[Devil]

>>>>>[You speak as though you believe that everything is just random occurrence, but then your motivations for covering peoples' asses speaks to the contrary. The truth is that trusting or relying on people get's you in trouble more than anything else. Trust no-one and you wont have so many seemingly random factors.]<<<<<

--Joker (20:53:29/02-21-75)

[Wolfboy]

>>>>>[Joker, you have to remember that you cannot handle everything yourself. People need other people either to help them, or to watch their backs, or even just to do something that is beyond them. Sometimes you handle this through money, sometimes through friendship, or finally through blackmail. I personally prefer to use either friendship and favors owed, or straight cash payments. Blackmail can get to messy and offers to many handles to the other side afterwards for my taste because if i think you've been nasty enough to have that kind of leverage i would have against you, i would rather just shoot you and be done with it. That said, i've seen what Smiley can do with blackmail material and he is a veritable artist in its use so it works for him. Which is one of the many reasons i keep him on my speeddial list. Xerena and Ice i have learned i can trust at my back along with a few others to make sure i make it out of a situation or to just get a job dont period and to be totally professional in the performance there of. Joker, you are destined for a short unhappy life in the shadows unless you learn or luck supremely favors you for some reason.

End of Discussion

On the wedding front I have another group to play at the reception. Though i'm no allowed to say whom yet, but Maria told me the other day that she has no problem working with them and looks forward to it.]<<<<<

--Wolfgar  (10:05:49/02-22-75)

[Smiley]

>>>>>[Nah you don't understand! Maybe he's a master H@x0r, a uber street samurai, an Arch Wizard of the 69th circle and Top Level in other things all at the same time! A one man shadowteam! The dream... he's there you see?! He's... HAHAHA!!!

Fact is, in the shadows, you need people to do the things you can't or won't do. Even me, as good as I am in many fields, I still need help in the fields I suck at. And the fact that I can't be everywhere at once creates a need of either puppets or allies. Somehow, one as to find a way to work with others that will complement your own abilities to get the job done. How do you trust all these people you'll ask! Well, there are ways that can help you be certain of the people around you, but you are right... You can never be truly certain. In the same token, you might bite the dust because a bus rolled over you face when you crossed the street, you can't be certain of anything! Well, unless you are both a genius and can see the future...]<<<<<
     -- Smiley (11:35:29/02-22-75)

[Devil]

>>>>>[You could just look before you cross. Anyway, I'm not saying don't work with people. Just don't trust them or get yourself caught or killed for them. This doesn't mean that nobody does their job, it means that when the chips are down you do what you have to do to make sure you can keep on doing things. If you are going to put yourself at unnecessary risk for someone then at least make sure you are getting tangible out of it in the scheme of things. "Thanks buddy" doesn't pay for your coffin. The way I see it, that's just the code of the street. A friend is someone you hang out with, maybe make a little cash with, not die for. Nobody is that important, unless you love 'em. Love makes all kinds of stupid acceptable.]<<<<<
     -- Joker (21:25:06/02-22-75)

[Keita]

>>>>>[ The plain fact is...if you look out for your team, you're likely to be asked along next time more often. Looking after your team means more nuyen in your pocket. Also, looking out for them means they're more likely to look out for you, thus mitigating the risk of looking out for them to begin with. It all balances out. You are correct that no one should ever be trusted blindly...especially not with business. But over time, you do build yourself a group of contacts who knows you very well, and whom you know. It's a calculated risk, but it's a risk worth taking.

Now...wedding update. I've selected my gown. It took some doing to have it made properly. And no. You can't see it until the day of the wedding. The catering is taken care of and will feature Tir and Spanish foods and drink. Miri...the shirt is made. Silk. Wear it under your dress jacket. It's tradition. I've also arranged the thank you gifts, and the thirteen silver coins you're to give me. The cake is arranged, as are the flowers. Its all set. ]<<<<<
        -- Madrecita (07:49:15/02-24-75)

[Kylen]

>>>>>[Thirteen silver coins? Never heard of that tradition.]<<<<<

     -- Card (22:07:10/2-24-75)

[Mirikon]

>>>>>[You can practice all you like, but it is only through combat that your skills are truly honed to perfection. Taking risks, therefore, is a necessary part of staying ahead of the curve, to say nothing of being the best you can be. And the thing about friends, Joker, isn't so much what you do for them but what they're willing to do for you when you need it, sometimes before you ever know you need it. Perhaps they got ears in places you don't, and they heard the Johnson you're working for has a habit of sending 'cleaners' to take care of his teams afterwards. If all your relations in the biz are strictly cash, then there's nothing to keep that fixer from sending you out on a suicide run. But when people know that you're willing to go that extra mile for them, it gives them incentives to look out for your general welfare, and they're more likely to do the same for you. That doesn't mean you run into a dragon's lair on a whim, but if a buddy gets picked up by some Yaks and you know they're going to geek him once they extract intel from him, then staging a rescue mission will earn you one hell of a marker next time you are in trouble.

Card, its some Spanish thing I think. Probably some descendant of bridal dowries or the like. And yes, Xerena, I'll wear the shirt. Also, the managers and lawyers have finished their talks, so I can confirm the acts who will be performing. Deirdre will be playing at the ceremony in Cara'sir, and Maria Mercurial will be playing at the reception at Penumbra. Oh, and if you see a sky blue pony with wings wandering around, don't worry, it is just a free spirit I met in Denver, and we've kept up correspondence since then. Interesting fellow.

Anyways, as has been said, formal wear for the ceremony, and come in your 50s runner chic for the reception. Wolfgar, pass along the group you were talking about, and I'll see what I can do. I don't think the performers will mind, but you know how managers get.]<<<<<

--Iceblade (23:37:23/02-25-75)

[All4BigGuns]

>>>>>[The only reference to thirteen silver coins I know has nothing to do with weddings...]<<<<<

--Predator (00:26:08/02-26-2075)

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

>>>>>[ You're probably thinking thirty, Predator, which from your previous talk sounds like your standard fee.  And your search-fu is weak.
     The thirteen coins, 'las arras', are a bridal gift from groom to bride in part symbolizing the groom sharing the bride's dowry with her, his ability to provide for their family, and the bride's trust that he'll be able to do so.  The quantity of thirteen symbolizes Christ and the twelve apostles; silver or gold can be chosen.  (For these two I would have expected gold.)  Which reminds me.
     Mirikon, find, build, have built, beg, borrow on a permanent basis, steal, or otherwise acquire a box for the damn things by at least a day before the wedding.  Also, they need to be blessed by a priest, apparently/ideally the priest who's going to marry you two. ]<<<<<
          -- The Wyrm Ouroboros (01:00:00/02-26-2035)

[Mirikon]

>>>>>[Interesting. I never knew it had that kind of meaning. Well, since it is that important, I'll do as you say, Wyrm. Nothing wrong with a bit of ceremony now and then.

Also, I think you confused Joker and Predator for a second there.]<<<<<

--Iceblade (07:20:22/02-26-75)

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

>>>>>[ Did I?  Great GNU, I did.  Sorry, Predator, had a few things on my mind.  They're all decrypted, now.
          Also, Mirikon, I'm told (though not reliably) that there are certain designs each coin should have, at least for a good Hispanic Catholic like your intended is.  I'd take what she's arranged for and upgrade, though.  It ain't as though you can't afford it. ]<<<<<
          -- The Wyrm Ouroboros (14:30:00/02-26-7520)

[Keita]

>>>>>[ Wyrm got it. I left catholicism behind a long time ago, but I am still Spanish. Miri, you need not have them blessed by the priest. Just as long as they are presented, that will be enough. Wyrm, silver is traditional. It is symbolic in any case, and not about the actual monetary value.

I do not understand some of the newer generation of elves. Those who are raised speaking Sperethiel. They seem to feel there is such a thing as "authentic elven culture". There wasn't when I was born and raised. Were were Spanish UGE children. Born elvish, but raised Spanish. I am not entirely comfortable with "elvish culture". Perhaps that makes me old-fashioned. I do not know.

On an altogether more exasperating note...never let a group of boys use your house for a party. They will discover your music room and prompty form a band. The songs will grow progressively more bawdy as the amount of beer decreases, and the next morning, they will have no recollection of what happened. The upside is...you will have blackmail material for years to come. ]<<<<<
          -- Madrecita (14:30:10/02-26-75)

[Smiley]

>>>>>[Meh! Don't worry, Madre. I wasn't exactly raised in an elven culture either, although I do speak Sperethiel natively. The few traditions I honor are all Chinese. So you won't be alone not perfectly accustomed to Tir or elven culture at the wedding.

On another note, even if Ice's brothers aren't exactly comfortable with all my ideas, the preparations for the bachelor party are going full speed. I have just secured the elephant I needed!]<<<<<
     -- Smiley (19:24:08/02-26-75)

[Mirikon]

>>>>>[I'll admit that I was never close enough to those of Royal rank to observe them personally, especially not before the changes after the revolt, but if you look back on the old Shadowland posts about the Tir and other Awakened nations, you get the sense that there is more going on than has been let out to the public. Certainly, the culture of the Tir was, for lack of a better word, created by the original Council of Princes, but I'm not the only one to say that they plainly were pulling from older sources. If, as it seems, Sperethiel (and Or'zet, for that matter) is a language that is from what Ehran the Scribe would call the 'Fourth World', then there would needs be a culture that went with it. Which begs the question, how close to the 'elven culture' of ancient times is what came to be in the Tirs? I cannot say for certain, but if Wordsmyth, Laughing Man, Hecate, the Big 'D', and Orange Queen all start looking like they're referencing some common history, then there is likely something there. Just like how if I see Dodger, Fastjack, and Wyrmy here all talking about the same something on the Matrix, then there's probably something there.]<<<<<

--Iceblade (01:26:23/02-27-75)

[All4BigGuns]

>>>>>[Yeah, you're right, it's thirty. Chalk it up to a misfire in the old noggin. And it's all good, but I will say if one can't trust their team not to sell them up the river, then they probably won't get anywhere.]<<<<<
          --Predator (01:53:31/02-27-2075)