a slight twist so that they can still see and hear each other, and makes sure the Captain has the package they'll be leaving as a message, and then is off into the factory hex at the run.

The factory building is itself hexagon shaped, built of grey bricks. The main entrance is a large loading bay, bustling with activity. Some sort of giant in a bright neon vest, is unloading crates from a heavy wagon and handing them to more standard-sized workers to bring into the building. 

There is a smaller side entrance, an unmarked door. 

The main entrance is guarded by six armored figures. Most are humanoid but some have a couple extra hindlimbs. They all wear full plate armor that completely covers their bodies, and have a variety of weapons; swords and maces and crossbows. 

Do they have any magic on them, inquiring fox eyes wish to know?

Several have magic incorporated in their armor, shimmery little bits of enchantment. Never the entire set; each individual set is a patchwork of armor pieces in different styles, and some pieces are enchanted.

...Yeah, she's not afraid of these soldiers.

Still, a fight avoided is a fight won, and invisibility is very powerful. So long as she doesn't accidentally brush against someone or cause an inopportune breeze... 

"I'm not afraid of these guys. Little bit of magic in the armor, but no magic weapons. Side door likely watched from inside. Plan: Sneak in main door with invisibility and illusion covering the door motion. Look for fort entrance from inside factory, might be unwatched. Agreement?"

“Understanding!”

Getting inside is easy enough, with illusions to hide any movement. The inside of the factory is loud, hot, and bustling with activity. There are different sections where people work on making metal hand tools and housewares. A man with gazelle-like horns and ostentatious jewelry watches from a walkway overhead, occasionally shouting directions. Four more of the same armored guards wander around, looking over workers’ shoulders. 

Ugh. They're probably being paid little or nothing. Owe your soul to the company store...

Don't borrow more trouble already. You knew cities were like this in some places. And the Eyerarchy's doing okay, it looked like.

Sneak sneak around the side... She can feel people behind doors and corners and carefully avoid them as she makes her way towards where the Cold Iron Shell base ought to be.

The metal door that leads into the ‘security annex’ is defended by the most basic obstacle in many an infiltration: a warning sign and a lock.

Right. Cities have locks. The last time she was locked up in a jail she didn't pick the lock; She went straight into the Woods and emerged at her 'home', her favorite wild place with the nice friendly village nearby. Well, she could just smash the door... That's... An option here...

Has she ever picked a lock before...? If she has, it's not coming to her mind. There was that thing with the slaver's treasure chest, but she burnt the whole box. There was that noble guy who was raping a village girl, but she just went through the window. Brute force and showmanship, with no thought to secrecy. There was that time she spied on a village headman to see if he was involved with the bandits but she just listened through a wall.

Much like her distaste for sex that some of her sisters find so boring and lame, she doesn't have much taste for sneakthieving either. Not the thieving part, at least. ...She's not a very good kitsune, is she?

"...I'm an idiot. Of course there is a lock. Try to pick it? Don't have tools or know how. Try to locate and steal a key? Time consuming and might be noticed. Break straight through? I can do it easily. And mostly hide it. But it is less mysterious."