[Volker]

MacC

The Dwarf gives a loud laughter at the comment on the 'tender, then takes a sip of his beer.

Mac smiles as he can read the surprise on Binary's face, but slightly enough as to be not pretentous or insulting in any way. "Binary. Seems you don't make a mystery regarding your profession, hum?"

As if to answer the unposed question he says: "You know, we are kind of akin. For both of us, the meat world is not our only home. We both roam another plain, and learn much from it, and obtain powers our fellow chummers can only dream of." Unconsciously, his free hand reaches out for the pendant around his neck.

As Sterling enters, he directs his attention to him for a moment, examining him closely.

[RagallachMC]

The hostess smiles at Sterling, "your table isn't quite ready yet, sir.  There are some other members of your party waiting at the bar.  Feel free to join them while you wait.", she says gesturing towards the bar again.

Meanwhile, the ork bartender places a small glass down in front of Binary.  "Hibiki Japanese Bourbon, sir.  One of my personal favorites.  Let me know how you like it." And then he moves away, stocking his bar once again.

[Imveros]

The hostess smiles at Sterling, "your table isn't quite ready yet, sir.  There are some other members of your party waiting at the bar.  Feel free to join them while you wait.", she says gesturing towards the bar again.

Meanwhile, the ork bartender places a small glass down in front of Binary.  "Hibiki Japanese Bourbon, sir.  One of my personal favorites.  Let me know how you like it." And then he moves away, stocking his bar once again.

"Thanks, we have some catching up to do anyway. Just let us know as soon as the table is ready."

Sterling walks over to the bar and nods towards the dwarf and picks a menu up off of the bar

Who even uses real menus anymore?

Sterling opens to the Specials of the house:
Air Mail
Aviator
B52
Flying Scotsman
Kamikaze

Man they have really gone all out with this aviation theme haven't they?


Sterling closes the menu and looks over at the bartender

"I'll have a Martini with a twist please."

Sterling gives the other two a quick look over and turns on his stool towards them

"You guys here for Mr Johnson too huh? The name is John, but most people call me Sterling"

Sterling extends his hand towards both of them to see who offers to shake first

[8-bit]

"Binary. Seems you don't make a mystery regarding your profession, hum?"

Binary chuckles. "You would be surprised how many people miss the reference. Sometimes, by looking for the complex, they overlook what's right in front of them."

"You know, we are kind of akin. For both of us, the meat world is not our only home. We both roam another plain, and learn much from it, and obtain powers our fellow chummers can only dream of."

Must be some kind of Awakened. That explains a lot. There's nothing to really say, what can you say after something like that? There's no point in denying it, but acknowledging it doesn't do anything.

The bartender returns and places a glass in front of him. What a perfect way to break the silence.

"Hibiki Japanese Bourbon, sir.  One of my personal favorites.  Let me know how you like it."

"Will do, my friend." Binary takes a sip, and sits back as it goes down his throat. He waits a moment, and then takes another sip, reveling in the taste. Man, this stuff is good. Worth every nuyen.

"You guys here for Mr Johnson too huh? The name is John, but most people call me Sterling"

"Mhmm. Should be only a few more minutes."

Binary shakes his hand and says, "Pleased to meet ya. You can call me Binary."

[Volker]

Not a man for idle talk, this one. Good, he's not supposed to be my shoulder when I cry anyway.

MacC also stretches his hand out, looking up to Sterling. Another teammate. I have to investigate him a little closer when there's time to. At least, none of them appears to be entirely unsociable. There's no worse runner type than the lonely wolf.

"You guys here for Mr Johnson too huh? The name is John, but most people call me Sterling"

"Mhmm. Should be only a few more minutes."

Binary shakes his hand and says, "Pleased to meet ya. You can call me Binary."

"Evening, chummer. My name's MacC. Not Maxy. Why don't you join while we're waiting for our patron and his other guests?"

Mac takes another sip of his beer then leans a little closer, so that the waitress and the bartender can't hear him. "How much do you know about venerable Mr. Johnson and today's agenda?"

[Imveros]

Hmmm they both are packing, but they keep it discreet. Only an amateur goes anywhere unprepared, but they know to keep a low profile. Maybe fate has actually paired me with pros this time

Sterling leans into the huddle as the bartender works his shaker and gets out a glass

"Binary, Mac C, Nice to meetcha. Well i wasn't able to dig up much and that by itself says a lot. It means hes new. Hopefully just new in town and not new to the shadows. The last thing we need is an amateur middle manager with a head full of trids and a control complex. My nuyen is on new in town. He asked for me by name, and I assume the same for you two, and he's already moved some cash around to get us here in the first place. Though the choice of venue also has me puzzled. It screams either pro or newbie. Either this is where he feels comfortable and wants to be in a position of power or he is an old hat and wants to see how we blend into an unfamiliar setting. A test if you will."

The bar tender finishes the drink, drops in the lemon peel, and walks it over.

"Made you the best Martini in the house. Had a hunch you were looking for the top shelf. You want me to keep the tab open?"

Sterling smiles while he takes his first sip

"You're a good man, if the rest or these are as good as the first, I will be wanting that tab open" Ive got my money on new in town. Still always better to hope for the best and plan for the worst. If this goes sideways I've got your backs till the door, then it's every man for themselves. Deal?

[Volker]

He stands up so as to be closer to the ears and mouths of his conversation partners. He is only 4 feet tall, after all.

"Deal, I'm in. I'm not alone here, though, and anyone comin' cross 's gonna have a rough time. Location made me suspicious, yet I don't think there's immediate reason for concern. If he'd wish to take us out he could've geeked us separately. I also don't think we share a common enemy and the most valuable thing a wear ain't worth more than a couple o' hundred bucks, so let's just assume Mr. J's a weirdo or a beginner."

[8-bit]

"Yeah, same here. I didn't even know where to start, to be honest; I had nothing to work with on this guy. While I will admit this place is a little ... different than I would expect, it seems all right."

Binary finishes his drink, savoring the taste. As the bartender comes to bring Sterling his drink, Binary speaks up, "Your taste is excellent, my friend. Mind making me another?"

After the bartender leaves, he whispers again "I'm in as well. You can count on me if the drek hits the fan. Hopefully it won't come to that, but I will admit, it's better to be safe than sorry."

[Volker]

The Dwarf tilts his head, frowning.
"There's one more thing. Why did he ask for us personally? As far as I can see, there might be two reasons. Either he has some good connections who assembled a special team for a special task. In this case, it's gonna be tough but at least we don't have to worry about working with amateurs. Or this is something personal. In that case we really have to watch our arses."

MacC's uneasiness returns. He throws a glance at the Water Serpent. Will you protect me when things go amiss? You're only a Lesser Servant, after all. God damn my laziness. There you got it: You hesitate to bother the greater spirits and you end up trapped with only so much as a Water Serpent at your side...

[Imveros]

"As i said, I think our Johnson is new in town. He has some pull in whatever burg he came from and used it to dig up a decent team. As for the personal connection, who says he knows us? It could be just another game to keep us on our toes. Asks our contacts for their best, tells them to say he asked for us by name. Gets us personaly involved, puffs up our egos, and keeps us sharp. I say we sit back, relax, and enjoy our drinks while we still can. No one knows what the rest of the night holds for us, but right now we have good drinks and a little piece and quiet."

Sterling gestures around to the still mostly empty restaurant. Then raises his glass

"May our sons have rich fathers and beautiful mothers"

[8-bit]

Nikki wouldn't do that to me, would she? No, I don't think so. MacC is right, we gotta keep on our toes.

"I say we sit back, relax, and enjoy our drinks while we still can. No one knows what the rest of the night holds for us, but right now we have good drinks and a little piece and quiet."

"I can't argue with that."

[Volker]

He exchanges a short look with Binary, then decides not to pursue the topic any longer. What's to be said has been said. There's no use in stirring anxieties or, worse, appear weak.

MacC also raises his half-empty beer glass and cheers. "Aye, and may they live to see them grow up." He only takes the slightest of sips. Does no good to get drunk now. There's a lot of ways how this evening could end, and in any of them I need a clear mind.

"Well, I guess that leaves some time for chit-chat until ... 'our table is prepared' ". He looks around, seeing but empty tables, then frowns.

Mac waves for the waitress. "Sorry, honey." He waves her closer and leans towards her, conspirationally. "Could you tell me which table exactly 's going to be prepared? I gotta secure the best seat before John does."

[RagallachMC]

Dave

Dave walks the short distance back to The Hangar and enters right before 6 pm.  Ducking under the doorframe, she stands before the hostess stand.  There is a young human girl standing behind the stand and her eyes widen slightly when Dave steps through the door.  "Welcome to The Hangar, uh...miss.  Party of one?"

[Volker]

MacC casts a glance at the newcomer. Just before six. That one might belong to us. Nice, I always had good experiences with trolls. Especially if they were between me and the guns. Speaking of... No need to be overly paranoid, but, after all, being paranoid does not mean that you're not being followed, does it? Descretion is the better part of valour.

MacC climbs back on his chair, slowly. While the others are hopefully looking at Dave or listening to the music, Mac focusses on the meditative music in his head, lips silently moving as he soundlessly chants his mantra. In a wordless prayer he bids Mother Earth to grant him skin as tough as stone.
As it appears, Mother Earth granted him only clay.

[Imveros]

Sterling looks over to the new commer and throws him one of his patented million watt smiles and huddles back into Binary and MacC's whisper range.

"I'm will to bet the next round that that guy is one of us. Look at the way he moves. Never seen someone that big move so smoothly before. He has to have some serious ware under the hood. Still it also bodes well for the johnson situation. Seems like he covered all the bases. He wants us to win and if he were planning to stab us in the back, he would have planned a chink in our armor. It's also nice to have a mountain like that between us and the sec goons am i right?"