Divine Rest
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:02:12
Angel - Technomancer - Hidden
PAN - Passive

Gladly accepting the free meal, Angel walked along side Mr. Johnson as he started talking. Hearing him explain a little bit of the plan, she thought of a question that begged to be ask, "Um... about the others, who are they exactly? The tough woman, Sledge I guess, and the old man in the suit... Could you tell me while I eat this? I'll tell you what I know about the two trolls afterwards." With that, she opened the food package and started eating while they walked out the front doors.

Outside the Divine Rest
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:02:15
Mr. Smith - Johnson
PAN - Hidden

"That seems like a fair trade of information." began Mr. Johnson as they walked. "Fortunato is on the team by reputation - like I said, he's a mage. I don't know much about him beyond that - just that his references are good, and I needed a mage on short notice." Johnson grimaced, he really would have liked to have spent more time recruiting his "team" instead of grabbing whoever he could get, or whoever needed him more than he needed them. "Sledge, though, she's good. I've worked with her once before - on a job that went to hell - but not because of anything the two of us did. We managed to get everyone out of there, safely, though, and she was invaluable. I wouldn't say I trust her, but she has impressed me before, so I figured I'd give her another shot. She is good with explosives and other technical stuff - decent with a commlink, and she puts up a pretty good fight." Mr. Johnson couldn't help but remember when she told him she thought that she hadn't dragged Teru far enough. He understood that she couldn't have known what the hippies bombs would have done to the building (if anything), but she has definatly proven to be very single-minded in her professional attitudes both last time and again tonight. That could be good or bad for him tonight.

"For both of them, I want this to be sort of a on-the-job interview... you too, really." He smiled at the girl. "We're going to need a hacker on the team, and I've heard you're good - but consider this a good opportunity to show everyone what you can do." At the door of the taxi, he opened the door for her. Since it was an automated taxi, he added, "Now, what can you tell me about the trolls... but keep in mind that the cab has ears."

He then went around to his side and got in, while entering the address of his destination.

Taxi Cab
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:02:48
Angel - Technomancer - Hidden
PAN - Passive

Entering in the proffered door to the cab, Angel thought about everything Mr. Johnson just said to her. ‘So I’m new to the team, just like this Fortunato guy, though he’s a mage... Sledge worked with him before though. I guess that’s good, though she seems mad about something...’, she pondered as she sat down and buckled up, then continued to eat her breakfast.
‘On the job interview, huh? He wants me to show off? What should I do, play it safe or...’, she continued as Mr. Johnson got the cab himself and it started moving. She was silent for a bit as she finished her breakfast, which she used the time to think about what to do. Finally deciding on a plan of action, she finished the last bite of the free food and bunched up the wrappers.

The red haired elf then closed her eyes and took a small breath. Focusing, she pulled up a pair of commcodes from her commlink and started the search through the matrix. After a few seconds, she felt the connection to one of them, but after a few more seconds went by, she gave up on connecting to the other one. With just a few more mental twists, she was logged onto Rocky’s commlink with the hidden Admin account she created during their earlier encounter.
Sifting through the command menus and data streams inside the troll’s commlink, Angel finally found the program she was looking for. Opening her eyes in the real world, she saw a window open up in her AR vision with a GPS location feed directly from Rocky’s commlink. Smirking a bit, she thought to herself, ‘ How’s this for an interview...’
With a few more thoughts, the girl sent out a message to all three members of the team, with her voice going through the AR view of her cyber angel avatar. <<“I have good news and bad news... The good news is I know where Rocky is right now, or at least where his commlink is. The bad news is that I cant find Cerberus’ commlink anywhere on the matrix, so no dice trying to call him. Here is Rocky’s current location, though.”>>, the pink haired cyber angel stated in the girls voice, as an address appeared on the screen. Mr. Johnson could see that Angel’s eyes were open and looking for a reaction from him, though she didn’t actually speak out loud during the entire message.

Then, without really waiting for any kind of response from the team, she commanded Rocky’s commlink to accept the incoming call she just sent to it, and it started chiming with the ‘Call Incoming’ alarm.

Sledge's Bike
Tuesday 8/19/70 6:03:30
Fortunato - Support Mage
PAN - Hidden

Fortunato stopped outside the door of the hotel and stared intensely at the lobby for ten seconds. Satisfied that his signatures were wiped, he walked up to the bike warily.

"Nice to meet you, Sledge. I've never actually ridden one of these before. Anything I should do other than not fall off?"

He hoped the ork woman wouldn't launch into a tirade. She seemed a bit volatile. Even so, he appreciated her taking charge, she seemed a little more shadow-savvy than the damp college student and had some good ideas about how to get this done quickly. She seemed to give the Johnson a lot of lip though; he wondered if attempted intimidation was a standard business tactic in the shadows or if the pecking order in this group was just a little weird.

After Sledge's anticipated terse remark he settled into the seat and held on for dear life as she blasted off into the night.

He was glad to be moving fast, even through it put him in mortal danger of flying into oncoming traffic; better oncoming traffic than oncoming bullets. But he was worried about their new hacker. She was just a little girl, Linda could look just like that in 10 years. The Johnson seemed to be taking good care of her, but it didn't stop Fortunato from worrying.

However, he was rudely reminded to keep his head in the game as the bike whipped around a dizzying set of corners and roared in the direction of the shadow clinic.

Taxi Cab
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:02:54
Mr. Smith - Johnson
PAN - Hidden

Smith noticed that the young girl's lips didn't move when her voie echoed across the matrix. He was fairly certain she wasn't wearing trodes underneither her hair - and didn't see any of that nanopaste art on her, either. Implanted commlink? Maybe, but who would do that kind of surgery on a kid? He waited silently to see if anything came from Rocky's call, but kept the cab headed towards Cerberus's hideout.

Coffin Motel Somewhere in Seattle
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:02:50
Rocky - physical adept
PAN: Hidden

After over an hour of tossing, turning and fighting off cramps Rocky had finally started to fall asleep. He had reflected on the nights events and hoped he didn't end up sick from all the time in the rain and sprinkers.

The incoming call didn't register with Rocky at first, he opened his eyes and tried to look around, not even sure where he was. With out thinking he reached out and grabed the comm answering the call, "What? Who is this? Do you frak'n know what time it is?"

Taxi Cab
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:03:03
Angel - Technomancer - Hidden
PAN - Passive

"What? Who is this? Do you frak'n know what time it is?", Angel heard from Rocky's side of the line. 'Yeah, thats his voice. From the sound of it, he must have been crashing like I was... Oh, well. I'm doing you a favor.', she thought as a slight grin tweaked itself on her face.

<<"You just sound like someone just opened your coffin and shot at you with a big ass gun...">>, she said over the line and then waited a second for it to sink in. <<"Yeah, this is that girl, but stay calm. I'm just calling to thank you for helping me out but that's not all.">>, she continued before pausing again and adding Mr. Johnson's commlink to the connection.
<<"It seems like Louie is still after me, and now you two, since you guys helped me out. The good news is, it seems there is someone who wants us NOT dead even more...">>, she finished, before nodding to Mr. Johnson in the real world.

"That's Rocky on the line.", the young elf said in the physical world to Mr. Johnson. They were the first words she had spoken outloud since starting this quick digital stunt.

Taxi Cab
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:03:03
Mr. Smith - Johnson
PAN - Hidden

Mr. Smith smiled when he heard Cattie's voice on his comm talking to one of the trolls, and he kept his mouth shut until he was mentioned.

<<@Angel, Rocky:: It is good to speak to you, Rocky. It will save us time - and that is one resource we do not have very much of. If you are interested, and I am certain that you are, I'm putting together a team of Shadowrunners to help you, Cerberus, and Angel with your 'common problem'.>>

A thought occured to Mr. Smith. If Angel had this commcode from before, when she met them - it was surely the same one the troll was using when he was working for the mob. He probably barely knew how to turn it on, much less change his commcode - so there was a good chance that if Louie wasn't tapping the call, he was at least tracking down the signal. He would have to be careful what he said, and what he led the troll to say - and get him out of there fast.

<<@Angel, Rocky:: Afterwards, when you're no longer wanted-men, I am in a position to offer you all employment as Shadowrunners - and that is my real objective: To form a solid team of Shadowrunners, and find them mutually benificial work in this town. This buisness with your previous employer is simply the means to an end - and it makes for a good trial-run of the new team. So, if you're interested, we're on our way to pick up Cerberus, you can meet us there. I'll forward the address.>>

Referencing his Seattle maps, he looked up 4325 E. Paloma, but gave a nearby address instead - something across the street, and that might be open at this hour.

<<@Angel, Rocky:: Questions? I wouldn't waste time, if I were you, there is only one way out of the situation you've gotten yourself into - and I'm offering it, right now....>>

Coffin Motel Somewhere in Seattle
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:03:10
Rocky - physical adept
PAN: Hidden

Rocky listens quietly to the girl and, then who ever it was she was with talk, quickly waking up. Taking everything they were saying in, as his body resumed its relentless torture since he would not fullfil its need for his pain killers.

As who ever this guy was finished, <<@Angel, Rocky:: Questions? I wouldn't waste time, if I were you, there is only one way out of the situation you've gotten yourself into - and I'm offering it, right now....>>

Sounding a little more normal Rocky attempts to respond, "What was your name again? I think, I missed it." Looking at the display on his comm he sees the address pop up, his mapsoft kicks in showing the meet vs his current location with a basic ETA. Taking that time in to consideration Rocky responds, "Well I'm up now and what you're talkin' about makes sense, so I'm in. I'll be there in about 45 minutes."

Taxi Cab
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:03:13
Mr. Smith - Johnson
PAN - Hidden

<<@Rocky, Angel:: You can call me Mr. Johnson, for now.>>

When Rocky agrees to meet them, Mr. Johnson smiles in the physical world.

<<@Rocky, Angel:: See you then - come prepared.>>

"Looks like we just have to get Cerberus on board," Johnson said to Angel in the physical world. "Why don't you see what you can dig up on your mutual enemy, while we ride?"

Taxi Cab
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:03:21
Angel - Technomancer - Hidden
PAN - Passive

"Here is a file filled with all I could find...", the green eyed girl replied to Mr Johnson's request, not seconds after he finished asking. As she mentally transfered the data over to his commlink, she sighed when she thought about how she broke down when her sprite grabbed the information she asked for. Shaking her head though, she looked back over at the man in the wet college hoodie sitting next to her. Taking a shaky breath, Angel continued to talk on the line after Rocky disconnected.

<<@Mr Johnson : "I know that Louie has done alot of shit that he needs to pay for, including the stuff he did to me, but I dont think I can kill him. I mean, I'm not like those two trolls, who can just fire guns at people, and then walk away like it's no big thing.>>

Taxi Cab
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:03:24
Mr. Smith - Johnson
PAN - Hidden

"Impressive," mumbles Mr. Johnson to himself when Angel sends him some data seconds after he asked for it. No one was that good, she had to be doing some digging on her own, earlier - which was good, it meant she was at least considering how she could strike back at Louie.

<<@Angel:: I understand. I don't know if I could do it either - but it has to be done. The only way this thing is going away without you three dead, is if the man, who you are a danger to, dies first.>>

<<@Angel:: I don't expect you to pull the trigger. The trolls will be able to handle that - but you're going to be key in helping them do it. We're going to need a top-notch hacker to track down Louie, and get the trolls close enough to him to do the job without every single one of his men being called in.>>

<<@Angel:: Of the three of you, you're the only one who didn't choose your fate... I think its fair that you not be asked to kill anyone to make it right. Still, we're all risking our asses to save your life, so I think its fair that you help us do it. Don't you?>>

Mr. Johnson wasn't expecting an answer. He was fine if she just thought about it.

Warehouse district, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:48:00

Traffic had been light this early in the morning, especially southbound against rush hour. With the rain mercifully abating shortly after they took off, the sun bursting through making starbursts on the wet pavement, the fast bike ride was almost pleasant, Sledge eating up highway as fast as her hog would tolerate. She still didn't have all the info she wanted, but she knew time was a factor. Crossing Green River, she'd turned off into a warehouse district in the southeast corner of Renton abutting up against Tacoma.
Paloma hadn't been hard to find. Sure, she had an AR map overlay, but the worse the neighborhood the less trustworthy the map data was, and this place was looking more forlorn by the block, so she was splitting her attention between RFID address tags and the road.
A few blocks out she'd passed a 24-hour greasy spoon called the Paloma Diner. Then, approaching the address, she'd about shaken Fortunato loose as she fishtailed to a sudden stop around a corner a block away from the target. Eyeing down the empty street she'd seen a big, blocky warehouse. Tall enough for two-plus stories, though most of it was probably open vertically - at least it likely had been once. The line of windows near the roof were all boarded up - it was supposed to look slapdash, but she knew better - too gaps between the boards. Weeds grew around what little of the perimeter there was - the building seemed to take up most of a block, a fact she confirmed by circling the place at a block's distance, viewing it from different angles.
It would have looked deserted except for three cars parked outside the service entrance.

Paloma Diner, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:48:00

The cab crunched across the gravel lot that passed for a parking area in front of the blue-collar cafe. There was a healthy assortment of bikes, cars, and trucks out front - lots of guys getting their morning grease and caffeine before reporting for work in the warehouses and light industrial centers that radiated out for kilometers from this and dozens of other anonymous joints.
Safely away from any major thoroughfares, it was clearly a place that didn't get a lot of drop-in traffic.
But it was in good repair, and looked peaceful enough.

Paloma Diner, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:48:00
Angel - Technomancer - Hidden
PAN - Passive

As the cab slowed to a stop in front of the cafe, Angel was shaken from her thoughts about the situation. What Mr Johnson had said struck a chord in her mind and set it running on the fact that she would have to help out if she ever wanted to be free of Louie. The point of the matter was that even though.Louie would have to die, she wasn't the one pulling the trigger and besides, he was trying to kill her first and she was just defending herself... or so she thought to ease her troubled conscience...
Opening the cab door, she was assaulted with the smell of the industrial factories in the area, but more so by the aromas of real food for a change, or at least cooked food. For the past few days, Angel had been living off cheap vender food or Stuffer Shack food, and while somewhat nutritious it had alot to be desired for flavor and texture.

Walking around the back side of the cab towards Mr Johnson, she watched as he climbed out himself. A breeze blew was blowing through from the bay, following the rain, and was throwing stray strands of pink and red hair into her face, which she brushed away with a free hand before running it through her hair.
"What are we doing here?", the elven girl asked the man in the college sweatshirt. Angel could pull up the location she was at easily from her commlink, but she had little idea why they were at a cafe and not some clinic like they were talking about earlier...

Paloma Diner, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:48:03
Mr. Smith - Johnson
PAN - Hidden

"Keeping you safe," answered Mr. Johnson but the reality was that he was just as interested in keeping himself safe. "Cerberus still doesn't know that we're coming, and Sledge asked that you and I keep an eye open from the Matrix, while she and Fortunato go in and deal with the black clinic staff. I guess they have more experience in that sort of scene than either of us do." He smiled, his charming winning smile that he used to reassure people when things seemed to be out of control.

As if reminded of that fact, he punched in a few sentences in AR and sent them on their way through the group's shared encrypted channel.

<<@Sledge, Fortunato, Angel:: Angel and I are nearby - and ready to help out. We talked to the second troll, and he's on his way to meet us, in about 5 minutes.>>

"So, let's go get a table at this diner. I'm gonna need you online, in AR at least - so if you want something else to eat, speak up. Otherwise, if you'd rather go VR, act like you're sleeping at our table, and I'll keep an eye on you."

Paloma Diner, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:48:21
Angel - Technomancer - Hidden
PAN – Passive

As Mr. Johnson was typing out his message on his AR keyboard, the cab they just got out of slowly pulled out of the parking lot until it was on the street and then sped away towards its next fare. While this was happening, Angel was thinking about something that the man’s last comments triggered. It seemed for all the talking and thinking, she forgot to describe Cerberus nor Rocky to them, which might help keep them out of trouble… or so she hoped.
By the time the man running the show had finished typing out his message and started talking, the young elf was already walking towards the door. Hearing him though, she stopped and turned around slightly to face him. Once he was done, she replied to him in a slightly cheery tone and a small flash of a smile, “Ok, I can stay online and thanks for the offer. I think I could go for something else.”
Her tone changed a bit along with her attitude to a more serious and apologetic one as she continued, “Um… I think I forgot to describe Rocky and Cerberus to you and the others… Sorry. I can do that if you find us a table.” When she finished, she flashed a small nervous smile along with a slight shrug of her shoulders as she ran a hand though the hair on the side of her head.

<<@Mr. Johnson, Fortunato, Sledge :: “Um… I guess I should describe Rocky and Cerberus to you guys. Ok, Rocky first, I guess. He’s a big troll who is really strong. He held me at arms length off the floor for a few minutes, while talking with me. Here is a picture of what he looks like, but when I last saw him, he looked sick or something.>>, Angel sent over the commlink network, along with an attached picture of Rocky’s face from his SIN.
<<@Mr. Johnson, Fortunato, Sledge :: “Cerberus… well, he has these glowing green cyber eyes and a serious look on his face, at least that’s what I saw. He has cyber all over and carries a bag with a big gun in it. I don’t know if Sledge could use it, it’s that big. I don’t have a picture of him, but last time I saw him, he didn’t have horns or hair… He seems like the one of the two that would shoot first.>>, she continued as she dug into her mind to try and pull out any details she could remember about that chaotic event that was only a few hours ago.

Warehouse district, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:48:25
Sledge
PAN - Hidden

She'd been quiet most of the ride out, concentrating on the bad roads and dealing with a passenger on the back, which caused problems like the embarrassing fishtail she'd just done. Sledge restrained herself from reaching back to check if the man was still on, but she stopped and turned her head around to speak.

"Park and ring doorcomm? 'Astral recon'? Probably better if you do the talking if we go face to face."

... and I'll be ready to bust some trog b... as usual...

Tapping her head in a signal Sledge switched to a full AR view and responded to the last message she'd gotten.

<<@Fortunato, Mr. Johnson, Angel:: 3 cars, warehouse, 2nd floor, here's a subscription for my comm, agent, bike, we're in signal range.

That other trog ready to rock? Cause if we can't move this one, we're going to have to babysit it here.

We could use the lump of trog meat in the clinic as bait for Louie.>>

Paloma Diner, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:48:40
Mr. Smith - Johnson
PAN – Hidden

Mr. Johnson picked up his briefcases, and walked with Angel into the diner. She wasn't real talkative in real life, but online, she was a buzz of activity. The details on Rocky and Cerberus would be useful, and Mr. Johnson was thouroughly impressed with the little girl's usefulness thus far. Treating her to a greasy meal was about the least he could do.

When they entered, Johnson led them both back to a booth that had a window facing the road that led to the clinic. Angel sat herself opposite of him at the booth, and he put his two briefcases on the bench on his side.

As the waitress approached he smiled and said "Coffee, please, or, whatever you've got." He figured it was probably any of a number of synthetic coffee-ish compounds, but even fake coffee would get the job done. It would be warm, and keep him awake (and hopefully alert) long enough to see this team get safely together in one spot.

"Any anything for your... friend?"

Mr. Johnson smiled and almost laughed. It was clear that the waitress wasn't sure if the little girl was his kid, sister, neice, or what... but when she noticed she was elven, most of those ideas went out the window. Adam could almost hear the question she wasn't saying aloud, "What is this guy doing with that girl at this hour, at a place like this?" It was a little annoying, actually. He had wanted to keep a low profile, but at this point, he realised how much Angel was going to stick out at most places he frequented while 'on the job'.

Rather than answer, Mr. Johnson slid their shiney plastic food-stained menu across at Angel, as Sledge's next message rolled in. Turning his attention from the waitress and the little girl, he fired back a response while added the new subscription information to his commlink.

<<@Sledge, Fortunato, Angel:: Rocky hasn't checked in yet - Angel wanna call him back? He should be here soon - then watch over everyone else. As for Cerberus if he's hurt that badly, about the only thing he's going to be good for, tonight, is as bait. Still, lets try to be friendly, and see what we can do. I'll connect to your commlinks, and one of you can patch me through to him if you get him talking.>>

Turning his attention to the real world, he sees that Angel has already ordered and the waitress is collecting their menues. She's a little older than he is, but not bad looking - and she smiles at him as she takes his menu in that way that waitresses often do that makes you wonder if they actually think you're good looking, or they are just hoping for a better tip. Johnson knew he was good looking, but still didn't doubt she wanted that better tip.

Paloma Diner, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:48:40
Mr. Smith - Johnson
PAN – Hidden

As an afterthought, he adds,

<<@Sledge, Fortunato, Angel:: Can either of you two give us eyes on the situation there?>>

Paloma Diner, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:49:02
Angel - Technomancer - Hidden
PAN – Passive

Angel had just finished talking on the network of commlinks the forming team had set up when the waitress approached the table. Mr. Johnson had ordered coffee of whatever substituted for it at the diner and the waitress then asked about what Angel might want. The question and following response from the male across the table from her quickly reminded her of how her elven heritage might work against her when others looked at her.
Blushing furiously at the sight of the man’s smile and hidden laughter, the young looking girl looked down at the proffered menu and sighed. After a few seconds to look it over, she looked up at the older woman and responded, “Could I have some orange juice and a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich, please?” Noting the waitress writing down the order, the elf grinned a little before looking back over at the man across from her, who she gave a frown and a glare.

She saw him, yet again, typing in mid air on his AR keyboard, but he finished before she could do anything. Seeing the message appear on her silver rimmed glasses in AR, she read it before speaking to the man over the matrix, looking into his eyes with her piercing green eyes glaring daggers.
<<@Mr. Johnson :: “I’ll call him in a minute… Let me tell you something, Johnson. Don't go treating me like a little kid... I’m seventeen, damn it!”>>, she fired off at him. A few seconds later though she flinched while her avatar slapped a hand over her face and ran it down. Mr. Johnson then heard her whisper a low, “Shit…”, in the real world.

Trying to continue on unfazed, she sent out a message to the troll who was still in transit. <<@Rocky :: “We are here waiting. Where are you?”>>, she sent over, her voice a little testy due to her last blunder.

Coffin Motel Somewhere in Seattle
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:04:32
Rocky - physical adept
PAN: Hidden

As the call with the girl and "Mr. Johnson" finished Rocky tried to stretch out his cramped sore muscles, but the muscles quickly fought back and he ended up making very little progress.

He slipped out of the bed / sleeping tube to stand squeezed between the end of the bed and the door. With a little more contortion, actually made easier since his body was not letting him stand up straight he grabbed his duffle bag and threw it on the bed. With much pain and struggling it took him almost five minutes to extract himself from his suit and dress a little more casual. He opted for the one pair of denim jeans he had from gym and one of the generic t-shirts he had gotten with his new set up. He also set the concealable holster up in the small of his back with the gun fully loaded. He gather the rest of his gear putting it in pockets or his bag depending on what he thought he might need quick access to. As he popped the coffin door he stepped in the hall pulling his lined coat on and grabbed the now ever present duffle bag and hobbled down the hall.

Warehouse district, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:40:00

It had taken a little longer than he had expected for the cab to show up, but apparently they were busier this time a day or there just were not as many around. The up side was it had given him time to hit the vending machines to get something to help him stay awake and moving.

When the cab had arrived he provided the address that had been comm'ed to him and asked the driver to make it as quick as possible. The cabbie had just nodded and taken off.

The cab ride gave Rocky a little time to think, but that was limited by the cramps, sweating and over all crappy feeling. Plus the pain is his shoulder now was just a solid dull ache, which spiked if he moved wrong, which the expedited ride seemed to be causing.


Warehouse district, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:49:02

As the cab exited the freeway and started moving through the warehouses Rocky's comm started to ring again, which he answered hopefully sounding a little more alive than the call that he got starting this trip, "Yo."

<<@Rocky :: “We are here waiting. Where are you?”>>

"Cabbie just got into the warehouse district, less than 5 minutes away." With the simple answer Rocky ended the call and then as a moment of clarity came to him reached down and turned his comm off. Thinking to him self, I'll be there when I'm there damn it.


Paloma Diner, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:52:42

Rocky had been wrong, it had only taken another three and a half minutes to get to the address he had given the cabbie, as they arrived Rocky saw it was some kinda greasy soon diner, which meant food, and his stomach responded to very loudly. The cabbie turned around trying not to laugh as he quoted the fair, "50 nuyen chummer." Rocky pulled one of the smaller rolls of bills he was carrying and pealed of the 50 for the fair plus another 50 tip, handing it over, "Thanks."

As the cabbie was counting the money Rocky extracted him self from the cab, still looking like something the cat had dragged him he closed the cab door and walked for the door. Putting all his mental power in to taking control of his body at least long enough to get through introductions with out falling over.

As he pulled the door open the smells of food over whelmed him again and his body once again made its request for food, causing several people to turn and see what had cause such a noise. Rocky just smiled as he scanned the place, looking for the girl since he didn't know what this "Mr. Johnson" looked like.

Paloma Diner, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:49:12
Angel - Technomancer - Hidden
PAN – Passive

<<@Johnson :: "Rocky said less than five minutes, but then the call got cut. Now I cant find his commlink anywhere on the matrix".>>, Angel sent over the network. Shrugging, she said outloud, "There is nothing I can do about it..."

Paloma Diner, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:49:15
Mr. Smith - Johnson
PAN – Hidden

Mr. Johnson didn't respond to Angel's comment about being 17. He wasn't really sure how old elves looked when they were 17 - but she definatly wasn't 21. He's dated a few elves in their twenties when he was growing up, and didn't remember them being so young-looking. She seemed upset that she had let the little outburst out, and Johnson was happy enough to forget it. Reguardless of what age she was, she was definatly a child and, although she could probably teach him a thing or two about hacking, Mr. Smith planned to continue to call she shots. After all, this was 'his' job. Getting into an argument about whether or not she needs to be told what to do wasn't going to be very productive.

The news about Rocky's commlink got his attention again, though. He wasn't sure if it was good or bad that his comm cut off - but couldn't help but imagine the troll driving up right outside the diner just to be shot to pieces by mobsters. Of course, that wouldn't have cut the connection.

"Nothing to be done." replied Mr. Johnson. "Either he makes it here, or he doesn't. For now, we should focus on Sledge and Fortunato." In AR, he brought up the information that Angel gave him about Louie - hoping to find some little tid-bit that would help him appear to have a plan once the whole group was together.

Paloma Diner, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:52:42
Angel - Technomancer - Hidden
PAN – Passive

Just after Mr. Johnson had finished talking, the waitress had returned with their orders. After thanking the woman, Angel started eating the sandwich while keeping her mind open to anything happening on the matrix. The meal itself wasn’t high quality, heck it was probably still a soy food like the instant meal she had earlier, but it tasted and felt like real food, and that ment alot.
By the time she had finished her breakfast, she noticed another cab pulling into the parking lot, just like hers had not ten minutes ago. The springs warbled around as the vehicle rocked back and forth for a second, then it raised up a few inches as a rather large individual got out. Though he was dressed in vastly different clothing than before, Angel recognized the troll from earlier in the morning. As the troll wandered into the café, the place got a little quieter than before as more than a few people turned their heads to get a look at the huge man.

<<@Johnson, Sledge, Fortunato :: “Rocky just arrived. He is walking in right now.”>>, she sent over the network, though she was sure Mr. Johnson would have figured it out on his own.

Paloma Diner, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:52:42
Mr. Smith - Johnson
PAN – Hidden

Other than nodding his head, Mr. Johnson makes no move to turn and look at the troll - he's pretty sure that Angel will call him over, or that the troll will recognise her and come over on his own.

He was busy looking up public information on Rudolpho's, and monitoring messages and traffic with the rest of the team.

Paloma Diner, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:52:45
Angel - Technomancer - Hidden
PAN – Passive

After seeing the man across from her just nod and continue typing like nothing happened, Angel just sat there confused for a second or two. Then she started to get the idea and leaned out the booth and looked down towards the entrance. The elf easily seaw Rocky just standing there, looking worse for wear than she last saw him, actively looking for something. Quickly waving over at him, Rocky finally saw her and waved back a bit as he made his way over to the booth.

Paloma Diner, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:52:45
Rocky - physical adept
PAN: Off

After standing there with his stomach growling for what seemed like forever, Rocky caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Looking in that direction he saw the girl waving him over. She was in a booth in the corner with what appeared to be a human male in his early twenties. That must be "Mr. Johnson" that I talked to earlier. Well here goes nothing, pretty sure I can take both of them if I have to.

With that thought Rocky slowly starts walking toward the table, taking his time and scanning the room for any familiar faces from his time running with Louie. This would be an odd way to get him, but who knows what that sick f*cker could come up with. The slow walk also let him keep the focus he needed to keep control of his rebelling body. With out realizing it he finds him self-fingering the bottle of pills resting in his jacket pocket. Quickly removing his had he continues on to the table.

Arriving at the table he nods at the girl and waits for the man to look up. As he does Rocky holds out a hand, "Hoi Chummer, I'm Rocky. I hear you think you can help with our fish problem?"

Warehouse District, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 6:49:03
Fortunato - Support Mage
PAN - Passive

"I'll do an astral flyby, but I don't feel like kicking down any wards. First sign of securtiy I say we go knock and say we have a business proposition for the troll."

"You're going to have to keep an eye on my body while I'm out. Don't get too far away."

Fortunato dismounted and moved over to the edge of the street, out of sight of th emedical complex. He carefully stretched his legs then sat down crosslegged on the sidewalk and, with a few practiced breathing exercises, eased his astral form out of his body.

Floating in the shadowy, eternal predawn of astral made him uneasy. He hadn't projected much in his life; it wasn't necessary most of the time. However, he wasn't going far.

Fortunato glided towards the medical facility to see what he could see.

Warehouse District, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:49:10

Fortunato uncoiled his spirit from its fleshly bounds, shedding his body like a husk. The expanse surrounding him was one of the most neutral he'd ever seen - just enough human activity to keep it "alive" in the astral, but not enough to spice it up in any particular way.
He was a bit relieved to see that the target warehouse matched that mood - underground clinics were often called "black" with good reason, but if anything too awfully nefarious was taking place there on a regular basis, there'd certainly be some sort of background impression.
Seeing nothing astrally active on the building or in its vicinity, the ex-CIA operative glided up toward the roof, and gingerly slid just enough of his face through the wall to get a glimpse inside.
What he saw was not exactly good news, but came as no particular surprise. Inside the shell of the warehouse's superstructure, the space was nearly filled with a huge, cubic tent, easily large enough to house several rooms on two floors. He could hear muffled voices inside, but could see nothing - the tent was of some sort of opaque and decidedly synthetic fabric.
And it was warded.
Clever - the place stays astrally secure, but no one on the outside would be the wiser.
The ward looked fairly run-of-the-mill; he was sure he could get through it, but almost certainly not before being spotted by one of the several watchers he could see lazily bobbing about in the space betweent he tent and the warehouse walls. In fact, it was only a matter of time before they noticed his aura poking through the wall, and he pulled back.
A moment later, he was back in his body, reporting to the rest of the team.

Warehouse District, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 6:50:00
Fortunato - Support Mage
PAN - Passive

Stretching his neck as he settled back into his body, Fortunato said "The warehouse is a shell. There's a tent inside with wards and watchers and probably some physical stuff, I didn't get a great look."

"So, unless you have any objections I say we go over there and introduce ourselves."

He stood up somewhat less gracefully than he sat down and brushed at an obnoxious damp patch on the seat of his coat. After making sure he was fully settled in physical he checked that his gun was still secured and started walking towards the complex.

Paloma Diner, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:52:48
Mr. Smith - Johnson
PAN – Hidden

'Fish problem' - cute.

Mr. Johnson shook the trolls offered hand, and exchanged glances with Angel as Rocky sat down. She wasn't kidding, this guy looked like crap.

"Yes, I do. Or, rather, I think that I can help you three gets yourselves out of this - and that I can offer you all some work afterwards." He looked around to make sure no one nearby seemed particularly interested in their conversation. Johnson would much rather talk about this over the matrix, but Rocky's commlink was still off - which was probably for the best if Louie was tracking it. "My team is currently approaching Cerberus to extend the same offer - but I think it is pretty clear that if I guy like me was able to locate the three of you in one night, any properly motivated man could do the same." He was also getting a little tired of respinning the same story over and over. Although he originally asked to meet each member individually, he was beginning to think that it would have been nice to meet them all at once, and explain things once. "Until we are able to speak more freely - perhaps when Cerberus joins us - let us just say that the reason they are interested in you, won't go away until the 'fish problem' does... and with our help, you guys will be able to see that happen."

Taking a sip of his coffee, he smiles warmly at the troll, who barely fits at the table. "If you would like something to eat or drink, it's on me - but we might not be staying long."

Warehouse district, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:50:05
Sledge
PAN - Hidden

... no glow...

Sledge nodded in agreement and followed the man across the street a couple steps offset, and far enough away she could do a free swing without hitting him. Automatically she started visually scanning the areas where the man wasn't looking. Just like when she would trail Andy when he did a job inspection, letting him concentrate on his work, while she kept a lookout for the normal, and not so normal hazards of a worksite. It was amazing how clumsy with tools and bricks some worker just chewed out by Andy could be. Of course they rarely got clumsy more than once. A broken finger or toe always improved their work rate and dexterity.

Paloma Diner, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:52:59
Rocky - physical adept
PAN: Off

Rocky nods and takes a seat. "Sounds like a plan, where's Cerberus by the way?" As he's talking with Mr. Johnson, Rocky grabs a menu from the end of the table and starts looking it over.

When the waitress reappears, he orders the biggest breakfeast they have including coffee and what ever juice they have. Adding as the waitress is leaving to put it in to go boxes.

Once he's done with that he lays his head back and closes his eyes, resting till he's needed or his food shows up.

Paloma Diner, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:53:03
Mr. Smith - Johnson
PAN – Hidden

"Nearby clinic. I'm not clear on the details." Mr. Johnson seems to change the subject a little rapidly, "This is a nice diner. Have you ever eaten at 'Rudolpho's'?" He looked up from his AR displays, and turned his attention to the sleepy troll, expectantly. He knew that he worked for Louie before this mess - but wasn't sure how close to his operations he had managed to get. "What would you say the atmosphere there is like?"

Paloma Diner, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:53:15
Rocky - physical adept
PAN: Off

As Mr. Johnson addressed Rocky's questions, Rocky continued to keep his eyes close and focus on his breathing, trying to keep the cramps and muscle ache from totally immobilazing him.

He nodded slighty at the fact Cerberus was seeing a doc, and then answered the questions posed to him. "Yeah I was there almost every night for the last week. That's where Louie starts his work day. The place is mob, through and through, I bet most the slitches in there are made men, wouldn't surprise me if the waiters were too. Most nights we ate and watched to door till it was time to bash who ever got in Louie's way."

Paloma Diner, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:53:34

As Smith listened to Rocky's rundown of Rudolpho's, he noticed that the troll's left arm was basically hanging limp, at his side. As with most ingentis arms, it was disproportionately long, almost reaching the floor. Following its length down, Smith noticed a pool of blood forming around Rocky's massive hand.

Paloma Diner, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:53:37
Mr. Smith - Johnson
PAN – Hidden

"Rocky, you doing okay there?" Mr. Johnson gestures down at his hand and looks around to make sure the waitress hasn't noticed yet. "You're bleeding on the floor, maybe you would like to go over to that clinic?"

He pauses for a second, as if thinking about something but goes with his gut and keep his mouth shut.

"The others are being pretty silent..." he begins to type something onto the booth's table.

<<@Sledge, Fortuanto, Angel:: Rocky got here safe, but he looks hurt - how are things coming there? Think he would be able to talk to a clinic doctor?>>

He wasn't sure about Black Clinic etiquette, but if it was anything like the free clinics on campus (he doubted very much that they were free) walk-ins were commonplace. Of course, since the staff probably doesn't have medical lisences, they may be more selective about their clientelle. It seemed a better idea to let Sledge or Fortunato make the call, since they were real-life Shadowrunners.

Warehouse district, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:50:30

Near the parked cars was a service entrance. There was a heavily barred window beside the utilitarian metal door, but the blinds were tightly drawn.
The door did not appear to have completely latched the last time it was shut, so with a shrug and a glance back to confirm that Sledge was ready, Fortunato pushed it open.

Inside was a no-frills office, about three meters by four, with one door on the facing wall. There were a few suitably raunchy Snap-On Tools posters, and a framed blue ribbon for industrial safety in 2059. Flies buzzed around a bare lightbulb that hung from the ceiling. At an old synthwood desk equipped with an ancient-looking work terminal sat a human woman with what dangerously approached a beehive hairdo. She wore a pastel blue dress that was in style with the bargain-bin set maybe a decade ago. When they entered she looked up from doing her impractically long nails.

An ork snored in one corner, folding metal chair tipped precariously against a wall, security guard uniform shirt half-untucked, baton dangling by its tether from one wrist.

Warehouse District, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 6:50:00
Fortunato - Support Mage
PAN - Hidden

Fortunato stepped into the dilapidated reception area and paused for a moment weighing the stories he'd worked up on his way over (when he wasn't falling off the bike). He decided the simplest approach was probably the best and said:

"Excuse me ma'am, we have a business proposition for one of the patients here. A troll named Cerberus if I recall orrectly. Would it be possible to see him, or set up an online conversation?"

He hoped it would be a flesh and blood conversation and not an online one, he didn't want to wrestle with the commlink anymore than he already had.

Paloma Diner, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:54:01
Rocky - physical adept
PAN: Off

Mr. Johnson's statement about the blood, actually got Rocky's attention and he lifted his head up to look at his arm. "Oh, yeah. Thats from one of Loiue's boys attempt to get take me in a few hours ago after we bailed from the coffin motel. Getting it looked at wouldn't be a bad idea."

Rocky takes a few napkins and tries to wipe up the puddle of blood, wrapping the bloody napkins in more clean ones and stashing them in a pocket. He digs in to his duffle bag and pulls another lenght of t-shirt, shoving it up under his jacket, wincing as he hits the wound a little harder than he planned.

Warehouse District, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 6:50:10
Sledge
PAN - Hidden

..."Excuse me ma'am, we have a business proposition for one of the patients here. A troll named Cerberus if I recall correctly. Would it be possible to see him, or set up an online conversation?"

Sledge kept an eye on the guard, and the rest of the room as much as possible. She'd flicked her reflexes on just before coming in, which consequently forced her to have to think very hard about moving slowly and calmly. She wanted as much information and feeling for the layout before needing to act. The bad part the tradeoff, was extended verbose conversations were even more excruciatingly slow. Which all fed into her frustration at not acting when the best thing for herself was in fact to act. It was like having an itch you couldn't scratch.

... breathe...

Paloma Diner, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:54:01
Angel - Technomancer - Hidden
PAN – Passive

As the hulking humanoid moved to sit down in the booth, which was made a few sizes too small for him, the quick thinking teenage elf slipped out to perch herself on an empty stool at the bar. Luckily, it was right across from the booth itself, so she was still able to listen in on the conversation if she payed attention. While she listened in, she was looking into the faces of both her ‘employer’ and the man who had threatened her life, just to save it not hours ago.
‘Damn... Rocky looks like he is really sick or something. In the daylight, he looks worse than before.’, Angel thought as she looked over his haggard face. As she turned her gaze over to Mr Johnson, she could see true interest in the conversation they were having, but the look of the college sweats and casual dress didn’t really make him look like the organizer of the rescue team. ‘I’m pretty sure it’s just to throw us off or something...’, she told herself as she continued to look in his face.
When Rocky started talking about his job at some restaurant called ‘Rudolpho’s’ and who he worked for, her ears twitched as she listened in more intently. They continued on conversing for a second before the green eyed girl received a message directed at the team. Reading over it, she thought about how he looked sick and attributed it to that, but her mind was set on finding out more about ‘Rudolpho’s’ and dismissed it.

Knowing that it would be too obvious for her to start searching right where she was, she decided to have a sprite perform the task for her. Instinctively, she felt that her current sprite wouldn’t be able to handle the task, nor the ones she had registered to her specific resonance. Silently concentrating, she sent out a call that was quickly answered by a flash of light and the appearance of the blond haired man in the village.
The cyber angel that comprised her avatar smiled at the sprite as Angel told it, “I thank you for your help. I release you back to the resonance and wish you well.” The strong looking man grinned as he replied, “Sounds good. If you call me back again, make sure there is something interesting to do...” With that, a quick flash of light, and he was gone.

Quickly continuing on with her self chosen task, she concentrated on warping the fabric of the matrix around her to call a sprite that would be able to perform her needed task. The set of events went along normally up until the motes of lights usually gathered and formed into the sprite. This time, she felt something wasn’t right as the motes just sort of hung in the air before fading out.
Slightly annoyed, she frowned in the real world while swearing under her breath, “Damn...” Quickly looking around but seeing nor hearing nothing of interest at that moment, she started staring off into space yet again. When she flexed her mind the second time, she concentrated a bit more, and after the expected flash, there stood a new being.
Slightly taller than half her avatar’s height, wearing a billowy black coat and a wide brimmed tan hat, stood the sprite she just compiled. Though she couldn’t see his face through the deep shadows his wizard’s hat made, his eyes shown akin with the glow all her sprites had.
As they stood there for a second looking at each other, she saw the sprite raise one of his hands into a slight wave as he said, “Um... Hi. I’m Vivi...” Smiling back, she replied, “I’m Angel. I’m hoping you can help me with something. I need to know more about a place called ‘Rodolpho’s’. Do you think you can help me?” Hearing her question, the sprite held a hand up to his shadowy face and thought about it for a second before replying, “I think so... I’ll see what I can find.”

As her concentration slipped away from her AR vision, she grinned. It faded quickly as she heard Rocky tell Johnson about how he was shot by one of Louie’s men. Watching him wince as he placed some rag on where his wound was, her face softened as she felt sorry for him, though it didn’t last long as she reminded herself about how he had decided to work for Louie in the first place. This left her with conflicted feelings with her heart going out for the wounded man, and her mind saying he got what was coming to him...

4325 E. Paloma, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:50:16

The woman opened her mouth and drew a breath as though to speak, but then seemed to think better of it. She cocked her head in momentary thought, and opened her mouth again, but once more shut it before saying anything, as expressions of confusion and bemusement paraded across her features.
Finally she shrugged, and just said, "My cousin Earl had a pet chipmunk he called Cerberus, once. Listen, maybe you two are at the wrong address. There's no one here but me, Irv," sidelong glance at the snoring ork, "and the Filipino dwarf that does clean-up. I'm sorry but I forget his name. I'd remember if it was Cerberus, though. Manager'll be in about eight. That is, unless he stops at the diner - the special's pigs in a blanket today, and Will does love his pigs in blankets. So it could be nine or thereabouts before I get my coffee. What address are you looking for, I can look it up for you. Or if you've got a message you'd like to leave...?" Her voice trailed off, and she took a cigarette out of a fake-gold case that sat on the desk, staring at Sledge and Fortunato as if waiting for a reply as she lit up.

4325 E. Paloma, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 6:54:20
Fortunato - Support Mage
PAN - Hidden

The old hag rambled for a while and Fortunato did his best to read between the lines. He reflected on the fact that passwords worked much better when you were privy to them ahead of time.

"Of course, the address must be wrong. We'll have some friends check with Will at the diner to see about your coffee though."

"In the meantime, I hope you don't mind if we stay here." Fortunato said Shooting a sidelong glance at the dozing ork. "Security seems a bit lax and I'd hate to let a business opportunity slip through my fingers."

Fortunato took a seat and started typing in midair:

<<@Sledge: If that made any more sense to you than me, let me know. I say we give a peaceful solution a shot for a couple of minutes then try giving them a firmer talking to.>>

Fortunato noticed an incoming message as he was finishing up with the silent communication to Sledge.

<<@Sledge, Fortuanto, Angel:: Rocky got here safe, but he looks hurt - how are things coming there? Think he would be able to talk to a clinic doctor?>>

He responded:

<<@Sledge, Johnson, Angel: Having trouble getting past the receptionist peacefully. If there's anyone at the diner named Will, try asking him about 'pigs in a blanket.' She dropped some allusion to that in the middle of a bunch of code speak."

Rather pleased at his mastery of email, Fortunato let his eyes move to the astral and watched the receptionist for any indication she was planning to remove he and Sledge forcibly while telling his perpetually bobbing watcher to keep an eye for anyone coming to the door of the clinic.

4325 E. Paloma, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:54:35

"Suit yourself," the receptionist said, and went back to her nails.

Paloma Diner, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:54:35
Mr. Smith - Johnson
PAN – Hidden

Turning to Rocky, Mr. Johnson sighs, "It looks like they're having some trouble getting the staff to cooperate. Luckily, the guy we're supposed to contact to book an appointment should be here at the diner - so we'll get you looked at." He notices Angel already looking around the place, so he turns his attention to the gross plastic menu instead. On a hunch, he checks to see if "pigs in a blanket" is even listed as something they serve. Without pulling his attention from the condiment-stained pages, he asks in a very hushed voice, "Did you, ah, take the bullet out at least?"

Paloma Diner, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:55:03
Mr. Smith - Johnson
PAN – Hidden

After a few seconds flipping through the menu, Mr. Johnson noticed that "pigs in a blanket" was, in fact, today's special. Damn, I was hoping that was the code - it would have made things much easier. Glancing around, he didn't see anyone else eating them - but decided to flag down the waitress and try his luck. His stomach growled slightly, at the sight of food, but he ignored it.

"Excuse me, miss. If it's not too much trouble, could you add an order of pigs-in-a-blanket." He gestures at the menu where the picture is, "... and might you know someone here named 'Will'? We were told he might be able to help us, and that he might be around."

There, hopefully she recognises one of those words. Mr. Johnson doubted that the waitress was directly connected to the clinic, but it was worth a shot. If the manager of the diner was teamed up with the doctor at the clinic, the rest of the staff might be told to look out for anyone mentioning the special, or "Will", but even if that's not the case, Johnson was hoping that this "Will" guy is a regular, and she'll know who he is talking about.

Unfortunatly, she didn't seem to register any of this as unusual - just another customer ordering the daily special. "I don't know anybody named Will, sorry. I'll be right back with your order, is everything else okay?"

Mr. Johnson smiled through his disappointment. "Yes, everything is fine."

4325 E. Paloma, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 6:55:07
Sledge
PAN - Hidden

... breathe...

She suppressed her impulse to twitch, and concentrated on staying as still as possible. This was an interesting development, apparently there existed a whole form of double speak communication which this man seemed familiar with. While Sledge would have simply called her out for lying to her face against the evidence, this man was telling the others to be on the lookout for another lookout at the diner that they were in. The only way she think of any meaning for the pig in a poke phrase was the kind most her crews would have come up with, and this was supposed to be a clinic, not one of those other kind of places.

... breathe...

Sledge made a mental note to get a better input devices for the man after his obvious gestures turned out to be ARO manipulations instead of turning the receptionist woman into a puddle of bubbling flesh.

Paloma Diner, Meredith, Renton
Tuesday 8/19/70 06:54:45
Rocky - physical adept
PAN: Off

"Actually, I didn't have to. I got lucky and it just grazed me, but I'm sure a real bandage or a few stitches would be the best way to go." Is Rocky's reply to Johnson's question.

As the waitress arrives with the food Rocky thanks her and starts to dig in as soon as the plate is on the table. Its very apparent he's very hungry and tired, but you can see he has apparently learned to eat in civilized surroundings, at least most of the time.