"I prefer not to make enemies, but I certainly understand what being a part of this would mean in that regard. Shared responsibility. It's something, that is new for me. I have been pretty self-dependent so far. If there was a problem, I needed to come up with a solution. There was noone else around to rely on, usually. So, that would be a nice change, to have someone have your back at times. And, of course, that goes both ways. That requires trust, trust we still need to build, but hopefully we can get there."

"Great, I'll take your ration of enemies then." Bobbie grinned wolfishly
"Just so you can't say we didn't warn you - it does get rough at times. For example not too long ago we had to rescue a teenager from a kidnapping on the other side of the border. That was a very interesting evening with quite a bit of lead flying overhead. And kayaking.

Which brings me back to the more practical side of things: Support. When we are in the field on special missions, we have roughly three categories to fill and compliment each other:

Observation and data collation: Mato has some pretty good scanners to identify cyber, smells, things behind walls and long lost relatives interested in giving you money. AM and Trouble have that easy long distance surveillance locked down and I am good with auras and creating floorplans of a given area.

Negotiation and connection: Mato is our business guy with a pretty amazing range of knowledge. AM does this shy elven girl thing where people get so distracted that they don't watch what they are saying and I usually leave it at intimidating people.

Action and exfiltration: Pretty self explanatory, but Mato is build like a tank and can take on that role pretty much. AM likes to lift people to neutralize them - as well as hack their stuff. I'm in for rough and tumble style action - or if necessary turning people into sloths.

What can you add to that list?"

"Well, obviously, I'm a mage. So, I can enter the astral world completely, while leaving my physical body behind. That is pretty handy for scouting, even though the astral view sometimes makes it hard to see things, objects especially, you might be interested in. Those of you capable of seeing it, should know that, of course. I also know a spell, that is very handy in figuring out how many people, or living beings, there are in the area and where they are. It's great for avoiding trouble."

"As for the social stuff, I'm not a trained negotiator, but I have done some bartering. I'm decent enough at it, but certainly also something I can improve on. I'm good at fast talk and sweet talk and, well, leading people on, guys especially. That's pretty much how I got through life, so there has been a lot of practice in that area."

"I'm not a fighter. I guess, that's obvious enough. I generally stay away from trouble, as much as possible. But sometimes trouble finds you, and there are no other options. For me, that is last resort. I have no directly offensive spells, but I have some ways to deal with aggressors. And I can call upon help from the spirit world as well. I prefer to use distraction and trickery to deal with situations like that. If nothing else helps, I can also overpower someone's mind, but it is quite invasive and, frankly, not very nice. So, I tend to use that only when absolutely necessary."

Mato listens to Raven and nods. He files away that last point for future reference, although he doesn't want to dive into it deeply at the moment. Plausible deniability, perhaps.

~~~

Tamarind doesn't find any traps for her in the utility room except for a fat, hairy spider hanging in the middle of a large web that blocks access to the circuit breaker. The spider stands its ground and doesn't look inclined to move, even though Tamarind is 56,000 times bigger.

A drone could fly past the web to access the panel.

*This day keeps getting amusing*
I drive fast cars, wear male clothing, love firearms and matrix first-person shooters, and I learn to box. I never knit, do Yoga, go shopping, or gossip about boys (or whatever it is girls do). I thought he'd see me as a tomboy rather than a shy elven girl who distracts people. When did I become so "girly"? Was it one of the dresses I wore? I guess one can never know.



Trying to salvage her reputation, she comments Combat spells are for trids; if you go that route, guns and grenades are more reliable. I'd prefer to disable a person without long-term damage and make fewer enemies. Nobody Wants to run into an Inigo Montoya.

She asksWhy wouldn't you conjure a spirit to protect yourself in a combat situation?

Tamarind mutters something under her breath about not moving out of the wilderness to deal with bugs in houses. But while it isn't that she is bothered by spiders, she also has a healthy respect for the unpleasant surprises that nature can provide.

She brings up her RCC and flies Uncle through the spider web. His ultrasound sensors can't even pick up the gossamer strands but whether or not the little drone knows that they are there it still cuts through them like a cannonball. Up one side then across the top, cutting half the anchoring strands. Then she has it pull off a corkscrew pattern to use its air jets to blow the rest of the web to one side.

Then Tamarind re-sets the breaker, and retreats out of there. Entirely NOT thinking about some of the awakened varieties of spiders and what they could do to a person.

Returning to the others she only comments "no obvious cause, which says the whole system probably needs to be looked over to find the not-obvious or intermittent problem. Which might be that sprite.". She says that last word the way that some people say 'politicians' and other say 'taxes'.

Bobby nodded: "Sounds about right. So Tamarind, what can you add to support the team - I mean, obviously you have drones to spy from remote, engage with opponents and aid you. But those toys are expensive, aren't they? Would you risk them if one of us was in danger? Sacrifice that little dove, you seem to like so much, to get one of us out of trouble?
And what do you do, when drones aren't the answer? Can you adapt and salvage a negotiation or talk to a client if you must?"

The lights click back on with Tamarind's success.

The lights better illuminate the spider whose web was cut. The spider scrambles and scurries and would probably look proper pissed on the astral, not that Tamarind can see that.

"Thank you," Mato tells her.

He listens patiently as Bobby puts her through the wringer.

Tamarind takes a moment to visibly brace herself for answering Bobby. When she does her voice is somewhat soft, maybe a little resigned sounding, but certain. "I doubt that I'd salvage a negotiation much. I'm not charming or intimidating or good at analyzing people or even especially clever with words. I am a good listener, so I can get along well with people and can sometimes get people talking, but that is less useful in a negotiation or interrogation. I'm also a poor liar, I think that is why Captain Razzak likes making use of me -- he knows I'm not going to be playing a double game with him." She gazes off at some memory or possibly something in AR, then shakes her head at whatever it was.

"As for me, Tamarind, without drones, I'm still a practiced observer and good at being unobserved. I've mostly tailed people with drones or vehicles but could probably do a decent job on foot too. I'm fairly skilled at electronic warfare and that can be about a lot more than jamming signals and cutting through noise, although I'm not set up equipment-wise to take full advantage of that currently. I've used organizational decks in the past to play some tricks on gear. I might manage to get lucky on a trick or two with what I have now, but not as a routine function. But equipment can hopefully be remedied over time. I can shoot small arms, but I didn't stay in practice with larger weapons in my hands since I left the SDF in '61 and I'm sure I've lost my skill there."

The pigeon drone flies from her shoulders to one hand, and she resumes stroking it. "Yes, drones are expensive, and to be honest their value to me is about more than just nuyen. But if I join your association, risking my resources to save one of the rest of you would be implicit in the arrangement. A small group can be very effective, far beyond its size and resources, if it is willing to work together and make sacrifices for each other. If Beauty's taser was an important part of saving you, I would use her that way -- I'd prefer to find a better solution, but we don't always get what we want. She has heavily upgraded optical sensors, and I'm a better shot through her than with my own hands so she is also my best self-defense, so on top of my affection for her she isn't the obvious drone to send into danger, so if I have to use her that way then likely I've made a mistake or miscalculation. But if I join you and that is what is needed, it is what I would do. BUT"

She takes a couple of seconds to follow up on that, then speaks a little rapidly, obviously uncomfortable "But would you sacrifice anything to save my drones? They are expensive, they are my living, and yes I've been accused of treating them like pets or friends and I won't deny that I sometimes like their company more than that of most metahumans. They are not 'toys' and they are more than 'a line on the accounts ledger'" She says that last phrase like she is quoting it, but adding extra vitriol. When she continues her voice is a bit louder and a bit more expressive "I don't expect anyone to put their life on the line to save one, but if I infiltrate drones to observe a location, can I expect help in recovering them? If I send Beauty into battle on your behalf, will anyone do something to give me an opening to later retreat her? If one of my drones is lost and I'm upset about it, can I expect any understanding?"

She snags her Spy-Eye out of the air, then realizes she doesn't have her usual pockets in these clothes. After a moment she places it on the floor, where it rolls up against her foot. "Those effective small groups I talked about, they function only if there is mutual respect and loyalty. I understand that is what will be expected of me, but it is also what I'll expect in return."

Mato takes in Tamarind's speech.

<<I don't have any concerns>> he comms AM and Bobby.

His eyes dart to Raven. Her beauty is a double-edged sword, but he's willing to bet that he can stay on the side of the handle instead of the blade.

"As I said, we do things the Sioux way," he tells Tamarind. "Collectively and communally.

"We're not cold, dispassionate monsters," he says coldly and dispassionately. "We're not going to risk your drones unnecessarily. We will take appropriate risks to protect and retrieve them."

He leans forward and taps a piece of electronic paper that's in front of him. "They are lines on the account ledger," he says despite Tamarind's vitriol. "But that cuts both ways. That means they have value, and we protect things which have value. You're right that the emotional connection isn't always represented in the general ledger but you have my word that all risks will be reasonable. If you feel we are not being reasonable then the agency will acquire separate drones that may be employed more impartially."

Technically the emotional value of the drones could be reflected in a line item about goodwill, but Mato doesn't want to derail the conversation with a lecture about generally accepted accounting principles in the UCAS, however instructive that might be.

<<When you're satisfied, I'm ready to pivot to specifics>> he tells AM and Bobby.

AM responds You can count on me to make an effort, I use very expensive equipment as well. she comments truthfully.


>> I am satisfied.

"One should also understand, that people form emotional connections. I have seen that a lot. And also to what lenghts people sometimes go to keep them safe or retrieve them. So, it's not just money, sometimes these things aren't even worth anything at all, though, obviously, that is not the case here. It's also a piece of them."

<<Yeah, let's get into the guts of things.>>


"Alright. So with all that out of the way, let's talk about specifics:
Are you up for communal living with four strangers?
Are there any debts or obligations we should know about?
Any outstanding warrants or child support?
Can you operate a food processor without turning the kitchen into a battlefield?"

Bobby asked, changing the topic once again.

"And, to clarify, we are looking for more space than the current premises," Mato adds, gesturing to the surrounding office.

"It's common for one of us to be away at any given time, for business or personal reasons. This has usually meant three people around to cover day-to-day operations, but with this potential expansion there would be four."

Tamarind tosses Beauty into the air, letting the chromed pigeon fly around the room as the conversation takes an easier turn.

"I've spent most of my adult life living in groups most of the time, between the army and smuggler base support. I've lived on my own but it gets depressing after a time. I can prepare food for groups competently, be quick in showers, keep communal facilities tidy, all of that. And other than my drones I only have small amounts of material possessions or needs for space or privacy. I do have a van and it does have some minor modifications that make it more than a random vehicle. I don't particularly want to sell it but that is more of an accounting ledger issue; I'm willing to work with whatever makes sense for the group given available parking."

"I don't have any warrants. I am a Sioux citizen so have to pay taxes there, but Captain Razzak is about as close as I have to a current relationship to anyone there. My family have passed away, I don't have friends or lovers pulling me back there." She picks up Uncle from the floor and cradles him against her chest "I do have a small debt to a local mafia member -- I'd unfortunately just spent my free cash on some drone upgrades when I had to vacate the Front Range Free Zone suddenly due to GhostWalker's announcement. When I'd been in Seattle last I'd made some money doing freelance food deliver, and like everything else that required paying a cut to organized crime. Antonio and I are hardly friends but we understand each other well enough that he was willing to trust me with a small loan to cover travel and setting up here. Given that he had to trust that I'd actually come to Seattle, the exorbitant interest rates and pledges of drones as surety were actually quite reasonable. Her voice cracks a bit on that claim. "I appreciate his trust and hope to pay the loan off without undue delay."

"I have no problems with sharing a living space. No debts or obligations, no. No warrants either, and no children. I use protection, and so far that has worked pretty well. Food processor... I guess. Would help, if someone showed me how to properly use it, though. I'm not exactly great with tech."

Bobby nodded: "Been there, done that. Most of us had to repay quite a bit of loaned money, before we could finally make SIS profitable. No big deal.
And as for food prep: We'll make sure to get a place where we can also prepare food low tech style. We are getting quite good at it actually. We recently had a very successful party - and my personal goal is to eat better as a whole. A friend of us - Cutty - is interested in building a hydroponic garden on his roof and we are looking into how we can support him and get a share in it.

But first things first: I'm fine with giving both of you a chance - Mato, AM, what do you say?"

She smiles at the mechanic Pidgeon and comments We have four bedrooms, but we only use three as one is
a shrine and a workspace, and we do not sleep there. . She looks at Tamarind and comments " Technology is welcome at the lodge, so it can be a safe place for you to set up a desk.

She sighs and then says , and I feel committed to warning that my totem is Iktomi the spider, also known as the Trickster, the Destroyer, and Ksa bringer of wisdom. Iktomi is difficult, he makes us stronger, but he does that by taking advantage of our weaknesses. He gets us through inflexibility and pride, and his sense of humor requires a lot of humility to appreciate. Some would avoid me, and I cannot fault them for doing so.

"Interviews are two-way streets," Mato says. "Let's give them a chance to ask questions before they commit to anything."

He continues, "You'll likely want to know about salary and benefits. I can't give you any firm figures because our income varies month-to-month. We pay our communal bills and divide the rest evenly amongst ourselves.

"We don't currently have health coverage. A basic plan from DocWagon runs 400 to 500 nuyen a month per person. We may be able to get a group discount if we act collectively. Up until now we've been favoring debt reduction, but now that's mostly settled and, in light of recent events..." - a pregnant pause - "perhaps we can revisit it. But that would be a group decision and you would have a say in the matter.

"There's ample free time for personal development. The nature of the industry is boom and bust, which means long periods of inactivity punctuated by bursts of business. There are plenty of opportunities to pursue projects" he gestures to Tamarind's drones "travel, or study. Initiations are prioritized and encouraged."

He leans back and opens his hands slightly. "What would you like to know?"

"Even split? All five of us? That is more than fair!" Apparently Tamarind had not lied about not being a negotiator as she is open in her surprise and pleasure at that offer.

"I do have a few questions. When would you like us to start? Anything about local relationships we should know, like who we have to pay off and who we don't, or if the departed partner is around causing trouble? And most importantly, I want to hear about some of your investigations! It sounds like you have some stories already. And I can't wait to hear them."

She finds how people tell the story of their experiences says a lot about who that person is. Not always in a way that translates into defining words, but like she'd get to know how this vehicle was cranky in damp weather or that one always rattled.

Mato isn't much of a storyteller. His summary is largely factual.

"We get our fair share of cheating spouses," he says. "They keep a roof over our heads.

"Sometimes companies hire us to run background check of prospective employees. Not glamorous but it puts soy on the table.

"We've been hired to investigate kidnappings and then conduct the subsequent extraction. Sometimes we're hired proactively, either as consultants or an insurance policy. Being independent and not corporate-affiliated can be a differentiator. We have a reputation for discretion."

The unspoken implication is that Tamarind and Raven should continue that tradition.

"Local relationships are ... evolving. It is a time of change in Redmond. That explanation will take more time than we have at the moment.

"The departed partner has left town to pursue personal projects. If he is causing trouble, it is not in Seattle."

He omits mention of anything involving dragons.

"You would be eligible to start immediately. But if you need time to provide two-weeks' notice or to wrap up your current affairs then I would suggest starting on March 1st."

Tamarind laughs, and says "I'm good to go at any time, when GhostWalker gave us all our notice, if we didn't want to get stuck in Denver. I packed and told folks I was heading out, and did so. I literally got back into the 'Plex yesterday, I hadn't even hit up my old food delivery contacts about work. Like I said I've paid for a garage, with room for a single bed, a tiny shower, and basic food prep, so I have somewhere to sleep and park my van for a bit. I don't need to move in tomorrow, but I'm happy to start work, if only working out how to coordinate you all with drone surveillance, me understanding who can accept target lock on, figuring out how Em's hacking and my rigging can cooperate without conflicting, and that sort of thing."

"Oh, I also have one good sized drone, 'Toothless', a paramedic sort of thing, jaws of life, first aid kit, can drive itself through city streets at speed and climb up sufficiently strong walls so it has its uses, but it is about human size overall. Would you have enough room in your garage to park it here? Seems more likely to be useful than at my place, and it would open up a lot of space in the van."

AM says, "Just park the entire van here; I'll figure out where to put the Ford." She looks at Bobby and texts the team >> Perhaps Cutty would agree to keep an eye on the Ford until we sort things out? His place is close enough.

Then she continues You know Ghostwalker? What did he want exactly?

"Questions, yeah, I'm sure there will be questions. Can't really think of anything right now, that hasn't been said, yet. But there will be some, once we get the hang of this whole thing."

"So... that new place? Any idea when that will be ready? Would love to see it."

AM says, "These last months were good for business. We paid plenty of debt and made good progress. That said, they were bad for personal security. We started talking of renting a new place downtown, but since Jawsey wanted to leave, we had more pressing things to deal with. Don't get your hope too high; the new place would still be a compromise since downtown is expensive. Yet, the successful business belongs downtown just as Trees belong in forests rather than in deserts. In Redmond, our success would bring us unwanted attention, so when that attention does arrive we'll need to have a backup plan ready. It would be a communal decision, so you'll have a say in it as much as the rest of us."

"Oh, I love Downtown! One day, I want to get my own place there. The one I have here in Redmond currently is just terrible, a step up from before, but a far cry from where I want to be. So, you are still looking for a suitable place? If you want me to go look for some options, I would be happy to help."

Tamarind looks around the room a bit wistfully, she's only been here for half an hour but the place feels like a home. She hadn't realized how much that would appeal. The talk of them living somewhere else is a bit disappointing: will it have the same feel?

But she says none of that, not her place, at least not yet.

"Know GhostWalker? Maybe like you know former governor Brackhaven? The being in charge, powerful, has his own agenda. Earlier this month he ordered that everyone in the FRFZ had to either swear fealty to him or leave, and all other governments have to leave the zone. I was worried about war, and I worried about what he'd order next, and there was strange magical instability going on in the city -- metaplanar rifts is the rumour but I've not read any credible analysis of them yet. So I chose to leave. I think I was ready to go, anyway. I was hard to leave some of the Association owned drones, and to take only my own, but I didn't want to burn any bridges."

She nods at Tamarind's story, but her interest in politics is superficial. She is a bit more interested in the astral in Denver and its famous astral rifts, but visiting seems a bit off now - not that she travels a lot -- too much risk of burning her SIN. Too young to know governor Brackhaven, I was like ten or so when he ran for office, and I was living in Sioux. So you decided to avoid a war. That is very wise of you. Did you drive the whole way from FRFZ to here?

To Rachel, she comments We'll discuss that in due time, but yes, we'll use your help to find a place and negotiate well with the land lord. she takes a deep breath; her voice is tense. Downtown may look nice, but then she cannot carry her submachine gun to do shopping, and there are cops and SIN scanners which she was educated her entire life to avoid. "Iktomi sure loves to see me struggle," she thinks.

"Yes, I drove. It was why I had to borrow money, I knew predators would be taking advantage of the exodus. Ridiculous charges to re-charge my van or even to park for the night, having to pay for 'protection' when I parked, managing the border crossing to Salish-Sidhe ... it all adds up. And I should maybe mention that I entered Seattle on a fake SIN, a good quality UCAS one, the same as I was using in Denver. Well, as good as it can be when I look like I do. I do have a Sioux SIN, but I don't have any sort of permit for living her long term under it. I think it would be simpler if I can keep operating under my fake, so I hope we don't move anywhere that would make that hard? Or maybe I could stay here and help keep an eye on the offices?" She doesn't want to live apart from the others, but she also doesn't want to have to draw attention to where she is actually living.

"I plan to line up a few viewings in the next week - wanted to talk to my contacts first - the good places usually don't hit the market.
Oh and we want to keep people from finding out that we no longer live here primarily, so we still have to pretend to have a permanent presence here. Closing shop after dark and not being here is just an invitation for trouble - a drone or two could work wonders for keeping up appearances."

Bobby replied.

Tamarind is not at all sure that she likes the idea of leaving a drone here at night all on its own. It may help protect the space, but who is protecting it? Still, she can see the logic. Perhaps in time they could pick up something basic to take on that roll, so that the risk would not be to something that she has added heavy upgrades to.

"I'm willing to help view places, and everyone can fit into my van easily enough, but I'm not too picky. Other than Toothless, the emergency medical drone that I mentioned, my other drones are mostly pretty small and don't need much space. My right-hand helper Stitch is maybe medium dog sized but he is very handy to have around, so he doesn't so much need storage space as just to be aware that he'll be about. The others are all small, and I don't accumulate a lot of clothing, so fitting them in shouldn't be a problem."

"Were there work spaces that you were looking to add, for alchemy or summoning or electronics?"

AM takes a cookie and listens to the conversation. She feels a bit out of the water, realizing that moving elsewhere is happening sooner than she thinks. She has a high-level fake in the oven, and it will be delivered soon, but by that time, she'll need a large payday, and so far, the month is slow on big jobs.

We'll need a magical lodge - perhaps even two because I am not sure Raven can work in our current lodge. We can keep the Shamanic lodge here if we are tight on space. she looks at Tamarind You are probably being modest about it, but if we start offering drone services to our clients, you would need a place to store them and do some maintenance. So, we'll need a larger garage. Initially, I thought of turning this place into more of a workplace but considering the hood, I'd rather have the important stuff safer.