IC: Last Laugh, Spinning dice and a smile full of knives Options

[scoundrel]

Happy ponders Winchy's question for a bit before answering.

"I don't think it's that dangerous, as long as you keep away from the wrong places. But that's what you have me for, hey?"

[gobogen]

"Good enuf. Now I know who to blame if things go wrong", Winchy replied coldly.

[scoundrel]

Happy scowls in annoyance and mutters something under his breath about snobby rich people.

[Glyph]

Caitlin keeps an eye on Happy and Winchy, as inobtrusively as she can. She thinks it would be better not to interfere unless things escalate to a dangerous point - better for them to work it out themselves, which she is sure they will, eventually.

She has a hard time keeping a straight face at the "snobby rich people" comment, though. That's probably the first time that Winchy has heard that particular insult.

[gobogen]

Winchy chooses to ignore the comment. He really hates that little thief, though he needs him for now.

[scoundrel]

After ten minutes of trudging through the tunnel, the path has twisted, turned, and forked so many times that you wouldn't have a hope to finding your way back to the surface alone. Eventually, Happy leads you around one more muddy, fetid and poorly lit passage to come to a sight so imposing and sudden that it nearly brings your knees to mutiny. The tunnel opens up without warning into a colossal underground enclave that expands in all directions further than your eye can see.

This unusual town bears a rough resemblance to the city that you had left behind you - there are clusters of shacks, houses, and half-buildings that are separated by wide dirt roads. The dwellings are interspersed with old fashion market stalls, shops, and establishments that you suspect all come together to make up the backbone of the economy of this strange new world. There are large numbers of pedestrians moving about on the streets; every face that you can lay your eyes upon is either that of an ork or a troll. Several vehicles are rolling through the roads, but most of them look more like souped up golf carts than actual cars. The dirt ceiling begins about thirty feet above your head and is dominated by a vast network of glow tubes that collectively serve as the sun in this underground community. Some of the residents momentarily delay their business to shoot you curious looks as you emerge from the tunnel, but none approach you.

Happy's face breaks into a cheerful smile as he announces, "Here we are! Welcome to the Ork Underground."

[Slacker]

Slacker is a bit impressed with how industrious these people have been down here. 'I guess it's only natural that they would have done something like this, being down here so long. But it certainly isn't what I had expected,' he thinks to himself.

"So, if this is the Ork Underground, what do you call all of those tunnels you just led us through?" he asks aloud, not particularly caring what the answer is. "A tourist trap designed to keep tourists out?"

He then turns to the rest of the group, "So what should we start with?"

[Glyph]

Caitlin gazes around her. "Impressive."

Replying to Slacker, she says, "We have a few names. Why don't we see what they know about our missing person - if they haven't seen him, they should still probably be able to give us another lead or so."

[gobogen]

Winchy is amazed to see so many of his own kin. He's known that the Ork Underground was this way, but he never realized what it meant before seeing it for real. He reflects on the race issue.

"I wonder if dere's as much racism against non-orks and non-trolls 'ere as dere is against us up dere."

About what to do next he adds: "It's also good to 'ave some kind of safe'ouse to go back to and our contacts will be useful for dat."

[Slacker]

Slacker says, "Yeah, sounds like a plan to me."

Then he asks,"So, Happy, you recognize either of the names?"

Before Happy even has the chance to answer him, Slacker turns to Caitlin, "Uh...what were those names anyways? I guess I already forgot them."

He gives a little chuckle at that, and thinks to himself 'Why am I even bothering to ask? It's not like I remember it this time either. Just ain't important enough to me to keep track of.'

[Glyph]

Replying to Winchy, Caitlin says, "It's probably not quite that bad. I have heard that they work with shadowrunners a lot, so our profession might offset some of their usual suspicion." She nods at the mention of a safehouse. "Yes. It will be useful to have a forward base to mount our search from. Hopefully it won't take too long to wrap up the job - the clock is ticking on it."

She frowns in concentration at Slacker's querry, before reciting the names that were brought up at the meeting - both Arkady's and Winchy's contacts.

Although her main focus is on the job at hand, wheels are still turning in Caitlin's head. There is so much potential here, for everything from buying contraband to evading pursuit. If Happy does a good job for them, she might give him a sizeable bonus, and see if she can slowly work him into becoming one of her regular contacts.

[scoundrel]

The young ork furrows his brow when Caitlin rattles off the list of names.

"Sorry, I dunno any of them. Do you have addresses or something?"

Your employer had only given you phone numbers, so it looks like you'll have to seek his associates out yourself. Once you give Happy the physical locations of Winchy's two contacts, he brightens up and says, "Yeah, I know where to go! They're pretty far away though."

He points at one of the strange, unconventional vehicles that seem to be ubiquitous in this place as the car zooms past you. "You guys want to rent one of those? I know a place that loans them out."

[Slacker]

Slacker instantly likes the idea of not having to walk all over the place. "Yeah, That's a good idea." Realizing his lazy attitude may be showing a bit too much, he tries to come up with some reason other than walking makes his feet hurt.

"Uh...that would make our search go...faster...yeah, that's it, faster. Trudging around down here will take too long." Looking around at his fellow shadowrunners, he asks "Don't you think?"

[Glyph]

"Yeah," agrees Caitlin. "Plus, my feet are killing me."

[gobogen]

"I wouldn't mind to keep on walking... but if you guys insist", Winchy says neutrally.

[Slacker]

With the vote going his way, Slacker happily asks Happy to lead the way.