Take a seat near the stage, use my vision magnification to get an even better view. Start recording visual and audio. Make be something worth writing home about.

For the 1000th time, wish I was a mage so that I could do that "magic fingers" trick, and help that dress that is just dying to fall off.

Up close, the show is even better. From here you can actually feel the emotion of the song wash over you. It's strange and strangely moving. You're not sure if it's some kind of magical effect or if she's just that damn good.
And yeah, you were right, blue eyes.
The set lasts for another half an hour and then she takes her bow. From your vantage point, it's a really, really nice bow. You almost want to call for an encore so she'll do it again.
From somewhere behind you, someone does call for one but she smiles and shakes her head.
Not tonight, sugar.
Stepping off the stage, she catches your eye and inclines her head slightly to the back of the club. Following the red dress, you end up in a private suite. She's standing there, her back to you, pouring a drink. Rum from the scent.
Can I offer you something, mon cher?

From where I'm standin', there's a lot you;ve got to offer.

For now though, I prefer to handle business first.

Santangelo. What can you tell me about her that I don't already know?

First, we talk payment. I tell you something you need to know, you tell me who it is you're working for.
Bourbon smiles and slides you a drink across the table. As she speaks she makes her way over to you, sitting on the edge of the table. From this close you can just about see through that dress.

Mr. Santangelo

For a moment, Bourbon's eyebrow raises and then her face is all smiles and sultry winks again.
Oh, honey for what I've got for you, there better be a first name to go along with that last one.
Bourbon slowly crosses her leg, causing the dress to fall open at the slit, revealing smooth brown legs that go all the way up. Her hand strokes your lapel, the tip of her fingernail brushes your neck, sending chills down your spine.

I should hope so. Gino.

Very good, sugar. Very good.Bourbon takes another long drink of her rum and then leans back, giving you a very good view of her,.. um, assets.
All right, this is what you need to know. Your Ms. Santangelo has been very good at keeping it quiet, but she's a mage. That's right, sugar. She'll all Awakened and carries a nice combat spell repetoire. She's no little talent either. Word that reached my little ears is that she trained with a free spirit.

Anything else? like whether or not this spirit is likely to be around, or what it looks like, or just how likely she is to use magic?

Well now, suga, now you're asking me about a whole different entity. You want to know that, that's gonna cost you another secret.
Bourbon slides off the table and into your lap, still sipping at her rum. Her fingernails are tracing circles on your arms and it seems like you could get lost in those amethyst eyes if you weren't careful.

What she does with the magic isn't any different from the first 'secret' But if you have a price for intel on that little ghosty, name it. I'll see if I can find something that fits.

Oh yeah, she's real good at the distraction game. Good thing I like to play it to.

Resting a hand on her leg near the slit, thumb moving just slightly back and forth, Darius waits for her answer.

Charisma + INfluence (G) + edge = 5 successes
didn't add street cred since she doesnn't know anything about me

Bourbon seems to consider you for a moment and then laughs, a rich throaty laugh. The kind that could drive a man crazy.
Oh, sugar, you're sparking me so I'll give you a little something for free. The spirit comes when it wants, it's beholden to none. Though if they are bound the way I think they are, Lucky can call on her at anytime. The spirit is known to take on many forms. Sometimes a man, sometimes a woman. But, if you're looking I'd tell you to look for a woman dressed in leathers with a hard look in her eyes. Like I said, cher, Lucky's careful with her magic. She uses it mostly for manipulating those around her. Control thoughts, emotions... that kind of thing.
Bourbon leans forward and grazes your neck with her lips.
Mmm, sugar, you smell good.

I'll be sure to kep an eye out then. Wouldn't want to be .. manipulated.

Business concluded, the hand goes up inside the skirt, while hte other one goes to her hair, pulling her in to a kiss.

The kiss is long and satisfying. There's a different kind of heat when you kiss her that you've never experienced before.
Soon, you find yourself lying naked, sprawled out on the couch in the room. She's draped over you, her long hair covering you like a silk blanket.
So, how long you gonna be in town, mon cher?

Normally my answer would be as long as it takes.... but I think I may change that to as long as you can take it. I don't suppose you do this with all of your clients? I wouldn't think that you'd have a lot of secrets left.

So what's your real name "Mama Bourbon". I know your mama dind't name you that. Very sexy, but not the sort of thing that gets decidedi the hospital. Your name sake certainly fits ... tastes great, pleasure on the tongue , goes down smooth and leaves you feeling good.

Bourbon laughs.
Oh no, mon cher, you done sparked me real well. Not a lot of men can do that. You're special.She says as she strokes your hair, smiling into your eyes.
My real name? Who's trying to get the secrets now, cher? Bourbon's real enough, suits my tastes.
Her lips come down upon yours again in an aggressive kiss designed to drive all thoughts of talking from your mind.

It works well. Darius stays until 1am, taking one of the boats back. In the mean time, he finds out everything he can about the many different ways to drink bourbon.

He takes his leave, having to be off "to work". All play and no work make Jack, well, a jerk off.

Climbing back in the car, Darius first heads to his otel room fora wuick shower and a change. No point in going on bussiness with lpstick on yur collar. by two he's back out the door, directions to the Lucky Strike already programmed in. Place should be winding down by the time he gets there. And unlike most people at this time of night, heopefully one names Kucky, he's still wide awake and ready to go for hours. Sleep Regulator: Best. Investment. Ever.

The Lucky Strike is indeed starting to wind down as you arrive. At least, that's how it looks from the parking lot. Approaching the door, you see a tall troll male standing under the balcony talking to a good looking female troll. The male stops the conversation as you approach, nodding as you walk up.
Evening.The troll's voice is deep and guttural.

Yes it is.

Darius keys over 300 nuyen to the troll as he walks past, taking a moment to eye the woman appreciatevly, but not over doing it. Just enough to let her appreciate being chekced out, but not enough to be offended. That woulnd't be a godo way to start the night.

He heads in to the Lucky Strike and takes in the sights.

As you head through the entrance arch, you can hear the slight beep of a weapons scanner. Apparently, you're not wearing anything too heavy because no one stops you.
You come into the bar and sports den. The place is nice, decorated in dark woods and dark greens and reds. The place has the feel of an English pub. There's about 50 people filling the place, some playing pool, others placing bets, still others at the bar.
A hispanic human man wearing a dark red vest, white button up shirt and a black bow tie is manning the bar.

Walk up to the bar tender. Keep the englsih straight but let the italian accent come through. Hey. Think you could get me a whiskey and tell me where I can find Ms. Santangelo?

Monitoring my Spatial Recognizer and Olfactory booster to watch for anyone coming up from behind.

The bartender, whose nametag reads Roberto, looks you up and down.
Yeah, I know where to find Ms. Santangelo. The question is, who are you and why do you need to see her?

Make a perception test - visual

My name is Darius. I'm here on business.

Understanding that this guy is jsut the middle man, and probably just doing his job, Darius keeps any trace of irritation or mockery out of his voice.

Roberto nods, as if this makes perfect sense to him.
I'll let Ms. Santangelo know you're here. In the meantime, would you like anything to drink?

......whiskey

Now Darius loks annoyed. He does'nt like repeating him self. He takes some time to scan the bar, looking for hidden camera, or wandering mafioso. Especially mafioso female elves.

The man nods..
Oh, right. One second. As Roberto pours your whiskey, you notice a door towards the end of a long hallway open. Stepping out of it is a dark haired woman wearing black on black. As she gets closer you recognize her from the picture you have on file.
Lucky Santangelo.

Darius stands up straight, hands crossed in front. He may be threatening looking on his own, but for now, he's doing what he can to keep her at ease, keeping his hands where she can see them.

Also takes a moment to record, audi/visual, and get her scent.

Good evening, Darius, was it? I'm Lucky Santangelo. How can I help you?Lucky holds her hands out in greeting.

The audio/visual is recorded as is her scent, a combination of Versace and Scotch.

Could we speak in your office? It's a private matter.

Raising an eyebrow, Lucky simply nods.
Follow me, please.
Out of the corner of your eye, you see a man in a dark suit detach from one of the walls and follow your course. He stays back but it's obvious he's keeping an eye on you.

Following Lucky in to her office, Darius waits until she gets comfortable, refusing a drink "For the moment".

I'll get to the point, since I'm sure you're a busy lady, and I'm a busy man. Love the club by the way. Very fresh.

It may or may not concern the matter of your parentage. Don't take this as an insult, because I assure you it's not. Do you know who your parents are?

For a moment, shock is all that registers on Lucky's face. Then she laughs.
I'm sorry... what? You want to know who my parents are?

Well, no, not exaclty. If you know who your parents are, then that's it. If you don't, well ,you share a name sake and certain occupational interests with my employer, Mr. Santangelo. He has asked me to come here to see if this is merely coincidence or not.

As a matter of fact, Darius, I do not know who my parents were. I was born in an orphanage, my mother having gone there to give birth. She then died. I recieved my name from the nuns of the orphanage.
Lucky looks troubled and annoyed at the same time.

Well in that case, if you'll consent to a DNA test, which we can Crashcart admiister if you have a contract, then we can find out. If you are in fact not related, then I'm sorry for getting your hopes up. But hey, it's worth a look. Wadda ya say?

Darius actually looks a bit concerned, taht he might have given her some sort of false hope. After all, named by nuns in the orphanage, it couldjstu be a patron saint or something. Besides, gorgeous face, wouldn't want that one looking down.

A DNA test? Are you kidding me? You want me to submit to a DNA test just because your boss has the same last name as me? This is insane.
And no, you're not getting my hopes up. I've lived 25 years without parents, I think I can cope for the next however long. So, thank you, Darius for your concern, but no.
Lucky looks furious. It's easy to see that for whatever reason you've trod on an exposed nerve.
There's the door, Darius. Thank you.
From the other side of her desk, Lucky sits back and watches you. The fury has drained from her face but now it's been replaced by something else, something hard to read.

Listen, I ain't asking for your DNA. That's why I suggested Crash Cart. Some third party that probably has it on file anyways. I got Gino's ... Mr Santangelo's read outs right here on me. I'm not here to make any trouble for you.

Gino recieved a message , saying that someone with similar features and the same mast name was working down here. Gino used to live in new York, up until about 20 some odd years ago. It could be just coincidence. Or it could be something.

If you're an orphan, ain't no way you haven't wondered. Hell, if you got Crashcart, all you gotta do is give 'em a call and have them send it over. You got a contract, they'd have it all on file anyway to clone organs . It's a phone call. I ain't saying that it's for sure gonna give you the right answer. I don't even know what the right answer is, way you're looking. But now that it's out there, you know it's gonna eat at ya until you do know.

Fine. If it will get you off my back, then yes. I'll call Crash Cart. Give me a moment.
Lucky picks up her commlink and makes the call. After a moment of speaking with someone on the phone, she asks them to hold for a moment.
They said they can read the results off of the DNA sheet you have. Here's their number, call it and transfer the file. Then we wait.
She then returns to speaking to whomever on the other end of the line.

CCAll the number, and taking care to authenticate that it is in fact Crash cart. once it's autheticated, send over the file. Then wait until she's off the phone.

Did they say how long it would take?

And listen, I do appreciate your patience here. I doubt this is exactly your idea of a night well spent, olooking up potential parents and all that.

Why don't you let me make it up to you. There's got to be some place around here that's still open. I'll get you dinner. Your choice where. It may be a bit weak, but it's better than waiting here staring at each other. Not that I mind the view. Far from it.

Lucky laughs.
So, you come over here asking me for my DNA and a date. Wow, you're ballsy... They said the test would take an hour. They'll call you back with the results. So, okay, yeah... you can take me out. There's this great seafood place down the pier. Let's go.
Lucky gets up and pulls on a leather longcoat, sliding her commlink into the pocket.
Holding her office door open, she waits for Darius to walk out.

Darius holds the door for her as he walks out it, and the out side door. Then gets the door for her to the car.

I know the car ain't much, but it's the best I could get on short notice.

So if I an ask, why'd you change your mind? I can't decide if it's because what I said made sense to you, or because you thought it's be easier to get rid of me. Although I figure you;ll say a little of both.

Darius smiles and looks over at Lucky as he pulls away from the Lucky Strike, admiring her good looks in the moon light.

I think it was a little bit of both. So, tell me about your boss, this guy who's so desperate to find out if I'm his little girl.

Gino's a smart man. Much like you way I hear it. That's what everyone keeps telling me. "she's smart". Ruthless when he has to be. A hell of a good time when he doesn't. Bet you two got a lot in common.

He's a human though. In his sixties. Runs a bunch of businesses. He lives in Greece. So word about you has traveled a long ways. He's got some connections to the Luchesse family in New York. Old friends, go way back and all that. I figure that's how he tracked you down.

What about you? What's your story? For that matter, wadda ya do for a good time 'round here?

Sounds like my kind of guy. My story? I don't have a story. I sprang up out of whole cloth a year ago.Lucky smiles. Isn't that what you've heard? My story is boring and sounds like a bad made for trid movie. Orphan. Grew up half in a convent, half on the streets. Met someone I thought was going to take me where I wanted to go, instead he ended up dead and I ditched the Big Apple for the Emerald City. Things went from worse to a lot worse there and I took off. Came to the Big Easy. The end.
As far as what to do for fun around here? Oh man, look around. There's always a party on Bourbon Street, always a casino open. This place is never sleeps, just gets wasted and passes out occasionally.Lucky winks and points to a building up ahead on the right side of the street.
Here we are.

Darius laughs Nice. Sounds like my kind of town. Seems to agree with you too. Been here a year, already got your own joint. Nice one too.

Darius pulls in and gets the door for her once the car comes to a stop.

What's good here?

Darius breathes in her scent again to try to gauge her mood.

Everything is good here. Especially their seafood gumbo. You should try it, you can't travel all the way here without tasting the best N'awlins has to offer.
From her scent, she's on edge, and more then a little wary.

Checking her out for just a moment, Darius replies
Just what I was thinking Then gets the door to the restaurant for her.

In the reflection of the door, Darius can see Lucky smile at his remark. Her shoulders seem to relax as she walks inside.
Once inside, the two of them are seated. Lucky orders for the both of them and soon the food arrives. It's nothing like anything Darius has ever had before. He's almost through half the bowl before he realizes what he's doing. He looks up at Lucky and she laughs.
See, I told you.

Sorry, I've never even seen food like this before. yeah, you're right, this stuff is good. You eat this all the time and stay thin and fine like that? You must run your ass off.

Darius continues eating, although at a slower pace, hoping that his mouth didn't get away from him too much. He sits back after a few more minutes.

So what's the biz like down here? What I hear, it gets opretty cutt throat at times. Back in Corfu, someone gets uppity, you pop em, done. Down here you gotta have a freakin' score card seems like have the time.

Corfu, huh? You traveled quite a ways to come and see me... business here is.. tricky. People here have such interwoven connections they make a spiders' web look organized. You have to know who you're dealing with and why at all times and you can never forget that the person who's your friend today might be the one shooting you in the back tomorrow. A little dramatic, I guess, but it's how I see it, anyway.
Lucky continues picking at her lobster. Although, she appears cool, it's obvious something's gnawing at her. Evertime a commlink rings she jumps a little bit.