JoJo M&M IC

[SaveOrDye]

San Francisco; the heart of California. To most, it's a sunny paradise. You, however, know more. An unusually high concentration of Stand Users have been appearing in the city, and danger has followed. The rate of unsolved crimes has more than doubled over the past year, and the Speedwagon Foundation has been contracted to investigate. You are their first line of attack; a team of Stand Users deployed to stop what most people can't even hope to defend against. Your briefing was simple: Stand Users are popping up faster than ever. Find out the cause, and nip it in the bud. There's a contact waiting for you within the city to fill you in on any leads. For the most part, though, you're on your own.

Your flight touches down in California in the mid-afternoon. The crowds seem even busier than normal within the airport.

Just to specify: you would know in advance where this contact is.

[Quellian-dyrae]

The triplets exited the plane gratefully, taking the opportunity to stretch out a bit once they had room to do so. Their wings may have been invisible to normal people, but they were still there at all times. Cramped airline seating was bad enough with normal human anatomy. The whole "your Stand feels what you feel, you feel what your Stand feels, and lol you all have the same Stand" bit only made it worse, since they each got to experience three times the discomfort.

Flip side, they had a whole row to themselves. There were ups and downs to everything.

And regardless, it was over. Caleb and Amy were pretty much ready to go straight up; they had packed just necessities into the light suitcases they were wheeling along behind them, small enough to just manage to qualify as carry-ons. Nadia, evidently, had elected to treat this excursion like a vacation, so she had to stop at baggage claim and pick up her kinda-nonsensically-big, obviously-overstuffed suitcase. The triplets were California natives, though they lived closer to L.A. than San Francisco. They'd visited the city a few times though.

"So what's the plan?" Caleb asked once the group was all situated.

"I'm thinking we check into our hotel, maybe hang out by the pool for a bit, grab a bite to eat - I heard about this Thai place that's supposed to be so good - and then maybe head to the beach until-"

"...Okay, let me stop you there. You are aware that we're here on business, right? I mean, I know you were there for the briefing..."

"Yeah yeah for sure, we'll totally do that too!"

Caleb stared at her for a moment.

*Sigh* "Okay, fine, we can do the job first. I'm just saying, let's not waste the downtime when we get it! Silly not to take advantage of an all-expenses-paid trip to San-"

"Uh, pretty sure we're paying our own expenses, actually. I mean, certainly any not-job-related ones, at the very least..." Amy chimed in.

Nadia let out an exasperated sigh. "Absolutely no fun, the both of you," she complained. Amy gave her a little, sympathetic smile.

[LordArgon]

Buck Dharma exited the plane with an exasperated sigh. He always hated flying, mainly due to the boredom. There was no thrill in flying, and you had to stay in place for hours on end. At least he always had a row to himself, as all of the people who tried to sit next to him always seemed to have panic attacks. While the flight had been mind numbingly droll, the destination was filled with excitement and adventure. There was supposedly a massive amount of Stand users here in the city, meaning he would be able to find a thrilling fight without much searching. After picking up his duffel bag full of clothes and throwing it over his shoulder, Buck was rewarded with his first stand sighting in the city. Three sets of wings arose from a set of three triplets, marking them as Stand users. A bit disappointed that he knew they were allies, Buck walked over to greet them, bringing out Blue Oyster Cult in the process. "Fancy meeting you here. Nice to see the three tiny triplets got here alright. Hopefully our other stand stalwarts will show up soon and we can go meet the contract."

[Ridai]

Alice used to the time stuck in the airplane to read up on San Francisco and memorize its map. By her standards, the flight was pretty uneventful, having a window seat, with a nervous-looking young woman sitting beside her. Just prior to take-off, the young woman struck up a conversation, seemingly to calm her own nerves. It started by asking if it was the first time Alice was flying to San Francisco, and turns out it was the young woman's first time as well, introducing herself as Diana Oliver. Knowing the signs of someone needing someone to talk to, Alice asked her if she was afraid of flying. Throughout the flight, Alice managed to get Diana to open up slowly, getting the abridged version of her life story piece by piece, which eventually led to her memories of traveling with her dad, who died recently, and traveling now always bringing the pain back. With the patience of a saint, Alice listened to the unending quiet stream of words, bonding with the young woman as she started to work through it all. There were tears and quiet sobs (and Stone Cold Crazy increasing the calm or indifference of people nearby to avoid interference), Diana eventually crying on Alice's shoulder (Alice making an exception for her) and briefly falling asleep there, while Alice continued her studies. Once Diana woke back up, there was a bit of embarassment on her part, but things started to go into a more cheerful direction afterwards.

Heading off the plane together and collecting their luggage (though Alice is traveling pretty light), a happier Diana hugs the kind stranger (again, exception, it is part of the process) and Alice wishes her good luck with her studies, answering a wave and a smile with ones of her own. Alice has little illusions of having "fixed" Diana, but it's a first step. She seems like she could take things from there.

So, all in all, average flight. As long as one doesn't enhance their senses and counteracts soreness with a bit of choice amplification, it wasn't too bad.

With the role of the kind stranger concluded, the usual calm exterior returns to Alice as she makes a left and heads to where she spotted her colleagues in this endeavor. As many Stand Users are involved, she dressed expecting trouble, so instead of a dress, she opted for t-shirt, flares, boots, jacket, and jet-black sunglasses. Greeting by way of the casual wave and smile, she looked at neither the triplets' wings nor Buck's manifestation. She wasn't quite as eager as the latter to paint a target on herself, but with the triplets around, it was sort of a lost cause anyway.

Only one missing, so Alice does a quick check of her surroundings. Reasonable thing to do anyway, but when legitimately having an excuse to look around, she'll gladly take it.

[SaveOrDye]

Moira O'Byrne steps out onto the tarmac. She begins to walk away from the plane before seeing Buck bring out his stand in the corner of her eye. With a quick glance over her shoulder, she sidles her way over to the four Stand Users. She takes off a pair of sleek, obnoxiously-reflective sunglasses and clears her throat. "Well, good afternoon to y'all. I take it you're the other Foundation operatives?" Though there's a clear southern drawl to her voice, it's... not very convincing, and an Irish accent is still audible through it. Moira places her sunglasses back on the bridge of her nose with a smile.

So I tried to post this about 8 hours ago, but it didn't seem to work.

[Ridai]

Alice nods to the newcomer with a quick smile. "Moira? Alice." She looks to the group as a whole, doing a questioning nod towards the exit. If the others are in agreement, she heads out with them to go get a taxi.

[LordArgon]

"Well since we are all here, let's get to the contact." Buck heads out with Alice to get a taxi after withdrawing his Stand. His height and build would help him stand out from the crowd.

[SaveOrDye]

Moira follows along with the group. As they walk, she stares up into the sky for a second.

[Quellian-dyrae]

The triplets exchanged greetings with the others (and introduced themselves to Moira). Caleb gave a kinda bemused snort at Buck's "tiny triplets" crack. "Good to see you too, Big Guy," he returned in kind.

Amy answered Alice's nod with her own, and the three of them followed along. As they walked, Nadia asked, "So, any of you guys been to San Francisco before?" Just making small-talk.

[Ridai]

Alice shakes her head in response to Nadia. Out of the corner of her eye, she spots Moira's gaze, followed by looking up herself with her amplified senses.

[LordArgon]

"Yeah, I've been here before. Now I haven't explored the whole city, just the docks and bars. There didn't seem to be so many crazy supernatural occurrences back then, so the people causing the killings are probably new to the area or new to their Stands. Hey, what're you guys cloud watching for, we got some Stands to smash."

[SaveOrDye]

"...just keeping an eye on the weather." Moira mumbles as she drags her gaze back down. "Can't say I've ever been around here before, no."

[SaveOrDye]

A taxi soon pulls up next to the group.

[Ridai]

Alice gestures the taxi to them, and once it stops beside them, she greets the driver with a smile, telling him where they want to go, acting the part of the nice, well-traveled young lady, one who may just tip a good, no BS driver quite well. Once that is done, she gets into the car.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Okay, we'll totally have to set aside some time to take you guys around then!" Nadia said cheerily and with precisely zero ulterior motive whatsoever. Her siblings cast her knowingly-bemused looks.
When the taxi arrived, the triplets put their luggage in the trunk, and piled into the back seat.

[LordArgon]

After tossing his bag in the back, Buck squeezed his way into the taxi. Being so tall and muscular sure had some disadvantages when it came to traveling. As a small relief, three of his fellow passengers were quite petite, leaving him with some extra arm room.

[SaveOrDye]

The driver seems sceptical as you tell him your destination, but if he has a problem, he doesn't mention it. He seems anxious as he dros you off near the park, and soon hurries away again.

[Ridai]

That reaction points to either a rough neighborhood or specifically gang/mafia territory. Getting out of the car, suitcase over her shoulder, Alice takes a look around with her amplified senses, and casually heads to the park, taking point. The situation is not exactly unusual for her, and her sunglasses do help with hiding her scanning for trouble. Well, that and being able to pinpoint positions by hearing and smell.

What does the area look like?

Does Alice know anything about the area through her Well-Informed advantage?
Investigation for Well-Informed [roll0]

[SaveOrDye]

That reaction points to either a rough neighborhood or specifically gang/mafia territory. Getting out of the car, suitcase over her shoulder, Alice takes a look around with her amplified senses, and casually heads to the park, taking point. The situation is not exactly unusual for her, and her sunglasses do help with hiding her scanning for trouble. Well, that and being able to pinpoint positions by hearing and smell.

What does the area look like?

Does Alice know anything about the area through her Well-Informed advantage?
Investigation for Well-Informed [roll0]

There are many trees, with paths leading through them to a paved clearing with benches and such.


Alice is aware that this park (and the area around it) has had an unusual history of accidental injuries and deaths.

[Quellian-dyrae]

The triplets made note of the driver's reaction, but weren't particularly concerned about it. They were all powerful Stand Users, after all.

~Although it does beg the question as to why our contact chose a place like this for the meeting, rather than like a nice restaurant or cafe or something.~

~Or the beach!~

~Hm. I mean, it's easier to blend in with a crowd, but that would be equally true for anyone who might be trying to spy on or interfere with the meeting. If this place had a sordid reputation, then presumably it will be fairly empty, and the outdoor setting means we'll be able to see people coming from further away.~

~That's plausible. If so, it would mean our contact is expecting potential trouble.~

~Which would be another excellent reason to host it in a place civilians avoid. If anyone tries anything, we'll be able to cut loose!~

~I mean...hopefully it will all go smoothly, and it's just a precaution.~

~Oh. Yeah. Sure. I mean, absolutely. Hopefully.~

Once they had arrived, the triplets got their luggage, thanked and paid the driver, and followed along, heading for the meeting spot. Their eyes began to glow brightly, Caleb's a moonlight silver, Nadia's sky blue, and Amy's sunrise pink, as they channeled the ideals of Faith, Hope, and Love into their minds, expanding their senses to detect any Stands, life forces, and emotions in their vicinity.

Perception for mental senses (substitutes Insight): [roll0]. The result is 15 lower for their normal senses.

Their mental senses can detect Stands, Life, and Emotions, respectively, and are all Acute, Analytical, Accurate, and Radius.

[LordArgon]

"I don't usually hang out in parks, but judging by the taxi driver's reaction this one seems like it could be fun." Buck confidentiality walks into the park with his bag over his shoulder, and tries to find the meeting point.

[Ridai]

"Park has a high accident and fatality rate. Could be rumors to keep people away, a hunting ground, or the work of Stands," Alice notes as she keeps walking, voice smooth and calm like the mirror sea.

[SaveOrDye]

The sun is just starting to set as you enter the park, casting long shadows over the pathways. Up ahead, the park is empty except for an aged man sitting on a bench. He seems to be waiting for someone.

[SaveOrDye]

Moira follows along, narrowing her brow at the setting sun. "Have any of you met this contact before?"

You can choose whether or not your character has met him.

[LordArgon]

Buck shrugs, "Can't say that I have. I may have bumped into them at some point, but I don't know them."

[Quellian-dyrae]

"We haven't, nah," Caleb answered. The triplets didn't slow their stride, approaching the man without reservation, Caleb raising one hand in a wave. As they closed to a conversational distance, Nadia greeted him with, "Heya!" and Amy with a small smile.

[SaveOrDye]

The contact is slightly startled at Nadia's greeting. He takes a quick glance around, then stands, limping on one leg. "You're here with the Foundation?" He asks.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"That's us," Caleb agreed.

"I'm Amy. This is my brother Caleb, and my sister Nadia," Amy introduced them, though she'd leave it to the others to make their own introductions.

"Sooo what's the situation? We understand a bunch of Stand Users have been popping up and...well, let's be realistic and say used to be causing problems?" Nadia asked with a wry grin and her usual confidence.

[Ridai]

"Hello, sir," Alice greets the contact. Apparently, she never caught a name, despite meeting him and hearing about his service for the Foundation. The triplets pretty much said what needed to be said, so she awaits an answer.

[LordArgon]

"Yeah we are, so what did you call us here for?"

[SaveOrDye]

"I came across a lead a while back that could help you get an idea of what's been going on." He reaches into his pocket to retrieve an envelope and offers it to you. "Name's Dan Billson, by the way."

[Ridai]

Alice takes the envelope and looks over its contents, quickly committing them to memory. As she does so, she asks "What's the current situation in San Francisco? Any high profile Stand User activity? Have the feds gotten involved yet?"

[SaveOrDye]

"Eh, the police are keeping their distance. I figure whoever's running this-" He pauses as you try to take the envelope. The paper sticks to his hand and doesn't budge.

[Ridai]

Alice inclines her head to the side and tries to let go of the envelope.

Should she not be able to, or Mr. Billson still does not move or continue after she lets go, she says "Enemy Stand User around."

[Quellian-dyrae]

The triplets frow- okay, actually, Caleb and Amy frowned, Nadia kinda smirked - and cased around, the bright glow still shining in their eyes.

Going to take a "move" action to make a new Perception roll. As a reminder, I've got an Acute Analytical Accurate Radius Ranged Mental Detect [Stands/Life Energy/Emotions] sense up.

Perception: [roll0] for mental senses. Reduce by 15 for mundane senses. My Perception total is 21 and 21 it shall remain!

[LordArgon]

ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ
　
ＴＨＩＳ 　ＭＵＳＴ 　ＢＥ 　ＴＨＥ 　ＷＯＲＫ 　ＯＦ 　ＡＮ 　ＥＮＥＭＹ 「ＳＴＡＮＤ」！！
　
ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ

Buck shouts while summoning Blue Oyster Cult.

[SaveOrDye]

Dan pulls his hand away and stares down at it. "Sure sounds like one, boy." He murmurs to Buck.


The triplets frow- okay, actually, Caleb and Amy frowned, Nadia kinda smirked - and cased around, the bright glow still shining in their eyes.

Going to take a "move" action to make a new Perception roll. As a reminder, I've got an Acute Analytical Accurate Radius Ranged Mental Detect [Stands/Life Energy/Emotions] sense up.

Perception: [roll0] for mental senses. Reduce by 15 for mundane senses. My Perception total is 21 and 21 it shall remain!


Which sense type do those apply to? I'm assuming sight.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"It's in the trees over there," Caleb said quietly, nodding just slightly in the direction of the Stand he'd detected.

"Sooo...hit it?" Nadia suggested with a wry grin.

"I think maybe talk, first," Amy answered, with an affectionately-bemused shake of her head. "We don't...really know for sure it's hostile."

"But mooom, I don't liiiike broccoli," Nadia faux-complained. Amy gave her a look, which she returned with an all-too-innocent smile.

"Odds are it won't understand you," Caleb pointed out.

"Yeah, but it might. Or its User might be nearby, or something," Amy said. End of the day, any harm they inflicted upon the Stand would be shared with its User. Amy wouldn't jump right to harming others if she could help it. (Truth was for all her bravado Nadia wouldn't either, but hey if Amy was just going to step in anyway she might as well have fun with it, right?)

Then unless anyone stopped her or, like, just straight jumped to attacking it or anything, she'd face the unidentified Stand directly, raise one hand in a kinda wave, and call out, "Hey there! Perhaps we can talk?" More out of hope that its User was nearby enough (or connected enough to their Stand) to monitor the situation, although if the Stand was scouting it was at least possible that it might have had enough will to communicate.

Caleb and Nadia stood ready. While they certainly wouldn't object to their sister's attempt to learn more and avoid conflict, they weren't going to just trust the Stand to be peaceful. If it attacked or tried to flee once realizing it had been detected, they were prepared to act immediately.

If any of you would rather retain the potential tactical advantage of striking immediately, feel free to either stop Amy or just like declare acting before they've finished their little side discussion or whatever. I'm not personally invested in going for a peaceful solution, it's just Amy's default play.

[SaveOrDye]

As Amy calls out into the trees, a heavy thud comes from the direction of the sound, followed by a man's meek voice. "Get ouuuuta here! Drop the letter and go, ya dig?"

[Ridai]

Alice, eyes hidden behind her sunglasses, moves her head like she is trying to spot the man, one hand in a pocket of her pants, the over still holding her hard suitcase.

"Can't drop the letter if it sticks to the hand, can we," she points out, voice like a mirror lake.

Meanwhile, Stone Cold Crazy's influence is already reaching out, taking that meekness Alice hears, taking hold of the aspect of insecurity. Even more composed people still feel a bit of embarassment or uncertainty if their mistakes are pointed out, especially in a fairly uncaring way. Their strength is that they don't show it or don't allow it to affect them. However, making that tiny voice of insecurity a roaring cacophony tends to do away with such hindrances.

Alice switches her Stone Cold Crazy - Outward Amplification array to Amplify Emotions/Sensations
Since the man has been making all those sounds Alice could hear and even talked, her Accurate hearing can pinpoint him. That and if he is this close, she can probably also smell him with her Acute and Accurate sense of smell. Amplify Emotions/Sensations is perception range, so she is affecting him with that, amplifying his insecurity.

Will DC 20 (Entranced > Compelled > Controlled). Failing the save means his insecurity gets amplified to the point of utter demoralization and he has to act accordingly (and within the limits of the Affliction conditions, of course), but Alice can't dictate exact actions. The effect is Subtle and Insidious.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Um...no?" Nadia called back.

"If you'd like us to leave you're going to have to give us a reason to do so. How about you come over here and we can discuss the matter, hm?" Caleb asked.

~Ten bucks he takes "give us a reason to do so" as a cue to attack us.~ Nadia sent wryly to her siblings.

~No bet,~ Caleb answered.

~You guys...~

Persuasion to maybe try and convince the guy to come over and talk: [roll0]. +5 if Attractive applies.

[SaveOrDye]

There's a pause. Soon, the man speaks again - but this time, his voice shakes as he talks. "Ffffine. Fine. Jus.. don't come any closer, okay?" The letter slips off of Billson's hand an onto the ground.

[Ridai]

As expected. A lackey. Taking him out would have its benefits, but sending a declaration of war right away is not exactly a reasonable thing to do.

Alice bends down to pick up the envelope. This could, of course, be an enemy feint, but that is a bridge she will need to cross if it comes to that.

"Do you need an escort out of here?" she offers to Mr. Billson as she puts away the envelope into her jacket's inner pocket. A courtesy to an ally, one who had been visibly on edge in this area, and potentially outgunned by Stand Users.

[LordArgon]

Buck Shouts to the hidden man, "Why don't you come out of that tree little man and show us your face. Whoever you are working for will never be as scary as my fists when they turn your face into a Picasso."

Intimidate: [roll0]

[Ridai]

Alice's head turns to Buck shouting at trees, then to the tree line, then back to Buck.

"Potentially getting killed qualifies as a bit scarier than getting punched," she comments, taking on a certain deadpan quality due to her calm voice.

[SaveOrDye]

Billson stands and shakes his head at Alice. "I'll be just fine. I bet you that fella couldn't knock me over if he tried."

At the same time, the attacker's footstep seem to be growing nearer until they stop at the edge of the trees - but the Stand User himself remains hidden.

[Ridai]

Alice nods to Billson. "Alright."

Glancing towards the tree line, she gives a curt "Don't try to harm or follow, and I won't, either," before turning and leaving the park. She'd rather look at the leads away from prying eyes.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Caleb considered a moment. Whoever this person was, they evidently knew something about the situation. Enough, anyway, to have taken action to try and prevent them from getting their lead. He wasn't going to just beat the guy down and haul him in for interrogation or something...but he didn't really want to just part ways either. He took one more shot. "Listen, you obviously deem us a sufficient problem that you tried to interfere with this meeting. Now, we can all just head off and be about our business, but it seems to me that might end up meaning we come into conflict later. Possibly in a situation less conducive to a peaceful resolution. I don't particularly see how that helps any of us. Alternately, you can come out of hiding, talk with us, tell us why you tried to interfere with our meeting, and ideally we can all work together to resolve any differences we might have and head off any potential future conflicts. We're willing to extend you some trust if you're willing to do the same. What do you say?"

Persuasion: [roll0], +5 if Attractive applies.

[SaveOrDye]

A young man's face peers out from behind a tree, his eyes flitting between each of you. "How do I know you won't just kill me?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Dude," Nadia said, pointing a thumb over her shoulder at her wings (she assumed he could see them). "Angels."

"Um, I don't think the visual manifestation of a Stand is actually reliably informative about the nature of the User, actually," Amy pointed out quietly. It was like, sure, Trinity might have been something of a special case there, but he couldn't be expected to know that.

"You know we won't just kill you because we knew where your Stand was," Caleb answered calmly. "And if we wanted to kill you, we would have just attacked your Stand with lethal force as soon as it targeted us with a power."

"...Um. Also it's generally a good rule of thumb to assume people don't want to kill you unless there's evidence to the contrary. I mean, statistically speaking you're likely to be right that way a lot more often than the alternative," Amy added, a bit awkwardly, since that wasn't...really an argument she was expecting to have to make when she had gotten out of bed this morning.

"That too," Caleb agreed with a bit of a smirk. "What makes you think we might have wanted to kill you?"

[SaveOrDye]

"It's self-defense, isn't it? I fight you, you fight me. That's what's gonna happen." He attempts to put on a tougher facade.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"And why would it? You...I mean, you briefly made a letter sticky. That's not exactly a terrible crime. And we've offered you no threat. There's no need for us to fight each other," Amy answered gently, pretty much no-selling his tough act and answering it with just more friendly kindness. "But...we would really like to know why you came here and made the letter sticky."

"Kinda curious as to how you learned about this meeting in the first place, too," Caleb added.

[Ridai]

Seems like the triplets want to talk. Alice stops and watches from the side, her free hand in her pocket, evidently not looking very threatened, or actively threatening. She considers making him calm down a bit, but right now, that's probably not needed.

[LordArgon]

"Ah it's just a little kid. What sick man sends babies out to fight for him. If you were some weird creep, I was definitely going to punch you, but now I have no such plans. Why don't you have a chat out here and tell us why you need the letter. We are good people, and we would never hurt someone for no reason, and the triplet is right, you don't seem strong enough to hurt even them let alone me." After speaking Buck has Blue Oyster Cult begin using (Don't Fear) The Reaper on the enemy stand user to get him to calm down and relax by removing his fear of the party.

Power Check (vs Will): [roll0]

[SaveOrDye]

"Look, I... can't let you get that letter, alright? Let me tell you, I need it a whole lot more than you do." While (Don't Fear) The Reaper certainly made him more talkative, he also seems to have regained a bit if confidence. "You're trying something, ain'cha? You just wanna know about our little business? Well, you're not getting any info from this guy. Andre'd kill me."


Please specify if and when Alice removes her hand from her pocket.

[Ridai]

(I am assuming the need to specify whether Alice removes her hand is due to the guy thinking she'll pull a gun or something? Her hand is in a pocket of her pants, which don't really allow for more than a wallet)

Alice seems to examine the young man for a moment, though her sunglasses and nearly expressionless face make it hard to tell what is going on. She inclines her head to one side, hand still casually in the pocket of her pants.

"One of Andre's boys. Hm," she muses, as if he already let slip plenty (which, to a degree, he has, just not as much as she makes it sound like). "You sure like to try and talk yourself into trouble for someone who wants to stay out of it."

Given her background, Alice knows this sort of guy. The nervous grunt, trying to project more than he can actually back up, frail front of confidence with a whole lot of fear behind it. Can lash out if cornered, and prone to doing stupid things. Well, no need to let the situation escalate. Let's see what she can get from the guy.

Deception check to trick the guy into thinking Alice is aware of Andre, and to get him to spill the beans through that
Deception check [roll0] (+5 if Attractive applies)
edit: I am so very glad that there is no such thing as a natural 1 in M&M. Of course I roll like crap when I try to do something a little non-standard. Like always.

If the mention of Andre and his business is enough to trigger Alice's Well-Informed advantage:
Investigation [roll1]

[SaveOrDye]

To be honest, I usually rule that most skill checks will succeed on a 20 and fail on a 1 - simply because I don't call for a roll if the player is certain to succeed or fail. However, given that the format of PBP means rolls are initiated by the players, I won't use that habit.

Also, Alice's Well-Informed quality doesn't bring up information about "Andre".


"And what do you know about that, huh?" He squares his shoulders in an attempt to hide his wince at the idea that Alice could be onto whoever Andre is. "Maybe I'm not trying to keep myself outta trouble."

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Um...not to put too fine a point on it, or anything, but we totally have the letter," Nadia pointed out helpfully, casting a kinda sidelong glance with a bit of a raised brow at Caleb. He was kinda enough to keep a straight face. "So, I mean, that whole goal's pretty much out of the question."

"It does occur to me, though, that given the choice between us and Andre, we're the ones who...aren't threatening to kill you," Amy added. "If you help us, we can protect you. If Andre is killing people, we can put him away, and then you'll be safe."

"Or, you can go back to him and report your failure. He sounds like the sort of guy that would take it well," Caleb said, sarcasm clear in his voice. Although it faded as he asked, "Look, here's a question. What do you actually want? You're here, in a situation where you clearly expected to fight other Stand Users. You're doing this Andre fellow's bidding. You say you don't particularly care about staying out of trouble. So why? What are you getting out of it, that warrants taking on this level of risk?"

"If we know what you actually want, we might be able to help you," Amy implored.

While I'm at it, Insight to Evaluate the guy, get a general sense of how he's feeling and such. Worth noting, Analytical Detect Emotions is still active. [roll0].

[SaveOrDye]

"I can't just run. He'll know, I'm telling you. He probably already knows I'm doing this, that f-" He cuts himself off to peer over his shoulders. "If you think you can keep him off me, fine, let's talk." The man throws up his hands and walks forth.

[Ridai]

There we go. "Start with what's going on in this town and what Andre's up to right now." Alice doubts he knows the full picture, but every bit of information helps.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Amy offered the man a warm smile as he came out to them. Caleb gave him an approving nod.

"Hey! Look at you picking the winning team! Awesome call!" Nadia extolled brightly. "Yeah man, don't even worry about it. We'll keep you safe, not even a thing," she assured him with her typically unshakable confidence.

"Oh, and uh, what's your name?" Amy asked with friendly politeness, following up with Alice's more pragmatic questioning. "I'm Amy. My brother and sister are Caleb and Nadia," she introduced them.

[SaveOrDye]

"'Name's Tom." The Stand User lightly nods back. "Far as I know, Andre's been running a racket around here. Can't tell you what he's selling; I don't know myself. All I'm here for is to clean up after him."

[Ridai]

"Interesting." May as well maintain the illusion of knowing about Andre. Could be interesting to see where it leads. "Tell me, what do you know about Andre and where to find him?" asked as if Alice wants to see just how much Tom is getting kept in the dark or fed lies.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"It's good to meet you, Tom," Amy said.

"And why were you after us? What's so important about that letter, exactly?" Caleb followed up on Alice's question. Okay, sure, they could just read the thing, but its contents may or may not be a clue as to its importance to this Andre fellow.

[SaveOrDye]

"Well, I haven't met him myself. But from what I've heard down the chain, he's selling something in this district. I usually get my jobs from this guy down by the old depot downtown from here. And as for that paper..." He turns to Billson. "I don't kno, he's the guy who gave it to you."

[Ridai]

Alice now removes her hand from her pants pocket, reaching into her jacket to check the envelope, though she keeps an eye on Tom from behind her sunglasses.

[SaveOrDye]

The envelope contains various photographs of the same few people - sometimes on their own, sometimes together. There's also an unlabeled cassette tape and a folded page that seems to describe the actions of a small group. As you open it, Billson speaks up. "I had a stakeout set up downtown. That's all I was able to collect."

[Quellian-dyrae]

Nadia shifted beside Alice to look over the pictures. "These people are some of the new Stand Users?" she asked Billson.

"What's the name of the guy you get jobs from?" Caleb asked Billson, before looking to Alice. "We should probably see if he can recognize anyone in the photos," he suggested, although he left the option open in case she felt it would be a security risk to let him see them or something.

[Ridai]

"Tell us about these people," Alice says, flipping some of the photos between two fingers for Tom to see, but not handing them to him.

[LordArgon]

"Make sure to include everything you know about their stands. The more you tell us the safer you will be."

[SaveOrDye]

"I think I've seen a couple of those guys on other jobs - can't be sure they're all Stand Users. As for the guy giving out orders..." Tom takes moment to think, absent-mindedly tapping his foot. "She says her name is Jay. 'Parrently, she gets her orders from higher up the chain and passes them to me. Come to think of it, I've never seen her Stand; but I'd figure it's a fighting power. She's that kinda person."

[Ridai]

"Alright," Alice confirms, putting the pictures away. She looks to their informant.

"Mr. Billson, can the foundation provide witness protection with mandatory rehabilitation, or a safe way out of the city? I doubt local authorities are worth anything."

[SaveOrDye]

Billson scratches his head for a second. "Yeah, I'll see what I can do. I'm sure the Foundation can relocate him somewhere. Let me get in touch with the main org later, I'll let them know to expect someone."

[Ridai]

Alice nods to Billson, then looks to Tom.

"Wait for word from Mr. Billson, somewhere where he can reach you. We'll need to go attend business in the meantime. Chances are we will be a greater focus for your superiors than trying to look into what you are doing." A beat. "Reconsider your life choices. You won't get this lucky again if you don't."

Back to Billson. "Any trustworthy accomodations in this city? Wouldn't want to take my suitcase everywhere." And she hands Billson a piece of paper and a pen. Even if Tom isn't supposed to rat them out, might still be better if he doesn't know where they will be staying.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"And if-" the triplets all began together, before giving each other kinda sheepish looks. By unspoken agreement, Nadia continued, "And if there's anything we can do to help, let us know. The Foundation can help you get in touch with us securely." The triplets were all strong believers in redemption - for a chance to help a criminal turn his life around, they'd put in effort.

[LordArgon]

"So after he gets in a safehouse, lets pay a visit to the Jay person. Once we beat the info out of them, we can hunt down the other low tier stand goons on our way to the head honcho."

[SaveOrDye]

Billson notes down a list of out-of-the-way places to stay, then returns the pen and paper. "Alright, these should be safe for the time being..." He mumbles, handing a business card to Tom. "Contact me when you're ready to go."

[Quellian-dyrae]

Nadia chortled at Buck's itinerary, and Caleb raised a brow, but they both more-or-less assumed he was joking.

Amy...wasn't quite so sure. "You're, um, kidding, right?" she asked a bit haltingly.

"You take things too seriously Ames," Nadia told her, hefting her suitcases once more. "Come on, let's check in somewhere and drop this stuff off."

"Thanks, Billson," Caleb said, giving a nod to Tom as well.

[Ridai]

"Thank you, Mr. Billson. Best of luck to both of you." Alice holds up a hand by way of taking her leave, turns, and walks out of the park. She looks at the list of places and what neighborhoods they are in, opting for one that is still fairly well-connected logistically and not at the ass-end of nowhere... and looking at Nadia, perhaps not in a dump of a city section. She probably won't get a hotel, but the team must be kept happy at least to some degree.

"Let's go." Unless anyone objects, Alice heads to the chosen place to load off their baggage, then head out to pay this Jay character a visit.

[SaveOrDye]

The warehouse would look abandoned, if it weren't for the pristine locks on the doors. At this time of the evening, there's nobody in sight; yet a chill still runs down your spines as you approach.

[Ridai]

Alice reaches out with her heightened senses, looking for anyone spying on them or other clues, while appearing to just casually walk up the entrance. She tries the door, and should it not open... she sharply raps the door twice and waits with her thumbs in her pockets.

[SaveOrDye]

The door is tightly locked. A clattering sound echoes from within the warehouse when Alice knocks, but nobody comes to answer.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Hello!" Amy called.

"Nadia," Caleb said simply, with a slight upnod.

"Yep," she agreed, taking to the air, her eyes shining with sky blue light, getting an aerial vantage in case anyone tried to slip out unnoticed. Caleb's and Amy's eyes also shone as they imbued their minds with Trinity's power, to detect any incoming Stands or hostility.

Swapping to Imbue the Mind for Ranged Acute Accurate Analytical Radius Detect Stands, Life, and Emotions. Nadia will fly up to get an aerial vantage.

Effective Perception: [roll0] for mental senses, reduce by 15 for normal senses.

[SaveOrDye]

There's a Stand user within the warehouse - at the centre of one of the upper floors - but they don't seem to be hostile at this point in time.

[Ridai]

Since there is no reaction, Alice looks for window higher up (preferably one close to where the triplets spotted Jay) to jump up, hold onto it, and knock on that. That tends to get people's attention.

[SaveOrDye]

The window is far from being in good condition. In fact, Alice's knocking is enough to loosen it from its frame slightly (but luckily, it doesn't quite give way entirely). Somebody creaks along a corridor just beyond the window, but a corner hides them from view. By the sound of it, whoever is there stops just before coming into view of the window.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Nadia rolled her eyes, flying down to the window Alice was at. "Dude, seriously? You are being rude! We know you're in there, we're just here to talk. Pretending we'll go away if you ignore us is just going to make this a really long night for everybody. So you might as well interact with us like we're all adults. Here, I'll even sweeten the deal. Have you eaten? We'll totally buy you dinner. Free meal just for talking with us, you don't even have to answer any questions you don't want to or anything. What do you say?"

Persuasion: [roll0]. +5 if Attractive applies. I wanted it to happen and then it did. CRIT! Total result 40, or 45 if Attractive applies.

[SaveOrDye]

"What do you want? If you're after cash, we don't keep anything here. But you can't be, can you? No thief announces themselves. So you're either mistaken, or you're looking for me." A woman speaks from within the building, ranting quickly as if she's irritated. "Come in; I should at least see who you are."

[Ridai]

Alice looks to the others, giving them a look like could be a trap, but she decides to open the window with her boot and moves inside with one smooth motion. Cursory glance to spot anything out of order before focusing back on the woman.

"We don't want to harm or rob you. We wouldn't knock, twice, if we did. I assume you are Jay. We are looking for Andre, so kindly point us to where we can find him or someone who knows and we are gone before you know it." Alice doesn't bother with taking off her sunglasses, having an aloof air to her. She is here to do business, and if Jay complies, she has no reason to mess with her. "We also want to know what you and thus Andre are selling. His business is attracting attention from outside of town, and we'd like to have a talk before other, much less civil factions get involved and make things worse for everyone." In a way, this is not far from the truth. Alice would prefer nipping the creation of a lot of Stand users in the bud without any fights or bloodshed, preferably before Andre gets any big ideas in his head that lead to very nasty clashes with crime organizations or any non-corrupt parts of the authorities (though more likely the former than the latter), potentially catching innocents in the crossfire.

Deception [roll0] (+5 if Very Attractive applies) to convince Jay they are there to do business with Andre and possibly make sure what he, and thus by extension Jay, have going on can keep going instead of the implied attempted hostile takeover of those "other factions".

Amplify Senses is still active.

[Quellian-dyrae]

The triplets flew in as well, Nadia replying to Alice's look with a hint of a smirk. She wasn't particularly concerned with the possibility of traps.

They introduced themselves politely, but didn't really have anything of note to add to what Alice said. Now that they were inside though, they did take the opportunity to try to get a better sense of the woman before them.

Insight to Evaluate: [roll0]. Note that Analytical Detect Emotions is still on, which may supplement this.

Insight for Assessment: [roll1]. Likewise, Analytical Detect Stands is on, which may provide similarly relevant information.