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 Izzy nods and starts to stand. "Okay, I gotta get to work. Here's my number if you need anything. Oh, and let me advance you..." Izzy can personally award 2 Cash each (the middle-tier reward) for this mission, so she'll give you 1 Cash now. There may be more opportunities to make Cash during the mission! Atlatl posted:Got a 8 on Bullshit (lol) then a 9 on Placate to come honest after Bullshit fails. Incorporating the Placate into this! quote:chaosphage Today, 9:45 AM The conversation goes downhill for bit, until Blake just explains what's going on. Chaosphage doesn't take it too badly. quote:chaosphage Today, 9:51 AM chaosphage doesn't actually get back to Blake until much later, and all she says is: quote:chaosphage Today, 3:51 PM Electric Plaza is the public park above Space Town's main transit station.  Alright, this seems like a good time for Prep! After talking to folks, and because this is the first mission, here's what I'm gonna do:
Let me know what you'd like your character to handle first, too (e.g. chaosphage, the Ring of Coolant, etc.).
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May 12, 2021 06:48
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 Over the course of last week, Ronan spent most of his time making calls to fixers, contacts and others in the criminal underworld, just trying to piece together what might be going on with hired muscle and new jobs of late. Group Prep: 14, Cool+Criminal Underworld. 3 group prep. As he gets ready to help check out Ring of Coolant, he mostly hits his personal gym, both to clear his mind and limber himself up in case he has to play bodyguard. Personal Prep: 17, Tough+Combined Style MMA, Boosted by Criminal, Advantage from Gym. 5 personal prep. Anyone who wants to use the second use of the Gym is free to. Also, starting at 3 Cash. 1 from Izzy, 2 from business. Mors Rattus fucked around with this message at 14:57 on May 12, 2021 |
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May 12, 2021 14:29
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 Up until that point, Blake had continued doing what he always did; talking to people coming through the electronics shop, being overly-talkative and probing during Headpattr work, trolling Discourse and usual online circles, and napping in the park next to the various fake birds (which he insists are NOT surveillance drones). Well, apparently relying on power naps in between jobs for sleep didn't serve him so well when trying to imitate Reg, but... Hey, at least it worked out in the end! --- Rolled Cool+Social Engineering for both Personal and Group Prep Also getting cash, 1 from Headpattr + 1 from Contractor + 2 from Small Business + 1 from the up-front payment for a total of 5. Blake will probably go to the Chaosphage meet first just out of courtesy, then join whoever's going to Evil Maid Attack, unless that's happening at the same time.
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May 12, 2021 14:55
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 Irma has been spending time listening in on police and local chatter seeing what news has been going through the floor. Irma is going to visit chaosphage 'group prep(clever, investigation)', 13 ⟵ [6, 4] 2d6 + 3
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May 12, 2021 18:06
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 As the meeting winds down, Tsukino successfully applies puppy dog eyes (and promises of prompt repayment) until Ronan relents and lets her borrow some cash for a very important purchase. Does she say what it is? No. First off, it's a surprise, and she's not sure he even understands what YourTube is. And, really, she doesn't want to have to explain to everyone that she's going to take off for a couple of hours to work on the very important personal project of getting some hot camera equipment for her channel. Drones are definitely in, way more dynamic than static camera setups, and the higher-end models have such good resolution and onboard post-processing that you'd never even notice that it wasn't some static fixture with optimal lighting. Luckily, between her trusty Fenrir and prior trips around the station, she's able to cover quite a bit of ground and really shop for the best deal possible. Drone shops in Space Town proper are examined, theory-crafted, and compared to market rates: no go. It's a weird market for them being extremely loud and mobile fashion statements, so prices are way up for any model with performance. A quick drive to Paradise later, and Tsukino spends some time window shopping in the 0Q consumer electronics department. Again, no dice. Everything is either stock, or you're paying about three times over parts for the brand name. After a couple of blown leads, and some even more depressing store experiences later, and Tsukino is feeling like this may have been a waste of time. She drives for a while, then stops off at the Mariposa Automatic Zoo. If nothing else, at least she could chill and watch some robot otters play around. Being naturally chatty, she eventually finds herself wrapped up in a deep conversation with one of the maintenance workers in the bird of prey enclosure. Turns out that they were cycling out some of their old models to update the exhibit to the latest designs from HomeBotics... Well, it only took a small opening for Tsukino to pry out that the old models were being sold for parts. One sweet package deal later, and she had a (mostly) functional robot hawk to call her own. They had to remove the proprietary smart algorithms, unfortunately, but it was still absolutely bleeding edge compared to the usual consumer designs she'd been running into. Despite it all, she still somehow manages to make it back to her place to change for the meet with Xheina, then arrives at the Electronic Plaza about a half-hour early. She spends most of the time waiting playing around with her new drone through phone controls, and probably is completely absorbed in that when the others arrive. --- Tsukino's plan is to do the meet with Chaosphage, then come back to chat with Devis and Gimble. Starting Cash of 3, between the business and the up-front portion, then borrowing one more from Ronan in exchange for her end-of-mission pay for the Acquire Asset. Acquire Asset: 'acquire asset (drone! hopefully with tags! cool, grey-market goods and services, then shopping around with Crosser and Well-Traveled for deals)', 16 ⟵ [5, 5, 2, 1] 4d6kh3 + 3 + 1 Net result of a -3 discount, which lets Tsukino pick up a fully loaded (if not fully programmed) robot bird from the Automatic Zoo for 4 Cash. They were deprecating one of the current robot hawks in favor of a new model, so it was seriously a buyer's market. Tags: Flight, Improved Recording, Sport. Due to Gregarious, she also collects a sweet 4 Personal Prep during her bargain hunting. Group Prep: 'group prep (actual lawyer, cool)', 12 ⟵ [5, 3] 2d6 + 3 + 1 Legal work in Space Town and weird, strangely relevant gossip get along like peanut butter and bananas. Neither of which Tsukino really eats, but. 2 Group Prep.
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May 12, 2021 18:54
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 Personal Prep: 4, Cash: 2 Hikaru has mostly spent her time online, keeping tabs on what's trending in Space Town on Pulser and engaging her fanbase. Occasionally she even found useful information. Before setting out with the others to either Evil Maid Attack or the plaza, Hikaru makes a stop at her apartment to pick up a few cosplay accessories and a set of animal ears while she continues to scroll through Pulser. (Group prep, Cool+Social Media), 8 ⟵ [3, 1] 2d6 + 3 + 1 +1 Group Prep (Personal prep, Cool+Social Media), 12 ⟵ [4, 4] 2d6 + 3 + 1 That should be 4 Personal Prep (1 for first personal prep roll, 1 for succeeding (if I understood what was said in the discord right), 1 for beating the difficulty by 3, and then 1 from my 3D Printer asset). Starting Cash: +1 from HeadPattr, +1 from being paid upfront. I'll follow Blake should he split off to Evil Maid Attack while Tsukino and Irma meet with chaosphage, if we need to choose between the two scenes. Astus fucked around with this message at 17:38 on May 13, 2021 |
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May 12, 2021 19:11
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 Personal Prep: 2, Cash: 1 Condor spends a little time scrounging up some better outfit ideas for the other members of this impromptu group. Especially Ronan. If he's going to go to some of the places this might take them he has to look less like a hobo who might have a shotgun. She also hits up her smuggling contacts, letting them know there might be trouble afoot, and she might need someone to drop her a line. Or a line gun. Whichever. Condor is going to Definitely Not A Fighting Ring. quote:2d6+3+1 group prep cool+fashion
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May 13, 2021 03:37
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Alright, I count 11 Group Prep! This all looks good, so...  MIssion Start! Afternoon gives way to evening, and the station begins preparing for the mirrors to close at 6PM. Space Town starts to light up as the after-work crowd pours in. You split into two groups: one heads to Electric Plaza to speak to Chaosphage, while the other goes looking for the Ring of Coolant.  This is a different park from the book but you get the idea! Electric Plaza, Space Town Grand Cross is dotted with indoor parks: public indoor spaces with ample seating, bathrooms, and charging stations where people can just rest. Space Town's biggest is Electric Plaza, which takes up a couple floors above Space Town's main transit station. If you're meeting friends in Space Town, it's probably here. The Plaza is an expanse of tables and benches in nice simple colours, with news tickers along the walls keeping people updated on the latest happenings (and anime releases) and a row of changing booths for locals and cosplayers on the second floor. Xheina is better-known on Earth, for her urban exploration streams: she slaps a camera on a drone and gives viewers a virtual tour of interesting parts of Grand Cross. (She's done a tour of Space Town sponsored by the local tourism org that's pretty popular on the station too.) So it's not a surprise when a legged drone scuttles onto the table you were directed to as you sit down. A screen fixed to the top of the drone lights up to reveal a slightly trippy 3D animation of some bismuth—a graphic Xheina usually uses as a loading screen.  "Xheina van der Wort"/chaosphage, Urbex VTuber Xheina's voice issues from the drone. "Hey. I had a friend check in at Early Access and it seems your story checks out. First question: what the gently caress?" It seems reasonable that Xheina would know about Early Access and Reg's connection to it, so she's used your Prep time to have a friend question Izzy. The Mood of this scene is Indifferent—she's hearing you out for now but she's not totally on board with helping you yet. ---  Bits n' Pets, White Plume Avenue, Space Town Back Streets The back streets of Space Town are great. They're less crowded, the prices are lower, and there's a lot of hidden gems if you know what to look for. Right now you're on White Plume Avenue, which is mostly known for old electronics, out-of-season clothing, and groceries for people who live nearby. Bits n' Pets is a robot pet store a little ways down, with cute robo-kittens tussling in the window. The only person around when you show up is the manager, who is feeding an aquarium on the counter. The fish are robotic, so really he's just pressing a button to make holographic fish flakes appear, but you gotta keep these things happy.  Johnny 0, Honest Dealer Many androids adopt the accents and mannerisms of the places they were manufactured and raised. As far as you can tell, Johnny is from a New Jersey-themed theme park. "Hey! Welcome to Bits n' Pets!" The screen on his chest lights up with a little cartoon cat showing off today's special. "What can I do for ya? Youse in the market for some corgis? 'Cause we got a deal on corgis." The Mood here is also Indifferent. You know Johnny can get people into the Ring of Coolant, but he doesn't know you, so he's just sticking to the pet stuff until you say what you want. Ettin fucked around with this message at 07:26 on May 13, 2021 |
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May 13, 2021 07:22
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Tsukino lets out a small eep of surprise, then quickly stuffs her phone in her purse as her newfound drone friend settles onto a nearby sign. After a moment of trying to regain her composure, she lets out a breath and looks at the drone's projection with a smile, "Xheina! Wow, it's nice to meet you. I'm Tsukino, these are my friends, and..." She tries not to look directly at Blake, "...well, despite how things started, we're here to help." She gives an apologetic look. The sort rich with meaning. The sort that all but screams 'wow, look, I'm sorry my friend is a photographer, he's just like that.' --- Tsukino is sticking with Friendly clothing, though... 'Boosting a Charm (Cool, Budding YourTuber, Gift of the Gab, Specialty)', 10 ⟵ [2, 1, 1] 3d6 + 3 + 1 + 1 + 1 It may not help any time soon! 3 Personal Prep remaining. Tricky fucked around with this message at 08:03 on May 13, 2021 |
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May 13, 2021 07:57
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Blake sighs, giving Xheina (and Tuskino) an apologetic shrug. "Yeah, I just, um, am used to operating a certain way? Sorry. But we really do want to find your friend, and I'm pretty sure you were the last one to see him. That, and whatever he gave you might be the reason for his disappearance."
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May 13, 2021 13:39
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Personal Prep: 2, Cash: 1 Condor stands in closer to Johnny, and lowers her voice so it won't carry to the rest of the store. "Come on, Johnny. We're here about the Ring. There's been some negative attention coming this way and I'm trying to cut it off at the pass. I know you aren't about trouble, right?" The whole "sultry whisper" tone programmed into her frame doesn't help with other androids, usually, but it's not like she can change it. 'charm', 13 ⟵ [5, 5] 2d6 + 3 Kickin' the mood up to Friendly.
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May 13, 2021 14:21
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Personal Prep: 5, Cash: 2 Ronan has changed into a subtly ill-fitting suit, and is now following Condor around in silence. He isn’t trying to be intimidating yet, instead assuming the stance of muscle that is currently not required. The kind of muscle that androids rarely have - a deferent and obedient human.
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May 13, 2021 14:51
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Irma looks at the drone sympathetically. "Look Xhenia, we just got this case today so I apologize for the means but you were the one lead we had. So can you please tell us what you know about Reg's stuff?" 'Interogating Xhenia', 11 ⟵ [5, 3] 2d6 + 2 + 1
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May 13, 2021 16:59
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Personal Prep: 4, Cash: 2 Hikaru is gently petting her artificial snake, trying to concentrate purely on Xhenia's drone while ignoring the news tickers about upcoming anime releases. "Yeah, despite how things started, we are concerned for Reg's safety. Whatever he left with you is probably related to his disappearance." Not rolling anything since it seems like Tsukino and Irma have things mostly in hand.
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May 13, 2021 17:46
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Bits n' Pets That Charm convinces Johnny for now! (He'd be impressed by an android with a human bodyguard, too.) The Mood is now Friendly. "Ah, I get ya," Johnny simulates a wink. "Listen, the main entrance's round the corner, but if you's in a hurry we can use the service entrance." He puts a robot dog on the counter. "Okay, you're in charge until I get back." Workshop, Ring of Coolant The pet store's staff room has a locked door, which leads to a workshop for broken pets. The actual back entrance to the Ring of Coolant is a stairway hidden behind a closet in here. Those stairs lead to the backstage area of the Ring of Coolant, specifically some kind of workshop for androids. It's basically just a basement room with a bunch of garage tool racks set up on the walls, a bunch of android servicing equipment around some big chairs, and cables everywhere. Half the space is taken up by augments and android parts: limbs laid out on wooden tables in neat rows, internals stuffed into filing cabinets, torsos in boxes. Whoever set this up did their best to make it look professional, but it still looks sketchy. From here you can make out a staff corridor and a set of doors with sounds coming through—sounds like the Ring is filling up for tonight's entertainment. Johnny reintroduces himself. Down here he talks faster, turns up the accent, and gestures with his hands a lot more. "Name's Johnny Oh. I'm the chief technician 'round here. You wanna see the boss, or can I interest youse in some augments? We got more parts than we can use down here, and these androids go through a lotta parts, lemme tell ya. Lotta genuine Tetsuo parts, real knock-down prices. Human or android, you name the part, I gotta part. Legs, heads, the whole kit an' kaboodle. No rocket fists though. Ain't no rule against rocket fists, I'm just out." If you want to ask Johnny any questions, peruse his wares, or study the area, now's your chance! --- Electric Plaza Xheina's Cool Defense is 9, so you make it through. The mood is now Friendly; Xheina is still trying to put some distance between you and her but you're on her good side. Depending on how you handle it you might be able to get her to work more closely with you, maybe spill some more beans. Xheina sighs. The word "disappearance" makes it harder to pretend this situation is just an inconvenience, especially when you keep saying it. "Fuuuuuuuuuuck." Her voice is pretty clear, though you can hear some the murmuring of a crowd around her. "Alright, alright. You came all the way here, I guess you're serious..." "Okay. I've known Reg for ages. We're talking remotely 'cause I can't show my face to just anyone, right? But he knew me before all this. Before the Disaster. He's crashed at my place a lot. I'd put him up for longer but my landlord wouldn't have it." "Like ten days ago he stopped by, and asked me to hold onto this box for him." You hear a patting sound. "He said he was worried someone at the netcaf would jack it. Gamers, obviously, not the L4 guys. It's a heavy cardboard box, all taped up. He asked me to sit on it for a week while he handled some L4 business. Then this loving guy just ghosts me. He's not always super talkative, so I didn't think about it much 'til you showed up." "Oh yeah, and I know it's not dangerous. Reg and I were tight. Are tight. No way in hell would he give me something that could hurt me without warning me, right? So should I drop this in a locker for you or what?" Ettin fucked around with this message at 18:16 on May 13, 2021 |
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May 13, 2021 18:13
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Personal Prep: 4, Cash: 2 “My employer,” Ronan tilts his head towards Condor, “Is looking for someone. Someone who we understand worked here sometimes. Your work here’s good, we know you have some of the best items here, well sourced. What my employer is concerned about is your employee, Reg Darrow. We have some questions for him about some of his ideas - I made some inquiries that told me he’d been working on something we might be interested in. You seen him around lately?” His tone and status as muscle probably imply that they aren’t casually inquiring, but also heopefully that they have a positive interest. Maybe something that could help the Ring. Interrogate: Clever plus Criminal Underworld + Interrogate, boosted with 1 Prep', 18 vs Cool.
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May 13, 2021 18:57
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Personal Prep: 4, Cash: 2 Thankfully, Xheina's concern for Reg seems to have won out over her innate mistrust, and she was willing to hand over the mystery box. She also kept mentioning just how long she knew Reg, and how much she trusts him. Hikaru puts on her practiced smile in an effort to put Xheina at ease, as she carefully tries to get more information about Reg. "Hey, is it alright if you tell us a bit more about Reg himself? It sounds like the two of you are good friends, so you'd know him better than most people. Understanding him better could even help us out in finding him, although I understand if you'd rather just hand off the box to us. We're not trying to force you to open up to us or anything." ( Yeah, Edit: Interrogate uses Clever, not Cool. Changed the numbers above. Also, since the double 5's are a crit, I'll ask "What could they use help with?" due to Personal Insight. Astus fucked around with this message at 00:18 on May 14, 2021 |
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May 13, 2021 20:20
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Personal Prep: 2, Cash: 1 While Ronan (thankfully) handles the talking, Condor looks among the parts and scrap around the room. There's no unifying manufacturer, or design, or purpose, but these all have to be coming from somewhere. There's no way that somewhere isn't someone very much like her, and there's always a tell. A batch number that indicates where something was shipped from. A revealing coverup on a serial or manufacturer number. '(Clever+smuggling to identify facts about these parts)', 10 ⟵ [4, 3] 2d6 + 1 + 2
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May 13, 2021 20:26
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Blake taps at his chin, squinting as he tries to imagine what sort of electronics an L4 refugee might have. He stands on his tip toes and whispers to Tsukino. "Do you think he might have taken something from L4? I'm struggling to think of heavy electronics that a normal person would have..." He chimes in when he thinks of a good question to ask Xheina. "If you're not comfortable with that, could you at least tell us what his job was on L4?"
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May 14, 2021 00:25
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Ring of Coolant Mors Rattus posted:“My employer,” Ronan tilts his head towards Condor, “Is looking for someone. Someone who we understand worked here sometimes. Your work here’s good, we know you have some of the best items here, well sourced. What my employer is concerned about is your employee, Reg Darrow. We have some questions for him about some of his ideas - I made some inquiries that told me he’d been working on something we might be interested in. You seen him around lately?” "Oh! Reggie!" Johnny lights up. "I love that guy! Good man with an arm wrench. That's a wrench for arms. Now Reggie, he normally deals with the boss man, but he works with me on busy nights. Those androids, they can take each other's arms off faster than I can weld 'em on myself. Amazin' fights, though, amazin' fights. I can get the boss for youse, but he's got a coupla drawers to himself over there, y'know, for his tools." Johnny indicates a couple of small drawers near a corner; each has a piece of masking tape slapped on with "RD" written on them. "Feel free to take a look, but no keepin' anythin'. If you're interested in his services you can ask the boss man, he'll have the guy's number." For what it's worth, Johnny has no idea Reg Darrow is missing. K Prime posted:While Ronan (thankfully) handles the talking, Condor looks among the parts and scrap around the room. Condor has been in enough Law Zero android shops to spot that Johnny might be slightly overselling his wares here. A lot of the "genuine Tetsuo parts" he is gesturing to are similar models from a competitor (Kaneda Orbital Incorporated) with the branding swapped out. A lot of his wares aren't as advertised, actually—"Ogremoch Engineering" frames that are actually from the knockoff brand Ogremalk Engines, open drawers of "android parts" with disassembled robot pets inside, refurbished second-hand parts with "BRAND NEW!" stickers, and so on. Condor gets the impression a lot of the "good" stuff is for the prize fighters. Johnny somehow segues smoothly from his conversation with Ronan to pitching Condor again. "I see you're appreciatin' my wares! Anything catch your eye? I got a little bit of Ogremoch, Omnidyne, Tetsuo. Oh! You want a new eye? I got eyes for days! Just lemme know. No returns or trade-ins." --- chaosphage, Electric Plaza Atlatl posted:"Do you think he might have taken something from L4? I'm struggling to think of heavy electronics that a normal person would have..." Astus posted:"Hey, is it alright if you tell us a bit more about Reg himself? It sounds like the two of you are good friends, so you'd know him better than most people. Understanding him better could even help us out in finding him, although I understand if you'd rather just hand off the box to us. We're not trying to force you to open up to us or anything." Atlatl posted:"If you're not comfortable with that, could you at least tell us what his job was on L4?" "Well..." A table of nerds elsewhere in the park cheer loudly at something happening on the handheld game they're clustered around; Xheina pauses while some background yelling on her end dies down. "I've known Reg since Earth college. He's kind of a tech guy. He was gonna be a station worker on L4 but he didn't finish training. If his refugee poo poo gets sorted out he'll do alright as a mechanic or augment repair guy or something. For now he gets by on repair jobs. Real under-the-table poo poo. Far as I know he's done it for Early Access, Evil Maid Attack, a bunch of little shops in Cross Cybernation, some pet store in the back streets... I pay him to help me out when I have the time for visitors, which is loving never. He'd make decent money if he didn't spend half his time doing free work for other L4 folks. He's big on helping people. I do what I can to pay him back, don't worry." Xheina drums her fingers on the box. "As for this thing... uh, my guess is it's a tablet or laptop or something. Just a hefty one. It's not a tall box..." Astus posted:Also, since the double 5's are a crit, I'll ask "What could they use help with?" due to Personal Insight. Hikaru gets the impression that Xheina is pretty much constantly behind on her to-do list, thanks to the many demands of being a VTuber. The fastest way to get on her good side would probably be to offer to do some of the odd jobs Reg did for her.
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May 14, 2021 08:11
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Personal Prep: 4, Cash: 2 “That right? Your boss got a name? Maybe we can work something out with him.” Ronan opens up the drawers to look through. His main understanding of tech is how to hurt people with it, but snapping some pictures with his phone should let the nerds figure it out, right?
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May 14, 2021 14:38
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Tsukino nods, then says, "Well, if you're in the lurch because Reg isn't around right now to help out..." She puts on a wide smile, wrapping an arm around Blake, "Have you considered HeadPattr as a tech support platform? Send a request to @MouseyMaid, and you'll have a direct line to my go-to guy right here. Very good, very discreet. Right, Blake?" Well, her go-to guy... except when she's buying a camera drone! But that's a secret to everyone. "But, I've been thinking, maybe it'd make more sense to hand the package off in person? If this thing is linked to why he's gone dark, someone might be waiting for the chance to pick it up once it's unattended." She can't help but frown a bit with worry, "And, well, if he trusts you enough to hold onto something like that for him, I'm sure he'd want you there when we open it up." There's also the sneaking suspicion that Xheina is not near as far away as she'd like to pretend growing in her mind. The timing on that noise... maybe she's at one of the spots closer to the nerds playing on their clearly jailbroken Tetsuo PocketDrives? It's not like she'd need to make a long commute, right? --- 'Even more Charming (Cool, Budding YourTuber, Gift of the Gab, Specialty, Friendly Clothes)', 11 ⟵ [3, 2, Beats that Cool defense! Maybe she'll loosen up enough to meet us face to face?
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May 14, 2021 15:36
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Blake clasps his hands together coyly, blushing. "O - oh, right! I mean sometimes people get the wrong impression when you say discreet maid, Tsukino, but yes, client confidentiality is very important, and I can definitely help with just about any tech support issues. I have plenty of spare troubleshooting parts if you need them, too!" "And, well, unless all of your tech problems are off-site, I can probably take a look at the package while I'm over there, so that knocks out two park-surveillance-drones with one stone."
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May 14, 2021 18:22
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"You can absolutely trust O'Blake here when it comes to odd jobs." Irma gives Blake a slight pat on the back. It's his other lifeblood.
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May 15, 2021 05:21
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Personal Prep: 4, Cash: 2 Hikaru gently pats Blake's head, joining in on the three-way gang-up on the mouse boy. "Yeah, Blake's a lot more useful than you'd think. And I'm sure he's eager to make amends for what happened earlier. But to be serious for a moment, don't be afraid to ask us for help if you need it."
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May 15, 2021 05:59
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"Y - yeah..." Blake clears his throat in an attempt to regain his composure, though he continues blushing furiously. "Can I, um, offer a discount code to make up for the trouble?"
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May 15, 2021 06:04
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Personal Prep: 2, Cash: 1 "Yes, we are very interested in seeing your 'boss man,'" says Condor, the airquotes clear despite her not moving her hands. "We will wait here while you go let him know we're eager to meet." As soon as Johnny leaves the room, Condor begins undignified drawer-pulling. "Ronan, what do you think of these parts?"
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May 15, 2021 15:48
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chaosphage, Electric Plaza chaosphage starts to relent. "Alright, alright. We can talk about that other stuff later, I guess. For now—" You can't hear the details through the mic, but it sounds like some guy is trying to talk to chaosphage. "What? mumblemumble Sorry, I'm on a call right now. Anyway, if you sit tight I can— mumblemumblemumble —Sorry, no, I'm busy. Can you folks— mumblemumblemumble —I'm busy, man, go— hey. HEY!" The last part is loud enough for you to hear it in the Plaza, too. That draws your attention to a sudden commotion:  chaosphage, Online Weirdo chaosphage was sitting at a table a ways away. Her spiky blue hoodie resembles some sort of toad-like creature, with a toothy maw for a hood. You cannot make out any other features; the hood is pulled down, a dark face mask obscures what the hood doesn't, and the rest is hidden by gloves, black leggings, and sweet kicks. It's a cool look though. It looks like some random nerd sat at her table and tried to engage her in conversation. She's jumping up now, and looking at... a second guy in a full-face scooter helmet, who appears to be making off with a cardboard box. It's a robbery! It's up to you how to deal with this; 2 successes gets you the box back, further successes may get you guys for questioning. --- Ring of Coolant "Sure! Sit tight, I'll be back in a sec." Johnny hustles away. The drawers Ronan is looking through contain some interesting stuff: a nice set of cybernetics tools, a broken robo-cat Reg was repairing, a tray stacked with random pieces of tech, and what looks like a phone with the back pried off, connected to a bunch of unfamiliar equipment. Unless Ronan would like a cat, that is probably the most interesting part. Opening drawers mostly gets Condor more bootleg parts. Some of them have been refurbished by Johnny, in some cases with entire sections rebuilt from scratch. It's impressive work considering they're just shoddy knockoffs. A few of the drawers have actually-good cyberware, almost always tagged with the name of whatever fighter they're reserved for. You hear the boss approaching in time to close the drawers.  Hunter Deadman, Ring of Coolant MC Hunter is either a full-body cyborg, an android, or remote-piloting his body. Either way, he's a waist-high koala in a Hawaiian shirt with speakers in his ears. It's... a look. "Hey there! How's it hangin'?" This is definitely the dude Ronan called at Izzy's. "The name's Hunter. Hunter Deadman. What can our humble pet store do for ya?"
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May 15, 2021 16:26
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If there ever was a sign to move that was it. Thankfully the plaza has a shitton of open space. The dumbass shouldn't be trying to ram a scooter through it though. Irma moves quickly climbing over benches and tables to catch up with the thief before they had the chance to get into a place with more open roads. It was one of the nicer spots that she had run through and with practiced ease, she was on the assailant's trial. 'Time for a chase scene', 12 ⟵ [6, 2, 2, 2] 4d6kh2 + 3 + 1 JesterOfAmerica fucked around with this message at 17:26 on May 15, 2021 |
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May 15, 2021 17:22
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Personal Prep: Hearing the commotion, Blake attempts to twist his way out of everyone's grasp, but gets tangled up in his bag's strap and clumsily falls to the ground with a shout. He's quick to whip out his laptop and start running a program from his prone position on the ground. "Someone go stop them!" --- Spent 1 prep to boost a Basic Hack to trace the assailants and rolled an 11.
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May 15, 2021 21:40
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Personal Prep: 3 / Cash: 0 Tsukino says, "Blake! Send what you find to my phone!" Not really stopping to explain what that would do or why or any other number of good questions, she quickly fishes out her phone and pulls the app up. Her robot bird perks up, quickly exiting sleep mode, and races off after Irma and the fleeing thief. The trick will be to see if she can bump him in such a way that he drops the box, but ideally without breaking it. Or her drone. That thing's premium! --- 'sport drone trackin' and tacklin' (clever, advantage)', 10 ⟵ [5, 3,
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May 15, 2021 22:10
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Personal Prep: Hikaru wasn't exactly in bad shape or anything, but seeing Irma effortlessly leap over benches....yeah, there's no way Hikaru could keep up. There was, however, another way for her to help stop the thief, courtesy of whichever nerd at Sunset Overdreck pushed to install rocket fists into her arms. Quickly getting up on a nearby bench, Hikaru points her arm out in front of her to take aim (making sure that Tsukino's cute drone wasn't in the way, it looked really expensive), before launching her fist at the would-be thief's knee. She scores a direct hit, and does a little fist pump with her remaining arm. She's also probably attracted a lot of attention to herself, but maybe they'll just think this is a PR stunt to promote an upcoming anime or something. Weirder things have happen in Space Town all the time. (Rocket Punch the thief's legs out from under them, Tough+Anime-Inspired Self-Defense, spending 1 personal prep to Boost)', 16 ⟵ [6, 5, 2] 3d6 + 2 + 1
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May 15, 2021 22:45
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Personal Prep: 4, Cash: 2 Ronan quickly scoops up the phone and associated machines, pocketing them before he closes the drawer. "I don't know enough about android parts to say much, but they don't look special to me. I don't think these guys are connected to all this - not directly. But they might know if Reg was working on something big that someone might be - whatever this poo poo is we found, that guy wasn't shocked we were interested." Once Hunter arrives, it's back to being the deferential bodyguard. "Sir." Ronan glances over at Condor to pick up any directions she feels like signaling, then turns back to Hunter. "I'm sure you recognize my employer. You run a good thing here, and we'd heard your man, Reg, had been working on something. We've come around to see if we could talk to him about his ideas, but seems we missed him. We were hoping you could fill us in on the details and point us to where we might catch up with the man." 'Interrogate, Clever + Criminal Underground + Action: Interrogate', 9 ⟵ [4, 3] 2d6 + 0 + 1 + 1
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May 16, 2021 03:46
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Personal Prep: 2, Cash: 1 "As my friend says, we're hoping to make his acquaintence for an important business opportunity," says Condor. "Zero obligations to help, of course. I have to say, I'm impressed you maintain things using such... unique equipment. If you're also interested, we can talk as well about providing more useful inventory." She smiles. "You're doing so well, after all." 'charm', 7 ⟵ [2, 2] 2d6 + 3
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May 16, 2021 04:41
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Electric Plaza Irma, Tsukino, and Hikaru all overcame the runner's Quick Defense, and Hikaru rolled really well—treating this as a Rush attack, there's no way he can win—so I'm gonna say you capture the runner! The combo is devastating. Tsukino's drone knocks him off-balance, Hikaru totally sweeps him off his feet, and Irma catches the box as he lets go. The guy drops onto his butt, slides into a table, and crashes into some chairs.  Would-Be Thief The thief staggers out of there a few moments later, clearly too dunked on to flee. "Oof... not my finest moment..." In the meantime, the other guy who was distracting chaosphage suddenly bails as soon as this all goes down... ... but Blake can track him! Bonus! ... And also in the meantime, chaosphage joins you. The hoodie stays on though. "Uh... hey there. I guess we're doing this now?" --- Ring of Coolant Deadman strokes his koala chin. He did not give his koala hands the usual two thumbs. "Well, I might be keen. I've got a few ideas where he is, but... well, I don't know you. I was gonna say "Law Zero", but the human is throwing me. Throw me a bone here, yeah?" Ronan rolled well but Condor not so much, so I'm going to say Deadman is willing to help a little with Reggie but needs to be offered something (more info, or a favour) if you want to be friendly with him. You don't need to roll anything extra for this specifically if you don't want to, but feel free to throw dice if you have other ideas.
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May 17, 2021 17:08
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Personal Prep: 4, Cash: 2 Ronan briefly considers just going straight to threats - it’d be so easy. Instead he turns to Condor, letting her decide the play. “Ma’am.”
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May 17, 2021 17:13
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Personal Prep: 2, Cash: 1 Condor shoots Ronan a look, unsure of his intentions, but decides to roll with it. "Not everyone in Law Zero can avoid working with humans all the time, Mr. Deadman. As it happens, my friend here has a vested interest in the success of our venture. As do I. Reg was referred to us as a favor for another such friend. If we can do you any favors in return..." Condor smiles and lowers her face, trying very hard to look upward toward the ridiculous koala body, "We're in the business of exchanging good will for good will."
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May 17, 2021 18:23
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Personal Prep: 1, Cash: 5 With their runner's phone location services accessed, Blake climbs to his feet, smooths out his skirt, and awkwardly carries his laptop over to the rest of the group. "Didn't know you had a rocket punch! Pretty cool!" He blurts out, turning the laptop around so everyone can see the screen. "I want to see where the other one goes, so it's no rush. And it's nice to meet you," he says, offering a hand to Chaosphage. "Nice hoodie."
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May 18, 2021 04:22
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Personal Prep: 3 / Cash: 0 Tsukino lets out a tiny sigh of relief when her drone attack plays out perfectly... and doesn't immediately ruin it! Talk about risking it all, there isn't any sort of warrantee! She spends a moment piloting it back to a nearby perch, then quickly (too quickly?) follows Blake over to meet Xheina in the flesh. It's fairly satisfying to see that her guess played out, plus it ended up being pretty good that they were nearby to ward off this increasingly suspicious grab'n'go attempt. There's definitely something strange in the works, likely linked to what Reg had from L4, and there may well be some connections she can tease out by examining his claim paperwork in more detail. Not to mention whatever's in the package! Of course, that's hardly the most important development: Xheina is here. Approximately three feet away by her estimate, which puts her probably the closest any fan has gotten... ever? Possibly ever. The whole biz seems as network-focused as anything, so why not network? Blake's showcase proves the perfect opportunity. As Tsukino crowds in to see whatever the mousey maid has turned up on the runner, she gives the chaotically hoodied streamer a quick side hug and a winsome smile, "You okay? Looks like whoever's behind this is ready to get hands-on. Or, well, more hands-on." --- 'charm: casually flirt with the hooded weirdo (cool, budding yourtuber, gift of the gab, trendy wardrobe, specialty)', 14 ⟵ [5, 3,
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May 18, 2021 05:35
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| # ? Apr 28, 2024 23:55 |
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Irma turns to Tsukino as she tries to talk to chaosphage. "Oh is my little wolf hungry for more than just me?", she says with faux betrayal in her voice, sticking her tongue out at Tsukino. Teasing complete, Irma turns to the thief. "Alright so let's cut to the chase. You stole that box for a reason. So who hired you and what do they want with the contents of the box?" 'Interrogate the thief', 12 ⟵ [5, 4] 2d6 + 2 + 1
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May 18, 2021 17:32
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