Thursday 13 June 2075 0004 Stuffer Shack Seattle


>>Oliver [Grok]: Got it Boss.<<

Your camera feed shows a single man approaching the entryway. He is dressed in casual pants and shirt, wearing a vest and a long duster. He has a large brimmed hat on his head and holds out his coat from both sides to allow Grok to do a thorough search. His face looks around the booth and finds the camera, smiling at it as he stands there. Grok does not find any obvious weapons and lets the man inside.

No one else is even close to the building as the man walks through the second door and into the dimly lit main room. He stands near the entrance for a few seconds to let his eyes adjust to the lighting then moves over to where the waitress is coming up to him. The man says something to her and she nods before escorting him to one of the private booths against the wall. On the way over, the man's head swivels to look at the room and the people in it, as if cataloging them. His head stops at you and he tips his hat in your direction as he follows the waitress. Some more words are exchanged and a credstick changes hands before the girl smiles and walks off to the bar. Without looking about again, the man takes a seat at the booth.

Annex took account of the gunman's behavior as he entered and interacted with the staff. A nod of acknowledgement was offered in response to the tipped hat. He watched the man more closely than other patrons, because of the higher degree of danger he represented. But otherwise Annex showed no signs of intruding on the merc's privacy, and treated him like any other person coming in to get a drink, relax, or enjoy the Willow Tree's entertainment. He remained at the security booth for a few minute longer, checking on the external cameras. When nothing of note presented itself he stepped out and moved to the floor to walk around.

>>What do you know about the mercenary Grok?<<

Friday 14 June 2075 1400 Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


The hired gunman is apparently doing nothing more than just sitting and nursing the drink the waitress brings him. A couple other men wander in and take seats at perv row, but otherwise the place is still fairly quiet.

>>Oliver [Grok]: Almost nothing, Boss. He just showed up on Tuesday and was hired. I hear that he did go to both of the new gangs to get the best deal. No idea what he can do, but it must have been enough to get hired.<<

Annex considered the unknowns about the gunman, and the hidden dangers he might present. Magic, concealed devices, and 'ware where the obvious. It was also possible that he too was sent here by an outside agency rather than keeping opportunity. There were other more complex possibilities too. Though he thought on these Annex did not let them consume his focus and soon they were put aside while he patrolled the main room. Taking drinks of juice along the way. When he next passed by the bar the glass was dropped off before moving on.

Friday 14 June 2075 1500 Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


The next hour passes quietly. Six more customers come into the club to take seats and the hired gunman remains at his seat, nursing his drink. An extra waitress has come out from the rear to help with the new people and Willow makes a round to every table and booth, welcoming the patrons to the Willow Tree.

About fifteen hundred thirty hours Annex picked up something to eat from the kitchen. He took his food to the security booth and monitored the room from there while he ate at a brisk pace. Every so often he checked the external cameras as well. But the bulk of his attention remained insides the Willow Tree. When Willow made her rounds greeting the patrons, he made a point to observe the interaction between her and the gunman nursing his drink in one of the booths.

Friday 14 June 2075 1533 Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


Everything seems to be as it should be and you get your sandwich break. Willow nods at you from across the room as she does her own rounds. The gunman remains mostly in the shadows. He lights a cigarette of some kind and sits back when Willow approaches him. She sits in the booth next to him for a couple of minutes then leaves, nodding at him before slow,y making her way to your booth and sliding onto the seat. "Well, everything seems quiet enough so far, Oliver. So, what is your impression of that man over there?"

When Willow approached he gave her his attention, but it was shared with his monitoring the room, and eating a sandwich. Before responding to her query Annex swallowed his chewed up food and washed down the remnants with a drink of juice to clear his mouth.

"He is observant. Found the exterior room's camera fast. Came here without any obvious weapons for Grok to check. But I am sure he maintains some means of defending himself. Grok also told me he arrived and solicited his services to both gangs on Tuesday. It is possible working for the Smoking Guns is a cover for something else, however. What kind of mercenary would come here and offer to work for one of these gangs? I doubt they have enough nuyen to take on a professional."

There was a brief pause to allow Willow to absorb his observations. The ones he had mentioned anyway. Annex was also considering whether the gunman could be turned into a potential asset, or if he would have to be dealt with violently in the future. More information was needed. Knowledge of his motives, at least.

"How did your talk with him go?"

Friday 14 June 2075 1534 Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


Willow looks over at the booth where the gunman is sitting. "Yes, he appeared on Tuesday morning. I had not thought of his appearance as anything more than just happenstance, but................"

She turns to look closely at you. "You know, the same could almost be said of you and Talia. You aren't here for some special nefarious purpose, are you?"

At your question, she nods her head. "We just chatted. His eyes scared me a bit, though. They are probably 'ware, but they are a bit odd, almost like a feral cat, you know?"

Annex was not surprised by Willow's connecting his observations about the gunman with the circumstances of his own arrival at the Willow Tree. He did not appear off-put by this. Or offended by her questioning his intent. No, Annex responded with in a stoic advisory capacity.

"That is a good question to consider. You should have thought of it sooner though. Now you may have a viper in your midst. Preparing your food and watching over you when you are most vulnerable. Giving you advice and counseling you in ways to weaken or ruin yourself."

In short order Annex finished off the last of his sandwich and beverage, one after the other. After the pause to eat and drink he swung back over to the topic of the gunman that Willow had been asking for his input on.

"Unless you get him to open up or have contacts outside the neighborhood I doubt you will find out much about him. But his actions here can be taken into account. How he treats people and who he actively chooses to associate with. What he does with his personal time. The way he responds to his employer's presence and absence. It may be that he only requires the pretense of a patron in the area and the gangs seem like the only authority here. If that is the case it could be possible to turn him into an asset."

Friday 14 June 2075 1536 Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


Willow gives you an odd sort of look. "Perhaps I should have thought of that, yes. As you say, it is now too late and you already know everything you need to know. So, are you the devil that I have let into my home? For all I know, the two of you are working together to take over the neighborhood. Once the gangs are wiped out, you will be the only real power here. Well, at least you seem nicer than the last bunch and you certainly have a better story than they did. Thank you for that, Oliver. I think I will go check on the girls as it is almost show time. Please excuse me."

With that, she slides from the booth and walks off, headed to the changing room behind the stage.

An eyebrow was raised in response to the look Willow gave him. But it was evident that he was not going to label his intentions, or detail them. So it was up to Willow come to her own conclusions. A nod was given in the face of the brothel owner's politeness and as she slipped away his eyes followed her. Stopping half way to the stage, then they swept out over the main room. By the time Willow had disappeared backstage he was on his feet. Collecting his dishes they were brought to the bar before he made a gradual walk about the room.

Friday 14 June 2075 1600 Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


By 1600, the main floor was a bit more crowded than the same time yesterday and the crowd seems to be a bit rowdier. Nothing excessive, but certainly louder. Perv Row is full of men waiting to see the first girl and as the lights dim they are not disappointed. The looker that prances onto the stage has them in the palm of her hands almost from the opening bars of her music. She is a talented dancer and makes a good show of it as she slowly reveals her body to the patrons. By the time she is finished with her set and fully naked for the eyes of all to look upon, there is a large number of scrip and nuyen bills on the stage floor for her to sweep up. It looks like it will be a good night.

The gunman has not moved from his booth and you are not completely sure if he is still on his first drink or not, but certainly he has not got to three yet.

An increase in noise volume was not something Annex was concerned about. Actions taken within and around the Willow Tree were. But so far it seemed like one would expect of the end of the work week with people letting off steam. While there was still space to do so he prowled the room, stretching his legs before it became a necessity to be seated more. In the meantime he positioned himself in places where he could see the patrons from different angles as he went.

Friday 14 June 2075 2000 Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


The first four hours go by smoothly as the place fills up with people ready to let steam off. The waitresses are all busy on the floor when they are not on stage or off in one of the private rooms. The make up of Perv Row is in flux, with people coming and going. Nothing much happens until just about 2000, when you get a notice from out front. >>Oliver [Grok]: Three Smoking Guns headed our way and they don't look real happy.<<

When he received Grok's message Annex began making his way to the security booth. Even as he walked, his stride becoming more brusque, he was responding to the Ork at the front door via his comlink.

>>If they want in, see if you can find out what has them in a fowl mood. Should you even get a feeling they might cause a problem, do not let them in. Do not hesitate to signal me if you want backup either.<<

At the security booth he brought up exterior camera feeds, as well as the one of the room Grok occupied. He monitored the situation as it developed. Annex also took the time to inform Sevras that he might call her out of the kitchen to keep an eye on the room in the event he needed to back up Grok at the front door. During all of this, he did not ignore the gunman who had been in the booth nursing his drinks.

Friday 14 June 2075 2003 Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


Sevras acknowledges your message and moves out of the kitchen to assist at the bar and your camera feeds show the three gangers arriving and remonstrating with Grok for a bit before they surrender their weapons and enter the club. They make a bit of noise at the entrance and you notice Willow moving towards them. The gunman has not moved.

When the Smoking Guns were disarmed and entered without any signal from Grok voicing additional concern he gave Sevras a quick message over her comlink so that should would not be tied up on standby any longer than she needed to be.

>>You may stand down and resume your work in the kitchen.<<

Annex remained at the security booth until he noticed Willow making her way to the gangers. At that point he left the booth and maneuvered himself to within a discrete distance of Willow and the three men. Close enough to intercede quickly if he needed to. But not enough to be part of the social engagement. Watching the exchange was not his focus, but he kept an eye on what went on between visual sweeps of the rest of the room.

Friday 14 June 2075 2004 Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


As you approach, it seems that Willow is trying to sooth some ruffled feathers. She offers the men a drink on the house, which is accepted and a nice private booth. Ginny, one of the more attractive girls, comes forward to escort them away and Willow turns to look at you. "Thank you, Oliver. I appreciate the backup. They are under the impression that I am trying to woo their hired talent away and into my employ. I suggested that they look elsewhere. Do you think it might be a good idea if I had one of the girls mention to them that she has heard something about the Lightning Strikes and the drug delivery next week?"

Annex's eyes followed the departure of the gang bangers as they were escorted away. Then when Willow addressed him he turned his attention to her. A stiff nod the response to her thanks. He was quiet for a while longer think about what she had told him.

"With them agitated like this, and looking to put blame somewhere, now may indeed be a good time for that. It will feel even more like a power play if the idea that the hired gun may be stolen away from them by the Lightning Strikes is out there."

He paused a few seconds after that, then narrowed his eyes in a thoughtful fashion. They had thought Willow was trying to recruit the outsider though. Was his visiting the brothel and bar enough for that suspicion to be aroused? That seemed unlikely ...

"Where do you think they got the idea that you were courting their hired help?"

Friday 14 June 2075 2004 Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


Willow shrugs. "No idea. Maybe they are so jumpy that all it took was for him to want to come in and look at some naked girls to get the rumor started. But do you think I should take the opportunity to try? Could you work with him?"

"If things go to plan, you will need extra manpower. Removing him from the pool of gang aligned combatants before things go down has several benefits as well. You would also be better able to afford it once you receive a return on your money. As long as he is willing to follow orders, your's and mine, I have no qualms working with a mercenary who I know little about. Sometimes you have to respect a person's secrets."

Annex was comfortable talking business, strategy, and intrigue equally and he fell into the role of advisor to his employer easily. The requirement that a mercenary would need to be able to follow orders seemed important though. Some were fire and release weapons you just aimed at your enemy. Others were loners incapable of working within a group, or lacked respect for authority figures. Building and expanding an organization required cooperation, and an understanding of the need to follow that organization's leadership. In that framework it was not too hard to see that Annex was unwilling to be subordinate to anyone other than his employer.

"My advice would be to first see how happy he is working with the Smoking Guns. That can be approached casually enough. Do not try to recruit him while they are on guard and looking at you with suspicion. Especially not right in front of them."

Friday 14 June 2075 2005 Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


Willow nods at you. "Good advice. Thanks. Still, I can send a girl to feel him out while she is feeling him up." She laughs at her little joke and walks off. You can see the three Smoking Guns gangers have settled down and one is getting a lap dance from a topless girl who seems very into what she is doing. The man's hands are roaming all over her exposed body and seems to be getting his money's worth. Elsewhere, the club is nearly full and you see one of the girls taking a client off to the private rooms while others work the room, shilling drinks.

His eyes tracked Willow as she walked off. Once she was well away they swung around the room catching visible points of interest. Something he was noting more and more was how skilled the women were at their trade. Nothing seemed mechanical, forced, or rehearsed. There was no obvious emotional distancing. They were always involved, attentive, and giving their clients what they seemed to want or need. All good signs in a professional sex worker. These were not things Annex lingered on though. His focus was security. After making a visual sweep of what he could see of the room from his current location he moved to the security booth and took up station there. The room was nearly fully and lines of sight were often blocked now.

Friday 14 June 2075 2030 Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


From your vantage point, you can use the monitors, but you also have a pretty clear view of the main floor, as well. The place is far busier tonight than it was at this time yesterday and you realize that it might be hard to get through the crowd in a rush. The noise level is higher and the money stacks up on the stage faster, almost as if there is a direct correlation. The girls walk around, some shilling drinks, some as waitresses, and others providing lap dances and an occasional visit to the rear rooms. Willow manages to move through the crowd almost as if there was an open lane for her. Of course there isn't one, but she makes it look easy.

From over to your left, you see a topless Ginger providing a lap dance to the gunman, who seems to be enjoying it as his hands rest lightly on her thighs as she swivels back and forth on his lap. She is looking over her shoulder at him and saying something as she nods. As the current song ends, she holds out a hand and leads him from the booth towards the back room area, stopping at one of the waitresses, who nods and goes to put something on the table of the man's booth. The other three Smoking Guns seem to have relaxed a great deal and are still having fun with one of the girls as she moves from lap to lap

So far, no trouble. So far.........................

Annex made a mental note to be more active about informing the Ork outside when to stop and restart admittance into the establishment. He did not want it so crowded that he could not move to intercede when trouble arose. The size of the crowd was one of those things that needed to be managed such that it did not negatively impact the security of the Willow Tree or prevent him from effectively keeping the people in it safe. Annex was aware that the business likely relied on the volume of it's patrons, but that needed to be balanced with the ability to keep clients and staff safe. Just as he had the previous night, when the volume of the crowd reached a certain volume, he contacted Grok.

>>Grok, we have too many people on the inside. Do not let any more in until I give the go ahead.<<

Seeing Ginger and the gunman together he noted that the crowd was likely serving as good cover for their interaction. Had Willow requested that of Grok, or had it been common practice to let the strip club overflow at the end of the work week when pockets were fullest and people were the most in need of stress relief? The timing seemed right for the prostitute's move, given the relaxed state of trio who had earlier entered with ruffled feathers. In any case, when the merc was escorted to the back rooms Annex brought up feeds from them until he found the one that the pair had settled into. He observed, but did not look closely at any sexual acts performed. He wanted to be aware of any reaction to Ginger's feeling the man out, as Willow suggested she wound have one of the girls do.

Friday 14 June 2075 2035 Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


>>Oliver [Grok]: Got it, Boss. Starting a line out here.<<

You access the feed from room 2 to see that Ginger is already on the way to satisfying her customer. She is in the process of removing the man's clothes and you can see a number of scars on his body and are pretty sure that some are from bullet wounds. His face indicates that he is definitely pleased. There is an audio button if you are interested in what they are saying, if they are saying anything at all.

Annex turned the audio on and send the feed to his earbuds rather than play it through the booth's own systems. Even though the Willow Tree was practically bouncing from the noise, he did not want to risk the sounds of the back room going beyond him. Both for the client's privacy, and to prevent potentially sensitive information from being exposed. Annex listened, his gaze moving between the monitor and keeping an eye on the activity in the main room. He was less than interested in listening and watching sexual acts being performed by third parties, but he needed to make sure there was no violent reaction when or if Ginger sought to see how receptive the man would be to working for Willow.

Friday 14 June 2075 2045 Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


The conversation in the room starts off innocently enough, with Ginger asking the client what he wants and if he has any preference for how she does it. Little is said after the initial discussion as Ginger lays the man down on the bed and proceeds to ride him so that he can grab at her very nice breasts. The conversation at that point is more moans and groans than anything else. It takes the man about fifteen minutes to get off in her, by which time both are glistening with sweat. As Ginger gets off the man, he casually asks about the new man. "So, this new guy doing security work here? Any good?"

Ginger laughs. "I wouldn't know as I have not had him in bed yet."

The client gently slaps her bare ass. "You minx. That was not what I meant."

"Ooooh, you can do that again. Well, he seems competent. Better than the lecher we had before him. At least he seems to pay more attention to the security than to the naked girls. Always came off as a bit of a creep. Oliver is nice, but distant. Hard to socialize with, you know."

"Listen, can you get a message to him that we need to talk?"

"Sure. What about?"

"That is between him and me for now. Just tell him and come tell me at the booth if he is interested."

The sex was mostly filtered out as Annex paid greater attention to the activity in the main room. The conversation afterwards he took more note of. It was a curious development. Not only did the gunman want to speak with him he was trying to be subtle about setting up the conversation by using Ginger as a go between. He thought about it for a time. Searching the floor for Willow he waited until she was looking in his direction, then signaled for her to come over using his left hand. Assuming she found the time to do so he spoke to her directly and without any build up.

"The merc wants to speak with me. I do not know why. It is better if the meeting were private or appear coincidental. Do you feel it would be appropriate to encourage him to pay doctor Hayes a visit about the same time we intend to go to the doctor's office ourselves?"

Friday 14 June 2075 2055 Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


Willow is talking to a patron at one of the tables when you signal her. The man has a hand up under her dress and is holding a wad of money in the other hand as they talk. She leans closer in to him, giving him some sort of feel, and smiles as she removes a bill from the stack. You can see him moan a bit as she leaves to come up to you, stopping twice to say hello to other patrons. She smiles at you as she sits on the booth seat. "Business is good tonight. Too many more guys want the special stuff and I might just have to hit the stage myself. Been a while since I had to do that."

She listens to you and nods. "Sure, we could do that. Gotta remember, though, that Doc is a neutral party so far and might have a thing to say about us using his office for this. Should I warn him?"

Annex seemed indifferent to Willow's talk about the clients and the sex trade. Until she mentioned going up on stage herself. His jaw clenched then and his cheek muscles tightened. It was just a second or two. He resisted the reflexive response to urge her against that, as a potential future community leader. She was already feeling up customers and this was her business though. Drenched in sex and sexuality. In the end, Annex was not inclined to tell his employer how to handle their business unless it affected their safety and the security of their holdings in a negative way. So he was quiet until Willow commented on doctor Hayes and suggested warning him of the meeting. Subtly he inclined his head in the affirmative.

"We do not want to disrespect the man before asking him to work with us. Get his permission to hold the meet at his place. Soon, if you can. It would be good to have a location and time to give the merc before he leaves tonight."

Friday 14 June 2075 2056 Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


Willow chuckles as she flicks her eyes to an old fashioned timepiece on her wrist. "Doc Hayes? It is nearly nine. He will have been in bed for over an hour already. You want me to wake him and piss the good Sam off?"

Annex waited and did not respond immediately. He waited to see if Willow was going to say something constructive. Or at least more informative than the doctor was likely to be asleep. The silence on his part was expectant. When he finally responded his tone was mild but the rhythm to his words was purposeful. Always driving towards a goal.

"Does the doctor trust Sam to speak as his proxy on such matters? Will a warning suffice for the man? You know him. I do not. If the answer to either of these is 'no', what is a neutral location that we could use without having to wait till tomorrow to see if it is viable? One that is not overly visible nor too secluded."

A pause followed during which he regarded Willow. It was brief though and after it he went on to explain his reasoning for the immediacy he was asking for.

"I could postpose a response or say I will provide a time and location later. Someone saying that to me would raise my suspicions, however. I also do not want the merc to dictate the meeting place."

Friday 14 June 2075 2057 Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


Willow nods. "Yeah, let's leave Doc out of this if you need to have something right away. He trusts Sam, but I don't think she would let us use the clinic without talking to him first. Hmmmm, let me think. Would the 'Shack down the street be too public? Lots of people meet there for coffee and they have a small room in the back."

Annex did not seem surprised that the clinic would have to be put aside as a non-option. He moved on from it without backtracking. Like a shark he always wanted to be going forward. The Stuffer Shack proposal received a mixed response from him. Thoughtful and hesitant at the same time. He had been debating it himself.

"I considered the Stuffer Shack as well. There is the 'hot bed of information' aspect you mentioned earlier that would make it a poor choice. How big of an issue do you see that being?"

Friday 14 June 2075 2058 Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


"That probably depends on how we set this up. Sure, there is a lot of talk in the place; it is a popular gathering spot. But there is a back room that can be reached through the alley. For that matter. we could do the same and use the cellar here if he would come in through the alley."

Annex seemed initially satisfied with Willow's suggestion about a stealthy entry into the back room of the Stuffer Shack. Thus avoiding most attention that would b garnered from the meeting. Her comment about holding the meet at the Willow Tree caused some internal debate though. That much could be seen on the man's face.

"I had intended to create some distance between you and this man while I spoke with him. So there was not a direct link to you. However, if you are comfortable with it, I will tell him to come here by way of the alley at nine hundred hours."

There was a brief pause before he took the talk of the alley to touch on one of his security concerns.

"Speaking of the alley, we could use a camera there. It is currently a blind spot with an easily breached entry point."

Friday 14 June 2075 2100 Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


Willow nods. "I think we can use the room here. And I agree on the camera. I did mention that to your predecessor but he felt the low risk did not justify the expense. It appears that you would disagree?"

At hearing Willow's comment about the reason there was no camera in the alley, Annex raised an eyebrow. The man she was talking about had seen fit to advise his employer to place a camera in the dressing room, an area needing no real observation given access to and from it were clearly visible, but left blind spots in the establishment's perimeter. The eyebrow remained poised for a second, them lowered as his expression turned neutral once more.

"If we were talking about a solid concrete wall with no windows or doors, it would not be as much of an issue. But that is not the case."

He paused for a moment, reflecting on some things that Willow had said earlier. There was potential here beyond expanding on the Willow Tree's surveillance system.

"You said there is a kid genius working at the Stuffer Shack. Jimmy. Should you want to cultivate him into something more than a mop boy, a task like setting up the camera could be a start. Something for you to think on. I have taken up enough of your time for now."

Friday 14 June 2075 2100 Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


Willow nods. "Jimmy's alright. Quite the geek, but he knows his stuff. A bit shy around the girls, sort of like you." With that, she is off to wander the floor and you see her intercept Ginger, who seems to be taking a drink back over to the gunman's table. Ginger smiles and nods before continuing her trip back to the man's booth. She puts the drink down and bends low over him before more money changes hands and she begins to give him a good lap dance.

He watched Willow's departure, his eyes following her until she met up with Ginger. A movement from his hands, a flicker of fingers, and the feed to the backroom Ginger and her client had occupied was turned off. From there he followed Ginger's movements until she met up with the gunman again. His attention did not linger there long before sweeping across the crowd, taking the throbbing mass of meta-humanity in until he found the members of the Smoking Guns who had come in upset only to be pacified by feminine charms and liquor. Annex made sure they continued to pose no obvious problem then checked on the outside feeds. He sized up the line outside.

That could turn into a problem. A crowd of people outside, exposed in the Barrens at night. What the Willow Tree needed was a solid Host for patrons to visit via the Matrix. It could bring money from outside the Barrens, but would take a hefty some to set up. It was also another reason he was thinking about this Jimmy person. In any event, Annex rotated through camera feeds and making visual sweeps of the interior by eye as an unrushed pace.

Friday 14 June 2075 2300 Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


Everything stays mostly noisy but not beyond your limit except for two occasions when you had to step in to escort a patron to the door. The crowd is mostly men, but there are a few women, some of whom cheer just as loudly as the men do. Twice, you notice women pay for time with a girl in the back rooms. After a couple of hours, Willow stops by your booth and sinks into the seat, fanning herself. "This is going to be a good night for the club. I have seen men here tonight from outside the neighborhood, so word must be getting out. Frag, I may have to hire a couple of girls for Friday and Saturday nights if this keeps up. I hesitate to ask, but do you think Talia might be interested?"

When Willow came to the security booth Annex gave her his attention. Or at least a reasonable percentage of it. He still kept an eye on the activity in the room, looking between the real world, monitors and the woman next to him in a practiced fashion that almost seemed casual.

"The Willow Tree seems like it has the potential to become something big. I had to ask Grok to start a line over two hours ago. Should have told him to do it sooner. That sort of limitation goes out the window the day you get a Host."

When his employer asked about Sevras getting involved outside the kitchen Annex tensed. His initial reaction was to say 'no'. But the truth was, he did not know if something like that would interest the drone. As protective as he was of the machine, he did not keep it on a leash. He had always treated it like a companion and partner. Not a tool, device, or slave. But he did know Sevras did not have the autosoft to fill the role. No dancing. No socially applicable ones either. Nothing related to sex work. At that thought, the idea of random men pawing at her, a jealous heat roused in him like a subdued rage. He waited for it to pass. Put the thought out of mind. Annex was silent for little too long, he realized. His response finally came a neutral and stoic tone of voice.

"You would have to ask her. However, I know that I would not be able to concentrate on my work if she chose to."

Friday 14 June 2075 2301 Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


Willow smiles. "Well, we will just forget that option, then. I am sure that I can find temp help for the busy nights. I just thought I would offer." She motions to the crowded room. "What do you think? This is usually our busiest night, but tonight seems busier than normal. Certainly the number of requests to visit the back rooms has increased. Maybe it's because people are happy to still be alive after the Monday thing. We will see, but tonight is good."

While you are sitting at the booth with Willow, Ginger walks over with her serving tray as if to take drink orders. "Fruit juice, Oliver? And Mr. Jameson has agreed to meet here tomorrow. He will come up the back way at ten in the morning, if that is alright?"

What did Annex think? He considered a lot in a short amount of time. There were potential logistical issues. If this were not limited to an end of the week event the Willow Tree would miss out on revenue from clients not served who either moved on or waited outside in line. Success required expansion of some form. A Host was the most efficient. Investment in VR rigs to be rented out to clients was another business opportunity. Then there was increased threat level. Willow mentioned new faces from outside the neighborhood. Word spreading meant other interests would eventually want to exploit the Willow Tree's success. The brothel was, in his opinion, undermanned and lacking in sufficient security measures given the environment. In the short term there was the influx of currency that could be invested in cornering the drug and chip trade in the neighborhood. There was more too, Annex's mind was constantly at work scrutinizing and planning out potential scenarios, and not just on a singular topic. The response he gave was a great deal more mild, belying the intensity of thought behind his eyes.

"In the eighteen hundreds miners and men working on the railroads would spend the majority of their earnings having a good time with prostitutes. The prostitutes would then spend that money on day to day goods and services, feeding money into the local economy. They kept their towns alive. What is good for the Willow Tree is good for the community."

It was spoken and described more encouraging and upliftingly than one would expect when talking about the sex trade. When Ginger came up to the booth he looked at her to acknowledge the woman's presence. A subtle nod followed when as asked about the juice and looked for a confirmation on the meeting time and location.

"Yes, on both accounts. Thank you."

Friday 14 June 2075 2303 Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


Willow looks pensive. "So, you are saying that I should expand? That seems a lot of risk. And a lot of money?"

"No. I was talking about how prostitution could be an economic stimulus."

Annex gave Willow a brief curious look. He had thought about expansion potential, but said nothing about it aloud. In earlier conversations he had alluded to it. That did not seem to be what the woman was referencing though. He remained quiet for a short time before finally commenting on the concerns she had brought up.

"Expansion is risky, yes. Stagnation is a poor business model though. It leaves you vulnerable to hostile takeover. If you get into the drug trade, that gives you another revenue source however. Extra money that could be invested into your brothel business. You do not even need another location. With the Matrix you could have girls working in VR or AR with clients. Clients that could be anywhere in the world."

Friday 14 June 2075 2303 Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


Willow is not completely convinced. "Do you really think VR sex would sell? I have never really thought of it much. But if it does sell and people can do it from their homes, someone must already be doing that somewhere. So why do these men keep coming here to see and slot the real thing?" She shivers a bit. "Are you talking about a host here?"

Annex did not talk as though he were trying to convince Willow to take a certain course of action. He was sharing ideas. Proposing options. Giving her something to think about. Perhaps to strive for. He did not argue for the idea, instead her questions were met with more suggestions. Suggestions on how she could get the answers to her questions and better inform herself rather that relying on one outsider's perspective.

"You can ask your customers questions. Gauge the interest level and see if it is worth it to you. Do some research into the VR sex scene. Consult with someone who has knowledge of the Matrix to see what your options are."