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 Personal Prep: 3, Cash: 2 With an annoyingly loud whirr, the thin cable connecting Hikaru's fist to the rest of her arm retracts until the two parts are reunited again. After a quick test to make sure she can move all of her fingers still (she's had problems before when a leaf got stuck in the mechanism once), she gives Blake a thumbs-up at his praise. "Thanks, I don't get to do that nearly enough. Anyways, Xheina, is it all right if we take a peek in the box?" She's just going to ignore the fact that Tsukino just walked up to Xheina and hugged her. She's probably not one of [i]those[i] fans, so she should behave herself. Probably.
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May 18, 2021 17:43
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 Personal Prep: 1, Cash: 5 Blake shoots Tsukino the tiniest jealous, pouting look, then turns his attention to the box. "Yep, let's take a look and see what has everyone so excited."
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May 19, 2021 14:27
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 Ring of Coolant "Oh, Law Zero?" Deadman nods. "That makes sense." (Law Zero: Law Zero isn't in charge here, but they are involved in this place—the extra benefits they'd get from taking over aren't worth the extra risk, so they're happy with the arrangement. As far as Deadman is concerned, if you're dumb enough to pretend to be Law Zero that's their problem, not his.) "I was trying to figure out where he went myself, actually. I've got some footage you might like to see, but I'll need a sec to dig it up. In the meantime, maybe you can help me out with a little something. Here..." Deadman pushes the doors to the fighting ring open.  The actual Ring of Coolant is built into the space beneath this block, accessible via some stairs elsewhere on the street. A couple levels of the station basements here were full of redundant rooms, which Unity decided to sell as shop space; Deadman bought them through various shell companies and set up the Ring instead. The actual arena is a big empty metal space surrounded by protective fences, bleachers, and entertainment systems. There's also a betting space and a bar area. There's no fight right now, but there will be one soon, and the evening crowd has already arrived. There's music, LED lights, and lasers, but they haven't busted out the smoke machine yet, so the fight's not about to start. In the arena, someone is lightly sparring with a practice bot while Deadman's technicians get everything ready. Deadman nods to the crowd. "So there's a pretty big fight going on tonight. Kickbot versus History's Worst Robot. They pick the names, not me. Anyway, the last couple weeks we've had a problem with a hacker getting into the systems and messing with the fights. I've tried to find 'em, but no luck. I reckon a couple outsiders might have better luck. Any ideas? We've found a spider drone lodged in the entertainment system before, that's about it." Deadman will give you the info either way, but if you can shut down the wannabe hacker before the fight starts you can get bonus info! --- Electric Plaza JesterOfAmerica posted: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?" "Okay, you win," the thief reaches into his pocket and hands you... a business card. "Here you go."  Any Space Town Regular: Oh no, it's this guy. Malapert Matt1 is infamous around these parts, and also banned from a lot of local stores and conventions. He's probably most well-known2 for... Cosplay: ... gaining access to the back rooms of an anime convention by stealing a manga company's mascot costume. Grey-Market Goods and Services: ... selling bootleg DVDs on the street, and somehow breaking street date on major anime releases. Social Media: ... openly advertising his services as a guy who can "acquire" merch at a "discount" for you. Vtubing: ... getting caught breaking into the virtual influencer agency VirtuScape because he stopped by a break room for a snack. 1: Malapert Crater is the site of Luna's main surface settlement, Artemis, which is a place Matt isn't really allowed any more. 2: Feel free to make up other stuff, as long as it fits an unrepentant otaku with no regard for other people's property (especially if they're not an anime fan). "Listen, I was paid by some local anime fans to get that box. Serious anime fans, I mean they were reputable. There's a phone or something in there that I've been tracking, see," Malapert Matt doesn't show you how because he assumes you can figure it out. "One of 'em was helping distract this chick so I could—ah, he's gone, isn't he... Oh, well. It's not like they paid me for silence. Oh, while I've got you here, need any anime?" Malapert Matt opens his jacket to reveal multiple bootleg DVDs. The hustle never ends. Tricky posted:'charm: casually flirt with the hooded weirdo (cool, budding yourtuber, gift of the gab, trendy wardrobe, specialty)', 14 Astus posted:"Anyways, Xheina, is it all right if we take a peek in the box?" Xheina coughs and stammers for a moment, before making sure she's still hidden and regaining her composure. "Ah, ahem, yeah, sure. Ah, I took a peek already, actually... Sorry." Xheina did indeed open the box! She only took a peek before re-taping it, at least. Inside is a tablet PC with a heavy-duty rubber cover, the kind you'd get for industrial work. The cover is a little scratchy and dusty, like it's been put through its paces, but the thing still works. Ettin fucked around with this message at 17:24 on May 19, 2021 |
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May 19, 2021 16:56
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 Personal Prep: 4, Cash: 2 “Interfere how? Just messing things up with the showmanship, or interfering with the fights too?” Ronan glances around quickly, trying to identify the bookies. That’s the first possibility - hacker trying to mess with the betting to make bank. Second...might be some idiot trying to make a name or build a rep online, or just some fan being stupid. “These hacks usually happen during your big cards? Lots of money going on the bets?”
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May 19, 2021 18:29
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Personal Prep: Blake squints at the business card, then at Matt. When the bootleg DVDs come out, that's when it clicks, and dere becomes tsun: "You're the punk rear end who offloaded all of that bootleg Community College Fleet merch on me!" He shouts, dropping his laptop (it's all shock hardened, it's fine!) to grab Matt by the collar. "Do you have any idea how many USS Chevy Chase figurines I'm stuck with? Tsukino even spent money subcontracting me to hunt down the storefront selling your lovely bootlegs, and then wound up serving me a cease and desist! Apologize to her!" His last sentence probably sounds coherent to nobody, but he sounds like means business, and he does his best to drag Matt in front of the lawyer. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't slap you with a civil lawsuit right now!" --- Threatening Matt with Cool+Anime (lol) and using his past transgressions as leverage, rolled a 12.
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May 20, 2021 01:50
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 "As you can see you have caused us multiple problems, so step off the hustle and apologize." Irma moves behind Matt to cut off his escape.
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May 20, 2021 02:25
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 Personal Prep: 2 / Cash: 0 Tsukino discreetly slips a business card of her own into one of Chaosphage's pockets, shooting her a quick wink, then turns to her longtime bootleg anime hook-up slash repeat driver of legal business. Malapert Matt had something for everyone — including the new season of My Favorite Vtuber Can't Be This Cute! that wasn't releasing for a few more weeks, dangling oh-so temptingly in one of his coat pockets — and all too often that led to, say, the Community College Fleet incident. She'd billed a ton of hours on the case, even after accounting for the extended HeadPattr booking for her mousey friend's help, so suffice to say she was a little less broken up about it than Blake. It had been really ironic that she'd had to serve him papers after all that investigating. Who couldn't appreciate a little irony? Tsukino does her best to (a) not look at the bootleg DVD she clearly wants and (b) put on her lawyer face, then says, "Well, well. I'd hate to tie everyone up in legal proceedings, though suffice to say we have enough sources and angles of footage that it'd be an open and shut case." She waits a moment, letting that sink in, then says, "So why don't we just talk like a bunch of casual acquaintances instead? These anime fans of yours have names? Contact info? You know me, Matt, I'm always happy to chat about Tyrannical Soldier Psycho Tiger with fans this serious." --- 'discreetly interrogate matt about his entirely reputable anime aficionados (clever, an actual lawyer, gift of the gab, specialty, prep boost)', 15 ⟵ [5, 4, 1] 3d6 + 2 + 1 + 1 + 1
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May 20, 2021 03:00
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Ring of Coolant Mors Rattus posted:“Interfere how? Just messing things up with the showmanship, or interfering with the fights too?” The bookies aren't too hard to spot—it's a couple of androids taking bets at one end of the bar, named Patch and Green by the guests. "Usually," Deadman says. "Generally it's the nights when we've got a lot of people in. There's a few fighters who always draw a crowd no matter the card. Makes 'em hard to spot, obviously. We've had some problems with repairs between rounds..." Deadman nods at the little repair stations tucked into opposite sides of the arena. "One time the diagnostic computer almost dumped a virus into Subaramazing, but we caught it. But mostly they mess with the lights and the screens to throw the fighters off their game, you know, the public-facing stuff." --- Electric Plaza Malapert Matt is used to being shaken, but by convention security, not mice. "You win! I said you win! Uncle!" He dusts himself off. "I got a couple names. The guy who hired me goes by the name Lewis Landfall. Thin dude, weird scar. I was gonna meet him in a couple hours at the graffiti wall next to Cross Cybernation, you know, the shopping center? He said the little froggy chick over here stole a tablet of his, or whatever. He had the tracking data, so I figured that was legit." "The gently caress did you call me?" chaosphage hisses. Matt ignores her. "The guy who did the distracting is his buddy, uh, Seeyanara. No idea why he left as soon as poo poo went down. We were gonna get Burger Kong and close a deal. Oh, I got a phone number for Lewis if you want. And do you still have those USS Chevy figs? I might be interested in a buyback. Nothing shady, nothing to do with trading them at the next MAX Orbital."
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May 20, 2021 17:11
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Blake feigns a smile and his cheeriest voice! "Oh, yes, let me just strike a deal to sell off this fake merch in front of the lawyer who served me the C-and-D!" Then he drops Matt on the ground abruptly, scowling and crossing his arms as he takes a step back. "You have a lot of nerve, you know? Ugh. Some people just don't know when to stop. At least we have a few leads," he grumbles, picking up his laptop to check Seeyanara's location.
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May 21, 2021 04:30
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Personal Prep: 2 / Cash: 0 Seeing Blake distracted, Tsukino moves to help up the anime fraudster. Of course, there's a less obvious purpose in mind. A cuter purpose, even. In one smooth, practiced motion, she slides a twenty into one of his hands and slides the bootleg DVD she'd been salivating over out of his coat and tucking it away in hers. Clearly, this was not the first time such a transaction had occurred. Equally clearly, she'd never let Blake know. She eventually says, "Lewis Landfall, huh? Seems like we should check that out later." Flashing a brilliant smile and a wink at chaosphage, she adds, "And clearly, she's got the whole slaad look going on, Matt. You really need to play more tabletop RPGs."
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May 21, 2021 05:42
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Personal Prep: 3, Cash: 2 Hikaru, meanwhile, is massaging her temple to try to ease her headache. Partly because some of the dvds in Malapert Matt's jacket were some truly dreadful Sunset Overdreck animes, causing her brain aug to inject entire sequences of horrible 3D model fight scenes directly into her brain. Mostly, however, because it was loving Malapert Matt, that weirdo who was so insistent on selling his services that it took a couple months for Hikaru's fans to convince her that he was a real person and not a bot. Seriously, pull up just about any post on Pulser that had to do with anime and Space Town, and he'd be in the replies, hawking his wares. "Right, going to try to block out this weirdo's presence as much as I can." Hikaru glances at the box, before nudging Blake. "Hey, he mentioned being able to track the tablet. Is there maybe...something you can do about that or...? I don't really understand how actual hacking works, whenever I've tried to learn I just keep getting images of really fast typing blasted into my mind until I give up."
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May 21, 2021 07:16
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 Personal Prep: 2, Cash: 1 Condor looks around like it means anything, then remembers she's in a basement. "I'm assuming your network is airgapped. It'd had better be or you're loving up from the start. So that would mean that someone is getting a direct connection somewhere in here. Actually, thinking about it, you must be broadcasting some form of wifi for the arena controls and combatants, like gently caress you're running wires out everywhere - have you checked that network for penetration? Put on any packet sniffers to spot unknown connections?" In the sudden silence she coughs. "I uh, had a lovely ex who explained all this to me once." The actual story is worse, and she'll never admit it to anybody, but she spent a weekend booth babing as Makoto Makoto from Log Off Coward!! for DEF CONMEDY JAM. The entire weekend was listening to nerds trying to seduce her with their deft grasp of network security flaws. None of them were even cute, and they couldn't even manage a good penetration pun. Her smile twitches at the memory before she grabs it by the throat and reburies it until the next time her positronic brain wants to make her randomly horribly embarrassed. "We should also see if the wifi can be picked up from outside," she soldiers on without leaving gaps for questions. "Someone could be relaying it outward. I hope they aren't, because it'll be a lot easier to catch them if they have to be close."
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May 22, 2021 16:03
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Personal Prep: 4, Cash: 2 "At least one person will need to be inside, I think, to place the bets. If they're aiming at big cards, it's probably to make money on the betting. I'm hoping this is just a one person job, though...a crew would be a problem." Ronan shrugs. "But you're right, it could be a crew. I think we can flush out the better if we scare 'em, though. You just go over to the bookies over there and get them to understand that there's a problem and bets need to be frozen while we handle it. I'll take care of the problem once you flush it out that way."
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May 22, 2021 16:31
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Personal Prep: 2, Cash: 1 Condor nods. "Might as well start simple and get complicated if it doesn't work." _____________________________________________________________________________________ "We're going to have to temporarily close betting," says Condor in a stage whisper to the bookies. "The jerks who have been loving with the lights are trying to game the system and bring down the house. I'm sure you understand. We'll reopen in a little bit once we catch the idiots. Shouldn't take long... they've already given themselves away." 10 ⟵ [4, 3] 2d6 + 3 Threaten
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May 22, 2021 16:48
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Ring of Coolant The plan is good and so is the roll, so I'll allow it! It doesn't take long to flush them out! As the bookies temporarily close bets, a cyborg with a hacker-themed jacket that's trying too hard slips towards the door. Ronan can see him reaching for a weapon in case he has trouble getting out... --- Electric Plaza Atlatl posted:"At least we have a few leads," he grumbles, picking up his laptop to check Seeyanara's location. Seeyanara is on the street and still moving through Space Town! You can shadow him or just do something else for now and wait until he makes a stop. Also, fiddling with the tablet to prevent others from tracking it/the owner from remotely locking it would be a simple hack! chaosphage rubs the back of her head. "So, ah... you mind keeping me updated on this whole thing? If that's all you need from me I might go hang out at Early Access or something, clear my head." "I'll be around too, if you need anything else," Matt says like you didn't just literally catch him in the middle of mugging someone. "You know, DVDs, cosplay repair, help retrieving something, hot memes, whatever. You've got my card. In the meantime I might lay low at my hacker crib1 for a while..." 1: It's his parents' place.
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May 23, 2021 16:12
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Personal Prep: 3, Cash: 2 Ronan has, of course, been waiting for this exact moment. He steps out in front of the door, striking with a pair of quick blows to the gut to slow the cyborg down, then grabbing the arm going for the weapon to twist it up behind the guy. "Drop it. Now." Rush, boosted with Prep, Tough + Combined style MMA: 18 Taking the option to grab the guy.
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May 23, 2021 18:01
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Personal Prep: 2 / Cash: 0 Tsukino looks over at chaosphage and says, "Sure thing! I'll drop by Early Access later and keep you in the loop." She looks back to the rest of the group, "So what's the plan with-" She sighs, "Seeyanara? Should we wait to hear back from Ronan and Condor?"
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May 23, 2021 18:18
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"Thank sounds good to me. They or whoever hired them for this would get muscle after hearing about the failure." Irma moves close to Tsukino to whisper "I see you got tonight's entertainment," she says playfully. "Blake would be furious if he ever found out."
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May 23, 2021 20:09
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Blake is too busy plugging the tablet into his laptop and frowning intensely to eavesdrop on Irma. He lets out a frustrated groan and shakes his head. "Ugh, let's just wait for the others to chase him down. I think I need more time with this tablet..." --- lol rolled a 5 on the basic hack Atlatl fucked around with this message at 04:27 on May 24, 2021 |
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May 23, 2021 22:20
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Ring of Coolant The man drops his weapon and surrenders immediately! "Fine! gently caress..." Deadman strolls over, paws where his pockets would be if he had any pants. "Oh, I remember this guy. We fired him a few months ago. Okay, my boys can take it from here. Don't worry, they'll just rough him up a little," he adds with a wink. "In the meantime, I've got something to show you..." Deadman leads you to another back room. Security Office The Ring is full of cameras, because with crooked cops around you can never be too careful. The screens they're connected to sit in a side-room, too large for a closet but too small for a proper office. Deadman must be in here a lot, because the seat is adjusted for a koala-sized man. "Alright, matey potateys," Deadman says as he pulls up something on the biggest screen, "here's the last time I saw Reg. Eleven days ago, when he last worked for us. He hung out for a while after he clocked off, then..." Deadman's cameras picked up Reg downing a drink before approaching a thin dude with a weird scar at the bar. They chat for a while (not in a way that suggests they're close, though) before Reg follows the man out. Alas, Deadman doesn't usually record sound (and Bar Noises would have drowned it out anyway). "I clipped this bit on this here memory card, if it helps," Deadman says. "If you see him, let him know we haven't replaced his job, yeah?" * * * Alright! It sounds like the general plan is to meet up, swap information, and decide next steps. If you want to meet somewhere in particular, that's your call. It is possible someone might make another play for the tablet until you deal with the tracking problem. Blake can try again once you meet up, though then your meetup location will be its last known location.
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May 26, 2021 17:54
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Personal Prep: 2, Cash: 2 Ronan nods. “Of course.” He pockets the memory card. Once the group meets back up - possibly at the House, because Ronan has no idea there might be tracking trouble but also would be confident he can handle it if necessary - he relaxes from the stiffness of his role. “Well, this is some poo poo.” He brings out the memory card and the device he stole from Reg’s drawer. “No idea what this thing is, but Reg was working on it, and it stuck out to me. Something special, maybe. One thing I can tell you - he was last seen with one of the New Barons’ hitters. This idiot named Lewis. Calls himself the Eagle, tries to get everyone else to do it, too.” Even if not at the House, he’s gotten a knife and ingredients for some kind of dish together, slamming his knife down hard in a moment of annoyance. “Have you ever heard a guy from Italy try to do a Texas accent and wear a ten gallon hat? That guy.”
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May 26, 2021 18:44
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Personal Prep: 3, Cash: 2 Hikaru can't help but peek over Blake's shoulder as he fiddles with the tablet. She has no sense of how hacking actually works, but judging by the mouse's groans and frustrated expressions, it's not going well. "So...you probably need more time to deal with the tracking, yeah? In that case, we could head to Evil Maid Attack while Tsukino and Irma explain to the others what we've learned. I don't really like the idea of walking into Ronan's place with an active tracking beacon or whatever, you know? And Reg had a friend who worked at Evil Maid Attack, so I can ask them some questions while you do...whatever you have to do to turn the tracking off." Hikaru shrugs at Tsukino and Irma, "Unless either of you want to go with Blake and do the questioning instead, of course."
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May 27, 2021 01:10
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"Yes, more time. It's very complicated," he asserts unconvincingly with a huff. Mention of his usual haunt gets him out of his funk, and his cheery tone of voice returns. "Sounds great! I'm usually over there so nobody will think it's weird if I'm parked at a table for a little while. And worst case scenario I can always pull the hard drive and smash the rest of it, but... Maybe he'll want it back in one piece, and I don't want to accidentally miss anything or trip a self-destruct, you know?"
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May 27, 2021 04:39
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Personal Prep: 2 / Cash: 0 Irma's quick aside gets an extremely innocent look, but... well, Tsukino's clearly down for a wholesome evening of binge-watching trashy pre-street-date anime. Tsukino says to Hikaru, "No, by all means, go for it. Good luck with the evil maids. We can handle the information-sharing side of things." She looks over at Irma, "Sound good, babe?"
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May 28, 2021 00:53
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Personal Prep: 2, Cash: 1 "I have no idea what any of that means or why it means you hate him so much, but we need to have a chat with him either way," says Condor, cheerfully. "Where does he usually hang out?"
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May 28, 2021 18:17
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Irma puts an arm around Tsukino's shoulder, "Sounds good to me!" she replies. Turning to Hikaru and Blake "Keep us posted!"
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May 28, 2021 18:18
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Personal Prep: 2, Cash: 2 "It's an Earth thing, it's like..." Ronan gestures with a knife. "...like imagine some guy coming up to you with a plastic mask and beep noises because he thinks robots are the coolest. Oh - here, smell this, tell me what you think? I'm trying something with fennel and garlic in a sausage ragu. I've wanted to find ways to get the art across even without taste, and I thought if I could capture the aroma like this..." He puts the knife down and pours a bit of the sauce into a small, slightly heated plate. "...maybe it'd get across some of the experience. Anyway, that guy hangs out at one of the Baron bars...where was it - ah, right. The one that makes a big deal out of being like an old speakeasy? With the lovely jazz."
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May 28, 2021 21:24
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Ronan's Place If you want to do any information-gathering or the like before going after this Lewis guy, now's the time! Otherwise I'm jumping to this Baron bar Mors created, it sounds like fun. In the meantime: Mors Rattus posted:“Well, this is some poo poo.” He brings out the memory card and the device he stole from Reg’s drawer. “No idea what this thing is, but Reg was working on it, and it stuck out to me. Something special, maybe. One thing I can tell you - he was last seen with one of the New Barons’ hitters. This idiot named Lewis. Calls himself the Eagle, tries to get everyone else to do it, too.” Grey-Market Goods and Services: Reg was loving around with some kind of drone jammer—there's a radio analyzer in here and a few other parts. Reg didn't finish, possibly because the parts aren't exactly legal, but there's enough here to figure out what he was doing and finish the job. ---  Evil Maid Attack Since Blake has Regular Customer (Evil Maid Attack), the starting Mood here is Friendly. Condor listed the owner as a community member, so you can exploit that too (possibly by bringing Condor into the scene remotely). Evil Maid Attack is a maid café with a hacker theme. Customers can play video games with the maids and even get some tech support done on-site. If they can't fix it, they can probably point you to someone who can. Most of the staff are paying off university fees. Blake's been here often, so he gets a moderately friendly reception from the owner.  Zigamorph, Hacker Maidroid Ziga the android has spent a lot of her life in Space Town, long enough to be infected with the place's love of tech and blasé attitude to weird bullshit. (Word is she knows most of what goes on around here, though she doesn't open up to just anyone.) She uses an Adams-model frame, with the synthetic skin on her arms removed for aesthetic reasons. Right now she's chilling at the counter, counting copies of some new game they've got in. "Oh, hello Blake. Here to play? We've just got the critically acclaimed MMORPG Planescape Online. It has a free trial up to level 60 that includes the first expansion Planes of Conflict. Or if you're looking for work that's cool too."
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May 30, 2021 17:27
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"Hey Ziga~! This is my friend Hikaru! And sorry, I'm sort of here on business today, though if we get wrapped up quickly enough then I can play for a couple of duty roulettes. Although I'm not healing again... I mean, unless I get sufficiently bullied into it. I can't stand long queue times..." He pulls out the tablet and slides into a nearby booth, waving her over. "I need a little help recovering this hard drive and disabling the tracking. It's, um... I just don't have the proper programs, you know?" Blake offers a meek smile to go with his weak excuse. "And I know you and the crew are the best, soooo... Pretty please?" --- if you need me to roll something to convince her to help let me know?
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Jun 1, 2021 07:59
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Personal Prep: 2, Cash: 1 Inconveniently at this moment, Ziga's phone rings. "Hey Zigs!" says Condor cheerily. "Blake's helping me with something." A pause. "Nothing illegal. Looking for a missing fellow. Help him out for me, please?"
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Jun 6, 2021 03:49
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Personal Prep: 3, Cash: 2 Hikaru gives a friendly wave at Ziga as she's introduced by Blake. "Hello! Hey, while you help Blake with his tech support problem, do you mind if I ask--" Hikaru is interrupted as Ziga's phone rings, and Condor quickly explains the situation. Well, hopefully that makes things easier. "Uh, right, as I was about to say, we're looking for someone named Reg, and we heard one of his friends works here, although I don't know that friend's name. Do you happen to remember Reg and who he hanged out with, or would it be okay if I ask your employees a few questions? I promise I'm not here to harass your maids."
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Jun 7, 2021 04:07
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It's been a busy week, but I'm back baby! --- Evil Maid Attack Since Zigamorph is a community member, I'm going to treat this as Blake calling on her for a unique benefit (breaking this tablet to make it yours). This makes the tablet Friendly. Ziga has a very expressive face, and she can convey a lot of information with it. Right now it is saying This is absolutely not what I expected when I saw Blake coming in, and I'm slightly disappointed that I probably shouldn't pat his head now, but if Blake and Condor are working together I kind of want to see where this is going. She takes the tablet and idly spins it between her hands a couple of times before plugging it in. "Huh. This is one of those data terminals they give station workers. Don't tell anyone, but some of them come in for tech support every so often. Haven't seen this one before..." She puts her tech support laptop on the counter and connects them. "This will only take a second. In the meantime... Reg Darrow, right? I've paid him to do a little work on this place. He's a friend of Athena over there." Ziga points to a maid fiddling with the coffee machine.  Athena Darkroad, Evil Maid Attack Blake vaguely knows Athena. She's the café's main barista, kind and loyal, and has a tendency to overwork herself if nobody stops her. Right now she's taking a mini-break to make herself one of the café's signature Serial Experiments Au Laits. She looks like she needs it. Ziga hands the tablet back. "Do me a favour and remind Athena that making a coffee isn't a lunch break," she adds louder than necessary. --- In the meantime, the rest of you head to the bar Ronan mentioned:  The Cat's Meow The Cat's Meow is not, technically, a New Baron bar. It's a Space Town bar with a speakeasy theme that caters to cosplayers, craft beer lovers, and people who don't want to travel all the way to the much better Sockdolager Sounds electro-swing bar on the other side of Space Town. About a year ago a group of New Barons showed up and weren't kicked out; now it's a regular meeting spot for New Barons visiting Space Town, and Sockdolager Sounds has more traffic.  Lewis Landfall, New Baron Hitter Lewis is currently sitting in a corner with a group of seven New Baron pals, who look like they're here to unwind after a Space Town shopping day. He looks pretty relaxed and unfortunately sober. It's up to you how you handle Lewis, and you can try to assess the sitaution/eavesdrop before acting if you like. You know that Lewis is leaving to meet with Malapert Matt soon, but what these other guys are up to isn't clear. Ettin fucked around with this message at 16:57 on Jun 7, 2021 |
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Jun 7, 2021 16:53
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"Station workers, hm? Hm..." He looks over to Hikaru and signs L4. "Well, thanks for helping, Ziga! I'll come back to it in a little bit." His attention turns to Athena and he scampers over, bowing slightly to her in greeting. "Hi Athena~! I'm Blake, and this is Hikaru," he says, motioning to his --- got an 11 from cool 3 + advantage from trendy wardrobe to cheer up / ask out Athena? Atlatl fucked around with this message at 06:49 on Jun 8, 2021 |
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Jun 8, 2021 06:38
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Personal Prep: 3, Cash: 2 Hikaru quickly picks up the tiny (asking Athena about Reg, +1 Clever, +1 Interrogate, +2 Fake Smile, gaining two advantage due to Friendly mood and Trendsetter), 16 ⟵ [6, 6, That's a crit, so using Personal Insight to ask "Is there something that they really want?"
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Jun 8, 2021 19:52
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"H - hey!" He protests as he's turned away. It takes him a few seconds to straighten out his clothes, and he gives Hikaru a resigned look. "Yes, right, of course, that's what I meant."
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Jun 8, 2021 20:05
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Personal Prep: 1 / Cash: 0 There are times in life where you ask yourself, "How did I get here?" There are even times in life you ask that question while cosplaying a sexy Texan (wolf)girl. For Tsukino, this was extremely one of those times. When you have a New Baron jerk with known proclivities and an extensive wardrobe, sometimes the first idea you land on is leaning on said wardrobe to smooth things over with... The Eagle. Tsukino may have overstated how much of a plan she had going in, but, well, the die is about to be cast. Figuratively, anyways. Her grasp of Cowpokes: The Rustlin' was a little academic, given it hadn't ever really gotten the same cultural cache as your Pyramids & Pharoahs, but you didn't need that much command of arcane and probably made up lore about Texas to deal with an Italian dude cosplaying a Texan dude. Striding into the speakeasy with a quiet, assured, and entirely false confidence, Tsukino's spurs jangle as she tips her cowboy hat to the bartender. With a sashay calculated entirely to capture Lewis's attention, she works her way closer and closer to the New Baron table. With a charming, almost-Texan drawl, she meets Lewis's eyes, "Howdy, pard'ner. What brings a big man like you to this li'l watering hole?" She doesn't out and out ask him to buy her a drink, but there's a certain expectation being put on his put-upon Texan presentation to be sure. --- 'putting on that texan charm (+3 cool, +1 charm, +1 gift of the gab, +1 archaic tabletop game deep lore, trendy wardrobe, prep boost)', 18 ⟵ [5, 5, 2,
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Jun 8, 2021 20:46
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Personal Prep: 2, Cash: 2 Ronan has interacted with Lewis before and has absolutely no desire to again if he can avoid it. Fortunately, Tsukino has volunteered…and fortunately, it’s open mic night. Ronan has grabbed his guitar and, as Tsukino starts flirting, has gotten to the stage. “Hey…I know this place is used to jazz, but I have a song I wrote back on Earth.” His tone is hesitant, far less confident than usual, hoping that Lewis won’t recognize his voice. “This song…it’s about the roads not taken, and the people you leave behind, and love.” He pauses a moment, almost bashfully, and then busts into song. ”Well, I know they say all good things, must come to some kind of ending. We were so drat good, I guess we never stood a chance…” Charm: Cool 2, Country, Western and Guitar 1, rolled 15. Making the mood Friendly, wistful and romantic.
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Jun 8, 2021 21:36
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Irma looks incredibly uncomfortable, the Texan theme was not one of her favorites. At least she could look at Tsukino when she wasn't needed. Then she did the accent. Head in her hands Irma sits at the bar and starts eying the exits in case of unwanted attention.
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Jun 8, 2021 22:01
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Evil Maid Attack Athena smiles! She seems to find the duo's antics cute, at least. "Sure, why not? As long as it's quick..." There's a little ramen shop just across the street called Everybody Loves Ramen! It's pretty good. Astus posted:(asking Athena about Reg, +1 Clever, +1 Interrogate, +2 Fake Smile, gaining two advantage due to Friendly mood and Trendsetter), 16 ⟵ [6, 6, Athena chats over the ramen. "I've known Reg a long time. We were online friends until he came to Grand Cross, then I set him up with some work... is he okay? Sometimes he gets into trouble trying to help people, and I haven't heard from him for a while..." Athena will answer any specific questions you have! She also seems a little jittery; Hikaru suspects she is worried about herself (for so-far unexplained reasons) and would like to feel safe right now. --- The Cat's Meow "Well hello there, little lady," Lewis says with a tip of his hat. "Just enjoying a drink with my pardners here. Can I get you one?" "Quiet, you," he adds when one of them snickers at the cowboy act. He's friendly and open to moving away from his pals! What's the plan? Between those two rolls you can just get his friends to gently caress off, if you prefer.
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Jun 13, 2021 17:17
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| # ? Apr 28, 2024 21:22 |
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Blake has barely touched his order, having been too busy taking pictures at different angles for his review article before finally taking a bite. "Well, um, we're actually working a case and looking for him right now... He has been reported missing for a few days, and part of the reason we stopped by the cafe was to have Ziga take a look at some of his old equipment to see what someone might have wanted it for," he explains softly to Athena. "Try not to worry too much, we're making progress pretty quickly on it. Are you alright? I'm sure it's hard... Anything we can do to help?" --- got a 13 on a cool roll to try and reassure Athena and offer assistance
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Jun 14, 2021 05:45
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