Luigi -The Naughty Kitten -Tuesday Aug 14th 10.00

Watching the door ork almost cringe back as he walks in, Luigi smiles to him in an appreciative way. Good ta know dat he can learn, an' afta only one lesson too. Betta keep a gaze on 'im might go far or might cause da boss trouble

Walking over to Julian Mancuso at the wave and hoping that he had a job that needed doing, Luigi listens carefully to his Capo Regime and friend.

Righto, boss, I'll call 'er up right away an' see if I can't smooth tings over for 'er.

Luigi -In front of The Naughty Kitten -Tuesday Aug 14th 10.15

Right, ferst tings ferst, Lucky Santangelo where's dat number.... ah der it is.

Selecting the number and hearing first the connection and then voicemail, Luigi sighs a little Knew it was too early in da morning, ah well onto da voicemail we go.

Dis is for Lucky Santangelo, da name's Luigi and a mutual friend called Julian said you was havin' some bumps dat you wanted sortin'. Well when you get dis message just give me a call and I'll see what smoothin' method would be best for da bump. In his voice you can easily hear his accent is still Italian even though the New Orleans drawl is creeping in.

And after that he hangs up the phone, confident that the message along with the video feed of his minotaur's body in its crispy black suit with white tie and hat would be enough to show that he was on the up and up.... well from his perspective any way.

Hmmm, hopefully dats vague enough in case of pryin' ears but she should know what I means. Right what ta do til der lil lady gets back ta me? Parole meetin's not til Friday so not gots dat ta worry 'bout, guess its time for some breakfast.

Lucky - The bayou -Tues Ag 14th, 1500

Pounder pulled up in her hover truck right on time. She normally liked to work out of her step van, but found the hover truck to much much more useful in certain areas of the Big Easy. She'd switch between the two vehicles regularly. SHe said it also helped her keep a lower profile, not havign the same 'wheels' every time.
She climbed out of the trucj t ogreet Lucky. Same look as always: Olive cargo pants, white tank top, hair pulled back in a tail, sungalsses on. She looked like something out of an Army recruiting video. She also looked almost exactly the same as she had in Seattle, sans the requisite long coat for the Emeral City.

Hoi Lucky, what's shakin'? Got some kinda ordinace list today?

Pounder also hadn't adjusted to the local slang. She still sounded like a Seattlie.

Some days, the sound was refreshing. Today was one of those days.

No ordinance today, Pound. Though I do have something on the up and coming, I'll keep you posted. No, today I've got a few questions for you.Lucky reached into her pocket and pulled out a banded roll of hundreds. Tapping it against her thigh, she continued.
What can you tell me about the Black Throat Krewe?

I can't tell you much about the krewe, but I knwo a couple of their dealers. One of them is a real slitch, a halfer named Tori. She works out of a metal shop on Santa Anna Way in the Tehama Parish. Owns the shop there, hides a lot of their guns. She's one of the krewe, not just a go between. Distributes a lot of their wares. Like i said ,a real slitch too.

If you're looking to make someone's day unpleasant, she's gotta a bunch of drones she keeps around the shopped. Litte fragger is rigged. Don't knw whow good she is, but something to remember.

Committing the name to memory, Lucky turned the information over in her mind.
Drones, huh? We get someone better, we could try a takeover...maybe, turn them against her and use it as leverage to find out what we need to know. Could be risky... have to think it through. ... I hate drones.
Lucky pulled a few hundreds off the roll and held them in one hand.
What can you tell me about their other dealers?

From what I know, they've only got a couple in the krewe. use it like a middle man system. The krewe gets the geat, gives it to their dealers, the nthey sell it to the street dealers in smaller parcels. Keeps the street from getting flooded in any one area, and gives them a bit of a buffer against the NOPS. Plus, they get the cash quicker, and the goods unloaded sooner tahn if they sold the drek on the street them selves.

Not a bad system really, although it doesn't do much for customer loyalty. Which is why I still get more business than them. And I deliver.

Good to know. Thanks for the intel, chica.Lucky pulls another hundred off the roll and hands it to Pounder, giving her a total of 400 .
See you around. Take care of you. Keep your head down. Lucky smiles.

The old apartment's feelin' empty. Stop by tomorrow night if you aren't busy, soka? We'll throw back some beers, watch the game. Maybe go get some men folk to play with.

I could use some time off, you're on. See you then.Lu waits for Pounder to saddle up and drive off before heading to her own truck.
Before getting in, she notices the message light flashing on her comm.
That's strange. You would think I would have noticed.
Checking it, she chuckles. Luigi? Are you fragging kidding me? This must be Mancuso's guy. Doesn't hurt to doublecheck his credentials though.
Lucky places a call to Mancuso.

Lucky- The Bayou - Tues Au 14tg 1510

Mancuso picks up almost immediately.Afternoon Lucky. What can I do for you?

Lucky- The Bayou - Tues Au 14tg 1510
Good afternoon, Julian. I recieved word from an associate of yours earlier today. I wanted to run his scan past you to verify that he is indeed one of yours.

I'm assuming you mean Luigi. He is "one of mine" yes. Lu is a good man. Dependable. Take care of him, and I'll make sure that he takes care of you in turn.

That's all I needed to know. Thank you, Julian. Enjoy your evening.Waiting for Julian's nod, Lucky hangs up the phone.
Okay, time to bring in Mystery Man #3. This has got to stop.
Lucky calls Luigi.

Finished with the call, Lucky heads back into town. Realizing that it's almost 4 p.m. and she still hasn't eaten, Lucky stops at a local Italian resteraunt known for their tiramisu and espresso.
Once she's finished, she pays her bill and heads out. Spying a couple snuggled close in a booth, Lucky sighs.
Lucky, girl, you don't have time for it so stop even thinking about it. Besides, how many men are going to take you seriously once you start going around with some guy? They'll start talking through you to the man you're with. No, give it up.

Luigi - Bella Casa Resteraunt - Tuesday Aug 14th 11.30

Sitting back and sighing contentedly after finishing the plate of pasta and salad that made up his morning's breakfast, Luigi checked his comm in case he'd missed anything.

nope, still nuttin', guess it weren't too urgent. Well better get some of da squeezin' done now, see if I can't find sumfink on des boys what's causin' problems. Hmm, who first.... I know start wid Old Man Joe, he usually knows what's goin' on. Only probs gettin' 'im ta tell me....

Standing and walking over to the cashier, he smiles at the young human lady behind the counter and speaks with the familiarity of many meetings.

Rosa, rendete all'insalata della pasta migliore questo lato dell'Italia. Non dica appena alla mia madre, lei lo ucciderebbe!

Translation in spoiler


And handing over the cash for the food and a decent tip, Luigi heads out onto the streets to go find Old Man Joe.

Lucky's phone call to Luigi

Lucky dials Luigi's number and listens as it rings...

Hearing his comm start ringing, he glances down at the number, smiles and then picks up.

Luigi di Rosso, how can I help ya, Ms. Santangelo

Good afternoon, Mr. di Rosso. It's good to have you along. We'll be meeting tonight at 9 p.m. at the Lucky Strike, on Pier 32. We'll discuss this thing then. Soka?

Sounds good, it'll give me a bit o' time ta check wid some people who'll have some information ta help smooth da bumps owt. I'll see you at da Lucky Strike den

Lucky- Back at the 'Strike - Tues Au 14tg 1600

Smiling, Lucky nods.
I'll see you then.
*Click*
Arriving back at the 'Strike, Lucky's annoyed to see Donella standing outside with her fragger of a boyfriend. Once again, they're using the Strike's parking lot as their battle ground.
Opening her door, the conversation becomes clear.
Don't you think I don't know you slept with him!
Oh, you stupid son of a bitch! I wasn't even at that party. I was here. WORKING!
Oh, right, working. Everyone knows you get whored out of here...
Well, I've heard enough.Without even bothering to get out of her truck, Lucky pulls her Predator from it's holster, takes aim at the ground beside the man's feet and fires. The sudden spray of dirt and the loud crack startle the man out of his rage. Lucky smiles and climbs out of her truck, still holding the gun on the man. The man turns and stares at Lucky in shock.
You slitch!
Lucky just shakes her head.
This is what we're going to do. You're going to get back inside that piece of shit you call a car and you're going to go home and sober up. Donella is going to go inside and have a nice long 8 hour break from you and she's going to think about where her life is going and wether or not she needs to press charges. I'm going to continue holding this gun on you until get the hell off my property and then I'm going to go inside and make a few phone calls. The people who get these phone calls are going to watch you like a fragging hawk. If you ever so much as raise your voice to Donella or slander my good name or the name of my club again, they'll come have a talk with you... and when I say talk, I mean they will proceed to beat the shit out of you. Do we have understanding?
The man stares daggers but doesn't say a word, turns and walks to his car. Lucky holds the gun on him until the car disappears around the corner and then holsters it and faces Donella.
Okay, sugar. This is how it's going to go between me and you. This is the fourth time you and he have treated this club like it's yours to disrespect. I don't like that. You know I love you, Donella and I hate to see someone as smart and as talented as you get taken in by his kind of trash, but it needs to stop. I meant what I said to him... you're off the clock tonight. I want you to stay here, I want you to think things through. Whatever you do is your choice, but the next time I have to end an argument like that it'll end with him in the hospital and you fired. Do you understand me?
Donella nods, still shaken up. Lucky sighs and puts her arms around her and leads her inside. Once inside she sends a quick message to Roberto that drinks for Donella are on her tonight.
Oh and stop feeding all the bar flies freebies. You wanna slip em something free, you're paying for it. Got me?
Feeling bone tired, Lucky heads back to her office.

Lucky - The Lucky Strike - Tues Aug 24th 1652

Lucky is in her office for almost an hour, just starting to relax, when her intercom rings

Mss Lucky, it's Roberto. There;s a couple of officers here to see you. Something about a shooting.

Oh, frag it all to hell.
Lucky stands and adjusts her hair in the mirror by the door. Picking up her Predator, she unloads it and checks the safety. Thanking God, the damn thing is registered she holsters it.
Over the AR, she contacts Roberto.
Roberto, get my lawyer on the phone. Tell him to get his ass over her like his 500,000 retainer depended on it.
Lucky heads out of the office and towards the door, where sure enough three of New Orleans finest are waiting.
Lucky smiles.
Gentleman, what can I do for you?

The lead officer, an elf, tips his hat to Lucky. Ms Santangelo, we've recieved a report of you firing a weapon at a man on the premisis. We took the liberty of pulling the camera footage form the surveillance units in the area. May I see your weapon please Ms Santangelo?

Of course, Office. But, if you please, could we continue this in my office? .. Thank you. Right this way.
Lucky leads the officers back to her office, holding the door open and then closing it behind her.
Here you are.She holds the saftied weapon out to the nearest officer as well as the clip.
While the officer examines it, she brings up her license and Concealed Weapons Permit, waiting for them to ask for it.

The officer puts on a pair of gloves, and slides it in to a plastic ba. He then pushes a button on a small pastic piece attached to the bag. It empties the bag of air. The officer seals it as evidence, and places it within his jacket pocket, along witht the magazine in a seperate bag. The other officer ,a human speaks while his partner seals the evidence.

You need to understand Ms Santangelo that this could be a very serious matter. As the shooting took place in the parking lot, it's a public domain. That means that you could be charged up to Attempted murder, which is a felony. At tthe least, you could be charged with Threatening with a weapon, whch is a 'minor' felony, which can get you up to five years.

As the victim was not armed, there's litte chance of you pleading self defense. He doesn't even own a fire arm. And then there's the surveillance footage. It clearly show you firing form you vehicle. To be frank ,that could be considered a drive by. This could be a very serious problem for you. We may have to take you in.

Luigi - Streets of New Orleans - Tuesday August 24th 1605

Seeing Lucky disconnecting the line, Luigi carries on his hunt for the elusive contact.

Right dats dat.... now where da hell, sorry lord, has Joe gone. Hmm mebbe dat place over on main he likes.

And so setting the autonav on the Bulldog he heads over to main street

Lucky listens and then nods.
Well, officer, according to New Orleans statute and law I am entitled to have my attorney present while charges are read and filed. So, if you do intend to "take me in", I'm sure you won't mind waiting for my lawyer?

As you were armed at the time Ms Santangelo we can take you n to custody, read you your rights, and have your lawyer meet you at the station.

The officers still don't move to carry out the arest.

Yes, well, that's what you could do, now isn't it? But, why don't we talk about what we want to do. What's really going to be in all of our best interest? I admit that I acted a little rashly when I saw the man bullying one of my girls...Looking at the still standing officers, Lucky smiles.
I'm sorry. Where are my manners? Please sit.

The officers each take a seat in one of the chairs. One of them has hins hands in his pocket, the other, his hand near his holstered pistol. The snap is off. Apparently the cautious type. The unmistakeable sound of a white noise generator starts.

Luigi - 236 Main Street - Tuesday August 24th 1625

Pulling in at the parking lot of the bar, Luigi leaves his predator under the seat and heads in.

Looking around the smokey bar he finally spots the object of his search, Old Man Joe. True to his name he's in his sixties, human and fairly non-descript. Getting him his favored rum, Luigi heads over and carefully sits on a troll sized chair at the booth. And passing over the drink.

Hey, Joe. Youse a hard man ta find sometimes! No, no I'm not afta youse or anyting just thought youse could help me owt wid some info. Holding up his hands at the slightly shocked look on Joe's face, he continues Anyways, I was just wonderin' if youse knew anyting 'bout a guy goes by der name Sinn, or about a krewe dat set up shop out in der bayou. Dey called der Black Throat Krewe, mostly wondering if youse know where I could find dem, might have a offa for dem. Course I'll be makin' it worf yer while.

Luigi
I dunno no nuttin 'bout no Carp Troat krewe, and don wanna no neither. Dat Sinn keeb dohh, I herd o' him He some mojo man, gone an picked a fight wit some o' dem boys down at da Razor back, got all shot up fer 'is troubles. 'Eard 'e lived doh. 'Is too bad ya' ask me , he dem one a does dark hoodoo conjure mans. He cut some udder guys up real bad ...what.. six months ago. Made snuff chips o one guy gettin' eaten gy a bator, all 'cause a some mis'nda'standin' bout some skirt. Now dat ain't right ya ask me! And ya did!

Gentleman, I understand you have your own set of organizational rules you have to follow just as I have to follow by the rules of my organization. I'm hoping that somewhere in all those rules we can come to some sort of mutual understanding? I was in the wrong for doing what I did, but obviously the man was in the wrong for threatening an employee of mine during business hours. I would be amenable to paying the fine, of course.
Lucky pours herself a glass of Scotch.
Can I get you gentleman anything? Ice water, lemonade? It's certainly hot enough.

Lemonade for me

The other simply shakes his head.

Lucky smiles and pours a glass, passing it to the officer.
So, gentlemen, tell me. What am I looking at as far as fines go?Lucky sits back and waits.

Charisma check, feel free to use First Impression or any other social skill. Etiquette wouldn't really apply beleive it or nort but there are some different ways you could hanlde it.

Luigi

Youse right der Joe, youse right 'bout dat. Guess I's gonna haveta keep a better eye out fer him in case he comes wid da boffer. Well been great catchin' up wid you Joe, stay safe me friend, hope dis keeps yer go a bit. as he passes Joe $200 under the table. Well I's gotta go to many people ta see not enuff time in da day.

And with that he heaves himself up and heads out with a wave to Joe and settling his hat back on his head as he heads to the van contemplating who to call next.

Could try Eddy not really his field tho'.... Joey'll know but won't be 'appy when we shut 'em down as might be a supplier fer 'im. Well dat leaves Eddy

Setting the Bulldog to a tour of the street, Luigi sets his legal comm to passive and powers up his "legal" comm. Tapping away and the keypad in AR for a short while sends a text off to Eddy

Eddy, it's Luigi, just wondering if you could help a dumb trog out with some info. Might have some business for a Krewe I heard set up out in the Bayou. Hoping you know something about them and where I could find them if I needed to discuss business with them

Charisma Test w/First Impression

Lucky smiles again.
Gentlemen, let's not let this become a nightmare for all of us. You really don't want to get that phone call from someone higher up once they realize who I work for, and I really don't want to deal with the negative publicity. What do you say we all agree that this was a bad decision on my part, I pay the fine and we all leave here friends?

Negotiations Test

Well as I said, these are some very serious infractions. However, I do know that the court system is very tied up right now. A lot going on in the city. I think we can handle this in a bail matter for now. We would need 5,000, and in cash. And we would need to be able to come back to this establishment from time to time to check up on things. I've heard that some of the girls might or not be doing some 'extra' work on the side, so we'd have to check the veracity of that. You understand I'm sure.

Of course, officers. It would do me a world of good to know that men such as yourselves were checking up on my girls.Smiling, Lucky opens a drawer and pulls out a locked stronbox, opening it she removes 5000 in one hundreds. Placing it in an envelope, Lucky hands it to the officer who spoke.
Well, there now. I'm so glad we got this matter all straightened out. Please, allow me to show you gentlemen out and please do feel free to come by anytime.

The two officers nod. One of them, Officer Goodspee, transfers you his card. The other, Officer Merrin, hands Lucky back the bagged firearm. I wont be needing this any more I suppose.

He hands the bagged pistol back, his hand touching Lucky's for a moment longer than it needed to perhaps. It's clear he would settle for a different price from his look. His partner looks at his sideways, then walks out.

Luigi

Joe takes the money happily. Knwing him he'll probably go bet it all on black and lose it, or spend it on some dame who'll pretend to care about what he has to say until his moeny runs out . But a tleast he'll have a good time doing it.

People move quickly out of Luuigi's way as he leaves. he never has a hard time walking down the street.

Lucky

Taking the gun from the officer, Lucky looks down letting him see her notice his touch. She looks back up and smiles coyly.
Thank you, Officer Merrin. Let me know the next time you plan on stopping by. I'd be happy to give you a personal tour.

Merrin smiles back. Lookin ' forward to it. Don't you worry darlin', I won't be a stranger.

He winks and walks out the door. He actually bows a small kiss.

Smiling back, Lucky closes the door to her office slowly. Once the door is closed, she presses her back to it and the smile drops from her face. Tucking the officers' cards into her jacket pocket. Lucky pulls up the AR and contacts her lawyer.
Hey John. Listen, I'm sorry for the urgent call...no, there's actually no need now, I've handled it... No, no charges... a small fine. Yeah, I know. But, thank you for coming. I owe you a dinner or something. Uh huh, okay. G'bye.
Grabbing the gun, Lucky tears through the plastic and inserts the clip, removes the safety and re-holsters the weapon. Sitting back down, she put the lockbox away and pulled out a fifth of bourbon. Drinking straight from the bottle, she opened her side drawer and pulled out a small vial of tiny, white pills. Without thinking, she opened the bottle and tossed one of the pills into her mouth, following it up with a drink.
Roberto, I am not to be disturbed for the next hour. Okay? Unless it's Mancuso, of course.

Lucky - The Lucky Strike, close to 1700.

Feeling the effects of the bliss overtake her, Lucky opens herself up to the sensations. Like magic, all the stress of the day seems to evaporate, floating high up and away from Lucky till she can no longer see it.
Ahh...so much better. Oh god, this feels good. Been so long. Why? So much happier. No cares. No worries.... hmmm, this leather chair feels good.
Standing up, Lucky turned the AR music on. A track from the band Dystopian Dreams came on and Lucky cheered.
Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!
Swaying in time with the music, Lucky danced around her office, drink in hand. Taking a long drink, Lucky smiled.
I'm floating! This must be what flying feels like... oh man, and I'm going to have a truckload of this stuff? A FRAGGING TRUCKLOAD!!
Lucky laughs out loud, dancing wildly by now..
Soon, she falls down exhausted onto her bed in the adjoining suite.
Hmmm.. I loooove these sheets! I love silk sheets!Lucky wrestles with the sheets, wrapping them around and around her until she falls drunkenly onto the floor.
Whoops. Oh, it so soft here.Lucky ran her fingers through the plush of the rug. I could just sleep here. Yeah, sleep.
Soon, wrapped in her silken cocoon, Lucky is snoring quietly on the floor.

Lucky - The Luck Strike 1830

Luckys wakes some time late, still comfortably curled up on the floor. yup, the carpet is still nice. the beauty thing about bliss, as opposed to it's predecessor ecstasy, is the lack of a come-down. No up-in-the-clouds, then crashing hard. Two hours after popping, she's up and about, feeling ready to take over the world again. One happy little magic pill. Two and a half an hours until the meet.

Lucky - The Lucky Strike 1900

Showered, dressed and ready to take over the world, Lucky gives Bennett a call.
Hey, stranger. What do you say to you and I grabbing a bite to eat somewhere before the meet?

Sounds good. You have a place in mind?

There's this charming french resteraunt a friend of mine took me too. I find myself craving some more of their wine and as luck would have it, they have a 7:30 opening.Lucky smiles, her conversation with Bennett more animated then it has ever been.

Shall I pick you up on the way there?