You're Lost Little Girl IC

[a_humble_lich]

Silver: It's Thursday and you decide to call the rest of the band to coordinate tomorrow night's show. Everyone agrees to meet up but you can't get in touch with the bassist, Shirley Kwan. She is not answering her comm, you leave messages and get no reply, nothing. This isn't like her. She's been pretty reliable. I mean you've been through a slew of dead beat drummers, but she's been pretty tight and shows up to rehearsals and everything.

By the next morning, you start to get really worried. Nobody else in the band has seen her since your last gig a week ago, she hasn't talked to your manager in about the same time. She has been acting a little weird recently, but in your line of work acting a little weird is practically expected. You don't know too much about her personal life, but you know of a few bars near her house where you know she spends time.


Tequila and Deadboy: It has been a slow month. You get a few small jobs here and there but not much and the end of the month is coming fast. Finally Thursday night you get a message from your fixer.
"Hey long time. Sorry about that, things all over seem to just be slow. There's lots to do in Seattle, just not when it's raining [laughter].
Anyways, I think I got a job for you, it's not much but every little thing helps right? It seems we've got ourselves a missing person. This girl told me that her sister's been missin' and she'd like some professional help looking of her. A girl by the name of Shirley Kwan. I'll send you the details.

I'm guessing she was just in the wrong neighborhood and just got off'ed by the Cutters or such, but the sister said she'd pay 5000 for any information. And hey, cash is cash. I also contacted Deadboy, you two work well together. So whatdaya say?"

Deadboy gets the same message but with Deadboy substituted for Tequila.

[DueceEsMachine]

Deadboy -

*When the comm call comes through, he's more than likely sitting in the spartan chambers he calls a flat, his guns splayed out in a semi-organized pile on the table in front of him. Pushing the AR window to the side, he continues to clean and assemble as he speaks. It doesn't take much concentration. He'd done this more times than he could count.*

"Missing person? Well, I'm not so hot with people stuff, but if you got Tequila on it too, we should be just fine. Thanks Kaj. I'll keep you up to date."

*Rain jokes. Why alwys with the rain jokes? Standing and turning in one smooth motion, Daren pulled his coat off it's hook on the wall and quickly put his Colt back together. The others would be just fine until he was done. He wasn't about to bring it up to Kaj, but the rain jokes got really old. 'course, it would be more annoying not to be able to pay rent or protection, so he kept his mouth shut. Amazing what you could put up with for the right price.*

*Heading out his door, he pulls up a new window, setting it to call Tequila. She'd probably already be out and about. Best to just set up a meet somewhere and go from there.*
"Hey - a friend said you were up for some work. Some lost little kitty. Kwan? Gonna run a couple of searches on my way over to Rajani's. Just figured I'd touch base if we're gonna go hunting."

OOC:

Alright, well, there's a reason I took all those street knowledge skills. Let's do some gang turf rolls to see if Kaj was right. I've got a good idea of who the cutters are, basic organ leggers, but if she gave me an idea of where Kwan was last seen, I can at least get an idea of which groups claim turf in the area.
[roll0]

Edit: *sigh* one hit. Well, it's enough for the moment, I suppose. Just fair warning, the dice roller hates me with a passion, so this is going to be intersting.

[BudgetDM]

Tequila had just finished maintenance on her guns when the call came in.

Well, pay is pay. On the plus side I probably won't have to break that many laws this time.

"Okay, I'll contact Deadboy and get started on this right away. Oh, could you send me the contact information for the sister? I know we normally try to keep some distances between client and 'runner but this is detective business and we may need to interview friends and relatives."

Tequila then grabs her gear and heads for her car. This was going to be hard. Tequila was the first to admit that she wasn't God's gift to the detective business, but the rent was needed and you don't turn down a job.

Just then a call came in from Deadboy.

"Wéi," she answers.

After she listens to his plan, she answers, "That sounds like a plan. I head that way myself."

Well, while I'm driving I may as well see what a Matrix search pulls up.


And here is where I start making mistakes. Tequila is less than tech savvy and doesn't have any computer skills so it would be only the browse program right?

[roll0]

[Gunther]

El Pierre
"I heard you on the wireless back in 52, lying awake intent a tuning in on you, if I was young it didn't stop you coming through!"

Hands-deep in the engine block of the Hotspur, Jean couldn't help but smile as the song played through his ears. Several AR windows drifted through the air around the engine block, highlighting a handful of vehicle mods he'd have loved to slap on. The Hotspur sitting in its small garage adjoining his apartment, a handful of hardcopy ads had been plastered along the walls of the garage.

There, a turbocharger for a hydrogen engine. Its price tag was a bit out of his range, so he had been working hard to save up the 'yen to buy it.

"They took the credit for your second symphony, re-written by machine and new technology, and now I understand the problems you can see,"

A used DocWagon winch, able to pull a car door off while the car is in motion.

"Oh oh -- I met your children, oh oh -- what did you tell them, video killed the radio star, video killed the radio star, pictures came and broke your heart, we can't rewind we've gone too far"

There were so many things his beloved car could use having added on. Consulting his commlink, he stared at the little nest egg he had saved so far. It was a shame that not too many people needed a freelance transporter. The mobs had their own men running goods now, government-sponsored smugglers getting goods to agents overseas on giant bulk cargo ships.

He felt a bit like a radio star right now himself. Moving the AR windows out of his direct view, he slipped a pair of insulated gloves on. The morphic plates were touchy at best, thanks to their need for an electrical charge to operate, but with a spanner in one hand and a wrench in the other, he began adjusting the bolts.

She was a high-maintenance beauty, but she was worth it.

[Lycan 01]

Silver sighs. This wasn't like Shirley. He hadn't known her for long - she was the newest member of the band - but he knew her well enough to know she wouldn't just skip out on the band without any warning. Though perhaps she'd decided she needed a little time off? Sometimes he felt a bit burnt out after really demanding concerts, and he'd take several days off. But he'd at least let the rest of the band know, or at least tell the manager.

No, these seemed a bit fishy. He didn't want to think about anything bad happening to her, though. She was a nice girl. It'd be a shame for her to get caught up in the dirty underworld of Seattle. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized this was probably the case. "Frak..." Silver exhales a deep sigh. "Well, better get to the bottom of this..." he mutters to himself.

The Elf walks into his living room and turns on the tv. He changes it to the local news channel, and cranks up the volume so that he can hear the newscaster's voice through-out the whole house. He then heads into his bedroom, and starts changing from his pajamas into one of his "going out" outfits. Some black boots, a pair of ratty blue jeans with stylish rips and tears, a red t-shirt with some band logos on it (because chick's dig red shirts for some reason, according to scientists... and its his favorite color...), and his Lined Coat, which was designed to look like a stylish black trenchcoat.

He then goes into the bathroom and checks himself in the mirror, making sure nothing was amiss. He decided to pull his long blond hair back into a pony-tail, and he then decides to go ahead and put in his amber-colored contacts. That way he'd be able to use his weapons' Smartlink if things got ugly, and so he'd look cool and mysterious... Having already showered and brushed his teeth when he woke up, there wasn't much else to do now besides stare at his handsome features in the mirror. But he wasn't that arrogant...

Returning to his bedroom, he surveyed the pile of weapons and ammo strewn about on his dresser while listening to the news in the background. Two Ares Predators, a Steyr TMP, and a "Rambo" survival knife. As well as 20 clips full of various ammunition types. Should he keep it simple, or should he not take any chances? He'd wait until he actually left the apartment before picking out his armament for the day...

Once he was dressed, he pulled out his Commlink and called up his buddy Jean-Pierre. Jean was, like himself, an Elf. He was also quite the driver, able to pull all sorts of trick ranging from weaving in and out of traffic to friggin' awesome two-wheeled bootlegger U-turns.

Okay... maybe he was just making up that last part. But he wouldn't put it past Jean...

At any rate, they were decent friends. Not extremely close, but more than just acquaintances. They'd sometimes get together to go to the bar or crash a party, they'd sometimes call in favors on each other, and Jean was often Silver's way of getting around, since his own driving skills were atrocious. In exchange, Silver would repay Jean in a variety of ways - money, free concert tickets, his choice of groupie...

Once Jean-Pierre picks up the phone, Silver greets him and explains the situation. "Yo, Jean-Pierre! How's it goin' buddy? Hope you're doin' good. Look man, I kinda need a favor. Y'know my drummer, Shirley? Yeah, she's missing. Hasn't been heard from in a week. I'm gonna try and go snoop around the bars around where she lives, and I was wondering if you wanted to help me out. Pleeeeeeeeease?" he asks playfully, hoping Jean was in a good mood.



Alright, while Silver is getting dressed and everything, I'd like him to do a few things...

First of all, he's listening to the News for any signs or hints about Shirley.

Second, he's trying to remember if he knows where Shirley actually lives, and not just the bars in the area. He's also trying to remember what sort of neighborhood she lives in, so he kinda knows what to expect and prepare for.

He'd also like to do some thinking, along the lines of "If I were Shirley, what would I be up to?" or something. Basically, he's going to use his "Female Psychology" skill to try and think of some possibilities, based on what he personally knows about Shirley, and what he knows about women like her in general.

Wow, never thought that skill would actually come into serious use...


I use Memory to try and remember where she lives, right? That's 6 dice, so...

Memory: [roll0] 3 successes

And for my Female Psychology knowledge skill, I roll the skill + its parent attribute, which in this case is Intuition, yes? So that's 6 dice...

Female Psychology: [roll1] 2 successes


Ummm... I think that's everything for now.

[Gunther]

Picking up his commlink, Jean turned down the song.

"Shirley, huh?" He asked, as the last bolt was wrenched back nice and tight. "Could be she's just laying low- but if you want a lift to check up on her, consider it done. Might want to check at her house first, though."

As he spoke, Jean shut the hood of the Hotspur, the streamlined armor of the vehicle giving a hearty clang as it shut. Opening the door, he began fiddling with the handful of buttons next to the dashboard.

"Drive by wire: Online. Termination system: Offline. Anti-Theft System: Online. Air Filtration: Online. Smart Tires: Online. Morphic Plates: Online. RFID alteration chip: Online. Storage compartment seals: Online."

The engine purred as the headlights went on, the interior of the vehicle coming to life as Jean buckled in. Bookmarking and closing his AR windows, he placed his commlink into the slot for the termination system override.

"SIN accepted."

And like that, he had control. A few keystrokes later, and the pilot program was online.

"Destination: Silver, apartment. Use SIN two, and switch the plates and chips to the appropriate presets. Trideo selection... Radio Ga Ga."

And just like that, Jean was on his way, the advanced pilot program of the car- the best on the market- driving the car. With remote access cut off via the drive-by-wire system, the car was unstoppable by even the most devoted rigger.

Smooth sailing, for now. Tapping his commlink, Jean started a new conversation with Silver,

"So, why so worried? Don't bands usually spend a lot of time apart?"

[Lycan 01]

Plopping down on his sofa and propping his feet up on the coffee table, Silver watches the news while waiting for Jean to finish his car starting rituals. Once he starts talking again, the Elf returns his attention to his Commlink. "We do, but we usually give a heads up. She hasn't told anybody where she is; not us, not our manager... She hasn't returned calls or messages, and she missed a practice last night. We have a concert this evening, too, and she knows this. So its even weirder that we haven't been able to get in touch..."

[DueceEsMachine]

Deadboy -

*The stoplight seemed to last forever, and it was driving Daren crazy, sitting there on his bike. It wasn't the best in the world, but it got him from one place to the next... and usually at a rather high rate of speed.*

*Looking over to his left, he saw a man sitting there, consumed in whatever AR scenario he had running at the moment. People should know better than that, but evidently not. As he was looking over at the man, the two of them met eyes, and he just couldn't help but smile as he hit the tint on his visor and punched the gas, the bike rocketing through the green light.*

*Pulling up to a stop, he mentally flipped the off switch to the bike and let it coast to a stop, flicking the stand down deftly. As painful as it had all been, there were definite bonuses to near-body replacement. All he'd have to do if he got 'tore up was to repalce parts. That still cost money though.*

*Strolling into Rajans, he smiles at the bartender. Raj was here all the time, day or night. Maybe the reason he couldn't tell it's gender is because it was a robot?"
"Oi - any good syth left, or did the regulars drink it all?"

*Raj sneered, pouring the bright green liquid into a glass, head shaking.*
"You are the regulars. Careful. Too much and this stuff will melt what's left of you. Need anything else?"

*Daren shook his head, taking a small drink of the alchohol to let it kill his tastebuds before daring the rest.*
"Nah. Just waiting for a tastier drink."

[BudgetDM]

Tequila pulls up to Rajans. She had been there before, but wasn't what you'd call a regular. She honestly didn't drink much. Being Awakened meant taking care of your body. She still remembered the triad mage she'd met who had gotten hooked on half-a-dozen drugs. Didn't have enough magic left in him to light a candle. After meeting him, Tequila had sworn off all bio-chemical fun.

When she walks in she sees Deadboy talking to the... man?... woman?... the elf behind the bar.

"Hoi omae", she says walking up to Deadboy, "Found the girl yet?"

[DueceEsMachine]

Deadboy -

"Speak of the Devil. Tequila."

*The word is as much of a greeting as she ever gets, and he looks at her for a moment, his eyes blank and distant as something... else... goes through his head. As his eyes refocus, he blinks a couple times, taking another sip of his drink.*
"Found her? I don't..... ah, yes, joke. If I had found her, you wouldn't get your half the haul, so it's a good thing for you I haven't."

*Taking another sip of his drink, he shrugs, turning back to the bar.*
"Didn't get a lot of details. Thought I'd ask if you had anything more before starting the search. Hard to play find the baby before you know what the kid looks like."

[a_humble_lich]

Deadboy: You know that the neighbourhood of her house isn't Cutter territory, but you're not sure whose turf it is. You suspect it is one of the area's dominated by the small gangs whose life expenctency is not long.

Tequila: With a quick matrix search you don't find much, but you do get an address. It is in the trendy part of Redmond, i.e. Touristville. While it is still a slum, it is relatively safe and contains a fair number of seedy clubs. "It appears she recently joined the band "(Silver does your band have a name?)" as the bassist. One the band's site you find a publicity photo and contact info. The name seems strangely familiar....

Silver: First, there's nothing of interest on the news (just your standard gunfights between gangs, corruption scandals, new videos games which turn your kids into killers). Second, yes you remember her address. Third, you haven't known her too long, so you don't yet have a great read on her. You figure if you were her you'd be shacking up with somebody cute, but you've never seen her involved with anyone. You know she is young and in the "watching Kerouac sims trying to find myself" phase, but again she seemed too responsible to just disappear.

[Gunther]

To The Apartments?
As the car's pilot program pulled the vehicle off one of the ancillary roads to Silver's apartment, Jean-Pierre drummed his fingertips on the steering wheel that was- currently- turning of its own volition.

"Right, that does sound like a bit much to be missing out on with no word. I'd suggest taking a step outside- I should be by in just a couple of minutes. Question of the day is: Do you want us getting to her place under the radar, or get there burning rubber? I'm locked for either, but I don't know your drummer's neighborhood too well. And by too well, I mean anything at all. I haven't even looked at her SIN, to tell you the truth...probably because I hate 'em."

Which was true- Jean had at least two fake SINs he regularly rotated around with his real one, each one with fake credentials. It was hard to find high-quality fakes, but he had never really lacked for too much money when he actually really needed it.

[BudgetDM]

"Okay, joking aside here's what I got." says Tequila to Deadboy,"One, her address. Not to bad a neighborhood. Two, a photo. Publicity photo actually. Seems she is joined a band recently. On that note, three, bands contact info."

She pauses to think for a second.

"I was thinking that we contact the band mates, then we..."

She covertly out her Autopicker.

"...search the apparent."

[Lycan 01]

"Did I say drummer? I meant Bassist, my bad..." Silver corrects his previous slip of the tongue. "At any rate, lets get there under the radar. If something fishy is going on, we should avoid drawing too much attention to ourselves. I just remembered her address, so we can go check it out first. I haven't been to her house personally, but I've been to the area a time or two, so I can get us there. I actually don't know if she has a SIN or not..."

Silver quickly skitters back into his bedroom as he talks to Jean via Commlink, and quickly slips on a pair of spring-loaded weapon slides onto his forearms. He then slots his two Ares Predators into them, retracting the pistols up his sleeves and leaving them concealed. He then straps a concealed holster behind his waist, positioning it in the small of his back. He places his Steyr TMP submachine gun there, deciding to bring it along just in case. Besides, he had a license. A fake license, yes, but still a license. He also slips a few spare clips of ammo into his jacket, but opts to leave most of the ammunition and his knife behind.

Once he has everything, he quickly heads out the front door, turning off the tv as he goes. A short elevator trip later, and Silver finds himself standing outside on the street, awaiting the arrival of his Transporter.


Bringing Ares Predators and TMP along, as well as 1 spare clip for each weapon - a total of 3 extra clips.

[DueceEsMachine]

Deadboy -

*With a nod, he opens up a comm channel to Tequila, pushing the window off to the side to stay out of his way.*
"Just beam it over my way. I think I have a pretty good idea of her neighborhood - nothing big time going on there, at least nothing I've heard about."

*Putting his glass down, he frowns a bit as the cred total on his comm goes down.*
"Raised your prices again? Might have to start looking for a different place to drink."

*Rajan just smiles, head shaking"
"You know better than that. We're the only place that won't throw you out on your hoop."

*With a low growl, he heads for the door, pulling Kwans picture into veiw.*
"Let's head towards the residence first. The band contact details should let us get ahold of them while we go. Probably a guy manager. You wanna give him a buzz and get the info? You got a better chance than me."

[Gunther]

The Tata Hotspur, intended for high-speed races across the Awakened desert, gunned its engine as it pulled around the corner. Self-adjusting tires barely squeaked as the whole vehicle whipped around, the crash harness of the driver digging in. What would have been usual AR alerts were silent, the Drive By Wire system working very nicely to knock out every bit of wireless transmission in the buggy.

As it pulled up along the side of the road in front of the apartment, for the waiting Silver, Jean deactivated the component. Wireless connectivity restored, it was simple enough to turn off the pilot program with just a few clicks of his commlink.

Hands on the wheel, he came to a dead stop in front of the man he occasionally chauffeured about. A man that had made life a bit more interesting than what was out on the deserts. A statement in and of itself.

Rolling down the window, he tapped the button to disable the anti-theft system. He wouldn't want the young man getting electrocuted, now did he?

"Hop on in, omae- we've got lots of ground to cover, and I suspect that the answer to all this lies in your friend's apartment."

[BudgetDM]

"You wanna give him a buzz and get the info? You got a better chance than me."

"Sure omae," replies Tequila also heading for the door.
I'm the face for this job, we are in deep drek. And why does the name "Innocence Proves Nothing" sound so familiar? And why does it make me think about trolls?

As she gets in her car she makes the call.

[a_humble_lich]

Silver/Deadboy
You arrive at Shirley's flat. The building has definitely seen better day's, although it is one of the nicer looking places in the neighbourhood. After knocking on the door, a youngish ork woman answers.

"Who are you. If you're here tryin' to collect on Shirley's rent, don't bother. She ain't here!"



If it isn't clear, the band contact number goes to Silver

[Lycan 01]

Krikey, I've got to have three conversations at once? :smalleek: Jean, Tequila, and the NPC girl are all trying to talk to me at the same time! Uhhhh... lets see if I can dance around this complex labyrinth of dialogue and intrigue.


When Silver gets in the car with Jean, he is careful not to scratch up anything or otherwise harm the beauty that is Jean-Pierre's vehicle. "I know I've said it 57 times before..." he grins, "But I love your car. At any rate, I guess I'll do all the talking. Do you have any weapons, in case things turn ugly? And do you have any sort of surveillance drones or anything, in case we need to be extra sneaky or anything? Shouldn't be too much trouble, though. I hope..." the Elf sighs.


Partway into the ride, Silver's commlink starts buzzing. He quickly answers it, though he pauses shortly to look at the incoming Comm-ID. It looks oddly familiar. "Hi there!" he greets the other speaker as he accepts the call. This is Sirius. What's up, person who is calling me?" he smirks playfully. This wasn't an act - he did, in fact, typically answer his phone calls in a cavalier and silly manner.



A short while later after what was likely an interesting conversation, Silver arrives at Shirley's apartment. When his knock on the door is answered by a young Ork lady, Silver automatically takes charge of the situation. He subtly shifts his stance and posture to put himself into the center of her vision and partially obstructs her view of Jean-Pierre, effectively making himself the main object her attention. He places his hands in his pockets, and allows himself to look relaxed, so that she'd realize he wasn't here on business or to cause trouble. He smiles broadly, showing her a disarming smile to let her know he was friendly and put her in a better mood. And he mentally signals his voice-box augmentation, and slightly alters the tone and depth of his voice to give him a much more suave and calming voice.

"Oh, so sorry to bother you, my dear," he bows his head slightly in a gesture of apology. "No, no, I am not here for the rent or anything bothersome like that. You see, I'm a friend of Shirley's - part of her band, in fact. The name's Silver, and I'm just here to check up on my dear friend and musical compatriot, since she hasn't spoken to any of us in almost a week. Are you a friend or relative of her's, pray tell? And if so, might you be able to tell her where she is?"



Just trying to be nice to her, though I did tweak my voice a bit to sound more impressive and likable. Do I need to roll anything?


Also, did you mean Jean-Pierre? :smallconfused: Or is Deadboy already here, too, and standing next to me at the same time she opens the door? :smallconfused:

[Gunther]

Jean-Pierre let Silver take control of the conversation, instead whipping off a quick instant message via his commlink to the young man's own.

Thanks for the complement, packing a silenced pistol with a handful of shots. I want to play it quiet, but can hightail it if needed. No surveillance drones- but I have some skillwire software I got on the DL in case we need to smack some guys around or schmooze with people.

[a_humble_lich]

No, don't bother rolling, and yes I mixed up the names, I meant you and Jean-Pierre

When it is clear you are not coming for rent or trying to sell something the ork's disposition softens somewhat.

"I'm Shirley's roommate, and I haven't seen her for 5 days at least. She just disappeared and left a big pile of her dishes for me to clean. I'm guesing she's off with that Michel boy. [She pronounces the name like Michelle] Never did like him. Ya know ya can't really trust those humans, they're always after somethin'.

[Gunther]

Jean leaned forward slightly, trying to edge his head around. Considering he strove to pass for a human (even having gone so far as to have his ears altered via nanoplasty), he tried his best not to look offended.

"I understand the sentiment, miss, and I'm sorry to hear about those dishes. I'm a...friend of a friend of Shirley's- could you please tell us anything you might know about Michelle? Or even just happen to have a logged SIN profile on your commlink?"

[Lycan 01]

"Heh, humans. Ain't that the truth..." Silver smirks playfully at the Ork girl. "So, 5 days, huh? What was the last thing she told you? How long has she known this Michel guy? Anything you can tell us about what he's like, what he does, what their relationship is like...?"

He then gestures past her at the room beyond the doorway. "Would it be too forward to ask if we might be able to come inside?" he asks in a charming manner. "It may be better if we can sit and relax while we talk this over, rather than standing uncomfortable in a doorway. But, if you'd rather us stay out here, that's quite fine. Its you're call, Miss....?" the Elf arches an eyebrow and tilts his head slightly to the side, his expression friendly and curious as he hopes to get her name.


Silver may or may not try to hit on her. :smalltongue:

[BudgetDM]

Well that was a waste of time.

Whoever answered had made what they doubtless thought was interesting conversation, but managed to impart no useful information.

And why the hell did that voice sound so familiar?

"Deadboy," Tequila says into her commlink, "the call didn't turn up anything. I'll meet you at the apartment."

[DueceEsMachine]

Deadboy -

*Turning the corner from the bar, a shiver ran the length of his spine as the comm call came through. What the hell was that?*
"Yeah. Right behind you."

*Shaking his head a bit as he gave the bike some gas, he tried to pass the feeling off. It came and went, but even the Doc couldn't tell him what it was. All his systems were supposedly up to snuff. Feeling things that weren't there wasn't normal though.*

*Opening a comm call with the docs answering machine, he logs the date and time.*
"Hey, Doc. Got another wave - right before a comm call came in this time. Just calling it in like you suggested, but this stuff isn't stopping like you said it should. I'll run some system checks when I'm not so busy, but we're gonna have to figure something out."

[a_humble_lich]

"I'm sorry where are my manners, come in.

"She's only known this Michel for a couple weeks, but I don't like how important he's gotten, and so quickly. It's not proper. From his looks I doubt he has a SIN, hell I doubt he has a job, but I picked her up at his place once I can get the address for you." She shuffles through a bunch of bits of paper on a nearby desk and hands you a scrap of paper that has "Michel Pierre-Louis" followed by an address written on it.


"She has been spending a lot of time there, but it's been a long time to be gone without telling me.....Is that why you're here? Did something happen to her? What Happened! I knew Michel was bad news, I knew it....


If you look the address up (and I'm assuming you will) you find it is still in Redmond about a mile away. Roll on a relevant Street Knowledge skill if you want to know anything about the neighbourhood.

[Lycan 01]

"Calm down, calm down..." Silver holds up his hands in a calming gesture, seeing that she's beginning to get worked up. "To my knowledge, nothing has happened to her. Tell ya what, I'll go pay this Michel fellow a visit, and find out if he knows where Shirley has gone off to. Then I'll let you know what the situation is, alright? There's no need for you to worry your pretty little face..." he smiles warmly, trying to keep her calm and relaxed... and maybe a hint of flirting.

"Now, this Michel fellow. Since you seem to think he lacks a SIN or even a job, I'm guessing he's a bit on the trashy side. A ganger punk or some slag like that, I assume?" the Elf arches a blond eyebrow. "Do you know if he has any friends or anything? What all did Shirley tell you about him? If she was that smitten with the fellow, I'm sure she told you all about him. Though, she never mentioned him to any of us. Odd..."


Errr... Nope, no related Street Knowledge skills. Should I just make a Logic check, since it controls Street Knowledge skills?

Logic: [roll0]

Or maybe Memory, in case he's ever been there before?

Memory: [roll1]

[BudgetDM]

Tequila's car pulls up to the address listed.

Okay, this is where the drek could hit the fan. If our lost little girl has roommates they could be in on it. If she doesn't, someone could see me breaking in to toss the place. Well, if I wanted easy I should've become a janitor.

While she waits for Deadboy to show up, she double checks that her guns are in place and ready for easy draw.

When Deadboy shows she outline her plan.

"My plan pretty basic, I'm gonna knock on the door and see if anyone is home. You stay out of sight and keep look out. If no-one answers the door and no-one is watching we break in and search the place." she says.

Then feeling that that simple idea didn't really merit the title of "Plan" she adds, "Sometime the best plans are the simplest."

After Deadboy nods agreement and finds an out of the way place to watch, Tequila walks up and knocks on the door.

DueceEsMachine I saw what you wrote in the occ thread about needing to take today off and assumed it would be okay to just assumed that you would agree to my plan.

Looking around to see if we are being watched.
Perception (Visual +2) + INT [roll0]

[Gunther]

Seeing Silver go inside, Jean- having not left the car, felt his hand reach for his commlink at the sight of the second car. A pistol in a rolling fortress like his car was useless- only trideo junkey go-gangers ever fired a gun while driving. It was a sure recipe for crashing at extremely high speeds, and making a hilarious splatter for LoneStar to cordon off.

Jean-Pierre stared at the vehicle as its occupant emerged...and started heading for the door. Two immediate tactical plans came into mind:
A) Address newcomer, see if it's the grocery drone delivery service coming to tell the nice lady that their drones had- once again- mistaken a Matrix cafe for their recharging stations, and either get fired upon or quit his subscription to Drone Grocers Weekly.

B) Warn Silver of the new guy coming to the door, hope the nice lady doesn't mind a man jumping through a window, and- depending on what these guys did- either use his own car to turn their insides into a crushed soyshake or just let Silver see what they wanted.

Actually, there was a plan C, but that consisted of him going "Truckzilla" on their ride and then turning them into crushed soyshakes on the hood of his car. Plan C, whilst undoubtedly immensely fun, would likely be followed by a rather annoying LoneStar chase through crowded city streets.

Plus, Plan C didn't account for the possibility of Plan A being right. So he went for Plan D: All of the above.

Switching into drive, he hit the ignition switch, letting the engine whir to life. A quick press of the commlink, and he was phoning Silver...not to mention sending a large-scale broadcast.

"'Ello gentlemen!" He said, under the fake SIN of 'Akhmed (Crazy) Hassan'. The fact that he didn't look a bit like someone from Eastern Europe didn't help, but the profile picture matched his own, and the details were in order under most scrutiny.

"I am Akhmed!" He said over the public channel, putting on his best faux Arabic accent, "You two are looking for Taxi, yes, not home? You want taxi, not go into home, yes? Good fares! Cheap! Very cheap! Best nuyen price in town, yes, yes! Oh what good rides you shall have, very good my friends!"

All in all, it had the subtlety of a herd of cattle in the middle of the highway. But hopefully Silver would pick up on the hint that there were two men heading right for him.

If not, then Jean- not Akhmed- would be praying to every god in earshot, very soon, that these guys were in fact just the local grocer drone operators. And not, say, a Mafiya hit-team.

That he had just identified himself to.

[Lycan 01]

Silver's commlink begins to beep in his pocket. A short second later, a familair voice with an annoyingly fake Middle-Eastern accent began to boast loudly about his awesome taxi services. Silver sighed, then slapped his Commlink to silence the public channel. "Sorry 'bout that..." he mutters, smiling apologetically to the Ork lady. "Where were we?"

Silver now knew two things. One, he really needed to internalize his Commlink, even if the Cyberware surgery would make him sick as a dog for awhile. Two, Jean didn't act like an idiot unless he had good reason. Which meant that whoever he was trying to persuade into accepting his "taxi service" was likely somebody he felt needed to be distracted. IE: a threat.

Silver didn't do anything obvious. He just shifted his posture slightly so that he could have a good view of the front door, and he made sure his hands were open and free so that if he needed to draw his pistols, he could do so with no hesitation or obstruction.

[DueceEsMachine]

Deadboy -

*Pulling his bike up behind Tequilas vehicle, he positioned it with the front tire heading out to the street and hopped off, looking around.*

Never know when you need to make a quick getaway.

*Tequilas plan was sound enough, and with a nod of agreement, he starts to follow her lead.*
"Simple. I like simple. Less can go wron.... ah!"

*The broadcast seemed to slam into his commlink, and for a second, he could have sword he felt it like a wave. Turning towards the street, he isolate the signal, sending a quick vulgar message in response.*

"Hell. Cabbies in this town are crazier than ever."

This close to the Barrens?
Yeah. Cabbies stayed out of this part of town. Not likely chummer.
*The hair on the nape of his neck stood on end, but they still had a job to do. Motioning for Tequila to lead the way, he just made a mental note. No quick getaway today.*

OOC:

Actually, I'm cool with you doing that Budget, no worries. I appreciate the help. Wife is feeling better, but I fear I may have caught it as well. Time will tell I suppose, but I got this post in, so I shouldn't hold us up much. Thanks guys!

[Gunther]

"Hundred fifty nuyen, I driver for whole day!" Akhmed broadcast back, as he heard the vulgar response. Expected, but he couldn't be certain if these guys were just local technicians or not.

"No questions asked, my friends! Oh yes, offendi, I would pray to the most glorious Shiva that you could spot such a fine offer! You are men of high respect and wit, oh yes, very great men indeed."

His drummed his hands against the steering wheel as he kept trying to distract the two. Every minute counted, whatever Silver was doing. Hopefully he wasn't actually doing...then again, Jean-Pierre didn't know the man that well.

"Why you not want ride, friends? Good fare prices, very cheap, good yes-yes!"

[a_humble_lich]

If you don't mind this is said as all the taxi stuff is going on.

"Well she didn't talk about him much, that's one of the reasons I was concerned. He didn't really seem like no ganger, but it's hard to tell these days. I'd say he looked more like a street bum. He wasn't from around here, I think he's from Jamaca or Cuba or Miami--someplace forign.

"What is all that noise going on outside? We don't get taxis out here? Wait who are you really with? Are you with the Yaks? What's going on here?

[Lycan 01]

"Hm. So a Caribbean street bum. That's interesting. Oh, right, taxi stuff. I've actually been pretty honest," Silver shrugs, before rising from his seat. "I really am the lead singer for Shirley's band, and I really am here to figure out where the heck she went. Nothing more, nothing less. The other guy I'm with is just a friend of mine who I bummed a ride off of. From the sound of it, he's trying to be a distraction. Which means there's somebody suspicious outside, probably heading this way."

"Tell you what..." Silver says over his shoulder as he calmly starts to walk towards the door. "I'll get the door, should anybody knock. If Jean is making a fool of himself, there may be cause for concern. Can't be too careful, y'know, especially if they have ties to this Michel guy."

[a_humble_lich]

"I'm definitely getting worried now. Do you really think those guys are connected to her disappearance? This is getting too scary. I wish I knew more about this Michel.

With that she walks into the back of the house where she is not in line of sight of the door.

[BudgetDM]

Tequila knocks on the door again, all the while feeling the hairs raise on her neck.

Something is off.

She could feel the tension in the air, but she resisted the temptation to draw her gun. She would hate to find Shirley only to tell her she wasted her roommate or something.

"Ms. Kwan are you in?"

[Lycan 01]

(OOC: Oh CRAP, I KNEW I had forgotten to respond to an pbp post somewhere...)


Silver approaches the front door, and flexes his left hand. An Ares Predator, loaded with standard bullets, jolts from his sleeve and into his palm. He reaches out with his right hand and opens the door, cracking open slightly so he can see who's on the other side. While his face and right shoulder are visible, his left side is concealed behind the door, and he raises the gun so that he can fire through the door if the need arises. "I'm sorry, Shirley hasn't been here for a few days. So if you're here for the rent or whatever, you'll just have to come back later..." he calmly informs whoever it is on the other side.

[BudgetDM]

Tequila looks at Silver's face for a moment and then realization hit.

"Hoi omae, it's me, Jo-Ann." she says. "Remember, you hired me to find that stalker girl. What are you doing... Wait, was that you I talked to when I called the number for Shirley's band?"


Tequila uses the name on her fake SIN when doing her PI work, so that's the name that Silver would know. Lycan what name does she know Silver under?

[Lycan 01]

Silver blinks dumbly a few times, and then grins. "Well frak, it really is you. Fancy meeting you here, Jo-Ann. And yeah, that was me on the phone. You're reeeeeeally not the talkative type, are you?" he smirks playfully at the foreign Ork girl.


She probably knows Silver as Silver. He wouldn't have had any reason to hide his identity from her at the time...

[BudgetDM]

"Well frak, it really is you. Fancy meeting you here, Jo-Ann. And yeah, that was me on the phone. You're reeeeeeally not the talkative type, are you?"

"Not really," Tequila responds and add to herself, I really should brush up on my face skills. It would really help my business. Too bad skillwires would frak up my essence or I could get those.

"But to my point, your band-mate's big sis is worried about her and hired me and a friend of mine to find her." she says then leans closer and whispers, "Has she really not been here for days, or are you covering for her? I can help."

I know I'm probably revealing more than it would be wise to reveal, but I'm trying to get all of the group on the same page.

[Gunther]

Seeing Silver talking with one of the men at the door, Jean kept his hand resting on the steering wheel. Grabbing his commlink, though, he flicked to the man's frequency- not changing his SIN for the moment.

"Everything alright?" He asked, not bothering with the faux accent.

[Lycan 01]

"Yeah, she's really not been here for days. Seems she got herself mixed up with some "bad boy" and left without a word earlier in the week..." Silver frowns. "I don't like the sound of it. But if you want to work together, seems like a good idea. Oh, wait..." he arches an eyebrow, as his commlink's ear-piece suddenly buzzes.

Not bothering with a verbal response, he leans his head out the door and smiles to Pierre, giving him a "its all good" nod of his head. He then goes back to talking to the Ork girl. "Friend of mine. Must have thought you were- hey, wait..." Silver arches his eyebrow again, just now noticing the other guy outside on the street. "Who's your friend?"

[BudgetDM]

"Who's your friend?"

"Deadboy," answers Tequila, "I've worked with him before. Oh, and on that note..."

She dials Deadboy's commlink, "Believe it or not I've managed to talk my way into some help. Some guys from Shirley's band is looking for her too. Crazy cabbie was a look-out. Mind if I give them your comm so we can plan?"

[DueceEsMachine]

Deadboy -

*With a bit of a sigh at the comm call, Deadboy lets the connection go through, listening for a sec.*
"Yeah, if you can vouche for him, that's good enough for me. I'll be right in."

*As he turns to head that way, he pauses, looking over towards the "taxi"*
"Hey Teq - he got company with him?"

*His hand moves slowly down towards the concealed holster, waiting... hoping for a good answer.*

[BudgetDM]

"Hey Teq - he got company with him?"


"Yeah, the taxi guy. Turns out that the comm spam was his of warning the guy from the band he had company," answers Tequila.

[DueceEsMachine]

Deadboy -

"Fair enough, thanks for the heads up Teq."
*Letting the link drop, he looks over to the driver with a half-smile and a wave before heading in. Let him babysit the wheels. Sounds like there's already a crowd up here.*

*As he comes up next to Tequila, he looks over to their company, assessing the man with a careful eye. Rep can only earn you so much trust, after all.*
"So what's the plan, Boss? We expanding our duo?"

[BudgetDM]

"So what's the plan, Boss? We expanding our duo?"

"Seems like the best thing to do. We're trying to do the same thing anyway." answers Tequila.

[Lycan 01]

While "Jo-Ann" and Deadboy exchange words, Silver stealthily slips his left hand's pistol back into its arm slide. If they saw him holding a gun, they may think he's pulling a trick or something. Once his gun is reconcealed, he introduces himself to this Deadboy fellow. "Yo. Name's Silver. So, seems we're all working together. I'll fill you in on the details..."

The Elf then explains what Shirley's roommate has told him about Shirley and her boyfriend. Once he's done with that brief explanation, he tells the two of them to wait in the living room while he heads back to tell the roommate what's going on. "Hey, pretty-lady-who-still-hasn't-given-me-her-name-yet..." he addresses her with a playful grin, knocking on the bedroom door to make his presence known. "The folks outside are on our side. A private detective who's been hired by Shirley's big sis, and her little buddy. I've worked with the detective, so I know she's cool. You have nothing to worry about..."