"It's a crow's feather, curiously from under the man's pillow. Both implements are used in ritual magic at times. Though what they are doing there, I have no idea. Maybe a clairvoyance spell to home in on. But I doubt that. They do have a talented hacker in their team for surveillance.
What do you mean with "Koshari"? Isn't that a lentil and rice dish?"

Bobby asked.

"You don't know who the Koshari are? You are joking right?" Ramses pokes.

"Aren't you guys from the NAN? You definitely look the part. Well, some of you, anyways."

"The Koshari are an Amerindian crime syndicate. Mostly from the PCC, as far as I know."

"Also, damn, I almost forgot about these..." Ramses takes a look at the five glasses still on the table and grabs one of them, waiting for you to follow suit.

>> Jawsie had a debt to these guys...

"Why would the feather make you mention these guys specifically though?"

Bobby smiled:

"Yeah, sorry - not the best joke. So you think the Koshari could have been behind the abduction.
Would fit, they have a lot of crow, raccoon and magpie shamans in their ranks.
Any idea, where their local ring can be found?"

"Well, a crime happened, and someone left the feather, right? Why would they do that, other than as a message? I don't know. First thing that comes to mind. They are not that big on tech, and more into mojo, though."

Does anyone else take a glass?

Mato takes a glass.

He's not much of a drinker, and is wary of it due to his parents' chemical dependencies, but he trusts his nephritic screen to filter out the booze.

He lifts the glass to his nose, presumably to appreciate the aromas from the agave, the fermentation and distillation, and from the barrels it was rested in. In reality, he subjects the glass to his olfactory sensors to see if there's anything amiss.

"Tequila?" he asks rhetorically. "In an Italian restaurant? I would have thought grappa."

If everything is on the up-and-up, he'll tip one back with Ramses.

"We got that, too, of course. But I like tequila!" Ramses replies with a big grin.

Bobby took the glas and raised it in a silent toast. He might not have Mato's biotech, but he had a very sturdy body.
So he gulped it down in synch with Ramses.

Tamarind realizes that having another drink so soon after she had beer a couple of weeks ago was getting dangerously close to making drinking something that she did occasionally, aand last time she gone there she'd had a full blown habit inside a year. Still, she doesn't want to make a scene, and she's more mature now and knows what to watch for, she can surely handle it, right?

So she takes a glass.

As the empty glasses hit the table again, Ramses gets up saying: "Looks like your order is coming in a moment. Enjoy your meal!"

"We will look into possible teams and get back to you."

And, indeed, the waiter is heading towards your table with Mato's minestrone, a small basket with sliced bread, which has a nice, fresh smell. He also brings your drinks, which is mostly sparkling water and a glass of red wine for Tamarind.

Bobby looked after Ramses for a moment, before taking his drink an toasting the others.
In the group chat he sent:
<<Any thoughts on this info? NAN mafia job sounds like the right ballpark for this case. Ramses doesn't feel like he is a talented liar - or maybe he is the world best liar. In any case it's a lead worth following. After we have eaten, we should head out directly to whereever they are ponting us. If it turns out to be a trap, we can come back here and raize the building.>>

<<Sounds like the right plan.>> Tamarind leaves her wine alone for now. Maybe she'll have part of it with her meal, but definitely needs some control here. Although it does smell nice.

She distracts herself by focusing on what Auntie is showing out the back door. Not that she really expects that Ramses was just stalling while waiting for thugs, but staring at the shut door and uninviting alley sounds better than staring at her oh so inviting wine.

Mato tries his soup and his bread, eventually dipping the bread into the soup.

<<I borrowed money from the Koshari>> he admits. He DNIs while he eats. <<I blew through my inheritance and kept going until I was in debt. I didn't keep in touch with them after paying it back though. Even if I had, I'm not sure it would help. They operate in cells or circles, like the Triads. The different circles are expected to cooperate, but one circle might not know what another is doing. I certainly wouldn't expect any Koshari from Seattle or Salish-Shidhe to know what's going on in Sioux territory or in Denver.>>

"It's good," Mato says of the minestrone, to at least give the appearance of some conversation. "Well-developed flavor. I have a particular weakness for Parmesan."

<<What about the crow feather and the obsidian knife? Is it possible they have magical or ritual significance? Maybe we visit a local talismonger and make some inquiries, see if they're familiar with such implements.>>

<<Good idea, though we'll have to lean awfully hard on a talismonger to rat out a Koshari Shaman. We better ask their enemies - whoever that may be. Maybe the nice men from the ranger service know something.>>
Bobby replied, looking hungrily in the direction of the kitchen.

Bobby does not have to wait long. The main dishes are coming in soon after. Everything looks really good, tastefully arranged plates. The pizza is thin and crispy. This place might be a little on the weird side, but the cooks definitely know what they are doing.

You get a message from an unknown device.

<< Hey there! This is Dean. I hope you enjoy your dinner. I will have to get in touch with some contacts of mine to get more detailed information about possible teams in the area. It will be a few hours. Just a little heads-up. >>

I enjoy my pizza and spring water text to be discreet.

>> This place is also very warded and blocks my spells, and the Trix security is a lot more than I would expect in a fusion restaurant/nightclub. So I am a bit suspicious about who these people are - and who this dean is... About the talismonger, I can stretch the truth a little and say that I found this feather under a pillow, that it is not mine, and that I am worried/puzzled as to who would do this and why. All are true statements even if they tell a slightly different story. If the Talismonger recognizes the feather... we'll see it regardless of what they say.

Bobby tugged in after cutting his pizza into eight somewhat equal pieces.

When the message came, he replied

<<Hi Dean, thanks for the help. If you are at it anyway, you could tell us of any likely talismongers in the area that supply shamans with reagents.>>

Dean replies fairly quickly. << Talismongers? Not exactly my jam, but let's see... there is that ancient chinese guy, Zhang Wong, who has a store called Mystic Curiosities in Chinatown, the southern parts of Lowry, just north of the Cherry Creek State Park. Or, if you are feeling adventerous, there is always Paradise Lane in the Aurora Warrens. They got a store over there called Trinket's - yes, with the apostrophe - among a bunch of others. The gangs usually stay clear of that area, as far as I know. >>

Responding to AM, Mato messages: <<Well when Ramses says, "We do business with Mr. Belenkiy, the specifics of which I am not at liberty to disclose," then, yes, I'm pretty sure that it's not just a Mexi-Italian restaurant. Vice seems like the obvious answer, given the display. I suppose the question is do we care or not? Is whatever Belenkiy into one of the factors behind his disappearance?>>

<<I wonder what sort of hours these talismongers keep. If it's daylight hours then we might be stuck until they open tomorrow. If that's the case, maybe we can investigate the traffic cams, or get some rest. I'm good until 0200 or 0300 but at that point I'll crash hard.>>

<<Tamarind, do you know anything about Chinatown? Or the Aurora Warrens? Sounds an awful lot like 'Barrens'.>>

<<I'm good to go. Most talismongers have odd hours - though a lot of them go reagents collecting after sundown. It's worth a shot. Let's split up - AM looks into the traffic cameras and I visit the talismongers. Mato, Tamarind, who do you want to accompany?>>

Bobby asked

Mato considers the question for a moment.

<<Tamarind has a much better grasp of magical theory than I do, and she's a good listener, so she can talk the talk. My cyber might send the wrong signal at a magic shop. Why don't I go with AM.>>

<<That said, we only have the Gopher. Are you taking a cab between talismongers?>>

<<I was thinking taking a horse - form. So yeah, Tamarind can ride me, but your metal ass weighs a ton.>>

Bobby replied impishly.

Mato gives a low, guttural cackle at Bobby's quip.

<<Tamarind, sounds like you get to see Bobby naked tonight. Better order a second glass of Chianti or you might remember too much.>>

<<Aurora is definitely the bad part of town. A Talismonger working there, well no telling what their hours might be, if they have official hours. But most likely they'll open up for someone with money in hand, if they answer at all. I think I heard mention of that Paradise Lane, someone going there for I think weapons? And mentioned a street doc, but I wasn't in the market for more ware at the time, and well you don't go into Aurora unless you have to or you are looking for trouble.>>

<<So yah, a lot like Redmond, really>>

<<Horse riding with no saddle will be 'interesting'. In the SDF we all got one lesson in it, for tradition's sake. Growing up in Butte below I hadn't even seen a live horse before then. No saddle, no stirrups ... Bobby better have a gentle gait and not be too tall.>>

Bobby finished his pizza in record time and eyed the menu, looking for tiramisu.

<<Don't worry about a saddle. All you need is a blanket and a firm grip. I can go moose and you just grip my antlers.>>

I have made slower progress with the pizza and a lot of progress with the water. It is nice, but I feel the frustration of not having a plan and just winging it, hoping for Lady Luck to show her pretty face. What can I say? I like it when things are orderly, and this gig just seems so chaotic. Then I realize that the guys are planning to use shape-changing to visit a talismonger in a Redmond-like neighborhood, which seems way too loud for anyone to actually answer their questions truthfully.
I mean, I wouldn't risk my neck giving information about Big Stank to a bunch of loud clowns that clearly do not belong there, and I carry no love for that bully. What are their chances of arriving on a moose?

I text >> Can you not take too much attention? Nobody rides horses, or mooses for that matter. Just take the car.

"I'll run with Mato, or let him carry me... but it would be embarrassing... "
I look at Mato >> Let's just run next to the road and seek cameras, perhaps take a taxi part of the way. It is not Aurora or anything so I bet they'll have service. Heck, I can technically hack the cameras from a diner or anywhere private unless they are under a monster host.

Bobby shrugged mentally: <<Alright, we take the car and fetch you once you are done.>>

<<Why are we splitting up? Slicing IC takes seconds. We're not optimizing anything by going separately. Let's stay together and we can do the camera work on the way to the Denver Barrens or Warrens or whatever they are.>>

<<On that note, if the Warrens are like the Barrens then maybe we shouldn't be driving all of our baggage and equipment around in the flatbed of a pickup truck.>>

>> I think it would take a bit to find the cameras because we can't just find them in a drive-by. We need to pay attention. Then again, there is no rush.

"Can't we?" I say quietly while musing about the situation... I mean... perhaps with the proper augmentations... they could do it." I hope our mundane friends will contradict me. Either way, it is time to get working. These cameras will not hack themselves...

I finish about half my Pizza and ask the shirtless cowboy to pack the rest for the road. Still being a bit embarrassed by the entire situation and the aesthetics of the joint.

"Oh, frag it... I'll do it now and we all go together." I return to the car once we finish, where I augment my logic and begin hacking and working my way with the cameras. It really would take me less time then all this discussion.

Bobby paid for the group after everyone finished their meal and left a nice tip as well.
Now with the contacts in their virtual pockets, he saw at least some trace to follow.

Before starting the car, he waited patiently for AM to finish her matrix excursion.

Thanks to locating the cameras earlier, it is not hard to find them again in the Matrix. They have some protection, but ultimately stand no chance against AM's hacking attempts.

She can access the video log, which saves 24h of footage, before sending it to a more secure host for storage.

Once AM sneaks past the firewalls she continues by downloading the recent 24 hours data before it is dumped to the secured server. Mimicking the instructions of a legitimate user.


Edit file: 3#20d6t5 6 6 6

Retrieving the camera logs is easy enough, and soon AM has a copy of the videos that you can sift through at your leisure.

"Got it!" I cry triumphally as I open my eyes and disconnect from the Trix. "Last 24 hours of video... Let's see if we can find anything useful during the kidnapping." I say, and I keep browsing the video all the way to the talismonger sharing it with the rest in case they want to help.

Mato realizes that it would be inefficient to return to the Ranch to drop off their gear.

"I'll just stay with the Gopher while you go into the talismonger," he proposes. "I'll discourage anyone from absconding with our gear."

Back at the truck, he digs out his armor jacket. It looks a little too incongruous with his slacks, so he pulls out a pair of rough synth-denim. It's the look of a blue collar thug, but sometimes that's what it took to earn respect in certain parts of town. He gets into the cab to change pants, reasoning that if Bobby can undress anytime and anywhere then Mato can too. When he's done, he folds up his suit jacket and slacks and stows them in his baggage.

He spends a moment wishing he had his AK-97, Ingram Smartgun X, or Walther P118. He didn't need any of them but they had a certain intimidation factor that might be able to persuade someone to step back rather than step up. There's the Mannlicher Marpingen, but that might be too big. And silly. Who pulls a sporting rifle in a street fight? Knives it is, he thinks to himself as he gets his throwing knives arranged for easy access.

AM announces her success.

"Good work!" Mato nods approvingly. "I'll help scan through the footage."

Bobby was happy with the early success:

"We'll hurry with the talismongers and help you with scanning the footage - shouldn't you already find what you are looking for by the time we are back."

Bobby went first for the guy in the Warrens - reasoning that someone like that had to have connections to survive in a place like this.

He also took a peek at his matrix presence, looking for opening times of the store.

<<Monday Evening - 21:24 - May 15, 2079 - Aurora Warrens, Denver>>

Matrix presence? What Matrix presence!? Nope, there is no Matrix presence at all. Or, at least, Bobby cannot find one.

The team takes a small detour along the Stapleton and Lowry district borders, before actually crossing into the Aurora Warrens, to limit the amount of time spent driving through the lawless area towards their destination. Right at the start of this detour, you spot a pretty large presence of ZDF forces at the northern border between Stapleton and the Aurora Warrens. The Aurora Village Medical Center is nearby and the likely reason for the extra heavy security.

As usual here in Denver, there is an automated scanner array at the district border. Unlike the others you have passed, this one is completely demolished. Four guards are posted at the area, and lazily scan the very little traffic in and out of the Warrens with handheld devices. You can pass without any trouble, maybe a raised eyebrow.

Driving into the Aurora Warrens has a little bit of that "this is almost like home" feeling, considering that SIS has been in Redmond for quite a long time now. High-density, low-income housing, most of it in various states of disrepair, only attracts the most desperate souls. There are refurbished solar panels and even old-fashioned fuel tanks to provide the necessary power for the buildings, if they are lucky enough to be hooked-up to one of the generators. This part of town has been more or less forsaken by the official forces it seems. There is quite a bit of AR graffity all over the place.

Once inside, it doesn't take long for you to get noticed, and you are glad you took the time to find a route that will take you to Paradise Lane fairly quickly. As you get closer, there are even some AR signs pointing the way. Four go-gangers, wearing the colors of the Aurora Angels (the letter A flanked by silver wings, and with your general knowledge of gangs you also notice that there are some additional marks, which pretty much say that they belong to a different, larger gang, like a vassal), pull up behind you and let their engines roar. Typical gang posing, making sure that you stay in line and respect their turf. They also are not too worried about illegal gear, it seems, openly carrying guns as large as shotguns on their bikes.

I use the time when Mato prepares to get my own gun, not that I'll need it with mojo, but perhaps I don't need to use it. Walter feels stable in my hands, but I keep working on the footage during the drive. When we encounter the gangers, my hand instinctively touches the pistol, and I am too distracted to keep working on the video, my senses are alert, and I hope that there aren't going to be troubles...

Well, my mortal part hopes that Iktomi just wants things to get interesting.

Bobby kept on driving, steadily down the street toward their target. If need be, he could turn the two lead gangers into newts and see how good those forms could handle their bikes.
This thought - as always - brought a smile to Bobby's face.

Mato sees Bobby smiling. "Uh oh, someone's imagining violence," he says to the others.

Mato wasn't too concerned about gangers - if they were anything like Halloweeners, they would topple like bowling pins - but he is mindful of threats to the Gopher. He's sure Tashunka and Razak will want it back in reasonably good condition.

Mato rolls one of his throwing knives down his knuckles, flipping it from finger to finger. He makes sure to do this by the window so that anyone watching can see his cyber and his comfort with the weapon. He's hoping to send a message of, We're not here to go heavy, but we're not to be taken lightly.

<<Monday Evening - 21:39 - May 15, 2079 - Paradise Lane, Aurora Warrens, Denver>>

The gangers don't have any interest in causing trouble, it seems, and once you enter Paradise Lane, they scatter. The buildings here are a little better maintained than what you saw along the way. A number of businesses are located on both sides of the street. All of which are heavily barricaded.

Dartguns 2 Smartguns is the first shop, selling weapons of all kinds as well as customization and modification. A small shooting range is attached to the back of the store. On the other side of the street is Trinket's, the talismonger shop. Next to the weapons store is Sam's Gadgets, an electronics supplier. Around this time it is starting to get busy in front of the nightclub Allie Cats XXX, which is located a little further down the street and advertises all kinds of pleasures.

Grunt's Orkish Delights is a restaurant, that specializes in orkish food. It is modeled off of The Big Rhino in Downtown, Seattle. A small street clinic named Hippocrates is located next to it. Across the street from the clinic, Dracula's Coffins is an odd mix of shops. The side that faces the street has two doors, one leads to a coffin hotel, and the other to a garage. The whole building has no windows at all. And finally, there is a bar called Hole in the Wall.

Interestingly enough, you can spot no gangers in the whole area.

"Right, looks like this is the place." Bobby looked for a parking space and decided to just halt at the curb.

"Let's see if someone's in."

He got out and headed straight for the talismonger shop, trying to open the door.

<<Monday Evening - 21:44 - May 15, 2079 - Trinket's, Paradise Lane, Aurora Warrens, Denver>>

The door isn't locked and the store is, indeed, open at this hour.

Inside you are greeted by an absolute cluttered mess. All kinds of alchemical supplies and tools, various types of reagents, fetishes and possibly even foci, many of which look like shiny trinkets and baubles, are haphazardly distributed on various racks, shelves and tables with no discernable system. Some chips and even written pieces of paper are also there.

"Ahh, customers! Come in, come in. What can Trinket do for you?"

The store's owner is a lean and wiry woman, probably in her fourties. She carries herself with the kind of confidence, that immediately tells you that this is not someone to easily mess with.

Mato stays outside to watch over the Gopher.

The absence of gangers is curious. It's notable that they scatter when we entered Paradise Lane, he thinks. They're avoiding something. A larger predator? An aggressive neighborhood watch? A local agency of Awakened private investigators who turn people into sloths?

He was planning on flipping his throwing knife to himself, or using it to clean his tusks, but it appears that the display isn't necessary here, and might even be undesirable. Mato sticks his hands in the pockets of his armor jacket and surveys his surroundings with his cybereyes and cyberears. He keeps an eye on Grunt's Orkish Delights. While Mato is intrigued by what might be on the menu, he knows if it's anything like The Big Rhino that it will be filled with intoxicated orks and trolls. Probably good business for Hippocrates, he thinks to himself.

I text Mato >>> We're so ordering from Orkish Delight after the job., and then accompany Bobby to the talismonger, and let him (or Tamarind) take the lead.

<<I just ate dinner!>> Mato replies. Maybe AM's new, larger form needed more nutrition. Bobby would probably be ready to eat again, the tiramisu simply being an appetizer for second dinner.

<<Orks prefer strong flavors. Think hurlg. Lots of sauces, lots of spices. It tends to be over-the-top. The Big Rhino used to have snakes on their menu. Might have been for shock value, but I saw plenty of people order them. Maybe it was all posturing, but watching a troll chomp down on a python like it's a piece of jerky is a memorable experience.>>

I text back, effortlessly by thinking the words through my trodes. >> Not tonight but after this ordeal... To remind you, I survived Hurlg with a straight face... I didn't even have the Detox spell back then... Let's do something memorable if we pull through.

<<Orkish Delights it is. I do have a weakness for curries. Indian, Thai, Japanese, Filipino, Indonesian, any of it.>>

He reminisces for a moment. Neither of his parents cooked, but they often hired a private chef. There were many over the years, but one of Mato's favorites was a Jamaican woman of African and Taíno heritage, a heavy-set ork named Amancia. She was very jolly and maternal, much more so than Mato's cold and corporate mother. Mato wonders if he got more hugs from Amancia in the few years that he knew her than from his own family over his whole life. Almost certainly. She was an excellent cook and made ackee and saltfish, fried breadfruit, goat curry, jerk chicken, and escovitch fish. Sadly, she passed away of coronary artery disease shortly before Mato's parents died. Mato mourned her the more.

<<You should try mannish water>> he tells AM. <<It's a broth-like soup made from a goat’s head and tripe and testicles, along with chopped vegetables and scotch bonnet peppers. Some versions add white rum to punch it up a notch. That will make you sing.>>

He neglects to mention that it's considered an aphrodisiac.

Bobby nodded to the woman:

"Hello there. You were recommended to me as a good source for ritual gear for shamans. Do you have reagents for shamans following trickster totems like crow or raccoon?"

He put a credstick on the table with 500 Nuyen.
"25 drams of raw reagents would do nicely."

The woman focuses her gaze on Bobby as he speaks to her. Something in his words seems to resonate with her.
She appears to be slightly irritated for a moment, but then she grins and says: "Crow or racoon? Not quite sure?"



"Of course, we got shamanic reagents! They are right over here."

She immediately turns to one of the shelves. You have no idea how she could even make them out among all the other stuff lying around, maybe she just has her very own system.

"Those are very basic reagents. 25 drams you say? We also have much more refined ones, but those cost a little more, naturally."