[Mercy Merchant]

Athos thinks about the option to owe a favor to the Yaks, but it is a way to get needed help.  >>Ando-san, I will do this favor.  I will draw up a list of what we need.  Thank you.<<

[gilga]

@Minnie Strawberry takes your glove  and places it in a plastic bag. “That will do” She softly say.
“I need you to write her some personal letter that you will read her during the ceremony. It will be a long one, we’ll start at 20:00 and you it will take four hours. So we’ll finish by midnight. Perhaps you can stay with me afterwards?” She looks at you, uncertain if it was appropriate. She then say. “Your friend will dream your response to her letter, so try to include some things that will remove her doubt. I'll also say a few words to comfort her, but your connection should be the main deal.” And again, no matter what she say or what topic, you feel touched by her voice, motivated and inspired.

@Athos  Mr. Ando tells you “Alright pass me the list, a person that refers to himself as Deep Blue, will contact you with a job. He’ll do so tomorrow once you got settled and had a good night sleep. I’ll have a nice place for you guys to crush by tonight - don’t worry. Two adjacent rooms, one Troll sized - the rest of your order will come to your safehouse - I will not ship you APDS here of course.”
 

[Mercy Merchant]

Athos looks up from his 'link.  "Yulia I need your clothing sizes and a list from you as to what you want replaced.  Ando-san will see to our getting what we need.  He has also arranged for a place for us to stay."

[Mercy Merchant]

Athos looks back down at the device and begins to enter his list while waiting to add Yulia's.  >>Ando-san.  I am entering my list.  Please let me know what you cannot get.  Ultimax Rain Forest Carbine w/ Internal Smartgun, Gas Vent 3, Smartlink, Imp Range Finder, Sling, 5 Spare Clips, 90 APDS, 90 Stick-N-Shock; Customized Ballistic Mask w/ Flare Compensation, Trodes, Image Link, Gas Mask; Big Game Hunter w/ Biomonitor, Chem 3, Fire 6, Insulation 4, Non-Conductivity 4, Holster; Clothes; Bulldog Van w/ Chameleon Coating, Morphing Plates, Spoof Chips, Smuggling Compartment (Troll Size), Rigger Interface, 5 x Weapons Mounts; Meta Link x 2; ID (Frank Rozetti w/ Middle Lifestyle, Fake SIN 4, Licenses for driving, Pistol, Rifle, Cyber/Bio Ware; ID (Talon) w/ Squatter Lifestyle, Fake SIN 2, Licenses for Driving, Pistol, Rifle, Cyber/Bio Ware.  All of this is for me.  My companion is cheap and only needs an armored jacket in the size provided.<<

[Shaman_Yuri]

Minnie was torn.  She wasn't sure what would be happening to her in the next few hours, much less that night.  As much as she wanted to spend time with Strawberry, ending this nightmare was the first priority.  That said, if the two goals didn't conflict...

"Yulia, Ando is asking me for a list of equipment," the almost forgotten troll said from across the table.  The large man had finished breaking his fast and in the process vanquished the lion's share of the meal Strawberry had provided them.  Some of the feast remained, though, and Minnie actually felt like she could eat now.  Antos now had his comm and appeared very focused on a conversation.  He looked up at her.  "You want anything?"

Minnie reached out her bare hand to grab Strawberry's unoccupied one, just to make sure the elf didn't run off while the mouse adept had her attention diverted.  "Um...," she stammered as she thought a moment.  "I need a replacement for my jacket that I left in the car, maybe some low end clothes for the work we'll be doing..."  She went on to describe her thoughts on the details as well as to provide her size.  The troll nodded and redirected his attention at the business at hand leaving Minnie looking back into deep pools of green.

"It sounds like tonight will be spent waiting for equipment.  I'll do everything I can to be there tonight without risking the prize."  Once again, she felt self-conscious in ways she never had before in such things.  There was so much she wanted to learn from Strawberry, both 'professional' as well as personal.  Still, she wondered again what she'd be after this woman's lessons.  "And yeah, if I don't have somewhere else to be, I'd like to spend more time with you."

[gilga]

@Athos Mr. Ando takes the list and say, don't worry it will all be there. Give me 24 hours, I'll let you know in a couple of hours on a safe-house that matches your needs.

@Minne Strawberry size you up and say softly "You sure know how to make a girl feel desirable." She pauses and shortly after say. "I understand... don't worry about it too much. I know what how off you might feel right now -  and i can only imagine how you are going to feel after the ritual." She give your hand a firm grip, and then said. "I will be there for you if you want me to. This is all I wanted to say" She accept your invite for breakfast, and pick up a fresh apple. "Locally grown" She said softly.

[Mercy Merchant]

Athos shakes his head without saying anything and sends another message to the Yak.  >>Ando-san.  Minnie has changed her mind and would like some low-end clothing, the jacket should be Fire4, Insulation 4, and Non-Conductive 4.  She will also need an ID with Fake SIN and license for deck.  Give her middle lifestyle to share place with me.  I apologize for the changes."

[gilga]

Tuesday 24, December 2075, 11:25.

@Athos and Minnie: You enjoy a breakfast that is appropriate to high lifestyle you just started enjoying. A lifestyle that you now need to leave behind, if only for a short while. A lot of stuff have happened last night, there was a massive explosion in the middle of the night. The news are all over a joint assassination but the formal media seem to know very little the Mafia and Yakuza are not even mentioned.  There was yet another attack on Bellevue, a massacre more than an attack this time of 8 walking dead. That just marched toward the rich neighborhood only to be blasted by Bumblebee drones with massive automatic weapons.

Strawberry is silent for the most of the breakfast, the effect her voice has on people means that she avoid talking unless asked.  You have several hours to kill until Mr. Ando fixes your new warehouse. As you finish your breakfast. You see a popup message in AR, it is from Strawberry.

>> This is the address of one of the runners that was active here last night. I had him followed with one of my spirits. He was the one that shot Venom.  He seems very dangerous -  so approach with care.  Despite what rumors you might have heard, I did not harm Venom. It is no secret that I do not like him and only cooperate with him since he is violent, well connected and a powerful individual, but I do not hire runners to take down people.

I can only assume that you want to figure out who blew up your warehouse, so I’d suggest to giving him a visit. I’ll let you know when I identify more runners that were active in my domain last night. One of them must know something about the warehouse.


Strawberry herself, seems to just enjoy her tea,  looking distracted and watching you. She seems to be enjoying her tea tough. Since strawberry does not even have a com-link on her, she clearly have not typed that message right now.  She must have typed it before setting your table.  Perhaps she suspected that breakfast would be less enjoyable if you had a lead to follow. You are unsure if to be annoyed or to admire her for that choice.

[Shaman_Yuri]

Minnie wilts and her ears droop just a little at Strawberry's reaction to her words.  If the world was a kind place, she'd spend all day and all night with the mysterious elf.  She really has no where else she WANTS to be if she weren't in the middle of some conspiracy to destroy all that Athos has built.  But she IS in the middle of such a conspiracy.  And not only Athos but her only other real friend, her best friend ever, has been caught up in it.  If things don't go exactly right, by the end of the week everyone she's ever cared a whit about will be dead.

Or worse.

For someone like Minnie who until now had never been responsible for anyone but herself, it is more than a little overwhelming.

Then she feels the hand squeeze and the elf's reassurance finally seeps into Minnie's bruised spirit.

I really do have to get my drek together, she tells herself.  I won't be of any help to Athos is I'm so emotional.

In other cases when she was adrift, she'd have turned to Mouse.  Unfortunately, Mouse will be of limited help in her current situation.  Mouse is a survivor.  In a situation like this, Mouse skitters for a dark hole and lets things blow over.  Uncharacteristic for her own nature (she really is part mouse after all) and that of her spirit mentor, she now has to run INTO danger rather than away from it.  She knows it won't be easy and she'll have to stand firm against her own instincts.  The alternative is to betray all that matters to her now- something she refuses to permit.

It's clear Strawberry understands though, so rather than speak again she just allows the hand holding to communicate for her.  With her free hand, Minnie makes some selections from the sumptuous feast Strawberry had prepared.  Now that she can focus on the table rather than her own fears and self pity, she realizes just how amazing the array of food is.  Fresh fruit is just about unheard of in Minnie's diet.  The apple juice at Gino's is the epitome of luxury for the mouse girl.  And yet here are fresh pears, apples, cherries, grapes, and plums.  Knowing she has a lot to do today and therefore can't afford to be a total pig, she carefully selects a sampling of each and savors the amazing flavors.  In the case of some of the items, like cherries, she's never tasted the real fruit before so she doesn't know how the taste compares, but to her it's pure heaven. 

For a girl who grew up in the Chicago CZ and then came to Seattle as little more than an indentured servant, it's like she's somehow been transported to a magical land where she's been recognised as a long lost princess or something.  Like something out of one of her books.  She knows it's an illusion, the image not the delicious food, but for a brief time she revels in the fantasy.

Before long, though, reality rears its ugly head.  The message from Strawberry displays on her glasses.  She looks over at the redhead and sees a sad, almost guilty, pursing on the elf's perfect lips.

It's time to be a big mouse, Minnie tells herself and straightens her posture accordingly.

"Athos, when do you think we should meet this man?" she asks.  "I really want to contact Nagisa tonight as Strawberry has offered, but work comes first."  The strain of her calm on this topic is clear to Athos but he has to admit she has her tail under remarkable control given the gravity of the situation.  "I just wish there was a way I could go to Gino's and talk to Jimmy in person..."

[Mercy Merchant]

Athos is surprised when Strawberry shows up with the breakfast but then wonders why he is surprised.  Nothing about this woman should surprise him any more.  He remains mostly quiet until he gets the first note from Ando asking him for his request list.  He asks Minnie for things, but she seems distracted and orders only an armored jacket at first and then adds other things.  Normally, Athos might be annoyed at this, but his friend is going through a lot and her mind is not completely focused on herself.  Near the end of the meal he receives a quick note from Ando letting him know that the new rooms are at the Hilton and that the things he ordered will be waiting there at 1700, except for the van which will take a bit longer due to its modifications.  He pulls up the ARO for the hotel and nods, pleased. 

Over the past twenty years, the once 5-star establishment had fallen into disrepair and was a known lair for squatters and street-level thugs.  Five years ago, a consortium of the surviving Hilton family members had dug up some financing from somewhere and had completely re-designed the place.  The squatters and thugs had been evicted, some quite forcibly.  The Hiltons apparently had the KE on their side, and perhaps in their pockets.  The New Hilton, or NH on the street, had metahumans in mind when it was practically rebuilt, floor by floor.  The management catered to Trogs and Keebs as well as the humans that associated with them.  Obviously, the Humanis sorts were a bit put out, but the hotel security is quite good and manages to keep the protesters at bay.  In truth, most of the Humanis furor has found other, easier targets.  Athos likes the choice and sends a response acknowledging receipt of the message.  >>Ando-san.  Accept my gratitude.  I am impressed with the efficiency of your organization.  I may be out during the day so please have your man contact on this 'link with details of what he wants me to do.  Again, thank you.<<

By this time, Athos can tell that Minnie is trying to hold it together and gives her a reassuring touch.  "Nagisa will be fine, Yulia.  I know it is hard on you and I am sorry that I drug her into this in the first place.  She does not deserve what has happened to her.  I hope that the ritual tonight will help both of you."

"Our new digs is the NH.  That stands for New Hilton.  It is a nice place, but not too nice.  They cater to metahumans, so our presence should not be particularly noted.  Most of the things we ordered will be delivered at 1700 but the room will be available after 1300 today, so we can go check in.  You did not mention it, but I ordered you a new ID and SIN to use at the hotel and outside it.  Your old one will be watched.  Our ride will not be available for a day or so, so we are on foot or public transpo until then."

Athos watches his small friend digest the information.  He can tell she is disturbed, no matter how careful she is with her tail.  He decides to not say anything about it for the time being.  Minnie is having a tough time and he knows it.  This experience is completely new to her and it would be very strange indeed if she was not under some strain right now.  He watches her eat the fruit and smiles at her question.  The thought of doing something has spurred a good reaction from Minnie.  "You should definitely be with Strawberry tonight for that ritual.  Perhaps we could visit this other guy after checking into the hotel.  Hmmm.  Not too sure what we can do about Jimmy.  The people at the diner will know us and it may be under surveillance."

[Jack_Spade]

Kynos was back at his flat. The money had arrived and almost as fast it had vanished. The first thing he did was getting a new Yamaha like the one he had had trashed last week. With his mobility restored he visited his contact down by the army barracks to resupply what he had expended. His head hurt more than ever, but that was the price one had to pay for temporary super human abilities.

Now all he wanted was to relax in front of the trid - some romantic comedy about a hardworking exec that finds that all he really needed in his life was the love of that cute elven baker girl and the approval of her hard working parents. Utter tripe, but it helped to distract him and allowed him to stretch out on his ratty couch/bed. His armor hung from various coat hangers around the room so it could dry out. The door was locked, but there was no extra latch - an utter waste with the cheap thin material the door was made of.

Healing Test 1st hour: 12d6t5 3
Healing Test 2nd hour: 11d6t5 4


The one room apartment didn't have many amenities except the shower with it's own heating coil. Kynos had given up on luxuries a long time ago but forgoing a hot shower was just inconceivable. But with the exception of this little extravagance there was nothing in here that he really would miss if he had to go.
A perk of the cramped room was that virtually everything was within one or two meters grasping distance. Even the stash with the illegal items is hidden just behind a small ceiling panel - just in case.

Absentmindedly he toyed with his Savalette Guardian. He felt still tired even though the headache had receded to a moderate level. How easy it would be to put the gun under his chin and just end it all - just one little pull. He sighed, those thoughts were born of boredom. He had found out a long time ago that if he was willing to kill himself, there was nothing in the whole world he couldn't do instead. Killing himself after all would always stay a possibility and therefore no reason to deny a would be assassin his hard earned money.

So few things excited him nowadays and that stupid movie wasn't helping. Idly he took a small surgical blade from the small table. It glinted, having been cleaned only a few minutes ago. The bleeding had stopped and he was tempted to cut himself again just a little. Again he stopped. No more than once a day - he didn't want this to become to common and normal or excessive. Just a little release from the tedious boredom of being still alive.

Hopefully that dwarf would get back to him about that bounty on Venom. Having that spirit try to enter his mind had almost felt like being alive. What that would have felt like? Never mind, he would probably find out when he went after him. Who knew, maybe going into his head would have driven the spirit nuts as well. 

Somehow that was nice thought and he found some sleep
 
He awoke to loud bootsteps outside his door. "KNIGHT ERRANT - OPEN THE DOOR."
Kynos got up and opened the door  while only wearing his trousers: "No need to shout - you know there is a doorbell? What can I do for you fine gentleman this early in the morning?"

"Hartmut Stein? You are coming with us."
"I am, am I?"
Thrill Seeker Composure test: 8d6t5 2
Kynos had needed only a second to assess the five Knight Errant cops. They carried riot shotguns and heavy body armor. On the other hand they had been polite enough not to destroy his door, so he felt inclined to come peacefully.
"Sure, just let me put on my shoes..."

[gilga]

@Kynos Obviously the KE came prepared, you are relieved that they do not search your place, although perhaps a small part of you wanted them to. When you arrive the police station it is still empty however as time progresses you can see more and more familiar faces. As the hours progress things get more and more crowded. You are experienced enough to say that it is a good sign, if they bring in everyone - they actually know very little. You can also not hear a chatter about a reward - a bounty set by Venom on some hotshot wizard that offended him.

It is noon and you can feel your stomach when someone finally approaches you. “Hartmut Stein come with me.“ Says a male officer, he is not even looking at you when he does. You are brought to an empty room filled with nothing. Two chairs and a table. Nothing else, you and are left to there for quite some time and after what seems to be forever, a young looking officer enters the room alone. She say “Have a seat Mr. Stein, I am called Max Snow, but I’ll be officer Max to you. Are you comfortable? is there anything you want?” Off course, there is something you really want. Food and drink and you ask yourself if officer Max is really unaware of it.

@Minnie and Athos - Strawberry struggles a little bit she obviously  cc  if to say anything. She then say somthing and her voice is distracting and surprising full of emotions that Athos is not sure what she said. Her voice makes him feel at ease and trusting about the delicate elf. Perhaps even more than that - and she somehow did all that with just three words. You look at her puzzled and Strawberry repeat what she just said.  “I can help” are her words. She takes a deep breath and say “I can mask you with magic and change your appearance. It will fool most people, as long as you do not enter places with magical security or do something that makes my illusion obvious" She looks at Minnie and adds "like stroking someone with a tail that should not be part of my illusion.”  She then winks, to Minnie and continue looking at Athos and talk.

She looks a bit apologetic and she is obviously not very comfortable saying what she does next.  “Doing so in a manner that allows me to continue with my daily routines is unfortunately, a bit expensive as it boils down to magical goods that need to be replaced afterwards. While the ritual tonight is a personal favor -  I afraid I require a compensation for the masks. If you are interested, they cost 600 nuyen for the both of you and they will  last for 24 hours, or until you ask me to drop them.” When she is done you have to admit that it takes some getting used to that voice. Even Minnie that heard it before struggles to contain it and needs a short while to concentrate and make herself aware of all the details that were said and for Athos it takes just a little bit longer to do so.

[Shaman_Yuri]

"Strawberry is a mage," Minnie summarizes in her 'secretary' voice to help break the spell for Athos.  She knows what the man is going through, herself barely able to handle Strawberry's dulcet tones and she's an expert at attraction.  Or at least she had thought she was an expert before she'd met Strawberry. 

In some ways Strawberry's existence was an affront to Minnie.  It surprised her that she had professional pride which could be bruised when it came to the sheets.  She'd always thought it was all just something she'd been forced to do.  But after a decade of it, she'd permitted herself to be defined by it.  She had more than a little ego invested in her ability to wrap metahumanity around the tip of her pink tail.  To see someone exceed her ability, and without any effort, was intimidating.

On the other hand, she could imagine what it might be like not to be able to turn it off like Minnie had done just now for Athos' benefit.  Strawberry had no 'secretary voice'.  If the elf wasn't so powerful to have such control over her domain, Minnie could imagine what that would have done for the woman's life.  She shivered at the thought and decided to instead focus on the topic at hand.

"She's offering to cast illusions on us so that we can go out without being noticed for who we are," the mouse adept continued in terse, concise summary for Athos' benefit.  "As long as we avoid mages and magic secured places, and as long as we don't do things our illusions wouldn't be able to do," Minnie waves her tail back and forth above her head for emphasis, "we should be golden all day.  But," Minnie decides to be an imp and extends her tail to tap Strawberry on the top of the head, "it will cost her to do it and she needs 600 nuyen from us for the two spells."  Minnie's tail slips familiarly around Strawberry's shoulders and she can't help but grin at the effect it seems to have on the more experienced woman.  Her focus remains on Athos, though.    "If you ask me, I'd say it's a bargain.  I've been surprised by Jimmy since yesterday and I think some time talking with him may yield us some really helpful leads."

[Jack_Spade]

Kynos had taken seat on the - quite uncomfortable - chair. Since this wasn't his first questioning he just shrugged and said:
"Yes actually, I'd like to know why I am here. I have a meeting and so far all you've done here is waste my time. I'd appreciate it if you could get to the point. And by the look of it you have enough other questionnaires outside. So again, why am I here?

[Mercy Merchant]

Athos feels a bit nervous.  After all mojo is even stranger than the trix and he know almost nothing about that.  The huge Troll clears his throat, and what comes out is very much small boy anxiety.   "The money is not a problem  Is that 600 each or total?  I am more concerned about any sort of physical cost.  I agree we should leave this place and a disguise seems the best way, but can she really disguise me to look like something other than a Troll?"