(IC) New Bedford by Night: WtF II

[Thundercracker]

Blaze

Although he'd probably have asked the crab to divulge it's information without offering anything in return, at least at first, Blaze kept quiet to let Joanna try to handle it, and also to hear what the little critter had to say.

"He's a polite little bugger, I kinda like him," he thought as he observed the spirit.

[Bennosuke]

The two finger-like probosci that carry the spirit's green eyes move sideways in a strange, almost comical expression, as two foreclaws come together in a wiping rubbing gesture. Turning its attention to Joanna, the spirit replies, "Your kindness Uratha is becoming well known. I am called Snatching Net." The spirit steps forward, lowering its front-part in a bowing motion causing the many coins and trinkets caught in its seaweed net to jingle and jangle. "The spirits from the ocean that you provided shelter and sustenance to," Snatching Net whines, "I too would like such generosity Uratha."

[Haval]

Despite the fact that Joanna was talking to a crab spirit, this situation seemed familiar. You bribe one guy for information and suddenly everyone wants in.

'Somehow I think helping everyone over here might be a little impractical.' It seemed like the sort of thing that might have unintended consequences. 'Lets say I might consider it if the information is good. You want to tell me what you think we're looking for?'

[GKnightBC]

Bemused at the bold spirit, Jeremy keeps looking around at the other spirits in the area, wondering how many are going to petition the 'Mighty Uratha" for bargains. Even while he looks at the few spirits nearby, he listens to the conversation, learning.

[Daishain]

Bear simply nods in support of Joanna's words, looking to the little one.

[Bennosuke]

The spirit stumbles back a step, raising it's fore-appendages up in posture as if it were readying to ward of blows from Joanna. "Ah, I promise you the information is good! Very good indeed!" Snatching Net says imploringly, adding, "Or at least I'd think a pack of Uratha like yourselves would like to know about another pack intruding on your territory..." The spirit allows its voice to trail off, glowing round eyes now watching the werewolves with eager interest.

[Haval]

Joanna will put her hands up to try and appear less threatening. Though if any of them really wanted to threaten Snatching Net it wouldn't be hard. 'They've already been over here then? Tell us what they've been up to and we'll work something out.'

[Bennosuke]

Snatching Net scrabbles forward again, something like greed forming in its eyes as they turn an almost aqua color. "Oh, not here," the spirit says, its voice lilting and excited, "but I've seen them. The other pack, yes! You know about them? I am very sneaky, I am wily, yes! You want to know? Promise me what you made the deep sea spirits, and I tell you. Promise me a shelter and the essence and I tell you everything you want to know!" Its many segmented legs scrabble back and forth, clacking on the cobblestones, as it's many coins and baubles clink and ring together.

[Thundercracker]

Blaze
“Better put a time limit on it,” Blaze muttered.

Otherwise they’d be sheltering and feeding spirits forever.

[Haval]

Joanna will nod at Blaze's comment and mutter, 'And what are the chances that someone else would be mad at us for helping him?'

To Snatching Net, 'Sneaky is good, especially if there's ever anything else interesting you want to tell me, but that shelter was never going to be permanent. At best it would need to be the same for you. Essence I can maybe manage just to be friendly.' If the spirit could be useful what was the harm in helping him out? 'Of course you could always not tell us and leave us to find the other pack ourselves. Between all of us we'll find them eventually. But I feel like that would be a waste of an opportunity here. Imagine having us owe you a favour.'

[Thundercracker]

Blaze

"I don't think anyone's gonna care," Blaze replied quietly, "but these guys will totally take advantage of us if we let them, gotta be a fair trade, and open ended shelter and food is pretty hefty."

[Bennosuke]

"Oh, I am not asking for permanent," the spirit says, raising both arms up again and bowing as if to show humility, "just a fair payment for information that must have worth to wise and powerful Uratha such as yourselves." It's foreclaws clack together; click click click. "I am just a lowly spirit. I am sneaky, but protection and a warm meal; even if temporary, is all I ask for."

(OOC: Blaze would be experienced to know that it is very possible that providing for Snatch could very well snowball into more spirits wanting special treatment.)

[Haval]

To Blaze, 'Then the question is, how much is the information worth to us?'

Joanna had hoped to bargain the spirit down to a more minor reward, but she supposed other spirits would regard it the same way. She'll look around to see who might be in earshot, although perhaps any deal they made wasn't the sort of thing they could easily hide. 'If the information is good I might be ok with this, but frankly I'm not keen on every random spirit asking me for something like this every time I come over here. If you ever want to talk to us in future, perhaps we could meet somewhere more private. Once I find out if there's a way to contact us through the Gauntlet...' Maybe she could get Snatching Net a phone.

To the others, 'What do you think guys? If the other pack turns out to be some college kids maybe we don't even need this.'

[Thundercracker]

Blaze

“Maybe we trade a week or two of essence and shelter,” Blaze said, “then we’re like… negotiating, and it’s just a matter of how long we owe them.”

[Haval]

To Blaze, 'Alright, but if we're doing this I might need you to help me with paying him.'

To Snatching Net, 'How does a week's worth of essence and shelter sound? If you tell us what you know.'

[Thundercracker]

Blaze nodded. Of course he would help out.

[Bennosuke]

The spirit skitters to and fro on it's myriad segmented legs, clacking it's claws in the air and jingling it's netting. The act could be some sort of dance, or maybe it is meant to be an expression of some unreadable emotion. A noise comes from Snatches, something like a giggle, or like water clugging down a clogged drain. "I think the information I have is worth more than that," the spirit hisses, then demands, "two weeks!"

(OOC: If you are not acquiescing, whomever speaks up please give me either Manipulation + Persuasion to try to bargian, or Str/Wits + Intimidate to try to intimidate.)

[Haval]

Even if Snatching Net was correct Joanna didn't want to just give him everything he wanted without hearing what he had first. 'I think I'll be the judge of whether the information is useful or not. One week and we stay friendly. If it's useful I might give you more later.' She'll try to meet the spirit's eyes, 'Now tell me what you know or we leave now and the information isn't worth anything.'

Spoiler

Show

Manipulation 1 + Persuasion 2 + 3 Willpower
(6d10)[4][5][7][6][2][8](32)
Any 10s
(6d10)[7][4][6][3][5][10](35)

[Bennosuke]

The thing stops its jig, planting its many segmented legs on the spirit-concrete, and even digging it's fore-claws into the ground. Though Snatching Net has no mouth, or any approximation, you can somehow tell that it is now grinning. "No!" the spirit hisses, the stalks of it's green eyes lowering and widening, "I know what you want, and it is worth two weeks. Two weeks or nothing!"

(OOC: Snatches with 3 successes. I have substracted a WP for Joanna)

[Haval]

Joanna narrowed her eyes, 'Fair enough. Then I think we're done here.' If this turned out to be a mistake she could regret it later. 'Assuming no one wants to try kicking his ass.'

[Daishain]

Bear nods at Joanna's handling of the exchange, she was doing well. It was bad enough that spirits might start swarming in for favors, worse would be to give the impression that they were pushovers at the bargaining table. Perhaps Snatching Net would realize he was losing his chance, perhaps not.

[Thundercracker]

Blaze glanced to Bear. If he was ok with walking, Blaze was too.

To him, one week or two weeks didn't make much of a difference, but if Bear wanted to make a point and push the needle a little bit back in their direction from the spirits, he was fine with that too.

[GKnightBC]

Jeremy carefully steps forward to talk to the new, possibly helpful spirit, wanting to see if he can practice the envied skill he's seen. "Now, now, mighty ground hunter, how can we judge the value of your amazing knowledge without at least hearing a sample? A whole two weeks?" He says in an amazed tone. "Thats a lot of our power granted to you for an unknown tidbit of information. If it seems worthwhile, maybe ten days worth?"

Spoiler

Show

Manip & Pers (5d10)[30] any tens? (5d10)[26]

[GKnightBC]

*let's try that properly*(5d10)[7][4][1][3][7](22) tens (5d10)[2][9][9][1][5](26)

[Bennosuke]

"I know the worth of my knowledge Uratha," Snatching shrieks, flailing its foreclaws into the air in frustrated desperation, "and you are dog brained fools for not recognizing it." The spirit stamps its many segmented legs on the pavement, scuttling back and away from the pack of apex predators as it starts to hurl insults. "You will only wish you had taken my offer when the other Uratha sneak up on you and rip away your territory and tear open your bellies," the spirit howls, still back peddling towards the lip of the dock as it waves its clicking claws in the air. Snatching throws one last insult at the pack about them being a bunch of wet mangy furbags before hoping up and backwards, propelled by its myriad of powerful legs, before dropping over the ledge into the ocean with a loud splash.

By now the spirit's mad curses have driven away the flocks of lesser spirits from the area, and the Anchor Wolves are left standing on the dock, mostly alone.

[Haval]

As the spirit leaves Joanna will sigh and mutter to herself, 'Learn to negotiate.' If Snatching Net had given them more she probably would been happy to give him what he wanted. But his attitude worried her. 'Apparently I suck at talking to spirits. Maybe he's a greedy little ****, but he thought what he knew was important. That means this other lot are definitely a threat doesn't it?' She believed it, but the idea that someone might be coming for her just because she was with the Anchor Wolves was almost harder to believe then whatever the Idigam was.

'If there's no one else we can speak to over here I think we should see if we can find a trail at the Pour Hut. I'd like to think one of us will be able to find something. And at least it'll be easier for the others to get in touch if the other pack actually decides to visit while we're out.'

[GKnightBC]

Startled and a bit chagrined by the spirit's reaction, Jeremy rises to his feet again and apologizes to the group "I'm so sorry about that. I thought I'd be able to flatter it or help out when it started to leave." turning to Blaze he adds "I really need some education."

[Bennosuke]

Kara shrugs and says flatly, "Didn't we come to ask Sky Hunter or another spirit? I'm sure we can find someone who knows something about the other Uratha."

[Haval]

Kara shrugs and says flatly, "Didn't we come to ask Sky Hunter or another spirit? I'm sure we can find someone who knows something about the other Uratha."

'If you think he'll deal with us.' Joanna assumes that King Sky Hunter might want something in return.

[Daishain]

I shrug, "In the long run we can't afford to be pushovers with the spirits, it will just make it impossible to work with them. And in this case I'm very sure we can get the information elsewhere. Lets find King Sky Hunter."