Vala says Look, I only care that the card ends with Nightmare. If you want to preserve your precious reputation, make sure that the blame for losing the card goes to someone else. This can net you additional funds, but if discovered, that kind of duplicity is worse for you in the longer term. These are your problems to solve.

She comments reluctantly . Look, I don't have that much liquid money. Yet, I can leave you this suite for your use for the rest of the week. That includes food, drinks, live shows, and a modest gambling budget. Now I know what you are thinking, but you have to spend the gambling budget gambling. Consider it rent for this suite and the hospitality you'll be getting. The Gates is a nice place for vacation, and it is good for your reputation in higher cycles of society.

The suite is warded tight enough for the card not to be detected. So in a way, I also increase your chances of success and save you the trouble of making a safe place of your own.

Bobby nodded: "Now we are getting somewhere. Is there any reason we can't sell the card to Nightmare when he sends his goons?"

Rachel listens to everything. It seems pretty obvious, that there are connections to previous jobs, this woman must have been dealing in the background the whole time. It all sounds like some elaborate plot to get revenge for something. But that part is none of their business. Except for the obvious dangers involved, she mostly likes what she is hearing, though. The new development with the suite excites her the most. Staying here for a week? That would be splendid. Okay, maybe that part excites her a little too much, so she tries to think of something useful to add to the discussion.

"So, what exactly will the rumors be that you are going to spread? Do we have any say in what information is going to be delivered?" she asks.

"Also, what happens if we use the gambling budget to gamble and win some money? Can we keep that?"

"And what do we know about this Nightmare guy? Does he gamble? Maybe we could arrange for some kind of game, like poker, where we can 'lose' the card to him. Just thinking out loud here, really."

"Nightmare is the leader of the Halloweeners - and happens to be a free fire spirit of serious power. And it's a fragging psychopath.
We had a few clashes with them, so there is some bad blood between us.
Though I'm not too proud to take his money."
Bobby clarified.

Vala says, "Rumor is not a big issue, a forum post. You might even know which one, then we'll lower the wards just a little to make finding the card with magical means difficult but possible. I'll give you a heads up, of course."
When Raven mentions keeping the earnings Vala rolls her eyes and sighsIf you keep their money, Finnigans would be pissed off. I don't think they'll do anything about it, but they had kind words for your organization this time, so it would be a shame to ruin it.
About Nightmare I am unsure if he'll gamble with you or just use brute force. His streak of successes got to make him overconfident. Of course, he'll probably send a proxy being a fire spirit.

To Bobby, she says Nobody likes this Nightmare, but this job can bring him a step closer to being vulnerable.

"Hah! Don't worry. We are not going to steal the gambling money. I was just being curious as to how that is supposed to work. Yeah, playing with a raging fire spirit does not sound like a great idea, but if he sends a proxy... maybe that is still an idea we could think about. So, if I get this right, the rumor will be that the card has been seen here in the hotel/casino? I guess that is something we can work with, too."

"I don't like gambling. Never play against the house, because the house always wins in the end.

We need a story to go with that rumor - like we are keeping watch over the card while we wait for a buyer from Europe or something.

Though again the question: Can't we just sell the card to Nightmare once he starts showing interest?

Also, are the Finnigans aware, that there might be a bunch of mercs and psychos on their way here - ready to demolish whatever security is between them and the card?"

Bobby added.

Vala responds "Finnigans know I may be hot, nothing more. If you are planning to sell the card here, you better talk to them."

Mato also likes the sound of the suite, moreso than he would like to admit.

He also likes the sound of 'poisoning the well' so to speak, bringing Nightmare one step closer to its doom. There's a certain poetic justice in letting someone's (or something's) own avarice lead them to their downfall. It was like setting out stakes and watching an overconfident cavalry charge into them.

He nods at the notion of making sure the blame of losing the card falls on someone else, but right now the entire framework of the job is so untraditional that he's not sure how he would make that happen.

"If you make the cards, what else can you make?" Mato asks. "If you're not highly liquid, perhaps you have - or can create - foci that would be of meaningful use to my Awakened colleagues."

Tamarind cautiously ventures an idea in the form of a question. "How much flexibility is there in the rumor that will be sent out? Could the initial rumour buff SIS's reputation, to help balance any loss later on? Something like 'through our investigations we have found a previously not-in-circulation tarot card, and are looking for an appropriate (both safe and generous) home for it, and are meanwhile staying here for greater security.' So maybe we let Nightmare extract the card from us after a bit, or someone else who we let Nightmare ambush, and people think 'Those detectives couldn't stand up to the Halloweeners in a brawl' but that isn't exactly our job, right? But they hopefully also remember that we found the thing in the first place. And of course we never tell how we found it, because who would give up that information? And if Nightmare really is a problem for SIS, having it think that it knows our limit or weakness when that is not really the case could be useful? Only I don't know enough about rumours to know if they can be targeted that carefully."

After that outburst she seizes a cup of tea and then pretends that she didn't just scald her tongue while gulping hot tea too quickly

Vala says to Tamarind "The rumor is a lot less dramatic than you think. A hint to a few collectors that there is a new card. It snowballs from there when they call their people and start asking for services, making more and more ripples in the local swamp. It works best with no details at all." she says confidently.

When Mato suggests she make new foci or part with her existing ones, Vala's patience runs out. She genuinely seems offended by the suggestion. She is angry, perhaps even ready to blow the deal up. She takes a few breaths as if struggling to contain something from within and then says with frustration, anger bitterness, and determination. "You forget yourself, Mr. Torres - I am not desperate and am not your bloody talismonger. 50k and the suite is the final offer, either you accept it or we forget that this meeting ever took place. she says and places her tea angrily on the table splashing a few drops.

If anyone is watching Brick, Vala's response is the first thing that takes the man out of his stoic expression. Brick genuinely smiles and seems content.

Mato clicks his tongue. He had not expected the outburst. It was not warranted, in his opinion, and he's tempted to lecture Vala on the problem-solving nature of negotiations. In the end he lets her anger and bitterness pass by.

<<Let's have a vote. I could go either way. The money is good and I think we can get it done with an acceptable degree of risk. But master illusionists are used to having things their way and no other way. The Johnson may be a more formidable adversary than the task itself.>>

<<I'm for taking it. We can sell the card for extra money and staying here prevents excessive attacks on our home. I'm also selling the information to Lysander, just so we can put our own spin on the whole thing. Just one more thing to discuss.>>

Bobby entered the conversation again:
"Don't worry, I wouldn't think of asking for your services as talismonger.

What I am asking of you is to inform the Finnigans. You are responsible what happens here. We are not paying for whatever danger you are inviting here.
Soka? "

Tamarind hides her annoyance in her tea cup. She'd been trying to suggest a way to make this deal better for SIS and this woman didn't make any effort to work with her. Tamarind was very happy she did not have to talk out loud right now because she doubted she could have hid her annoyance.

Instead she messages the team <I really don't like how fixed she is on a certain way this is getting launched. It makes me worry that she has additional plans that she is not telling us about. If we take it we should have a plan ready to swerve from what she expects, and quickly>

<< We have come too far to back down now. And it sounds like something we can manage, I believe. For the record, I would not be surprised if our host isn't actually the person in charge here. Could be just another layer, considering how much there was, already. That could also explain why she is so insistent on the fixed terms. But those terms are pretty good, at least from my point of view. And with this location, hopefully, the potential dangers will be a little lower as well. >>

<<Agreed. The terms are loose enough for us to do our own thing. We just need to get as much as possible up front and play our cards right. Just because she is setting up rumors, doesn't mean we can't add to them.
Who wants to be the one to have retreived the card from an ancient temple?>>

Bobby sent while he waited for their client's answer.

She says "Finnigans would want to be compensated if you expose them to the potential for such damages. I am not vouching for that, but I can get you a meeting with them. They are business people and have already interacted successfully with your tech-savy sorcerer. (she looks at Raven, probably mistaking her for AM). I am not going to offer you anything more than 50k and the suite; please stop asking me for more money, goods, or services. If it is too little, we part ways, I'll find someone else, and you'll remember refusing the job but very few other details from this meeting. It is no biggie; I can do that in a heartbeat.

The focus thing angers me because it is very personal, requires a lot of emotional investment, and carries my aura, which means it identifies me. I may make one for Sandy a few years from now if life becomes less dangerous, but I will not make one for strangers. You probably did not realize all that when you asked. As annoying as you are, it is not your fault." she says, not quite relaxed by her body language but more under control.

"You expect us to take responsibility for damages that will incure because you call violent people to appear here? We aren't asking you to pay for anything more - we are asking you to take responsibility vis a vis the Family. Take out an insurance policy or whatever. This is your suite. You take the blame if anything happens. You tell that the Finnigans.
If that is too much for you I'm pretty certain you won't find any operator in Seattle that will be willing to do this job for you. Because even replacing the carpets would likely eat half our paycheck if the Finnigans are in a bad mood."

Bobby replied unmoved

Mato is impressed with how well Bobby is holding his ground. It's an important point and Bobby is right to focus on it. But there's also a risk of Bobby being too direct and antagonizing the Johnson.

<<I think 'Vola' is short for 'volatile'>> Mato quips privately.

He decides to see if he can defuse things slightly.

"I agree with my colleague that we need some assurances that the Finnegans have signed off on some of the exposure that the hotel may face," Mato says to reinforce Bobby's point. "But at the same time, if the goal is to 'lose' the card to the right people then the card will eventually need to leave the grounds anyway."

He turns to Vola.

"What are the timelines involved?" he asks. "What is the timing between when the rumors begin and when the card must end up at its final destination? We may have some time to manipulate things in our favor.

"And what's our responsibility once the card ends up with Nightmare? What if Nightmare loses it to a third party? Are we responsible for retrieving it and redirecting it toward Nightmare or is our obligation complete once Nightmare has it?"

Brick's grin widens, and he struggles to contain his excitement. Can I tell the guys we're on? he asks; Vala gives him a bad look shutting him up. Their relationship seems to contain a certain level of authority.

She then tells Bobby Look, it is a good deal, Mr. Walker. The card is worth a fortune, and you can make a lot of money with the right planning. You are even paid to accept the card, and the person you need to lose it to is likely the one who would end up with the card anyway. All you need to do is push fate in the right direction, and you have time to plan. Seriously, take as much time as you need to get rid of my card. If the casino is too expensive, don't use it, there are always alternatives."

She then says So here comes the moment of truth, are you in or out?

Bobby sighed: "Show us the card. If this is how it is we'll have to rely on hotel security and your ward scheme. Also, 66% up front to cover expenses."

The Finnigans have a line of credit of 70k for you, 20k you pay for the suite, and 50k for you to take home. Finnigans does not care if you lose 20k on the gambling floors or if you pay them. So you can go wild with your 20k and enjoy your vacation. Best case, you get a nice bonus; worst case, you don't need to pay for the room. So you get all 50k upfront. I would pay the Finnigans 50k once I get confirmation that you did your part; our business is concluded at that point.

You get to see the card once you confirm your commitment. At that point, I am leaving."

Bobby shrugged and looked at his colleagues: "Works for me."

Tamarind says <I need the money, so I'm willing to chance it if those of you who have more experience with these cards think this is a reasonable bet. But I want you all to be clear that I don't currently have any real combat drones, at my last gig those were provided by the association I worked for. My personal drones are for observation and utility. Some have tasers, I wasn't willing to try crossing borders with more than that. So in your calculations of whether this job is worth it please don't be thinking "and we'll be ready to ambush the magic types with drones laying down automatic fire" because that isn't what is oavailable If I don't lose too much on this job and we get another job that pays similarly then maybe I can invest in something like that but for now maybe one ambush with tasers, at the risk of one fireball wiping out 20k in drones..>

Mato nods his assent.

<<Now we need to figure out how long 20K will actually cover this suite. A week? Three weeks?>>

To Tamarind, he responds: <<We've never had drone capabilities before so our expectations are more modest than that. Anything you add is icing on the cake. We'll figure out an appropriate level of investment in the name of both diversification and amplification.>>

<<I'm thinking of taking the suite money out of here and use it to fortify some other place where we are less likely to have to pay for collateral damage. 15k would pay for a nice combat drone. Also, I could go berserk without being confined. We likely won't have as many wards if we do it DIY, but it's not like those would stop a determined intruder - they merely prevent scrying - pretty useless since we are leaking our position anyway.
And yes, I know, we are giving up comfort. But I don't want to go in debt to the mafia over this if it escalates.>>
Bobby replied

<< I doubt we have that option. The payment to the family seems to be a done deal. Also, this is a pretty good neighborhood here, right? That alone should make things less problematic. They cannot just march in with blazing guns here. If we give them that option, though, they might take it. In here, we actually have the chance to handle this without things getting ugly. >>

<<We'll see. Depends on if the Finnigans are happy with a bunch of psychos coming here.>>

Bobby replied, still waiting to see the card.

Once you agree to her terms, Vala removes a box from the closet and exposes the interior. A beautifully drawn
The Fool card. The clothes and blonde hair appear to change slightly in the wind. The card projects a hint of confidence, certainty, and resolve. It has a mundane aura of its own but is not a focus.

Vala quietly packs her clothes into a large suitcase; she does not have much and does not seem very deeply settled into the suite. She then sighs and says, "May Coyotee bless you with cunning and wits." this is a form of goodbye; she hands Bricks the suitcase and leaves. The orc follows her at a distance and hisses, "what a bitch". Disappointed with the outcome of the meeting.

When Vala produces the card, Mato studies it out of curiosity. The nature of the card means little to him; she might as well have produced a rare baseball card as far as Mato is concerned.

He doesn't know what to make of the relationship between Bricks and Vala, but it seems secondary so he lets it pass for now.

Once they're gone, he sweeps the room for hidden devices. "Tamarind, can you assist?" he asks. "You're probably better at this than I am."

Once he's confident that they have their privacy, he speaks his mind.

"If it's a line of credit with the casino then they're not going to let it leave the casino - unless we launder it somehow, like risking it at the gambling tables. We should be careful about this. We want to keep 'the house' on our side. Their goodwill might be worth leaving that 20K with them and not pursuing it for our own purposes.

"Vala said takes as much time as we need before we let the rumors slip. I think we use the suite here for security while we formulate our plot. For the job to be a success, the card will need to leave the premises one way or another. If we do it right, that will be at a time of our choosing. That keeps the casino clean and tidy."

Bobby nodded: "Before we do anything, we need to clear the situation with the Finnigans. How long will 20k keep us here and what level of security can we expect. Also, the wage mage here needs to key us in on the wards, so we can use our magics effectively.
Once we know at what rate we are burning money here, we can look at the timeline.

If I tell Lysander, we have a card and are looking for buyers, I'm pretty sure, Carn-Evil will make an appearance sooner than later.

If we are quick, we can have one of us go down and play a bit of roulette for an 18:19 chance of a payout."

Tamarind is happy to put her electroncis warfare skills to use. It makes her feel more useful and gives her something to do.

Once that distraction is done and the talk to turns to other things, she offers "I never understood the appeal of gambling, but I can calculate odds well so for most of the games I can at least play the minimal loss strategy, if needed."

"On a different topic, if we are maybe going to be besieged in here, we should likely quickly think about what we are going to do about bringing in luggage, and maybe more importantly weapons. Perhaps an early topic with the management, now that we are residents, is permission to bring in weapons -- obviously not to use in here hopefully, but to have them ready when we leave. Unless you are all just as dangerous without any external weapons." That is equally possible with the awakened and with someone with a full suite of cyberlimbs.

"We are rather dangerous without external weapons," Mato notes factually with only a modest dose of pride. "But I imagine that it shouldn't be difficult for management to store a 'package' for us for when we're ready to leave."

Mato nods to Bobby's sentiments.

"I agree. Let's call the manager up to speak in private so that we can get the lay of the land. Raven, will you do the honors?"

"Sure, I can do that."

Then she heads off to the casino floor, where she looks for someone suitable to ask.

"Hi! I'm with the lady that has rented Suite 308. Would it be possible to speak to the manager, or someone with similar authority? We have some questions about how to approach things here and, well, any limitations you would like us to stay within. It won't take too long. Much appreciated."

The bartender responds "Sure babe, Tammie would drop by your suite at her earlier convenience. Anything else I can do for you?" It is still too early for the casino to feel lively, but the bar is stocked with a fine selection of quality alcohol. From wines to hard liquer.

About half an hour later, a short human of Asian heritage knocks at your door, and then introduces herself as Tammie Wu, VIP hostess. "First time at the Gates?" she asks with a warm smile.

Tamarind spends her time looking at what she could do with drones to create doubt about where this card would be. Magic can apparently trace it, but such magic is more often a ritual or spirit search, both of which take some time. In that case keeping the card moving quickly could make such methods less than useful. However there is the chance that someone has come up with a specialized detection spell, which if positioned strategically might pick up such a card on its way out of the building, letting the opposition know that it was in one of a limited number of carriers. Then again, if she sent out both Pellipers and Toothless and kept them all moving, it could be a challenge to track them still. Especially if she did some stealthy work to get the Pellipers mixed in with other Taco Temple delivery drones. Toothless was more distinctive, but moves fast enough to be challenging to intercept except for spirits ... and that is where her planning stalls out. Spirits could also react to the delivery drones before they could blend in to the food delivery routes around the city, and any of her drones would fall to a combat enabled spirit in seconds. If they did send out three drones they'd have to count on the opposition having less spirits available than that, be willling to lose one or two drones, and gamble that the card was not in the indicated drone.

Which would argue that they couldn't rely purely on speed, numbers, or stealth to get the card on the move. They'd have to work to spot observers and make sure that they could not operate during a key window, during which time they could possibly get the card out.

That much settled in her mind she settles down with her RCC and reaches out to drones back at SIS. She has Stitch open a window long enough for both Pellipers to fly out, then she orders those two to head first downtown towards a Taco Temple then to start flying likely delivery routes to start mapping the area around Gate's Casino. Maps are fine, but it is always nice to build up a current view of the situation.

When Tammie Wu comes knocking, Tamarind barely notices. That is a 'talks to people' problem. She focuses on keeper her delivery drones unobtrusive, yet usefully gathering data.

"Pretty much."
Bobby had taken a seat on the couch, but was still unsure how to look relaxed in his suit.
"How much do you know about the arrangements in regard to this suite?
We would like to know what daily rate you established with the organizer, i.e. how long the 20k can keep us here."
He paused and looked around. "Also, your resident mage needs to key us in to the wards.

And finally, we need an update on what your security arrangements entail. We are here to conduct sensitive business that might attract unwelcome elements. Since we had to give up our personal defense armament, we are completely reliant on your service here."

Her smile flattens when she realizes it is not about entertainment "We need 20k per week, so you have until early Monday. Special security arrangement, permission to practice magic on the apartment. Possibility of hostiles, I know my job."

She sighs, "No, I cannot let you pass the wards; guests are not allowed to practice any magic on the game floor. A lot of money exchanges hands." she shakes her hands.

Then she explains about security Our security is top-notch, we have well-trained guards on premises, two mages, numerous drones, and sensors, I don't know what business you are talking about, but our security is usually adequate."

"Alright, if you say so. I wasn't speaking about the wards on the game flour, but rather up here around the rooms of our suite. The multilayering is great to ensure privacy, but a pain for our own protection with spirits. At least within the suite we need to be able to move around with astral perception active.

Finally, we need keys for each of us to be able enter and leave here at will."

Bobby elaborated.

Tammie blinks I do not understand, we only keep wards on the casino floor. she seems a bit confused. Your SINs are already keyed to the suite, Vala took care of it before she left. Would you like a physical key as well? she says trying to recover.

Bobby nodded: "I see, so those aren't hotel property then. Thanks, we'll take care of it ourselves then. Physical keys won't be necessary.
As to our business: We'll have negotiations here that likely require us to do demonstrations for guests. We can't be sure that there aren't uninvited guests among them, trying to get access to us. That's why we inquired about security. We'll also need our baggage - I assume we can bring that in through another entrance that doesn't require us to lug it through the casino floor?"

What kind of demonstrations? she asks

"Mostly demonstrating, that we have both the goods and the skills that it takes to keep the goods until we get paid in full. That's why I asked about security: The better your people do their jobs, the less demonstrating we have to do.
Which brings me back to my question: Is there another access that doesn't go through the heavily secured casino floor?"
Bobby replied.

Tammie says Yes, there is a service access for bulky equipment but it is also secure.

"Great, that should be all then." Bobby looked to his teammates if anyone wanted to add anything.

"I'll go fetch my equipment from the car then."
Bobby still kept his beast armor in the trunk together with taser and other assorted tools.

Mato looks around the suite and its amenities while Bobby asks his questions. Once Bobby has concluded, Mato decides to ask Tammie some of his own.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Ms. Wu," he begins politely, leaning forward slightly in a gentle bow. Perhaps the fancy suit is bringing out the best in him. He remembers that his parents didn't always have the best manners with the service staff - much to his embarrassment - and he always vowed to do better. In retrospect, he concludes that it was likely the stress of their corporate jobs that made them sour, or perhaps it was their hangovers from all the Cereprax they were doing.

As far as Tammie knows they are rich clients - they are certainly dressed that way - so Mato decides to play the role.

"Would you be willing to give us a brief tour of the premises?" he asks. "One with an eye toward the layers of protection in place. As you can tell from our line of questioning, we are highly security conscious. We don't need to know every trick up your sleeve, but having a high-level overview would go a long way to set our minds at ease. Between all the criminals and shadowrunners out there, I've always felt safest surrounded by thick walls, both literally and metaphorically."

He gives a theatrical shiver.

Tammie seems a bit confused by the request but she smiles patiently and says "Of course" she then walks with Mato to the game floor and explains to the best of her ability about the security, but it is clear that she is out of her comfort zone and does not know the exact details. I think you should talk with our head of security if you really want to understand it. Should I arrange a meeting?

"If you would be so kind," Mato says to Tammie with a slight bow of gratitude. "I would be most indebted."

In truth, he is surprised. Is this the customer service that the rich always receive? And yet, here he is... an ork. A well-dressed ork, yes, but still an ork.

His parents, rich corpers that they were, had been very diligent about Mato's accent. There had been speech classes to learn diction, emphasizing proper enunciation. Or, more bluntly, how to avoid letting your tusks get in the way. Perhaps these investments were now paying off.

And then there's the etiquette, the flowing words. He cannot pour honeyed expressions into ears like Jawsey, but his parents taught Mato how to behave in places like this, especially places where your metatype might set you apart.

Mato has different advantages now too. His olfactory sensors can note involuntary responses, like sweat or pheromones, allowing him to adjust accordingly. Fear, most commonly. Or, rarely, arousal. It is certainly nothing like what the finger wigglers can do to stare straight into your soul... but it was something.

Meanwhile, Bobby headed down to the garage, pulling out his large duffle bag. He looked around for the secondary way to the rooms. His gear was completely legal and he prided himself somewhat for never having gotten into legal trouble of that kind. That didn't mean he had all necessary licenses for his magic powers. But then, only a crazy anglo could come up with something like a permit for your own abilities.

The only offensive weapon he carried, was the taser. Surely the security people wouldn't have a problem with that, right?

Rachel listens to the conversation. She still isn't quite sure how the credit line payment for the owners of the casino is supposed to work. They probably have to lose the 20k to pay for the suite and then get the rest paid out as "winnings"? Something like that. Surely, it will clear up at some point. Either way, if they are staying here for about a week, she definitely needs a few more things.

"I'm not exactly prepared to stay here for a whole week, so I would have to fetch some of my things. Does anyone else need anything brought here? Maybe we can make a quick trip to HQ to set us up properly."