IC New Beginnings DAWN Options

[Thvor]

Sam addressed the goon holding him. "I appreciate the dedication, but would you mind easing up on the neck? I promise you, I'm not planning on going anywhere, and I think we'd both be more comfortable."

[Crossbow]

The goon all but bodily moves Torley by the neck to the nearest comfortable looking chair. Once he is firmly planted, the goon moves his hand and plants it HEAVILY on his shoulder, "Comfy?" says a gruff, low voice with a thick South African accent.

Outside the room the shocked and naked woman is starting to dress, but she spares an agreeing nod to Starlet after she glances at the pic. Clem attempts to help, shielding her from public display as best she can, her experience with companions treated as roughly in similar circumstances coming to the fore.

Back inside the room, Viktor's father ends their brief conference with a sharp gesture. Returning to Torley with his son in tow he addresses the runner again, "Viktor's debt has been confirmed, so you have earned the right to leave here bodily intact, but I have yet to be convinced of your intentions, so now I will, at the very least, hear you out. Have a care though, I do not suffer fools kindly."

[Thvor]

Sam smiled agreeably at the goon once they'd changed positions. It was much more comfortable, after all, even with the restraining hand still present.

Once Viktor's father returned and laid down his request, Sam shrugged. "Like I said in the elevator, I'm here on business. My employer wants my colleagues and I to find an elf who ran off with something and fled here. Of course, we're new in town, so things are a bit more complicated than they would be back home. We were following a lead when I found out about Viktor's debt. Like I said, I didn't like the look of the guy. Assuming he's the only one that Viktor owes money to, you probably don't need me to tell you who it is." Sam paused and looked meaningfully at Viktor, trying to gauge if this was accurate or not before continuing. "Regardless, Viktor's not the one we're being paid to find, so we honestly don't have much professional interest either way in the outcome, though I've got my preferences; we're just trying to find our elf." Sam carefully kept his body language relaxed and exuding honesty; he was actually staying fairly close to the truth, which helped.

[Crossbow]

Viktor's father takes a seat across a table from you, "Why don't we start with this elf, do you have a name or an image I can see? I know quite a few people, maybe we have crossed paths."

[Thvor]

Bingo, Sam thought to himself. Feeling the goon's hand stiffen when he started to move, he kept his motions slow and controlled as he pulled out his 'link. Before pulling up Samriel's picture, he sent a quick message to Samantha and Clem: Still fine. Possible lead on original target He suspected that the goon was reading the message as well, so he didn't try anything else, then showed his screen to Viktor's dad. "This is the guy we're looking for. His name's Samriel Lockwood, though we suspect that he may be using a different name; his eyes should be a lot harder to hide."

[Crossbow]

Things have gone from somewhat dangerous to quite deadly in a split second’s time, and only because of Sam Torley’s magical abilities is he aware of the shift. Up to this point, he knew there was some peril to this situation. Ever since walking up to this man he suspected of being his mark’s father he had realized in the back of his mind that he really should have done a little bit of legwork on who the frag it was he was delivering the harbormaster’s message to, but he had been confident that it was a situation he could talk himself out of and learn from later.

Now, the beginnings of fear that there might not be a later are coming into play, though obviously he doesn’t show it.

Clearly, this elf is known to the man, and they are not friends.The hardness behind his eyes is telling Sam that, loud and clear. “You are bold, Mr.Torley, and very lucky that I have already promised you would walk out of this room. Now, the real question is are you going to continue this charade or are you going to make your pitch? I really don’t have much time for this game anymore now that I know the AF is in the picture.”

[farothel]

Sammy was waiting outside of the room, a bit reasured by the message from Sam, but she really wanted to know what was going on inside. Well, there was little she could do right now, except maybe make a mental note to go shopping for some detection spells when she could get a moment free.

[Thvor]

Sam had known from the moment that he decided to approach Viktor's dad that he was risking everything. That was what made the game fun to play, though; knowing that the stakes were going up sent a thrill through him. Keeping his expression calm, he smiled, "I am as you see me, sir. I am not part of the AF. And as Viktor's debt proves, this is no charade." Putting a slight edge into his voice and shifting subtly into a more aggressive posture, he continued, "Did you really think that the identity of Viktor's 'creditor' was my only chip? Very few would be so foolish as to approach you with that small of a safety net, I'm sure." Granted, I happen to be one of those stupid few today, he added ruefully to himself. Then he relaxed to his previous tone and gestured, "At this point, I'm willing to take your information on this elf, walk out that door, and continue with my business. Whether you continue to be involved beyond that is entirely up to you. Do note, though, that if I do not leave, or if I'm not satisfied with your information, others on my team will be coming. And I don't think you'll enjoy how they play the game."

OOC: Sam has the Poor Self Control/Thrill Seeker quality. Hasn't come up much in game, but it is there. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Crossbow]

“I can tell you quite a bit about your elf. I can tell you why he is here, I can hazard a guess or two where he is, I can even predict where he is going to be in the near future, but I have no reason to tell YOU any of that since I have no idea who you are really working for.”

Mr Englebrecht sits in the chair opposite Torley. “But let’s dispense with any threatening posture on your part, you are in no position to intimidate me. I need to know who you are working for, why you are looking for him exactly, and if we are working at cross purposes. You tell me that, I will tell you about your elf.”

[Necrogigas]

Torley gave a small shrug and leaned back in his seat, exuding an air of nonchalance, "The elf in question is the only lead provided to my employeer by their client in locating an item of antiquity stolen from a private collection. I won't be revealing to you who my client is because, as a subcontractor, I can't tell you what I don't know. I'm sure you can understand, if not appreciate in this moment, the compartmentalization of information."

[Crossbow]

Mr. Engelbrecht leans back as well, Torley notes the considerable skill with which he has in reading the face's nonverbal cues. Cues that Torley knows are telling him exactly what Torley wants them to, and that is 'Trust me.'

"Mr. Lockwood is not here to hide or to fence any ill gotten gains. He is here for an auction being held in the next few days, a very important and exclusive auction of artifacts and antiquities being held by one of the leash holders of this kennel of curs. It is the same reason I am here, one particular item on docket has certainly caught the Mystic Crusaders' attention, The Piri Reis Map."

Again, Engelbrecht's attention to Torley's cues is on edge with this pronouncement.

[Necrogigas]

Torley, internally, wanted to scream, We really need to do our research from know on. Engelbrecht, Mystic Crusaders, Piri Reis Map, what does any of this mean? This job was suppose to a straightforward seek-and-retrieve job. Externally, Torley gave a small smile of amusement, "If I had a nuyen for every time I did a job under false pretenses, I'd be able to retire. I am a bit curious as to if its my employeer or their client that concocted this falsehood." As soon as he said it, he gave a dismissive shrug, "I suppose it doesn't truly matter. The job is still fundamentally the same: keep my employeer alive, and find the elf." He cupped his chin in his hand and feigned being lost in thought for a moment, muttering to himself, "The Mystic Crusaders were never mentioned though, that would've been good to know during pay negotiations." He returned his attention to Engelbrecht, "Thank you for the illumination. I have given what information that I can, and you have given what you're willing. So how shall we proceed from here? Will we part ways amicably, or...?"

[Crossbow]

Englebrecht makes a slight wave off with his hand and Torley is once again transported bodily, this time by the shoulder. The movement is so quick his knees are not straight until he is standing in the hallway, facing his team.


"Bye." says a gruff voice as the door closes.

[farothel]

Sammy was a bit surprised whenshe suddenly saw the door open, but when Torley was shoved through and the door closed, she relaxed. She looked him over for any visible wounds.
"You okay," she asked.

[Necrogigas]

Torley smoothed out his clothing and gave Starlet a reassuring smile, "I am unharmed, no need to worry. This has been something of an experience. Good or ill has yet to be determined however. As an aside, we really should be doing more legwork. We've become far too comfortable with leaping before we look and letting come what may. Con may prefer such methods, and I must confess I too enjoy the thrill, but it will end with all of us dead before too long. All that said, my conversation has been most interesting and enlightening. We should retire to more private settings before discussing the matter though." Torley noticed a message from Snow though, per usual, his 'link was up to it's funny business, and the message was displayed in what he assumed was arabic. He turned to his two compatriots, "Anyone else get a message from Snow?"

<We need to regroup at the hotel, pronto. Jane started a fight with some kidnappers that were grabbing teenage girls off a bus, and Con finished it. Problem is that they were from a gang called the Area Boys. According to Lil' Homie, they're the biggest and meanest gang in this deplorable city. Poor boy is in the middle of a panic attack. Jane's making some calls, calling in favors I think/hope. I doubt it'll be long before you're connected to us. Get back soon.>

[Crossbow]

The door opens quickly again as an unloaded Roomsweeper and shells are tossed into the hall then closed again.


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


With no further business in the city, and what feels like a pressing need to be elsewhere, Torley, Starlet and Clem return to the docks without unusual incident. The boat is there, with the captain having a message from the harbormaster that any information he can gather will be put in a certain electronic dropbox, once the debt has been settled. The boat takes you back to the mainland, and you are able to regroup at your rooms.

[Thvor]

Once they were back at the hotel, Torley waited for a chance for the team to talk without Jane or Con's new sidekick overhearing, and then filled them in on what he'd learned from Mr. Englebrecht. "Snow, we've been really bad about doing our homework. I need you to find out as much as you can about this 'Piri Reis Map' and why the Mystic Crusaders and the Atlanteans would be interested in it. Also see what you can drum up about this auction--where it's being held, what security is in place, who's in charge, everything. Sammy, Jane seems to like you better than me; see if you can confirm with her whether we're working for the AF, and if the she really wants the elf--or just the Map." He shook his head. "I hate it when people lie to me, but we haven't been getting the whole story from her. If she wants the Map, wouldn't she already know about the auction? Why not tell us about it directly?"

[Crossbow]

Snow noda and gets her game face with this set of instructions, it has been a harrowing day for her, and the opportunity to get to one of her strong suits is welcome.

"Do you want me to try and dig up intel on these Engelbrechts? If we cross paths with them again it might be good to know. I am going to need to start doing this for people we meet, flying blind into these encounters is getting old fast."

[Thvor]

Sam nodded. "Sure. And if you've got the time, you could also look up that whale in charge of the harbor, though my gut tells me that the Map is the thing to focus on."

[farothel]

After some food and a beer, which was surprisingly good, Sammy went to talk to Jane.
"Say, today we had a couple of names coming up," she started, "we did a little side tour to Victoria Island in exchange for information about our target. Unfortunately, this brought us in contact with a guy named Englebrecht. Actually we were after his son. He said something about artefacts that people are after, including something called the Atlantis Foundation or something like that. He thought we were working for them. So here's the question: are we? And do you know something about the 'Piri Reis Map' that's going to be on auction soon. This Mr. Engelbrecht seemed to think we were."

[Crossbow]

Jane was sitting with Lil Homie, waiting for the team to finish their powwow and drinking a beverage or two herself.


"You don't know who the Atlantean Foundation is? Dunkelzahn's Will and all that nonsense that went down a few years back? Yeah, they are BIG players in the artifact trade. I had a little intel bit of intel that the elf was working for someone big, but I didn't know who for sure until you just told me."


Jane smiled at the question of her employer "Thought you weren't supposed ask those kind of questions, that's part of game, y'know? No, I'm not working for the AF, you probably wouldn't even know the guy if I told you, but I am still not telling you. Professional courtesy, y'know? This auction is definitely some news we should be looking into, I don't know why the map is important but let me call some people."


She starts to rise to make some calls in private.

[Necrogigas]

O'Connor and Clem traded turns watching out the window for trouble, "At least you guys were able a get a lead on this elf. So what are we going to do about the Area Boys? I could set up somewhere else and make a lot of noise to distract them from the rest of you. The way Lil' Homie puts it though, sounds like they have enough manpower to send a platoon or two after me, and still have plenty to spare to run you to ground."

[farothel]

Sammy came back to the rest and reported on her conversation with Jane. They weren't all that wiser, except to know that other people were looking for the same thing as they.
"I guess we're going to have some interesting times," she said to the others, "and those area boys will make it more interesting. Maybe we can try to lay low a few days until their interest goes away. Another option is to bribe them away. Money seems to be the big lubricant here, even more than in a lot of other places, so we should be able to use that to our advantage."

[Thvor]

Sam thought about it. He'd never liked bribes. "If they have that many people, I'm not sure we could afford to pay them enough to ensure they stay bought. And it sounds like Con may have raised their asking price, anyhow. And laying low for a few days might prevent us from doing our job, especially if the auction's really our deadline." He looked at Con's sidekick. "Lil' Homie, who are the power players around here? Who runs the Area Boys, and who keeps them from running the whole city? Who's their competition?"

To Con, he explained, "I think our best bet might be to see if we can convince them that you're too big of a target to go after. They don't know who you are yet, which gives us an advantage. But we need to act quickly if we want to control what they find out."

[Necrogigas]

Con gave Lil' Homie a sympathetic look, "I've been trying to get intel from him since we got back, but he's a babblin' wreck. He's absolutely certain that we're all dead. Keeps comparing these drek-heads to a force of nature rather than a gang. Maybe you can calm him down."

He gave a concenting nod to Torley's idea, "If you got a plan to pull that off, I'm down to try. My plan was to take out key lieutenants and create a power vacuum that would lead to infighting. But I don't think we have the time to identify, locate, and eliminate that many targets."