Thursday 13 June 2075 1158 The Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


Willow laughs softly. It is a nice laugh; pleasant to the ears. "You better be running, then. We open for the first customers in about two minutes, although there is little chance we will have more than a few customers until 1600. That is when the girls start working the stage and this place can be a zoo all the way up to closing at 0400 tomorrow morning when we close. Feel free to look around to get your feel. The hallway out of the kitchen leads along the side of the building to a door to an alley in the back. Otherwise the only door is the front one. I will leave you to your tour." She goes out of the room with you and heads back to the stairs going down to the ground floor.

Once Willow exited the room he closed he door behind her. He listened to what the woman had to say without interjecting and did not have any comment to make when they parted ways. Since he was already on the second floor Annex walked the hallways and checked angles, distances, and looked for any side rooms that were not meant for business use or sleeping areas. Closets and the sort. He did not want to barge into anything private. Windows, too, were noted before he headed down stairs. At the foot of the stairway he paused to give the main room a look over, marking the activities of any customers that had entered. The he resumed his exploration, checking on that door to the alley that willow had mentioned. A mental note was marked of the barrier's material composition as he made sure it was locked.

Lastly he made his way back into the main room and took an accounting of the stage and, if it had the space to support it, the area behind the stage as he looked for blind spots or other things he may need to be aware of later on. Finished with his brief tour of the inside of the building he monitored the main room with the bar and stage for a bit. Unless there was anyone who looked like they needed to be kept track of, he decided to heed the advice he had been given earlier and speak with Grok before things picked up.

Thursday 13 June 2075 1202 The Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


The hallway to the right of your room goes past several doors on either side before it ends against a wall with a window that overlooks an alley behind the building. One of the doors opens to a small bathroom with three toilet stalls and a small shower stall. Two sinks and a long, cracked mirror line the wall adjacent to the door. There are no windows in the room. The shower stall has a plastic curtain and a sigh indicating that showers are to be limited to no more than five minutes of hot water. The door immediately prior to the bathroom is a utility closet with a large sink, some cleaning supplies, and a supply of toilet paper for the bathroom. The other doors appear to be to bedrooms and you have decided to not enter any of those at this time. Returning to the stairway and continuing down the hallway, you pass more doors, one of which is marked as a linen closet. At the far end, someone has removed the walls from what was probably one of the rooms on each side of the hall and created a small common room. Several chairs and a couch are arranged in front of an older model trid screen and two windows overlook the street outside.

From the foot of the stairs, the main room is mostly centered about the largish stage that sticks out from the wall. The stage is bare except for a floor to ceiling pole at each side. A bank of lights has been built into the edge of the stage to shine up at the dancers. A once bright red curtain looks like it gives access to the stage from the rear. Chairs line the edge of the stage with small tables and a few booths set farther back. There is a small area off to the side that has two pool tables for those who are tired of looking at the girls. Currently, there are five men inside the building, two at the bar and the others three have taken possession of one of the booths. A girl is carrying a tray of drinks to the booth and another is talking up the two men at the bar. Light music is playing and two girls are shooting pool. The door to the alley is made of wood and would not withstand much of an assault to force it open. It is locked.

Going back to the stage area, you note that another man has entered the room and taken a seat at one of the small table and is talking to a girl taking a drink order. You can step onto the stage, whereon the three men at the booth will yell at you that you are not good enough looking to be on the stage, which they find to be very funny. Poking through the curtain, you see a narrow corridor that leads to the right behind the stage. Following it takes you to the dressing room for the girls, several of whom are here. All are dressed and sitting around, smoking and chatting. There is a large monitor on one wall that gives them a view of the main room from several angles. A cute redhead looks up from a pad she is looking at and smiles. "Well, look who we got here, girls. Welcome to the Willow Tree, Oliver. I am Kandy. This is Erma, that is Delight, and over there are Gabby and Diamond. The others are on the floor. Can we help you with something?"

Teasing jeers from the trio at the booth were just background noise to Annex, and ignored as he slipped behind the curtain. Following the corridor to the dressing room, he knocked at the door before opening it up. Blue eyes swept over the room and it's occupants before settling initially on the red head to greeted him. A polite smile was offered.

"Thank you for the welcome Kandy. Ladies."

Looking up from Kandy his eyes moved to each woman as they were named and introduced to him. A nod was offered to the group by way of greeting.

"I do not mean to intrude. Just taking a look around the building."

Focusing his gaze on the monitor he at first began comparing the camera angles to his mental image of the main room, considering if improved coverage was needed. Then he debated the merits of having such a monitor here, in the dressing room. If one were to consider each of the women who used the dressing room on a regular basis as a security asset, it was not a poor idea.

"Seems as though I have found the Willow Tree's security control center."

The man's eyes lingered on the monitor in uttering that statement. As though using it as an explanation for his comment if any question about it were to arise. Not intending to trouble the women needlessly, nor linger and socialize, he took a single step back out the door in preparation to depart before extending an offer to anyone who was interested.

"If any of you want to act as an extra pair of eyes, monitoring the main floor from here during your down time, let me know and I will send you my comcode."

Thursday 13 June 2075 1205 The Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


The girls all giggle a bit and look at each other. They all raise their hands and Kandy says, "Thanks Oliver. We will all volunteer if you give us your code. We watch the monitor all the time to see when another server is needed on the floor and we used to give warnings if we saw something about to happen that the Captain might have missed."


OOC: Sorry. I did forget the name thing. I edited the last post to correct that.

Annex gave the group a suspicious look when the broke down into giggles. It was the sort of suspicious look that was more lighthearted than actually suspicious. When he saw the hands go up, and Kandy confirmed that they would all volunteer, he sent his contact information to the comlink icons connected to the women in the dressing room.

"The assistance is appreciated. I hope your performances go well tonight."

With that last bit of good will extended to the women he stepped out of the doorway and pulled the door shut behind him. Then, turning about, he retraced his steps. Down the narrow hallway, through the fading red curtain, off the stage, and back to the floor. Walking the perimeter of the floor, he monitored the room for a few minutes to make sure things were still peaceful. As long as that was the case he would allow himself the time to visit Grok at the front door.

Thursday 13 June 2075 1207 The Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


As you close the door behind you, one of the girls calls out. "You watch us and judge for yourself."

Back in the main room, you notice nothing amiss. One more man has come into the club and is sitting at the bar but apart from the others already there. One of the two girls ferrying drinks to the men sitting on the floor passes near you and flashes you a big smile. Her chest is a tad smaller that some of the other strippers here, but her costume shows off what she has in a very favorable way. Walking through the door into the foyer is like walking into another world. The beat of the music is suddenly shut off and you are exposed to sunlight again. The warm temperature is a bit offset by an overcast sky and a promise of afternoon rain. Grok is standing at his desk, although there is a stool there. As he turns to greet you, you notice a monitor on the wall above the outer door that allows him to see split screens of the street outside to right and left, the inner door from inside the room, and the main room. He stretches out a hand. "Hey, Oliver. Nice to have you on board. Done this sort of thing much?"

On entering the ante room Annex initially looked outside gauging the light, weather, and street traffic. Then his eyes rose when he glimpsed the monitors over the door. Something he had overlooked on entering. Not many people looked over their shoulders as they walked. A mental note was made of the camera coverage at Grok's disposal before he brought his focus back to the door man himself.

"I have done something like it before."

When Grok extended his hand he reached out and took hold of it. Gripping firmly without shaking. After a few seconds he released his hold and returned his hand to his side. The Orc's question about his experience brought a brief flash of security details on corporate facilities, shipments, and personnel escort assignments. The snippets of memory were brief flashes through his mindscape and Annex did not linger on them. Maneuvering himself to the side of the desk Annex stood so that Grok would not have to stand with his back to the door in order to speak with him.

"You have my comcode already, so if you think there is someone I should keep an eye on let me know. Is there anything you feel I should be made aware of before things get busy?"

Thursday 13 June 2075 1210 The Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


Grok nods. "Yeah, I got that. As for people to watch, there are some around here that are trying to fill the vacuum left when the Roadies were wiped out on Monday. No one yet with enough muscle, but there are some wannabe's if you get my meaning. So far it looks like a race between two small gangs trying to get bigger; the Smoking Guns and the Lightning Strikes. Both gangs have about four members right now, but are already trying to flex their muscles on the local businesses. They do not like each other and there has already been blood shed over this. I will let you know if any of them come into the club."

Annex stood with his back to the wall, without leaning against the wall. He listened to what Grok had to say. It went along with what he had heard from Ni Ni, with the details of a neighborhood native adding in more details. He mulled the information over. Anything that could become a threat, was a threat. A singular nod was given though, when the Orc informed him that he would let him know if any of the gangers showed up.

"It would be best to keep them, or any other gang moving in, small. Making sure potential recruits have other beneficial attachments in the community would help."

The time stamp in his AR was checked. He did not want to distract the Orc from his work too long, and he had his own to get back to. Even if things were as yet calm compared to what laid ahead for the evening. Taking a step toward the interior good he signaled with his body language that he was preparing to head back inside.

"After work I would like to have a sit down with you. There are some things we could do to make the Willow Tree's security a bit more solid without spending a fortune and I want to get your input before talking to Willow about it. If you have some ideas, I would like to hear them as well."

Thursday 13 June 2075 1213 The Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


Grok nods. "Will do, and thanks. I do have a couple of ideas." As you turn away, a young man approaches Grok, who nods and hits the button to open the door so you and the man can enter the club.

Inside, the music comes from hidden speakers and you see the two waitresses carrying trays among the few people already in the audience. Willow comes up to you and places a finger against your chest. "Inspired idea to ask Talia to do some cooking. She has turned out some nachos that seem to be a very big hit. Since we have lots of chips and cheese, we can provide a lot of that." She motions to the room and stage. "So, what do you think so far?"

Walking back into the main room he slowed his pace to meet Willow half way when he saw her moving towards him. Before stopping he moved out of line of the door and positioned himself so that he could not be approached from behind. When he pressed her finger to his chest he gave her a look that suggested that kind of familiar touching was not welcome. It was brief though, and when she talked to Sevras' nachos being well received he appeared pleased.

"That is good to hear."

His eyes remained on Willow ask she talked, for the most part. He listened, but was alert to the world beyond the sphere of their conversation. Using his peripheral vision until something caught his eye and his attention shifted to that until he could mark it off as something he did not need to concern himself with. Willow's gesture to the room gave him an excuse to pull his eyes away from her and scan over the main room without looking as though his attention were being diverted away from what she was saying. After taking the room in he brought his eyes back to the woman in front of him.

"The staff is welcoming and is willing to work together. That is important. The building could use some security improvements in places, but has potential. How long have you been running the Willow Tree?"

Thursday 13 June 2075 1215 The Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


Willow smiles. "If you stay long enough I might share all the sordid details, but the really short story is that a man named Karl left it to me almost three years ago. I would love to hear your ideas on improving the security here, but there is a very finite amount of money I can put into that. Come see me a bit later and we can talk in my office." She smiles and walks away to talk to a customer. As your eyes follow her, you cannot help but notice that she really does look good walking away. You also see one of the customers talking intently with one of the waitresses before the man stands and the two walk off to disappear behind a curtain to the side of the bar that had been obscured from your earlier sweep of the room.

Annex was not a butt man, but he certainly appreciated a nice pair of legs and as Willow walked away he couldn't help but watch her's retreat from him. Just for a couple seconds. Then his professionalism kicked back in. Later when he caught sight of the customer having an extended conversation with one of the waitresses he took careful note of the interaction between the two. How both were acting. As long as the waitress did not appear to be under any kind of duress, Annex made no move to intercede. Seeing the curtain at the side of the bar he suspected it to be an area for one on one encounter between the female staff and customers looking for personal attention.

Moving towards the bar he walked past the curtain, listening for sounds of conflict. He did not stop though, not unless he heard sounds of violence of discord. Instead he continued on to the bar. There he waited for the old bartender to finish up with any orders before signaling him over for a brief word. When he came over Annex made a brief gesture to the curtain.

"Is that an area for private dances?"

Thursday 13 June 2075 1220 The Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


You get no feeling of distress of any kind from the waitress talking to the customer and there are no sounds of conflict from beyond the curtain, although your ears may pick up some sort of sounds of pleasure. When the bartender gets away and comes over to you, he nods at your question. "Yeah. Most the time the private lap dances are done in one of the booths, but sometime the customer does not want to share any of it and they go back to one of the rooms behind the curtain. That is where they go for sex, too. if that is what is agreed on." He pauses to wipe at the counter in front of you. "Say, if you don't mind my asking, what are you doing down here? You don't seem quite the sort to just happen to pop into this part of town looking for work. I can recognize experience when I see it and you have it. More than enough to get a job in a better part of town and certainly one that pays better. You can tell me if it none of my business and I will drop it, but just remember that I care what happens to the girls here and I want to see none of 'em hurt, right?"

A singular nod of acknowledgement was given when his suspicion was confirmed. He was looking towards the stairs leading to the second floor when Mike asked about his reason for being here. Though Annex did not say it aloud, when he looked to the older man it was easy to pick up that he was not going to share any details, but he was polite enough not to tell him to step off. Instead he gave the other man a reassuring smile. The sort that said they were on the same team, and his words backed it up.

"Rest assured, I want to keep the people here safe as well."

After that statement he turned his head and pointed at the stairs with his eyes to draw attention there without being so obvious as to gesture with a limb. A couple seconds later he looked back to Mike, fixing his eyes on the man's face.

"I take it up stairs is off limits to customers."

Annex waited for confirmation. Earlier he had though it might have served a dual purpose of living and work area. Now with the curtained off sex rooms known to him, it appeared there was room for a clear line between work and off duty spaces. Which was something he approved of.

"Thank you for you time. I will let you get back to work."

Before moving away from the bar he gave the man behind it a chance to add anything he felt he needed to. Then Annex would move away to walk the perimeter of the main room.

Thursday 13 June 2075 1222 The Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


Mike nods at the question. "No customers upstairs. All work is down here, whether it be working the stage, the floor or the back rooms. It is a good arrangement and Willow makes it stick."

As you walk the floor, you are approached by a girl that has come from the stage curtain to take the place of the waitress who is off with the customer. She offers you a tall glass. "Juice, Oliver?" She points to a small booth located with its back to a wall. The booth is slightly elevated above the floor and gives a very good view of the room. "The Captain used to sit there on occasion. It is reserved for you if you want to do the same."

On noticing one of the waitresses make their way towards him Annex slowed his patrol of the room to a gradual halt. At the offer of a beverage he raised his left hand to accept the glass. Briefly his eyes flickered to the liquid inside. He sniffed it, checking for the scent of alcohol before taking a small testing drink. He doubted anyone at the Willow Tree wanted their security intoxicated, but Annex preferred to verify rather than trust when it was affordable to do so.

"Thank you for the juice."

He could appreciate the sweetness of even artificial fruit flavoring, but whether it was alcoholic or not Annex did not dive in and drink the juice down right away. In fact he did not touch it beyond the testing taste he initially offered. Instead lowering the container to waist level as the woman spoke with him. When she gestured to a lone raised booth Annex's eyes followed the path f her hand to the seat. The Captain's Chair, as it were. It appeared useful in a crowded room. More so for coordinating if there were a second man to remain mobile. A quick visual inspection was made, checking for anything that stood out beside the height and positioning near the wall before he looked back to the woman in front of him.

"I may do that later."

Annex did not press on and walk away, but neither did he try to engage the woman in small talk. Instead he seemed willing to listen to her if she had more that she wanted to say.

Thursday 13 June 2075 1224 The Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


The woman does not engage in small talk but she does smile and say. "You are welcome. You don't say much, do you?"

The drink gives you no indication that it is alcoholic or spiked in any other way. The single taste you allow yourself provides you with no feeling of decreased perception or abilities. From your location you do not notice anything special about the small booth other than as already described. The girl smiles again and walks off to see to a customer.

The answer to the woman's, likely rhetorical, query was ... silence ... followed by a drink being taken from his glass of juice. As though the quiet were there purposely. After she walked off to see to the establishment's customers Annex resumed moving about the room. His pace was unhurried, and his route taken showed no defined pattern, yet somehow gave him a good deal of coverage over the room as he went. During his walk Annex brought up his glass and took a drink of his juice on occasion. Enough to moisten his mouth or apply some flavor to the bland taste of his own saliva after prolonged periods. When the container was eventually emptied he adjusted his route to take him by the bar, and placed the glass down there.

Thursday 13 June 2075 1245 The Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


Mike is down at the other end of the bar and acknowledges you with a wave and mouths a question of whether you need another. Forty-five minutes into the opening and there are still only a handful of customers in the room. You do note when the waitress and client return from the private room. The customer seems quite happy and takes a seat and a drink while the waitress gives him a slow kiss and returns to her duties. Willow comes out from somewhere and walks about the room for a bit, stopping at each table to speak to the customers.

Seeing Mike at the other end of the table mouthing his unvoiced question, Annex gave a slow shake of the head. He did not need to fill himself up with fluids to the point that he was running to the bathroom. That would have been unproductive and left a gap in the establishment's security. Something it was, in his opinion, already lacking. Annex was good about watching without getting involved. He took note of the interplay between people in the room, watching them, but not so long that it became intrusive before his attention moved on. Special note was given to Willow's socializing with the customers when she came out. He paid attention to how she acted around them and how they treated her. It was important to understand how the woman was perceived, and treated, by those in her community.

Thursday 13 June 2075 1300 The Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


You note that you do get some attention from a few of the customers as you roam about. Willow is comfortable with the customers and most seem respectful, although it is still a bit early to have a lot of drunks in the room. You note that she shakes her head a couple of times to one particularly persistent customer, who eventually relents and sits back in his chair. You get a tone on your 'link from Grok. >>Hey, Boss. Two of the Lightning Strikes guys are coming in. I gave 'em the pitch about staying out of trouble and they agreed, but I thought you should know.<<

Immediately after the message, you see two men enter the room and head straight to a small table near the stage, but not quite at the front row.

The situation between Willow and the persistent customer was monitored and Annex made sure he was nearby if he pushed too hard. At least until the matter was over. Then he moved on. As for being watched himself, he did not seem to mind. Operating as security and being seen as such was part of the job. Some time later an icon flashed in his AR signaling an incoming message. He checked the sender, then accepted once he saw the name listed as Grok. Annex listened to the door man's report. At hearing the arrival of two gang members he turned his attention to the door and as they come through he took captures of their faces. Each one was then filed away into an AR folder set of for notes on Lightning Strike members.

>>Acknowledged. Did you check them for weapons?<<

Thursday 13 June 2075 1302 The Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


>>No obvious weapons on these mooks, but I got no way to check for 'ware with certainty.<<

A waitress comes over to take the orders from the two men, who seem to give her a bit of a hard time before they relent and place an order. They are not particularly paying attention to any of the girls walking about, but are looking around. One catches your eye and nudges his companion, but then they settle down.

The search issue was not pressed any further than that one query, Grok's answer being satisfactory given the circumstances. There was the routine acknowledgement that a message was received and understood, however. Annex paid close attention to the two Lightning Strike members and the waitress attending to them. The man readied himself to intercede if things escalated, the woman showed signs of duress, or gave him a signal. None of that happened though. Subtly he was moving closer, at the periphery of the room, but tactically positioning himself all the same. Once the men noticed him and settled down the intensity of his scrutiny diminished and he moved away.

Thursday 13 June 2075 1400 The Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


By 1400, the place was a bit busier, with several men staking a claim on the chairs at the edge of the stage and several of the smaller tables. Two men had come in and taken one of the booths and had immediately arranged fro a pair of lap dances. Th girl who performs for them is lithe and moves with a sensuous grace as she begins dancing for one then the other of the customers. You note that this is clearly not the sort of strip club where the customers have a no touching rule as these two guys have their hands all over the girl as she strips for them and teases them by sitting on their laps and wiggling her butt. Immediately after the dance, one of the customers slips something to the waitress and she takes both of them by the hand and leads them across the room to the curtain near the bar. One remains outside, waiting, as the first goes in with her, but his wait is not too long and soon he takes the place of the man who emerges from the curtain with a smile on his face.

Several men have migrated to the pool table area and are sharpening their skills with the two waitresses stationed back there.

The higher the population of customers, the more the chance of one of them starting some kind of trouble increased. The probability was furthered as well by the longer customers imbibing intoxicants stayed. So as time went on Annex paid attention to the mood of the crowd and the general number of drinks the people that stayed longer were having. It was not an easy thing to learn everyone's quirks from walking around and observing people, but Annex studied people watching for personality types and especially those that might clash when intermingled. He was not writing detailed psychological profiles in AR, but he did take note when something stood out to him.

Annex was normally at a distance. Watching but not interacting with people. For the most part his attention was not on one of the waitresses specifically, unless they were interacting with one or more of the customers. The he looked for cues that suggested they might need him. Fortunately that did not happen within the second hour of the Willow Tree's opening.

Thursday 13 June 2075 1500 The Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


By 1500, some of the earlier customers have left, apparently here only for a drink or two. The two gangers appear to be nursing their second drinks and are quite sober. One of the waitresses will go behind the curtain with a man on occasion and you certainly do not hear any complaints about that activity from the men. All in all, things are pretty calm, although you can sense a certain pulse in the air, a slight sense of anticipation. You have been on your feet in the room for about three hours.

Annex could sense the rising sense of anticipation in the room and he had a good idea of what it was. The girls were going on stage in about an hour's time. He wanted to rest his feet, hydrate, and get some food in him before then. About half 1530 seemed good to him. Until then he remained mobile. Assuming nothing of note happened by then he planned to head to the bar and ask for refreshment, and gave instruction for some food and drink to be sent up front to Grok. The Annex relocated to the elevated observation booth. There he settled down to eat and drink during a brief break. Well, it was almost a break. He was still keeping an eye on things despite his consumption of food and drink.

Thursday 13 June 2075 1530 The Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


Several more customers come in over the next half hour and you think that two were here earlier and left. When you order some food, Mike tells you that Grok has been taken care of and tells you that he will send something out to the booth. When you get there, you see the "reserved" sign and as you slip onto the padded bench you realize that it feels good to get the load off your feet. You can see that you really do have a pretty nice view of the floor from here, but you also notice that there is a small console of buttons in the arm rest. Experimenting, you get a trideo screen to pop up in front of you at the edge of the table. More experimenting and you bring up several cameras scattered about the building. Flicking among the cameras lets you see just about everything in the main room, the girl's dressing room, all four of the private entertainment rooms, the kitchen, the bar, and the front entrance.

The booth might have been comfortable, but Annex was not a man of comfort. As much as he doted on Sevras when he could, his own accommodation were kept Spartan. Comfort bred contentment. Contented people dropped their guard. Became soft. Lost their edge. The way Annex felt was not so much a thought process as something that had been engrained into him. That aversion had been developed from years of conditioning and spoke to him whenever he allowed himself anything too comfortable or approaching luxury. As it was Annex focused on the practical implements built into the booth as he experimented with the security suite's array of cameras. He had suspected as much from the Captain's Chair. It would be a good station from which to organize a small security team. As it was, manpower was too short. That meant a visible presence was needed to help detour undesirable action, as well as mobility to quickly respond to trouble. Still, he familiarized himself with the tools at his disposal while waiting for his order and watching the main room with both his eyes and the aid of unseen cameras displayed on the trideoscreen.

Thursday 13 June 2075 1540 The Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle



Your food arrives at the table and you can see Sevras' handiwork. Somehow, she has been able to get more than nachos out of what is in the kitchen. As you eat and look around at the cameras, you see that the girls in the dressing room are getting ready for the evening and several are in some stage of disrobing and putting on some sort of costume wear. They either do not know that they are on camera, or are so used to it that they are not bothered. Splitting your time between the cameras and keeping eyeballs on the main room, you notice that most of the chairs on the stage rail are taken now, as are most of the small tables. A few booths remain empty, but probably not for long. Willow waves to you from down on the floor and flashes you a very pretty smile.

Annex ate and drank with his left hand. Even though it was not his prominent hand. That kept his right free for actions that required precision and speed. Like drawing and shooting his sidearm. Though he had the ability to, Annex did not do much checking of the cameras that allowed his a view of the dressing room or the private sex rooms. The man was very focused on his work, not the body parts of the sexy women that populated the Willow Tree. He was just finishing up his meal when he saw Willow waving to him from the floor. After washing down the last bit of food in his mouth with the remainder of his drink he locked down the table's trideo screen. Then he slid out of the booth and made his way over to Willow.

"Did you need something from me?"

Thursday 13 June 2075 1545 The Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle



Willow looks at you as you approach her and smiles as she slips an arm into yours and walks about the room with you. "No, I was just waving. The first dancers will be on stage in a few minutes and then it gets busy. Business will pick up a lot when the after-dinner crowd starts to roll in at about 1930. This place is hopping, just wait."

"So, getting a good feel for the room?"

When Willow tried to link arms with him Annex slowly pulled his away and gave her a look that said she should not do that. It was not blatantly rude, more ... corrective as one might when there was a breach in etiquette. He had not qualms walking with her around the room, though he maintained a certain distance, and gave her warning looks if she tried to get inside his personal space. Other than that he was relaxed in a quiet and alert sort of way. His muscles were relaxed anyway. His mind was constantly working through something. But he listened to Willow what she talk, looking at her and giving her his attention, and making eye contact to let het know with body language more than words that he was paying attention to her. The answer to her question was a nod. But sensing she wanted conversation he went on to add an observation.

"You seem excited. Is anything special happening tonight?"

Thursday 13 June 2075 1548 The Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


Willow gives you an odd look when you move her arm, but she shrugs and lets you have your space as you walk with her. At your question, she shakes her head at your question. "No, nothing special. Or, at least, not in the way most people think of special. I just like the whole entertaining bit, the sharing of what I have that can help others forget their troubles for even just a short time." She nods to the stage. "It has not been all that long since I used to be in the back room, getting dressed and listening to the crowd build up. There were lots of times that I was afraid that I would go out on stage and flop or that I would not be able to please a customer in one of the private rooms. All flutters and stage fright. I really was pretty good up there............and back there, too. The customers got their money's worth and a bit more. So I guess I can say that to me it is something special. As special as any night."

He did not pretend to relate to the woman's self described selfless inclinations. Annex listened without interjection, watching the woman's expression and body language as she talked about herself and her past. There was not any judgement from him, but he did study her in a way that was entirely nonsexual. When she finished explaining how the circumstances were special to her he turned his head and panned his eyes over the crowd. Giving the world beyond Willow more attention now that she was not speaking to him.

"It is good that you enjoyed your work. Not everyone is so fortunate."

After his eyes had taken a tour of the room, lingering here and there on a customer interacting with one of the staff, Annex turned his head to look at Willow again.

"Since you are fond of entertaining people, have you considered expanding on the Willow Tree's services?"

Thursday 13 June 2075 1550 The Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle



Willow shakes her head, her voice barely above the noise level of the music. "No, not everyone enjoys it. I think it is sort of a defense mechanism for me. After all, stripping and whoring is not how I saw my life turning out when I was a kid still living at home. But you roll with the punches or die out here, right? So I made myself enjoy it just to get through the dark days and now....................now I guess I do enjoy it, although I do not have to actually do much of it anymore now that I am the boss lady." She shakes her head again and her voice is firmer. "OK, it is time for me to go get things rolling. Good luck keeping in control of things here."

She leaves your side and moves through the crowd, headed for the stage. She walks to one end of the raised platform and climbs the two steps up, walking over to the center. The patrons are clapping their hands and whistling or banging mugs on tables as she stands at that part of the stage that juts a bit forward. Raising her arms causes the music to taper off significantly and brings the crowd noise much lower. When she speaks, her voice reaches every corner of the room. "Good evening! Are you ready to see some of the finest looking ladies in the entire sprawl?" The crowd goes wild for a few seconds then quiets down to a mere roar again. "Then let me start this off by welcoming Lily and Jasmine to the stage for your enjoyment. Remember to show your appreciation by doing more than clapping and cheering. These lovelies work hard to give you the best entertainment you will find. Thank you for coming out today."

She motions and two men seated near where she is standing help her step off the stage as the music kicks up again, this time to a different beat. Two of the girls slip through the curtain to wild cheers and go to the poles. They are both fully dressed in some sort of sexy school girl attire and they begin to move sensuously about the stage, using the poles at aids but not relying on them. At the end of the first song, both girls have removed none of their clothes and the crowd is urging them to bare it. They start to shed clothing during the second song of the set but leave it to the third song to finally strip the last vestiges of clothing away. The anticipation is apparently worth it as the number of scrip bills stuffed in clothing or tossed on the stage is impressive. The girls give the customers every opportunity to see exactly what they have before walking off the stage with their hands full of scrip. Kandy is next and she does a one woman show that seems to rivet the attention of the club patrons...........................

The noise volume is high and the crowded room is jumping as men move to and from the stage area and you experience first hand how difficult it is to control the situation. Willow had not been exaggerating when she said it would be a mad house.

Annex continued to walk with Willow as she approached the stage, neither moving ahead of her nor falling behind until she reached the stairs leading up to the stage. As they walked he spoke with her.

"If you do not mind, I would like to address the crowd before things kick off."

If she permitted it, Annex would follow her onto the stage but remain behind the woman in charge until she had finished her opening introductory to the evening. Or, if she preferred, he would speak ahead of her and remain on the stage with her until Willow finished talking. Then leave behind her, lending his presence to the woman's own and enforcing the image of Willow being a person of importance.



Otherwise Annex parted ways with Willow once she made it to the stage, then went about managing the room. If the crowd got too wild, he messaged the girls to remain backstage. Which was followed by a mass AR message to the crowd's informing them that they needed to settle down if they wanted the girls to come out and perform. He was quick to shut down troublemakers, not hesitating to throw someone out and inform Grok they were not to be let back in. Annex was not despotic in his action, but when the customers stopped acting like guests at the Willow Tree and more like animals, he acted. While Willow may have accepted the mad house environment, it was dangerous and thus he did not. So Annex went about weeding out those people who propagated it.

Thursday 13 June 2075 1605 The Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


Willow approaches you after you finish your speech and leave the stage. She looks a bit troubled as she moves off to the side with you. "I really wish that you had spoken to me first about what you wanted to say. This is a strip club, bar, and brothel. People come here to blow off steam and have a good time. They enjoy seeing the girls and some like having sex with them, and that is part of what constitutes being able to survive in the Barrens. This isn't one of the fancy clubs Downtown and there is a certain amount of rough we have to accept and live with. Yes, there are times when things can get out of hand, and you will need to step in and sort things. But you have to let the boys be boys and let some steam off in here. Can we agree to that?"

When he sensed Willow's approach Annex slowed to a stop and turned to face her. He was quiet as she spoke, listening as though what she had to said was important. Even after she finished talking he remained silent, giving her an opportunity to continue if she had felt a need to pause and gather her thoughts. When he explained his position there was a measure firmness in his tone. The sort of firmness a person had when they were certain about something. But there was also understanding, suggesting that he did not intend to crack down on people just for whooping and having a good time.

"Blowing off steam is one thing. But the crowd should not be allowed to get to the point where they become difficult to manage. This is your home. They are your guests. You dictate how they should act. Not the crowd. Allowing them to go wild not only hinders your security, it is disrespectful to you and puts your people in danger. Encouraging that is not something I can agree to. The aim should be to prevent things from getting out of hand, not waiting for them to get to that point. Part of that means maintaining a nonvolatile environment."

There was a pause and his demeanor shifted subtly. His posture was a little more ridged. The firmness was gone from his voice, replaced by a note of acquiescence that spoke of someone acknowledging another's higher station without actually being submissive to that station.

"I apologize if I took liberties or spoke out of turn, but I believe you should not have to accept anything from anyone that you do not want to."

Thursday 13 June 2075 1607 The Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


Willow nods. "I can accept what you say, to a point. It is easier to deal with situations before they become problems, but I hope that you know when to leave things alone. I would not support any activity here that endangers my girls, my staff, or my guests and I realize there is probably a fine line to knowing when someone having a good time is going to threaten someone. Just, please try to avoid jumping in too soon."

Annex listened respectfully to the smaller woman. Confident in his method, but not so inflexible as not to hear out the other's needs and guidelines. There was, perhaps, some miscommunication. Willow may have expected him to me more strict than he intended to be. After she had expressed what she wanted he went on to expand on what he had said to the crowd earlier. To him, it sounded perfectly reasonable and adequately lenient given the rugged and rough environment of the Barrens. Then again Annex favored order over anarchy. Still, he spoke by way of explaining, rather than defensively or argumentatively.

"I do not intend to toss anyone without a warning first unless it is something serious. As long as the crowd does not enter mosh pit territory I should not need to take measures to reign them in."

Thursday 13 June 2075 1610 The Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


Willow nods, looking a bit relieved. "Thank you, Oliver. I do appreciate your help. I think the mosh pit analogy is a good one and I would not want things to get to that state, either." She almost reaches out to touch your arm but withdraws her hand before it makes contact. Frowning a bit, she turns to go walking among the customers.

Things do pick up after the girls start dancing. A couple of men need to be separated when they both want a lap dance from the same girl at the same time, but the girl in question manages to settle things before you need to step in. You notice Sevras standing behind the bar talking to the bartender, who shrugs. She turns to look at you and motions you over.

When he saw a conflict starting to brew between two men interested in the same woman, Annex began to move closer to the exchange. Ready to intercede. But when he saw the dancer show signs of talking them down he slowed his pace and held back. When tensions finally abated he monitored the situation for a little longer, then pulled back when he was sure jealousies would note reignite. At the periphery of the crowd he took note of Sevras behind the bar. Curious about what might have brought her out of the kitchen area he observed her interaction with the bartender until she signaled him over. At which point he approached her, moving around to the side of the bar so that he would not have to lean over it to speak with her.

"How are things going in the kitchen?"

Thursday 13 June 2075 1613 The Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


Sevras nods to you. "At the rate of current consumption, I have enough cheese for tonight and two more nights. After that, the nachos will be chips only. And there are variables that I might not have accounted for."

>>Bossman, Grok here. We might have a situation out here. Got three members of the Smoking Guns who want access and we already have a couple Lightning guys inside. Let 'em in or not?<<

"I will talk to Willow about that. From what I have been told, we have not reached peak customer population yet. Willow has also told me people are enjoying your nachos."

After addressing the status update on the kitchen Annex paused to regard the drone a moment before he moved on t other matters.

"Is that what you wanted to speak with me about?"

While he was waiting for Sevras to respond a message was flagged from Grok and auto-played out in his ear. Annex did not respond right a while. Five potential hostiles in a crowded room was a potential scenario he would have to deal with. At the same time, being seen to show one gang favoritism was bad politics when neither had done anything untoward at the Willow Tree. As he gave his reply Annex signaled one of the waitressed resupplying at the bar to come to him.

>>Be sure to inform them that the Willow Tree is neutral ground and that if they cause any trouble inside or near the establishment they are gong on a permanent blacklist. Other than that, let them in unless you feel they are going to stir something up.<<

After sending his response to Grok he turned his attention to the waitress and spoke with her loud enough to be heard, but not enough that what he said would travel beyond them.

"We may be seeing some of the Smoking Guns crew soon. Politely remind the Lightning Strike boys that the Willow Tree is neutral ground and I will not hesitate to kick them out and bar them entry permanently if they act on their vendetta here. You may give each group a plate of nachos on me if you think it will help smooth things over."

Thursday 13 June 2075 1615 The Willow Tree Redmond Barrens Seattle


Sevras nods and moves back into the kitchen, Mike's eyes following her. When he sees that you have noticed, he nods and gives you a thumbs up signal before turning to fill an order.

>>Got it, bossman. I will make sure they know before letting them in.<<

The waitress nods and walks off to where the two Lightning Strike men are sitting at their table. You get a second's notice before the three Smoking Guns walk in. They stand near the door as their eyes adjust to the dim light of the room then move off to sit at a table a bit away from their competition. As you watch, you see Willow herself walk over to speak to them. A ragged cheer comes up from the men in Pervert Row as two dancers remove the last vestige of clothing and strut about to great appreciation.

Annex eyed Mike briefly. He did not appreciate anyone looking at his property with longing. There was no jocularity in him or desire to show off what was his to others. At the same time he did not currently perceive the old bartender as any kind of threat. He did not linger at the bar and once he saw the waitress was on her way to do as he asked, Annex moved away. The warning he receive from Grok about the Smoking Guns entry brought his eyes to the door. There he studied the three men who came into the room. Watching where their eyes went. For a time monitored the two groups of gang members, observing their demeanors and where their attention lay: the girls, each other, or their rivals. When Willow was finished speaking with the new arrivals and went on her way to some other task, he approached to speak with her.

"Talia says the cheese is going fast. If she runs short, can someone deliver? Or is there someone you are able to send to get more?"