IC: Opening Night, here's your game Options

[paul_HArkonen]

@Felix
The smell of the rain to come had permeated throughout the city. As you reached your apartment the scent became so strong you could almost taste the coming rain. When you entered your apartment you could see the red light on your answering machine blinking, a new message. Checking the caller ID you discovered it was from Kitty. As you played the message Kitty’s face appeared on the screen.

“Hey Darksky, I got a job for you, could use your particular talents, might need a few doors opened, why don’t you stop by Tooth and Claw” giving a address to a place just out of Redmond “tomorrow at 8:00 and you can discuss it. I’ll catch you later.” With that the message ends.

@Archer
You awaked from the dream with your fist still clenched, and your heart still pounding. You thought to yourself they will pay for taking her away, all of them, they will pay. Still slightly groggy from waking up so suddenly, you realized that your phone was buzzing. Standing up you walked over to it, checking the ID you confirmed it was Zoe.

“Hey archer, I’ve got a new job for you to check out, go get something to eat from the Tooth and Claw at 8:00 tomorrow and think about it, I know you prefer to kill off bugs, but the pay is good, and you need a break.”

@Phantom
In the dark of the monastery you could feel the sweat dripping down your back. The day’s work had been hard but fulfilling. As you finished you could feel the buzz of your phone. As you answered it you heard the familiar voice of Cobweb.

“New employment opportunity for you, I need you to meet the Johnson at the Tooth and Claw tomorrow at 8:00.” And with that he hangs up.

@Joseph
The dark of your small apartment reflected well upon the dark in which you operate. The soy of your meal tasted just like every other meal. The phone buzzed loudly compared to the now broken silence. The voice on the other end was easily recognizable as Jimmy; he must have a job to call this late.

“Hey, Joseph I’ve got a job lined up for you, standard fare, just need you to sign on the dotted line and march on down to the Tooth and Claw at 8:00 tomorrow night” with that he hangs up.

@ Tallon
Well you suppose this life is better than death by way of your friends but it could be better. Constant rain that can eat you alive, people who still hate you and everything tastes of soy. Ah the life of the Ork. When your phone goes off you know it isn’t a social call, that’s for humans and Elves, this has to be about a job.

“Hey Tallon, its Alex, I’ve got a job keyed to your specialty. Why don’t you head over to the Tooth and Claw at 8 tomorrow night, I think you’ll be interested.”

@ Laurence
The meal was excellent as usual, the perks of having a nice look, the filet was cooked to exactly the right level of rare. As the flavors washed through your mouth the phone begins to buzz. As you pick it up you see its Scorch, likely with a job.

“Hey Laurence I just got word of a job that I think you should take, it’s going to require some finesse and I think your talents are just what is needed.” Rattling off the Address to a bar just east of Redmond, he states that the meet is going to be tomorrow at 8:00 PM. Scorch leans back and waits for your response.

[Shadow]

Jonus punched the disconnect and collapsed back into bed. His massive frame settle uneasily against the plastic reinforced cot. Seven years, seven long years and he was still having nightmares.

He rested his head against the wall until his breathing slowed down. He meditated silently, trying to get himself to fall back to sleep. It worked. Darkness embraced him, but as always, they were there waiting for him.

[Cursedsoul]

"Well that was a bit short and sweet. Oh well, guess he must be busy. All that sitting in dark corners of bars really takes it out of a guy." Phantom sighs as he rolls his eyes before disconnecting and taking stock of what to do between now and then.

"Hmm....first I'm going to take a shower. Then I'll have a cup of herbal tea and get to thinking." he ponders to himself as he heads off to the shower room.

As the lukewarm water falls over his body Phantom can't help think about the scars all over his body while he lathers ups, running his fingers over the outline of each grouping and recalling with a bitter aftertaste how they came to be.

The enjoyment of the shower does not go to waste however as the rhythm of the drumming water soothes and relaxes him, taking with it the memories of the fire that claimed his old life.

While towelling off he begins planning the remainder of the evening and the next day.

"Ahh, refreshing as always. After I get my tea I think I'll head over to my former electronics shop and harass whoever's unlucky enough to be on tonight with annoying questions about everything in the store after which I'll then go home and get a good night's rest. Tomorrow I'll take it easy and do some light chores so I won't be exhausted by the meeting. No sense showing up with a bloodshot eye and the inability to process information."

Waking up to the sound of his cheap, low quality EZ-Wake alarm is irritating as always. Taking a few moments to chase the ghosts of sleepiness away, Phantom stares up at the basement ceiling of his Auburn aparment and thinks to himself "Another day, another test" before getting up to do his morning Wing Chun exercises.

Trying his best to enjoy his Soycaf and cardboard flavored Soyflakes Phantom dresses himself for the day's events.

Sporting his embroidered robes, he affectionately smooths out the wrinkles from hanging in the pitiful excuse for a closet overnight. He then ties his martial artist's belt snugly around his waist, taking the time to smooth this out as well.

Moving over a battered second-hand nightstand, he puts on his colored bead bracelet, reflecting momentarily on how he earned each one. After this, he straps on his copper metal band, running his fingers over the inscription of "Know Always The Path of The Self And You Shall Not Fail" and nods in approval, the hint of a satisfied smile creeping across his face.

Opening the drawer of his nightstand he produces the dented well-worn watch that he has come to love and cherish. Putting this on he shines it up a bit and attaches it to his left wrist alongside the band and he bracelet.

Strolling over to his rather dilapitated floor length mirror he checks his appearance to make sure its in order. After this is done he adjusts his locket, fitting the clasp behind his neck and making sure everything is in good shape. Almost as an afterthought, he opens it up and gazes at the photo inside, warmly remembering the occasion and savoring it as long as he can before the reality that his parents are no longer in his life sours the taste.

Letting out his breath he strokes his beard before removing the Medallion symbolizing his monk order from the peg where he hangs it, clasps it securely around his neck and strolls out the door exclaiming "good bye apartment, don't go anywhere while I'm gone" as he locks the door and heads off to his monestary on his motorcycle, his robes billowing slightly during his ride.

[Sammiel]

Tallon grumbles discontentedly to himself as he rolls back to sleep.

The next morning, he rises early and goes about a morning routine, keeping himself immaculately groomed and bathed.

'Immaculate my ass, when the water makes you dirtier and your face looks like it was put through a cement mixer' Tallon sighs to himself. 'Everything really does taste like Soy' as he chomps down some anonymous breakfast foods.

Tallon piddles the day away exercising, and tying up some loose ends on a surveillance job he just finished. 'A job keyed to my specialty? Fuckin hell, why couldn't I have been a botanist? A botanist probably would never end up as a paid killer. Better get to this meet though'

[TinkerGnome]

Joseph nodded to himself silently as he put down the phone. His face was blank, and for all of the emotion he showed, it may never have shown an emotion. His eyes lingered on the reciever for an instant before he turned, slowly sweeping the dingy apartment.

A job meant a new target. A new target meant a new challenge.

For the first time, his lips turned up slightly on one end. The thought of a target seemed to please him.

As his thoughts rolled, he slide the rug away and searched the boards with his fingertips. With a click, the latch released and a set of boards came free. He shifted them aside and quested with his fingers in the darkness for his instrument.

He found it just where he'd left it days before. His fingers caressed the hard sided case as he rested it on the floor. With a double click, he opened the case and made sure he would be ready for his next recital.

The next day, he set out for the meet, case in hand.

[theartthief]

Hello, Kitty. What have we here. No art?

Felix settles into his normal evening routine. He flips on the trid, watches the news and settles in to one of his many flat-vid movies afterwards. Tonight it is Matrix Reloaded. He settles into his chair and enjoys the antics of Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus.

This one is better than the next one. Too bad, the series started out so good.

After the movie he lays out his meet clothes. Nothing fancy or that would attract a lot of attention - just a simple set of secure clothes in Japanese cut. If Kitty had said that the meet was about art he would have pulled the generic corp-style suit. As it was, if he were underdressed that would be her fault; however she had never let him down so he put the thought out of his head.

The next morning he decides that a real apple with his cereal will be a nice treat. This apartment has that luxury, he thinks to himself.

His Raiper gets him to the art gallery well before noon to catch the unveiling of a new Modesto paiting. It is quite decidedly horrible. However, on the right market it could be worth something. He makes a precursory look at security and decides that notes will have to wait until later as there are too many guards today.

The rest of the afternoon is spent admiring the decent collection of Uruk sculptures from before 2037. After that, fame went to his head and his work was never the same.

Glancing at his watch he decides that it is time to head to the Tooth and Claw for a bite of dinner and some business. If traffic is kind he should arrive at 1930.

[paul_HArkonen]

@All:
As you aproach the area of the bar you know that this is not a place for those who don't know how to protect themselves. The bar is a lower end joint that seems to cater almost solely to orks. A large Troll stands at the entrance although he is unarmed he looks like he is the one who keeps trouble under control. As you enter the Troll at the door gives you the once over, he looks at you then waves you into the bar. The interior of the bar is slightly run down, but still servicable. It's not one of the nicest places in Seattle but it is certainly not one of the worst. Looking around the room you can see orks of all classes sitting around talking with each other. there are other races here, dwarves and trolls mostly, but a two humans sit together in a back dark cornner, obviously not paying attention to anything except the other person. A single ELf sits at the bar. He doensn't seem to notice the fact that he is the only one of his kind here, and sips his beer slowly and contently, watching a football game on the only trid in the entire bar.

@All Orks
You feel Imediatley at home here, there are others who know your pain and your hardships, the way that no one who hasn't goblinized and haven't suffered the trauma of raceism could.

@All but Darksky and Jonus
Sitting in a shadowed corner of the bar, away from the front entrance a single Dwarf stands out. He is wearing a slightly tattered suit, but something about his manner and how he sits screams Johnson.

@Darksky and Jonus
About 5 minutes after you arive you see a Dwarf wearing a tattered suit come in and speak calmly with the Barkeep, both of the jesturing towards a door behind the bar. After about 5 minutes of talking the Dwarf nods, hands over a credstick and moves to an empty table near the back of the building.

[Shadow]

Jonus sits in his dark corner, brooding over a half empty stein of beer. His mood as sower as the loosing team on the trid. He shifted uncomfortably in the booth. The bar had a nagging feeling of acceptance, and that kind of emotion was lost to him. His soul longed to embrace it, but his heart refused it.

He kept his mind busy by running through his mental checklist. He had loaded two Five-seveN's with ExEx and placed them in the holsters in the small of his back. Each were easily reachable. He had two spare magazines of ExEx in each pocket, along with one each loaded with ExEx and incendiary rounds, just in case.

He figured the dwarf for the Johnson, but he wasn't sure. So as the time approached he heaved his bulky frame over to the bar and spoke to the keeper.

"Yo," his gravely voice rumbled. "I'm here to meet a Mr. Johnson, you know who he is?"

[paul_HArkonen]

@ Jonus
The Dwarf looks up and you and in a voice just as gravely are yours says, "I'm Mr. Johnson, just sit down and when your friends get here we can talk about the job opertunity I have for you."

[Beast of Revolut...]

Laurence "Flash" Elder arrives, looking spiffy in his fine clothing, and takes a seat.

[Cursedsoul]

Sitting in a shadowed corner of the bar, away from the front entrance a single Dwarf stands out. He is wearing a slightly tattered suit, but something about his manner and how he sits screams Johnson.

As he arrives at the bar, Phantom makes sure to park his motorcycle in an area where it seems least likely to be stolen, pockets the keys and walks off to the bar trying his best not to attract too much attention with his tres chic hooded merlin cloak and chuckles to himself over the notion.

As he's waiting to enter he takes notice of the fact that the majority of the others are orks and smiles from beneath his hood. Once he reaches the bouncer and sees that he is visibly unarmed, he pulls down his robes and gives the bouncer a friendly smile and a nod before pulling it back up and entering.

Taking a spot at the bar nearest to the entrance and as off to the corner as possible he takes in the surroundings, feeling comfortable almost immediately and silently relishing the uncommon emotion. To the few looks that he gets he responds in kind, giving a non-chalant look to those who look offended, and a nod to those who look simply confused.

As opposed to drinking Phantom spends the time in contemplation and relaxation, observing the patrons, the bartender, and the dwarf in particular.

"This is strangely entertaining, I can see why Cobwebs enjoys it so much." he muses to himself as he glances at his watch.

"Oh drek, five minutes until the meeting." he thinks as he flags down the bartender.

"I've got a meeting with someone named Mr Johnson this evening and I'm curious if you know of whom I speak." Phantom says from beneath his hood already knowing who the answer is likely to be.

[paul_HArkonen]

@Flash
As you step into the bar it becomes readily apparent that looking spiffy in fine clothes isn't what this bar is used to, but no one stops you or even glances at you more than twice.

@Phantom
The Barkeep looks at you and says, "If you mean the 8 o'clock one he's sitting over in that corner" gesturing towards the Dwarf, "If you mean the 9 o'clock Mr. J he isn't here yet and If you mean the 10 o'clock one you should go somewhere else for 2 or so hours or buy a lot of beer, and your type doesn't tend to drink a lot of beer before your meetings."

[TinkerGnome]

Joseph slips into the bar from outside with an easy grace that speaks of training and experience. He nods to the bouncer but makes no disarming guesture unless it is clear that not doing so will result in a confrontation. Even though he is only human, he looks like he can handle himself. A very faint bulge under one of his arms is the only indication that he is armed, though his longcoat is surely armored.

He slides to the bar and orders a drink, checking his watch and watching the last ten minutes tick away. The Johnson was probably in the bar, somewhere, and he scanned the room trying to decide who it was.

Just as he was about to ask for himself, Phantom asked the bartender about the Johnson. Joseph's eyes found the corner and he realized with a start that this was going to be a team gig. That could be good, of course, but usually that meant a lower profit in the end.

It was early to bail, even if the run was peanuts, though, so he made his way carefully over to the table and took a seat with the other apparent runners.

[Cursedsoul]

"No, not my type at all. Thank you for the help bartender, that'll be all"

With that Phantom will nod yet again and make his way to where the dwarf and the others are sitting. He takes a seat with a clearest view of the table as a whole, and will push back his cowl so as to expose his scars and be able to look everyone directly in the eye.

With that he'll begin observing the others in silence, pondering whether conversation is a smart option or not.

Additional thoughts of "Bloody hell, I'm still too damn new at this. Hope I don't make myself out to be a fool." and of how to best present himself will float through his mind until everything gets underway.

[theartthief]

DarkSky, Felix reminded himself, is the one in charge this evening.

DarkSky decided to park close to the building as this was not the best place he had ever seen. It was also not the worst by far. He doubted that many art lovers would be found here - other than perhaps the kind that find scantily clad women art. The troll looked like he meant business so DarkSky walked by as calmly as possible. Noting his retinal clock, Darksky realized that traffic was not that kind to him.

He looked around and noted that there was a dwarf that seemed out of place somehow. Mr. Dwarf had done his best to look shabby but came across as a little stiff. Perhaps this is Mr. Johnson?

He walks over and asks - as politely as possible - if the dwarf would be kind enough to point him in the direction of Mr. Johnson.

At the same time he looks at the dwarf with his thermographic vision to see if there is anything unusual about him.

[Sammiel]

After knocking back a cheap brew or two, Tallon surveys the bar a bit, then overhears the barkeep talking to Phantom. 'Great. People. I hate people.' He walks over to the table with a fresh beer and sits down after a brief nod of his collections of scars, broken tusks, and road rash to the Johnson. He seems to mostly be focused on his drink.

[paul_HArkonen]

@Darksky
The dwarf nods at you and says, "yeah, that'd be me"

@ All
as everyone takes a seat the dwarf stands up and nods at everyone for them to follow him. You follow him through a door situated behind the bar. Through that door is a small room with a back door that seems to lead to an empty alleyway, a single large table with seats for each of you, and in one corner of the room is a small white noise generator. this room is obviously used for meets fairly often.

As you enter the room and sit down at the table, or stand as is your preference, the dwarf looks each of you in the eye and begins to speak.

"Hello, as most of you know I'm Mr. Johnson. I'm here because my company is interested in purchesing your services. A rival of ours recently acquired a scientist who has made several miraculous discoveries, most of which I am sure are well over your head, anyway, we need that sceintist either gone or working for us. The up front pay will be 1,000 :nuyen: apiece, that will be given now, and will be your signal of accepting the job. Exact details will be given after, as will the exact pay rate, which of course is up for negotiation. Are there any simple questions, ones that have nothing to do with the specifics of the job?"

[TinkerGnome]

"Is there a bonus for bringing in the target alive?" Joseph asks in a manner that indicates that additional cash is going to determine the target's fate. His face is impassive and it's clear that he isn't particularly concerned about the background of the job, only the details of the execution.

[Sammiel]

Tallon listens intently and seems about to speak up when Joseph asks his question. Tallon leans back and continues to nurse his brew, awaiting Mr. J's response.

[paul_HArkonen]

The Johnson looks at you, and sates simply, "Bringing in the target alive is preferable and the pay scale will be adjusted to acount for that," looking at the orks, "in simple terms that means yes you get more money if you bring in the person alive. Are there any other questions before you agree on the job or walk out?"

[TinkerGnome]

Joseph's lips twist slightly at the mention of bonus pay for bringing the target out alive. Depending on the amount of cash at stake, that could make the decision on how to do the job much more difficult.

In any case, he inclined his head to the Johnson. "I'm in."

[Cursedsoul]

"Drekking racists. Just don't see the point...pah." crosses Phantom's mind as the insult crosses the dwarf's lips.

"Hopefully this isn't going to cause any serious problems. At least alive is preferred to dead." being the next thought as he utters "My participation in this excursion is most emphatically affirmed. Or if you prefer simpler terms, count me in as well." looking the Johnson squarely in the eyes.

"Take that and like it. Drekking racists." he once again thinks to himself.

[Shadow]

Archer's eye's narrow a bit at the implied insult, but he let's it wash over him. Liking the Johnson was rarely a consideration when taking a job.

"I'm in." He could always back out later if the details proved unpleasant.

[theartthief]

DarkSky listens to the Johnson and thinks to himself, Well, well, he isn't art but I know how to remove things when people don't want them removed. I suppose that a person can't be that hard to remove. After all, if he doesn't want to go then an unconscious person is no more dificult than a large oriental rug or a small statue.

He is about to nod his agreement when Joseph asks his question.

He seems to be a little bloodthirsty....

Listening to the exchange between the Johnson and Phantom he realizes that the level of tension could skyrocket out of control. When it doesn't escalate any further, he relaxes and says, "I can be counted on for my services."

[Sammiel]

Tallon seems to pay no heed to the insult.

"I'm in."