"So, seems we need to stake out Philip's office also. I'll get on that next. Anyone giving me a lift?"
Bobby asked.
Full Version: The Found Arcana - Chapter 11 [IC]
QUOTE (Beta @ Jan 18 2024, 05:37 AM) 
"I wonder if the current assistant has history ... did they lumber him with a handler? Or gift him with someone above his station? Well, a bit of searching might tell us more. AM, maybe we can divide and conquor on the matrix searching?"
With a combination of VR/AR techniques, I continue Trixing the Duck's assistant, unsuccessfully trying to get the phrase "getting lucky with Ducky" out of my head as I do.
[ Spoiler ]
To Bobby I say "I'll come... Perhaps there is something I could do on the tech-side. Though we either go on autopilot or after the Trixing is done I can manually drive."
AM finds that Potter's new assistant is named Bonnie Melani. She has a robust P2.1 presence, mostly fueled by photos of her wearing cute outfits. It seems she's a fashion influencer, or at least thinks of herself that way. She has a healthy follower count, but probably not to the point where she could make a living off it. Her account is several years old, so she's been at it for a while.
(Raven and AM are both well-versed in fashion. Their opinion is that Bonnie is pretty good at being pretty. She effectively enhances her strong points and cleverly minimizes her weak points. Her outfits are a savvy balance between traditional fashion and creative evolution. She has an alluring, coquettish smile that doesn't give too much away. Her swimsuit photos are tasteful without being too overtly sexual. She's good at this.)
There's not a lot to find in terms of her professional credentials. AM can't find any records of her education, or any notable work experience. As best she can tell, this might be Bonnie's first office job.
<<Sunday Night - 22:55 - April 9, 2079 - Phillips' Office - Snohomish>>
Phillips office is in a cheesy strip mall. The building is 50 or 60 years old and not very attractive. His neighbors are a laundromat, a nail salon, a Chinese noodle place, a body piercing shop, plus a jeweler / rare coin dealer who has bars over its windows. Through the window of Phillips' office you can see a garish mural of him standing in a majestic pose in front of a flapping UCAS flag with a bald eagle perched on his arm. The humble nature of the place seems to scream, "I'm a man of the people!"
Yet to a trained eye the story is very different. In addition to the formidable host guarding the place, there is a very thorough array of sensors monitoring the place. There are no holes in the camera coverage, and through the window you can see drones on patrol inside the office. Even the roof is bristling with sensors. AM can tell that much of the tech is new, with some of the sensors only being available to the public over the last year or so. The tech defenses seem to shout, "... but I know how the world works!"
There's probably a gap in their somewhere that a professional could exploit, but it all seems overdone. At least, it's much more than you would expect from a councilor's office.
(Raven and AM are both well-versed in fashion. Their opinion is that Bonnie is pretty good at being pretty. She effectively enhances her strong points and cleverly minimizes her weak points. Her outfits are a savvy balance between traditional fashion and creative evolution. She has an alluring, coquettish smile that doesn't give too much away. Her swimsuit photos are tasteful without being too overtly sexual. She's good at this.)
There's not a lot to find in terms of her professional credentials. AM can't find any records of her education, or any notable work experience. As best she can tell, this might be Bonnie's first office job.
<<Sunday Night - 22:55 - April 9, 2079 - Phillips' Office - Snohomish>>
Phillips office is in a cheesy strip mall. The building is 50 or 60 years old and not very attractive. His neighbors are a laundromat, a nail salon, a Chinese noodle place, a body piercing shop, plus a jeweler / rare coin dealer who has bars over its windows. Through the window of Phillips' office you can see a garish mural of him standing in a majestic pose in front of a flapping UCAS flag with a bald eagle perched on his arm. The humble nature of the place seems to scream, "I'm a man of the people!"
Yet to a trained eye the story is very different. In addition to the formidable host guarding the place, there is a very thorough array of sensors monitoring the place. There are no holes in the camera coverage, and through the window you can see drones on patrol inside the office. Even the roof is bristling with sensors. AM can tell that much of the tech is new, with some of the sensors only being available to the public over the last year or so. The tech defenses seem to shout, "... but I know how the world works!"
There's probably a gap in their somewhere that a professional could exploit, but it all seems overdone. At least, it's much more than you would expect from a councilor's office.
QUOTE (Gilga @ Jan 20 2024, 11:24 AM)
To Bobby I say "I'll come... Perhaps there is something I could do on the tech-side. Though we either go on autopilot or after the Trixing is done I can manually drive."
"No problem, I'll drive."
Bobby parked in some distance, staying well out of camera and other sensor range. He opened his third eye to take a closer look at the astral as well, making sure that his aura didn't reveal his magically activity. He stopped quickly after getting a stabbing headache from looking at the place.
He knew quite a bit about security procedures and the setup looked remarkably like the one he had seen in Potter's flat.
"You know, it almost looks like Potter and Philips are involved in the same drek. They have the same setup at their respective places. It would be very interesting to see if he also has a specially warded room at his place.
If that is the case, we are dealing with some kind of cabal."
Bobby concentrated and used his spatial sense to learn what he could about the wards that were no doubt around here.
[ Spoiler ]
Bobby doesn't notice any external astral security around the building. There aren't spirits on watch or watchers on patrol, at least outside.
Bobby's spatial sense gives him a layout of the office, which appears to be fairly normal in terms of size and equipment. There are chairs, desks, a soykaf machine, etc. There is a safe in the wall of Phillip's office. Besides that, there aren't any secret rooms or hidden spaces.
One of the rooms is warded, but it's not as strong as the ward at Potter's place. It looks more like something that's designed to deter astral eavesdropping rather than to conceal a deep, dark secret. In fact, you can see into the warded space through the front windows. It appears to be a conference room with glass walls. From this distance, it doesn't appear to be anything sinister.
Bobby's spatial sense gives him a layout of the office, which appears to be fairly normal in terms of size and equipment. There are chairs, desks, a soykaf machine, etc. There is a safe in the wall of Phillip's office. Besides that, there aren't any secret rooms or hidden spaces.
One of the rooms is warded, but it's not as strong as the ward at Potter's place. It looks more like something that's designed to deter astral eavesdropping rather than to conceal a deep, dark secret. In fact, you can see into the warded space through the front windows. It appears to be a conference room with glass walls. From this distance, it doesn't appear to be anything sinister.
I respond to Bobby, "The matrix supports such an assertion, let me have my own look, I can poke around everywhere in this vicinity to seek opportunities without leaving the car. We'll just need to move the car if it is too far for the spell. Would allow us to have a closer look at things without appearing in their camera feed as scouting the place.
Without leaving the car and after verifying that the door is locked, I close my eyes and shift my awareness away from my body with the bumblebee vision spell. The spell is less confusing with closed eyes since my body remembers that the vision is no longer linked to my eyes, and with closed eyes nobody expects me to see them. I sort of look like I do when I am on the Trix anyhow...
I spend some time carefully observing the office space and taking notes on the locations of all security features and any people in the vicinity, or inside the office. I then scouted the neighboring dry cleaning and buildings to locate cameras and other devices that may give me visibility in the area. Once I finish with the mundane bumblebee scout, I repeat the process with the asral clairvoyance spell verifying what forms of astral entities are found in the office and the nearby surrounding. Originally I learned that spell as a poor woman's substitute for astrally projecting but I have learned to appreciate the subtlety of poking around without actually being somewhere else.
Without leaving the car and after verifying that the door is locked, I close my eyes and shift my awareness away from my body with the bumblebee vision spell. The spell is less confusing with closed eyes since my body remembers that the vision is no longer linked to my eyes, and with closed eyes nobody expects me to see them. I sort of look like I do when I am on the Trix anyhow...
I spend some time carefully observing the office space and taking notes on the locations of all security features and any people in the vicinity, or inside the office. I then scouted the neighboring dry cleaning and buildings to locate cameras and other devices that may give me visibility in the area. Once I finish with the mundane bumblebee scout, I repeat the process with the asral clairvoyance spell verifying what forms of astral entities are found in the office and the nearby surrounding. Originally I learned that spell as a poor woman's substitute for astrally projecting but I have learned to appreciate the subtlety of poking around without actually being somewhere else.
[ Spoiler ]
It's late on a Sunday night, so there's nobody inside the office. Even the laundromat and the body piercing place are closed at this hour.
Peeking inside, AM finds a couple drones on patrol. First, there's a Ferret RPD-5X drone that's patrolling the carpet. Second, there's a Horizon Flying Eye buzzing about. The two drones have different routes which are not synchronized. AM also detects a certain degree of randomness in their movement patterns, so that their routes are not completely predictable.
AM does her best to spot the sensors. In addition to cameras, she also notices motion detectors and sensors that monitor the ambient temperature of the room. There's also a laser tripwire by the front door. It seems like more than what a local politician's office would have. Perhaps Phillips is paranoid, or perhaps he is a reasonable man in an unreasonable world.
Switching to the astral, AM notices a watcher on patrol. It is marching around the office in a fairly tight pattern. It's not so potent as the one Bobby saw at the animal clinic, but it's still formidable (F5). Outside, there are a couple small spirits of man (F2 and F3). Jawsey would know for sure, but to AM they look like wild spirits of the city. They nestle on the roof and seem to find comfort in the building. They don't seem to be providing any security. Or, if they are, they're doing a poor job of it.
There's nothing off about the background of the office. Perhaps there is a splash of greed, maybe a spattering of lust, but the space is not attuned. There's no evidence of any wicked magics here.
Peeking inside, AM finds a couple drones on patrol. First, there's a Ferret RPD-5X drone that's patrolling the carpet. Second, there's a Horizon Flying Eye buzzing about. The two drones have different routes which are not synchronized. AM also detects a certain degree of randomness in their movement patterns, so that their routes are not completely predictable.
AM does her best to spot the sensors. In addition to cameras, she also notices motion detectors and sensors that monitor the ambient temperature of the room. There's also a laser tripwire by the front door. It seems like more than what a local politician's office would have. Perhaps Phillips is paranoid, or perhaps he is a reasonable man in an unreasonable world.
Switching to the astral, AM notices a watcher on patrol. It is marching around the office in a fairly tight pattern. It's not so potent as the one Bobby saw at the animal clinic, but it's still formidable (F5). Outside, there are a couple small spirits of man (F2 and F3). Jawsey would know for sure, but to AM they look like wild spirits of the city. They nestle on the roof and seem to find comfort in the building. They don't seem to be providing any security. Or, if they are, they're doing a poor job of it.
There's nothing off about the background of the office. Perhaps there is a splash of greed, maybe a spattering of lust, but the space is not attuned. There's no evidence of any wicked magics here.
While Bobby kept up the spell, he spend a few moments to draw a floor plan of the office, before dropping it again.
He waited for AM to report her findings.
"Seems like pretty tight operation. I doubt we'll find much at this place. The security is remarkable, but nothing that would deter a determined attacker. There's nothing that really would prevent a smash and grab. But it's a pretty good setup to prevent someone from bugging the place or setting an IED.
You could send Trouble to talk to the two spirits, maybe they know something interesting."
He waited for AM to report her findings.
"Seems like pretty tight operation. I doubt we'll find much at this place. The security is remarkable, but nothing that would deter a determined attacker. There's nothing that really would prevent a smash and grab. But it's a pretty good setup to prevent someone from bugging the place or setting an IED.
You could send Trouble to talk to the two spirits, maybe they know something interesting."
I fill in Bobby on what I found and then add "They convinced me at laser tripwire; one needs a good reason to poke in there. Astral security is only so-so with a single watcher, but physical security is top-notch. Was it like that at Potter's?"
When Bobby offers to send Trouble, I see the merit of this idea since there is only a single watcher inside an astrally projecting spirit on the roof of the building, and not poking inside seems like a good move. I don't have time to order the cat around, and Trouble disappears (well, dematerializes), but for all practical meaning disappears. Bobby can see my astonishment at Trouble's eagerness to find an excuse to look around. "Only the roof, love..." I think to him just in case their curiosity gets the better of them. I then sigh and chit-chat with Bobby to pass the time until Trouble reports back. How come you don't have a pet? I ask him. I sort of expected Bobby to have some animal friends, considering he knows so much about animals.
Trouble:
The cat spirit makes its way to the head of the building and then greets the two city spirits. "Hi there!" they say.
When Bobby offers to send Trouble, I see the merit of this idea since there is only a single watcher inside an astrally projecting spirit on the roof of the building, and not poking inside seems like a good move. I don't have time to order the cat around, and Trouble disappears (well, dematerializes), but for all practical meaning disappears. Bobby can see my astonishment at Trouble's eagerness to find an excuse to look around. "Only the roof, love..." I think to him just in case their curiosity gets the better of them. I then sigh and chit-chat with Bobby to pass the time until Trouble reports back. How come you don't have a pet? I ask him. I sort of expected Bobby to have some animal friends, considering he knows so much about animals.
Trouble:
The cat spirit makes its way to the head of the building and then greets the two city spirits. "Hi there!" they say.
Bobby shrugs at AM's question: "Actually, I've though about getting one a few times already. But between us relocating and me taking months off at a time I didn't think it would work out. Then there's the fact that I hang out with lots of different animals on a regular basis. There's a pair of crows I'm rather fond off as well as an alley cat I'm taking care off. I don't think they'd be happy living at our place - and neither would our neighbors.
So all in all, I just haven't met the right one yet. For what it's worth, I really like hanging out with Trouble as well."
So all in all, I just haven't met the right one yet. For what it's worth, I really like hanging out with Trouble as well."
On the roof, Trouble sees that the two spirits have built themselves what appears to be sort of a nest. It's near a duct in the roof where there's some warm air coming out. Spirits don't actually need to rest, nor warm themselves, but sometimes they adopt the habits of their surroundings.
The larger spirit is something of a shadow cat, although more shadow than cat. It purrs as Trouble approaches. "Come to cuddle?" it asks, shifting its black silhouette to make room for Trouble in the nest. It would be a tight fit, but the nest looks soft and cozy enough.
The smaller spirit is rather more like a bird, maybe the cross between a crow and a pigeon. It tenses and looks warily at Trouble, perhaps wondering if the larger, stronger Trouble will treat it as prey (again, more out of habit than genuine need for predation).
The larger spirit is something of a shadow cat, although more shadow than cat. It purrs as Trouble approaches. "Come to cuddle?" it asks, shifting its black silhouette to make room for Trouble in the nest. It would be a tight fit, but the nest looks soft and cozy enough.
The smaller spirit is rather more like a bird, maybe the cross between a crow and a pigeon. It tenses and looks warily at Trouble, perhaps wondering if the larger, stronger Trouble will treat it as prey (again, more out of habit than genuine need for predation).
"Are you always so friendly with spirits you just met?" Trouble retorts, So... what is your story? Is there anything worth knowing about this location?
The cat gives a disinterested shrug, the way that cats do.
"When I want to be," it purrs, swishing its tail back and forth. "When the mood strikes."
It looks around languidly.
"This old place? No, nothing remarkable. Just a quiet little hideaway. Nothing much happens here, which is the way I like it. If I want adventure, I'll go seek it out."
The bird stays quiet during the exchange. It looks perhaps a bit annoyed by the interruption.
Additional back and forth will reinforce the mundaneness of the surroundings. There are no reports of magical or mysterious goings-on. Well there was that one time when a couple got into a fight at the laundromat over an unexplained pair of women's panties in the laundry (the man was adamant that the previous person using the machine must have left them behind by accident), and another time when a patron of the body piercing place was so mad because evidently the wrong thing got pierced. But it's mostly just a normal little strip mall on the fringes of the Sprawl.
"When I want to be," it purrs, swishing its tail back and forth. "When the mood strikes."
It looks around languidly.
"This old place? No, nothing remarkable. Just a quiet little hideaway. Nothing much happens here, which is the way I like it. If I want adventure, I'll go seek it out."
The bird stays quiet during the exchange. It looks perhaps a bit annoyed by the interruption.
Additional back and forth will reinforce the mundaneness of the surroundings. There are no reports of magical or mysterious goings-on. Well there was that one time when a couple got into a fight at the laundromat over an unexplained pair of women's panties in the laundry (the man was adamant that the previous person using the machine must have left them behind by accident), and another time when a patron of the body piercing place was so mad because evidently the wrong thing got pierced. But it's mostly just a normal little strip mall on the fringes of the Sprawl.
Trouble spends some time chitchatting with the two spirits and then decides to recruit them as potential scouts or perhaps a distraction in case Bobby gets all adventurous and tries to break in. "Want to play a spy game?" Trouble offers, "Imagine you are on top of a top-secret lab with many secrets—all sorts of security measures, from laser tripwires to sneaking drones and even a spirit inside. You look at all the coming and going, and when everyone is distracted, you peek inside and see their secret for yourself. I bet it would be delicious..." he suggests appealing more to curiosity than to greed because, from what the cat can deduce, these two are kind of bored and are looking for an adventure - so this is what a sneaky cat spirit should do in such a situation.
At the car AM tells Bobby "spirits are not saying anything useful. Trouble would try to get them excited about playing spies in case you need a distraction." She says without opening her eyes.
(I imagine it happening while AM is scanning the area with her magical senses so she can hear Bobby, but her eyesight is somewhere else.)
At the car AM tells Bobby "spirits are not saying anything useful. Trouble would try to get them excited about playing spies in case you need a distraction." She says without opening her eyes.
(I imagine it happening while AM is scanning the area with her magical senses so she can hear Bobby, but her eyesight is somewhere else.)
"No," the spirit cat says flatly. "I am comfortable. I wish to cuddle, not collude.
"Some other time, perhaps," it says, putting its head down and curling up. It seems to be shutting down for the night.
"Some other time, perhaps," it says, putting its head down and curling up. It seems to be shutting down for the night.
Trouble
So much for that saying about cats, curiosity, and death... Trouble says mostly to themselves and returns to the car. It is unclear to the young spirit why spirits would behave like mortals. He has all of AM's memories, and still, in many ways, he is relieved for not needing rest sleep, or food. Perhaps it is fun to pretend like they belong here.
So much for that saying about cats, curiosity, and death... Trouble says mostly to themselves and returns to the car. It is unclear to the young spirit why spirits would behave like mortals. He has all of AM's memories, and still, in many ways, he is relieved for not needing rest sleep, or food. Perhaps it is fun to pretend like they belong here.
"Hm, looks like a dead end. Better leave the spirits be." Bobby murmured
"I can keep watch here so we won't miss the arrival of the assistant. I bet she arrives here early to get things done while no boss is around to keep her from doing her work."
"I can keep watch here so we won't miss the arrival of the assistant. I bet she arrives here early to get things done while no boss is around to keep her from doing her work."
"I think I'll settle for a real bed tonight..." Looking at the cat spirit I add "You can stay with Bobby if you got bored of watching everyone sleep."
AM takes her motorcycle and zips back to Bellevue so that she can sleep in her own bed.
Presumably Raven and Tamarind do too.
Bobby stays on watch over Phillips' office, meditating the night away.
<<Monday Morning - 09:27 - April 10, 2079 - Phillips' Office - Snohomish>>
There's a nice sunrise. It's a sunny, pleasant spring morning with a light breeze and a few fluffy clouds. Bobby waits for Phillips' assistant to show up.
And waits. And waits. She finally arrives at 09:27 on the dot, driving a luxurious BMW X89. She is carrying a cup of soykaf from one of the hip, upscale cafes. She's wearing heels, a tight pencil skirt that shows off her trim waist and full hips, and a stylish suit jacket over a breezy blouse.
Phillips is nowhere to be seen. After unlocking the door, his assistant takes her seat behind her desk, and promptly checks her makeup in a mirror. Once she has her eye shadow and lipstick just so, she makes a kissy face and takes a selfie with her soykaf.
Then she's hard at work: she does her nails, then she works on her eyelashes, then she checks her commlink. Every once in a while it looks like she might answer a phone call, but nobody comes in or out. She seems to have the place to herself. Bobby can see her staring into space and swiping her hand through the air; perhaps she is browsing an AR catalog.
Presumably Raven and Tamarind do too.
Bobby stays on watch over Phillips' office, meditating the night away.
<<Monday Morning - 09:27 - April 10, 2079 - Phillips' Office - Snohomish>>
There's a nice sunrise. It's a sunny, pleasant spring morning with a light breeze and a few fluffy clouds. Bobby waits for Phillips' assistant to show up.
And waits. And waits. She finally arrives at 09:27 on the dot, driving a luxurious BMW X89. She is carrying a cup of soykaf from one of the hip, upscale cafes. She's wearing heels, a tight pencil skirt that shows off her trim waist and full hips, and a stylish suit jacket over a breezy blouse.
Phillips is nowhere to be seen. After unlocking the door, his assistant takes her seat behind her desk, and promptly checks her makeup in a mirror. Once she has her eye shadow and lipstick just so, she makes a kissy face and takes a selfie with her soykaf.
Then she's hard at work: she does her nails, then she works on her eyelashes, then she checks her commlink. Every once in a while it looks like she might answer a phone call, but nobody comes in or out. She seems to have the place to herself. Bobby can see her staring into space and swiping her hand through the air; perhaps she is browsing an AR catalog.
Bobb had waited for this exact moment: When the commlink became visible, he immediately tried to tag it for AM. That would enable her to find it on the matrix for the next steps.
The first attempt didn't catch on, but the second one seemed to log on an open port, left behind by a particularly ruthless data collection algorithm of a beauty and wellness matrix site, the assistant frequented.
[ Spoiler ]
The first attempt didn't catch on, but the second one seemed to log on an open port, left behind by a particularly ruthless data collection algorithm of a beauty and wellness matrix site, the assistant frequented.
<<Monday Morning - 09:42 - April 10, 2079 - Phillips' Office - Snohomish>>
Bobby gets his tag and is able to send it to AM and Tamarind.
<<Monday Morning - 10:07 - April 10, 2079 - Printing Office - University of Washington>>
AM, Rachel, and Tamarind find their way to a building marked 'UW Creative Communications'. It's a bit difficult to find because the office is in the basement of an old brick building that's well off the beaten path. Not many people are around; it seems more like the industrial part of the campus, indeed the Physical Plant Services department is nearby. They're the ones who keep the lights and heat on, the walls painted, the grass trimmed, and so on. It creates the impression of being in the underbelly of campus.
The interior of the printing office is a bit of confused mess. There's printing machinery everywhere, but - as best you can tell - none of it is being used. In fact, based on appearances you're not sure if most of it has been used in the last 10+ years. This place almost looks like a warehouse to store it all. But, mixed in with that are a bunch of workers - mostly younger people, maybe students - who seem to be working in AR and VR on different communications projects.
There's a young man behind a desk. He's as tall and skinny as an elf, but his ears around round and his skin is terrible. He looks like a gangly, awkward human, maybe 19 years old, and as pale as if he had never seen the sun. He gulps hard when he sees Rachel and AM.
"Uhh... may I HeLp you?" he asks, his voice breaking awkwardly. He grimaces, embarrassed.
Bobby gets his tag and is able to send it to AM and Tamarind.
<<Monday Morning - 10:07 - April 10, 2079 - Printing Office - University of Washington>>
AM, Rachel, and Tamarind find their way to a building marked 'UW Creative Communications'. It's a bit difficult to find because the office is in the basement of an old brick building that's well off the beaten path. Not many people are around; it seems more like the industrial part of the campus, indeed the Physical Plant Services department is nearby. They're the ones who keep the lights and heat on, the walls painted, the grass trimmed, and so on. It creates the impression of being in the underbelly of campus.
The interior of the printing office is a bit of confused mess. There's printing machinery everywhere, but - as best you can tell - none of it is being used. In fact, based on appearances you're not sure if most of it has been used in the last 10+ years. This place almost looks like a warehouse to store it all. But, mixed in with that are a bunch of workers - mostly younger people, maybe students - who seem to be working in AR and VR on different communications projects.
There's a young man behind a desk. He's as tall and skinny as an elf, but his ears around round and his skin is terrible. He looks like a gangly, awkward human, maybe 19 years old, and as pale as if he had never seen the sun. He gulps hard when he sees Rachel and AM.
"Uhh... may I HeLp you?" he asks, his voice breaking awkwardly. He grimaces, embarrassed.
<<Monday Morning - 09:44 - April 10, 2079 - Phillips' Office - Snohomish>>
Anyone taking a look at the device will see that it is a Transys Avalon. The persona is Phillips' assistant dressed as a queen, with a golden crown and a luxurious ermine robe. The persona's features are slightly exaggerated: the eyelashes are a little longer, the eyes a tad larger, the chin a bit stronger.
Anyone taking a look at the device will see that it is a Transys Avalon. The persona is Phillips' assistant dressed as a queen, with a golden crown and a luxurious ermine robe. The persona's features are slightly exaggerated: the eyelashes are a little longer, the eyes a tad larger, the chin a bit stronger.
Rachel is dressed casually, white jeans and a modest top, also white, she does not want to draw too much attention here, after all. A short, black jacket, red sneakers and a black ball cap with the Seattle Screamers logo complete her outfit. Still, she certainly understands that the young man is a little nervous. She gives him a warm smile.
"Yes, you may help us."
She waits for a moment... maybe they should have figured out how to approach this before, but for some reason they havn't, so she quickly comes up with something to explain their presence...
"Okay, so, we are on this scavenger hunt. Yeah, I know. It's a little juvenile, right? But, hey, it's actually pretty fun. And now we think that the next piece of info we need to dig up is buried in here. Would it be okay, if we take a look at your archives? Just the public stuff, of course."
"Yes, you may help us."
She waits for a moment... maybe they should have figured out how to approach this before, but for some reason they havn't, so she quickly comes up with something to explain their presence...
"Okay, so, we are on this scavenger hunt. Yeah, I know. It's a little juvenile, right? But, hey, it's actually pretty fun. And now we think that the next piece of info we need to dig up is buried in here. Would it be okay, if we take a look at your archives? Just the public stuff, of course."
The young man gulps hard.
"The aRcHiVeS?" he says, his voice breaking again. He grimaces.
"Wh-what are you looking for?" he stammers.
He still has a deer-in-headlight look to him. He seems flustered and confused. From her experience conning people, Rachel realizes that he might do better if he has a concrete task, something that he's familiar with that he could readily accomplish without his lizard brain getting in the way.
"The aRcHiVeS?" he says, his voice breaking again. He grimaces.
"Wh-what are you looking for?" he stammers.
He still has a deer-in-headlight look to him. He seems flustered and confused. From her experience conning people, Rachel realizes that he might do better if he has a concrete task, something that he's familiar with that he could readily accomplish without his lizard brain getting in the way.
"If we knew that, already, we wouldn't really be here now, would we? Anyways, one of the clues was "He was here long ago, even before two point oh.", that has to refer to the Crash, right? So, typical ways of getting information are out, and we were looking for any places, that still have stuff from before... in some form. You do have that here, correct? So, what do we have to do, so we can get in here and browse the paperwork?" Rachel continues to talk quickly, not giving him too much time to think things over.
The kid still looks bewildered.
"Um, yeah," he gulps. "We probably have that here.
"But do you even know the name you're looking for? Because saying someone was here 'before 2.0' only narrows it down to a few hundred thousand people."
He breaks eye contact and bids you to follow. He walks guides you through dusty corridors until you reach a long-forgotten door. Inside is a large room the size of a basketball court that's all dust and history. There's a maze of filing cabinets (!) inside, along with some ancient desktop terminals that might have been modern 30 years ago. They don't look like they've been touched in 10 years or more.
"So, uh, are there any other cLuEs?" he squeaks.
"Um, yeah," he gulps. "We probably have that here.
"But do you even know the name you're looking for? Because saying someone was here 'before 2.0' only narrows it down to a few hundred thousand people."
He breaks eye contact and bids you to follow. He walks guides you through dusty corridors until you reach a long-forgotten door. Inside is a large room the size of a basketball court that's all dust and history. There's a maze of filing cabinets (!) inside, along with some ancient desktop terminals that might have been modern 30 years ago. They don't look like they've been touched in 10 years or more.
"So, uh, are there any other cLuEs?" he squeaks.
Rachel looks around. Is this what an ancient wizard's library was like? Well, more or less.
"Wow! I have never seen something like that before. Crazy, right? And, of course there are some more clues. We have the initials, I think. P and C. Or was it C and P? And we can narrow it down to a certain range of years. Have to look those up, don't know them inside out. But it is the kind of clue, that you have to see to actually make sense of it, if you know what I mean. There are so many here. This might take a while. Do you need to be at your desk? I promise, we will be on our best behaviour down here. Or do you need to supervise us? Totally fine, of course. Just don't want you to get into any trouble for leaving your post, you know."
"Wow! I have never seen something like that before. Crazy, right? And, of course there are some more clues. We have the initials, I think. P and C. Or was it C and P? And we can narrow it down to a certain range of years. Have to look those up, don't know them inside out. But it is the kind of clue, that you have to see to actually make sense of it, if you know what I mean. There are so many here. This might take a while. Do you need to be at your desk? I promise, we will be on our best behaviour down here. Or do you need to supervise us? Totally fine, of course. Just don't want you to get into any trouble for leaving your post, you know."
Bobby kept his eyes trained on the assistant, but used the time to learn what he could about the woman's device - for example if it was protected by a host.
[ Spoiler ]
The assistant's commlink doesn't seem to be protected by the office's formidable host. Of course, it doesn't seem like she's done any real work either. Maybe she's intentionally keeping her commlink out of the host so that the host isn't tracking her work habits. (Of course, the host might still note the absence of actual work being done on the host itself, but that would be a concern for Phillips to address.)
Other than that, the commlink looks like a standard Transys Avalon (R6). The persona has been customized to look like her, but everything else appears to be stock.
Other than that, the commlink looks like a standard Transys Avalon (R6). The persona has been customized to look like her, but everything else appears to be stock.
Tamarind has followed along behind the elves, happy enough to be ignored by the kid since she'd struggle more to keep up with Rachel's story. Looking at the equipment in the archives she does quietly comment "Looks similar to what they had when I was in army, newer than what I used in school. I'm rusty, but I can probably manage to use the things."
AM just looks around and is not say much, she is wearing a plain t-shirt and jeans with a coat and despite her extensive understanding in fashions the combinations appear to be so-so. Either she does not care or she is rooting for the did not pay attention kind of vibe.
"We know the field of study and roughly the year... I think we'll have to be here for a while but it is not infinite right?" I add.
"We know the field of study and roughly the year... I think we'll have to be here for a while but it is not infinite right?" I add.
Meanwhile. Bobby kept his watch, waiting for the Duck to make an appearance - personally he expected it around noon...
<<Monday Morning - 09:44 - April 10, 2079 - Phillips' Office - Snohomish>>
AM easily slices into the assistant's commlink where she finds... not a trace of work.
Well, not office work anyway. Her P2.1 account has a thousand unread messages. Checking her message history indicates a long game of cat-and-mouse with several suitors. It's not entirely certain who is the cat and who is the mouse. She's more attentive to advertisers who contact her, looking for her to promote their brands in her P2.1 feed.
There's also a great deal of browsing history around fashion sites and shopping sites. Much of it is for beachwear but some of it is for exercise classes and exercise equipment; the assistant seems to be taking the upcoming swimsuit season (which, in Seattle, is about two months) very seriously.
AM can't even find any messages between the assistant and Lucky Duck Phillips. Either there's no communication between them, or the assistant has a different commlink that she uses for work. (Bobby has seen no evidence of a secondary commlink.)
~~~
<<Monday Morning - 10:10 - April 10, 2079 - Printing Office - University of Washington>>
Tamarind is pretty sure she recognizes the desktop terminals. Many of them still have physical input devices, like keyboards. The knowledge is ancient in her mind but muscle memory may take over when it comes to keying in commands.
"So, uh... what are you looking for?" the young man asks, still bewildered by what's happening.
~~~
<<Monday Morning - 11:33 - April 10, 2079 - Phillips' Office - Snohomish>>
Bobby's guess is pretty close. Phillips shows up about half past 11 driving a hot red Saeder-Krupp-Bentley Concordat with a custom paint job. Not only that, but it's a newer one, certainly less than a year old. The car is a popular status symbol; it's the kind of car that simstars and orxploitation rappers drive.
And, indeed, Phillips' suit is so loud that Bobby looks for garish gold chains around his neck. He's wearing bright white billowy pants (a month and half before Memorial Day!), a pink shirt with the top buttons open and his chest hair hanging out (no gold chains though), and a sky-blue blazer that has a metallic sheen to it. Everything says "look at me, look at me!" If Bobby is staring at him then that's not suspicious: that's the goal.
Phillips is talking when he gets out of his car. However, Bobby can't pick out any evidence of active devices on Phillips. So either he's got a good Sleaze dongle or... he's talking to himself?
Inside, Phillips leans on the desk and talks to his assistant for about a minute. They smile and laugh and don't seem to be saying a thing about work.
Phillips then wanders back to his desk, where he sits down and promptly puts his cowboy boots (made of alligator?) on his desk. He puts on AR gloves and starts waving them through the air. Bobby doesn't see any devices come online, so whatever Phillips is doing must be through the office's host.
AM easily slices into the assistant's commlink where she finds... not a trace of work.
Well, not office work anyway. Her P2.1 account has a thousand unread messages. Checking her message history indicates a long game of cat-and-mouse with several suitors. It's not entirely certain who is the cat and who is the mouse. She's more attentive to advertisers who contact her, looking for her to promote their brands in her P2.1 feed.
There's also a great deal of browsing history around fashion sites and shopping sites. Much of it is for beachwear but some of it is for exercise classes and exercise equipment; the assistant seems to be taking the upcoming swimsuit season (which, in Seattle, is about two months) very seriously.
AM can't even find any messages between the assistant and Lucky Duck Phillips. Either there's no communication between them, or the assistant has a different commlink that she uses for work. (Bobby has seen no evidence of a secondary commlink.)
~~~
<<Monday Morning - 10:10 - April 10, 2079 - Printing Office - University of Washington>>
Tamarind is pretty sure she recognizes the desktop terminals. Many of them still have physical input devices, like keyboards. The knowledge is ancient in her mind but muscle memory may take over when it comes to keying in commands.
"So, uh... what are you looking for?" the young man asks, still bewildered by what's happening.
~~~
<<Monday Morning - 11:33 - April 10, 2079 - Phillips' Office - Snohomish>>
Bobby's guess is pretty close. Phillips shows up about half past 11 driving a hot red Saeder-Krupp-Bentley Concordat with a custom paint job. Not only that, but it's a newer one, certainly less than a year old. The car is a popular status symbol; it's the kind of car that simstars and orxploitation rappers drive.
And, indeed, Phillips' suit is so loud that Bobby looks for garish gold chains around his neck. He's wearing bright white billowy pants (a month and half before Memorial Day!), a pink shirt with the top buttons open and his chest hair hanging out (no gold chains though), and a sky-blue blazer that has a metallic sheen to it. Everything says "look at me, look at me!" If Bobby is staring at him then that's not suspicious: that's the goal.
Phillips is talking when he gets out of his car. However, Bobby can't pick out any evidence of active devices on Phillips. So either he's got a good Sleaze dongle or... he's talking to himself?
Inside, Phillips leans on the desk and talks to his assistant for about a minute. They smile and laugh and don't seem to be saying a thing about work.
Phillips then wanders back to his desk, where he sits down and promptly puts his cowboy boots (made of alligator?) on his desk. He puts on AR gloves and starts waving them through the air. Bobby doesn't see any devices come online, so whatever Phillips is doing must be through the office's host.
<<Philips looks like a distraction, if ever I've seen one. We need to get access to a host protected device for a direct connection. Otherwise, this feels like a dead end. I'll infiltrate the park as a local critter and wait for her to jog by. Maybe I can rig a piece of razor blade on a low hanging stalk to get a little cut and a blood sample from her.>>
Bobby sent to the team as he looked on Phillips doing a whole lot of nothing
Bobby sent to the team as he looked on Phillips doing a whole lot of nothing
Not wanting to confess to a felony on the link, I send Trouble to Bobby as a messenger . "Comlink is boring... it is all models and swimsuits and romances. She has an active social account and is making a bit extra from advertising content on her site. " The cat manifests and tells Bobby. (staying in the astral but making Bobby aware of him rather than turning into a cat, which would prevent communication).
I grin and say "A hidden treasure!" being friendly but not precisely revealing information. So, how does one search this archive database?" I ask. Unknown to keyboards and physical interfaces, I could probably find the answer in the Trix, but perhaps the kid wants to show me?
I grin and say "A hidden treasure!" being friendly but not precisely revealing information. So, how does one search this archive database?" I ask. Unknown to keyboards and physical interfaces, I could probably find the answer in the Trix, but perhaps the kid wants to show me?
<<Monday Morning - 10:12 - April 10, 2079 - Printing Office - University of Washington>>
"How does one search?" the kid asks, still very confused. "Search for what?
"Listen, most of this stuff hasn't been turned on in 10 years, probably since I was in grade school. I don't know how it works. I've never used it. I don't even know how to turn it on. I don't even know if it will turn on."
Tamarind is more familiar with the equipment. She knows that it won't turn on, if only because it isn't plugged in. That would be the first step.
"Look, I gotta get back to my desk. I'd say don't break anything, but honestly I'm not sure it would matter if you do."
He walks out, casting one last stray glance at Raven before retreating to the front desk.
~~~
<<Monday Morning - 11:57 - April 10, 2079 - Phillips' Office - Snohomish>>
Around noon, Phillips does something! He leaves his office and walks over to the Chinese noodle place that's next door and buys some lunch.
Through the window, Bobby can see Phillips laughing with the proprietors. He gets a white takeout box and walks off with a pair of disposable chopsticks, shoveling what looks like chow mein into his mouth.
He makes the rounds of the complex, dropping in and visiting with people. He works his way through the laundromat, shaking hands and glad-handling constituents. He goes to shoot the drek with the people in the body piercing shop and the nail salon too. Bobby notes Phillips' skill with chop sticks; he manages to walk and eat at the same time without getting anything on his jacket, shirt, or tie. Bobby can see that his mood is good. He seems to genuinely enjoy interacting with the public.
Also at noon, Bobby's commlink dings with a message: the DNA results are available to be picked up. The tech declines to send them electronically, citing the digital trail, but will provide them in person at the same location as before (the back of a DocWagon clinic).
"How does one search?" the kid asks, still very confused. "Search for what?
"Listen, most of this stuff hasn't been turned on in 10 years, probably since I was in grade school. I don't know how it works. I've never used it. I don't even know how to turn it on. I don't even know if it will turn on."
Tamarind is more familiar with the equipment. She knows that it won't turn on, if only because it isn't plugged in. That would be the first step.
"Look, I gotta get back to my desk. I'd say don't break anything, but honestly I'm not sure it would matter if you do."
He walks out, casting one last stray glance at Raven before retreating to the front desk.
~~~
<<Monday Morning - 11:57 - April 10, 2079 - Phillips' Office - Snohomish>>
Around noon, Phillips does something! He leaves his office and walks over to the Chinese noodle place that's next door and buys some lunch.
Through the window, Bobby can see Phillips laughing with the proprietors. He gets a white takeout box and walks off with a pair of disposable chopsticks, shoveling what looks like chow mein into his mouth.
He makes the rounds of the complex, dropping in and visiting with people. He works his way through the laundromat, shaking hands and glad-handling constituents. He goes to shoot the drek with the people in the body piercing shop and the nail salon too. Bobby notes Phillips' skill with chop sticks; he manages to walk and eat at the same time without getting anything on his jacket, shirt, or tie. Bobby can see that his mood is good. He seems to genuinely enjoy interacting with the public.
Also at noon, Bobby's commlink dings with a message: the DNA results are available to be picked up. The tech declines to send them electronically, citing the digital trail, but will provide them in person at the same location as before (the back of a DocWagon clinic).
Bobby decided he had earned himself lunch. He ignored the message for now - after the last interaction, he doubted he should be the one to fetch the results. Instead he forwarded the task to his female coworkers.
Before exiting the car, he changed his appearance to a middle aged Caucasian man.
Moving towards Phillips he casually asks him: "Hey, are the noodles of this shop any good?"
Before exiting the car, he changed his appearance to a middle aged Caucasian man.
Moving towards Phillips he casually asks him: "Hey, are the noodles of this shop any good?"
[ Spoiler ]
"Great?" Phillips asks rhetorically. "No! But any port in a storm, amirite?"
He laughs jovially, and elbows Bobby in the ribs if he's close enough.
He looks down at his takeout container. "It's hot, it's calories, it's readily available. Ain't gonna eat at the body piercing shop, I'll tell you that much!" He laughs at his own joke.
Bobby can tell that he's getting Phillips' is acting like "the common man". It's a bit of a juxtaposition with his garish suit and his flashy car, but evidently he picks and chooses where to be gaudy and where to be relatable.
He stabs his chopsticks into what's left of the chow mein. He holds out his hand to Bobby.
"Hey, what's your name? I'm Lucky Duck Phillips, nice to meet you." He smiles, assuming that you will recognize him.
He laughs jovially, and elbows Bobby in the ribs if he's close enough.
He looks down at his takeout container. "It's hot, it's calories, it's readily available. Ain't gonna eat at the body piercing shop, I'll tell you that much!" He laughs at his own joke.
Bobby can tell that he's getting Phillips' is acting like "the common man". It's a bit of a juxtaposition with his garish suit and his flashy car, but evidently he picks and chooses where to be gaudy and where to be relatable.
He stabs his chopsticks into what's left of the chow mein. He holds out his hand to Bobby.
"Hey, what's your name? I'm Lucky Duck Phillips, nice to meet you." He smiles, assuming that you will recognize him.
Rachel winks at the boy. "See you later! We will be careful that we won't break anything." - Hopefully!
When he is gone, she smiles. That went pretty well, and they have the place to themselves.
She takes a look around, takes it all in. And also keeps her eyes out for any security cameras.
Speaking of which, her little spy cam will be handy to review anything they come across here, so she keeps it running now.
Then it is off to look for how the stuff is organized here. They need to find 'P' and probably the more recent years before the Crash.
When he is gone, she smiles. That went pretty well, and they have the place to themselves.
She takes a look around, takes it all in. And also keeps her eyes out for any security cameras.
[ Spoiler ]
Speaking of which, her little spy cam will be handy to review anything they come across here, so she keeps it running now.
Then it is off to look for how the stuff is organized here. They need to find 'P' and probably the more recent years before the Crash.
Bobby smiles back, partly to ingratiate and partly because he actually likes the man's charm:
"Garry, Garry Roberts. Hey, you are the Philips? Wow, so cool!" He snapped his fingers. "Sorry, I didn't recognize you right away. You look way better than your trid image. Would have loved to vote for you - I really appreciate your style.
Why did you step back? I was rooting for you. That Potter woman can't hold a candle to you, in my opinion."
Bobby observed the man's aura closely while he said that.
"Garry, Garry Roberts. Hey, you are the Philips? Wow, so cool!" He snapped his fingers. "Sorry, I didn't recognize you right away. You look way better than your trid image. Would have loved to vote for you - I really appreciate your style.
Why did you step back? I was rooting for you. That Potter woman can't hold a candle to you, in my opinion."
Bobby observed the man's aura closely while he said that.
[ Spoiler ]
<<Monday Morning - 10:20 - April 10, 2079 - Printing Office - University of Washington>>
Raven notices that the boy's knees buckle a bit when she winks.
Looking around, she doesn't notice any security cameras. In fact, there doesn't seem to be any visible security except maglocks on the doors, and it didn't even seem like those were activated. At least, it didn't sound like anything was unlocking when you passed through.
The immensity of the task is daunting. Not only are there multiple data terminals, but there are hundreds of filing cabinets. And, exploring a few you find a couple unfortunately truths:
1) The filing cabinets aren't labeled; and,
2) The filing cabinets aren't in any sort of logical order.
It seems like the cabinets were hauled here from somewhere else and dropped off in haphazard fashion, with no effort to maintain any sort of sequence or order. If anything it's a miracle that there's a maze winding between them rather than having them all smooshed together in a giant block.
Tamarind manages to find a power connection to plug in the data terminals. They slowly spin to life, creaking and groaning along the way. Once they're up and running, there's a text prompt to give the operating system instructions about what you want to do. The user GUI is decidedly lacking; it's not visual at all. It seems almost deliberately draconian. Luckily, Tamarind feels like she will remember her way around.
~~~
<<Monday Morning - 11:59 - April 10, 2079 - Phillips' Office - Snohomish>>
Phillips beams at Bobby's praise.
However, the smile flickers just for a moment when Bobby brings up Potter.
"What do you mean, 'step back'?" he asks, but there's some tightness in the corners of his eyes. "I'm right where I should be, making a difference for the people of Snohomish! You think you can do that from the Governor's office? Ha! You spend all your time on your knees -" He stops himself abruptly before he says anything too crass. He mimes zipping his lips.
"Let's just say I'm happy here. The nail that sticks up gets hammered down, neh?" An odd sentiment from someone so ostentatious. Bobby can tell that Phillips doesn't really believe the bulldrek he's shoveling.
Raven notices that the boy's knees buckle a bit when she winks.
Looking around, she doesn't notice any security cameras. In fact, there doesn't seem to be any visible security except maglocks on the doors, and it didn't even seem like those were activated. At least, it didn't sound like anything was unlocking when you passed through.
The immensity of the task is daunting. Not only are there multiple data terminals, but there are hundreds of filing cabinets. And, exploring a few you find a couple unfortunately truths:
1) The filing cabinets aren't labeled; and,
2) The filing cabinets aren't in any sort of logical order.
It seems like the cabinets were hauled here from somewhere else and dropped off in haphazard fashion, with no effort to maintain any sort of sequence or order. If anything it's a miracle that there's a maze winding between them rather than having them all smooshed together in a giant block.
Tamarind manages to find a power connection to plug in the data terminals. They slowly spin to life, creaking and groaning along the way. Once they're up and running, there's a text prompt to give the operating system instructions about what you want to do. The user GUI is decidedly lacking; it's not visual at all. It seems almost deliberately draconian. Luckily, Tamarind feels like she will remember her way around.
~~~
<<Monday Morning - 11:59 - April 10, 2079 - Phillips' Office - Snohomish>>
Phillips beams at Bobby's praise.
However, the smile flickers just for a moment when Bobby brings up Potter.
"What do you mean, 'step back'?" he asks, but there's some tightness in the corners of his eyes. "I'm right where I should be, making a difference for the people of Snohomish! You think you can do that from the Governor's office? Ha! You spend all your time on your knees -" He stops himself abruptly before he says anything too crass. He mimes zipping his lips.
"Let's just say I'm happy here. The nail that sticks up gets hammered down, neh?" An odd sentiment from someone so ostentatious. Bobby can tell that Phillips doesn't really believe the bulldrek he's shoveling.
"I totally get that, but a man of your political talents... I mean don't get me wrong, Potter and her sob story certainly has a lot of pull right now. But getting things done after the vote... That's were you need the real deal.
I mean just look at you - you are a man of the people. I went to one of Potter's meet and greets and it was all great organization, but no immediacy. I could see she wasn't really interested in what I had to tell. Doesn't help that there was so much magic drek flying around. I'm pretty sensitive and my cousin tells me that's the spirits she has around her. Just feels off to me.
Sorry, I'm rambling. I don't meet celebrities like you too often."
Bobby played up the role of enthusiastic voter a bit too much, but kept a sharp (third) eye open for his reactions in regards to the comments on magic.
I mean just look at you - you are a man of the people. I went to one of Potter's meet and greets and it was all great organization, but no immediacy. I could see she wasn't really interested in what I had to tell. Doesn't help that there was so much magic drek flying around. I'm pretty sensitive and my cousin tells me that's the spirits she has around her. Just feels off to me.
Sorry, I'm rambling. I don't meet celebrities like you too often."
Bobby played up the role of enthusiastic voter a bit too much, but kept a sharp (third) eye open for his reactions in regards to the comments on magic.
Phillips eats up Bobby's praise. His aura gets a glow of satisfaction; Bobby can tell that interactions like this is why Phillips enjoys the job.
"Hey, look, Garry, I can tell you're a smart guy. You know how these things work: it's not all up to me. The party promotes who it wants to promote. And maybe they decided that the grieving woman was too good of an opportunity to pass up. They have to strike while the iron is hot.
"Remember, Garry, the rest of the 'plex isn't like Snohomish. Oh no! What works up here and in Everett doesn't fly down south. We're country bumpkins to Downtown and Bellevue. We're embarrassing yokels."
This somewhat sidesteps the reality that Potter is campaigning out of Snohomish too, but maybe Phillips' point is more about presentation. Potter's look definitely flies better in many circles, even if she's not as put-together or as glamorous as Nikola Taul.
"Don't you worry about Lucky Duck Phillips, Garry," he says, elbowing Bobby jovially again. "They don't call me 'Lucky' for no reason. I know how to play my cards I'm dealt. I know how to make a deal." He winks conspiratorially. "Everything will work out for the great people of Snohomish!"
The comment about magic doesn't really seem to register with Phillips. He waves it off.
"Security, neh?" he says. "Nobody wants to lose another candidate, Garry. Certainly not Knight-Errant, and definitely not the Technocratic Party. And they're only going to ramp that up after the break-in at Potter's apartment. From what I hear" - he leans in to bring Bobby into his confidence - "the break-in involved some serious magic. And nothing was stolen, so they figure that the motive must have been even more nefarious than a robbery or political panty sniffing. So they're taking the magical threat very seriously now."
"Hey, look, Garry, I can tell you're a smart guy. You know how these things work: it's not all up to me. The party promotes who it wants to promote. And maybe they decided that the grieving woman was too good of an opportunity to pass up. They have to strike while the iron is hot.
"Remember, Garry, the rest of the 'plex isn't like Snohomish. Oh no! What works up here and in Everett doesn't fly down south. We're country bumpkins to Downtown and Bellevue. We're embarrassing yokels."
This somewhat sidesteps the reality that Potter is campaigning out of Snohomish too, but maybe Phillips' point is more about presentation. Potter's look definitely flies better in many circles, even if she's not as put-together or as glamorous as Nikola Taul.
"Don't you worry about Lucky Duck Phillips, Garry," he says, elbowing Bobby jovially again. "They don't call me 'Lucky' for no reason. I know how to play my cards I'm dealt. I know how to make a deal." He winks conspiratorially. "Everything will work out for the great people of Snohomish!"
The comment about magic doesn't really seem to register with Phillips. He waves it off.
"Security, neh?" he says. "Nobody wants to lose another candidate, Garry. Certainly not Knight-Errant, and definitely not the Technocratic Party. And they're only going to ramp that up after the break-in at Potter's apartment. From what I hear" - he leans in to bring Bobby into his confidence - "the break-in involved some serious magic. And nothing was stolen, so they figure that the motive must have been even more nefarious than a robbery or political panty sniffing. So they're taking the magical threat very seriously now."
"Guess, we could use some help with this..."
Rachel concentrates and summons a Spirit of Man, who can hopefully help looking through the ancient file cabinets. The old computer terminals will be for AM and Tamarind to figure out. Afterwards, she also casts Magic Fingers, which will make it a bit easier for her to sift through them.
Then she gets to work, starting somewhere, opening up drawers and looking into files, hopefully finding at least some sort of order in there. It's the letter 'P' they are looking for in the last name. She lets her spirit friend observe for a little while, explaining to him what she is doing and looking for, before asking him to help looking through some of the other cabinets. There is plenty of them for sure.
Rachel concentrates and summons a Spirit of Man, who can hopefully help looking through the ancient file cabinets. The old computer terminals will be for AM and Tamarind to figure out. Afterwards, she also casts Magic Fingers, which will make it a bit easier for her to sift through them.
[ Spoiler ]
Then she gets to work, starting somewhere, opening up drawers and looking into files, hopefully finding at least some sort of order in there. It's the letter 'P' they are looking for in the last name. She lets her spirit friend observe for a little while, explaining to him what she is doing and looking for, before asking him to help looking through some of the other cabinets. There is plenty of them for sure.
Bobby nodded: "I guess you are right. Damn shame, but you are right. I hope Potter at least takes your advice then." At the bit about the break in he sadly shakes his head: "Damn mages and their spirits. You just aren't safe anywhere from them. At least Potter isn't involved with magic herself."
Bobby looked for any sign that Philips disagreed with this statement.
Bobby looked for any sign that Philips disagreed with this statement.
<<Monday Morning - 10:22 - April 10, 2079 - Printing Office - University of Washington>>
Raven gets to work on the filing cabinets. Even with magical assistance, it's probably going to take hours.
~~~
<<Monday Morning - 12:02 - April 10, 2079 - Phillips' Office - Snohomish>>
"Hey, don't say that!" Phillips objects, looking serious for a moment. "Some of my best friends are mages!"
Then his face breaks and he gives a belly laugh, bending forward and laughing at his jest.
"But, no, seriously, she could actually use a bit of magic. Maybe then she could leave the house looking like she had brushed her hair."
This refers to Potter's messy, tousled look, which is probably just as much of a calculation as Phillips' outfit. Phillips takes the opposite approach, with his hair being slicked back under a thick layer of pomade.
Bobby's comment about Potter being involved in magic doesn't generate any response in Phillips other than his bit of sass.
Raven gets to work on the filing cabinets. Even with magical assistance, it's probably going to take hours.
~~~
<<Monday Morning - 12:02 - April 10, 2079 - Phillips' Office - Snohomish>>
"Hey, don't say that!" Phillips objects, looking serious for a moment. "Some of my best friends are mages!"
Then his face breaks and he gives a belly laugh, bending forward and laughing at his jest.
"But, no, seriously, she could actually use a bit of magic. Maybe then she could leave the house looking like she had brushed her hair."
This refers to Potter's messy, tousled look, which is probably just as much of a calculation as Phillips' outfit. Phillips takes the opposite approach, with his hair being slicked back under a thick layer of pomade.
Bobby's comment about Potter being involved in magic doesn't generate any response in Phillips other than his bit of sass.
Tamarind was never a database expert or anything, but working in the motorpool she'd had to use a couple. She mentally groans as she remembers just now particular the parts database had been. But then again she'd earned drinks by being willing to take the time to get orders working.
"All right, let's try and see what is in here. Hopefully we'll find what we need, or at least some sort of indexing of the filing cabinets. And assuming that the filing cabinets made sense originally, if we can make any order out of all of this then we may be able to index them ourselves. Maybe on that side we can start by making a map of the cabinets and assign an ID to each, then attach an AR tag to each lining up with the map. Then as we gather clues we have a framework to put them into. Can you two start with mapping the cabinets? Give me a few to remember how to talk to the terminals then I can bring AM up to speed."
She was nervous that she wasn't going to be able to contribute, but to her immense relief as she started working on the terminal things started coming back to her.
"All right, let's try and see what is in here. Hopefully we'll find what we need, or at least some sort of indexing of the filing cabinets. And assuming that the filing cabinets made sense originally, if we can make any order out of all of this then we may be able to index them ourselves. Maybe on that side we can start by making a map of the cabinets and assign an ID to each, then attach an AR tag to each lining up with the map. Then as we gather clues we have a framework to put them into. Can you two start with mapping the cabinets? Give me a few to remember how to talk to the terminals then I can bring AM up to speed."
She was nervous that she wasn't going to be able to contribute, but to her immense relief as she started working on the terminal things started coming back to her.
Bobby laughed along with Philips, but thought it prudent not to overstay:
"Too true. Anyway, really great meeting you. I'll keep an eye open for your next campaign. Gotta run, or my lunch break is over before I get my food."
With a wave and a smile, Bobby hurried off to the Chinese fast food stall.
While he waited for his box, he sent to the team:
<<Just had a little chat with Philips as a great fan of his work. He doesn't show it, but he seems a bit unhappy about losing out to Potter. He seems unaware of any magic on her side. Likewise he seems uninvolved in her campaign - at least he isn't working particularly hard to promote her.
For me it feels as if he has been thoroughly sidelined. And yet he enjoys the same matrix protection. Either he has training not to show his true emotions in his aura, or I'm missing something here.>>
"Too true. Anyway, really great meeting you. I'll keep an eye open for your next campaign. Gotta run, or my lunch break is over before I get my food."
With a wave and a smile, Bobby hurried off to the Chinese fast food stall.
While he waited for his box, he sent to the team:
<<Just had a little chat with Philips as a great fan of his work. He doesn't show it, but he seems a bit unhappy about losing out to Potter. He seems unaware of any magic on her side. Likewise he seems uninvolved in her campaign - at least he isn't working particularly hard to promote her.
For me it feels as if he has been thoroughly sidelined. And yet he enjoys the same matrix protection. Either he has training not to show his true emotions in his aura, or I'm missing something here.>>
I am happy to take a passive role and let Raven get the male attention, and then Tamarind manages the work. I make myself useful and help search for our hidden Potter files.
"The one problem with finding what we need is, that we probably won't find anything... and given this mess, that won't really be much of a proof, I'm afraid, even though an indicator, that she wasn't actually here... which is what we suspect, right?" Raven comments on their search for something showing that Potter was here, since the opposite, and most likely outcome, won't really be something they can find.
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