[VegasRigged]

Alright, so now I'm going to sit here while they film a porn scene and this guy gets jacked off. I studied at a prestigious school, encountered the deepest denizens of the astral and  headed a major project for a triple A corporation, and now I'm going to make a deal with a creep two bit porn dealer. After he's done jerking off to his own work.

He's going to know the consequences of this insult before I dethrone him and let the girl between his knees run his empire. Perhaps I'll make him one of the models. In the gay shows. Yes, that seems fitting.

It takes me a moment to realize my fantasy is encouraged by the mana here, I've always been sensitive to such things, it's why I'm a good Geomancer, but this is intense.

Enough wasting time, I lean over and whisper seductively in his ear "You have thirty seconds to wrap this up or I'm leaving and taking the deal, and this girl, with me."

Then I stand and walk to the window.

[Mercy Merchant]

The man laughs, not sure if you are serious or not, then moves a hand to threaten to swipe at the girl.  She does not shrink away and he does not touch her, but neither does she stop stroking him.    "Get it over with, girl.  I would hear what she has to say if there is money involved.  Maybe I will sell you."

The girl does not miss a stroke as she grins.  "You cannot sell me because I do not belong to you.  But I will make you look good by finishing you in the next ten seconds."

Sure enough, in just about ten seconds, the man cries out behind you then you hear him stand and zip his pants.  After telling the girl to clean up, he moves closer to you.  "The only reason you are still alive is because I am interested.  But do not come into my place of business and lord it over me as if you are the boss here.  Say your piece.  If I like it I will let you say more.  If I do not like it, I will drug you and let you act in your own film to please me.  I may even fuck you myself just for fun.  This is my business and I am boss here.  If you can live with that we can do business.  If not, take this opportunity to get out now."

[VegasRigged]

"Mr Ping let me start by saying it is a pleasure to meet you, and offer my complements on your establishment."  I check myself hard to ensure my desire to destroy this man doesn't accidentally become a command to my spirit, they are quite sensitive to such things.

"I am part of an independent coalition here in the Barrens and we are hoping that either you or Mr Xin Sing will be willing to work with us in consolidating your two businesses under one Boss and joining or organization. As such, either you or Mr Sing will be dead by this time tomorrow, since you and I are talking, the odds are currently in your favor. If you accept, not only will you receive everything your rival now owns, but you will also the support of skilled operators and loyal soldiers willing to defend your work against other comers. Perhaps you can even prevent people from stealing from you anymore."

As I finish speaking I take enough preparation for his threat, informing my spirit that if I am drugged it is to engulf mr Ping and fly up until such time as I lose pass out, at which time it may of course return to its own plane. I also hedge my bets and start running increased reflexes.

[Mercy Merchant]

Saturday  9 June 2075  1906  Ping's Studio  Seattle Chinatown Barrens


Ping stands still, his face a mass of conflicting emotions running from anger to greed to interest.  His eyes are a clear indicator that he is using some sort of drug, which might be affecting his ability to reason affectively.  In the end, curiosity wins out over anger, but only by a little.  "You are foolish to come alone to my place of business and make these threats to me.  You could be bent over that desk and in a porn movie in seconds if I give the command.  That I have not yet done so yet is an indication that I am at least willing to listen.  Who is this independent coalition and how do you intend to kill Xin Sing?  I would be foolish indeed to simply assume that you have the ability to kill anyone, much less a man as well protected as Sing is."

The girls comes up to stand just behind and to the left of Ping.  Her voice is soft, but not so soft that you cannot hear her.  "That a Caucasian comes here at all is a testament that she is powerful and has friends.  Perhaps she is serious."

Ping lifts a hand to signal that she should stop talking.  "When I want the advice of a whore I will bang it out of you."  He looks closely at you and narrows his eyes.  But she has a point.  How did you get here?  That would be quite a feat for anyone not used to these streets and even more so since you are not Chinese, even if you speak the language."

[VegasRigged]

"I am aligned with powerful forces here in the Barrens, and while I would be happy to tell you about our coalition and how I intend to sway or supplant Mr Sing, I believe it would be unwise to tell him as well, and since he listening to every word  we say through  your treacherous cameraman I believe we should deal with that before moving forward with my offer."

I watch the cameraman closely and if he makes a move for the door I inform Sylvia the he is not to leave the building.

[Mercy Merchant]

The cameraman is a bit more on the ball than the drugged porn boss and makes a break for the door, going through it before Ping can react.  He swings the portable camera like a weapon, felling the large man standing there and disappears from view.  There is the sound of feet on stairs then silence.  The teen kneeling in front of the male actor cries out when the cameraman takes off and she stands to follow him, but the girl behind Ping picks up the gun from the fallen guard and threatens her with it, keeping her in the room.

Ping looks quite surprised at all of this.  Surprised and a bit slow on the uptake, as if he does not quite grasp yet what is happening.

[VegasRigged]

<<Sylvia, could you please bring that man back up here? We are not quite through with him.>>

To Mr ping I say "My associate will have him back here in a moment, at which point we can consider his crimes and how best to use him to our advantage, perhaps now would be a good time for you to walk me through your operation and the resources you bring to the table? This effort will not be cheap and I would hate to find a misunderstanding between us regarding thee future of this company." My voice has lost some of its sing-song decadence and become more formal, now he owes me and knows that I know things he doesn't.

The girls reaction is pleasing, I am beginning to see why Sian picked her as the new head of the company, perhaps I will take an even more direct approach to her place in this endeavor.

[Mercy Merchant]

Saturday  9 June 2075  1910  Ping's Studio  Seattle Chinatown Barrens


Ping continues to look about in a daze, somewhat at a loss as to what exactly is happening.  A heavy tread on the stairs signals the arrival of your bodyguard, who dumps the still form of the cameraman on the floor then closes the door behind him.  The girl with the gun has moved away so she can keep her eye on everyone in the room but her gun remains aimed at the naked teenaged porn star.  Ping looks bewildered as he holds out a hand for the gun and is refused.  "Give that to me you cheap whore.  You were nothing when I found you and you will be nothing when I am done with you."  He turns back to you.  "And why would I walk you through my business.  Even if you can kill Sing and give me his business, you don't need to know what goes on and how it is done.  I take care of all that and cut you a bit off the top and a percent of the net when all is said and done.  That satisfy you?"

[VegasRigged]

I ignore him and walk to the downed cameraman, bending to one knee and digging my fingers into his scalp as i dive into his twisted little mind in search of everything I can learn about these men I seek to supplant. I take my time, in no hurry to return my attention to Mr Sing, and desiring to be therough in my investigation, not only of relevent facts, but also small encounters, names and dates of seemingly little importance to him, those who have died and why, those that yet live, who buys and sells what, where, and when. For a moment I consider seeking his core, the youthful encounters that defined his world view, but for a man who ended up in such a sad place in life, I suspect such memories would be more painful then useful to me.

When I'm done I stand and return my attention to Mr Sing, carefully sifting through what I've learned before speaking.

[Mercy Merchant]

The cameraman is easy to read.  His mind is a cesspool of cravings and desires and a little information relevant to your goal.  He knows a lot of things, but you suspect that much of what he "knows" is, in fact, merely hearsay.  Sian is correct about him being on the payroll of Xin Sing as well as Ping here, but his importance is mostly in his own mind.  He has witnessed a few killings and does know the names of the three main distributors of slaves for the sex trade in this part of the Barrens.  These men provide the lower-class brothels and porn studios with the dregs of what comes in from the ships every month.  He also knows the man who supplies Ping and Sing with drugs.  Drugs that are used to keep the slaves compliant and for personal use to increase eroticism.  he revels in the knowledge that he has engaged several times in a sex triangle with Sing's wife and daughter and that his boss is ignorant of that.  Sing himself has a penchant for very young girls and boys.  There is a place in his mind that he refuses to go; a dark place that holds his terrors and nightmares.  The place is tantalizingly close to your probe, but you would need to apply more force to get past the barrier to that place.  While it might be interesting to see what is in there, the harm to the man could be significant.  But then........what has he done for you?


I think you meant to refer to Ping in your post, not Sing.  Ping is the guy you are with and Sing is the other porn boss.

[VegasRigged]

I lean down to the man and say "You belong to me now, if you even think about betraying me, I will force you into all your darkest memories and tell Mr Sing about your engagements with his family. Then I will return you to him."

I return to Mr Ping, standing well out of arms reach "That man has been stealing from you and spying for your competitor, you have exactly one chance to thank me, tell me the details of your business and inform me that you are happy to help me with whatever I need in order to defeat Mr Sing or I will delve into your mind, extract every secret I deem valuable, kill you and turn the business over to the young lady with the gun."

If his first words are anything other then a submission, apology or thank you I levitate him out of arms reach, then read his mind through his ankle.

[Mercy Merchant]

Saturday  9 June 2075  1915  Ping's Studio  Seattle Chinatown Barrens


Your nice speech to the cameraman is for Ping's benefit as the prone man is still unconscious.  The girl with the gun looks very interested in what you are saying to him and even more interested in what you say to Ping.  That unfortunate man, perhaps being deprived of any sort of common sense by the drugs he has running through his system, tries to bluster.  "That's it!  You cannot come into my place and just lord it ov............."  His words choke off as you levitate him off the floor and you begin delving into his mind.  The drugs swirling in his brain and his fear tend to decentralize his memories, providing him with a sort of unintentional defense against your probe.  However, you are able to glean some information about his business, such as the combination to his safe and his two main contacts for his sex slaves.  The two names are the same as ones the cameraman's mind had provided a couple of minutes earlier.  The majority of cogent thought is a mishmash of the people he has had sex with in the past couple of days and the people he would like to have sex with, including a desire to rape you.  A widening wet stain on the front of his trousers warns you that he is pissing himself and you remove your hand from his leg in time to avoid getting wet.

[VegasRigged]

I step back and wrinkle my nose. This man may be worth further expiration, and I can think of other uses for him, and while I have rarely met anyone I had a greater desire to kill I am perhaps not ready to cross that line yet.

Leaving him hanging in the air I walk over to the girl and incline my head in a slight bow "Good evening, I do not believe we have been introduced. While I will not be sharing my name, I ask that you call my 'ma'am'. Now, I believe Mr Sing will be easier to lure out to his demise if he believes you have overthrown Mr Ping yourself and wish to trade the captured Ping for Mr Sings protection, do you agree?"

[Mercy Merchant]

The girl nods, but not meekly.  There is an intelligence in her eyes, and a bit of something else......a bit of nervousness and even some defiance, perhaps?  She bows her head slightly while keeping an eye on the naked girl she is pointing the gun at."Yes, Ma'am, I agree that Sing might be willing to come out to talk to you.  But I want to point out a problem with that.  You have told my former employer that if he did not cooperate with you, you would take things from his mind, kill him, and turn the business over to me.  It would appear that you have taken things from his mind, and I am supposing that you are now turning the business over to me.  But you are talking of not killing Ping, and that can set a bad precedent.  A boss unwilling to carry out a threat will lose credibility among his people, and down here, credibility is usually the only thing keeping you alive.  I would offer to kill the man myself if you like.  Doing so at your order would show that you do not waffle on hard choices.  We can still offer Ping, and perhaps Chong here as well.  Sing will not yet know that Ping is dead and since he will also be dead soon, what does it matter if he finds out?"

[VegasRigged]

"You are most correct. Please..." I can't quite say it, but I step to the side giving her a clear view of Mr Ping that she might walk past me and do the killing. point to him and make a clockwise motion with my hand so that he rotates upside down so that he is fave to face with the girl.

I keep on eye on her as I send Sian a brief update on the situation and ask that she join us at her earliest convenience.