IC New Beginnings DAWN Options

[Crossbow]

The morning comes, and once you verify that the vehicle is in decent shape to complete the journey you jump in and within an hour, reach your destination.

You all have assumptions of pirates’ dens from bad trid, so even though you know it’s crap there is a bit of a letdown when you reach the hidden cove and don’t see a single well-tanned white boy swinging from any rigging, or any rigging for that matter. Instead, spread around a well concealed inlet are camps of different sizes and qualities, each clustered near about a dozen watercraft of varying shapes and purpose.

There is some work going on, ship maintenance, cargo off-loading, camp life duties, but a great majority of the men and boys in the cove are simply waiting. Your arrival causes a bit of a stir, but not much. When you stop and begin piling out of your truck, one man, who may be a guard, comes toward your spot from the closest camp. He is more curious than challenging, but he is armed with an SMG, and he stops a generous distance away. He calls out something in a language none of you understand, then when you do not reply, tries again in stunted basic French ‘Hello, who are you, what do you want?”

[Necrogigas]

In his mind O'Connor knew that this place wasn't going to be anything like in the trids, but in his heart he still disappointed with just how mundane the place looked. He took in his surroundings, his stance alert but relaxed. He had his rifle slung over his shoulder, and his machine pistol visible on his hip.

After getting the translation from Snow, he stepped forward to take point. Torley may have the silver tongue, but O'Connor knew scum. Torley could use all the pretty words he wanted, but all the pirates would see was that he had a pretty mouth that needed to be shut up. Whether they shoved a gun down his throat or something more phallic was a matter of debate.

Blunt and aggressive was the way to handle this. He roughly shoved the two captive kids in front of him, "Snow, translate. We're here to hire a crew to get us to Lagos. Our pilot was too chicken drek for the job. We also have these two, you known who their captain/owner is?"

[farothel]

As they drove towards the beach, Sammy prepared herself, just in case. First she cast the 'speed up' spell, as she called it, in order to move faster.

Then she summoned a water spirit. She felt she only had the one service, but that should be enough. She told it to wait on the astral just as they drove up to the beach. She looked around in the astral to try and see if there were any magically active and/or wards in the location.

She was a bit annoyed when O'Connor got out and started talking. She'd rather have someone else do the talking, someone who was actually good at it. Well it was too late now, so they would just have to see and be prepared.

[ Spoiler ]

casting force 2 increase reflexes:
magic 5 + spellcasting 6 =11: 11d6t5 3

drain 3:
willpower 4 + intuitin 4 + centering 1 =9: 9d6t5 5
no drain

water spirit force 5 with optional power Accident
magic 5 + summoning 3 =8: 8d6t5 3

spirit counter
spirit counter roll: 5d6t5 2

drain 4
willpower 4 + intuition 4 + centering 1 =9: 9d6t5 7
no drain

assensing roll to look around in the astral
intuition 3 + assensing 3 =6: 6d6t5 2

[Thvor]

When the party was greeted, Sam swore to himself internally. He could recognize that the man was using French, but he hadn't managed to pick up enough of that language yet to take the lead. While he was waiting for Snow to step forward, O'Connor went into his aggressive spiel. Damn it, is he ever going to understand that he's not the face? I don't try to take over his job as muscle, do I? he thought to himself. He hid his reaction, however, trying to look like a bored guard idly scanning the area.

[ Spoiler ]

INT[5] + Perception[5] + Visual Specialization[2]: 12d6t5 5

[Mercy]

Snow is a bit concerned that Sam is not doing the talking, but Con had moved too quickly and doing anything else now would probably harm their position. She walks up to stand a bit behind and off to the left in a position of subservience and translates the French as well as she can. She keeps her head generally lowered to add to the guise of being under Con's control.

[Crossbow]

The man keeps his eyes on O’Conner as he listens to the translation, then looks over the boys. He considers things for a moment and then speaks again to O’Conner in his halting French. “They might be Thabo’s, his camp is there-“, pointing to one cluster of boats on the lagoon, “-he might take you to Lagos, or find someone.”

Jane moves over to O’Conner and slips something into his hand, a cheap audio player from the bargain bin of a Stuffer Shack back home. “Pay him and thank him.” she whispers as she moves away, going to settle by Torley. “Those two have good instincts, I am going to need one of you two males to take the lead while we are here unless I say otherwise. The culture here is a very chauvinistic one, most local men won’t even talk to a woman, and expect deference from them. Don’t fight it, lean into it and get the job done.”

Starlet’s scan of the lagoon reveals no obvious awakened metahumans, but there seems to be a warded building somewhere among the shacks across the lagoon. As usual, the jungle lends a glowing backdrop to the dead shapes of buildings and boats.

[Mercy]

Snow maintains her position of subservience as she translates for Con, her head lowered so that she can just barely make out who is talking and see their lips move, which helps her in figuring out what people are saying. She adds a bit to the next sentence for Con. "I am going to stumble in my translation to him. React and get angry and hit me. Don't fake it. I can take the hit and it will give you some status here."

She intentionally mistranslates some words back to the French and repeats herself before stopping. She apologizes profusely in both French and English before shutting up and bowing her head to wait for the inevitable.

[Necrogigas]

O'Connor tried to keep his cool, as a wave of complex emotions bubbled to the surface. Unable to remain stoic, he focused on his anger to sell the rouse. He threw Snow against the truck, and pressed a forearm against her throat. He leaned in and whispered, "Don't you dare put me in this position again needlessly." His voice was a mix of anger and regret. He followed up with a gut punch. He let Snow fall and spit on the ground near her. He walked towards the guard. As he neared the man, O'Connor yelled back to Snow, "Get the frag over here and translate! Don't screw it up this time!" He presented the audio player to the guard, "Thanks for the help. What's your name? Our work may bring us back this way, and it's always good to know helpful men."

Composure: 5d6t5 1

Unarmed Combat: 7d6t5 4

[Mercy]

Snow is not expecting the toss against the side of the truck, but it is the right move. She hisses back to Con, "I think it IS needed. They will not trust a nice man." The punch to the gut is more expected and she rolls with it, turning it into a glancing blow that still knocks her to the ground. She winces a bit from the blow and stands, quickly shuffling over to stand in her position of subservience and continues translating for her master. She is very careful to get the translations right.


Snow Defends against the gut punch. Defense: 9d6t5 4

[farothel]

Sammy almost took a step forward when O'Connor pushed Snow against the truck, but then she got Jane's words and held back. Especially when she noticed that while O'Connor threw a real punch and not a movie punch, which she was sure he was physically incapable of doing, Snow did roll with it and turned it into a glancing blow.

She waited with Sam and Jane at the truck, hoping they would quickly get out here.
"No awakened as far as I can see," she wispered to Jane, Sam and Clem, "but there is a warded building so there has to be at least one somewhere."

[Crossbow]

There is a bit more respect in the man's gaze when O'Conner turns back to him, it is even more visible once he receives the gift.

"I am Dayo, we are waiting for our boat to be repaired, so I have time to take you to Thabo. He speaks your tongue."

The man hands off his weapon to a young boy in his camp and shoves a pistol into his pants, then with a wave, starts walking a well worn footpath around the lagoon.

[Thvor]

[ Spoiler ]

Judge intentions on Snow and Con:
INT[5] + CHA[6] + Kinesics[3]: 14d6t5 1
INT[5] + CHA[6] + Kinesics[3]: 14d6t5 2

Not great, but no glitches.

Sam was watching Snow, O'Connor, and the other man's interaction, and although he couldn't hear what she said to Con, he could see his rage and her bracing for...something. The nature of Con's attack seemed to catch her off guard, but by the time Sam could have reacted, she was picking herself up and he could see what her plan had been. Sam was impressed; so far, the only form of persuasion he'd seen Snow use was her femininity...or, rather, her straight-out sex appeal. Through all of this, he did his best to maintain his air of indifference, as if he'd seen Con treating his "interpreter" this way many times before. He didn't like being an "extra" in any scene, but knowing that it was far too late for him to try to step into the spotlight, he instead tried to blend into the background.

[Necrogigas]

O'Connor yelled at the captives, "Get a move one you little dreks!" He turned to Torley, "Get the gear ready, I want to move as soon a possible! We've already lost too much time thanks to that slot Dobiri!" He fell into step with Dayo, "There's a lot of you here. This must be good hunting territory." As he chatted with the pirate, O'Connor scanned the camp and prioritized possible threats if things went south.

Perception (Visual): 7d6t5 3

[Mercy]

Snow follows close behind Con as he walks with the other man. Her head is cast so that she cannot really see much around her, but the two tiny spider drones she has in her hair give her a pretty good feed of her surroundings. She is very careful to do as good a job translating as possible, as if afraid of making another mistake. She realizes that she is likely to be superfluous when they get to this Thabo, but she may still pick up some words the natives may speak to each other.

[farothel]

Sammy also followed, keeping an eye out both on the material as on the astral plane. She had had more than enough surprises not to be weary.

[Crossbow]

Jane also fell in with the group, bringing Torley with them, she exchanged looks with Clem to handle things at the truck.

The path around the lagoon did not take the group through any other camps, but rather past them. Thabo's seemed to be one of the larger areas, it had multiple boats docks at a short pier. Dayo leads you through the place, up to one of the few fully dress people in the camp who is with a group of armed men. A quick conference occurs and Thabo approaches your group, speaking a more educated French, "You need passage to Lagos?"

[Mercy]

Snow translates for Con and waits for an answer that she can translate back to Thabo.

[Necrogigas]

O'Connor nodded, "Yep. Also, our new buddy Dayo here said these belong to you." He kicked out the knees of the two captive boys. O'Connor wasn't one to pick on weak prey, but these pirates seemed to be the types to enjoy it.

[farothel]

Sammy stayed a bit behind for now, looking around and checking things out, ready for trouble should it present itself.

[Crossbow]

The pirate called Thabo doesn't even spare the boys a look, "How many, what cargo, which district? And, most importantly, what currency?" He looks from O'Conner to Snow, Starlet and Jane as he says this last part. Apparently human currency is not out of the question here

[Necrogigas]

O'Connor did not like the implications in the captain's words, but refrained from commenting. He instead answered the question, "Nuyen is our payment method."

[Titan]

Clementines' normally stoic expression transformed into a snarl as O'Connor threw Snow into the truck. Her hand fell effortlessly to the hilt of her blade and had already broke the hold of the scabbard by the time she recovered her composure.

"Gaijin fool" she thought while slowly resheathing her weapon. "That move nearly lost him his arms."

She recovered quickly, and she reverted back to her calm exterior. "No need to over sell it. If any saw, let them read into it what they want to see."

--------------

The relief of being left behind as the group moved on was obvious to Jane when the looks were exchanged and Clementine nodded in response. She began surveying the area to find a good place to stash the truck.

[ Spoiler ]

Rolls and such in OOC Post #32

[Mercy]

Snow is still translating from the French unless Con signals her to stop. If her partner knows the language, there is no reason to let the pirate know that. She looks up at the pirate when he makes the obvious suggestion to trade one or more of the women for transport and looks with a bit of surprise at Con when he turns down the offer. Snow lowers her head again and shuffles a little closer to Con, as if getting to him for protection.

[Crossbow]

"Certified cred? That is certainly doable, are you looking round trip or is this a one-way passage?" Thabo asks, his eyes looking over the group of you, taking a headcount.

[Necrogigas]

"There's six of us, with a dufflebag each. The trip will be one way to Lagos." Having an exit planned might be a good idea, but O'Connor didn't trust this Thabo. He held no loyalty to the crew that was captured, hadn't questioned about the rest of his men, and the way he kept eyeing the women put O'Connor on edge. This pirate was their fastest way into the city, but O'Connor didn't want to rely on him a second time.