The phone bing!s at her.  Stan is a pro at this, He got us captured by the bad guys first try! lol


OOC: Sure.

The man blinks, scowling.  He's not in a deep hypnotic state, but he seems in a daze and certainly suggestible.  "We're on the corner of Ying Woo and Cat Street...." he says distractedly.  He peers absently at Sairen tapping at the phone.  "What's that you're doing?  Some kind of prayer or something?"

Stanley hears footsteps approaching.  He thinks it's the same direction that he heard them leaving, after the guard forced them into the room.

Smoke Alarm picked up the shattered remains of the talkiphone, feeling pretty pleased with her fast thinking. 'No ball-games, no fly-posts, no wipeouts.' she finger-waggled the man. Now she just had to work out how to fixit...

'Who's "she", the cat's mother?' she wondered with interest. She'd heard the phrase before, but had yet to find the cat in question, let alone her mother. 'And why're you eyespying at Traveller? Come on, show-and-tell us!'
This message was last edited by the player at 03:46, Tue 10 Apr 2018.

"You've got to promise," he says, his eyes still darting to the smashed talkiphone like he's guessing his chances of getting it away from Smoke Alarm again, and not liking the chances.

"Haidao Gong, she trusted me to be her eyes and ears in the city.  She gave me the speaking-box to keep her informed.  To watch the ships, to watch who comes and goes.  Somehow she knew already that your blue box was here, and she told me to watch and find who it belonged to."  He looks not a little panicked.  "She has other eyes and ears here.  And fists.  I don't know what she'll do to me if she finds I have failed her!"

The name he gives is all twisty in Smoke Alarm's ears, like it isn't entirely a name, but sort of a title too.

OOC: Is "Haidao Gong" the name/title? Google Translate's not cooperating. :) Is it something she could repeat for the Traveller, if she doesn't understand it herself?

Smoke Alarm waved the broken talkiphone, but she was keeping it. 'Speaking-box? It's called a talkiphone.' she corrected, but realised this was definitely the outlook they'd been outlooking for. But how many were there? 'And do the Benevolent Gentlemans work for her too? Is that why they tried to shoplift the talkiphone box – the blue box?'

"Yes, that is what it is. It is not important right now." Trav could probably track the phone, but just to be safe he makes sure to repeat the location so Sairen. "So we're on the corner of Ying Woo and Cat Street. Very good."

"Someone is coming." He says it loud enough to warn Sairen and gives him a couple of seconds to prepare. He then snaps his fingers to wake up the guard.

OOC: You can definitely consult with Trav on that.


"Ah, now."  Despite his continued anxiety, he does let a little self-satisfied smile out.  "There I have to take a little credit myself.  They were convinced that their boss wanted your box, with a little creative misdirection.  As far as I know they have nothing to do with her."

Sairen winks and deftly makes Stanley's phone vanish somewher inside his jacket.  The guard's suspicious glower returns as he turns an appraising look on Stanley -- but at that point the door opens.  "Got the keys," says the other guard to the one who has supposedly been watching the prisoners.  "I'll stay on watch.  You should go back and find out what sort of account Mr. Lao has been making of himself.  I doubt these two are telling the truth, but if they are, we better make sure Zhihao knows we weren't mixed up in any of it."

With that, both exit the room, locking Stanley and Sairen inside.

Smoke Alarm shot him a dark outlook. 'Did you send them to beat up Uncle Yuen?' she demanded.

His face falls as he realizes to what he's just confessed his complicity.

"Not as such," he says, "but yes, I suppose that given the sort of men they are and the sort of things they do, I could have guessed that someone would end up hurt because of it."

Seeing Smoke Alarm's expression, he adds hurriedly, "Look!  When Haidao finds out what I've told you... and if you're able to use what's still on that 'talkiphone' against her... she's not going to be happy with me.  It's for sure that I can't expect any more payment out of her, not of the sort I'd like, anyway.  If you're going up against her, let me help you.  That's the only way my family and I come out of this safe, I imagine."
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:54, Thu 12 Apr 2018.

Smoke chewed her lip about what to do, really wanting to just kick him in the shin and run away, but at last reaching a comeout. 'Okay! For your family. You track back with me and show-and-tell Traveller everything and she'll make this talkiphone work. But: no ball-games, no fly-posts, no tricks!'

Trav, inside her box, is working to find the entire kit and kaboodle. While Smoke can take care of herself, it was always a good idea to keep track of her.

OOC:14:26, Today: The Traveller rolled 15 using 2d6+11 with rolls of 1,3.  Perception 3+Tardis Sensors 2+Technology 6 - finding Stan, Smoke and Sairen via phones.

Seeing Sairen hide his phone, reminds Stanley of when they were searched and how it hadn't been difficult for the guards to find all those tools. Luckily they leave without noticing anything strange.



"So," Stanley begins, feeling he has to say something to break the silence. Keeping in mind that while the guards may have left, that didn't mean they could speak freely. "I think that went reasonably well. And it looks like we are just dealing with a well-informed pirate and her crew, not something more exotic, if you know what I mean."

Pinpointing Smoke Alarm is pretty easy -- she's only about a kilometer to the north.  The TARDIS isn't giving a particularly exact fix on Stanley, but Trav is pretty sure she can nail it within a half a block or so.

The fellow nods, looking more resigned than committed to this course of action.

"They call me Bao, and you said your name was... Smoke Alarm?  I know those words... not a name I've heard before, though.  Lead on."

Sairen nods absently, not particularly agreeing as he studies the walls.  "Well, it's not over yet.  I think we'd be well advised not to wait for them to come back."

Playing the leader in follow-the-leader, Smoke Alarm tracked back to where she'd left Traveller and the talkiphone box, hoping the Benevolent Gentlemans were still playing nice without her. 'Yes, Smoke Alarm. It means "warner of fire" and "maker of noise".'

"Easier said than done." Stanley looks at the door. "No windows and they locked the door. And I'm not sure getting out of the building will be easy, even if we manage to get past the door."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:17, Fri 13 Apr 2018.

Sairen looks at Stanley and shrugs.  "The door won't be a problem.  I grant you that once we get out, we won't have long until there is a proper ruckus and hullabaloo.  You have a Plan B if Yen Huang calls us back on the carpet before the Traveller shows up to get us out of here?  'Cos I don't think he's going to fall for another diversion."

Smoke Alarm finally makes her way back to the intersection where the talkiphone box has been deposited, Bao in tow.  The Benevolent Gentlemen, Freeman and O'Rourke, and the cart driver are all exchanging quizzical looks.

At last O'Rourke clears his throat.  "Ah... would you happen to know what your friend might be doin' inside her box, and how long she means to be about it?"

Smoke Alarm outlooked in surprise at the talkiphone box now sitting neatly on the side of the footpath (where, to be honest, talkiphone boxes kind of belonged). 'What did you put it down for?' she exclaimed. 'Put it back on the motor-cow, while I'll go eyespy... And don't let this one foot off!' she ordered, pushing Bao at O'Rourke while she stepped inside Sweet Boy.

'Trav! I catched an outlook. He has knowhow of who wants Sweet Boy and is shoplifting the boats.'

Trav locks sweet boy down and pokes her head out of the TARDIS. "Because Sweet Boy's natural place is on corners. Why does he need to be carried in a cart? He's fine right here."

Her eyebrows go up as Smoke Alarm mentions the eyespy. "Any idea who, pray tell?"

"Well," Stanley scratches his head. He did have something in mind, but he isn't sure that it will buy them enough time. "My plan B would be to impress him with my phone. It is probably against the time traveller's code of conduct, but I think he'd be impressed and want to keep us alive. At least until we have explained how it works and he no longer needs us."

"Though, if you say that we can get this door open, then maybe it would be better for us to not be here when he calls us back."

Smoke didn't enter the talkiphone box, on account of Traveller's head exiting. 'Coz I sposed we'd keep outgoing to the boat... Oh, never mind.' she decided, shaking her head.

She looked briefly bepuzzled at her question. 'Who, the outlook or the boss?' She pointed to Bao, 'This one is Bao, an outlook for, um, Haidao Gong. She told him to eyespy the boats and crews and visitors. She told him to get talkiphone box, and he sent the Benevolent Gentlemans here.' she show-and-telled, showing by pointing at the ones in question. She then showed Traveller the broken bits of the talkiphone, 'And she gave him this talkiphone. He was trying to wipe-out it when I catched him.'

Trav smiles as details of the original plan were forgotten.

"Who was interested in sweet boy and had the know hows about him, that's who."

As Smoke presents the phone, she says, "Ooooh. Let me see?"

Out comes the sonic, and Smoke can probably guess what will happen next.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:46, Wed 18 Apr 2018.