Deep Vengeance..., ...is the Daughter of Deep Silence Options

[Buddha72]

Breeze
The music pounds away and the crowd quickly resumes its frantic dancing after the hiccup of your retrieving your jacket with Strangeglove's help. You see a reply from Widget pop up while you gather your jacket and prepare to leave.

<<@Breeze: Sure. the more the merrier. I don't have any work from HR right now but heavy lifting is always somewhere in temp work and having friends to do it for you is always a good thing.>>

Emilio
You walk your way up to the club and see the surreal crowd gathered outside. Changlings and probably genespliced wannabes are clustered together in trendy club wear. The air around the establishment is filled with lurid color and images as AROs dance all around. As you approach an ARO pops in front of you along with a text from Widget. It materializes into a a small neon green orb with complex DNA strands woven in on itself. It pulses and contracts to the heavy base beats coming from inside the building.

<<@Emilio: This bunny rabbit is anything but sweet. Just follow this pass to the door and to my table. As for fitting in - well we call can't be blessed by the comet.>>

Eklipse
Widget smiles and nods as you slipped away to change outfits. Her open and radiant smile upon your return expresses her approval of your choice of attire.

<<@Eklipse: If we weren't working together I would lick you from head to toe - you look yummy!>>

Fleet
Widget nibbles at some food and takes a healthy draw on her brightly colored drink through a twisted structure you think is a straw.

"To clarify Mr. Fleet I'm support staff. I handle getting the information to you all about the jobs and I have to double check your work to make sure you get paid. I can offer logistical support - gear, garages, some area based knowledge - you get the drift. I helped out in the beginning to frankly to pad my paycheck but with you here I can resume my original duties."

She waves and hugs people as they arrive or blow kisses as the alcohol begins to works its magic.

"As now right now there is nothing in your IN box."

[Hamagen]

Breeze smiles a bit more as he receives the message back from Widget, he focuses back on Strangeglove

"Les go mate, this pretty lass named Widget wants ta meet and greet us with a new team, could be some good fun and money out o it"

Breeze continues on out of the club, lights a cigarettes and looks around, he takes out his Commlink's interface and access a map to find The Looking Glass

"I think its this way mate, doesn't seem that far, though from what I can tell we might stand out a bit"

Breeze chuckles and starts walking

[Notsoevildm]

Eklipse snags a beer and grins at Widget. It almost reaches his eyes.

<<@Widget: Danke. It is by far not ze most outrageous request I have received this evening. But it is probably good zat you don't. Zis glitter has some serious varnings about 'external use only' on ze canister. Plus I do not think either of us vant to see you coughing up ze furballs, ja?>>

The shadows that normally cling to him seem, at least for tonight, to have dissipated. He chats with his fellow team-mates and watches the dance-floor with tapping feet. He reaches out a hand to the party's rigger liaison.

"Come, Widget. You must be showing me your moves. I vill attempt to not be making a fool of myself. And no licking!"

[Fenris]

He carries on the conversation as people join and leave the table, occasionally allowing for dance breaks. On the surface, he appears fairly obliging and friendly, but anyone that's looking more closely in the dim light and the pounding music can see the occasional twitch and hear the stutter, sentences sometimes sounding like they're being cut off and restarted.

"That's good to know, Widget, thankff. To be clear," he says, addressing the rest of the team, "I'm not trying trying to upset the team dynamic. The way I heard it, Eklipse'ff leading the team, and I'm fine wiff leaving it that way. But what I can do is logistics and planning. My Seattle knowledge is a bit out of date, so I may be leaning on you, Widget, till I'm tied in again.

In the meantime, since, as our liaison said, there's nothing in the inbox, I suggest we figure out what we need to be ready for the next run. Cypher, I'm assuming you've been doing what you can to keep comms up and running. Is there anything people need we should be looking into picking up?

Do all our magic userff have decent armor? 'Geek the mage' is funny because it'ff true. Does the magic section need anything in the way of spellff or staffs or wandff or whatever you guys use? We've got time, there's no reason we shouldn't have every available resource at hand.

For those of you with a more of a gunpowder focus, nows the time for us to go 'locate' some of that spiffy ammo or that mod you've been putting off.

My personal default is heavy weapons. Traveling overseas got me lots of the little stuff, but if we need a serious can opener or something that will take a helicopter out of the sky, I don't have anything like that. I know there are some unsavory people in Seattle that have what we're looking for, and at a significant discount. I'm inclined to find one of them and take their toys.

Lastly, like I said, I'm logistics. And I'm here with a goal that goes beyond the money or just the next run, so I aim to make sure you're all here to do it with me as well. Is there anyone that doesn't have their own transportation? I've got enough vehicles scattered around the City that nobody needs to walk or rely on public transportation anymore. If we're a team, I'd rather none of us were wandering around down dark alleys in light armor, waiting to get picked off."

[UmaroVI]

"Don't worry about me, I am quite well-insulated, as you can see," Fat Man replies with a smile.

"I recently acquired my own transportation, although it's nothing fancy. I'd be happy to give you the information on it, if you want to coordinate vehicles. Actually, now might be a good time for me and Zerone to compare what spells we know and share this with the rest of the team; it might make planning easier."

[Buddha72]

Eklipse
Widget smiles and places her hand in yours. You move to the open floor and almost immediately you are ringed by AROs and holoprojections. You feel her light touch as she begins to dance with you. You quickly see her movements perfectly in-sync with the heavy beat moving through your body. There is a heavy and spicy scent hanging around her body and her face is relaxed. You think for a brief moment here and there you see her as she must look while sleeping. The energy of the floor is warm and all encompassing - dancing here for the SURGEd is almost sacred. Every face you see is happy and welcoming. After a song or two, its hard to tell since they blend from one to the other, you see ripples of colors flow through her hair. The only face that stands out for you is an older human male - Italian you think, the dark hair and complexion - behind one of the bars pauses to stare right at you.

Dressed in causal elegance that speaks of someone accustomed to wealth and all its trappings. Sporting shades that scream months of rent in the nicer areas of town on a face of clean angles. His body is well kept and portioned. The musculature is not one of a gym bunny, you see the lines of training in his posture that speaks of someone comfortable with their body and using it to its full potential. He stares unmoving and drops the shades, looks to Widget pointedly and then shakes his head no while locking eyes with you before placing them back and stepping through an employee only door.

Widget calls for a break with a fine sheen of sweat on her skin, laughing and smiling as she drags you back to the table with the others who seem to be deep in conversation. She mouths thanks as she grabs her drink.

[JxJxA]

Zerone nods and smiles, thankful to be able to do something he is familiar with.

"Of course, Mr. Fat Man. My creators designed me with combat spells in mind, but I was dis...um...disposed of? Yes, disposed of. I was disposed of before they taught me everything. Most deal with the spirit and flesh. Follower has helped me turn some of those spells into benign forms, and I learned one that can finally affect the tools of man.

"Um...with gear, I think I can use a better commlink? This one is decent for day-to-day use, but it might not be good for what we...uh...make? No, um, do! For what we do." He hands the commlink to Mr. Fleet so he can see. Once the hobgoblin is done, he takes it back and replaces it in his coat.

"I think I am wearing the best armor I can. I am not very strong, and the circumference? No, circumvent? No...circumstance! Yes, the circumstances of my birth make it hard for me to exercise. I can also call upon magic to protect me."

[Notsoevildm]

Eklipse locks eyes with the wealthily dressed human. He resists the urge to wink at him.

<Command: capture image>

He returns to booth with Widget. His smile is gone.

What the hell? Boyfriend? Bodyguard? Are we working for the mafia? I know they don't have a good history with the yakuza. But I was just dancing with her, even if it was a little raunchy at times.

His mind spinning, he half listens to the discussion about vehicles, weapons and commlinks. He keep a close watch on Widget and occasionally glances around to see if he can spot Mr Rich.

Very professional this Fleet. Magda made a good choice.

"I am always interested in some of zat 'spiffy' ammunition if you can find some. I prefer SMGs, ze HK227X in particular. I also have a motorbike you should take a look at. It is a mostly stock Rapier with a few standard options. Unfortunately, ze dealer where I bought it did not have ze more exotic items such as ze changing number plates and ze hidden machine guns. Perhaps you can be helping with such items?"

[Strangeglove]

After productively spending the time in line pumping Breeze for information about the job, the runners, and the target, Strangeglove enters the club and scans the room with the characteristic pose of someone looking for a friend (also security, exits, cameras, and hostiles).

A moment later ("What mate, do I look like I'm going to start a fight?") Breeze enters, and the duo skirt the dance floor before sliding into the booth.

[Buddha72]

Breeze & Strangeglove
As you make your way across the club AROs fill up the virtual space around you. You see various messages about the policy of courtesy towards the Changlings in the establishment, a few inquiries about what else is pierced or been replaced with cyber, and a few bold invitations for "companionship" later this evening or right now in a dark hidey hole of the club.

With a small shout of joy and a well lubricated smile, Widget slides across and hugs Breeze leaving a small chaste kiss on his lips. Looking over his shoulder at Strangeglove, her eyes take him in and then resettle on his obvious cyber arm. She crawls into Breeze's lap and twists around his body placing a gentle hand on the limb. She leans down and speaks directly to the limb as if it were a small pet or animal.

"Poor thing - look at you."

[Notsoevildm]

Eklipse holds up a hand in a vague gesture, somewhere between a surrender and a pointed question.

What the hell? It's okay to crawl over the pierced englander and his cybered troll boyfriend but not the furry elf. Easy boy. She is just a colleague. and maybe a friend. Who's lap she chooses to sit in is none of your business and if Mr Rich decides to warn off Herr Breeze, then I for one am ordering popcorn and a front row seat.

He slumps back in his seat dejectedly, drawing the shadows tight around him like a protective shroud. He takes a long, angry drink from his warm beer. He sets the empty bottle back on the table and dials up another round. While waiting for the order to arrive, he scrolls through the messages on his link, considering some of the offers he had received while dancing but not outrightly declined.

No. No. Maybe. No way he tsks, flicking the messages into the trashcan at the corner of his vision.

Oh frag it! Maybe Katja will show up and I can buy her that drink I promised her. And just the drink, ja! he admonishes himself.

What would Heidi think if she was to learn you had been out drinking and dancing with other women?

[Strangeglove]

Strangeglove, unsettled, flexes his cyberhand slightly. The whine of worn Soviet machinery is lost in the roar of the club's raucous synth-pop.

[JxJxA]

While they compare spellcasting notes, Zerone realizes that he should tell Mr. Fat Man what Reverend Hannibal had told him.

"Oh, um...Mr. Fat Man, I received word from my talismonger. He told me that he would not be available for a bit because they are switching locations due to a bad lease. However...um...I am worried that it might be more serious. I hope it is not because of me. While my soul is my own, my face is shared by others, and they might be more likely to use violence than I am. I wanted to let you know, especially since you can look into the Astral and see who hides beneath the flesh."

[Fenris]

He motion's Zerone's commlink away, hooking a finger at Cypher's AR presence. "Truft me, he'll be better at this sort of thing."

Noticing Eklipse's reactions but mistakenly assuming it was because of him, he turned slightly to re-engage the man.

"Eklipse, where should we start? I'm assuming Cypher's got a few ideas for electronic upgrades, and ammo and submachine guns can be acquired from several different sources, and as I mentioned, I'm alwayf looking for a bigger, badder just-in-caffe to tuck away somewhere."

[Buddha72]

Eklipse
You watch for any sign of anything out of place with Widget and other than her being slightly drunk she seems unaware of what happened on the dance floor. You return to the table and discreetly look around the establishment to find the man from before and spot him up on the 2nd floor ringing the club - some sort of VIP area since the stairs leading up have a chain across them and a member of club security posted at the bottom - a woman with snake scales and prominent fangs when she talks. You see him sitting with a blonde man, also human with an impressive build. He seems dressed in higher end clothes but nothing as cutting edge as the Italian. Seeing them together you are struck by the contrast - one seems the idealized natural expression of male beauty - balanced and lacking the the glare of augmentation while the blonde carries all the presence of masculinity - the power and implied threat of aggression. They seem to be sharing an intimate conversation and occasionally looking at the your table below.

Strangeglove
The first sign of security was the bouncer. His body is covered with a course black hair peeking out from his club chic attire, the collar of his shirt and the cuffs of his jacket. He quickly pats people down as they enter before directing them through an archway, clearly some sort of security scanner. A stylish name tag is pinned to his lapel identifying him as Mr Bo Bo - head of security. As he moves you can clearly the butts of two heavy pistols slung in under arm holsters, they have words emblazoned on each - Respect and Courtesy. As you arrive at the front of the line you see his feet are more like hands and he is shoeless. His whole body is clearly simian in form and structure, ape is what your brain latches on to. Just behind him is a sign that reads:

You are welcome as a guest of the Changeling community but any behavior deemed inappropriate by the management will lead to you being asked to leave with all the respect and courtesy such a situation requires.

You see other people around dressed in similar attire, you assume other members of the security staff. You look for other security measures but none seem evident. Ether there isn't anything other than people or they spent money to keep it out of sight and out of mind for the customers.

The Table
Widget moves her way across Breeze to get a better look at the limb, reaching behind her and gently pushing him back to make room for her to perch on the edge of the cushion. She places her other hand on the limb and seems to lose herself for a bit as small micro-drones creep out from her hair and clothing - about six in total as they crawl off of her and onto the arm. Each looks unique and built by hand or at least modified to the point where they bear little resemblance to their original stock appearance. She speaks but does so with a detached air like many do when interacting with VR or AR.

"When did you get this little fella? Did you have him custom built or does he come with a history?"

[Hamagen]

Breeze smiles that "charming English" smile at the joyful Widget as she slides over to him and plants a kiss on him, as she moves across his lap, visibly enjoying it he grabs her hand and kisses it gently...

"How glad I am to see tha lovely lady again"

He watches as Widget's attention turns to Strangeglove and specifically his cyber arm he looks around the table nodding at each of the people.

"Hallo mates, go to see all you, this here is ma good friend Strangeglove, some of you might recognize his handsome mug from certain videos which involve a lot of..."

Before Breeze says the next words he lifts up his arms and does an air quote

"Realistic looking Special Effects'"

He looks over at the troll again and pats him on the shoulder

"ain't that right bud?"

[UmaroVI]

Fat Man looks a bit puzzled by Zerone's warning, but nods.

"I should be able to spot anyone who looks the same as you only on the physical plane. Let me know if I can help your temple in any way; I do understand we have different traditions, but I would not want to see a place sacred to the people here be harmed."

[Strangeglove]

Strangeglove pulls his arm away from Widget, shifting his torso to put the arm out of reach.

"My face isn' visible in any..."

Strangeglove trails off as he sees Eklipse in the shadows, then his eyes dart quickly around the table as he takes in Fleet, Zerone, and Fat Man, his gaze finally coming to rest again on the tiny girl and her mechanical mites. Surprise is quickly replaced by something like understanding, before he bursts into laugher.

"Hahahaha."

The laughter is restrained, for him, boisterous for anyone else; nervousness concealed well enough. He turns to Fleet,

"I been working under cars for de last mont', a shopping trip would be great. I'm looking for ArmTech 'ware if you've got a line, an -18 or -6."

[JxJxA]

Zerone smiles and bows his head gratefully.

"I thank you for your concern, and may take you up on your offer if my friends are in danger. I would be happy to help you and your allies as well. We might follow different traditions, but I think we both hold the same things dear."

[Emilio]

Emilio follows the pass up to the door. He walks briskly and smiles, thinking,

Way better than a medical lab. That looks fun. Way better than a medical lab. No guns there. Way better than a medical lab. Woo hoo!

He waves at the bouncer, pausing to see if the pass does in fact get him in. Once waved in, he follows the pass to Widget's table.

[Notsoevildm]

Eklipse blinks several times, slowly and deliberately, his contact lenses capturing several shots of the Italian's conversation with the blonde man.

Wish I had chosen the lenses with the magnification option. I could have got better shots. Still, maybe Herr O'Malley can tell me who they are.

He does the mental gymnastics needed to attach the best of the images to a message and sends it out to his contact in the police.

<<@Thomas O'Malley: Herr O'Malley. I noticed these two men {attached images} paying some attention to me recently. One seems to be of Italian descent. Do you happen to recognise him, or his blonde friend? And if so, would you know if they are in any way connected with Seattle's organised crime groups?>>

Fleet's question brings his attention back to the table. He almost smiles at Widget's antics and the nervous looking troll, but his funk remains.

"Logistics are not really my specialty, meine friend. I am more ze field operative. Plus, I have limited contacts here in Seattle..." he gestures at the group squeezed into the booth, "...beyond ze people around zis table. Frau Widget has helped me to acquire ze 'tools of ze trade' shall we say and Herr Cypher has provided me with some suggestions for communications in addition to eine 'spiffy' commlink."

[Buddha72]

Emilio
The ARO leads you up to the front of the line and the entrance of the establishment. You hear the mutterings and outright complaints of those waiting in the line as you cut past them. The bouncer looks over the ARO. His body is covered with a course black hair peeking out from his club chic attire, the collar of his shirt and the cuffs of his jacket. He quickly pats you down before directing you through an archway, clearly some sort of security scanner. A stylish name tag is pinned to his lapel identifying him as Mr Bo Bo - head of security. As he gestures you forward you can clearly the butts of two heavy pistols slung in under arm holsters, they have words emblazoned on each - Respect and Courtesy. As you walk past him you see his feet are more like hands and he is shoeless. His whole body is clearly simian in form and structure, ape is what your brain latches on to. Just behind him is a sign that reads:

You are welcome as a guest of the Changeling community but any behavior deemed inappropriate by the management will lead to you being asked to leave with all the respect and courtesy such a situation requires. You are immediately assaulted by noise, light and movement as you enter the building. You see a host of SURGEd bodies dancing, walking and mingling in the open space of the club.

"Read the sign and don't get her Highness in trouble."

As you enter the building you are assaulted by light. sound and movement. The club is filled with the SURGEd - dancing, drinking and socializing. As you follow the ARO more pop up around you - most are signs emblazoned with words like "Ken Doll", "Gene Joke" or "Baseline". You are lead to a table at the edge of the club and see a group gathering at a booth with familiar faces from your rescue from the clinic.

The Table
Widget jumps a bit as the limb is taken out of her grasp - almost immediately the drones tuck themselves away amongst her body as her hair ripples a bright almost painful pink from the roots to the tips. She awkwardly moves from the edge of the bench and seems at a loss where to hide herself before quickly deciding to slide next to Eklipse.

Eklipse
Widget's skin as it brushes yours is hot and clammy all at once. You see her face is flushed with embarrassment as she tries to lose herself in an ARO menu - making the pretense of ordering food to cover up the painfully obvious odd behavior on her part. You see her hands shake slightly as she touches a few choices before sending them off to the bar. You see an alert flare to life letting you know you have a reply waiting on your commlink.

<<@Eklipse: If you are in the Looking Glass those gentleman are suspected to be the owners. The supermodel goes by Jake and is or was connected to another club called Extassis owned by a wealthy piece of eurotrash by the name of Carvaggio. Rumored to be old money - he runs a very elite club for the wealthy and connected. He has a thing for rarities and oddities. The word is he provided the seed fund for the Looking Glass but who knows. They have the money hidden behind so many shell companies its a nightmare to try to figure out. Jake was one of his inner circle and we think Carvaggio does some brisk business in the shadows. The other man goes by Fixx and works as a broker in the shadows - they seem to be a team of some sort but no one knows for sure how deep that relationship goes. They work out of the Looking Glass and have a "niece" they have been raising from infancy - though no records exist of her birth or either of them fathering a child so most likely born outside of the system and who knows whose baby she is.>>

[Emilio]

Emilio follows the ARO to the table. He says hello to everyone. When he gets to Strangeglove, he shakes Strangeglove's hand, saying,

"I'm Emilio."

When he gets to Fleet, one eyebrow pops up in a quizzical glance.

"Hey Fleet. Welcome back to Seattle. How was your return trip?"

[Hamagen]

Breeze looks up to Emilio and nods to him smiling as he takes another drink.

He looks over the rest of the team and laughs a bit, then his eyes wander around to give Widget another up and down and then move on to look at some of the other "talent" around the club, nudging Strangeglove and pointing at a few in particular.

[Notsoevildm]

Eklipse puts two and two together and gets about a seven.

Okay, so not mafia. And if our lovely little liasion is in fact his 'niece' that explains why he was warning me off.

He puts a hand gently on Widget's trembling arm and leans in conspiratorily.

"Do not be embarrased lieb Widget. Ve all have our special abilities. And our quirks. However, it may be a good idea to ask Herr Strangeglove for permission to talk to his arm ze next time. He does seem to be rather attached to it, neh?"

He gives her a cheeky grin and a wink before turning back to the group. He looks over to Breeze, picking his commlink out of the AROs floating over their booth.

<<@Breeze. A word to the wise. I have seen how you look at our pretty little rigger. Be aware that she is a 'ward' of the owners of the Looking Glass. I would recommend that you keep your relationship with her strictly platonic, at least here in the club. On the other hand, if you are just looking for female companionship, there are plenty more fishes in the sea. In fact, I can hook you up with a lady with gills, or one with scales and fins if you are interested?>>

His mood somewhat lighter, he greets the newcomers and joins in the general converation again.