Jamaica in the Shadows Options

[Tabula Rasa]

Cool Runnings, Kingston - 06/09/2070 - 2145

"I don't know honestly," he wipes his brow again, "I kinda wonder now what people think I do."

Cool Runnings is seemingly in 3rd gear. The place is crowded now and the dance floor is packed with people of all sorts.

He finishes off the bottle and puts it down on the table, "So, what do you have planned for the night anyhow? I recon I'm gonna have to eat soon, I haven't eat since noon."

[Fuchs]

Cool Runnings, Kingston - 06/09/2070 - 2150

Food... wouldn't hurt, with all the booze... and how can he stand still, with all that alcohol, and nothing solid in his stomach?

"I could go for some food myself, I think. What do you have in mind?"

Haywire looks around the club, taking the masses in.

"Maybe some place with less tourists?"

Not that Haywire minds the tourists that much, even if most are corporation citizens - in the Caribbean, most are looking for fun, and letting their hair down, so to speak, and don't act too much like a cog in the corp wheel. But where tourists dine, prices are higher, and there's usually less tolerance for weapons.

[Tabula Rasa]

Cool Runnings, Kingston - 06/09/2070 – 2150

Mac seems to be really perking up again now that you are talking about food. “I was thinking this soul food place, Pig Pickers, right on the edge of Hope Pastures,� he says.

You vaguely recall being told about that district. It’s one of the man areas outside of the central Kingston area that aren’t patrolled by the cops and pretty much run by the Posses.

He shrugs, “to be honest the place is in a pretty bad neighborhood.� He looks around and laughs, “I guess I don’t think about that drek much but I suppose you’d have to be more careful. We can go someplace nearby. Most places to eat outside of here right now would be closed anyway. It’s only Monday.�

[Fuchs]

Cool Runnings, Kingston - 06/09/2070 – 2150

Haywire shrugs as well.

"It's your decision, you know the best spots in town. Although does that mean I'd not be safe in your company?"

She grins at Mac, her attitude partly caused by the alcohol in her bloodstream, partly by some unconscious and probably undeserved resentment at his reasoning, and partly by some thrill-seeking impulse.

I faced down bugs that could rip entire squads to shreds, who does he think I am, a tourist?

[Tabula Rasa]

Cool Runnings, Kingston - 06/09/2070 – 2200

“No, no, nothing like that,� he laughs. “It’s not me you have to be worried about. I’m harmless. It’s the homeys down there you have to be worried about.�

He flexes his hands and cracks his knuckles, “I’m not the type of person people frag with just because they can, but I’ve never gone into that hood with an untagged lovely like yourself.�

You are pretty sure by untagged he means not marked as the property of a posse. While you aren’t terribly familiar with Kingston, you have definitely been told about the posses. They are a power like that mafia was in small towns in old Italy. They are the police, the arbiters of disputes, the source of illegal goods and generally the powers that be in their areas where the cops don’t step foot in.

“Mind you the food is totally worth it if you like BBQ, but you gotta be able to handle more than just spicy food to go there.�

[Fuchs]

Cool Runnings, Kingston - 06/09/2070 – 2202

Lovely? I see he hasn't lost that Cajun charm...

Haywire smiles at the compliment. She pats the grip of her Ares Crusader. The weapon looks deceptively small on her hip, but it's a machine pistol, not a light pistol.

"I can handle more than spicy food, trust me."

Haywire activates her "Muay Thai Mark III" program, followed by her "Shadow Mark III", then shows off a combo, punching the air. It still feels weird, having your body move through skillwires. It's just not her, in her mind. Like chipping an action sim, in some way. But she smiles at Mac, confidence bolstered with alcohol.

And if all else fails, I can zap'em.

[Tabula Rasa]

Cool Runnings, Kingston - 06/09/2070 – 2205

Mac smiles at your display of martial prowess, “that’s not bad actually and that’s actually a pretty good gun for a quick getaway.� He laughs and pats you on the back as you begin to walk out of the club, “though I really hope we don’t have to do that!�

On the way out you see Mac greeting various bouncers and a few waitresses on the way out with quick thug hugs, fist bumps and complicated multi-step handshakes. He is clearly a usual here.

[Fuchs]

Cool Runnings, Kingston - 06/09/2070 – 2205

Haywire smiles at the display, following the man outside. The cooler air makes her shiver a bit, but the chill soon passes - it's still warm, if not hot outside.

"So, got a ride? I got a bike myself."

[Tabula Rasa]

Downtown, Kingston - 06/09/2070 - 2210

"Yeah I got myself a bike too," he motions with his thumb towards the alley next to the club, "got me a sweet parking spot in the back."

Mac leans far back with his fists against the small of his back and you hear a series of cracking and popping sounds. "well we got two options. We can double up on one bike and only have one bike to watch and none to ride home if it should get stolen. Or we make a little motorcade and have to bikes to watch and we'd have to get both stolen before we have to walk home."

He laughs at what he is about to say as seems to be his habbit, "course I gotta warn you, when you ride through the bad parts of town you need to keep up a decent speed no matter the conditions, traffic or anything else. Ride on the sidewalks if you have to. You slow down enough in some neighborgoods you'll get jumped on and taken down by beggar kids and stripped of everything you got or worse. And never fall for the hurt kid crying on the corner trick no matter how badly hurt he looks."

He smiles broadly again as if was giving you advice on how to dress for the local weather and spins his keys around his finger, "so what will it be? Door number one or number two?"

[Fuchs]

Downtown, Kingston - 06/09/2070 - 2210

Haywire looks the big man over.

He doesn't look too drunk... at least not drunker than I am... and he knows the way, and the town, better than I do.

"Door number two, big one. But with a twist. Let me get my bike home first."

The drive back to her flat doesn't take long, even though Haywire drives a bit slower than usual - she is a bit tipsy. Big Mac waits while she parks her bike, probably checking the area out.

"Now you also know where to drop me, afterwards."

Haywire grins, and mounts the bike behind Big Mac, wrapping her arms around the tall man.

[Tabula Rasa]

Downtown, Kingston - 06/09/2070 - 2230

Mac laughs and fires up the engine on the Ducati Multistrada. A moment later the tires squeal and you leave a trail of a tiremark and black smoke for fifty yards behind you.

He takes you through the backroads avoiding the constantly gridlocked downtown area and soon the city changes drastically. Within a few blocks the AR advertising, signs and sounds are replaced by elaborate tagging of the local posses. The storefronts are barred up for the nights and the walls are covered with graffiti. On top of that every building seems at least a hundred years old and covered with rust and all kinds of patchwork to keep them up.

The streets are much less crowded but far from deserted. There are no tourists here though, but you see plenty of toughs, street rats, hooker of both sexes, drug peddlers, the homeless and the insane. Everyone else knows better than to be out on the streets at this hour and most people in this neighborhood who work legitmately to support themselves couldn't afford to be out on a Monday night either.

After about twenty minutes you see a few working streetlights up ahead and signs of life. You see the lights of open storefronts, the sound of people and music and the smell of good food. And oh the smell. He slows down the bike and pulls up into a row of bikes infront of Pig Pickers. The place is packed, with diners and you hear the sounds of a jazz and hip-hop mix coming from the restaurant. Though the sound is easily overpowered by the hardcore hip-hop from what looks like a club next door.

There are definitely no tourists here and it looks like a pretty tough crowd. The fashion in the area seems to run red and cammo green almost exclusively amongst the men and some of the women and the style seems to be as little on top as possible and cargo shorts and clean white sneakers - a fashion that hasn't died for a century.

He turns off the bike and waits for you to get off before he does. Seemingly unphased by a number of people - not everyone mind you or even the majority but still a good number - staring openly he says, "so, what do you think of the place? Smells good as mama's cooking. Hell, who am I kidding, it's smells a lot better!"

[Fuchs]

Downtown, Kingston - 06/09/2070 - 2255

I hope the food tastes as good as it smells...

Haywire laughs, and looks the whole place over - hopefully not in a challenging manner. Tough crowd. Similar clothes to her own though. Armed too. She considers taking Mac's arm, but that might make her look too much like some stupid tourist slumming with a local.

I am a local now, even if a new one. At least I am not overdressed.

Grinning, and pushing her right hip - where she wears her Crusader - out just a little bit in response to the stares, Haywire tries to project a confident "I fit in" attitude.

"Oh, yes. Can't wait to taste it."

Haywire licks her lips, and shifts her perceptions to the astral plane again, to get a better feel for the joint.

[ Spoiler ]

Assensing test:
Assensing Pig Pickers (1d6=5, 1d6=6, 1d6=2, 1d6=6) =3 hits

I wonder if I should summon a watcher to keep an eye on Mac's bike... better not, probably too much of an intrusion...

From all spirits, Haywire prefers watchers.They seem less like individuals, less complicated, more straightforward. Dumb as a post, and not quite as sturdy, but they have their uses, and she doesn't feel she has to watch her back with them, contrary to other spirits, who always seem like they have an agenda. But summoning one here might be taken as a challenge by a local magician.

She steps up to Mac, looking at him sideways.

"So... done showing me off, or is there act 2 coming up inside?"

Haywire grins, to show she doesn't mind.

[Tabula Rasa]

Downtown, Kingston - 06/09/2070 - 2300

He laughs again, “oh I don’t need to show you off, you manage just fine just standing around. Place is pretty crowded though but you can always find a seat.� He puts his arm around your shoulders and pulls you in close and whispers close to your ear, “don’t mind me now. Just don’t want nobody to think you are available, might complicate things when we are just looking for some good eating. Unless you’d rather otherwise…�

He leads you into the place through a crowd lounging near the door. You see people eyeing you – some resentfully, others indifferently and some appreciating what they see – as you walk through the door.

The place is loud and smells heavily. You hear the clatter of dishes, the sounds of loud boisterous conversation, the sound of music and laughter. The place is packed pretty tightly, the seating is bench style at tables long enough to seat eight comfortably or even more if you are comfortable with your friends and the entire wall on the street is a dusty plate glass window conveniently looking at the row of bikes parked outside.

He spots a couple getting up from a bench in the corner and he hurries you to their now empty spot before it’s taken. The conversation dims noticeably at the table and you see a few of the people at your table looking at you with expressions that read, “what the frag?�

A few moments later a very young waitress, no older than thirteen, in a red halter-top, camo green shorts, and flip-flops and her hair in neat beaded cornrows and a face heavily decorated in gold piercing comes to your table. She says something fast and completely incomprehensible in what you recognize as Jamaican patois and you hear a couple chuckles from people around you.

The chuckling is cut off near instantly by Mac’s reply to the girl in fluent patois. With an amused smirk she hands you two a pair of slightly greasy menus, says something else incomprehensible and goes to another table. The conversation quickly picks back up at your table.

You still see and feel a lot of eyes looking on you but a lot of the tenseness in the atmosphere seems to have been released.

He opens your menu and points to a couple items, “I’d recommend the blackened cajun shrimp and pulled pork, but really anything is good here.� He clearly already knows what he is going to get.

[Fuchs]

Downtown, Kingston - 06/09/2070 - 2300

Note to myself: Get a Patois chip.

"Shrimp sounds good."

Haywire trusted Mac in picking the location, so there's no reason she should not trust him with the menu too - after all, he has good taste in aclohol, and company. And the food does smell really good.

While Mac orders, the blonde woman looks around, smiling at the rest of the people at their table, then lets her eyes roam through the room, trying to spot posse members. She still feels like an outsider, but at least some of the attention is flattering rather than worrying. Even so it feels odd to be the "exotic" one just because of her looks, and not because she is awakened. Then she leans closer to Mac, almost whispering in his ear.

"So, how long did it take you to learn patois? And what did they say?"

Hope he isn't the type to leave angry and/or jealous ex-girlfriends all over the place.

[Tabula Rasa]

Downtown, Kingston - 06/09/2070 - 2300

“Yeah, the shrimps’ definitely good,� he says. He continued without even bothering to look at the menu, “I think I’m gonna go with the burnt crawfish and crab and the seafood gumbo myself.�

He can’t help but laugh at Haywire’s question. He whispers back, “She asked me if I was here to sell you and I said she was lucky she didn’t ask in English cause you’d have given her a good scar to remember you by! Then I asked for a pair of menus.�

He looks into your eyes for a mere moment – something he doesn’t seem to do much at all – with a look of concern, “I hope you don’t mind. It’s just if you take shit from anyone you are telling everyone you’re a bitch and here to be fragged.�

[ Spoiler ]

In the astral plane you get a downright positive feeling from Pig Pickers. You don’t sense much violence or anger, but instead a fairly positive and very energetic and competitive vibe.

I’m going to give a more detailed description once I get home and can check for what 3 hits gives you. Haven’t memorized that stuff yet.

[Fuchs]

Pig Pickers, Downtown Kingston - 06/09/2070 - 2305

It's times like these I wish I learned the transform spell...

"Of course not."

Haywire laughs, even though that little bit of information reminds here that for all the nice food, and positive impression the place gives, they are surrounded by some of the most dangerous criminals of the town. Definetly not a tourist trap - or if so, then a literal tourist trap. And some of the attention she's getting doesn't feel as flattering anymore. Haywire shifts a bit, so her weapon is more visible.

"But you bring up a good point - what's the "protocoll" here? When do the weapons come out, and when does it get lethal?"

I'd rather not shoot or zap someone when all that's expected is some "friendly" bar fight.

[Tabula Rasa]

Pig Pickers, Kingston - 06/09/2070 - 2305

He leans close with his arms crosses on the table and speaks just loud enough to be heard, “well, it all depends. My general philosophy is that when I’m on someone else’s turf I don’t escalate a fight. Like if I was walking through a bar, bumped into someone cause I’m drunk and they swing a fist at me I’d probably just mess him up a little bit but I wouldn’t disfigure, maim or kill him.�

He takes another one of his frequent looks out the window, presumably to check on his bike, “now, if I’m attacked with a benign edged weapon. Say like a hunting knife, a switch blade or whatever, I’d stick with my fists since I’m just that kind of a guy, but I’d say it’d be okay to escalate to an edged weapon. But I still wouldn’t whip out a gun or kill the guy.�

“If a fragger pulled a gun on me though I would make sure he wasn’t standing long enough to pull the trigger. The trick is to be faster than the other guy, so when you see him pulling a gun to escalate the fight you can pull your trigger first.�

You can see a few nearby people are probably trying to overhear the conversation. He leans in a bit closer and lowers his voice even more, “mind you, out here, you gotta treat the posses like the cops, cause that’s what they are. They rule the ghettos – no question asked – and most regular people in their neighborhood will be on their side because they are the only authority they even have a sliver of trust for.�

[Fuchs]

Pig Pickers, Kingston - 06/09/2070 - 2310

Haywire nods at Mac's words about fighting. She glances outside as well.

Maybe I should have gotten a watcher...

"Sensible stance. But not always feasible."

Like when I don't have any non-lethal means...

She looks around, imaging how many posse members and friends might be around. Sobering thought. A sip mouthful from her beer helps with that.

"Yeah, that I got. Don't mess with a posse unless you're a pirate king."

And hope they act a bit more like cops than as criminals...

"What about magic?"

Haywire inches a bit closer to Mac. That's a sensitive topic for her.

[Tabula Rasa]

Pig Pickers, Kingston - 06/09/2070 - 2315

He laughs and smacks his hand on his thigh, "you know, even a pirate king would be hardpressed to mess with a posse boss in the ghettos. Pirates are creatures of the sea."

The moment Haywire mentions magic his expression changes. She is not quite sure but she thinks he looks a little more pale than a second ago and he shows some hesitation before speaking. He whispers, "Well... I don't know much about that. They got their houngans and voodoo priests and all kinds of other drek I don't like to tangle with. I mean I understand normal magic and all, you know, like it's a science or something. I can get that. But that other wierd drek, gives me the heebee-jeebees."

Haywire gets the feeling that if he hadn't drunk so much recently he probably wouldn't be telling her this. Before she has a chance to speak she is interrupted by the sassy waitress. Another burst of incomprehensible patois later and Haywire is pretty sure he ordered her the shrimp dish she wanted and what sounded like two Cokes. Haywire definitely needs to get that patois chip.

[Fuchs]

Pig Pickers, Kingston - 06/09/2070 - 2320

Yeah... scary shit, Voodoo.

Haywire shivers a bit. Other magical traditions were not really high up on her training priorities as set up by Ares, so she's not too knowledgable about them. And the whole Shedim plague didn't exactly make houngans more popular, resulting in them becoming even more secretive. Nothing should be scarier than giant insect spirits laying eggs in people and feeding on them, but zombies and loa and stuff are at times.

Focus, girl. You're here for some good food, not to worry about dark magic. Let's change the subject.

"So... what made you become a pirate?"

[Tabula Rasa]

Pig Pickers, Kingston - 06/09/2070 - 2325

He smirks, “the pirate’s booty of course!�

“But no, really, it was just how I was raised,� he shrugs, “I lost my parents when I was real young and I stayed with my uncle who introduced me to the business. Said I had a knack for it and it’s not like I could go get a job working for Aztech or something.�

“Not that I would even if I could.� He looks out the window at high bike again. You can see and hear a crowd gathering in the street outside. It’s hard to tell what’s going on in the dark through the crowd but it looks like there’s a fight.

[Fuchs]

Pig Pickers, Kingston - 06/09/2070 - 2325

Nice family... but who am I to talk.

Upon noticing the commotion, Haywire tries to see what's happening outside, but even with low-light vision there's nothing to see but the backs of the gathering people.

A fight? Two people settling something, or something involving more?

Stray bullets were a danger Haywire's familiar with, remembering a particularly unlucky private that caught one once right in the head. The blonde woman looks at Mac, trying to gauge if he's concerned, or if this is just business as usual. She also runs her right hand over the grip of her gun, updating the the gun information through her skinlink. Just in case.

Loaded and ready. Just in case.

"What do you make of this?"

[Tabula Rasa]

Pig Pickers, Kingston - 06/09/2070 - 2325

He shrugs and laughs, “it’s probably just posturing or jockeying for between two thugs for a girl. Wouldn’t want to get in the middle of it honestly, some might think we are trying to mess around with posse affairs.�

“Sides,� he says as a young orc bus-boy arrives with your steaming plates and a pair of Cokes, “our food is here!�

The food is indeed as good as he made it out to be and maybe even a little better. Mac seems to be a quiet but very quick eater, quickly and expertly disassembling his shelled food and getting to the meat of the matter. It’s definitely hard to keep her hands clean while eating.

As Haywire eats the commotion outside gets a little louder and a little more crowded. There’s definitely a scuffle. A lot of the people inside are looking outside at least every once in a while to catch the action but they don’t seem that concerned.

[Fuchs]

Pig Pickers, Kingston - 06/09/2070 - 2325

Haywire nods, and concentrates on her food as well.

Yummy. So, it is true, tourists get rolled in the food area, they pay more for worse food.

She keeps glancing outside too, out of habit. Things could get out of hand, even though most locals act unconcerned.

[Tabula Rasa]

Pig Pickers, Kingston - 06/09/2070 – 2325

The food is definitely cheaper than the prices downtown. After a few more minutes her food is done and Mac has discarded the remains of his crab and crawfish and is working on the last half of his gumbo with an expression of thorough satisfaction on his face that only good food can achieve.

Suddenly the scuffle outside seems to get a little louder and you see a large man shoved through the crowd and he smacks – back first – into the plate glass window. Another man, a bit shorter but much thicker smacks into his chest with his lowered shoulder and starts to punch him repeatedly on the left side of his stomach. They are both dressed in the colors of Born Fi Dead.

This seems to be more than enough to convince about half the patrons that they should be appreciating the fight properly from outside and there is a rush out the door. Mac looks at you then back outside and again back at you and grins, “wanna go watch?�