[Jian]

Watcher nodded, thinking of his chummer pouring over glitzy sketchy stories. "Well, I know someone who at the least, could know who could and would."

[Pwnagemachine]

Saul leans back with his hands behind his head."The event is a great idea." Then looks at Watcher."If your pal can get us in I'm sure we'll be find something. A guy as powerful as that has to have something to hide." He gently scratches his head. "The problem is just getting close."

[Xzylvador]

"Bargaining power? Are you suggesting we try changing the deal when we have the info we're hired to get? That seems very risky, considering our employer's apparent paranoia. I'd hate to witness what the response would be when that level of mistrust proves to be valid.", Matt said which much doubt on his face.
"And I agree, the event does sound like a safe place to make first contact. Easy to blend in with the crowd and observe without raising suspition. Of course, it is unlikely we'll be able to find out anything we're being paid for. If he does have a secret life, he'll not display it in public."

[HydroRaven]

Mel gives a sympathetic smile to Matt. "You need to lighten up, partner" she says. "All I'm saying is, if it turns out we uncover something big, we can always push for a higher payout fee. I don't know about you, but I'm not very satisfied by the way the "negotiations" went. Talking through a commlink was never my forte anyways."

With that, Mel sends a message to Laetitia. "I'm looking for a couple of invitations to tomorrow night's gathering at the Apple-Hilton Plaza in the Mission Hills area. Any ideas where I could get my hands on those?"

[Ympulse]

<<Laetitia>>
<<I can see what I can dig up for you, Mel, but on this short of notice you'll be lucky to get in. If I'm going to have to call in favors, it's going to cost you. If you need to scrape it together beforehand, 7k apiece is my estimate. I'll get back to you in a bit>>


After another moment or two, the AR for the coffee shop shifts, and there is a news report broadcasted across the far wall.


"Horizon News Now!

"A CAS Ork man and woman have been arrested in Los Angeles, accused of possession of an explosive substance and a sawed off shotgun, authorities say.

"The pair also had a document that appears to be titled "The Terrorist Encyclopedia," according to court documents.

"Aaron Sheffield, 31, and Morgan Sheffield, 27, are charged with felony possession of an explosive with intent to use, and felony criminal possession of a weapon, the district attorney's office said.

"Shortly after her arrest, Morgan went into labor and gave birth to a daughter, whom she named Melody, according to Knight Errant Captain Mason Cartwright.

"Knight Errant say officers discovered the explosive substance at the couple's Mission Hills apartment while serving a warrant related to four counts of felony grand larceny against Aaron involving SIN in February.

"In addition to a plastic container found in the living room containing "a white dough-like substance," officers also found the sawed-off shotgun and multiple rounds of ammunition, police said.

"There also were numerous data files containing instructions on making explosive materials and bombs, Knight Errant said, including the collection of files that had a cover page saying "the terrorist encyclopedia."

"Fearing the substance to be an explosive material, police evacuated several buildings in the area Saturday morning.

"Sgt. Michael DeMarfio of the Knight Errant Los Angeles Department Bomb Squad later tested the dough-like substance and confirmed that it was 7 pounds of cyclonite or cyclotrimethylene trinitramine, or C-4, which, according to court documents, is a highly explosive substance.

"According to her MeFeed account, Morgan has an impressive educational pedigree. She claims to have attended The Dalton School, an Upper East Side Manhattan private prep school; the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University; and the School of The Art Institute of Austin, where she earned a master's degree in creative writing.

"Police said Aaron has had four prior run-ins with law enforcement, including a 2071 assault case for which he was sentenced to a year in jail and an arrest in February for alleged possession of a rifle, Bliss, Betameth, prescription drugs and drug paraphernalia. On the latter occasion, Morgan also was arrested and charged, Knight Errant said.

"According to the district attorney's office, Aaron was arraigned Sunday afternoon and has a Friday court date. Morgan is awaiting arraignment.

"Aaron's attorney, Lisa Dayne, declined to comment Monday morning."

<<Laetitia>>
<<I can get you four invitations, apparently there ARE people in high places that don't like others. There is a Widow and three eccentric old men, all human. 7k apiece.>>


Price is negotiable, you can RP the negotiation or just roll it out.

[HydroRaven]

Mel turns to the team and says "I got a line on some tickets. One woman and three men, all older humans. I'm taking the older woman, so we have 3 older men if we want. I'm working on the price."

Mel then answers Laetitia's text. "Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I need tickets, but I am on a budget. Is that the best price you can get them for? How about a discount for a group buy?"

Negotiation 4 + Charisma 7 (11d6.hits(5)=1)
Holy crap that is bad!

[Ympulse]

<<Laetitia>>
<<Look, Mel, I like you, but money's money, and I had to spend a decent amount of money to get them myself. I can go as low as 5.5, but that's barely covering my own expenses. I hear the party is going to be opulent, real food and everything. You'll probably get 10 grand worth of service and shoulder-rubbing just from being there.>>

[HydroRaven]

"Thank you so much, Laetitia. Let me talk it over with my partners and I'll get back to you on the double."

Mel turns to the rest of the team and says "Good news, bad news: the good news is I found some tickets. The bad news is they're going for 5.5k each. I don't know about you, but at ¥2,000 a week, this sounds like a costly option. What other options do we have? Mr. Fox, can you take a quick look at their node and see if there's any other way to get ourselves "invited" to this thing?"

"I don't know what the rest of you specialise in, but let me introduce myself officially: I'm known as Mel, I like to sneak into places without being seen. If not, I can talk my way out of a few situations. That's pretty much what I can do."

[Xzylvador]

"Five and a half thousand... Each?" Matt whistled. "I can buy quality fake identities for less. I will not speak for the rest of you, but if I could afford to spend that much just going to a party, I would probably not be doing this kind of work. Lacking advance payment or other expense compensation, this is simply too much for me. Especially considering the uncertainty about whether or not going to this event will provide us with information to further our cause."
He paused, then switched to the other topic.
"As for our skills, it would seem the two of us have a lot in common, though I am certain our methods differ. I find that being seen is not always problematic, as long as it does not raise suspicion.", Matt replied to Mel's introduction.