[Jack_Spade]

"Just a moment. You wanted to buy the warehouse? I was told it contained rocket launchers that should be destroyed. So if you found the explosives, why didn't you just leave the warehouse - were you locked in? In that case that was definitively not our doing."
Kynos paused. The story was unlikely enough to be a fake.
Also he didn't get a vibe that this was a setup. For one he would have noted some back up by now after he had threatened the guys life.

"Ok, count me intrigued. I'll extend some trust here. Any funny business and I'll do my damned best to make you rue that decision.
Meet me at that little Indian restaurant across the street."

[gilga]

@Minnie Jimmy arrives a bit early to the park, he seems a bit suspicious, and carefully observe his surrounding. After a short while he approaches you and greets you hello.  He then say "You got me very concerned, I could barely concentrate for the rest of my shift. Eventually Gino released me early. Is Yulia in some kind of trouble? Just yesterday she came herself to meet me, I am the shy one between the two of us." He seems genuinely concerned.

[Shaman_Yuri]

Minnie had entertained the idea of portraying herself as someone carrying a message rather than as herself.  It would have been interesting to see how the boy acted around another girl.  Seeing Jimmy’s sincere concern melted her heart, though, and she had to be honest with him.  She’d arranged a spot where she hoped she could speak plainly.  With the drizzle around them and the fountain with running water beside them, no one would be able to hear their conversation without magic or some serious tech.  The idea that someone would be staking out Jimmy for such an effort seemed in the realm of the ridiculous.  Still, she carefully looked around with the heightened senses just to be sure.

“Jimmy, you know the call you got last night asking about someone good at forensics?  Well, things got even worse after that.  However hard it may be to believe it, I’m Yulia.  What you’re seeing and the voice you’re hearing is an illusion.”  Minnie can see that Jimmy’s skeptical of the claim.  His face is a window of confusion, anxiety, and suspicion.  “Jimmy, I really appreciated the apple juice you slipped me yesterday.  It was delicious.  When you offered to take me to the club with you, I wasn’t sure how to feel.  I wasn’t expecting it, but at the same time it wasn’t unwanted.  When I figured my feelings out, you were already gone.  I was so worried about you that Athos and I scared the piss out of the younger Hamanis punks who were still here.”  She smiles as she remembers the look on the poor boys’ faces.  “I think they were sure Athos was going to eat them.  I came like a guardian angel and convinced one of them to take me where their buddy’s had taken you.  I saw you speaking at the community center and was so proud.  You’re an amazing man to speak like that.  It gave me goose bumps…still does.  My best friend is a troll and I’m a human freak.  To see a regular human speaking up for people like me, well, especially someone I…like…it felt really good.”  As I speak I maintain eye contact with Jimmy the whole time.  I have no idea what the illusion is doing to the look in my eye, but hopefully at least some of my sincerity was seeping through the mask.

[gilga]

He seems to struggle with the fact that you look so different and yet you are yourself and not some cute teenager. You know that he believes you as he seems embarrassed, he blushes and does not seem to be able to speak. After a short while, he closes his eyes he takes a deep breath and then opens his eyes and it is difficult to stop him. He speaks so fluently.

"Yulia, You do not have to change your appearance, not for me. I like you a lot, just the way you are. I think that you are beautiful and kind.  Humanity comes in different shapes and forms, one have pointy ears and the other is two and a half meters tall but we are all humans.  We all have emotions, hopes and dreams - in some elementary level we are all the same. It is our eyes that deceive us.

You really did all these things for me? It moves me it is amazing that you went out of your way to rescue me. Even if I only left for the community center. Huminis are mostly good people, they just fear what they cannot understand and that fear threatens them.

Look, Yulia, I really like you and I do want to go out with you. But what I see in front of my eyes - is not a date invitation. You look completely different sound completely different and instead of ordering some apple juice and chatting me up, you schedule a mysterious meeting at the park."

He is quiet - A bit disappointed with his latest realization. But he looks you straight into the eyes and grab your hands. He say: "Please Yulia,  are you in trouble? is it because of that warehouse you told me about? Is there anything I can do to help?" He say as he grabs your hands.

[Mercy Merchant]

Athos laughs again, picks up the comm and begins to climb down from the crane.  >>Yes.  Or, rather, my employer wanted to buy the warehouse.  I was simply the go-between.  And if there were any rocket launchers there at one time, they were certainly gone when I got there.  The warehouse was pristine.  And yes, we were locked in.  Apparently a sophisticated system locked us in the building after we entered.  Fragging inconvenient, all together.  Might have been in and done if the warehouse walls had been designed to hold a Troll.  As it is, they were not, and now I am freezing my balls on a fragging crane.  Nice view from up here though.<<

When Athos gets to the ground he carefully leaves the wharf and crosses the street to the Indian eatery.  The Mumbai Express advertised authentic Indian-style food, or at least as authentic as soy can be.  The décor inside was probably something semi-related to an Indian theme once upon a time, but now is just patched fake leather booths, worn out chairs, and unbalanced tables.  Athos saw all this from the outside through the window lit by tiny neon lights that indicated Trolls would only be served from there.  Athos is used to this; after all, there are not many quick eateries that have special places for Trolls to dine inside.  He is used to it.  He steps up to the window and looks at the greasy menu and selects something that looks good from the pictures. After all, anything with curry, real or fake, cannot be too bad.  As he waits for the food, he wonders when the mysterious Kynos will appear.

[Jack_Spade]

"You Athos?" Ah elf had stepped around the corner, a duffle back casually slung over the shoulder with the left hand. A trench coat concealed badly urban body armor. His hair was cropped to a seven millimeter buzz cut and despite his face being quite symetrical and unmarred by scars or other damage he wasn't good looking. It took Athos only a second to realize that it was the eyes. They looked somehow dead or rather lifeless.
Then Athos realized that looking the man in the eyes might be a mistake because it meant he had taken away his eyes from the man's right hand which incidentally rested on something inside the trench coat.

"Count yourself lucky. On an other day I might just have gotten rid of you and left the city. But I have unfinished business and obligations, so let's have a seat and discuss this like fucking civilized law abiding citizens."

[Mercy Merchant]

Athos looks at the Keeb as he comes around the corner and nods.  "Bingo.  Got the name right first time off.  Congratulations.  It takes some people several tries to get it right."  He turns away from the runner to get the plate of food that was just placed on the take out shelf.  Or, rather, the first of several plates.  He takes two at a time to a shaky outside stand-up table that was about Troll size.  As he is going back for the fourth trip, Athos nods at the window.  "Get you something?  It smells good.  Some sort of curry something.  I'm buying.  By the way, unless you're scratching your balls in that coat, you can take your arm out.  I'm not here to try to shoot, gut, or punch you.  Just want to talk for now and maybe hire you if you say the right things.  But it is normally considered rude to threaten a potential employer.  And I don't like to brag, but there are a number of people taking permanent dirt naps out there that thought it would be easy to get rid of me, so give me the same credit I give you.  Basically I understand that you are a dangerous guy, and if you think I am not a dangerous guy then I really have little use for you after all."  If Kynos wants food, Athos orders it, otherwise he takes the last of the plates to the table and starts to eat while looking at the runner.

"You know, we really are different, your kind and mine.  And I don't mean the obvious trog and keeb thing.  I have never really understood the entire runner bit.  What do you get out of it?  And of course, the question is just to use up some time so I can eat my dinner, but I would like to hear your opinion if you care to give it."

[Jack_Spade]

Kynos shrugged: "I already ate. That was actually the main reason I set the meeting here. That and the nice view..."
He sat down opposite the troll: "See it as a compliment that I leave the gun in the holster.
Oh and I also appreciate that we can leave the posing aside. I don't need to pump up my plumage and neither do you.

About that potential employer thing we'll have to talk.
First thing: I won't give you info on my chummers - the best I can do is ask them if they want to talk to you. That one's free.
Second thing: I've got obligations and that means I'm in the market for high cash jobs. So you are in luck there.
Third thing: I'm a runner because it sounds better than amoral mercenary - which I am too.
It's a useful social construct - there is a culture with norms and rules that give you a guideline but retain your freedom. It's really just for convenience.
But from that I gather that you count yourself as some other class of criminal. Since you do business with the Yaks I assume you are with one of the western syndicates. What is it? Sicilian, Irish? Not Vory obviously and nothing from the Tirs.

My elf senses tell me also that you are in a bind yourself. Getting almost blown up usually gets two types of reaction from a made man: Either he gathers an army and declares all out war or he gets into cover and tries to off the ones responsible as silent as possible.
Since we are talking over dinner and I am not hanging by my balls from the ceiling of some meat packaging plant, I think its rather the later than the former.

So what is it you want from me?"

[Shaman_Yuri]

In all her years of life, Yulia had never felt anything she could consider romantic affection for a man.  Men were business relationships at best, violent and cruel brutes at worst.  Tony, his own brand of cruelty aside, had years ago gained her respect and even admiration.  In the cell yesterday, perhaps she did feel a little more for him.  Attraction – certainly.  Romantic affection.  No.

Athos?  The troll was certainly handsome for his kind, and any prejudice had literally been beaten out of Yulia many, many years ago.  Her friend was one of two people she might consider deserved the word ‘love’ to describe her feelings for him.  But although she found the man attractive, the relationship the two had developed over the years was much more that of a brother and a sister.  She could imagine kissing a troll that looked like him.  But kissing HIM seemed…wrong.

To be honest, until today there had only been one person in the world she felt safe enough around to give her love and affections to.  Nagisa.  Ever since Yulia was brought to Seattle, her best friend had been there for her.  Their relationship developed in the absence of other options for either of them, but despite that it made them happy.  What more could they ask for in this cold world they lived in?

Now, in just a day’s time, she’d found two beautiful sirens calling her away from her safe ship, and Nagisa wasn’t here to fill her ears with wax.  Strawberry with her alluring mystery, wisdom, and incredible skills.  The representation of everything Yulia could dream of achieving.  And Jimmy with his honest simplicity and exquisite mind.  His noble beliefs and confidence to speak them to the world even to the most skeptical of audiences.

She wanted to lose herself in Strawberry, submerging herself in the elf woman’s love and wisdom.  She wanted to protect Jimmy and enable the brilliant boy to speak his beliefs to the world without fear.  And she wanted to share her life with Nagisa, discovering the world together and sharing that joy of discovery with a kindred soul.

Having come from the depths of human depravity to this was heady stuff.  She wished she could run off for a while and clear her head.  Really absorb everything that was happening.  Figure out who she is now and what she wants from the world.  But she didn’t have that luxury.  She’d just have to keep putting one step in front of the other and make it up as she went.

She nods in response to Jimmy’s question.   “Yes, Jimmy, I’m in a lot of trouble.  So it Athos.  We’re masked like this in order to get around without tipping off the people who want us dead.  I wouldn’t be here talking with you if I wasn’t confident that I wasn’t being tailed.  I,” she lowered her eyes and paused for a moment to figure out what words to use to describe her feelings, “care…about you far too much to put you in that kind of danger.”  She raises her eyes back to meet Jimmy’s own.  “Please don’t ask to do anything for me that would put you in danger.  I need you safe if I’m to stay alive.  My best friend is already in danger because of me.  I can’t handle you at risk too.  But,” she emphasized the word, “I respect you too much not to ask you for the kind of help you excel at.

“I need advice on who to turn to for information.  Someone tried to blow us up in a warehouse.  It was clear the place had been wired days before and the goal was to kill the people who came there last night.  Those people just happened to be us.”

Minnie goes on to describe the building in question and what she knows about the events.  She doesn’t leave anything out except to exclude anything related to Dona Valentina and Strawberry.  She wanted to see what Jimmy came up with before sharing about the Finnigan leader’s disappearance, and the latter…well Yulia had no clue what to say.

[Mercy Merchant]

Athos nods as he eats.  "Well, then.  You picked a good place for the meet.  Good food here.  I will have to remember this place.  And I, too, appreciate the no posturing.  We don't need that right now.  First thing:  Good.  I would not want to hire someone who was willing to rat his friends out for some coin.  Second:  Even better.  Besides the 200 I owe you for listening, I can offer 2K as a retainer and 3K plus bonus if you do go beyond simply giving me information and actually help me out.  The bonus could be substantial.  Third: Hmmm"  He laughs.  "Actually not sure what to say to that description.  But you are right; I am some other class of criminal.  I have been part of the Finnigan family of the Seattle Mafia.  Almost from birth, you might say.  And your finely honed Keeb senses are on target.  I am running at the moment.  Something happened at that warehouse that has me puzzled.  My boss has gone quiet.  My contacts that I trust have warned me to do the same."

"I am of the considered opinion that someone is trying to start a war between the Yaks and the Mafia.  I am very interested in the who and why.  That warehouse was prepped days ago for that explosion and timed to kill whoever was at that meeting.  In this case that would happen to be me.  I was told that and some others were on-site there before the blast and was hoping that you might be able to help me find out.  Just getting in and out of there without getting killed by the Yaks is impressive, especially since I know that there were at least thirty guards on or near the premises."

"And by the way; I do not go in for the whole hanging people by the balls from a meathook thing.  I usually just prefer to shoot them."  Athos fishes a credstick from a pocket and holds it up.  "I did say 200 just for listening.  You have listened."

Athos slots the stick into whatever Kynos provides and transfers 200 nuyen to the man then looks at him before he withdraws the stick.  "So. Can you help me?  If so, the 2K is yours as well."

[Jack_Spade]

Kynos pocketed the stick without blinking.
"Sure. About that war: I engaged in a little diversion by opening fire on that Yak Venom and his goons. He didn't take that well and I'll probably kill him anyway to stop this developing into feud. I hope this doesn't clash with your plans.

About finding things out: I can do two things for you: Ask the others involved privately what they know and beat the shit out of whoever think is convenient to ask.

We only had 10 minutes time to play with that warehouse, but I was told it was filled with rockets and that's why we should demolish it. Now you tell me it was empty and more important still standing when you arrived later.  That sounds to me as if my previous Johnson and the demolition expert he provided were not completely honest with me.

So give me a few hours to ask around and tell me where we should meet up.
By the way, should I know about anyone else you hired? You don't look like someone who operates solo."

[gilga]

Jimmy thinks for a moment, he is not knowledgeable at all about explosives but is quite a fan of politics. He then say, “Let's start with who you cannot under any circumstances trust, no one of the Finnegan family, and no one in the Yakuza. You did not just happen to be there, if you were there someone tried to assassinate you. I do not know why you are so important to be assassinated but please do not tell me - it will only put you in further danger."

He look distant for a while trying to come up with a productive solution. After a short while he finally say.

"The only person that is powerful enough to protect you, and that I can trust his motives is Michael Kearney."
That Humminis politician?! At this moment Yulia might be very confused, even disgusted. You look at Jimmy in disbelief, but Jimmy is grave serious and just continue talking.

"Yes, the Humminis politician. He is not affiliated either with the Mafia nor with the Yakuza. He aims higher, much higher, in fact - he want to be the next governor of Seattle. If he agrees to help you, you will have unprecedented access to resources. From police reports to anything you can imagine. You would not believe how influential and connected Michael is. If he decides to protect you, I doubt the Yakuza or the Mafia will dare to touch you.”

He pauses, a little to let his message sink in.
"I know you have many questions, but you really should be thinking only on one question. WHY would Michael Kearney go out of his way to help you, what you could possibly offer him that is worth this kind of protection."


After a short while he tells you his opinion about that matter as well.
“Open your mind Yulia, Michael is not an ignorant brute that burn down orc businesses - nor he is the kind to call you freak. He is a promising politician, relatively clean as far as I can tell, and he seriously aims to win the next elections. Yes, he supports segregation - no I will not vote for him, but if you read their manifesto about SURGE 'victims' and other very rare meta variants. They say that since there are not enough to form communities of they should be integrated with the general human population. Not killed, not scorned, INTEGRATED."


He pauses and say to you.

"So what can you possibly give one of the most influential people in the city?... You have nothing to trade but your public support. Michael suffers greatly from critiques that say that he is nothing but a pretty and charismatic face to a monstrous movement and that no meta human will ever side with him. Your public support can very well be what help him gain the moderate votes. To make him a legitimate participant in the elections. It may be enough to convince him to protect and help you.  .”

He types Michael's frequency in your comlink, “Just in case you do not think that I am insane. I do not want you to risk contacting me again if somehow what I said was sensible to you.” He say and as far as you can tell he is genuinely concerned about you. It pains him very much to give you a political advice that goes against everything that he believes in. But he truly believes that Michael can protect you, and apparently witty enough to understand the barter of real politics. 

[Mercy Merchant]

Athos listens to the Keeb, nodding as he munches down the huge meal.  He swirls his finger over the food a couple of times in an unspoken question, but is just as happy if Kynos leaves it all to him.  He washes some of the food down and wipes his mouth on the cheap napkins provided.  "Well, at this time I have no claim on this Venom, so I will not step in your way.  It seems that your demo man might indeed have something to hide.  I met the Yak boss at 2330, chatted for a bit, then went to the warehouse.  Must have been maybe 2400.  We were out within a few minutes with the warehouse no more than a pile of sticks behind us.  And the set-up had to be days in the making.  I have found out that the company involved with renovating the warehouse for the sale is called Digital Security Solutions.  They are the likely people to have set this up and certainly are worth looking into.  Perhaps your demo guy is in with them."

"As to others on my team, yes there are.  A set of sneaky eyes and my personal assistant.  I would prefer to keep them independent of you for the time being.  I am sure that you understand.  If you work out well, I will integrate them with you.  Fair enough?  So, do you need anything else from me?  Here is the code to a burner I am going to use only for you for the present.  You strike me as a dangerous man, Kynos.  I can use dangerous men right now."

[Jack_Spade]

"Fair enough. You strike me as a man who pays me in full. And I can use such a man too. I'll be in touch.
Oh, but one other thing: If you have me followed a second time I'll react very, very unfriendly."

Kynos got up, deposited the money from the stick and got rid of the empty one. While he moved back to his ride he started his calls:

<<Ryan, had a meeting with some guy called Athos. There is some conspiracy within the Seattle Mafia with him as the fall guy. Turns out that the warehouse we should bomb was in fact a trap for him and some Yak guy. Now he tries to find out who's gunning for him.
So for the moment I won't take runs from that mage broad, but I'm very interested in contacting her. Do you know if she has been rescued by now and how I can reach her? Thanks and love, Kynos>>

Afterwards he used the code he had of DemoX:
<<Hey, you wanted to get back to me about that bounty for Venom. It's a bit pressing since he has himself set up a bounty for our team. We should meet. Love Kynos.>>

[gilga]

@Kynos Rayen texts you back >> IT said that she will manifest for you if you bring a date to Crusher 495 and dress accordingly, be there at 22:00 if you'd like to meet. Meeting her in person is sort of impossible, I myself haven't seen her in years.


You recieve a message from DemoX link
>>Kynos, this is Gerled leader of the red hot nukes, neighborhood association. Your man is in very deep cover and so should you. It feels like both the Mafia and the Yakuza are after you guys.



The bounty Venom placed was not on you but on a mage that go by the name Sovereign that apparently,  publicly humiliated him.  (Mulcarn's character).