The Found Arcana - Chapter 12 [IC] Options

[Jack_Spade]

"It's a crow's feather, curiously from under the man's pillow. Both implements are used in ritual magic at times. Though what they are doing there, I have no idea. Maybe a clairvoyance spell to home in on. But I doubt that. They do have a talented hacker in their team for surveillance.
What do you mean with "Koshari"? Isn't that a lentil and rice dish?"

Bobby asked.

[Thanee]

"You don't know who the Koshari are? You are joking right?" Ramses pokes.

"Aren't you guys from the NAN? You definitely look the part. Well, some of you, anyways."

"The Koshari are an Amerindian crime syndicate. Mostly from the PCC, as far as I know."

"Also, damn, I almost forgot about these..." Ramses takes a look at the five glasses still on the table and grabs one of them, waiting for you to follow suit.

[Gilga]

>> Jawsie had a debt to these guys...

"Why would the feather make you mention these guys specifically though?"

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby smiled:

"Yeah, sorry - not the best joke. So you think the Koshari could have been behind the abduction.
Would fit, they have a lot of crow, raccoon and magpie shamans in their ranks.
Any idea, where their local ring can be found?"

[Thanee]

"Well, a crime happened, and someone left the feather, right? Why would they do that, other than as a message? I don't know. First thing that comes to mind. They are not that big on tech, and more into mojo, though."

Does anyone else take a glass?

[Tecumseh]

Mato takes a glass.

He's not much of a drinker, and is wary of it due to his parents' chemical dependencies, but he trusts his nephritic screen to filter out the booze.

He lifts the glass to his nose, presumably to appreciate the aromas from the agave, the fermentation and distillation, and from the barrels it was rested in. In reality, he subjects the glass to his olfactory sensors to see if there's anything amiss.

"Tequila?" he asks rhetorically. "In an Italian restaurant? I would have thought grappa."

If everything is on the up-and-up, he'll tip one back with Ramses.

[Thanee]

"We got that, too, of course. But I like tequila!" Ramses replies with a big grin.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby took the glas and raised it in a silent toast. He might not have Mato's biotech, but he had a very sturdy body.
So he gulped it down in synch with Ramses.

[Beta]

Tamarind realizes that having another drink so soon after she had beer a couple of weeks ago was getting dangerously close to making drinking something that she did occasionally, aand last time she gone there she'd had a full blown habit inside a year. Still, she doesn't want to make a scene, and she's more mature now and knows what to watch for, she can surely handle it, right?

So she takes a glass.

[Thanee]

As the empty glasses hit the table again, Ramses gets up saying: "Looks like your order is coming in a moment. Enjoy your meal!"

"We will look into possible teams and get back to you."

And, indeed, the waiter is heading towards your table with Mato's minestrone, a small basket with sliced bread, which has a nice, fresh smell. He also brings your drinks, which is mostly sparkling water and a glass of red wine for Tamarind.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby looked after Ramses for a moment, before taking his drink an toasting the others.
In the group chat he sent:
<<Any thoughts on this info? NAN mafia job sounds like the right ballpark for this case. Ramses doesn't feel like he is a talented liar - or maybe he is the world best liar. In any case it's a lead worth following. After we have eaten, we should head out directly to whereever they are ponting us. If it turns out to be a trap, we can come back here and raize the building.>>

[Beta]

<<Sounds like the right plan.>> Tamarind leaves her wine alone for now. Maybe she'll have part of it with her meal, but definitely needs some control here. Although it does smell nice.

She distracts herself by focusing on what Auntie is showing out the back door. Not that she really expects that Ramses was just stalling while waiting for thugs, but staring at the shut door and uninviting alley sounds better than staring at her oh so inviting wine.

[Tecumseh]

Mato tries his soup and his bread, eventually dipping the bread into the soup.

<<I borrowed money from the Koshari>> he admits. He DNIs while he eats. <<I blew through my inheritance and kept going until I was in debt. I didn't keep in touch with them after paying it back though. Even if I had, I'm not sure it would help. They operate in cells or circles, like the Triads. The different circles are expected to cooperate, but one circle might not know what another is doing. I certainly wouldn't expect any Koshari from Seattle or Salish-Shidhe to know what's going on in Sioux territory or in Denver.>>

"It's good," Mato says of the minestrone, to at least give the appearance of some conversation. "Well-developed flavor. I have a particular weakness for Parmesan."

<<What about the crow feather and the obsidian knife? Is it possible they have magical or ritual significance? Maybe we visit a local talismonger and make some inquiries, see if they're familiar with such implements.>>

[Jack_Spade]

<<Good idea, though we'll have to lean awfully hard on a talismonger to rat out a Koshari Shaman. We better ask their enemies - whoever that may be. Maybe the nice men from the ranger service know something.>>
Bobby replied, looking hungrily in the direction of the kitchen.

[Thanee]

Bobby does not have to wait long. The main dishes are coming in soon after. Everything looks really good, tastefully arranged plates. The pizza is thin and crispy. This place might be a little on the weird side, but the cooks definitely know what they are doing.

You get a message from an unknown device.

<< Hey there! This is Dean. I hope you enjoy your dinner. I will have to get in touch with some contacts of mine to get more detailed information about possible teams in the area. It will be a few hours. Just a little heads-up. >>

[Gilga]

I enjoy my pizza and spring water text to be discreet.

>> This place is also very warded and blocks my spells, and the Trix security is a lot more than I would expect in a fusion restaurant/nightclub. So I am a bit suspicious about who these people are - and who this dean is... About the talismonger, I can stretch the truth a little and say that I found this feather under a pillow, that it is not mine, and that I am worried/puzzled as to who would do this and why. All are true statements even if they tell a slightly different story. If the Talismonger recognizes the feather... we'll see it regardless of what they say.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby tugged in after cutting his pizza into eight somewhat equal pieces.

When the message came, he replied

<<Hi Dean, thanks for the help. If you are at it anyway, you could tell us of any likely talismongers in the area that supply shamans with reagents.>>

[Thanee]

Dean replies fairly quickly. << Talismongers? Not exactly my jam, but let's see... there is that ancient chinese guy, Zhang Wong, who has a store called Mystic Curiosities in Chinatown, the southern parts of Lowry, just north of the Cherry Creek State Park. Or, if you are feeling adventerous, there is always Paradise Lane in the Aurora Warrens. They got a store over there called Trinket's - yes, with the apostrophe - among a bunch of others. The gangs usually stay clear of that area, as far as I know. >>

[Tecumseh]

Responding to AM, Mato messages: <<Well when Ramses says, "We do business with Mr. Belenkiy, the specifics of which I am not at liberty to disclose," then, yes, I'm pretty sure that it's not just a Mexi-Italian restaurant. Vice seems like the obvious answer, given the display. I suppose the question is do we care or not? Is whatever Belenkiy into one of the factors behind his disappearance?>>

<<I wonder what sort of hours these talismongers keep. If it's daylight hours then we might be stuck until they open tomorrow. If that's the case, maybe we can investigate the traffic cams, or get some rest. I'm good until 0200 or 0300 but at that point I'll crash hard.>>

<<Tamarind, do you know anything about Chinatown? Or the Aurora Warrens? Sounds an awful lot like 'Barrens'.>>

[Jack_Spade]

<<I'm good to go. Most talismongers have odd hours - though a lot of them go reagents collecting after sundown. It's worth a shot. Let's split up - AM looks into the traffic cameras and I visit the talismongers. Mato, Tamarind, who do you want to accompany?>>

Bobby asked

[Tecumseh]

Mato considers the question for a moment.

<<Tamarind has a much better grasp of magical theory than I do, and she's a good listener, so she can talk the talk. My cyber might send the wrong signal at a magic shop. Why don't I go with AM.>>

<<That said, we only have the Gopher. Are you taking a cab between talismongers?>>

[Jack_Spade]

<<I was thinking taking a horse - form. So yeah, Tamarind can ride me, but your metal ass weighs a ton.>>

Bobby replied impishly.

[Tecumseh]

Mato gives a low, guttural cackle at Bobby's quip.

<<Tamarind, sounds like you get to see Bobby naked tonight. Better order a second glass of Chianti or you might remember too much.>>

[Beta]

<<Aurora is definitely the bad part of town. A Talismonger working there, well no telling what their hours might be, if they have official hours. But most likely they'll open up for someone with money in hand, if they answer at all. I think I heard mention of that Paradise Lane, someone going there for I think weapons? And mentioned a street doc, but I wasn't in the market for more ware at the time, and well you don't go into Aurora unless you have to or you are looking for trouble.>>

<<So yah, a lot like Redmond, really>>

<<Horse riding with no saddle will be 'interesting'. In the SDF we all got one lesson in it, for tradition's sake. Growing up in Butte below I hadn't even seen a live horse before then. No saddle, no stirrups ... Bobby better have a gentle gait and not be too tall.>>

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby finished his pizza in record time and eyed the menu, looking for tiramisu.

<<Don't worry about a saddle. All you need is a blanket and a firm grip. I can go moose and you just grip my antlers.>>