Living in the Shadows: IC, your run might be over... Options

[banditf50]

1150 January 3rd, 2063 - Rectory library, St. Margret Mary

Virgil leaned back in his chair and took a moment to work the kinks out of his back. I'll never understand how a decker can make a life spending hours on end hunched over a comptuer . "The hell with it" he muttered to himself as he started the gentle pace of contemplation across the library floor.

I guess I haven't learned anything that I did not already expect, wouldn't be the first time that an religous symbol has manifested itself with magic since the awakening.
Looks like I'm going to have to conduct my own magical investigation, or at least assense the girl.

Continuing his pace around the library Virgil decided he should be using this time to keep up with his to-do list for the day and dialed Juliette's number on his cell phone. One ring, two rings, three rings Maybe she's not in, or ignoring me.
"Hello" came the unmistakeable wisper of Juliette's voice. I wish this was a vidphone, it's not the same when I can't see her eyes. "Hey Juliette, I hope things are going well with you".
"World's the same as it always is, not time for change yet" quipped Juliette.
Well at least I know she's ok, she's speaking in her prophet tounge, the thought of which brought a sheepis grin to Virgil's face.
"I'm waiting for a friend right now, but I thought I could come by your place at about 3pm today, I wanted to see how things are going in your neck of the barrens." Virgil asked. "I don't know where I'll be at that hour, I'll call you back and tell you where to meet me a bit later, but I'm sure we have much to talk about" replied Juliette, "see you then."

I guess I have a date today. Virgil chuckled ironicly. Now, I wonder when Father O'Grady is coming back, time to move the next piece into place.

[Sedna]

2330 January 2, 2063 - on her way home at last, not looking for trouble, kind of hoping Murphy's Law of conservation of attitude is taking a break

Her wrists hurt. "Ice, girl!"

Her arms hurt. The Teaser had rapped a stick across her forearms after he had screamed something in her ear and she, reflexively, had turned ... with the pistol's aim moving with her. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Her head hurt. "What'd you want to go and shoot up perfectly good silencers for when you're just practicing? A day of noise won't kill you. Freezing up because you're not expecting it, might. You'll ear-protect from now on, and you'll be working with silencers tomorrow so you can get used to the feel, but today I want you shooting that thing until you can do it without flinching. It's loud. Everything here's loud. Get used to it."

Her feet hurt -- but that really was more of standing immobile for so long after having been on her feet almost the entire day, added to the cumulative stresses of the past month. Walking to the all-night bus stop had already almost cleared that, at least.

Teotwawki. It was just pain, after all.

Hobbes hadn't mentioned she'd be introducing her as Alleycat. Mierda. Then again, she hadn't thought to ask. Kludge run, gato. Determinedly she shoved the self-irritation to one side: spilt soykaf and all that.

She really, really needed to scrape together some more nuyen before -- whatever it was -- went down. Not all that much, really: just enough so it wouldn't be constantly at the back of her mind. Desperation led to stupid mistakes.

Jimmying open the lock, hotwiring, driving away, should be worth at least a couple thousand nuyen --

Hell with that. There were times for taking risks. She'd taken enough of them then, and she'd take enough of them in the future. This one was unnecessary.

She'd shot and shot until her hands were shaking and the Teaser had forced her to take a break, take off for a bit -- and he'd obviously been doubtful about whether she'd return at all. Not being able to trust in her own abilities. Fragging tanj, how she hated that!

The ork kid standing in front of her on the bus made as clean a boost off the man beside him as she'd ever noticed. She'd felt his fingers brush against her earlier, made just enough of a move toward the weapon he'd touched to make him decide to choose a different target. At least, it was either that, or the reality that she wore nothing else worth stealing. She smiled ironically to herself.

The woman's large purse swaying with the bus motion in front of her ... she stooped, and easily dipped into it, and concealed the boosted credstick in her sleeve --

And that didn't happen either. Her mind was going a million directions at once. Too tired to think, too tired not to think. Too many thoughts, and too few. Circling. Endlessly circling.

Focus.

Focus on the motion of the bus, how it continually altered her body's balance and that of everyone around her.

Focus on the small interactions of the people around her: those three chummers had gotten on together and were in a mood to par-tay; these two had gotten on separately but recognised each other; that one wished she were sitting anywhere else, the attentions of the boy next to her becoming less and less welcome all the time.

Focus on the smell of the discharged cartridge and the feel of the recoil in her hands and the pull of this specific weapon slightly to the left, remember to compensate for that the next time.

Focus on that formula and that ritual she'd pulled from Johnny's files, work to fit it in her mind to to the possibility she'd sensed ... a lifetime ago. No way she'd been able to scan all of what he'd gathered together in that electronic library of his, not in a single pass, not in a month of passes: but she'd caught her opportunity and known what to look for -- and she'd found it, and it was hers. Oddly unaccessed section -- well, maybe not so odd as all that, considering.

As the weight of the Predator pulled at her again and she straightened into it -- not against it, not that slight off-balance look that would demonstrate to all the world that she was carrying -- maybe she should have looked for and pulled a barrier construct as well?

Shrug. There would be another opportunity. Or there would not. Certain it was only that it would be some time before she could gather together even the equipment to access something similar of her own ... or, maybe -- wait, Mariah Anne Tenisat had been a student, maybe she still might have library access? or would once again, once she'd caught up tuition fees and resumed her studies?

In her mind, she began to unravel the casting patterns of the formula, that elusive fifth category which had so strongly shifted in her understanding. Not for the first time she wondered at the seeming discrepency: five categories, but only four elements? But her teachers had had an explanation for that too, and it did make sense: she felt it with every throb of her pulse.

Had she crippled herself irrevocably? She'd find out, soon enough.

An odd thought: did the girl named "Julia" feel it too? Upon reading the article, her instinct had been to mark the place as one to avoid. But maybe ...

[Sedna]

1730 January 3, 2063 - coming up to the tag end of yet another too long day

"Stop, thief!"

Nothing she could do would cause that infernal racket to stop. She thought for a moment about opening the car door and just bolting, but that would almost be worse, in an already bad situation. No, never mind that she'd gotten to the parked vehicle without being noticed, the fact that she'd already misread the alarm wiring and the car's automated GPS tracking beacon kind of nullified that. There wasn't really all that much to do but to yank the wires, haul rubber, and hope for the best.

The best had decided to go on holiday. Somewhere behind her she could hear oncoming gunfire ...

[Sedna]

1920 January 4, 2063 - where the hell has all the time gone?

Just as well, then, that she'd been given those two days. As it was, they were gone all too quickly. And what had she to show for it?

She'd been reminded, again and again and again, of how much she had yet to regain. The young, intense, focused ork in the next booth had been firing six shots to her every two, also from a Predator -- and with far more accuracy. She'd died seventeen separate times in the sim, and was starting to wonder how she'd ever managed to get where she was in the first place: although at least the last several deaths had started to push the bars a little. The ritual she'd picked up from Johnny's computer to call a watcher into existence, the most basic, most simple, most precise, most detailed one she'd ever seen, had failed utterly.

Again.

She could begin to feel some of her old form coming back. She supposed that was something.

And -- she'd made a good start on something new. Something -- clean. She could feel it start to come together in her mind.

She had a vague feeling that there were other things she should have done to prepare. Instead she'd gone hunting through public databases and Shadowland for "Sister Perkins" and the "Open Arms Soup Kitchen" and "CorpDeVo". Maybe she should have done the same thing for "Mr. Fan" and the "Paradigm Shift". At least she'd found out immediately where it was, and how to get there and then back to the more reliable parts of the GridLink system -- just. Drek, but she needed to get something better than the dinged-up Scoot for getting into places where the public transit was ... less than reliable. Still, at least she could afford to ditch that one, if necessary: and it certainly wouldn't attract any attention other than mockery.

She finished tight-braiding her wet hair and stepped out of the shower, running her hands lightly over her body in a shiver of mana before reaching out for the clothing she had prepared. Yes, she was as ready as she could be, here and now.

[WinterRat1]

2200 Jan 4 2063

[WinterRat1]

2215 Jan 4 2063- Dragon's Safehouse

Dragon leaned back in his chair and rested his fingers on his temple. Where had it all gone wrong? The run seemed simple enough, the Johnson was willing to pay, and there’d been plenty of competent help. At least, before they all started dropping off like flies.

The trouble started when some of the runners didn’t even bother to show up at the ops base after the meet. Then one of the runner’s…personal biz caught up with him. The team never found out if he was dead or alive. Then, one of them had gone undercover to set up the job, and simply not reported back in. The two so-called ‘infiltration experts’ were zero help in planning, and even after a plan had been formed, simply went AWOL without a trace. And the decker…they’d sent him out to research some stuff, should’ve been easy for a decker, and he just didn’t come back. All in all, a flat out disaster.

Feh…shadowrunners. No professionalism. No commitment. After all the tough talk and macho posturing that had gone on at the meet when Dragon arrived, it turned out to be nothing but hot air. When it came time to get down to biz, they weren’t worth drek. Well, there was still a job to be done, even if he had to do it himself. Still, he couldn’t do it alone.

After racking his brain for a bit, he remembered that some of his other friends were in town. He’d worked with them before, and found them to be competent and professional. Heck, he’d probably call them some of his best friends. I don’t really like working with friends, but after this fiasco, maybe that’s the ticket. Hell, they can’t be any worse than those clowns, and at the least, I know they’re professional enough to get things done. Surprised I didn’t think of them before. After all, we’ve got that little ‘investment’ we’ve been working on. We need the cash to put together our end of the deal, so they should be up for the action.

First things first. A quick call to the Johnson turned up nothing but an answering machine. “Mr. Johnson. I have a status report for you. Well, there’s no good way to say this; it’s bad sir. Everyone else on the team basically cut and run and dropped out, right before it was time to make our move sir. I have no idea why. If you still want the job done sir, consider me willing to still undertake the contract for the same terms, less the upfront money you put out already. I’ll recruit my own team, one that isn’t a bunch of pardon my language sir, fragging screwups, and take the job again after I’m sure the others didn’t tip off security at the warehouse while they were on the way out of this job.”

Leaving the Johnson a number to a cutout drop box that Sybersnake had arranged for him in the past, he continued, “You can leave me a message with your response here sir. If you want the contract canceled and your upfront money returned, I can’t speak for the others, but I can return mine, at least. I apologize again sir for the rampant unprofessional conduct, I hope there’s no hard feelings between you and I. I cannot assume responsibility for the others, but I can try to salvage this operation. I will await your response before making any further moves.”

Hanging up, he thought about who to call first. That rigger from the CAS, maybe? No, he was busy, at least last time I was in town. But that other guy, Virgil. Nah, he don’t even really leave that area of Seattle, what was it? Oh yeah, the Redmond Barrens. Nice place, probably would qualify as a war zone, but this was ‘civilized’ country. Ha, as if there’s really anywhere in the world that can truly qualify as civilized in this day and age Dragon thought to himself.

Still, Virgil was a solid spellslinger to have at your back in a pinch, and he definitely was the type of guy to stick when things got rough. Nasty business, that one time we were hunting that one dude…what was he, a blood mage or something like that? Leftover biz from a job down in Aztlan that had a loose end. Still, netted a cool 1 million off that job, and helped the rep of the unit. Don’t cross us, or you’ll regret it.

Taking a moment to pull up the number, Dragon dialed up Virgil’s cell phone. “Virgil, it’s Dragon. I’m back in town. If you got the time, I got some biz for us. One job, maybe a cleanup on some other fools’ screwup. Could be profitable, and I got most of the legwork done already. Should be easy profit, that. Also some personal biz that could turn a nice chunk of nuyen. A bit of payback, and yeah, it’s personal, but if we play it right we could score a nice chunk there too. You know if rigger-boy’s in town yet? And that obsessive Seoulpa? We could use their help too. What do you say?”

[WinterRat1]

2200 Jan 4 2063- A warehouse somewhere in the Barrens

Plopping down on some scavenged sofa cushions, now torn, tattered, and dirty, but at least reasonably functional and certainly better than the concrete ground, Cao Jaan took stock of the young woman sleeping on the cot next to him. Over the past few days, despite her injuries, she’d insisted on helping him. They hadn’t really talked, an unspoken agreement to not discuss things until she was ready to handle it, but he had to admit, it’d been nice to have someone around to help him.

She wasn’t that much better at fixing and scavenging than him, probably worse, and that was a thought, but she obviously cared, and it was nice that she was actually seemed sincere in trying to help him out. Soon they’d have to get around to having that discussion, but ruefully, Jaan admitted that he would miss her company. It was nice having someone around who wasn’t beaten down by the poverty and despair that ran rampant through the Barrens.

Looking over at her, she looked peaceful and content, certainly out of place down here in the Barrens. Her whole personality, bright, sunny, cheerful, helpful, friendly, compassionate, caring…none of those things really belonged here. In the darkness and smog of the Barrens, she was a beacon of light, and frankly, a blessing. If only it could last. Still, as he knew all too well that was the problem with being a small flame of light in a dark and uncaring world: all too often, that flame was snuffed out.

[banditf50]

2330 January 4, 2063 - Virgil's Shop

Virgil paced the floor of his shop, some people sit in the lotus position to meditate, he paced. The last day and a half had been productive, if not enlightening. He did not have a wealth of information concerning Julia, but he knew where to start. This was his territory in both land and speaclity so hopefully he'd have a leg up on any parties interested in finding Julia for less than benign reasons.

Virgil shuddered as he thought of the types of parties often interested in such anamolus individuals. His thoughts drifted back a few years ago to Aztlan. What goes so wrong in a fragger's head to make them think that sacrifcing young girls and boys for the sake of magic is ok? That had been a twisted time, yet Virgil could think of few things in his life that had been more fullfilling than taking out that blood mage . . .actually, I don't think life can get any more fullfilling

Dwelling on past missions snapped Virgil back to the matters at hand. Dragon had called with an oppurtunity for work. Virgil never considered himself a shadowrunner in the traditional sense, he had other goals and a different path to follow. However runs allow funding for other endevors to be realized and thus it had always be an ends to a mean. Tyr always looks with favor upon a warrior in constant training, and shadow jobs certainly allowed for that. Any work that Dragon could be trusted, Virgil saw Dragon as a dependable soilder and cooly efficent in the ways of tactics. Tyr would surely smile upon an alliance of two such warriors again.

It's a bit late to meet now, but never too late to set the wheels of fate in motion. Virgil snatched his phone out of his toolbox, how did you end up in there? and dialed up the message box that Dragon had specified.

"Dragon, this is Virgil, good to know your alive. I hope you still like cheap and greasy style Chinese food. Meet me at Tommy Wong's in Touristville at 1200 tommorow. I'll buy lunch and then I have a place that we can talk."

With that done Virgil walked over to his old sectional couch and laid down to catch some early sleep. Much to do tommorow, much to do.

[Ninj]

2300 January 4, 2063 - Land's End Magic Shop

Well. Another uneventful day. It was funny watching the batch of students Sara was teaching today in her magic class at the shop. I can't believe I was every that young the first time Henry brought me to Sara's shop. ...An age ago it seems..., Andie thinks to himself, shaking his head, as he checks the circulation and the furnace again.

Memories... How they can hurt and heal at the same time....

[banditf50]

1145 January 5, 2063 - Tommy Wong's Chinese Kitchen - Touristville
Virgil sat down in a back corner booth and took a minute to enjoy the aroma that permeated Tommy Chong's place. An interesting blend of chinese spices and tea that always made Virgil hungry, as if he'd been in a prison camp for a year. As he removed is long coat and wool hat and poured himself a cup of that famous chinese restaurant gree tea.

One good thing about miserably cold days like today, you can wear form fitting armor underneath winter clothes and not only is it not noticable, it keeps you a bit warmer. Virgil reflected.

Stetching his legs out under the table Virgil just took in the quiet lunch time crowd and enjoyed the tea. It always seemed to him that all chinese restaurants served the same green tea, and Virgil always meant to find out what brand it was so that be could drink it while working.Eventually I'll remember to ask about it

As the waitress came by to take his order Virgil polietly waved her off for a few minutes . . .I am expecting company shortly.

[WinterRat1]

1147 January 5, 2063 - Tommy Wong's Chinese Kitchen - Touristville

Walking into the Chinese restaurant, Dragon grinned to himself. Ah, the good old 'hole-in-the-wall' chinese restaurant. No matter where you go, they're all the same.

Spotting Virgil, he walked up to the table and plopped himself down across the table from him. "Been a long time chummer. What's happening?"

Turning to the waitress who had returned to take their order, he said, "Leung gao guan chow ngao haw. Qing ni gei wo men leung gao bing sui." The waitress looked a bit puzzled by his abrupt switch from Cantonese to Mandarin, but she smiled politely and retreated to the kitchen with their order.

"What did you just say?" Virgil asked. "Two orders of thick rice noodles with beef, and some water. You've had it before, at House of Emperor way back in they day." came the response.

A brief moment of thought. Then, "Oh yeah! I remember. Never did find out what it was called." When Virgil paused to take a sip of his tea, Dragon asked, "So, what's been up with you since last we met. Give me the executive summary."

[banditf50]

1150 January 5 2063 - Tommy Wong's Chinese Kitchen Touristville

Virgil felt a hollow sadness wash over him as he processed Dragon's request. So much to tell, so much that should be forgotten, even more that never will be. Virgil took a deep breath, let out a gentle sigh, and began his story.

"At the time that I worked that job in Aztlan with you I had already gone six years without seeing my mother and brother. I had planned on making a visit anway, but right after that job, Jeramiah called to tell me that our mother had passed away."

"May her soul rest in peace," responded Dragon. He'd never met Virgil's family, but everyone knows how it feels to lose a loved one.

"She passed peacefully. Lung cancer had been attacking her body, so I'm sure that in death she has far less suffering than she had at the end."

Sounds like the Virgil I remember, always with a cool sense of rationality. Thought Dragon.

"After that I decided that Redmond would be a good place to stay for a while. I know how everything ticks here, and there's plenty of work to be had. I used the money I made in Aztlan to set myself up a secure warehouse and purchase a full enchanting set-up. I intended to spend a few years just doing some advanced study. My brother had just started working as a priest in the area, so I figured I could spend some time with him as well, before moving on to parts unknown."

Virgil paused for a second to steele himself. "18 months ago Jeremiah was murdered. Two low-level Yak goons shot him inside the church, because he refused to let them brutalize a women who had run inside looking for help."

Virgil could feel the anger rising up inside of him, just as it had that day. Tyr had always taught him never to enter battle out of anger, but his limit had been reached that day. Jeremiah was not a combatant, that women was not a combatant, there will always be rules. And there will always be those who are punished for breaking them.

"I arrived on the spot as Jeremiah was shot and 'dealt' with those honorless wretches. Just as I will 'deal' with any of their honorless goon companions who decide to come looking for me." Virgil paused for a second to take a deep breath. He knew he was getting agitated, and it was not in his nature to do so. While he was gathering himself Virgil took the lid off of the teapot and moved the lidless pot to the edge of the table.

"Since then I've remained here in the Barrens trying to carry on many of the tasks that Jeremiah[B] had done to help the downtrodden people who live in some places here. I felt it was my duty to him to help carry on his ambitions."

"Enough about me," quipped [B]Virgil. He'd spoken quite enough about the past.
"There is an equal gap of time for you to fill in with events of your own life. I get the feeling I should hear an interesting story, give the note about having personal biz for us to attend to."

The waitress interuppted briefly to present their meals. The smell of steaming hot noodles and beef was almost hypnotic to Virgil. After refilling the empty teapot she dissapeared back into the kitchen.

"Good choice of meals Dragon. Tell me what's been going on with you, and then, we have places to . . ."

[WinterRat1]

1200 January 5 2063 - Tommy Wong's Chinese Kitchen in Touristville

“go…people to kill…” Dragon finished the sentence, grinning. Leaning forward in his chair, he shoveled a forkful of noodles and beef into his mouth, before gesturing to the side of the table. “I’m surprised you remember how to get the tea refilled.”

Virgil shrugged. “I come here a lot.” Taking a gulp of water, Dragon replied, “Well, even a bak gwoi such as yourself had to figure it out sooner or later.”

Sitting back and allowing the waitress to place the refill on the table, he refilled the tea for himself and his friend before speaking again, when the waitress was out of earshot. “Hmm…well after Aztlan, I decided that it was time for a vacation, so I came to Seattle. I met this girl, and we really hit if off. Whirlwind romance and all, but there was more to it than that. She was the kinda girl I could really settle down with, you know? Get outta the life and into a new one, you know? Some day, at least. But anyway, I had to get back to the unit, so I shipped out back to Macao, then got transferred to fight down in the Philippines, did some work helping corp citizens and Japanese nationals escape the fighting down there.”

Pausing, he scooped more noodles into his mouth, and Virgil took the time to comment, “Sounds like you had a chance to do some good down there.” This drew a sharp laugh from Dragon, who answered, still chewing, “Good? Yeah right. Those corpers and Japs had trampled on those people for years, and now that they were getting what was comin to ‘em, they cut and run before they had to face the music. No, job’s a job chum, at least, most of the time…”

Swallowing, he went on, “Anyway, after a couple of months of keeping in touch and all, she just cut of communication. No letters, emails, phone calls, cyberspace meetings, nothing. No warning, just out of the blue.”

“You think she dumped you?” Virgil took a sip of his tea.

“No,” Dragon shook his head, “I think something happened. We were talking about hooking up for good, settling down, maybe even…maybe even getting married, if you can believe that. No, I think something went down, so as soon as I was off duty, I headed back to Seattle, and came face to face with a significantly unpleasant reality.”

“She found someone else?”

“Ha, yeah right. Well maybe. But no, actually the reality was simpler than that. I was broke.”

“Broke?” Virgil looked up from the forkful of steaming bean sprouts and green onions. “We just netted ourselves a cool one million! What did you do with your share?”

Grimacing, Dragon answered, “Well between the unit’s cut, and what I reinvested back into myself,” tapping himself on the chest, he added, “since some of us need more than the mojo to keep our edge, that was the vast majority of it. Gave some to my sister for her college tuition, and paid the rent for a few more months on my grandma’s place, and then my mom and dad’s anniversary present…yeesh, even before I got to the vacation I was nearly broke. Those whirlwind romances? Let me tell you something they never show you on the trid.” Leaning in conspiratorially, he whispered loudly, “They cost money. LOTS of money.”

Settling back in his chair with a sigh, he said, “And there you have it. No money, back in Seattle, looking for a girl, and I don’t really know where to start. I needed the money, so I figured I’d get into shadowrunning, pick up some cash to fund my search. I figure, if something happened to her, I’m gonna need money to take care of it. If something happened to us, I’m gonna need money to take care of it. Either way, need the money.”

Virgil nodded agreement. “So is this that personal biz you talked about?”

Shaking his head, Dragon replied, “Believe it or not, we ain’t even got there yet. So I was on a run with some scrubs, like I said. It went south, and they all bailed. We didn’t even make our move, and they cut and run! No professionalism. Fragging shadowrunners! What is the world coming to? Anyway, I contacted the Johnson, thought maybe you, the others, and me could finish what we started. On the personal note, a local Ford dealership screwed over my Grandmother, hard. They need to…realize the consequences of that action. You hear what I’m saying? Maybe take a hit out of their place, get some stuff we could use down the road or just fence. Either way, they lose, and we win. Message sent, and we make some money on the side. Much better than just blowing their business up, you know?”

Stuffing more food into his mouth, Dragon looked up at Virgil. “So that’s the biz on my plate. How about you? What’s up with this Julia chick? And please tell me we ain’t gonna go looking into it?” A glance at Virgil’s face told him otherwise.

“Aw cripes. We are gonna look into it, aren’t we?”

[SentineloftheMou...]

1800 January 5, 2063 - Land's End Magic Shop

Andie made it so far with the circulation percolating for 5 days without mishap. Sleeping on the cot and catching meals between checks wasn't great, but he was able to listen in on Sara's classroom lessons with her other magic students a little.

He thinks to himself; One nice thing about the project is there is plenty of time to catch up on reading or little stuff between checks on the batch.

[banditf50]

1210 January 5, 2063 - Tommy Wong's Chinese Kitchen in Touristville

Dragon's last comment left Virgil with a slight grin creeping across his face. Vigril leaned back against the padding of the booth and enjoyed the feeling of a full stomach, Too bad we'll be out in the cold again soon.

"I know you keep up with your reading, so you know about as much on the Julia situation as I do." explained Virgil as he gestured for the check to be brought to their table. As the waitress was walking away Virgil reached for one of the fourtune cookies sitting on the check and tossed the other one to Dragon.

"A sound investement you have made will bring you riches in the near future," Virgil read of his cookie's fortune in a mocking tone. "Maybe it should read . . A sound investment you will make will bring you riches. . . .What'd you draw?"

"All great journeys begin with a single step, be careful not to trip." Dragon couldn't help himself from laughing at the unusually sarcastic fortune. "These things always were stupid."

"Well Dragon," Virgil began as he put 25:nuyen: in bills on the tray and reached for his long coat, "We have many more details to discuss, but I think it would be best to move onto another location."

"I agree, what place did you have in mind?" Questioned Dragon.

"Suprises in store . . just follow me. We'll talk more when I know we are completly secure. I know that you wouldn't have it any other way."

Virgil led the way out of Tommy Chong's and once walked into the adjacent alley. Once there he focused his concentration for a moment and called out to the spirit world. Those who walk the streets unseen please come to me now, for I am in need of aid which only you can provide.

Dragon watched as what appeared to be a stray dog wandered out from behind a dumpster. The fact that this dog was shimmering as a road does on a hot day didn't shock him all that much. Dragon had been around enough magic to know when he was in the presence of a nature spirit.

Virgil turned towards the dog, who was now sitting at his feet. please hide my friend from prying eyes on our journey. The dog gave a slight bark and dissapeared from view. Virgil turned back towards Dragon. "No one has ever been to this place besides myself and I would like no one to see me with anyone. Your presence will be masked while we walk the streets, never know who's watching."

As the traversed the eight blocks back to his warehouse Virgil made sure to walk in front off Dragon. Even though the sidewalks weren't particulary crowded, he didn't want someone running into his concealed companinon. Once in the alley adjacent to his warhouse Virgil punched in the maglock code and let Dragon walk ahead of him into the building. Virgil then turned his attention to the spirit who was waiting obiedently on the astral plane for his next command. Thank you most kindly, please put fear into anyone who wanders into this alley so that I will not be disturbed. You will owe me nothing more. With that the spirit vanished and Virgil stepped inside the warehouse locking the door behind him.

He lead Dragon through the maze of metal working equipment and furnaces until reaching the beaten up set of table and chairs that Virgil called his kitchen. "Nice digs you got here," quipped Dragon.

"Hey, at least I'm not flat broke like you, I'm simply poor," Virgil tossed back.

Taking a seat at the table, Virgil began explaining what little he knew about Julia.

"Going from what you've read on Shadowland I think my motives are pretty obvious. No one paid attention to a few homeless people dissapering after being seen with Universal Brotherhood reps, then the next thing you knew, Chicago was a fragging bug nest. I've learned to take sightings such as this girl very seriously."

Dragon leaned back in his chair and sracthed his chin, he could see the logic behind Virgil's thought process.

Virgil continued, "Not to mention that when word of a girl displaying what is probably some new magical anamoly breaks out, she'll have plenty of groups out looking for her, most with less than savory intentions . . . she doesn't deserve that."

Dragon couldn't help but think about that blood mage they'd taken out a few years back. He'd seen a lot as a merc, but the things those blood mages did simply turned is stomach.

"Right now I just want to gather some information about Sister Perkins, the women who found her, and the Open Arms Shelter whene she was staying. I'd like to meet this girl so that I can make my own magical assesment, and see what we're dealing with. The last thing I want to happen is for the next astral rift open in my own backyard. Beyond this being the right thing to do, it could turn very profitable if the good guys want her protect from the bad guys. All I propse now is that we do some legwork on the situation, no action just yet."

I do have some contacts who are particulary good at sniffing out information. thought Dragon.

"I hope that we can go in on this together, but that is up to you to decide. While you think, perhaps you could divulge some more about this Ford dealership heist . . .

[WinterRat1]

“IF the good guys want to protect her from the bad guys? And what good guys, exactly, are we talking about here? Why is it whenever we started talking about ‘maybe being profitable’ it usually ends up us doing the right thing for free?” Dragon shakes his head. “Yeesh, of all the combat mages I coulda hooked up with, I had to do it with a crusader out to save the world.”

Idly twirling around a stray piece of wood between his fingers, Dragon continues, “To be honest with you, I don’t know much about the heist. That’s a piece of action I haven’t even put together entirely just yet. For now, I agree, let’s just do some legwork on this girl, and this dealership. Plus, I gotta wait to hear from the warehouse Mr. Johnson.”

Putting down the stick and looking Virgil in the eye, Dragon states flatly, “And yeah, I got some personal stuff to take care of too. I need to know what happened to her, and if there’s something I can do about it. I’m going to take some time to check it out, see what’s up. I’ve put that off too long already. So for now, why don’t you and I get hitting the old legwork trail, and if you find something or vice versa, we let each other know. Sound good?”

[banditf50]

1310 January 5 2063 - Virgil's Shop - Touristville

Oh ye of little faith, Virgil thought as Dragon voiced is complaints over possibly working for free. "Depending on what we find out it going on with the girl I'd say our chances are pretty good of turning a profit on the operation. The same people who gave us the handsome bonus for our operation in Aztlan would probably be highly interested in us protecting this girl until they could get her into their custody."

Dragon perked up a little bit. "I have a few friends in the DIMR here in Seattle. If she turns out to be some sort of new magical anamoly, I'll see if a finder's fee can be arranged," Virgil explained.

"Now that sounds far more appealing," exclaimed Dragon. "Don't get me wrong, I got no problem doing the right thing, I just have a real problem with sticking my neck out with out any chance of being compensated for it."

Virgil continued, "For now I think taking a divide-and-conqueror approach to legwork is the best approach." Grabbing a pad and pen off the counter behind him Virgil tossed the items in front of Dragon. "Give me the name and location of the dealership, name of your girlfriend and last know location, and anything else you deem inportant to check in on. We can contact each other when either one of use makes any progress."

Dragon made a few quick notes on the pad and was pleased that this was turning out to be a profitable itinerary. Espically if Virgil could come through and get the DIMR to extend a reward for this Julia chick. Tossing the pad back to Virgil, Dragon stood up and said, "I should probably take my leave now, I have a lot to do and I can't afford to wait too long right now."

Virgil walked is friend to the alley door and dismissed the city spirit before letting Dragon out of the warehouse. "Good luck, and I'll keep you posted with anything that I find."

"Thanks chummer, it feels good to be working with people I know I can trust again." With that Dragon turned and began walking out of the alley and down the street.

Virgil locked the door and turned around to walk back towards the table. Time to take a closer look at this situation

[SentineloftheMou...]

0900 January 6, 2063 - Land's End Magic Shop


Andie wakes up from a good night's sleep and gets ready for the day; gets dressed in clean clothes and grabs a bite to eat. Must be getting used to the cot...

He checks in with Sara and gets her class schedule for the day and then goes to check the circulation batch in the furnance. All appears normal... and settles down for another day.

[banditf50]

1330 January 5 2063 - Virgil's Shop - Touristville

Virgil took a deep meditative breath as he leaned his back against one of the basins for alchemal preparations that sat within the boundries of magical symbols etched into the ground around the center of the shop. The cool feel of the metal basin was relaxing as he had no circulations in process currently. Taking a moment for reflection Virgil paused to consider his final moments of conversation with Dragon.

Paths such as this go beyond such tangible relms as 'doing the right thing'. There is a solmen duty to protect those who have no part in a war they are forced into. A duty for those with knowledge of the enemy to teach those without. While Virgil knew that such scenarios as dealing with Julia are matter of duty and not of financial reward, he will be unable to handle things effectivley without aid . . . aid which needs compensation. If Julia was displaying the types of gifts he suspected, then she would quickly become a target by several malevolent parties. He only hoped that the parties concerned for her welfare would enter the battle with even greater fervor.

With that thought Virgil closed his eyes and let himself slip into the comfort of a meditative trance. It was time to collect his thoughts because after the lines of battle were drawn, reflection would become a small priority.

[SentineloftheMou...]

2300 January 6, 2063 - Land's End Magic Shop

It was an interesting day for Andie. Sara held a class today on Aura Reading basics and he was able to listen in on most of it. Good refresher course...

He also started toying with ideas of what he going to do after finishing the circulation.

Well.... I have plenty of time to think about it.

[banditf50]

1430 January 5 2063 - Virgil's Shop - Touristville

Snapping out of his meditative state Virgil rose to his feet and began pacing around the floor of his shop. A knowledgeable warrior is a victorious warrior.

Virgil thought back to the last time he'd been at the Open Arms Shelter. It had been Christmas eve and him and Father O'Grady had been coordinating a group of volunteers from the parish in helping provide a special holiday meal for the shelter's guests. The Open Arms Shelter was very near one of the most blasted zones of the barrens, a last bastion of hope to people who had lived their entire lives in conditions worse than a warzone. That evening was also when Father O'Grady introduced Virgil to Sister Perkins.

If there did turn out to be a heaven, Sister Perkins would be leading the march to Sainthood for sure.

Even though she was well into her seventies, Sister Perkin exuded an aura of nothing but hope and energy. Virgil had read about nun Mother Teresa back in the 20th century, and he wondered if Sister Perkins was much like her.

If Julia is in trouble then she couldn't have picked a better doorstep to show up on first.

Sister Perkins had been impressed with Virgil's commitment to the people of the barrens and trusted the judgement of Father O'Grady who could attest to Virgil's character.
If Julia is still in her custody, Sister Perkins will probably let me see her.

As his pacing took him back to the kitchen table Virgil picked up his phone and dialed Dragon's cell phone.

"Yeah." came Dragon's gruff voice.

"I got a lead for us to check out concerning the Julia matter. Meet me at the corner two blocks down from my shop, 21st and Merriweather, in 45 minutes. You can give me ride," Virgil stated.

"Geesh chummer. I haven't seen you in two years and already we're getting in trouble. I'll be there." responded Dragon before ending the call.

Virgil walked over to his workbench and began gathering the supplies he would need and loading them into his leather satchel. He choose several sample tubes, tweezers, a note pad, and digital sound recorder; all the while letting his mind drift over the various scenarios that could unfold before the days end.

[SentineloftheMou...]

0600 January 7, 2063 - Land's End Magic Shop


Andie gets up and starts his morning routine at the magic shop. Wonder if I can steal a few hours away from "cooking" and think about a new project. In the future a helper would really be benifitial to reduce the time to do things. I'll have to talk it over with Sara and see what she thinks about the idea...

He stokes the furnance and heats up the circulation for another day of processing; ideas running around in his mind.

[banditf50]

1500 January 5 2063 - Virgil's Shop - Touristville

Doting over his workbench Virgil was busy making last minute plans for his visit to the Open Arms Shelter. After a few moments of ticking off gear in his mind, he tossed his digital camera into his satchel. Sure it may not be a fancy mini-cam or headware setup, but it gets the job done. Besides, if I need to seek advice from Inleat, I'll need to provide him with an assessment of the situation.

To complete his gear outfit Virgil grabbed a hairbrush out of his bathroom. Wow, my hair hasn't been long enough to need this in years, he chuckled to himself. After cleaning his old hair out of the brush Virgil tossed it into his satchel and closed the clasps on the worn leather pack. He had no idea what age Julia was, but Virgil knew that he'd need a ritual sample of some type,
far easier to have a subject brush out a hair sample then for me to pull it out with tweezers, especially is she's a child.

After checking to make sure his form-fitting armor was adjusted correctly underneath his clothes Virgil pulled on his long coat, with the area we'll be in, you can never wear too much armor. With that Virgil pulled on his stocking cap, shouldered his satchel and stepped out into the brisk winter wind. It's fagging cold out here, Dragon had better be on time . . .

[WinterRat1]

1515 Jan 5 2063- 21st and Merriweather

Right on time, Dragon pulls up to the curb. "All right, let's roll. I got some firepower in the trunk, just in case we need it. Where is this place anyway?"

Virgil gives directions, and they pull away blending smoothly into traffic. Chatting about old times, it seems like no time at all before they arrive at the Open Arms Shelter.

[SentineloftheMou...]

0700 January 7, 2063 - Land's End Magic Shop


Andie checks on the circulation batch again for the umpteenth time. One week gone, 3 more to go...

He walks back over to the workbench with paper and pen in hand and begins writing down equations and formulas until he has to check the batch again. An idea forming in his mind......