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Gretik
[March 25 - 2070, 19:31] - A small japanese chippy, lower levels of Rusholme.

Rain hammers down on the plate glass window of the small oriental restaurant on the lower end of Rusholme, the smell of over cooked noodles mingles with vague fragrances of fish and egg. Steam hovers in the air and clings to the glass, patterns formed from the greasy finger prints of patrons stain it in a myriad of nonsensical designs.

A small little japanese man looks up, he is balding and has heavy rimmed glasses sitting low on his nose. Your group is just entering the shop, sopping wet from the torrential flood outside. Ivan is in the front, the rest entering in a none specific order - the reason for your visit is to meet with one of Ivan's contacts.

"Can I help you?" The man asks, an incredibly thick accent making him difficult to understand.
Noia
Ivan closes his umbrella, which wasn't of much use but at least the top half of him is only mildly wet. He walks up to the counter, straightening his suit out. He stops at the counter, runs a hand over his face to get rid of the water running into his eyes and down his beard.

"We’re here to see Mr.Johnsen" he says, looking deadly serious and staring the Chinese man down, and then suddenly snaps into a short smile.
Ophis
Calico's stomach will grumble slightly at the smell of food.
She thinks to her self - no, that stuff would stick on my belly way to much.

She steps into the shop and runs her hands through her hair squeezing out a stream of water than runs down her leather jacket, then to the floor. She checks that her hair is not to badly ruined by the rain. Good still looking nice, at least leather an PVC just shed water rather than absorbing it.

Hearing Ivan's exchange with the chinese man she will smile slightly, suspecting that some sort of friendly interplay going on.

She will as so as further egress is allowed move to somewhere near the chip fryer and lean, gently against it enjoying the warmth.
Gretik
"I know no Mister Johnsen, would you like egg fried rice?" The man seems more than a little slow, hands busy below the counter with something, from behind the door into the kitchen another voice sounds.

"Let them through, Wu." - The voice seems thoroughly western.

The short little chinese man bows his head deeply several times at the assembled party and moves to open the side of the counter to let the group pass. You can see now in his hands, a very powerful looking shotgun - safety on.
Noia
Ivan walks past, smiling smugly. Without turning around, he signals to the rest of the group to follow.
Ophis
Calico smiles, some sort of routine entrance routine.

She shifts from her warm spot, slightly sad to leave it so soon and sweeps after Ivan.
Gretik
Ivan and Calico walk past the little man. As Calico reaches the entrance to the kitchen she is hit by an almost overwhelmingly powerful blast of hot steamy air, warming her right up.

Unfortunately, this shop is far to humid for anyone to actually dry off.

[What do the others do?]
Thanee
Scarlet gave up the thought of getting her hair dry anytime soon, and settled with squeezing most of the water out with her hand, before straightening her bleached blonde hair some. Her leathers were a little more forgiving, when it came to the rain. Looking around the small restaurant through her green-colored glasses, she notices nothing out of the ordinary, and simply walks past the kitchen and into the room, where Ivan had already vanished, giving the short man behind the counter a quick smile.


Gretik:
[ Spoiler ]
Gretik
The little man puts out a strange look as you pass, but makes absolutely no move towards Scarlet - he stands slightly back to let her pass. She too vanishes into the kitchen.

[Next... nyahnyah.gif]
BlackHat
Crow trails near the back of the group, keeping his eyes open - but not really sure what he should be looking for. The chemical-seal on his white lab-coat managed to keep him (and, more importantly, his gear) mostly dry. He follows his team into the back room, keeping his mouth shut and his hand ready to grab his Slivergun should things go bad fast.
Veskrashen
Merrick follows in behind, commlinks in hidden mode, AR windows open keeping an eye on the feed from the small blimp overhead. Two iBalls sit on nearby corners, rolled behind trash and keeping an eye on things on the street level. He smiles faintly and nods at the older gentleman as he files past, letting the socialites take the lead like they're meant to.
Wolfen
Jason walks in at the back of the group, thoroughly drenched but hardly seeming to notice. He shakes the worst of the water off his hair and jacket before a sudden grin springs onto his face as the warmth and smell of food hits him.

He watches the little social dance going on at the head of the group with little interest. Ivan said this was the place, and he had little reason to doubt the big guy. His eyes begin to wander across the menu, mentally comparing his meagre funds to the amounts posted.

'I wonder if we're going to get fed as a part of this' he thinks.

His eyes remain on the food as he follows the others through the kitchen, a small look of disappointment forming on his face.

Ophis
Commlink message to Jason

[ Spoiler ]
Wolfen
Jason's contemplation of the food is interrupted by the muffled sound of German-sounding techno from within his jacket. He fumbles around in the inside pocket for a second before pulling out the world's most battered comlink and squinting through the scratches on it's screen.

Narrowly avoiding walking into a the back of the person in front of him as he pokes at the thing with a thumb, he taps out a reply before looking around to grin at Calico

[ Spoiler ]
Ophis
Calico smiles to herself, and flashes a grin at Jason.

She thinks a message back(via trodes hidden in hair)
[ Spoiler ]
Gretik
The group shuffle past the small man and into the kitchen area. The air is noticeably warmer here and so steamy as to make it difficult to make out any shapes more than a few feet away. On the right is a row of stainless steel sinks and cabinets, mostly filthy with day old food rotting away at the bottom clogging the drains.

The smell of the room is of fresher food though, sweet and savoury spices playing with the nose. Obscured by the mist, the rest of the room unfolds slowly - first to Ivan, in the lead. A set of heavy steel tables dominates the centre of the room, angular and strong looking. The surface is remarkably clean.

The first sign of the Mr. Johnsen is a pair of booted feet propped up on the far edge of the table. The table itself is wide enough for the entire group to array themselves in front of.

"Please, come a little closer, we have much to discuss..."

A very western voice sounds from the otherside of the table, the body and face of the person obscured still.

For Merrick :
[ Spoiler ]


For Scarlet :
[ Spoiler ]


For Ivan :
[ Spoiler ]


For anyone with good language skills :
[ Spoiler ]
Ophis
Calico flashes a smile toward the Johnson and takes a seat slightly to one side. Leaving the centre one for Ivan.

She stretches in her chair and hopes she has time to sort her hair out before she goes anywhere her looks may count (her hair looks damp, but otherwise perfect).
Gretik
[Apparently there are chairs now. ^^ Didn't know that before, lets go with it though. nyahnyah.gif]

The Johnsen takes his feet off of the table when Calico sits, swinging them to the side swiftly. To her, the man is barely better than a hazy silhouette.
Noia
Ivan takes the center chair, sits slightly forward with his hands on the table.

"My name is Ivan, this is my crew" He gestures with his right hand.
"I understand you need some assistance."

[EDIT: stupid 'I' tag nyahnyah.gif ]
[EDIT2: Gretik is a spelling nazi ^^ ]
Wolfen
Jason takes the end chair on Ivan's left, glancing around the room as he does so. He seems slightly nervous about something.
Veskrashen
Merrick frowns slightly, and steps back a bit to the front part of the kitchen with a slight smirk.
Ophis
Calico will shift to a forward leaning position, her left hand moves to support her delicate chin. She studies Mister Johnson as best she can through the steam.
Thanee
Scarlet grabs the back of one chair and swirls it around, having it pivot on one leg like a ballerina, then she sits down leaning with her front against the chair's back, having her crossed arms rest on top of it. She lets Ivan do the talking.


Gretik:
[ Spoiler ]
Gretik
The Johnsen leans forward a little and his face comes hazily into view, it looks as western as his voice sounded - brown hair and green eyes. The steam makes it difficult to pick out details.

He speaks again, "Where is your friend going?"

The voice seems amiable at the moment, he is peering over the shoulder of Ivan through the steamy fog -at a back stepping Merrick.

For Merrick:
[ Spoiler ]


For Ophis:
[ Spoiler ]


The man smiles happily and waits for a response.
Ophis
"Oh, you'll have to forgive him, he's terribly shy around new people." Calico will say with a smile. Glancing round at Merrick with stay put damnit look, turning back towards Johnson she continues, "give him a moment an I'm sure he will relax and come and join us."
Calico will keep her voice light, with only slight emphasis on the "come and join us" part.
Thanee
Scarlet just leans on her chair in a somewhat relaxed way, waiting for the negotiations to begin.


Gretik:
[ Spoiler ]

Noia
Without looking behind him Ivan continues to speak.
“It is of no importance, what he does not hear now he will be informed of later. Now, business.”

Ivan is calculating individual, not to be taken lightly but not to be thought of as irrational or impulsive. He tries to keep everything on-point disregarding any interruption if at all possible.
Veskrashen
Merrick nods at Ivan.

"Mr. Johnson, I see you've taken significant measures to ensure your privacy here, something we appreciate. I'm sure you'll fully understand if I excuse myself to keep an eye out."

With that, Merrick nods to the others, and steps outside - letting the door close behind him.

Once outside, Merrick stays nearby, ordering a bowl of noodles to pass the time.
Gretik
The small little oriental man nods his head many, many times while making you a bowl of what looks to be steam spressed cardboard noodles. Delicious looking, if only.

"Two fiftay!" He announces happily, holding a steaming bowl over the counter - the shotgun having disappeared from view.

Before he started to serve the food, he pushed a screen door into place blocking off the kitchen.

For Merrick:
[ Spoiler ]
Gretik
The Johnsen ignores Merrick as he leaves, staring intently at Ivan - glancing occasionally across at some of his companions, his eyes linger for a few seconds on Ophis and Scarlett, before snapping back into contact with Ivan's.

"Yes, let's get down to business." He says, smoothly and quickly.

"You are here because I have a job that needs to be completed, done with a certain amount of discretion and speed. You and your compatriots have a growing reputation."

He gives a broad look across the group, his eyes passing over the spot where Merrick stands - though the view is blocked by the sliding door.

"I am going to assume from your reputation that none of your group has any inhibitions about breaking the law, or stealing."

He gives the group assembled before him another quick glance across, making sure noone does voice any sudden new found inhibitions.
Ophis
Calico smiles at the Johnson and looks around the room, slightly bored with the current goings on. Her eyes linger on the Johnson, just long enough to be registered and than flick away teasingly. She yawns slightly and shifts her position to for just a second or two display herself to the best effect legs, cleavage and all.

The more observant people in the room may notice, if not too distracted just how, professional the display was, like Calico is used to showing her body off. Or maybe she's just vain enough to practice in front of a mirror.
Gretik
Calico brazenly puts herself on display, much to the distraction of present - it isn't hard to notice that the Johnsen gives her another flickering glance, then smiles and shuffles his position very slightly.

For Calico:
[ Spoiler ]
Thanee
Scarlet only nods absent-minded, as the Johnson mentions discretion, breaking the law, and the likes.
BlackHat
Crow stands quietly near the back of the room. Checking his commlink occationally to see if connectivity has been restored, and making a slightly annoyed face when it hasn't by the time people start mentioning "privacy" and "discression".

Well, I am unreachable until this meet is over - might as well make it not take any longer than it has to.

He just shakes his head to indicate that he doesn't have any inhibitions (or at least, doesn't want the Johnson to know about any).
Veskrashen
QUOTE (Gretik)
The small little oriental man nods his head many, many times while making you a bowl of what looks to be steam spressed cardboard noodles. Delicious looking, if only.

"Two fiftay!" He announces happily, holding a steaming bowl over the counter - the shotgun having disappeared from view.

Before he started to serve the food, he pushed a screen door into place blocking off the kitchen.

Merrick nods, shoots the 2.5 nuyen.gif over via certified funds on his public commlink, then takes a seat in the kitchen, leaning back against the wall.

I certainly hope this is a long, boring wait - but something tells me that it won't be he thinks to himself.
Gretik
The johnsen shrugs and turns his head to look at Ivan directly, he speaks.

"It has come to our attention that some unwelcome competitors are running a money laundering outfit within this neighbourhood, my superiors are quite... Anxious to see this group removed."

He lays out a map of Rusholme on the table, a very simplistic looking grid drawing that only shows the bottom level of the area. He taps a button at his corner and a holographic display appears in the air above it, gently flickering.

"We are here, the sources we have were not specific as to the location of this operation except to say that the front is a chinese take away."

The johnsen taps another button on a small keypad next to him, on his corner of the sheet - it is formed out of the same holographic projection as the 3d map. A very large number of red lights appear throughout the structure of this part of the city, on the map.

"As you can see here, or by merely walking outside - there are a very large number of chinese restaurants within the area. This is why we are willing to offer twice the normal rate, since this will require a possibly very great amount of legwork."

He shrugs then taps the keypad, the hologram flashes away and drops into the mat, which he rolls up and pushes towards Ivan.

"It should be needless to say, but I find things progress much more easily if I do say it - if you doublecross us, turn us in or attempt to cheat us you will all die an exceptionally exruciating death."

He says this last part in the exact same bored matter of fact tone with which he has rattled off the rest of the information. He continues.

"If you require any special monetary allowances in order to complete the job, you will may return here and leave a request. Are there any questions?"
Wolfen
Jason blinks

He want's us to find something, and the only information given is that it's in a Chinese take-away in Rusholme? He thinks incredulously

Ahh. What's our deadline for this?
BlackHat
Crow appears visibly relieved, I thought he said something about doing something illegal.

"Any constraints?" he asks, assuming the Johnson was keeping the bad news up his sleeve until the team bit.

So far, it sounds like all we have to get rid of some money launderers.

I'm not expecting them to willingly pack up and leave town - but the job doesn't seem to require any crime.
Thanee
“Well, I don't mind chinese food. And I don't mind some legwork. A rather large percentage of your generous offer as an advance payment would be most appreciated. We will need it for the information gathering.”
Ophis
Calico nods an affirmitive trying to catch Johnson's eye just for one flirtatious moment.
"Who do they work for? It can make a whole world of difference sweetie."

Well she thinks this shouldn't be to hard, and I should be able to be useful enough before the bullets fly to make up for anything bad in that field.
Gretik
The Johnsen levels his gaze at Ophis, who responded last.

"They are the opposition, the front is run for the triads."

He turns his eyes back to Scarlet,

"A small percentage as funds for the preparation stage, however the amount will be minimal as we find that certain unscrupulous groups would rather take a larger initial payment then attempt to vanish away."

Lastly, he turns to face Crow.

"The constraints are simple, do not fail or doublecross us - do not request payment until the front has been eliminated. My employers and I do not require you to bring us their heads on a ceremonial platter, but evidence of their removal will be required."

Without moving his head, he speaks to Ivan.

"I trust you find this satisfactory."

He slides across a small tablet with a dimly glowing plasma display.

[It is difficult to see and anyone who wishes to know what is on it, who isn't Ivan, will need to roll well on a perception test to read it without having to lean over and stare.]

Spoiler for Doc.
[ Spoiler ]

Noia
Ivan raises an eyebrow at the vagueness of the job description.
“So we are looking for a needle in a stack of needles. Right, any other leads? Anyone we should talk to? How long do we have? And lastly, payment; cash only.”

Gretik;
[ Spoiler ]

Gretik
"Cash only is difficult, takes time to collate safely - we will be able to put forward only 90% of this amount in real currency, after a minimum two weeks. As for a start to your legwork, my little friend at the counter outside might have some information."

He looks you in the eye, his face completely straight and devoid of emotion.

[ Spoiler ]
Thanee
“As for the delivering of the payment, I have a proposal,” Scarlet offers. “Since half of the payment is meant for the information gathering, we should get that part before we even start. If you had trouble in the past with people trying to steal your money, that's unfortunate, but this is how things are in this line of work. We can only base our business on mutual trust. It's not like we are going to have some sort of legal contract, or anything. I can assure you, that it is not in our best interest to have our reputations ruined for some quick cash, or your thugs on our tails for that matter. As you said, there is a certain reputation to build on, so it's not much of a gamble on your side. It's simply not worth it for us. On the other side, however, we know next to nothing about you, and you seem to prefer it that way, seeing the precautions you have taken here. That's fine, but it means, that we cannot take any chances. Our business involves enough risk already, no need to improve on that part. So, once we have the information required to pinpoint this establishement running these operations you are speaking about, we will set up another meeting, where we present the information to you, so you can see that we are making progress and have something in hand to ease your scepticism. At this point, we will receive the remainder of the payment, before we head out to solve your problem. After that, no further meetings will be necessary, since there is nothing to deliver back to you. You'll certainly be aware of it, once the task has been fulfilled, considering, that you know by then where to look at.”
Gretik
The johnsen looks at Scarlet,

"I agree that this enterprise must be based on mutual trust, trust is however something that must be earnt. You and your compatriots have done nothing so far for myself or my employers to earn such trust, that I am aware of."

He crosses his arms and what you can see of his face darkens a little.

"I am afraid though, that you have been putting words into my mouth - a small percentage of the funds are for the legwork, an amount indicated at the bottom of the tablet I have given to your colleague here is marked. Half of the payment would be far too much, as I have already said, many unscrupulous groups would take such funds and leave without attempting the job."

He leans back and the mist obscures his face somewhat more.

"I of course have many doubts about the various scruples of this group, knowing you all only by reputation. You will take the amount marked here at the end of this meeting, begin the legwork then report back for further payment or you will leave and I will find another group."

He does not move his body, though his eyes traverse to Ivan.

"The choice is yours, but make it quickly."
BlackHat
Dr. Crow looks at Ivan and Scarlet, and then at the Johnson.

"Interesting that you should speak of earning trust, Mr. Johnson. I mean you no disrespect, but without some up-front payment, once we've 'removed' the thorn in your side, what incentive do you have to actually pay us? We're not delivering information or technology, so there is no need for us to meet again after today except to transfer payment. As you have said, trust must be earned, and so far you've given us very little reason to trust you - and quite a few reasons to believe that we cannot.

He directs his attention back to Ivan and Scarlet. "He has made a good point, though. We're not in a very good position to negotiate. 'Shadowrunners' are a dime a dozen in this town - but 'Johnsons who won't front any cash to see the job gets done'... now those are quite a bit more rare."

His face looks serious and sincere, throughout his little outburst, although his comment is meant as an obvious jab at the Johnson's level of professionalism.

"However, I do think a compromise on the order of ten or fifteen percent might be entirely reasonable." He looks back at the Johnson, whose shape is now all but obscured to Crow. "You see, if our finances were all that we wish them to be, we wouldn't be looking for work here." He makes a slight grimice at his steamy smelly surroundings but goes on without missing a beat. "We will need money to grease the wheels of this little assignment - and if you're not willing to provide any, the results you get might not be to your liking. This will ensure that we have the funds we need to begin doing a large-scale search for 'money launderering operations'."

He then turns back to his team, "...and it will ensure that, if Mr. Johnson were to make the career-ending mistake of disappearing after we've done his bidding, the entire mission wouldn't have to come directly out of our pockets."

He crosses his arms, and leans back, letting Scarlet and Ivan handle the remaining negotiations, "Otherwise, I say we let him try to find another team of runners who is willing to do this mission without any sort of expense account. If he manages to find one, the fact that they were willing to accept such a terrible one-sided deal shows how green they are. They'll probably just botch it up and draw attention back here."

He lets a little smile cross his face - hoping the Johnson's view of him is just as obscured as his view of the Johnson. "He'll be crawling back to us in a few days - begging us to hear out his new offer."

Dr. Crow was a little upset that he had to speak out like this (he would have rather left negotiations to someone else) but this seemed very "off" to him. He's never been offered a job, illegal or otherwise, where the employer expected the potential employee to place all financial risk on themselves up front. Of course, he was somewhat accustomed to high-class jobs, where money isn't a worry for either party.
Thanee
“I see. Then let me rephrase that. We get the amount you specified now and begin with the information gathering. When that is done, we meet again, so you can see what we have found out. Then we get the rest of the payment and proceed with the actual execution of the job.”
Gretik
The johnsen raises his hands a little and smooths the fold on one of his sleeves while speaking.

"You will be given the amount marked on the tablet now, after the legwork is complete we can negotiate on what percentage you will be given before and after completing the objective. My employers and I are not in the business of making bad investments."

He looks through the mist at the Doctor's general position.

"I must add that I have said before, if any money is required to 'grease the wheels' as it where, you can request it when and if you find you need it - though you must be able to give us a valid reason for the expense."

He straightens his arms out fully then withdraws them back into a folded position.

[Perception checks from anyone at the table if they care about knowing more about this man.]

"You all come highly recommended, those of you we have heard of before - those who we haven't are at least in the company of those who we have. But do not think for a second that you are anything but replaceable."
Thanee
“While I don't think that people, that qualify for this kind of job, are that easy to find, there certainly are a few around, that is so. However, very few of them, if any at all, will work for free. If you want to keep back a large part of the payment now, that's fine. We will mostly need some to cover our expenses and the time we spend on the information gathering at this stage. I absolutely do not think it's a viable procedure to come knocking for every hundred pounds or so that will be needed. A fair guess as to how much seems reasonable for this part can surely be made. That would make life easier for each of us. Once we have the information, we can renegotiate, which appears reasonable, since by then we will also likely know about the difficulties involved.”


OOC:
[ Spoiler ]
Ophis
"Okay," purrs Calico, "Lets just all relax and have a look at the tablet and see how big Mr Johnson's... signing on fee is."
She smiles at all present, "Since your mentioning coming to you for expenses I take it thats what this is? Or is it an opening amount to cover start up costs of the operation? In either case what percentage of the final sum does it represent? So far you've been a little vauge sir. More details would be appreciated." As she speaks her mood shifts from her sexy, fauning joytoy to a cool calculating business woman. She fixes Johnson with a meaningful 'so spill' look and grins playfully at him.
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