[gilga]

@Maxwell Strawberry tells you "I lost Venom when a vampire banished the spirit that was monitoring and protecting him. I am building a team to go there and you can join them, I'll pay you 7k for every day that you guys actively search for him."  She forward you the commlink frequency of Yulia (Shaman Yuri) and say "Her name is Yulia and she is going to help with this thing too"

[Shaman_Yuri]

I don't have an answer to Strawberry.  If something happened to Athos and Strawberry, I really would have no options.  Maybe I could get help from jimmy, but I'd be in a world of hurt.  Then again, I don't want to consider something happening to Strawberry.  So many people depended on her.

The conversation M and I shared just a while ago plays again through my mind.  It seems a war is coming here despite M's protestations.  Or does M know what Strawberry is up to.

Is Strawberry as bad off as M thinks?  Do M and Strawberry have different motivations?

My head hurts thinking about it.  I take the apple from Strawberry with a thankful smile and bite into it.  The taste of the fresh fruit helps clear my mind of stress for just a few moments.

"So while Nagisa fixes my glasses, what should I be doing?" I ask between mouthfuls.

[Mercy Merchant]

Athos groans when he sees the address.  **The Joke?  Hell, back there again.**  He waits at the NH until the van is delivered and takes the keys from the delivery guy.  He carefully looks over the van, looking at all of the special things he had asked for.  Satisfied that the Yak boss had again lived up to his word, Athos climbed in and drove away from the hotel, heading for the Joke.

Arriving there, he waits for Kynos, acknowledging his message.  Athos leaves the vehicle and stands near the driver's door, waiting to see who come running out.

[Mulcarn]

Maxwell was halfway to dreamland when he regretfully heard Strawberry's voice.  "Something feels off.  I don't remember her being this annoying and business like.  I used to feel warmth and lust when we first met.  Now I don't feel anything at all.  Did something happen while I was gone?  Did my actions here hurt her?"  He thought hard about how his recklessness may have done some irreparable damage that he wasn't aware of.  But he discarded that notion when he recalled that she is also a black mage like himself.  "No that's not it all.  She probably just used some weird emotion magic to make me feel that way in the first place.  Probably uses it on every fool who makes contact with her.  I just need to stay on track of my original plans and cast off these worthless thoughts and feelings.  They will ultimately be the death of me."

Maxwell snaps out of his mental musings when he realized that Strawberry was still in the room with him waiting for a response.  He bitterly says back to her: "Whatever, just leave me be.  I'll worry about that drek later."  Once he was certain that she was gone he rolls over to his side and drifts off into sleep.

[gilga]

@Minne 
"So while Nagisa fixes my glasses, what should I be doing?" I ask between mouthfuls.

Strawberry smiles at you, "I have just the thing for you... will you excuse us Nagisa?" She say and it is obvious that it is not a question. Nagisa complies reluctently and takes the glasses with her saying "I'll be done quickly good as new do not worry."
Once Nagisa is gone, Strawberry holds minnies hand and look with a sad view right into your eyes.  "There is something else that I did not want to say around her to not get her upset.". She takes a deep breath and seems disturbed. "did you notice anything out of the ordinary with Nagisa?"

[Jack_Spade]

'Damn, I need a better mask' Kynos thought until he realized that he still wore the same coat.

With a loud and clear voice he said: "That's right. And if that pussy Venom wasn't hiding behind his rich relatives' resources he'd be six feet under by now. So, someone here be a dear and give him a message: I am coming for him. He can have it the hard way or meet me tonight at Selman's junkyard at Zero Hundred Hours."
Kynos looked around:
"Hey Ginger, you look like you've got something to say. Or maybe you are already saying it via commlink. A friendly advice: I am not your enemy, but I can be if you want."
He drew a credstick and chucked it to the barkeeper. "One round for all this nice gentlemen here. Sayonara"

While he turned away from Ginger he nonetheless kept an eye on her in the reflection of the mirror behind the bar.

[gilga]

@Kynos The men in the bar seem surprised by your statement, "Haven't you heard? He took the first plane to Tokyo... Silent lady over there had her goons neatly pack him and ship him back to daddy."  The ginger gives you a cold look for a moment and then she is back to her business of serving beers. Ignoring you on purpose, or because she is truly busy.  Apparently since Venom's demise business are booming as his now unemployed goons have nothing more to do than to get drunk all day.

[Shaman_Yuri]

"Did you notice anything out of the ordinary with Nagisa?" Strawberry asks.

I had noticed.  Nagisa's trademark skepticism and sassiness is gone when it comes to Strawberry.  It was impossible to miss.

"You've charmed her," I say simply between more bites.  "I caught it right off."  I then stop mid bite and finish chewing slowly.  When my mouth is clear, I ask the thought that comes to mind.  "It made sense to me so it didn't worry me.  I assumed it was temporary.  To help ease her into life here.  Is it?"

[Jack_Spade]

"Typical. Oh well, thanks all the same. Enjoy your drinks."
Kynos left the bar and called Max and Athos
<<According to the patrons Venom has taken a flight back to Tokyo. Somehow I don't believe he's gone for good.>>

[Mercy Merchant]

Athos frowns.  >>Frag.  A dead end at every turn.  This is getting harder, not easier.  OK.  Any ideas now how I can clear my name or am I just fragged?<<

[Jack_Spade]

<<Sure, we break into his old hut and you can set your new pet to work on his data. Let's start with that ginger elf. She seems to be part of his inner circle.>>
Kynos had taken position with a view of the bar, idly waiting for what would happen next.

[gilga]

Strawberry answers "That... well this is her authentic self. I Indeed charmed her but I used no seduction or magic. All I needed was to explain that after how she behaves she should stay with me where she can access you.  She had some knowledge programmed into her and when I scanned her mind there were subtle marks of surgery, and a small data chip directly integrated to her brain, there is no saying what it contains and Nagisa is not aware of it at all. She did access it the night of the explosion, the evidence is there and after accessing it she  suddenly knew things she could not possibly predict according to my tech guys.

She could see the future signals being sent,  but she never encountered anything like it before.
What scares me is that this chip is not new, the scars healed  long ago. Someone had access to her long ago in the Finnegans and someone loaded that chip recently with information about the explosion but who and how. That chip also has behavioral defensive mechanisms implemented with it. If you ask her about it she will become very hostile, but she knows nothing about it I verified it with magic.”

[Shaman_Yuri]

Mid way through  Strawberry's explanation I stopped chewing.  When her words were done, I had to force myself to swallow, all enjoyment from the plump fruit gone.

"That...that explains why she fought Bruno when he was just following Athos' orders.  Nagisa was born into the Finnigans.  Her parents both worked for them and died years ago during some mission.  We never heard the details.  That was about when Nagi and I were allowed to become more than just classmates."  I gulp before adding, "I've been under the Finnigan Family since I was seven.  I guess the fact I'm even asking this means the answer is no, but can I be sure I haven't been messed with either?"

[Mercy Merchant]

Athos frowns again.  "The Ginger Elf?  You mean Strawberry?  We can ask her questions, but no violence.  And we need to be polite.  She has helped me and I will not allow us to be mean to her.  Still, she may know more than she told me earlier.  I am coming into the bar.<<

Athos walks the short distance to the Joke, barely sparing a glance at the rubble of the warehouse that started all of this.  He enters to find a party going on and walks over to Kynos.  He looks over at the bar and nods to Strawberry before walking over to her.  He has to raise his voice a bit to be heard over the crowd.  "Hello, Strawberry.  How are Yulia and Nagisa?  My friend and I would like to talk to you about Venom and where he is.  Do you have the time and a private room?"

[gilga]

@Athos (and Kynos) Strawberry say "There are always free rooms, I never rent them all. Room 1, I'll be up in a few once someone comes to cover for me. Your friends are safe and you can contact them directly"