[X] My Assistant

[Bastard]

Karma is silent for a minute, taking in the information before replying.

"""I don't know if I have the resources to locate this information. From what I know is that the contract on my client will expire in a week or two, but it sounds like Jeremy isn't going to care. So I need to put the pressure on him to drop it, either by meeting with people I don't know, or meeting with him."""

[Koekepan]

Badger starts to laugh, then smothers it. """Yeah, if you meet him in the flesh, there's a big bounty on his head. Several, in fact. But good luck collecting."""

He glances around, perhaps reflexively, and then says in a lower voice: """Look, if you wanna trip Jeremy up, you need to talk to people in the real estate industry. He has made many enemies for many reasons, but most of them don't want to take him to court after bad things started happening to witnesses and plaintiffs."""

[pbangarth]

Blue watches Karmakaze and her contact talk, heads a little closer together than strangers side by side, talking quietly. While this transpires, thoughts about what he has recently learned drift through his consciousness.

+++ Mitsuhama, I hope, is likely to give up on me in a few days, and call off the contract. But this Huang guy, street thug turned 'honest businessman' isn't going to let me off so easily. I'm getting tired of being the prey to their hunters. Maybe it's time for the owl to turn on the nasty little rat. +++

He mulls over this idea. It kinda feels good. Speaking of rats, Karmakaze's buddy sort of looks like one. An image of talons sinking into his back flashes across Blue's mind.

+++ Whoa! Where did that come from? +++

Blue takes a big, cooling swig of the beer, finishing it, and orders another. +++ Live down to the image. A dwarf who doesn't drink is suspicious. +++

[Bastard]

"""My client is under the notion that the contract on him from Mit will expire soon. I don't completely understand why, but he is pretty confident. Once he clears that, maybe then we can collect Jeremy."""

[Koekepan]

"""Who knows? It could. According to my data ... """ Badger takes a moment, chewing and doubtless scrolling through a feed """... it actually does. Whaddya know? Of course, that doesn't mean that it won't be replaced with a fresh contract. They do that sometimes, to create a sense of urgency; act now, this offer expires soon! Oh wait, that offer expired and we still didn't get our mook. Here's our new offer, with more sprinkles!"""

He sips more coffee, and adds: """Of course, they've burned their bridges with him, so they're probably giving up on pulling him in quietly. If you want to help him, maybe you could have him do them some kind of favour so they back off?"""

[pbangarth]

Blue considers the environment here. +++ Probably a place like this would be a good dodge hole in a pinch. With the kind of rapid response this type of place has, not too many predators would want to cause a stir. They would wait outside, more likely. +++

[Bastard]

"""What kind of favour? Do you have a contact?"""

[Koekepan]

"""Beats me. And - well, I know some people in Mitsuhama, but not that high up. Then again, I don't know who put his chop on that order anyways, so who really knows? Probably some local senior sarariman, rather than a big hat back in Nippon. But if you'll pick up my tab here, I'll give you a tip on dealing with mister Huang, if you have the hez for it. If not, I'll buy my own chicken and you can deal with him on your own terms."""

[Bastard]

"""Dinner is on me. Your help will really be appreciated."""

[Koekepan]

Badger casually takes a sip and pauses, while the bartender drifts to the delivery hatch to pick up someone else's meal.

"""Huang is paranoid, but no security kahuna. He has a girl he likes to spoil in return for doing whatever he likes. I have her address. He usually goes there and parks a couple of his boys down the street as hands-off security. It's a little irregular, but he's paying for the lovenest so he's often there whether he's hoopslapping or not. Only one person cares, as far as I know: Amanda Chung. If you're into it, I'll give you the address, and maybe slip me a commission when you deliver?"""

[Bastard]

"""I will take the job regardless, since I think that is the only way to protect my client, but I still have a few questions. Is there a figure to the bounty? Do you think it is a trap? And do you have any intel on Jeremy's cyber and bioware, or any magical abilities, or that of his bodyguards?"""

[Koekepan]

Badger counts the points on his fingers as he answers, after giving them a cursory wipe for grease.

"""Jeremy Huang, last I heard, was offering a lakh for the head of your client. I don't think that his lovenest is a trap, and I think that he may be unprofessional enough to be a little relaxed there. I'm pretty sure he's not magical. He definitely has a cyberarm and cybereyes, but I don't know about anything else. He likes to fit his cyberarm with mechanical tools like welders to torture people, but most of the time it looks normal. As for magic, who knows? But I'd bet that he'd at least retain some kind of magician to watch his back after recent events."""

[Bastard]

Karmakaze nods, """Okay. Link me the information, and I will do the job. You will get your cut. My client will be safe. Do you know how often he visits his lady of the night?"""

[Koekepan]

Badger taps his fingers on the bartop by way of haptic interface, and Karmakaze's 'link notifies her of data incoming.

"""Not sure, but I can bet on at least twice a week, probably more. Look, Jeremy's a big, heavy guy, okay? Never mind the organ chain that he owns, he packs a lot of fat on that frame because he likes his goodies, and when his goodies include a piece on the side, he's not one to deny himself on any day he feels inclined."""

[Bastard]

Karma checks her link, reads through the data transferred in case it spurs any more questions. At the moment it doesn't.

"""Thanks, Badger."""

[Koekepan]

Badger returns with his thanks for picking up the tab, wipes down his hands, knocks back his drink and wanders off. Tonight he ate cheap, at any rate.

[pbangarth]

Blue watches Karmakaze's contact leave. He finishes his beer, leaves a decent tip for the bartender, and wanders out the way they came in. Just outside, he waits for Karmakaze to exit and go to her car, and looks around to see if the contact decided to hang around, or to see if yet more thugs have miraculously found them.

If nothing immediately tries to geek him, he summons a spirit to him astrally.

[ Spoiler ]

F2 City Spirit, target 2, 5+2=7 dice : 5 successes
Resist Drain target 2(L), 4+2=6 dice: 4 successes No Drain

[Koekepan]

The closest thing to thugs in view is the rather bored security for the place. There aren't any rowdy drunks to eject, and there's nothing much going on. The real fun will come later in the night, and they have the gear to handle that.

The spirit arrives in the apparent form of belched exhaust gases and smoke, fog and wind-blown wrappers - or so at least it appears to Blue's view.

[Bastard]

The beer is only slightly cool now, but Karmakaze continues to work on it. She watches Badger leave, then wonders where Blue is. She looks back to her beer, avoiding locating her friend, or at least partner. Someone could still be watching, and no point of going through all of this cloak and dagger show to give it away now. She takes another drink from her glass before texting Blue.

<<<[KARMA>BLUE] Let me know when to exit. Maybe you can see if someone follows me. Where do you want me to pick you up?>>>

[pbangarth]

<<<Blue to Karmakaze: I walked out after your guy left. Sorry. Thought you would see. Hanging with a friendly spirit right now, so I'll step to the side and watch you go to your car to see if someone pays any interest. If nobody looks like they're following, I'll meet you at the car.>>>

Blue chuckles to himself when he notices his Canadianism. Some habits die hard, even in the Sixth World..

[pbangarth]

Blue moves to the side, into the shadows, and waits for Karmakaze to exit the building, watching all the while for any suspicious activity. The spirit remains nearby in the astral.

[Bastard]

<<<[KARMA>BLUE] Settling up the tab now. Didn't want to give your position away so I didn't look for you. Be out in a minute. >>>

She settles the bill with the bartender and heads for the door. She scans the lobby, then the lot as she walks toward her car, looking for any suspicious characters or Badger. Blue said he would be watching as she exited, so her backside should be covered.

[Koekepan]

There's no sign of Badger at all, and all the sleaziest characters appear to be engaged in losing their money in the casino right now.

Of course, just outside the premises are a few bums hoping for a high roller to splash some cash, or maybe waiting for the early evening kitchen cleanout to score them something edible, but that's fairly normal.

[pbangarth]

Things look calm, and nobody has tried to geek Blue in the last five minutes, so he proceeds to Karmakaze's car, climbs in the passenger side and asks, """Get anything useful?"""

[Bastard]

The car pulls away as soon as Blue sits down.

"""Looks like you are clear from Mitsuhama proper, but we should probably verify that with a second source. However, some clown going by Big Jeremy is the man who put the thugs on you at the seafood place we met at. You made him look bad hurting all his lackeys like that, and I would bet he is the one who iced them. Since we made him look bad, he wants to regain his little rep, by taking you down. My contact said there is what sounds like a... "off-the-books" bounty on Big Jackass. He gave me the address to his girlfriend's place, that he hits up randomly at least once a week. This is the only known time he isn't walking around with his body guards, but they are usually not too far, parked on the same street. No intel if they are magic or not.

"""So I say that is our next move."""