Looking up at the "Palace of Celestial Joy," Saint Velveteen wasn't sure what to think.  He couldn't tell what the place was from the outside.  Maybe some kind of hipster meditative coffee shop?  He determined he would just have to go in and find out.

St. V stands up and stretches his cramped muscles before unceremoniously shoving his wheels over by a wall and heading inside.  Skinny Vince greeted him to which he replied, "Hey Vince, just parked my 'cycle outside, hope that's okay.  I was talking to a "meat" seller recently and he recommended this place.  Said you may have what I can't find anywhere else.  Namely, a goat.  Was told to ask for Marilyn.  Let her know I've got a salami ready to share with her."

To Twitch--"Weelll ... it's mostly running around and talking to people. Not something you'd think is too interesting, and not something I really do when I'm drinking. But I do have time for SOMETHING. Wink, wink." She then winks twice.

Snow--I assume you're doing this online, in which case you can find several contestants who describe themselves as "competitive". None of these people have any real need, although they'll all certainly benefit from the cash (and less-so, the moment of fame). Actually, if you're looking at total assets, the one in most need seems to be a cute one named Becka ...

Any other criteria you're looking for?

St. V--Vince shrugs, "it's not designated parking, but it's not like we tow.

"Marilyn. Goat for your big salami. Gotcha."

Vinnie radios something in and has you put your weapons in a locker by the door before hitting a hidden button that buzzes the door.

The interior of the building is ... rough. It was once the lobby of some software developer or design study, heavy on the glass and aluminum, but it's gone downhill since, and most of the glass has been replaced by slabs of hardened plastic or old plywood. Over the sagging frame, garlands of colorful paper and a few sexy-time posters are hung. This is the entry room, for greeting guests and clients.

Today there's a stocky ork leaning against a wall, clearly the muscle, and a goat in a blonde wig and a sequined pink dress waiting for her client. "Brraaaaaaah!" she welcomes you, waggling her hindquarters. "Brraaaaaaaaaaah!" You'd guess her to be six months old; barely legal. As she turns to lead you to the room, you notice a jack behind the left ear, with a chip currently inserted.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:28, Sat 01 Mar 2014.

Twitch had a feeling he knew where this conversation was leading so the woman's brazen attitude didn't catch him off guard, "Well I was enjoying hanging out and hobnobbing but for such an enchanting woman I can cut it off for the night." he replies with a wink.  He offers his arm to the woman.  "At least I am getting somewhere close to the room." he thinks.

As Vince said the words, Saint Velveteen suddenly got the impression that this was definitely NOT a coffee shop.  He was beginning to wonder if he had the right place at all.  The only thing keeping him here was the fact that they seemed to actually have a goat somewhere.

Since Velveteen was still dressed in the outfit he wore to Dr. Birwin's earlier that day, and hadn't brought any weapons along to talk to a scholar (he would have if he knew the guy had a hell hound), the only thing St. V put in the locker was the pork shoulder.

Now, with only his salami in hand, St. Velveteen walks through the doorway and into the entry room.  The place was pretty trashy, but he had lived in trashier.  Still, if this place was the kind of place he thought it was, there was no way St. V was going to make a roast out of the meat of the goat that greeted him.  However, he doubted a drop bear would be as picky.

"Umm..." was all St. Velveteen managed to bring himself to say to the ork before following the goat.  He really wished Firefox was with him.  She would probably know what to say.

Velveteen follows the goat to the room and closes the door, then he tries to figure out what exactly the animal's chipjack is doing and how it works. (13:38, Today: St. Velveteen rolled 1 success using 3d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 1,3,4. Examining the Electronics behind a goat's ear.) He also examines the room to get a better feel of his surroundings, taking special note of any possible exits.  He was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to afford this goat or its... services.  All the same, it didn't feel right leaving it here.  He didn't mind butchering animals for food, but putting wigs on them was going too far.

Twitch--The dwarf will actually try to take you down to the parking level. A quick suggestion convinces her it would be more fun to head upstairs to one of the executive offices. (If you have a more interesting suggestion, go ahead and pitch it.)

St. V--The goat appears to have a personafix chip plugged in. It likely has a full simsense rig, and the chip overrides her normal personality with a new one. The side of the chip is labelled, in peeling, chipped paint, "Marilyn Monroe, 1960".

The goat puts on some music and sings for a bit. "Braaaaaah! Brrraaaaah BRAAAAH!!" It waggles around the room, then hits you about the shoulders and back with its hooves, still baahing to itself. After half an hour, you are charged 10 nuyen.

In reply to Papa Bear (msg # 138):

I think that will do it for now unless someone has some other information they would like snow to look into

snow will share the little information he uncovered with the rest of the team to see if that sparks any ideas.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:11, Mon 03 Mar 2014.

Twitch eyes the dwarf with a sly grin, "Why don't we go upstairs to one of the offices I like the thought of having a bit of fun on some execs desk and then  we can head down to the garage and get really dirty."

"Oh man.  Wow!  That felt really good.  I really needed that.  Thanks Marilyn.  Your hooves were like kisses from angels!"  He had been pretty weirded out at first when the goat was trying to sing to him, but as soon as she started working his shoulders, Saint Velveteen couldn't help but submit to her wily ways.  St. V hadn't realized just how many knots and kinks his muscles had (especially after the long ride here on his three-wheeler) until the goat's hooves started working at them.  Before today he had always considered these types of services to be a huge waste of nuyen, but now he was going to have to rethink that.

However, he was here on business.  If he was going to justify this use of time and money, he would definitely have to leave with the goat now.  "How would you like to get out of this place, Marilyn?  Run away with me to the seaside.  I can introduce you to all my coworkers.  We may even have a job for you!  Even if we don't end up staying together forever, at least we can be happy in the moment."

Grabbing his salami that he had left leaning against the wall, Saint V heads out to where he had seen the ork earlier.  "Hey chummer, what would it take for you to let me get Marilyn off your hands?"

Twitch--With a swish and a giggle she brings you to the elevator and swipes her card, taking you up to the 19th floor, where she'll lead you to a full board room with a digital, touch-screen table. The two of you I'm sure make good use of the table, in making vivid and beautiful images, that are certain to stun and amaze the mid-afternoon cartoon infomercial crew when they convene the next morning.

The two of you recline in the plush pleather chairs afterwards, and she offers you a stim patch.

St. V-The goat listens, and baas plaintively. She shows him her cred stick, not to ask for money, but to show the balance; over fifteen thousand nuyen saved up. She pulls out a little digital photo frame, and flips through images of her farm, her siblings, now working their hooves to the thing hooves grow off of in a factory, her little brother, billy, who goblinized into a gerbil and now needs special care. She shakes her head, "Braaaaaah..." Some things are just not meant to be.

However, the ork out front is more helpful. "600 nuyen and she's yours. 200 for a weekend."

"600 to keep her?  You got yourself a deal!"  St. V pays up eagerly.  "I'll go collect her and her things."  He turns on his heel and starts skipping merrily down the hallway.

Usually he is stingy with his money.  The exception is when it happens to be something he really wants.  And a goat that gives terrific back massages for 600 is a whole lite cheaper than the woodcarving knife he paid to have implanted in his thumb.  Buying her wasn't even so much about the mission anymore.  Her history she had shared with him touched him emotionally.  The picture of her goblinized brother even brought a tear to his eye.  He could relate.  Maybe, just maybe, if he took Marylin away from this place they could find a way to help her entire family.

Or, you know, use her as live bait against a drop bear...

Never before have I done this, but I feel I would be dishonest to myself if I did not recognize St. V with 2 karma points.

Marilyn is surprised and distraught at the change in her fate, but without a word, she collects her things in a little suitcase and follows St. Valentine out to his bi... err... trike.

Sweet!  Additionally, I think St. V's mission just ended.

After gathering his own things from his locker, Saint Velveteen leads Marylin to his poorly parked ride.  He lets her ride atop his sweatervested shoulders, uses the proper hand signals for driving, then rolls out into the street.  "I know it's not what you wanted, but today is the start of your new life.  Let's make it a good one."  After waiting for a red light to turn green, Velveteen turns toward Caver's place to introduce their newly purchased recruit.

So while Twitch is doing his run of the upstairs, anyone else up to anything cool? DO you want me to wrap up Twitch so we can move on to the next stage?

Carver is just pulling ranged no-contact intel. We can skip or give Twitch his snuggles and cigs, I'm ok waiting.

Did Carver ever crack the encryption?  I am fine waiting for Twitch.  He might have plans for while he is on the 19th floor or elsewhere and I'm interested as to what they might be.

Broadcast decryption is more expensive than I have cash to invest.

OOC:  I am cool with closing it up.  Just trying to get a lay out and perhaps security patterns.

Snow checked the time and then pulled out his phone and called the number the Johnson supplied.

"Yes sir, a question came up while the team and I were discussing things.  If the final goal to have the subject out of the competition?  If so we have a lead on a plan that will get the subject on the next boat back to her homeland with no heat on the team and by extension no heat on you or your employer."

"Would that be an acceptable solution?"

"Hello, you have reached the voicemail of Mr. Johnson. If this is that group of runners calling to arrange the drop-off, leave a phone number and one of my people will contact you.

If you are that group of runners calling to tell me you failed the mission, leave a time and location and I will send my team to capture you, pluck out your eyeballs like grapes, cut off your feet and feed them to you, and nail your foreheads to the bottom of the Seattle pier.

If this is Susan, I'll be over tonight with wine. See you sooon!

BEEP!"

There's plenty of hits on Baz, including his myface site, where he hosts a lot of videos. He's part of a death metal ukele band. He also has an active ShootCupid account.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:24, Mon 17 Mar 2014.

"Yes sir, this is the team that is charged with retrieving a bear.  A question came up while the team and I were discussing things.  If the final goal to have the subject out of the competition?  If so we have a lead on a plan that will get the subject on the next boat back to her homeland with no heat on the team and by extension no heat on you or your employer."

"Would that be an acceptable solution?  I can be reach 425-867-5309.

Thank you"

---

On Baz: Lets set up a shoot cupid account and try to get this guy a blind date that he would be willing to take off a night for.  One less person to worry about.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:28, Mon 17 Mar 2014.

St. V will help scour Baz's Mayface and ShootCupid accounts for details about his interests to help create his perfect match.  Looking for apparent hobbies, type of relationships he is looking for, people he finds attractive, and what societal class he belongs to.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:52, Mon 17 Mar 2014.

Interests include German movies, BMW, parabiology, UCAS culture, singing, stringed instruments, death metal, drop bears, which aren't actually bears, and big hats. He is looking for a studious and athletic man.

Firefox swung by the zoo, navigating around a small band of protesters waving "Devil Rats are People!" and making her way to the small Oceana exhibit.  She studied the cuddly furry bear with interest, taking a good read on its astral signature.  She tried to envision it it with fangs and inch-long claws, but it was a bit of a stretch.  The awakened Tazmanian devil in the adjacent plasticrete-sealed enclosure was a different matter entirely.  She wondered absently what the biological purpose of the pitchfork tail was, before making her way out.  Past the panda exhibit of course.

On her way back to her bike, she called up Rock.  "Any chance you can get me a couple of tickets for the UCAS idolize concert tonight?"


Negotiation (bargaining)

quote:

18:54, Mon 17 Mar 2014: Firefox rolled 6 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 ((5,(6+5)11,4,4,5,(6+3)9))

Not sure if that's the appropriate roll.  If not use whatever you deem appropriate.

Rock responds, "Callin' it close? Yeah, I'll get some. They'll be uhhh ... a thousand for four tickets. That okie dokie?"

I'm assuming my negotiation is reflected in the proffered price, so I won't bother trying to argue him down.

"Way too much for the entertainment value, but it's work so I guess it'll have to do.  Need 2 for sure.  Can I get back to you in the next 10 on the other two?"

She dials up the safe-house.  "I've got a lead on 4 tickets to the show tonight for 250 a piece.  I'm up for covering 2 of them.  Gotta confirm in the next 5 to lock in the price.  Anyone else wanna come?"