[In Nomine] The City of Pentagram IC

[JeenLeen]

As Inian enters the room through the window, he finds that it is a small gym room, probably room for about 30-40 students. Ramiel has upturned some ping pong tables to form a several-table thick barrier that he and a young girl are hiding behind. The door is also barricaded, with a metal rod holding the door handles closed and several tables also blocking it. The girl looks panicked and not really comprehending everything that is going on. Her leg has a homemade splint. She occasionally mutters something like "no, no, no" or "Malcolm, what's happening?" as she cowers behind the barrier.

Malcolm takes a deep breath and answers quickly, "Think kids are still scattered in the rooms. I heard another explosion recently inside then gunfire. I think they have some way to blast open the doors, hence the blockade I made, and are moving to get survivors. Not sure how many, but at least three, maybe six or more, based on the gunfire patterns." He looks nervously at his girlfriend, who is looking at him with a panicked expression. "Jennifer, I'll... explain things more later."

Another sigh, then, "Not sure if Soldiers, their bosses, or just corrupted students. I texted Jerechial when I texted you. He's on his way, and some Soldiers, too, but doesn't think he'll be here in time to help." Another blast is heard, then gunfire, and the edges of students screaming in fear and agony. Jennifer screams and crawls into a fetal position; Malcolm puts a concerned hand on her head, comforting her. Coldly, he says to Inian, "I figure they can blast through that barricade I made. If they do, I'll kill them all."

Inian feels the Song of Form empower his vessel, strengthening it against harm. Although a direct hit from the gunfire might still do harm, a grazing shot will likely be shunted off his hardened skin. In the hallway, you hear someone scream with rage, "In the gym! #*@$ing #*(@*# ruining our plan."

Spoiler: tactics

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Ramiel suggests to move on each side of the barrier, not too close (to be in blast radius), but not too far. When they come in shooting, he smashes their heads in with his fist.
Jennifer hides behind the barriers, hoping a few tables thick is enough to stop any bullets.

But he defers to you if you have another idea.

roll for Malcolm in prep for next post (3d6)[4][6][1](11)

[JoyWonderLove]

Carol took the trash treasure reverently, her hands cupped together to accept the moist napkin gratefully. She allowed herself to eye the gift happily only a moment longer before gingerly placing it into her back pocket. A mental note was made not to wash the trousers before taking them out. The premier angel of Redemption was thanked contentedly, but otherwise, nothing else was said. Strolling over to the car, Mary asked if their next destination was the same, and Carol considered her friend curiously.

“After what that creep did to Kaylee? We're badly needed to spread relief and forgiveness in the Burnt region. Besides, that prophecy won't be anything more than one of Gabriel's ramblings if we don't keep up the pace.”

Despite herself, Carol loitered on the outside of the vehicle, standing close to the driver's side, close to Mary. She shrugged weakly then, not expecting a former fearless Calabite to understand. “Sorry. It's been a bit since I've seen one up close. Shedim. Kind of rattles you when you don't expect it, you know?” The Mercurian turned towards the sunlight, arms folding about herself to keep back a chill that had nothing to do with the weather.

“So – that Shedite stole the most control around our uni, and this bakery. But it dropped Kaylee like a flour sack the second we agreed on the six AM pick up. Which maybe means Trip had that Thing stake out the bakery; wait for opportunities to harass them into a payout? Nothing else makes much sense. It could have just stayed incognito, if the uni was the main target. There's also more influential students to possess. Why even casually ruin Kaylee's life for nearly a week otherwise? Time doesn't favour corrupters. It really shouts racketeering.”

Carol shook her head, before noting with pleasure that the Shedite singeing at her perceptions had broken away at some point during her conversation. She finally entered on the passenger side.

“Anyway, with the interest in us, it might be harder to go unnoticed around Burnt territory. I'll call Denver first, see when he needs help? Then take a shot at the Burnt. Besides, if I'm right, we have to consider Samantha's safety. The Sword is reluctant to spare soldiers last second. There's Inian, but I'm not sure how he'd feel if I promised him a shot at a Calabite, only for the most menacing thing staring him down to be smiley face cupcakes growing cooler by the moment.” She paused. “Should we just keep it in house for now?”

[DoctorFaust]

"Try to at least make it look like you used a weapon to kill them, not just your bare hands," Inian advises as he cracks his knuckles and rolls his neck. "Or even just knock them out. It'll make answering questions about how you were able to do this a lot easier. Of course, if you're even a little not confident in your technique, just let them have it. And make sure you protect Jennifer"

Inian steps forward to the other side of the barrier from Ramiel and shouts back at the assailants. "Hey, c'mon, pendejos! Estás cagado!"

Once they breach the door, he wades in with punches and kicks aimed almost exclusively at the attackers' knees, groins and throats.

Spoiler

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Fight:(3d6)[3][2][3](8) CD+4 damage

[JeenLeen]

Inian, War

Malcolm nods, the memory of retaining his role piercing the anger and fear in him.

Behind the door, you hear several footsteps. It's hard to tell how many, but definitely a few. A nasally voice says, "Okay. I've got the mecury placed. Ready?" Grumbles of ascend and the sound of guns readying follow, then a large boom as the door blasts open and gunfire sprays (harmlessly and Noiselessly) the inner chambers.
It is followed by four youths in almost ridiculously cliche nerdy attire, if not for the weapons. One has a bandoleer with water bottles and small vials of a crystalline compound. Also following them is, in celestial form, a bulbous mass of organs with twitchy limbs outstretched. Its many eyes look with fury at the two angels of War.
All four mortals look frantic and fearless with hate.

Taking the gunmen by surprise, Inian's attack smashes into the groin of the nearest assailant. He falls down with an agonizing moan, alive but bleeding from the extensive crushing damage of the blow. Malcolm strikes at the shoulder of one of the gunmen, but his skill is outweighed by his strength; with a cacophany of Noise, the shoulder splinters, the arm hanging loosely from shreds of sinew and neckbone exposed. That assilant falls dead. Malcolm screams in response to his own carnage, taking a step back in shock.

Jennifer is shrieking but unharmed.

Spoiler

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Round 1
Gunmen fire aimlessly and fruitlessly.
Inian puts gunman to incapcitated (negative HP, but not dead)
Malcolm rolled a 6 on damage and accidentally killed his target.

Shedite looks pissed but seems can't impact corporeal realm.

The gunmen look like they are ready to fire on Malcolm. Note one of them has explosive stuff on him. Both have assault rifles.

Noise this round: 14 (damage mortal 2 + damage mortal 2 + kill mortal 10)

Camael, Redemption

Mary is confused at first by Carol's statements, but looks panicked and shocked at the mention of a shedite. It soon becomes clear she didn't see the monstrositiy. After getting a description of it, she confirms it to be the shedite of Fire. She'd seen it a couple times while working for The War, but didn't know its name or much about it. Shedites creeped her out even then. But it making Kaylee burn a sweater seemed like the petty, semi-arson thing it'd do. It could've also possessed the fire in the delivery truck's engine to make it spread.

"Y-yeah. Probably bad for us to show up in Burnt if the shedite just spied us. And I agree it's likely that 6 am pickup is what it cares about.

But at least it heard you say you're a reporter. Your cover story still makes sense, if we show up in Burnt after paying a visit to Denver. As for Jerechial: maybe he's spare a Soldier to stake out the bakery, not sure. I could see asking Inian. Maybe Melektas could spare a bird body to stake out?"

A call to Denver is met first with surprise and suspicion, but dropping Jeremiah's name alleviates all of that. He says his mom is doing okay -- got pain meds -- but needing extra help around the house. Biggest concern is Denver's job at one of the mechanic shops. They won't fire him for taking a few days off, but if he doesn't work, he doesn't get paid, and his mom's retirement checks aren't enough to keep them coasting for long. He's sure Jeremiah would help him out, but reluctant to ask. Reluctantly, he mentions some groceries and magazines his mom likes, and that a store run would really help them out at the moment.

Melektas, Stone

OOC: NPCing, but giving a little intel

The mouse is able to enter the corporate headquarters quietly enough to go undetected. All in all, it looks pretty normal. A little sparse, as if it plans to expand more, but a few businessmen and women doing their jobs. Possessing someone at a computer allows Melektas to read some 'sensitive' information, but it's mostly spreadsheets of cost and income prospectives as Poppy's expands into a franchise chain. Nothing criminal. The amount of charity work in the sense of their free food for the homeless is astounding.

[DoctorFaust]

When his target drops, Inian glances over at Malcolm to see how he's handling the fight. Inian winces at the gore but is preparing to press on anyway until he sees Malcolm faltering.

"Ramiel, don't forget what we are!" Inian roars as he darts forward over the two fallen mortals and starts trying to manhandle the one with a bandolier into a choke. "In nomine dei, lava quod est sordium. Cleanse that which is unclean!"

He tries to get the mortal's gun arm up and trapped between their heads and then wraps his arms all the way around the mortal's head to lock in a front naked choke.

Spoiler

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Fight to use the chokehold rules. (3d6)[5][4][4](13) Damage: CD+4

[JeenLeen]

Inian, War

Malcolm snaps out of his shock, and starts rushing towards the other gunman. Before he gets there, the speedy Ofanite has successfully grappled the student with the bandoleer. He drops his gun and soon falls unconscious from the applied pressure. Malcolm strikes the remaining gunman in the chest, and he crumples as ribs crunch. But the Noise is far less.
However, as the fight has continued, the shedite has moved towards the back of the room.

And then vanished, as Jennifer's shrieks of panic turn to a dark chuckle as 'Jennifer' stands up, looking with scorn at the angels of War.
"So... Ramiel, is it, not Malcolm? My, my, what to do... So, shall we chat, or do you want to cleanse this vessel, too?"

Spoiler: alternate conclusions

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Round 2 ends. One gunman unconscious. One dead. Two in negative HP but alive. Malcolm pulled his punch this round.
There's not really any 'bleeding out' rules, so the negative HP ones can be considered stable for mechanical purposes. At least the one Malcolm KOed would die eventually from internal bleeding, but you can be pretty confident that medics will be on-site in plenty of time to save their lives.

Technically, the shedite possesses Jennifer at the start of round 3, but as celestial actions take place before any corporeal action, and neither Ramiel nor Inian could stop the possession attempt, seemed to make sense to include it in this post. Unless you want to KO Jennifer/shedite, assuming it goes to narrative time.
Round 2 the shedite moved.

To let you know your accomplishments:
if you hadn't arrived, Malcolm would have killed them all and Jennifer died, causing a lot of Noise (possibly with consequences for War) and giving him dissonance
also, Malcolm was going to be stunned this round in shock at his actions, but your Talk action last round shook him out of it

[JoyWonderLove]

Carol nodded along as Mary listed their options to protect Samantha, but it abruptly stopped at the last option. She pulled a face at the mention of the living work of stone art. Any comment was delayed to call Denver first, the list of his mother's needs mentally recorded before she passed it on to the driver. Playing a quick round of candy crush distractedly on her phone, it was only when they got to the next traffic lights soon after that she looked back over at the brunette.

“Okay, so please don't hate me for this, but I don't see the perfect love child of Pygmalion and Adonis as our best option. The whole reason I got so defensive last night was because of what's truly possible here. A Redemption Tether, at the very heart of the city, uplifting an entire metropolis! Flowers is our biggest fan, and already huge. Destiny's nearby. A prophecy besides. How many souls could we better if we really tried?”

Carol paused, growing more muted as she looked out at the buildings around them. “Meanwhile, Stone thinks itself incorruptible. You know – because his angels are immune to dissonance and Discord?” Her eyes rolled.

“Medim might be one of my favourite Mercurians ever, Mary. And hopefully Stone's love of Gabriel counts as something more than hard-hearted pragmatism exploiting us for a Fire weakness. But David's people are sometimes blindly loyal, so would a living statue support us to a T? Right now, you're the only soul I fully trust on this.” She hesitated, before looking over at the angel that had protected the Pentagram for longer than she been in existence. “Am I being too harsh on Mel?”

Spoiler: idle ooc comments

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Tried to draw references from the In Nomine book about David, while mixing it into my own personal flaws. I imagined the conversation is happening while we head to the store? I can edit if not.

[JeenLeen]

Camael, Redemption

Spoiler: OOC

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This being on the way to the store sounds fine. I don't have any 'plot point' planned at the store, so feel free to converse or jump to being at Denver's as you wish.

Mary looks a tad uncomfortable at Carol's comments about Stone, but gives a sympathetic look in the end.

"Listen, I kinda get it. Stone's... well, stony pragmatic and hard. And David can be unforgiving; one Gray I know back home is a former Servitor of David's that barely escaped being destroyed he got so dissonant. But all the Archangels are like that to some degree, well, besides Novalis and Our Lady. Er... at least the 'hard' part. I don't get Elohim, but I know She'd be offended if I said she wasn't pragmatic." She chuckles, a touch self-deprecating about her comment about your mutual Superior.

"But, to be blunt -- and as a friend to a friend -- yeah, I think you're too hard on Melektas. I don't get the chip on your shoulder, so to speak. But you probably do have a point that her goals differ from ours in some respects. Stone smashes demons, as long as they punch first. It's slow, but once it gets going it's as violent as The Sword or War. On the other hand, I think Our Lady would appreciate the... well, pragmatism of using what resources are available to us.

Hmm... then again, we could ask Daisy if she could spare a Force to watch the shop. I don't know for sure if she'd personally care about rejuvenating the inner city, but converting a diabolical Tether and helping Redemption is basically her obligation as a Servitor of Flowers."

[JoyWonderLove]

Carol looked intently at Mary while she spoke, not being distracted by driving. A frown only broke across otherwise youthful face when the first note of chastisement came, and stayed even as the everyday humdrum of mundanes going about their unknowing day in cars and businesses took her eyes elsewhere. It was the lightest shrug on mentioning Daisy that showed she still listened. Her attention was fully restored when came the point of helping Redemption.

“Fine, you're right. As an Elohim and Archangel, Met would ask me to be more pragmatic. Especially when Heavenly Tethers are outnumbered. And, yeah, Stone is probably as violent as The Sword or War, even though I'm open to asking them for help. And I'm a lot happier being with you on the important things than I'll ever be reaching out to her.” The red-head took a moment in her seat, eyes reflective. “So, maybe there is some sort of issue there. Really bad run ins with souls near identical, maybe?” She shrugged.

“What matters is amends. Redemptive babysteps. The next time I see Melektas, I'll apologize, even if I don't invite her to anything. But maybe the self-reflection and personal strength needed for full redemption is why you're closer to Met's glory than I am. And maybe that's a sign you're the one wise enough to make the call.” A half-smile. “You choose who shows up tomorrow, alright? Like I said, I trust you.”

Spoiler: minor ooc stuff

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Yeah, bad ongoing but former experiences with a player near identical in style is one of the big reasons I felt so strongly about it. But I also think it's weird to fully ignore the IC fallout of an OOC thing, so tried to approach that in these last two posts.

I'm very okay with changing the scene to Denver's place. Or else I'll start asking about Pentagram-priorities-as-seen-through-Redemption type stuff. Not crucial, but one I'll probably eventually ask IC?

[DoctorFaust]

Inian lets the unconscious mortal fall none-to-gently to the ground and turns to face "Jessica". "Chatting is always preferable to cleansing," he says. "I don't suppose you'll just tell us who you are, what Prince you follow, if you corrupted more mortals that are going to attack us momentarily, and why you tried to turn this school into a Tether? All out of the kindness of your heart, obviously."

Inian glances over at Ramiel and motions as subtly as he can with his head to start walking to one side of Jessica, and he does the same as he talks.

[JeenLeen]

Camael, Redemption

Mary gives a soft smile, then a smirk.
"Alright. I guess I'll surprise you, then. Though I'll try to get in touch with her later today. If she's willing to spare a Force, no harm in her sparing it sooner than later in case Fire has something up its sleeve."

Spoiler: ooc

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I can understand that.

The grocery pickup goes without incident. A nice, refreshing touch of normalcy and simple mundane, human life for the Mecurian. Mary takes a few minutes to make some phone calls in private, noting it includes selecting the surprise guardian for the bakery and touching base back at the University.
"I'll mention Kaylee to Origenius, too. See if he knows something about her Destiny, in case Fire is working with Fate. From what I knew of the Fire demons, they were dumb and kept to themselves... but then pulling off that Tether means I didn't know everything I thought I did."

---

Denver and his mom live in a poor, but not too derelect, apartment complex. The thin but athletically-fit dark-skinned young man answers the door in a white t-shirt and jeans. He looks about the same age as Mary or Carol's vessels, but definitely like he could fit in at a biker bar or the local gangs.

He looks a bit surprised and flustered at the two pretty women bringing the groceries. It's evident that Jeremiah's crew usually involves less attractive and feminine members. But he collects himself and says, as he collects the bags, "Well, hello. I'm Denver. Glad to meet you, and thank you so much. It really helps that I don't got to leave my ma right now."

As he sets the groceries on a table in the relatively bare but clean apartment, he says, "I understand if you got to run, but do you want some water or soda or something?"

Inian, War

Ramiel has a mix of rage and worry on his face, sweat mixed with blood. But he seems to have picked up on Inian's gesture and is moving in accordance.

The shedite simply chuckles again, running her hands over herself in a suggestive manner, with a teasing and hateful look towards Ramiel.

"Ramiel, you know it'd be easy for me to corrupt her in a fun way for you, if you want? She might not even resist."
But she then drops her hands and says to Inian, "You killed our idiots that were left. One suicided himself to blow up the main entrance. Another got killed earlier. I am annoyed; it took a long time to corrupt those nerds enough that they'd use their science for something fun.

So: first question, no, nobody else mortal here to fight. And maybe I'll answer more if you tell me. You're obviously not Flowers. And not all of my nerds are dead, so you're probably not malakim, but some are so you're not Mecurians. I'm guessing Ramiel-darling here is a cherub, maybe? No high-schooler could be a seraph. Hehee. Maybe you're a ofanite with how quickly you got here, or we overlooked two angels at the school instead of just one.

As for the Tethers... well, who doesn't want a Tether to their name?"

More deadpan, she says, "Ramiel, I'm going to make your life a living hell for ruining this plan. This was my big chance for a promotion. Jennifer, everyone you care about... I'll personally see that they suffer worse than death."

She doesn't seem to notice, or at least care, about your positioning. But her mouth opens and a disgustingly long tongue with a barbed end licks around her neck and shoulders. From its length and appearance, you can tell this shedite is quite proficient with the Numinous Corpus of Tongues.

[JoyWonderLove]

As they went about the supermarket, Carol appeared content, these mundane tasks that served a kind agenda. Mention of Fate immediately brought on a thoughtful frown, her brows creasing as she scanned the refrigerated aisle for milk, the aura of cold in the area seeming a touch chillier.

“I want to hope the politics downstairs is still divisive, but you're right. There's something out of the ordinary here. A lot of some things. And that bakery especially has great potential. So really good call on the Kaylee double check. Nobody likes the thought of that airhead hurting her casually...but there could easily be a bigger issue there.”

---

Carol smiled at the athletic adolescent when he answered the door, pleased. Matching the face to the voice easily, she tilted her head curiously when the mundane being talent scouted by a Seneschal appeared flustered, of all reactions. It was enough for her to open her senses to his resonance. She nodded knowingly as he reintroduced himself, and handed over the bags readily.

“Oh, I'm Carol, this is Mary. We spoke a tiny bit. And you're welcome. Jerry only knows good people, so we're happy to help. ” The groceries in hand and placed on the table, she shook her shock of red hair at the water. “We don't want to distract you from anything important. How is she, though?”

Spoiler: perception

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I'm reluctant to ignore humans of importance right now, because I missed a hiding Shedite. Not that I think there's one here right now, but still.

1) Mercurian Resonance / Perception on Denver.

Target Number 8.
(1d6)[3]
(1d6)[2]

Check Digit: (1d6+1)[7]
This bonus for being in such close proximity.

[JeenLeen]

Camael, Redemption

Spoiler: Resonance

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No problem with using Resonances. I might eventually write something like "this is an NPC that does not matter, so they are a neutrally-good person" if I'm in a time-crunch, but it's cool. When I played a Seraph, I used Resonance on almost everyone, so I get the desire to play paranoid-y.

And this being PbP, as opposed to live, makes it a ton easier. I played a live game with a malakim player, and it was a pain thinking up honorable/dishonorable stuff on the fly. (Wound up setting it up ahead of time for all demons and angels.)
It is... interesting writing up what is considered honorable to some demons. Like, it'd be wrong NOT to destroy the person's life, right?

1. Denver thinks of himself as a good guy, if a bit bumbling and awkward.
2. Most others consider him a good guy with a lot of promise, if he'd just dedicate himself to something.
3/4. He's generally known Denver. He was known as Slim D back in high school, when he was dealing drugs for a gang, but has abandoned that name. He's interested in casual video games, running, and hanging out with friends. He currently has a pretty good group of friends, including Jeremiah Howser. He also cares a lot about his mom and little brother, who he tries to shield from the violence in the city.
5. His family is most important to him, but his relationships with his friends are also important to his concept of self.
6. He grew up as a pretty basic kid in the poorer side of town. Dad ran off when he was young; mom worked 2-3 jobs. He ran with a bad crowd in middle and high school, but a scare with the law (and his mom's disapproval) got him in touch with the local YMCA and a mentor. He's been on a solid road since then.

Denver gives a pleasant smile towards the ladies, and some pride at the mention of Jerry. It's evident he's glad to be Jeremiah's friend, the reasons clear as Carol's senses read his past and current relationships. He hands Carol a glass of water and Mary a can of soda.

"My mom's okay, considering. She's asleep right now. Pain meds got her pretty out of it, but the doctor said she'll mend soon enough if we're lucky. Again, thanks."

Spoiler: ooc

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Feel free to move to the Burnt if you don't have anything particular you want to pursue.
Also, I realized while writing this that I don't know how bad a 'broken hip' really is or isn't. If anything he's saying doesn't make sense medically, ignore and handwave it. It's just my ignorance. I guess I picked it because that's seen as a risk of falls, especially when one gets older.

[DoctorFaust]

"I'll tell you this much. I am of War. Ramiel's original parents were just way too into theology. Ramiel Malcolm Price. A bit of an unfortunate name," Inian lies.

"But look. We both know there's not much more you can do here. You hurt Jennifer, you're messing with your own Song, and my allies have already been alerted, so you put yourself more at risk the longer you stay. And I'm not fighting you yet, so I can at least propose this." Inian steps forward slowly, extending his hand in a pacifying gesture. "Two questions each, we both try to answer as truthfully as we can. Then you leave, and I don't try to follow you."

[JoyWonderLove]

Spoiler: random resonance comment

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Careful players unite?

I actually can't think of a harder resonance to make up, at random, than a good Mercurian roll. You literally have to make up someone's life story. Only MAYBE a Lilim comes second in difficulty, with Elohim a distant third? No wonder you had to plan ahead eventually. Hopefully, even if you didn't use them, you always can save the ideas for later then.

Carol accepted the unasked for water gratefully, and gave a gracious glance about the spare surroundings. “Sounds like she's in excellent hands, Denver. Taking care of her meals, medicine, emotional support – she'll heal perfectly in no time. Thanks to you. Family is so precious. Mary might be the closest thing I have to it in Star Valley now; easily my biggest supporter right now. That said, how are you doing?” She sipped her water politely, letting him consider the question. “If you're giving your mum such amazing care, she must be incredible. And I bet she would only want the best for you, too. So are you finding time to recharge during all this? Or do you need a jogging partner to motivate you?”

Spoiler: Denver/Kaylee/Burnt/Next action

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I kind of see Denver the same I do Kaylee; if I ever ask to pay for a soldier/support, it'd be one of them, for totally different personalities/skills. But my understanding is you can only really have 1 servant, so who knows. Anyway, it makes sense to have an authentic connection to them.

Otherwise, Burnt territory please.

[JeenLeen]

Spoiler: OOC Comment on Servants

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Mechanically, nothing allows multiple servants.
I may have said 1 servant max, or might limit it to such, since servants are an easily abusable mechanic AND more tracking of NPCs. But I think using it to have a mortal (or maybe Soldier) servant to help even out where you are weak, e.g., a skill-monkey for a martial angel or a bodyguard for a social angel, is reasonable.

Inian, War

Jennifer chuckles again. "You're lying about something, Angel of War. I-- wait. Your age, Malcolm... are you that twirp that killed Fatima!?" She starts laughing, a shrill, unpleasant sound. "That was harilious. She said it was some kid who yelled 'For Michael!' as he stabbed her in the heart. Oh, man."

"Tell you what. I can't trust you to be honest, and you certainly shouldn't trust me. But I believe War is in town, and I don't want to fight War. Besides, cops will probably be here soon.
You don't want Jennifer screaming about what she saw. She was in shock about most of it, but she might say something about Malcolm shattering a dude's arm. Raises questions. I know War doesn't want Judgement ticked off about breaking the lies both sides tell the humans, and I don't want The Game on my back. So I'll play the damsel in distress, keep Jennifer quiet, and Malcolm can play the stoic hero. Or blame it all on some psycho who jumped in the building and off'd the dudes. Your call.

Deal? You can even stay in celestial form to make sure I don't lick him senseless, if you want."

Spoiler

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Not great, but decent Detect Lies roll on her behalf.

Camael, Redemption

Denver again looks a touched flustered, and perhaps actually blushes at her last question, but is trying (and mostly succeeding) to play it off cool.

"I'm holding up. But, yeah, going for a run sometime sounds nice. How about I get your number and give you a text when I see how ma's doing? Maybe a run this evening or tomorrow morning, even."

Well, mostly cool. He seems to be slightly on auto-pilot with his line and forgot that he already has your number from your calling him. But, still, nice guy.

---

After leaving the apartment, back in the privacy of the car, Mary asks, "So, he was cute. But to the Burnt. You want to just walk the streets where they peddle drugs, or go to one of the dive bars they gather at? It's early for them, but some are probably there doing business or hanging out."

[JoyWonderLove]

Carol nodded politely, seemingly blind to his blush. “An evening run to relax, a morning one to wake up. Sounds good either way.” Her water was sipped at a little more, in case Mary wanted to add anything else, before she departed with an easy wave goodbye.

---

“Oh, most mundanes are like puppies,” Camael opined casually when back in her passenger seat. “Almost always likeable. Besides, I need practice for when we finally get our running group going. Me, you, Inian. Which I may have forgot to mention before?” She shrugged mildly.

“But the Burnt. To honour our mysterious redeemed hero, let's go where the most information is now.” An appreciative glance was aimed at the humanoid Ofanite, but it became more thoughtful the longer Carol looked at her. “How would you like us to do it? If you prefer I have all the fun, just dropping me off at the bar would be a huge help, and I'll stretch my journalistic legs from there. Pop in, chatter enough words to fill a column, and go. Or – you can sweet talk danger with me, and we'll try getting a seat at the finest table in the house!”

Spoiler: the bar!

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Spoiler: the bar!

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The bar!

[JeenLeen]

Inian, War

Additional note that Inian can hear the police sirens closer and some slammed doors outside. It does sound like the police are at the school, but haven't entered.

Camael, Redemption

Mary thinks for a minute, but ends up saying, "Well, if you're cool with it, I'll drop you off at the Hangman. I know Trip liked it years ago and I heard from Jerechial that the Burnt hang out there. I'll keep the engine running in case you feel a need to exit quickly, and my phone ready if you want me to come in. Honestly, you'd be better at talking to them than me."

After a few minutes of driving, you wind up in the poorer and partially-burnt section of town. It truly looks odd and devastating. Several buildings are shells of brick, steel, and woodwork. Some have been reconstructed, others made into shim-shod shelters. The bar is mostly unharmed; some blackened walls and a broken window, but the building wasn't burned badly. You can hear rock music playing inside.

Astarieth, Judgement

Spoiler: retcon

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For ease of play, let's say Astarieth was at the opening night meeting but was late or quiet for some reason. In effect, the angels know each other and have all heard the Prophecy and news stories.

Also, I'll PM you your private orders from Dominic.

During the interview, Adewale seemed to look down on you as acting improper for a Servitor, much more a Seraph, of Dominic, but Rezzial and Fortisimo showed you respect. You have contact information for them as well as to reach the Seneschals: phones for Jerechial, Origenius, and Valufiel (who can reach the Seneschal of Flowers on your behalf, if needed)

Things are going smoothly thus far. His contacts have mentioned there's loan work to be done at the Gravel Pits if he's interested (though they're closed until this evening, of course). Josie has set up an office in town to do work while he's working here.

There's definitely opportunities here. People desperate for money, some turning to crime, others to other to means. Plenty of buildings for cheap rent should one want to open an official or unofficial loan business. (And you know Joanna could do the busywork to rent one for you, while you pursue more important goals.)

Glancing again at the newspaper, it seems about time for him to make his next move to further Dominic's goals in this city.

[DoctorFaust]

Inian grimaces as the police sirens become audible and he and the Shedite continue to negotiate. "Goddamn it, we don't have time for this." He takes his attention away from "Jessica" for a second to turn to Malcolm. "You have until the police get here to think of a simple, believable story about how you beat these four. One has explosives, he screwed up a throw to hit you and blew an arm off his friend. Figure our what you used for an advantage against the rest, and fast."

He turns back to the demon and points accusingly, saying, "Mortals with guns are going to be coming through that door any minute, and you have a foot-long tongue sticking out of your Vessel's mouth. You're the one most at risk of breaking the lies and of causing yourself Dissonance out of all of us. Leave her body now and I won't follow where you go, or else I start choking you out of her."

[robnar]

Astarieth, Judgement

Spoiler: Summary

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After meeting the other angels, Astarieth went off to close some loose ends from his previous jobs in San Francisco and start the necessary movement to set up shop in town. He took the following actions, described IC below:
1. Registered a business, paper thin legitimacy.
2. Rented a walk-up storefront as close as he can get to the Burnt district.
3. Directed Joanna to start assessing the criminal prosecutions for corruption
4. Bought the startup capital for his TOTALLY LEGITIMATE business.
5. Texted the other PCs
6. Started driving around getting a sense of the area.

I'm assuming Tommy's got about $2,000 in his bank account and $1,000 on his person, and just dropped about $750 from the account for capital/legal fees/marketing/frappucino. Let me know if that works for you.

Tommy sat at a Starbucks, slipping a skim milk vanilla-mocha-frappucino with an extra cream on top and two sugars. He'd read the newspaper, thought about the prophecy, and formulated a plan. He neatly folded the newspaper and left it on the table for the next interested passerby.

Setting up shop in a new town is tricky. Wherever you go, you should assume you're stepping on someone else's hustle, and they'll resent you for it. They'll try to destroy your business, and maybe destroy you in the process. If you're actually concerned with maintaining your business or your life, it can be pretty daunting. The kind of criminal who can do that is threatening. Tommy's problem is much easier. The kinds of people who want to destroy his business are EXACTLY the kind of people he wants to get up close and personal with.

So he's feeling pretty confident. He steps up, and the plastic chair groans a sigh of relief. He pops out his phone and mumbles - "Hey Siri, call Ms. Honeycutt."

When Joanna answers he gives a few short directions - "Please register an LLC for 'Rodriguez Bail Bonds and Emergency Loans', with an address at the UPS store down the street and place of business at the walk-up you're gonna rent me; and then rent me a walk-up as close as you can to the Burnt district, preferably with the shadiest landlord you can find. Text me the address when you find the place." Then he pauses for a bit. "Next task. When you get called by the public defender's office, I'm gonna need you to start paying attention to the cops. Let me know if something seems off about any of the cops, prosecutors, or judges. There's a chance me or one of my friends might wind up in jail." He waits for her to register her concerns and objections, then shortly reminds her - "Ms. Honeycutt, remember, THE BAD GUYS are the ones who should be worried about me. Thanks for all you do, chica." She's started to understand it better after San Francisco, but she still frets. Mortals have a hard time understanding that things like getting your *** kicked or landing in jail just don't matter to folks like him.

Then he drives to Staples, buys two steel folding chairs, a plastic folding table, a cheap cash box, a roll of duct tape, and has the print shop make him a 4' by 6' banner screaming 'RODRIGUEZ BAIL BONDS AND EMERGENCY LOANS. LOW INTEREST! SPEEDY APPROVAL!'. Then stopped by a shady gas station and bought a burner phone with three months prepaid service, for the clients.

His morning chores done, his last assignment closed up, his car loaded, he sends a text to Inian and Camael. <Yo! Had to drop of the net for a minute. Back in action. Yall good?>

While he waits for a reply, he starts to drive around town - going for a recon of the Gravel Pits, then the Burnt district.

Spoiler: Points of Contact

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Does Melketas have a cell phone? If so, Astarieth would have texted them (him? her?) as well.

[JeenLeen]

Inian, War

Malcolm gives a nod towards Inian's advice and looks like he's thinking fast. The shedite-Jessica, however, looks simply annoyed and frustrated.

"I'll make my corpus vanish the moment I need to. And you can trust me that Jessica won't help any alibi Malcolm has. She saw you and she saw him break that dude. Wait..."

She smiles darkly. "Fine. I'll leave and keep her quiet."
At that moment, the monstrous tongue becomes normal and she bites down on it hard. About a square inch of tongue fall to the ground as blood swells at her mouth.

Malcolm yells out in anger and shock. The shedite starts to exit Jessica.

Spoiler: OOC

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If you want to do a physical attack between the shedite biting the tongue and then exiting, you can.
Keep in mind that, while a possessed person's Body Hits are still based on their Strength, they do get a slight boost to Hits. So possessed-Jessica is at least a tad bit tougher than normal Jessica.

Also, you don't get dissonance for breaking the 'Masquerade'. At least directly: your Superior might give you some as punishment.

Astarieth, Judgement

Joanna takes most of her instructions in stride, though, as expected, expressed some concerns reasonable for a mortal of her status. One pleasant surprise is that she foresaw some of his intentions.

"14 South Main Street. Technically outside the regions claimed by the Burnt as, you could say, residences. But the landlord did note that there was a extra tax you'd have to pay directly: protection money to the Burnt to operate there. However, I found something neat while I was looking for suitable places of business for you: the ownership of a lot of the damaged property in the area has been consolidated into a very few hands. Your landlord, previously a pawn shop owner with questionable practices, suddenly owns two apartment complexes and several store-fronts. Some other people are similar.

"And, yes, I'll keep an eye on those I work with. I know I am on need-to-know for a lot of things, and rightly so and glad to be so, but if there's any cops or judges that you hear are a bit monstrous or real saints, let me know if you can."

The Staples run goes well. From the looks of the employees, yours isn't the only shady business that has opened in the last month.

The Gravel Pits are currently closed, although you see a few drunk people still sleeping it off in alcoves or sheds. Whoever runs the operation does a decent, albeit not perfect, job of cleaning up for daylight.

The Burnt district looks strange. Damaged buildings. Thugs on most corners, though few this early in the day. Some places look like honest businesses, diners or stores trying to get back going after the damages, or apartments with people just trying to rebuild their lives. Others look like charred ruins, and you can tell some of those ruins have people living in them.

Spoiler

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Melektas does, but it's on her human-statue vessel which she doesn't always have corporeal.

EDIT: and that sounds fine with the cash. Seems good for your status.

[JoyWonderLove]

Carol's eyes widened, impressed. “Methinks, my dear Sherlock, this is not your first getaway car. Yeah, that all sounds great. This should go perfectly.” She lapsed into a companionably silence as she eyed the surroundings.

A little graffiti showing initials she wouldn't guess at began the degradation. The odd set of burnt marks across a store front followed it up, as though someone had shot fireworks at it. A statue with a scorched leg. The further they travelled, the clearer the signs of Belial's influence. When the bulk of burnt and broken structures became more pronounced and common, she frowned sullenly.

We'll fix this – somehow.

The car stopped, and Carol refocused after another glance at the bunt out surroundings. “Okay, FYI, if at any point you really feel you need to leave for your own safety, do it. I can charm for days and have the song of motion, besides. I'll be in good shape no matter what. Expect a one letter text maybe every seven-ish minutes or so. That way you have peace of mind that they haven't taken my phone or something. I'm guessing this really shouldn't take longer than twenty.” She smiled. “See you in a bit.”

With that, Carol exited the car and jogged over to the Hangman, an excitement building inside her. The true start of her Burnt investigation, and answer to many questions, could easily be behind the door. She entered the bar to let her eyes adjust to the indoors.

[robnar]

Astarieth, Judgement

"14 South Main Street. Technically outside the regions claimed by the Burnt as, you could say, residences. But the landlord did note that there was a extra tax you'd have to pay directly: protection money to the Burnt to operate there. However, I found something neat while I was looking for suitable places of business for you: the ownership of a lot of the damaged property in the area has been consolidated into a very few hands. Your landlord, previously a pawn shop owner with questionable practices, suddenly owns two apartment complexes and several store-fronts. Some other people are similar.

"And, yes, I'll keep an eye on those I work with. I know I am on need-to-know for a lot of things, and rightly so and glad to be so, but if there's any cops or judges that you hear are a bit monstrous or real saints, let me know if you can."

Tommy smiles at the description of the place. "That place sounds exactly like what I'm looking for. Lemme know if the landlord can come meet me with the keys today. We'll talk about that other thing next time we meet up." Always good not to say much on the phone.

Tommy turns and rolls out to a carwash. Another $20 to get his ride gleaming, and then he rolls to the new office. Judging by the neighborhood he may need some more cash to meet the demand.

When he gets to the right block on main street he slows down, and takes a couple nice slow cruising turns around the block to see and be seen. Then he pulls up right in front of the place to look it over.

[JeenLeen]

Camael, Redemption

Mary nods in agreement to the plans. Carol can see a touch of the strategems of The War in the former Calabite. While that might make some angels nervous, Redemption knows to appreciate the skills of the redeemed.

As she enters the bar, the music grows louder but most conversation falls silent or to whispers. It is evident that they do not expect a pretty college girl to enter one of their bars. But, besides some creepy leers and a couple rude and suggestive gestures, nobody shows aggression towards her.

One man -- a thin, almost wimpy and slightly feminine looking dude, with a stylized mohawk, fancy black leather jacket, and tight black pants -- grabs a beer from the bartender and walks over.

With a wry smile and slightly-sarcastic friendliness, he says, "Hiya, chica. Make a wrong turn, or just looking for fun with the wrong crowd? Either way, want a beer? First one's on the house." The barkeep makes an annoyed noise. "Urgh. Fine, first one's on me. What's your name, cutie?"

Just then, a woman walks up from a nearby table, wearing fishnet stockings, a short black skirt, and a tank top barely covering anything. She has flowing red hair and is smoking a cigarette. "Forget this loser, honey. 50% odds he slipped something in there. Most of these guys aren't safe. Why don't you join me, hun?"

Astarieth, Judgement

Joanna says she'll make the arrangements. During the carwash, he gets a message that he can be there soon. The timing works out almost providential.

As Tommy is looking at the storefront -- it was damaged by the fire, but rough finishes and new windows make it fairly servicable, and the inside is only slightly charred -- a plump and unpleasant looking man, mostly bald, approaches.

"Hiya. I'm Carl Winters, own this joint. You Tommy? Your... whatever-she-is said you'd be here. Got an ID, though? Want to know it's you before I hand over the keys."

Spoiler: OOC

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How fancy a car do you have? Just noting it's a bad neighborhood, but I can see classy-looking (or a kinda-trashy-but-looks-classy look) but not real expensive as a safe move.

Also, I'm picturing Carl as the fat, angry neighbor from Aqua Teen Hunger Force. I think that character was named Carl.

[JoyWonderLove]

The weight of eyes and gestures suddenly aimed at Carol was taken calmly, only the lightest step back suggesting her unease at the attention. But no one yelled or threw a bottle. This is pretty good, considering. The stalemate was quickly broken between the effeminate and outlandish man that confidently strut up to her, and the strikingly jaded woman allergic to modesty that followed. Both had to be capable in their own right. Playing patron where fallen celestials and gang members intermingled wouldn't allow for weakness.

“Not often a girl gets greeted at the door with generosity and advice,” she glanced pleasantly between them, taking the moment to hoist confident smile. “Talk about the kindness of strangers. It'd be amazing to speak with either of you, actually. I'm with Star Valley, the uni up in the woods? Hearing the unique insights and opinions from worldly people like yourselves would be perfect. Interested?”

Spoiler: Fast Talk reaction rolls

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EDIT: Please ignore the +6 for the check digits. Those don't count for reaction rolls, of course. So the guy gets a 2 check digit reaction roll result and the girl a 3 check digit reaction roll result. Because the girl actually might 'bend rules a little' (page 44) for me, I'd like to speak with her (first?).

Avoiding my Charm resonance rolls for now, to have a backup.

Action 1) Reaction roll, Fast Talk Male.

Target Number 12.

(1d6)[1]
(1d6)[5]

Check Digit: (1d6+6)[8]

Action 2) Reaction roll, Fast Talk Female.

Target Number 12.

(1d6)[4]
(1d6)[4]

Check Digit: (1d6+6)[9]

[DoctorFaust]

"Mierda!" Inian makes to run to Jessica, but catches himself mid-step.

"Ramiel, I want to help you more right now, but I can't get my prints on things here," he says very cautiously. "And as airtight as my alibi might be, it would be a bad idea for me to be here when the cops get to this room. So I really need to leave right now. I know her tongue is mostly my fault, but I need to not be caught here."

Inian starts backing slowly towards the window he entered through, making sure not to get too far away from Ramiel before he gets a chance to respond. "I can try to speak with Jerechial about getting an Angel that can sing Healing to help Jessica and I'm going to talk to Astarieth about finding legal help for whatever's going to happen. So right now, just focus on getting your girlfriend to a paramedic as quick as you can."

[robnar]

Astarieth, Judgement

Astarieth always gets a little smile when he tunes into the symphony. He steps towards the man approaching and extends a hand, before his expression turns to his normal stoic reserve.

Spoiler: Resonance Roll

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(2d6)[7], Check digit (1d6)[2] +4, +2 if Carl refuses the handshake.

"Hiya. I'm Carl Winters, own this joint. You Tommy? Your... whatever-she-is said you'd be here. Got an ID, though? Want to know it's you before I hand over the keys."

"Howdy Carl. Tommy. Good to meet you. Gimme a second." While Tommy pulls his wallet and produces his driver's license, he asks "You own the whole complex? Get it on fire sale?"

"I'm new in town, and this place looks like it'll do the job just fine. You willing to rent by the month while I get started here? How much you asking? Anything I need to know about the place?"

Tommy braces himself as he tries to get Carl talking. You never know what you're gonna get - sometimes, the lies are like little missed notes in a song. Sometimes, the whole conversation sounds like a dubstep song right after the drop.

Spoiler: Resonance questions

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Tommy's looking specifically to verify:
1. Is Carl his real name?
2. Is wanting to verify who Tommy is his only reason for asking?
3. Does he actually own the place, or is he a front?

Plus anything else he can gain if he can get Carl talking.

Spoiler: Car

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How fancy a car do you have?

Tommy owns the only vehicle for the respectable American gangster, a Chrysler 300C.



It's a 2012, and he bought it used back in 2015 and has put a lot of miles on it. He keeps it looking as nice as he can, but a hard glance will notice the dings and scratches of age and some bondo-paint-and-clearcoat bullethole repairs.

(note, I used to have one of these myself back before I had kids... sigh... I miss that car)

[JeenLeen]

Spoiler: IC posts

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I've noticed two things I do while writing that I hope are not annoying.

1. I sometimes split between third and second person, that is, naming a PC as their name and writing "you" to denote them.

2. Some DMs write the NPCs' speech in a color or bold. I liked that as a player, but I feel it clashes with trying to differentiate different PCs' sections by bold. And it's annoying to find and bold each part, so I haven't.

#1 I probably can't keep from falling into from time to time.
If boldening speech would help make my stuff more readable, let me know and I'll try to remember to do that

Also, robnar: give me a list of level 1-6 Needs/Desires your character has, for in case they run into a Lilim.

Camael, Redemption

The man laughs loudly, throwing his head back, sounding genuine. The woman smiles, a playful look in her eyes. A number of roll eyes or less-pleasant laughs circle around the room, but most others are going back to their former conversations (albeit slightly more muted).

He speaks first. "I'd like to show you the way of the world in more ways than that, but talking sounds fun, sure."

The woman, however, places herself between him and Carol, getting perhaps a touch closer than considered normal personal space.
"I can show you more than him. Here, sit down and let's talk. So, you a uni girl, huh? Most of them avoid this area."
She guides Carol to the chair, hand on her shoulder.

The man rolls his eyes and sighs with over-dramatic annoyance, but stays lingering at a stool nearby the table. Not quite in the conversation, but nearby.
"Oh, first things first, darling. You're not a cop, right? Anyway, I'm Brittany. You can probably guess most of us here are members of a certain, you could say club that's gotten popular in the last month. What insights and opinions do you want to know?"

Spoiler: a couple rolls

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(3d6)[2][4][3](9)
(3d6)[2][1][4](7)

EDIT: you made your Will save to resist, and you also made your Perception roll to notice she's an Impudite who tried to use her Resonance to Charm you. You also recall Brittany is/was the name of the Impudite of Fire.

Inian, War

Malcolm is already running to grab Jessica. There's still shock in his eyes, but he blinks it away to ready for action.
"Yeah, I got her. And I can Sing it, but... that shedite's right. Long as she don't choke, she should be okay."
He's already tilting her head so the blood won't choke her.

"Yeah, you go. Report to Jerechial."

Now outside a host, the shedite smirks at you, but you sense a touch of fear as it starts to flow out of the school. Malcolm's attention is just on Jessica. His voice sounds very human and concerned.
"Jess, Jess, it'll be okay. Just, just close your eyes. They're gone. I'll get you help. Just keep your tongue and head like this... Yeah, you got it." As he starts to help her stand and edge her outside the room.


Astarieth, Judgement

Carl looks over the ID with a look of someone who knows a thing or two about fake IDs, but nods and grunts as he hands it back to you, along with two sets of keys.

"Yeah, something like that. I own the joint. And that lady already arranged monthly rent. Two month deposit, first month and last month. Don't want folk skipping payments if they skip town. Rent is ### a month, and that's a small fee for the monthly rate but she said you'd want it.

"As for anything else, keep it locked at night or if you go out for a sandwich. You look like you know the trade, but this is a bad neighborhood. Speaking of that, the locals will probably be asking you for protection money. I recommend you pay it. I got insurance on the place, but unless you got good health insurance, well, you should pay. You could go to the cops, but it won't help you."

Spoiler: cost and Resonance

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For cost: I don't feel like thinking up an actual number, but with your Status and the business-savvy from your Role, you can afford it.

Resonance
Everything he said is true. His name is Carl Winters, and he does want to make sure he hands the keys to the right person to avoid legal trouble or an annoying phone call. He's also not quite sure if Joanna was your receptionist, lawyer, or girlfriend.

He did buy the propery cheap due to the fire damages. Seeing The Truth, though, the "something like that" is more that he was given fiscal advice and backing by someone to buy the properties. He is paying back the backing, with 1% interest. He doesn't know who it is, but suspects someone with shadey intentions, but, hey, he's making a profit so he's cool with it, and this is less illegal than his previous business.

The closest thing to a lie is that they will 'probably' ask for protection money and the cops 'won't' help. He knows you'll be asked, and that, once the Burnt see how you react, they might raise the amount depending on how good your business is doing and how much it fits their goals. But he thinks you look shadey and useful, so it'd probably stay lowish. He truly believes the cops won't be able to help and you'd make things worse for yourself if you got them involved. And The Truth tells you there's about 95% chance that would be the case: it'd be a boring talk to overworked police and then the Burnt take some revenge.

[robnar]

Astarieth, Judgement

"As for anything else, keep it locked at night or if you go out for a sandwich. You look like you know the trade, but this is a bad neighborhood. Speaking of that, the locals will probably be asking you for protection money. I recommend you pay it. I got insurance on the place, but unless you got good health insurance, well, you should pay. You could go to the cops, but it won't help you."

Tommy's pleasantly surprised by the man - matter of fact, straightforward, honest answers. Not bad.

"Anybody else likely to shake me down? Cops 'round here like to take their cut? Bankers? Inspectors? Anybody in particular to watch out for?

Forgive the twenty questions, just want to know the terrain. If they run me outta business you'll have to find a new tenant."

Tommy waits for the answers, hoping for a gem or two. Barring any revelations, he bids the man farewell. When the conversation is over, he gets to work. First off, text to the team - <setting up shop here. Holla if you need me. <<Sends location>>>. Then he starts to set up. It takes five minutes to tape his sign above the doorway, and lay out the table, chairs, and cash box, and position his sledgehammer discreetly in the corner where the prospective applicant will notice it.

And then he waits.

Spoiler: Resonance questions

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Still presumably operating off the original resonance roll.
- Hoping the "bankers" thread gets Carl to mention something about his investor.
- Curious about the cops and authorities, but has no specific goal in asking aside from useful information.
- Pretty sure there's some particular baddies Carl knows. Hopefully this gives him some hooks he can use to track down a demon or two.

Spoiler: Astarieth's needs and desires

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Also, robnar: give me a list of level 1-6 Needs/Desires your character has, for in case they run into a Lilim.

Note: had a hard time coming up with these. Will probably edit and add to his character sheet.

Going for things Astarieth actually wants. He's got some more petty and spiteful desires, but they're the kinds of things he can keep in a box.

1. Simple to fulfill: To meet a person that needs help and doesn't freaking lie about it.
2. Have his car totally fixed up.
3. An artifact-quality sledgehammer to fit his theme. Tommy's kinda proud of his reputation in the mortal world.
4. A distinction from Dominic.
5. To be given permission to recruit Joanna as a Soldier of Heaven.
6. Takes an adventure for Tommy: To be in charge of a Triad.

[JoyWonderLove]

Carol's heartbeat picked up when the woman placed a hand on her shoulder – the truth jolting her tense. This was no mundane. She looked wonderingly into the eyes of the conversational red-headed stuck in a scorched dive bar, unclear if she was a fallen Mercurian, or had never known the guidance and abundance of heaven. The hand on her shoulder was blinked down at. I can't leave her like this. She looked back up with a smirk.

“Sorry, not a cop. You'll have to try harder if you want me to put you in handcuffs.” She winked before sitting comfortably at the selected table.

“I study journalism, actually. Carol Sinclaire. Brittany, I hope you don't mind if I tease – out the truth a little. I'd love if you could say when I'm getting warmer. Now let me try. I'm guessing you're not talking about the mile high club, because you and your friend would have made that extra popular much quicker.” She gave both a flattering glance, one and then the other. “So – would your club happen to be, say, a certain hot-topic group? Maybe one of the most influential in the entire city centre?”

Carol still had the grace to look expectantly. “Your insights and opinions on that would be very appreciated. Think of it as a mini interview. I'd also like to bullet point whatever you feel comfortable with on my phone. That way your wit can be properly preserved, if that's okay with you two?” Her phone head peeked over the table top experimentally. No other excuse came immediately to mind.

“First question, what drew you two to this increasingly popular club, and why do you think others are so intrigued by it?”

Spoiler: Mercurian Resonance

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1) Mercurian Resonance / Perception on fire Impudite aka Brittany. By succeeding at that perception check against her charm, it offers me a free resonance attempt of +2.

Target Number 8.
(1d6)[4]
(1d6)[5]

Check Digit: (1d6+2)[7]

The bonus from the Impudite's failed charm, and current shoulder touch.

Please forgive if the questions fall a little flat (either now or in the future). I'm trying to find an excuse to keep conversation flowing, and eventually pick up useful details along the way. Really can't just ask, 'SO, WHO'S YOUR SECRET BOSS AT THE TOP?'