IC: Keep Flyin', A Serenity PBP Game Dumpshock Style Options

[Gray]

Persephone - Southdown Abbey - October 1, 2519 - 9:17 AM

"All I know is what I hear in town, child. Badger is a businessman, but some say he is also criminal kingpin of sorts, and he has his fingers in a lot of pies. He does provide work for alot of folks, and times are tough in that department. Judge not lest ye be judged... I suppose that might sum it up best?"

[CrazyTao]

The Hole, Eavesdown Docks, Persephone - October 1, 2519 - 8:20 AM

The Doctor sat down but started to look through the crowd for possible bodyguard types. The man who had just entered with the prostitutes looked 'capable' perhaps and just about everyone looked armed. She sipped her coffee and reached for her glasses. Perhaps she could find a nearby node and see if there were any id matches for promising muscle.

[Thanee]

Persephone - Southdown Abbey - October 1, 2519 - 9:17 AM
Tatjana 'Qiang Wei' Ivanova

"Well, that gives me some hope," Tatjana answers with a smile. "Thanks!"

[Meriss]

Heaven's Delight - 8:03 AM

JJ couldn't belive it. Here in the middle of a gorram stenchhole was a place of relative refinement and taste. It was wonderful. He quickly pawed throught the grubby pile of credit notes he had remaining and found he had just enough for the full treatment and maybe a small breakfast.

Frag it, I can eat anytime. Who knows the next time I'm going to be clean.

He gave the receptionest a dazzling smile. "The full five credit treatment dollface"

[Redjack]

The Hole, Eavesdown Docks, Persephone - October 1, 2519 - 8:15 AM

Jacob was picking through the stew, avoiding the egg like stuff that had been delivered. He looked up to see the trio coming down the stairs. A scowl formed across his face as he rose, striding across the room and motioning for Hicks & Bruce to follow.

"Yo. Pinky." he hollers at the woman.

[Donum Moriarty]

The Hole, Eavesdown Docks, Persephone - October 1, 2519 - 8:15 AM

Hicks watches the various customers going about their business in the restaraunt, but his curiosity is still trained on the one person who really doesn't seem like she 'belongs'.

The arrival of the food momentarily distracts him as the slight groan from his stomach pulls his attention away. He looks down at the food, notices how unappealing it looks, and doesn't hesitate - he digs in, shoveling his share into his mouth quickly and efficiently. It didn't look like much - but he'd eaten much, much worse before.

His hunger satiated, he looks up just in time to see Braylock rise and give that little motion with his hand that generally indicated, "The crap is about to hit the fan - be ready." Hicks observed where the Captain was headed - some hat-wearing cowboy trotting around with two tramps - whores, possibly, but wearing enough clothing that they could easily be concealing weapons. Whoever the trio were, they had certainly gotten Braylock's attention.

Hicks shifted to the edge of his seat, ready to spring into action to back up Braylock if an altercation were to ensue. He glances around the room, sizing up any other possible combatants - friend or foe.

[Gray]

Heaven's Delight - Eavesdown Docks, Persephone - October 1, 2519 - 8:05 AM

The woman tittered at the nickname JJ had applied to her. She smiled broadly showing her ritualistically blackened teeth.

"Hot, cold or ginseng bath, honrable sir?" she asked. "And your clothes. Ai Yah Tien Ah. They smell like Feh Feh Pi Goh. I can have a boy take them across the street to the laundry for you, if you wish. 2 credits."

[Meriss]

Heaven's Delight - Eavesdown Docks, Persephone - October 1, 2519 - 8:05 AM

JJ smiles back at the girl. He had seen worse than black teeth. "Make it ginseng." He shuffles the bill roll again before scrounging up another two credits. " You had me at laundry, babe. Watch it though, this is neosilk." He fingers the lapel of his suit.

[Gray]

Heavens's Delight - Eavesdown Docks, Persephone - October 1, 2519 - 8:10 AM

JJ sat down sat down to relax in a nice soothing ginseng bath before his massage. As promised, a boy showed up to take his clothing to the laundry. He held out his hand for a tip.

[Gray]

Eavesdown Docks, Persephone - October 1, 2519 - 8:15 AM

As Fae walked the bazaar, she realized she was very hungry. As she looked about for a place to eat, she got the strange feeling she was being watched. She thought she saw a figure duck into a stall, as she turned around to see if she was really being followed. Did she see it or was she just imagining things?

Nervous habit made her reach for her flask... her flask... her flask? Her flask was gone.

[ Spoiler ]

I changed this from my original idea a little bit to give you more direct influence over the action ... give me an Awareness + Perception roll.

[Karaden]

Eavesdown Docks, Persephone - October 1, 2519 - 8:15 AM

Fae pats herself over for a moment, though she always keeps her flask in the same place. She glances all around her for a moment to try and spot anyone looking odd, perhaps moving away quicker then they should, perhaps someone admiring a familiar looking flask. She focuses most of her attention where she thought she saw someone ducking into a stall, heading casually in that direction if nothing else catches her eye.

Suitou wa doko desu ka? Sore wa iriyou!

[Gray]

Jacob, Hicks, and Bruce

"Pinky", as she was know known, turned towards the Captain with her biggest smile.

"I'm not on the clock now, Sugar. Come by later tonight, and I'll show you a good time."

She did a little bump and grind number with the other girl, and then said, "On second thought... how about two for one... SPECIAL... price?"

Dr. Tsan

[ Spoiler ]

One fo the trio is quite large, probably close to 300 pounds, all muscle. The youngest member of the trio has been staring at you for a while. He loosk smitten. The captain has not given you more than a passing glance. He does look to be the mercenary type, however, as does the newcomer, although he look to love alcohol a bit too much. He hittign the bottle, and it's not even 9:30 in the morning.

Fae

[ Spoiler ]

You definitely saw a man duck into a vendor stall. You even can tell which one it was.

Tatjana
The orphans were out in the courtyard. They were doing what looked to be preparatory kung fu exercises. Tatjana recognized some of them, while others were completely new to her.

[Karaden]

Eavesdown Docks, Persephone - October 1, 2519 - 8:15 AM

Fae makes her way to the stall, not moving too quickly so as not to draw attention to herself, but not wanting to give the man too much time to escape. Fae keeps her eyes on the man as best she can, glancing away for only brief moments to ensure that she isn't going to walk into anything or anyone. As she moves she also pats her other pockets to make sure the Bei Bi Shiou Ren didn't filch anything else.

[Thanee]

Persephone - Southdown Abbey - October 1, 2519 - 9:30 AM
Tatjana 'Qiang Wei' Ivanova

Since it's fun to watch, Tatjana sits down at the edge of the courtyard, watching the youngsters doing their moves. Of course, the training is a little different to what she has gone through, but that's nothing unexpected. There are countless ways and styles and the idea of kung fu is not to know them all, but to get good at the few of them you do know.

[Redjack]

Jacob smiles, almost like he was enticed by the offer... or like she just told a joke that only he understood. "Actually, I was just admiring. What regiment were you in?" His body language was open, relaxed. He approached her at a brisk pace like he might just mount her right there on a table. Of course, it was all a ruse, except the calm part. He was always calm as if no matter what happened, or might happen, it was part of his plan.

[CrazyTao]

The Doctor put away her glasses again carefully rubbing her eyes after glancing at the men and the prostitutes. Too much time before the meeting. She wasn't about to approach any of them yet for a job, maybe she'd even get a demonstration of some skill. She continued to eavesdrop and watch as mention of some enforcement or military affiliation was asked for.

The tea was raw and hinted of burnt barley but she sipped it anyway.

[Meriss]

JJ sighed somewhere in the middle of his chest. "You're trying to break me here, aren't you kid?"

He rifles through the pockets of his suit and comes up with a half credit and quarter cred coin. He tosses the kid both. "Be careful with the suit."

[Gray]

Jacob, Hicks and Bruce
"Pinky" scrunched up her face as she tried to process Jacob's question. Finally a dim ray of light shone through and she seemed to realize that he was talking about "her" coat.

"I found this old coat, if that's what you're asking, Sugar," she said demurely. "It's for sale if you want it?"


JJ
The kid took the coin and scurried out of the room with JJ's clothing. A rather attractive young male attendant indicated that the ginseng bath was ready.

Tatjana
Some of the exercises look like some personal training exercises thatg one of her old Master's taught on Sinhon.

Fae
As you approach the tent, the man tosses something at you and runs out a flap in the back of the tent.

[ Spoiler ]

Give me a Perception + Alertness roll

Dr. Tsan

[ Spoiler ]

Captain Braylock and crew look to be more reliable than the gunslinger swilling down rotgut this early in the morning, but he does have a quiet confidence about him that is quite impressive in its own right.

[Redjack]

Jacob regarded her for a moment. He could play this several ways, but he doubted Jayne would hit a woman so that dropped the top one off his list. Since she might have had a part in killing his pilot that knocked off the list taking her up on the two-for-one... Though Jayne might have done that before continuing his investigation....

There was little time to carry on an extended game of cat-n-mouse or follow her around. That left him with a more direct approach. "Actually, I'm looking to pay back the feller who was wearing it last night." He points to his eye. "Any idea where I can pay him his due." At that moment, he was especially proud that he hadn't actually lied, though he had deceived through erroneous context: He would need to pay his pilot and he never actually said that he had given Jacob the wound.

[Karaden]

Fae snatches the object out of the air , a quick glance seems to indicate it is her flask, but doesn't trust it to have gone so easily. Without breaking stride she continues to follow the man, lifting up the flask to her ear and shaking it to see if it has any liquid in it or not. She also casts her eyes quickly along the path to see if there are any flasks for sale which he could have thrown to her, she isn't about to accept a flask stolen from the shop as a replacement for her own.

[Gray]

Jacob, Hicks and Bruce
Pinky finally admitted she found the coat in a room upstairs. The door was ajar, and a few things were strewn about as if the occupant had left in a mighty hurry. The room was Hal Gatlin's. Upon investigation there were signs of a struggle. The window of the back alley is smashed outward, as if someone or many someones exited that way. A few of Hal's personal effects were still in the room. Canvassing the people staying on that floor revealed only a few reports of people hering a fight in the room, but nobody was curious enough to investigate further.

Pinky said she found the open door on her way down to the ice machine earlier that morning. According to her, there was no one in the room when she helped herself to the coat.

Looking for Hal takes until about 11:30 AM at which time you decide to have to leave to go to Badger's office.



Fae
The flask was indeed Fae's. The cap was askew, and there was a note inside it.

"I want my rings back, HUEN DAHN! Give them back and I'll destroy the original and all the copies of this... -- Grigor"

There was a small vid chip taped to the note. On it was a video that looked like one of those cheezy, x-rated self-made pornos so prevalent on the cortex. In the editted, 30 second clip, one could clearly see Fae put something in Grigor's wine; Fae undress as Grigor succumbs to the drugs; and Fae removing some of Grigor's jewelry.

The man who threw the flask lead Fae on a chase for a bit, but she noticed Grigor and a bunch of goons gathering nearby.
(Note Fae is called in a little after the others so she receives a call from Badger at about noon to come to his office ASAP for a pilot job... she knows Grigor will not mess with her on Badger's turf.).



Tatjana
Tatjana determines that some of the children's katas they had been practicing had orginated from a martial arts school she had attended briefly on Sinhon. Evidently this Traveller had been a student at the same school at one time.

Talking to the children yielded similar stories of the man called Li Kao and his new puppy, Number-Ten Ox to the ones Tatjana already heard. The children also knew a story about Ox, stating that he was rescued from an experimental lab somewhere. She could not tell if the story was true, but only that the children believed it.

After meditation on the new information, Tatjana is ready to meet with Badger. I was about 11:30 AM, and Badger did not like to be kept waiting.



JJ
JJ felt just like a new man. The ginseng bath was just what the doctor ordered. He had to wait an extra forty-five minutes for his clothing to arrive from the cleaners, but he managed to comp his next visit for free. The suit smelled a little funny, after the cleaning solvent, but it was still much better than the mix of mold an body odor that had permeated the cloth before.

JJ slowly got dressed, revelling in the feel of clean clothing. As he finished up and left the bath house, he noted that it was nearly 11:30 Am. He had better hurry if he was to make it to Badger's office by noon.


Dr. Tsan
The Doctor overhears the three men interrogating the woman with the pink wig asking about a missing friend. She ignores them for a bit and concentrates on the gunslinger. He continues to sip whiskey, and he orders plain white rice when the waitress comes to badger him to order something. She is about to talk to him when she hears that thew other three are also en route to see Badger at noon, and that it might be safer in numbers and definitely cheaper than hiring someone.

They gather in the restaraunt, and prepare to go meet Badger areoun 11:30 AM, after temporarily giving up the search for their friend.

[Thanee]

Persephone - Southdown Abbey - October 1, 2519 - 11:30 AM
Tatjana 'Qiang Wei' Ivanova

The time went by quickly. Talking to the children revealed some interesting stories, but most of all it was a delight. The two hours passed and Tatjana had to get on the street. Badger was likely able to offer her some way to earn money or a ticket for the next passage, both were useful to her right now.

[Gray]

Eavesdown Docks, Persephone - October 1, 2519 - 12:00 PM

Badger's place was not too large, and kind of dingy. The ceiling had what looked like subway grates over it -- the noise of traffic can be heard above, and every now and then the bright white of a flying vehicle poured through the grate. On one side were stairs leading up to ground level and a door beside, at the other end sat an oversized, beat up desk. A gaudy curtain covered up a way into the back.

Badger was in the room with three thugs, one in each of the corners. A fourth, an old man, was holding the arm of a clearly frightened but slightly hopeful young woman. Badger was inspecting her. He even pulled down her lip to look at her teeth.

"Well you are a bit skinny... but you'll do."

She looked apprehensively pleased as she was shuttled behind the curtain. As she was escorted into the back, yet another thug led a group of employment hopefuls down the stairs. The group included Jacob, Hicks, Bruce, Tatjana, JJ, and Dr. Tsan. Badger didn't even look at them, as they headed for his desk.

Badger looked at an old clock on the wall which clearly indicated it was five past noon and said, "Only a bit late. I can overlook it this time. But don't make this a habit. I'm a busy man, and my time is valuable."

"Before we begin I have two questions. One is for you, Captain Braylock. Where is your pilot? We will definitely need a pilot for this job, so if you don't mind I'll make a call and get us one."

"Secondly..."

Badger activates a vid panel on the wall. A video begins to play depicting a scene at the impound yards. Several men lookign very much like the goons in the room close in on a single, oriental gentleman who is sitting by a cooking fire with a very large dog. The men close in and and pull out sticks and pipes lookign to surround the man. A fight ensues, and the group of goons making the video is quickly overpowered by the unarmed oriental man. The dog barks, but he is isntructed to stay out of the fight adn actually does. The markings of the Jade Pearl can be seen on s ship in the backaground, only a few meters beyond the cooking fire.

"... can anyone tell me who this man is? I sent my boys over to the impound yard to assess the condition of Captain Braylock's ship, but he wouldn't let them near it. I tried to have the yard officials remove him and they just recited me some legal mumbo jumbo about him being on the ships' parts manifest and not the crew roster, so they could not have him legally removed. Who ever heard of such a thing?"

[Karaden]

Fae eventually gives up the chase of the man once she realizes she has her flask back. After watching the small vid accompanying the note, she looks thoughtful for a long while. This thoughtful look is hardly that of someone in particular fear or worry, the note and vid not seeming to worry her too much.

She wanders around without paying much attention as she contemplates what to do, though it still seems to be only a worry in the back of her mind. She has her flask to occupy the front of her mind now, taking swigs from it fairly often, her steps quickly growing less and less steady. Eventually the wave from Badger comes with the offer. By chance she isn't just too far away from his place, and so with a final swig from her flask she begins to make a shaky path towards the meeting spot.

[Redjack]

As Badger chastised them over timing, Jacob felt like bitch slapping the greasy little cuss. Of course, Jacob also realized that was precisely Badger's intent to throw them off balance. He also made note of how quickly Badger not only noticed his missing pilot, but had a replacement at hand. We'll see about that... He let the pilot question go without recognition or reply.

The video of Li makes Jacob a little smug, though not enough to fully get him on Badger's bad side. "That would be Li. I think of him as a catalyzer. Don't pay much attention to him unless he ain't there or someone tries to messin' with his operations. Then I think of him more like a five pound auto-cannon. Looks like your boys are thinking the same these days."