Chapter 1: Immigrant Labour

[Corwin]

<--->

[13:41] The teen clubs probably won't be open too late, especially given that the radio reports that local crime is on the rise, so the trip to the place that Lisa mentioned is done fairly early in the evening. It's only about nine-fifteen when Bruce drives around to the street in question-
[13:47] -a place that's not quite in the heart of downtown Reno, and well away from the casinos. While the other side of town has a number of seedier shops, this section is a bit tidier at first glance. A police car rolls down the street alongside Alphabet Soup, which features a number of chairs and tables out the front, along with an overhanging plastic shade.
[13:49] The place stands out because of it's motif; the letters of the alphabet are used as mascots, as they are in so many other places and works, but they take on grotesque and oddly sexualised forms; some are clearly monsters, while others appear almost humanlike. The S, in particular, resembles a mermaid, coiled and sultry. An alley beside the club has a dumpster and a staff entrance in it-
[13:49] -at first glance, and a number of other restraunts are doing business nearby.
[13:57] "Teen clubs are places I would find myself out of my depth," Bruce admits to Linda. "Do you have a better idea than entering separately and looking for the addicts in an attempt to find a dealer?"
[14:01] "Could ask kids who are leaving," she notes, glancing a few walking down the street. There isn't much parking on the sides of the street, so the car has to roll on past the club for now. "Or you could go for the people running the place. They're probably complicit."
[14:03] "Going to those running it would expose us in no uncertain terms," Bruce muses. "I don't think we want that to happen."
[14:07] "I guess that'd depend on how confident you are in dominate," she admits. "Could pretend that you're looking to buy something yourself."
[14:09] "That's the idea, yes," Bruce agrees. "I don't think it would be difficult to place the idea in their heads. I'll need to approach the right kids, though, or risk drawing too much attention to myself as I go from one to another."
[14:12] "What do you do to pick out the right kid is the question."
[14:15] "This would go far easier if we had a reasonably reliable way of telling apart those already stoned. I don't suppose your eyes work that way?"
[14:20] "No more than yours. They would have to actually take the pills at some point." She taps the dashboard with her finger. "This place has to have a security camera up, somewhere. They usually keep the footage rolling on a TV behind the counter, and the kids would have to actually light up at some point."
[14:20] "It'd be a better view than from the ground."
[14:38] "It would probably require a larger involvement than I plan on having at this point," Bruce muses. "How would we coordinate, once inside? Or is it better to just go in together, after all?"
[14:41] "No, I don't think so," she muses. "We should stay relatively independant and come back outside to discuss things. Or one of us could stay outside the whole time and keep an eye out- if we're a little ham-handed, people could be scared out."
[14:45] Bruce nods. "Sounds good. And one last thing. I want us to be clear on our goals before we do this. What do you think should happen to a drug dealer, if we manage to corner one outside in a secluded spot?"
[14:47] "Depends. There might not even be a real dealer here, just some idiot kid who wants to make a bit of extra money. At the bottom, you've got saps, it's the people in the middle and top who are the real trash. It's a bit like a pyramid scheme."
[14:49] "True enough. So what's the plan if we do manage to net some trash from the middle?"
[14:51] "Get him in the car and we can talk to him a bit. I've a sudden interest in the way crime works in Reno," she replies. "Or just toss him on a plate and serve him to your girlfriend. She'd be fine with that, no?"
[14:53] "I guess we'll find out," Bruce responds with a slight grimace. "I can't say I like this much, myself, but a choice between some scum and Lisa? It doesn't even exist. I wanted to be sure you would be fine with that as well."
[14:56] "I'm not going to cry over some dealer," she replies, with a slight edge. "I've already done plenty of things I'm not too proud of. This is pretty tame, by comparision. I'm more worried about what to do afterwards."
[15:00] "Afterwards," Bruce repeats. "Were you serious about there being some magical cure out there? The possibility of one, at least?"
[15:03] "Anything is possible. That forms the basis of all magic. The world is composed of rules, and magi have the ability to override those laws of nature and replace them with their own. Vampires do as well, just in their own limited way. Nothing is truly written, so... somehow, there must be a cure."
[15:03] "It's not the best of times, but I have to know. Could there be a cure for Lisa as well?"
[15:05] "The short answer is yes. Park over there," she replies, pointing at a space where someone else is just pulling out.
[15:06] Bruce does so automatically, his mind on other things. "Okay," he says, taking a deep breath. "I can hardly rely on mirrors, so do I look passable right now?"
[15:08] "In a better time, I'd let you ask me out," replies Linda, with a pleased nod. "Want me to stay outside or come with you? Despite all evidence to the contrary, teenage boys aren't quite the animals they say they are."
[15:09] "Is there a spot you could be at inconspiciously, while keeping an eye on both the main entrance and the staff one?" Bruce asks, smiling at her answer.
[15:11] "I think there was a place across the road. I'll order... a can of beer. They won't even know I'm not drinking it."
[15:12] "Then it's time for me to give this a try," Bruce says, stepping outside. "I'm sure you'll notice if I need your help."
[15:13] "Are you armed?"
[15:13] "With your gun," he responds, keeping his voice low. "Unless you think you'll need it more?"
[15:16] "Doubt it. Don't pull it unless they're going to waste you. Seeing a gun on him would punt a kid dealer right on the straight and narrow, I bet. And on a cop hotline."
[15:17] "Wasn't my intention to flash it like some badge," Bruce agrees.
[15:19] "Alright. No pressure, you know? We can always try again in another spot. I don't mind playing vigilante, but these guys aren't our real enemy."
[15:20] It would hurt something deep within Bruce to admit failure against a group of punks, but he nods nonetheless. "Sure. Just a scouting mission with options."
[15:22] "A mission, huh," she muses, cracking open her door and stepping outside. "Good luck, then, soldier."
[15:24] He cracks a smile, and with a mock salute to Linda strides towards the club's entrance.
[15:28] A No Smoking sign greets Bruce as he steps inside the club, which takes up a fairly large floor. Half-arcade, half bar, a few game machines and a couple of pool tables take up a chunk of the space, while the other section has a collection of tables, lit up both by lights built inside them-
[15:31] -and the low-hanging lamps that decorate the area. Although it's called a teen club, there are a few older people here as well, though they're still a bit younger-looking than Bruce.
[15:33] A cursory glance around the room reveals a few groups; a small crowd of fairly athletic-looking kids are hanging around the bar. A lone adult in a trenchcoat nurses a hamburger and fries on a table by himself, and the other group of note seems to be a collection of girls arguing over the jukebox.
[15:36] A few other groups of kids are sitting at the tables, mostly eating and talking on their own. He catches a snippet of conversation from a slightly dazed-looking girl in a woolen yellow jumper- apparently her friend's parents would let them come, since it's so dangerous out these nights.
[15:42] A dazed girl is as good a start as any, Bruce decides, intending to listen in.
[15:42] OOC: Anyway, make a streetwise+wits check if you want to try blending in
[15:45] roll 3d10
[15:45] * Hatbot --> "Wilhelmina rolls 3d10 and gets 12." [3d10=6, 3, 3]
[15:43] Bruce heads towards the nearest pool table to set it up in an effort to try and blend in better.
[15:45] The pool tables are coin-operated, with the balls kept inside a transparent case until someone puts in a quarter to release them all into a tray. A few cues stand on a pedastal nearby, and a couple on another table already have a game underway.
[15:46] Bruce opts to observe the ongoing game, or give off such an appearance, in any case.
[15:48] Listening in on the nearby conversation isn't hard when Bruce manages to merely look like an interested patron. The players- a boy and a girl- look like seniors, and the guy does give Bruce a curious glance before returning to his game.
[15:52] The conversation nearby doesn't have much to do with drugs, but from what Bruce can gather, the small group of three at the table are misfits at a school nearby, and they're talking about how some kids went missing from school this week.
[16:00] Bruce decides it's worth seeing if he would learn more from listening in like that, or if a chance presents itself when one of them breaks away from the group temporarily.
[16:03] "Yeah, it was after the school concern last week. He walks home, but apparently just never got there," the girl says, sipping at a soda. "He doesn't live far, either," adds one of the guys- a tall fellow with a bit of stubble. He seems a bit ungangly, and his shirt has a tilted owl stamped on the front, 'ORLY?' scrawled across the top.
[16:05] "You know what? I bet it was in the park. Captain is trying to make the neighbourhood watch, you know, actually watch things." "What about his parents? Didn't they go to the concert?" "Nah, they were interstate."
[16:11] Bruce keeps on watching until the pool game ends, at which time he'll order a soda from the bar and approach the table of the so-called misfits. Disappearances could well be connected to the group that kidnapped him, and Linda suggested that information gathered on those vampires would be key in their survival.
[16:15] The soda is cheap and fizzy, served with a novelty straw. It appeals not at all to Bruce's senses; even the thought of drinking it gives him an involuntary shudder. On approaching the group, Bruce can see the third member more clearly, a kind of squat kid. With a hand on his chin and his eyes drifting away, he seems lost in thought.
[16:17] "Mind if I join you?" Bruce asks once he's close by, a move designed to get them to glance at him. Even a moment would do, if he could shift their estimate of him into the positive spectrum and get the kids to accept his presence at the table.
[16:18] OOC: Awe goes here
[16:19] roll 4d10
[16:19] * Hatbot --> "Wilhelmina rolls 4d10 and gets 21." [4d10=10, 9, 1, 1]
[16:21] "Uh... only got three chairs!" the tall kid notes, scratching his cheek, while the girl looks a bit startled.
[16:33] Bruce pulls over a chair from a nearby, unoccupied table, placing his soda on the table as he takes the seat.
[16:34] "Easily solved," he says smoothly. "I hope you don't mind giving me a hand. I've been asked to find this girl that went missing a couple days back by the uncle she lived with. It sounded like she frequented the club, so that's where I started. Now, I don't see her around, but maybe you three have, on a different night?"
[16:35] "I don't know about any missing girls," the kid replies, shuffling in his chair. "Just this one missing guy from school. Lots of people stopped coming here lately, too." The girl perks up for a moment. "What did she look like?"
[16:38] "Maybe you just caught a glimpse?" Bruce suggests. "Worth a try, as far as I'm concerned." He begins describing the features of the goth that had been abducted along with him on the bus. "Went missing a couple days ago. Just never got home. Last she was seen, she was wearing--"
[16:38] Bruce notes the clothing, though not in meticulous detail. A guardian would not have eidetic memory to rely on for the description.
[16:40] "Nope, never seen anyone like that- oh, you might try the goth club across town, though. It's near that..." The girl blushes for a moment, and mumbles something, but the stout kid picks it up. "Near Twisted Pleasures! The porn shop."
[16:44] "Right, I'll check it out later tonight," Bruce responds, nodding. "Thanks for the hint. A shame to just rush over so soon. You mentioned a missing guy, and people not coming here anymore? What's that all about?"
[16:47] "Ah, a kid from our school went missing when he was going home. Sam Carradine. He used to come by here. He wasn't really our friend, though..." She takes a long sip from her glass, a little embarrassed. "Um. People's parents are worried about gang stuff, so some people can't come here anymore."
[16:48] "Gang stuff." Bruce grimaces. "That's really why I'm here and not the cops. They're too busy with all the shooting, and then there's so many hospitalized they can't be bothered to do a thing about people going missing."
[16:49] OOC: Make an expression+manipulation check?
[16:49] roll 8d10
[16:49] * Hatbot --> "Wilhelmina rolls 8d10 and gets 52." [8d10=9, 3, 3, 10, 9, 8, 3, 7]
[16:51] "Shooting? You mean that stuff yesterday? Man... just how bad was it?"
[16:54] "Bad enough the hospitals are overcrowded by gangsters and cops, from what I heard," Bruce responds. "So this Sam kid. Do you think something happened to him? Random gang violence doesn't really make sense, if he was just going home from school. He wasn't in a gang himself, was he?"
[16:56] "Mmm... I don't think so. He was a bit of a snob, really," the girl replies. "And a bit mean. He liked to make some kids do stupid things and then threw them up on youtube."
[16:57] "Like pranks and stuff, or more serious?"
[17:01] "Pranks and stuff... some were kinda dangerous, though," she admits. "Making people swim laps in costume, making some people smoke some stupid shit-he had this way of finding stuff out about people and using it against them."
[17:02] "A dangerous occupation," Bruce notes. "Anyone held a grudge over him for that sort of thing? After a particularly humiliating or dangerous prank, say."
[17:05] "I think a lot of kids did. He'd pick mostly on the quiet ones who keep to themselves. You know, pretend to be their friend, and then.. well. You know." She frowns. "None of them really fit the gangster mold, but you never know with the quiet ones, do you?"
[17:09] "I guess you don't," Bruce agrees. "You know, there's something I don't get. You made it sound like people were staying away from this place specifically since Sam disappeared. So did he only hang around here in his free time, or did I misunderstand?"
[17:13] "I think it's just paranoia. You know, one bad thing happens, and people start seeing trouble everywhere. I don't know much about the gang stuff, though." The kid leans back in his chair. "Just that there are more bashings and things around the bars and casinos lately."
[17:25] Bruce looks mildly uncomfortable, then. "I have to ask," he says, keeping his voice low as he catches the eyes of the talkative kid. "It's standard for cases like this, and I'll be discreet. Can you tell me if you think something extra was involved when Sam got people to play along? I'd like to either confirm or rule it out."
[17:31] "Something extra?" the girl asked, slightly confused.
[17:33] "Something to reduce inhibitions," Bruce clarifies. "Why gather blackmail when you can just generate it?"
[17:34] "Oh. I'm pretty sure of it, yeah. He didn't like to do stuff himself, but he liked to get other people to," she replies. "And then watch them. And film them."
[17:36] "If someone else was involved, it might be worth for me to check out," Bruce tells her. "Or someone who got really hurt by him, perhaps recently."
[17:39] "You could go to the school. We go to Cambridge High," the girl replies, shrugging. "I know Taylor was stuck in his videos- uh, Taylor Wilkinson, he's a kid in my class. Um. You could check out his videos, I didn't really keep watching them..."
[17:40] "Might as well," Bruce agrees with a sigh. "Okay, thanks for the help. I'm just starting out so I don't know how closer it put me to my goal, but I definitely have more to work with, now."

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

"Sure, no problem. You're a private detective or something?" asks the girl, looking up at Bruce with curious eyes.

"I'm just starting out, though," he replies. "Hopefully, I'm on the right track."

"Good luck! Can you buy us a soda?"

Bruce smirks. "Sure thing. It's the least I can do."

He stands up, leaving the extra chair behind as he heads towards the bar to wave the bartender over.

If you can even call it a bar- it's more like a cafe. There are a couple of waiters hanging out near the counter, and one bustles off with a few plates of food from the kitchen, leaving the other to glance at Bruce. "Can I take an order?" he asks, a little impatiently.

"Three sodas for that table over there," Bruce says, holding up three dollar bills. For his part, he intends to wait until the order has been delivered to intercept the waiter on his way back, unless he manages to glimps someone with more authority.

"Sure. That's three dollars," the man- only around twenty- replies needlessly, taking the change and heading starting to pour out some glasses on a tray. Catching him on the way back wouldn't be hard. A slightly older man comes out the kitchen to behind the bar; he's not wearing an apron like the waiters, merely nondescript t-shirt and jeans.

He wanders over to the register and opens it, starting to sort various bills into the machine.

"Excuse me," Bruce says, placing his drink on the counter before the older man to catch his attention. Once he is certain that he has it, Bruce follows that up with a request backed up by what one of his companions termed vampire magic. "Would you be so kind as to point me in the right direction for something more stimulating than this soda?"

"This part of town is alcohol-free, but there's a real bar two blocks down," the man replies, with a slight shrug.

So much for the theory that the management would be involved? Or was he just too vague? It's somehow difficult for Bruce to imagine that the waiters and staff would remain unaware of drug trafficking going on under their very noses night in, night out.

"Yeah, I get the rules," Bruce agrees, trying to switch tracks. "But I'm supposed to meet someone here. You know how it is? Maybe someone bent the substances ban just a tiny bit, and maybe you heard something, maybe not. I'd really appreciate if you could help me make the right connections, then."

"Huh. I do know a couple things about that," he replies, hands robotically frozen over the register. "The jocks at the other side of the bar like to buy, then go home and get high and all that. They know who's who. Don't think anyone has bought anything today. It's a bit late for it. Maybe come back tomorrow night."

Bruce gives him a smile. "Right, thanks." He leaves the soda at the bar, and heads towards the pool tables once again.

This time, his targets are the jocks. He doubts they would leave together, so once one's decided to call it a night, at least as far as Alphabet Soup is concerned, Bruce would tag along.

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

The jocks hang around for almost another hour before three of them get up and start heading out, leaving two behind. One opts to stay a bit longer at the bar, however, while the other gets up and goes out on his own a few minutes later. He sports a t-shirt with a team logo on it, and starts to take out his phone as he saunters out the club.

Bruce decides to try his luck with this kid, heading outside himself. If it seems like he'll catch up before the call goes through, he'll try calling out to him.

Holding his phone loosely, the kid twists his head when Bruce calls out to him, hand dropping to his side. He looks a bit surly, all told.

Bruce jogs up to him the few steps to catch up.

"It seems the usual guy wasn't around today," he says, "and you don't look too happy about it. So how about trying out the competition?"

OOC: This is clearly a streetwise+manipulation check
OOC: 1 success

"You... missed the boat, man. What happened to the other guy?" the jock asks, folding his arms.

"All I know is that I had nothing to do with it," Bruce responds with a shrug. "Competition, remember? Just heard he didn't show, decided to check for myself if there was anything in it. Could be a hefty discount for the first few to try. You know, incentives and all that."

"Uhhuh? So what are we talking, here?"

"X, unless you're into something else. Then I'll be the one asking what we're talking about, here."

"Lemme call someone," he replies, bringing up his phone and punching in a few numbers.

Bruce observes this calmly, even though he can't help but feel worry every time a deviation occurs from his planning, just as now.

"Hey, it's me. Yeah, look, some dude showed up, said he was selling too. Yeah, he's different..." he begins, and he stops speaking for a moment, listening to the person on the other end.

It makes Bruce curious to know who is on the other end of the line, but if things go smoothly he will certainly find that out from the kid. For now, he maintains his calm, though he will fake impatience if the call starts taking too long.

"Alright, sure. I mean, fuck'em, right? Stupid to get pissed at customers when you don't show. Right. I'll bring some around. Later."

"That's a yes, then?" Bruce asks once the call ends.

"Yeah. Lemme get some cash, friends want some too," he notes. "How much?"

"Sure thing," Bruce agrees, before nodding in the direction of his parked car. "I'll be there. And tonight? Knock off a third to mark the beginning of a beautiful friendship. How does that sound?"

"It sounds good, but how much per pill?"

"Ah, I get you." Catching the kid's eye, Bruce asks conversationally, "So how much did the no-show guy make you pay him per pill?"

OOC: Mesmerize, dammit
OOC: [22:09] * Hatbot --> "Nao rolls 9d10 and gets 39." [9d10=4, 4, 3, 5, 2, 2, 8, 10, 1]

"About fourty bucks," he replies, before blinking a little. "Anyway, back in a sec."

"Right, I'll be in the car," Bruce tells him with a nod, heading off towards the vehicle.

Linda heads to the side of the car as Bruce draws near, glancing at him over the top. "How did it go?" she asks, quietly.

"The kid I was with just now is going to buy some ecstasy from us," Bruce responds, keeping his voice equally quiet. He tosses Linda the car keys. "Turns out the regular guy wasn't around, and he's one of the usual customers. I'll get him to go along with driving somewhere more remote if I can, we'll find out more, and I'll do my best to edit those parts out of his evening's recollection. If he doesn't bite, we stop here and move on. Works?"

"Depends how trusting he is," she replies, grabbing the keys and heading to the driver's seat. "I'll leave you to it."

"Trusting?" Bruce asks, opening the door to the back seat and getting in, leaving it ajar. "I fully intend on doing my best to make him think that coming along is the best thing since sliced bread, if he gets here and not scrams."

Linda opens her door and slides into the chair. "Aiming for a repeat customer, huh?"

"Certainly, at some point. In this case, it's more a healthy fear of failure than anything else." Bruce moves deeper inside, leaving enough space for the kid to occupy if he shows up and gets in the car without crowding him.

"How about you? Did you manage to pass the time pleasantly?"

"Yeah. Didn't see that much, though. There's nothing to see," she admits, shrugging. "I started thinking and getting all maudlin, which really won't do."

"It won't do," Bruce agrees quietly.

A couple of minutes later, Bruce can see the kid approaching the car. He doesn't step inside, though, instead putting his hands on the frame and peering in.

"Alright. I've got enough for six. Let's see it."

Bruce has used that time to go over his planned words to the jock. The need to phrase the command in terms unambiguous enough to deliver his wishes, while at the same time leaving himself an out in case it failed for some reason was difficult to balance.

"Come on," Bruce tells him, waving the kid inside while his eyes don't leave his. "We'll make the swap as we drive around the block. Less chance to get caught that way."

As someone who had outthought himself by worrying about perfection too much in the past, Bruce decided to go with a simple enough, reasonable suggestion.

"Alright," the kid replies, sounding a little toneless. He pulls himself into Bruce's car and shuts the door, leaving Linda to start pulling around the corner.

"So this guy," Bruce asks as the car takes off. "The usual guy. Is this how he became the usual guy? Just by showing up one day and having a better deal?"

"Well... I guess," the kid replies, pulling money out of his pocket. "He's been around a while..."

"He work alone?" Bruce nods towards the driver's seat with a smile. "Myself, I see the uses of having a beautiful assistant, just like the stage magicians do."

"I dunno. He talked big, like he had people backing him up. He usually came by himself. Have you got the stuff?" the kid replies, slightly edgy.

"'Course I do," Bruce says with a touch of belligerence. "By the time we've made it back around the block you'll have it. Nothing wrong with passing the time with conversation until there's no one who could look in at the wrong moment, is there? What are you gonna do if it's cops, swallow all the evidence?"

He does keep an eye on when they are in an area where he could try to feed from the kid and later try to modify the memory of it without a high chance of running into witnesses.

Bruce sees a nearby carpark that could make a decent spot, just near the back of a resturant. "Well, okay. Let's just hurry up," the kid mutters.

"Sure. So hey, you said usually? Then sometimes, the guy brought someone along?" he asks, almost about to try and catch Linda's eyes in the rearview mirror before tapping her back with his left hand and indicating the carpark to her.

Linda pulls into the carpark, which turns out to hold the entrance to a large club just out of view from the road; a couple of burly-looking security folks are hanging out near the doors, in dark blue jackets and surveying the people trickling in with mean expressions.

"Sometimes he brought a friend," the kid replies, scrunching up in his seat. "Weren't you already checking him out?"

"Still in the process of it," Bruce responds. "Didn't hear he had someone with him, didn't see it either, but had to check. Good thing I did, too, or I might've overlooked the friend. Think you caught a good enough glimpse for a description, there? I'll cut through the bullshit and just tell you that it's worth you an extra pill if you can."

Unfortunate, but the spot would have to do. He hardly knows the area, and if he keeps on using his powers on the kid to subdue him time and time again, eventually an attempt will fail. Once one of the guards at least turns away for more than a brief glimpse aside, Bruce would make his move.

"Not really," he replies, definately at unease. "Let's just do this and go."

So that is the limit of today's investigation. Not as much as he would have liked, but more than he had reason to have, and there are other leads as well.

"Freeze," Bruce commands the jock, his eyes narrowing down in warning. A single pause, a slight hesitation is all he needs to lunge across the back seat and sink his teeth into him, and then resistance becomes moot.

The jock freezes on the spot, rigid in his chair. Only his eyes dart about, uncomprehending.

It feels slightly wrong to do this, even to a junkie. Even when there would be no permanent harm. But dying is something Bruce isn't eager to experience again, and if drinking blood in this way is what he has to do to stave it off, let that be.

Not wasting the precious moment of inaction on the kid's part, Bruce bites into his neck.

It's swift and easy. The kid doesn't even squirm, though his eyes roll back into his head.

OOC: Command?
OOC: 3bp please

The drink is still good. Still everything Bruce needs. It's a bit bubbly, and he finds himself slightly on edge. A faint aftertaste of sugar, cloying and sweet. He feels a bit on edge. Coffee springs to mind.

The kid snaps back from Bruce scant moments after he removes his teeth, bashing his head against the window. A few seconds pass in blank astonishment, but when Linda starts pulling out the drive again, he panics, and reaches for the door handle.

Bruce's hand instantly goes into his pocket, from where the unmistakable click of a gun being primed sounds an instant later.

"Trying to run would get you killed," Bruce warns, leaning back. The car has the so-called parental control from the driver's seat, so getting outside should be difficult if Linda locks the doors down. He isn't trying to rely on that, however, hoping instead that his warning would bring about a desperate look from the kid, which Bruce could try to use to hypnotize him as the first step towards editing his memories of this evening.

The kid has already got his hands on the door, and shoves it open as Linda pulls out! He hesitates, briefly, and decides to take his chances with the outside of the car, lunging for freedom. Bruce has him dead to rights, if he doesn't mind getting a hole in his jacket.

OOC: Could I grab at him?
OOC: Yea. Str+Brawl check, difficulty 7
OOC: Let's try it

Bruce hesitates. In the end, he doesn't have a good enough reason to kill the kid, although he's not ready to give up just yet. Not without trying to grab at him.

The kid manages to drop out of Bruce's grip, but he falls against the road outside the car, tumbling onto his belly.

"Wait," Bruce tells Linda tersely, getting out of the car after the kid. If he hasn't gotten up yet, all that it should take is roughly turning him around for a moment's attention, and then issuing the "Follow!" command. From that point on, getting back into the car with the kid in tow should be a breeze.

As Bruce struggles out of the car, the kid begins to pull himself to his feet. He can see the guards at the club entrance looking at the kid falling out of the car, hovering for a moment in indecision.

Rather than the rough shove he had intended, Bruce grabs the kid's arm as if to help him up, turning him around enough for eye contact to take place. Even though he was taken by surprise, no one loses that much blood so quickly and can be just fine afterwards, so he has to believe in the way it stacks the deck in his favor.

The kid seems a bit woozy, but shoves Bruce away from him, turning briefly to look back at the man as he backs away. His breathing is fast and shallow, and Bruce can see one of the security guards starting to jog over.

"Follow," Bruce orders through gritted teeth, returning to the car immediately as soon as he is certain the command had been issued. Should his power fail now, he might as well cut his losses. And if it doesn't, the less time he gives that guard to catch up, the worse things get.

The kid obediently gets in the car after Bruce, sitting numbly in the seat as Linda begins to pull out.

Bruce reaches across the jock to manually lock the door. That way, it would take him more than a moment's element of surprise to get outside again. He does the same with his own door afterwards.

"Can we get out of sight before that guard gets the license plate?" Bruce asks Linda. Even though it is debatable the man would go that far, after seeing their friend get back in seemingly of his own accord, it can't hurt to be careful.

"Yeah," replies Linda, tightly. The car drives into the street and is soon winding through and out of downtown Reno. "I'll find someplace quiet. That could've been a lot worse."

"It was unpleasant," Bruce agrees. "More unpleasant than the entire thing already is. How about you? Do you need...." He leaves the question open.

"I'm fine for now. I'll worry about me later. You do what you have to do." The car drives for a couple of minutes, the kid simply remaining there, mute. She pulls into another parking lot, this one adjacent to an empty sporting field.

This is the first time Bruce has ever tried manipulating a mind on such a level, and he hadn't even been doing the rest for that long. Starting with, "Look into my eyes," would sound terribly corny, not to mention present an important clue to the kid of how to resist. Instead, he decides to try and coach him to talk about himself, finding safer topics with the goal of eventually drifting towards this evening, so that he could begin the work of suppressing and editing out the nasty memories and swapping them for better ones.

OOC: Time to see if this works.
OOC: [00:56] * +Hatbot --> "Nao rolls 5d10 and gets 25." [5d10=9, 9, 1, 5, 1]

Bruce extracts a rough outline of the kid's day; he seems to be a bit of a follower, when it comes down to it. He's always hanging out with the sporty crowd at school, but seems to not be quite as good as the rest of them, and is always just tagging along. He ended up having to walk home today because there was no room in a car, and he relates the events of the night to Bruce in simple, toneless detail.

Unsatisfied with the result of his first attempt, Bruce tries again. He already knows the basic outline, and his questions are more directed, more to the point, and come at better angles. Unless he masters this ability, his life is bound to become impossibly difficult.

OOC: [01:05] * +Hatbot --> "Nao rolls 5d10 and gets 17." [5d10=3, 2, 9, 2, 1]

The attempt becomes harder, if anything; the kid just dumbly stares at Bruce, perhaps still under the effect of his previous command.

Much like a gambler, Bruce can't stop unless he likes the outcome.

This time, Bruce finds that the jock's mental defences fall prey to his persistant efforts, leaving his mind an empty slate over which to write.

OOC: How many successes am I working with, here?
OOC: 5

The kid always wanted someone to look up to. That was why he was with the sporty crowd, but deep inside, he always knew he didn't really fit in. No space in the car was nothing but an excuse; what car can seat three but not four? It wasn't the first time, either, that he was subtly snubbed like that by his so-called friends. Left on his own, dejected, he ended up chancing upon a couple who took him out on a drive, treated him right, listened to his troubles and even shared some kind of new drug that brought about an unimaginably-pleasurable trip.

Bruce shapes the events of that evening to remain as close to how they took place. The call to his friends took place, though jerks like that wouldn't deserve to try something as good as what he got. And if the buzz is gave him was so strong he stumbled out of the car as it was taking a turn, that's just bad luck and could've happened to everyone. It's a good thing they got away before the beefy guards made it all the way over to beat them up.

The life he lead before receives a nudge here and there in key places to reaffirm the slightly altered worldview. Events with the sporty crowd and others that need to be portrayed in a different light or from a different perspective, other elements that might help build the dependancy up, anything towards reinforcing the need and desire for cool older friends he could come to with anything.

OOC: Huh. Do I have a desc for drug guy?
OOC: Also, what's the kid's name? I figure I should probably use it, now.
OOC: Yeah. He's a mexican dude with a goatee; he wears a leather jacket and a military emblem that the kid didn't recognize offhand. He really doesn't recall

his friend very well, and you suspect he didn't come with the same person when he didn't come alone. David Turner.

The kid nods along to Bruce's refinements, with occasional affirmative grunts. Retooling his life elects a slight pang of guilt within Bruce, but he's used to needing to take steps like these- after all, there are far worse things he would've have needed to do, if not this.

If the end result is finding some real friends, strengthening his ties with them due to being your own person and not someone's follower and quitting drugs, undoubtedly yet another result of peer pressure followers often suffer from, then Bruce could say that the positive results he could get from these dubious actions may well extend to David as well, and not just benefit he and Linda.

And after dropping David off in his neighborhood, Bruce asks for her opinion on that. "Does it feel remotely true, or am I just deluding myself?" he asks her bluntly after laying out his case.

"It isn't," she replies, turning to face Bruce. "I've seen mages- many mages- rationalise their actions in terms of the good they're doing for others. An example... I knew one fellow, once. A Euthanatos, a sort of mage who dabbles in death and entropy. He could.. he knew a way of drawing power from people, by stealing their capacity to feel particular emotions. For a fleeting few spells, he could-

"-remove the ability to feel, say, anger. Sorrow. All those negative things. He never thought of helping people like that before he learned this trick, but when he did, he only talked of how he was improving people's lives- that is, as a side effect of his real work.

"But there are times when people need to get angry, or sad, and there were consequences."

"The unintended consequences, however benecifial, cannot justify the means?"

"Sometimes they were. Sometimes they weren't. He'd ignore the times they weren't. Or justify them in another fashion. Or claim the good he did outweighed the bad..." She just shakes her head. "I don't want to hear it. If you want to say you're good, then that has to be the goal from the beginning. You have to live in a good way. I hate hypocrisy like this... we're vampires, now, after all."

"At best, we can minimize the harm we do. If you want to have a just life.. it seems impossible, to me." She shrugs.

"I'm not a fan of hypocrisy myself," Bruce mutters. "Cold as that sounds, I'm not really trying to be the champion of humanity. But it's just too damn hard to find a way Lisa would be okay with... shortcuts are so tempting." He sighs. "I hope you don't mind being my sounding board for all these approaches I'm thinking of."

"There's a saying amongst magi: for every good man, there are two who will do what must be done."

He snorts at that. "It seems we are that two-man team, then, for as long as you'll tolerate me."

"I hated that saying, too," she replies, taking off her glasses and peering at Bruce. "Is it her way that you admire?"

Bruce outright laughs, now. "I admire Lisa enough to adopt it. And now, a question back at you. Think that casino your office is located at is still open for business? I took too long with this, but I might still be able to make it."

"It would be, I think. Hitting closing time soon... it'd probably be easier to blend in tomorrow. The crowd at this time will be small, since it's not a weekday. Yeah, let's go with tomorrow."

"Okay. Sorry it took me a while to get that thing right. You said earlier that you had a plan about getting something once I was done, so now I am at your disposal."

OOC: Ideally, if we could grab a few strays it would be so great
OOC: Feeding from people makes me cry in so many ways
OOC: Anyway, that's boring, so we won't roleplay it. Pause here?

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

It's around 3 in the morning when Bruce and Linda finally return home, and it isn't long before Lisa starts calling out from the living room. "Bruce, is that you? Are you alright?" she asks, plainly worried.

"There was a problem, but we're fine," Bruce calls back, striding into the living room. "I'm sorry I worried you by returning so late."

"Was it the Camarilla?"

"The w--" Bruce's memory catches up with him, and he pauses, looking at Lisa strangely. "No. Our complication had to do, among other things, with the drug dealer taking the day off. Has anyone stopped by looking for us? Are you alright?"

"Nobody's come here. Paula called, though, and she ran into them," replies Lisa. The TV is on some music station, Bruce sees, with some vauge pop exuding from the speakers. "It looks like they hunt down vampires without sires. But because she hated the Sabbat, they let her go."

"So we have a way to get them to leave us alone for a while, if they catch up before we have enough to convince them to take us in," Bruce muses, sitting down next to Lisa. "That's useful, at least. Paula is alright, then, I take it?"

"Yes. It doesn't seem like they're doing well. She mentioned that all of the cops came down from Vegas on order from their 'Prince', and the person in charge here has been making mistakes."

"So both sides are incompetent, at least in our little corner of the universe," he mutters. "Nice."

"They found Paula so quickly. I was worried that they'd find you as well," replies Lisa, her mouth coming to a thin line. "They just sound like oversized gangs to me, with that 'if you're not with us, you're with them' mentality..."

Linda shrugs. "Well, this just confirms things for us. We already know what side we prefer."

"Entire country blocks take the same approach sometimes, although one could make the case they're just like gangs, too," Bruce muses in response. "And I think it's more a case of knowing which side we absolutely despise. Until we see these Camarilla grab people off the street en masse to kill them, I think I'll take my chances with their gang."

He shakes his head, then, leaning back in the couch with a sigh. "Enough politics, though. I'll grab new cells for us tomorrow. I really should've done it earlier today-- Lisa, would you like to do it?"

"Um, sure. I think I can handle that," she replies. "What will you guys be doing?"

"There's some stuff from my office I want to pick up, before those other thieving assholes get to it," notes Linda. "It might be able to help us figure out where some other vampires are."

"It's just another thing that had to be put on hold due to today," Bruce says, grimacing. "We did find out enough about our drug-selling friend, at least. The staff knew all about it, too. It's a little hard to believe still."

"What you found out, or that everyone seems to know? Believe me, you get used to the latter."

"The latter. Anything else could be excused away in some form, but I'm still trying to find a reason for that."

"Finding drugs can't be too hard. Otherwise, how would the gangs be able to make sales? The danger of discovery and arrest usually falls only on the shoulders of the street-level dealers," replies Lisa, sounding clinical as she recites the facts.

"You just.. put it together after a while."

"How could you work at that place and just turn a blind eye to what goes on? It's one thing if you benefit from immoral acts; that is easily understood. But just doing nothing when all it would take is an anonymous tip or just plain quitting your job there? That's something I just can't get."

"People just don't see it as bad. Or it's not their problem, anyway. And hey, maybe it brings in a few more people who'll grab a soda and some chips."

It's still not something he can understand, although talking about the matter further is probably pointless. The only thing Bruce can come up with is that some people must be incredibly weak-willed.

"So our plan for tomorrow is clear, right?" he asks instead to fill in the silence. "We'll focus on picking up Linda's things, enough phones to leave us with spares, and doing something about your skylight, Lisa. It's been a while since I painted over something. Sounds like that could be fun."

"We could get a tarp for it as well. Just to be safe," adds Linda.

"It sounds good to me. I think I should try and touch base with work in a few days, once we know it's safe and everything," adds Lisa. "I'm kinda scared to go out by myself right now."

"Want me to come along when you do?" Bruce offers, nodding at Linda.

"Sure. You'll have to get up earlier, though," she replies, with a nod. "Both of you slept in this mornig- er, evening."

"I'll try," Bruce says, "though I'm afraid that's all I can do. I've never really been able to wake up on demand even before."

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

[23:10] <@Nao> The next evening, Marco receives a call from Paula saying that everyone is once again meeting up at Bruce's place to discuss recent events. No Rebecca interrupts him as he heads out of his apartment, and the journey doesn't take long. Paula and Marco arrive at roughly the same time- it's about 8:31pm.
[23:11] * Paula waves. "Heeey, Mr. I'm-not-a-lawyer-but-I-play-one-on-TV," she says as she walks up and knocks on the door.
[23:12] <Marco> "Hey, Paula," Marco waves in return to the younger female vampire as he spots her on the approach to Bruce's home. He then cranes his neck to look over her shoulder, "You're not being followed or anything, are you?"
[23:13] <Paula> "I don't think so. God knows I was glancing back often enough to catch a freaking ninja." She thinks about this for a moment. "But maybe they were walking *in front of me*? Diabolical."
[23:13] * Bruce answers the door, Linda's gun close by just in case.
[23:14] <Paula> "Bruuuuuce, it is just us let us in."
[23:16] * Bruce waves Paula and Marco in with a roll of his eyes.
[23:17] <Marco> "Hey," Marco nods to them both as he steps inside. "How're you guys holding up?"
[23:18] <Bruce> "I think I'll lie and go with 'pretty well'," Bruce responds, closing the door behind them. "Yourself?"
[23:19] <Marco> "Okay, I guess," Marco nods. "Not starving, but can't say I'm not hungry either."
[23:20] <Paula> "I'm, uh, I'm doing pretty good on that front," Paula says with a dismissive cough. "So, anybody have any news on the whole Sabbat thing? I sorta do, but I need to follow up on a lead."
[23:21] <Bruce> "I have a lead of sorts on a suspicious disappearance, but it might well be a longshot," Bruce admits. "I can tell you that corpses or cats are not an appropriate food source, even beyond the way the very idea sounds disturbing."
[23:22] <Paula> "Why would you eat a cat?" Paula says incredulously. "That's just fucked up."
[23:22] <Marco> "Dunno," Marco shrugs, "A lot of people seem really scared right now - lots of gangs shaking people down, people getting mugged. A lot of folk were hospitalised last night and the cops wouldn't let me into the hospital 'cause they said there were a load of hooligans trying to get in and beat them up."
[23:22] * Marco then glances at Paula. "Don't they eat cats in Korea?"
[23:22] <@Nao> "Better than eating people," notes Linda, stepping inside and glancing around. "I figure they're the KFC of vampires. Cheap shit you get when you should know better."
[23:22] <Marco> "Man, I love KFC..." Marco smiles wistfully.
[23:23] <@Nao> The thought of eating chicken brings with it a sudden wave of nausea.
[23:23] <Paula> "Oh yeah, gangs? I've been hearing about that too. Was going to head to the edge of town to look into something, wanted to make sure you all knew what I was up to first in case I, y'know, didn't come back or something."
[23:24] <Paula> "And Marco: last I checked, Korea is ruled by a giant cockroach from outer space, so don't even get me started on them?"
[23:24] <Marco> "God, you sound like of those Scientist geeks," Marco shudders both at the nausea and Paula's words.
[23:25] <Bruce> "Anything more specific than edge of town? In that very real case you don't return and might need the rescue?" Bruce asks Paula.
[23:26] <Paula> To Marco: "What? No, Kim Jong Il is just a fruitcake, and--hrm?" Oh, right, there are actually important things to talk about! "Yeah, I followed up some rumors about a gang charging people...unusual prices for drugs. The Redrods, I think they were called. Hang out at a biker bar near the interstate. I was going to check it out tonight. Anyone want to come back me up?"
[23:28] <Marco> "Why do we care about some gang stiffing people on blow?" Marco asks the obvious question.
[23:29] <Paula> "I don't think you're following me here. Did you not pick up on the Ominous Pause?"
[23:29] <Bruce> "They're charging them blood, you mean?"
[23:30] <Paula> "That's what it sounds like, yeah."
[23:31] <Bruce> "Sounds like those Sabbat freaks. I can't come along today, though, so if you need my help I'll have to ask you to delay by a day."
[23:32] <Paula> "Got plans?"
[23:33] <@Nao> "He's helping me pick something up," replies Linda, with a glance at Bruce. "A few odds and ends. There's something there that might help us catch a few other bloodsuckers."
[23:34] <Marco> "Something magic, you mean?" Marco asks, perking up.
[23:34] * Bruce nods. "That, and as much as it bothers me, I can't look well enough to go somewhere looking like this, nor do I have the blood to spare to fix that today."
[23:34] <Paula> "Oh yeah? Want to share info with the rest of us? And, weird question, but do any of you happen to own a hunting rifle?"
[23:35] * Marco shakes his head.
[23:36] <Bruce> "Just the gun," Bruce responds, showing it before it disappears back into his pocket.
[23:37] <Paula> "Hokay, just had to ask."
[23:37] <@Nao> "It's a long shot. But while I was a mage, I was studying local myth- spirits, gods, indian culture- and seeking out ways in which extramaterial creatures could be contacted efficiently. Now... I can't do magic anymore. But that doesn't mean the magic I've already done has necessarily gone away." She leans back, picking at Bruce's wall.
[23:38] <Marco> "Why? You wanna go and shoot up these vampire bikers?" Marco asks Paula before turning his attention to Linda, "So we could get ghosts to help us out, then?"
[23:38] <Paula> "Oh yeah? That mean that you still have, like...a familiar or something floating around somewhere?"
[23:39] <Paula> To Marco: "Well. I wasn't *planning* on it."
[23:41] <@Nao> "I doubt it," she replies, grimacing. "Spirits of humanity are surprisingly useless to a mage. But linked to the people as they are, they might be able to sense the evaporation of life and blood when vampires drain them. They may help us if my fetishes are still potent. Or they may see us as abominations, and rightly so."
[23:42] * Marco blinks. "Fetishes?" he asks, raising an eyebrow and starting to smile.
[23:45] <@Nao> "Yes, ordinary items bound with links to a particular spirit. They can be anything, really, though function follows form," replies Linda, pushing a pair of glasses up.
[23:45] <Marco> "Oh," Marco's interest evaporates.
[23:46] * Paula suppresses a chuckle.
[23:47] <Bruce> "Right," Bruce says, not commenting on this exchange. "One of the things we intend to secure today is a new set of mobile phones. Have either of you replaced yours, yet?"
[23:47] * Marco shakes his head. "I've been trying to find out if my contract gives me a free replacement but I can't find it," he complains.
[23:48] <Paula> "No. I mean, I wound up with someone else's phone by accident, but I shouldn't be using it for obvious reasons."
[23:50] <@Nao> "You stole a phone? Why're you keeping it if you're not gonna use it?" asks Linda, rolling her eyes.
[23:51] <Bruce> "Should we even know why you have a stolen phone?" Bruce adds.
[23:51] <Paula> "No, you shouldn't," Paula states flatly.
[23:56] <Bruce> "So what's it going to be?" Bruce asks, changing the topic. "Are you still going on your own tonight?"
[23:56] <Marco> "What are you going to do, anyway?" Marco presses. "I mean, are you gonna be some rogue vampire hunter or something and try to kill them all?"
[23:58] <Paula> "Guys, I'm just going to look for information. I'm not going all Charles Bronson or anything."
[23:59] <Paula> To Bruce: "I can wait for another night if you want to go together, though."
[00:02] * Bruce glances at Marco, himself. "How about you? Any plans?"
[00:04] <Marco> "Nothing really set, no," Marco shakes his head. "If anyone wants I can come along and help out, otherwise I guess I'll just go and try to find something to eat."
[00:04] * Nao changes topic to '1Bruce: -0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/Incap, Blood: 4/13 | 4Marco-0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/Incap, Blood: 6/13 | 6Paula: -0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/Incap, Blood: 11/13 |2 Chapter 1: Immigrant Labour (Nao)'
[00:06] <Bruce> "Either way works." Bruce shrugs. "Since it would be you risking your life, it's really your call," he tells Paula.
[00:07] <Paula> "I'd rather get it out of the way tonight. I didn't have any other plans, and it'd be a shame to use my hard-earned blood on just coming out here for a few minutes."
[00:07] <@Nao> "Not really. What if she was caught, and they, say, tortured information out of her? Like your address?" asks Linda, with a raised eyebrow.
[00:08] <Paula> "Well hey, you want to come to watch my back, you're welcome to do so."
[00:11] <Marco> "I could come along for that, but do we really want to get mixed up with other vampires?" Marco sounds a bit unsure. "We'd probably be better off steering well clear of them."
[00:13] <Paula> "We don't have a choice, Marco. The Camarilla are actively looking for people like us and will *kill* us if they can. They already know about me, so I don't have any choice but to do some research on the Sabbat."
[00:15] <Marco> "So we've got to investigate biker vampires who'll try to kill us, otherwise Cammy vampires will try to kill us?" Marco summarises. "Man, this just gets worse and worse."
[00:16] <@Nao> "Their incentive system needs work."
[00:16] <Paula> "Basically. I don't know if I was just lucky in being able to talk them out of killing me, or if I'm just that cool. I like to think it's the latter."
[00:17] <Bruce> "The probably don't care as long as we can be of use."
[00:17] <Paula> "But the way I see it, anything that could hurt the Sabbat is good news for every right-thinking person in the world. I mean, am I really alone in thinking that the sick fucks who did this to us are animals that need to be put down?"
[00:18] <Marco> "I'm not saying I like them," Marco waves his hands in protest, "But they're way better at this vampire stuff than we are. I don't think we can take them."
[00:19] <Bruce> "Camarilla had to have known where they gather to send all those cops after them, right? Maybe they've missed a few hideouts, though, and if we find them, that'd smooth everything over," Bruce suggests.
[00:19] <Paula> "I'm not talking about starting a war--though, lemme be clear about this, based on what I was told last night, there already IS a war going--but since I've been tasked with 'give us info or die,' I'm at least going to look at in the light of hey, maybe Sabbat will burn as a result of it."
[00:20] * Marco nods reluctantly. "Alright. Well I'll help you look into these biker guys while you guys," he looks to Bruce and Linda, "Go look into that, uh... fetish. Sounds good?"
[00:21] <Paula> "And...well, Bruce, the guys I met made it clear that the local vampire Prince had a total hard-on for putting down unplanned bloodsuckers like ourselves...I don't think we can count on every Camarilla we meet being as open to negotiation as the ones I met."
[00:22] <Bruce> "If negotiations fail, shoot them in the head and run away. I get that."
[00:22] * Paula nods. "Just making sure."
<--->
[00:32] <@Nao> Clive's bar looks like something of a dive. Even the taxi driver looks perplexed when he pulls up to the side of the highway, just near the edge of Reno, and peers over the edge of the back. "That'll be thirty bucks... you gonna want a lift out?" he asks, with a heavy indian accent.
[00:33] <Paula> "That depends on how much extra that costs." Paula glances at Marco. "How's the spirit of chivalry doing these days?"
[00:34] <Marco> Oh, come on, this was your idea! Despite being terminally poor, Marco rummages in his wallet, "You can pay for our trip back," he grumbles, handing over thirty bucks. He's going to need to make some money in the next day or so or he'll be utterly destitute.
[00:36] <Paula> Hey, it's not like Paula's actually gone to work since her transformation. She's gotta be worse off than the others here. Anyway, she gets out of the car and heads for the bar. "I'm not 100% sure on how to approach these people. Probably mingle unobtrusively at first and watch."
[00:36] <@Nao> The driver spreads his arms, revealing a few coffee stains on the side of his shirt. "'pends how long, but you two in there? Stay longer than five minutes and it's impressive."
[00:37] <Marco> "Forget it," Marco tells the driver, not having that sort of cash on him.
[00:38] <Marco> "I bet someone'll pick a fight as soon as we get in," Marco grumbles as they start heading towards the bar.
[00:39] <Paula> "the trick is to not be where the bullets are," Paula says sagely as she opens the door.
[00:39] <@Nao> "Whatever. Have a good one," he responds. Clive's looks like an old-fashioned saloon; the parking lot out the front has a number of rather battered-looking cycles out the front- most certainly aren't gleaming, the best models, or in top condition at a glance. There isn't much space for cars, and not too many other buildings around- a gas station, a couple fast-food places, scattered homesteads-
[00:40] <@Nao> -it's a little desolate, though not all that far out of town. You can still see rising tenements back the way you came, within jogging distance. The doors are old-fashioned swing-back-and-forth types, and the place looks like it's straight out a western-
[00:41] <@Nao> -with circular wooden tables, mounted deer-heads on the walls, and one of the guys in the corner is wearing a cowboy hat, for crying out loud.
[00:43] * Marco is wearing a pair of faded denim jeans, sneakers, and a black shirt. Nothing fancy at all, but he doesn't look bad in it. He doesn't really look bad in anything.
[00:44] <Paula> Paula's wearing a raggedy old pair of jeans with gaping holes at the knees, and an equally venerable t-shit that came from a yard sale. Though badly faded, you can vaguely make out the words "We solved the mystery" on the front. Paula's never been sure about what this refers to, but doesn't think it matters.
[00:51] <@Nao> The bar contains about a dozen patrons; there's the group in the corner, the cowboy and his lady friend, a blonde in a red dress. She glances up as Marco enters with a coy smile. There appear to be a couple of people at the counting, minding their own business- and about nine tough-looking fellows clad in leather jackets. A motley array of sunglasses, bandanas, long beard, short bears-
[00:53] <@Nao> -studs, earrings, badges, unconcealed weapons and cans of beer serve as their panoply, and every last one stares at Paula and Marco as they enter.
[00:54] <Marco> Man, this is awkward. Marco smiles in his best disarming fashion, nodding in greeting to the inhabitants of this scary bar. In the momentary silence he takes advantage of his heightened senses, trying to discern if anyone isn't breathing or lacks a heartbeat...
[00:55] <Paula> Let 'em! Paula isn't about to unnerved by the traditional Newbie Stare. She ignores the looks and just walks up to the bar. If she's going to get that much attention just by being a new customer here, probably it'll only be a matter of time before someone walks up and speaks to her; she'll let them handle introductions instead of being obviously inquisitive.
[00:57] * Nao changes topic to '1Bruce: -0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/Incap, Blood: 4/13 | 4Marco-0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/Incap, Blood: 6/13 | 6Paula: -0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/Incap, Blood: 10/13 |2 Chapter 1: Immigrant Labour (Nao)'
[00:58] <@Nao> The silence is repressive. All activity seemed to have stopped when Paula walked in... except for the bartender, polishing a mug and not seeming to pay attention.
[00:59] * Paula takes a seat at the bar, swivelling around to look over the crowd as if daring someone to approach her and voice what's clearly on their mind.
[01:01] <Marco> roll 3#1d10
[01:01] <Rei-chan> 6,0Marco rolled :6,0 3#1d10 --> 6,0[ 1d10=4 ]4,0{4}, 6,0[ 1d10=1 ]4,0{1}, 6,0[ 1d10=4 ]4,0{4}
[01:02] <@Nao> As far as Marco can tell, almost everyone hear is breathing, excluding the woman in the corner, who seems to be watching him with slight amusement.
[01:03] <@Nao> One of the bikers blocks Paula's way to the bar. "This establishment's private," he growls. "Ain't no place for a thing like you."
[01:03] <Marco> Well there goes any thought of seducing and eating her, then. "We didn't see any sign," he tells the growling biker.
[01:06] <Paula> "I didn't see a sign out front," Paula challenges, affecting a similarly contrarian air. "Or a bouncer, for that matter. And I'm not no 'thing,' buddy."
[01:09] <@Nao> "And now I've told you. There's your sign," he responds, putting a hand on Paula's shoulder. "This bar ain't *for* you. So beat it."
[01:12] <Paula> "This looked like a nice, homey little joint from the road," Paula pouts. "If you're setting up the No Homers Club, you gotta let people know in advance." Paula focuses her mental energies on the brute, trying to dampen his enthusiasm in the hope that he'll back down.
[01:12] <Paula> roll 4#d10
[01:12] <Rei-chan> 6,0Paula rolled :6,0 4#d10 --> 6,0[ 1d10=8 ]4,0{8}, 6,0[ 1d10=4 ]4,0{4}, 6,0[ 1d10=6 ]4,0{6}, 6,0[ 1d10=6 ]4,0{6}
[01:14] <@Nao> "Whatever," he mutters, releasing his grip and shoving Paula back a little. "I warned ya," he notes, taking a seat back at table. One of the other bikers gives him an utterly dirty look.
[01:14] <Marco> "Friendly place," Marco remarks, giving the only other woman in the place a little smile as he joins Paula at the bar.
[01:15] <Paula> "They just want to make sure they're not letting in the wrong sort of people," Paula says charitably.
[01:16] <@Nao> The bartender wanders over towards Marco and Paula, briefly glancing up at them before lowering his head.
[01:18] * Paula orders what she judges to be an appropriately low-class beer, silently cursing her inability to drink it and making a note to try and get what she nees out of this place before this fact becomes apparent to the clientele.
[01:21] <@Nao> The beer is served in a glass, making the content of it plainly obvious.
[01:22] * Marco looks around for any entertainment. Is there a pool table or a dartboard or something like that?
[01:26] <@Nao> There's a pool table, though nobody is playing on it. A dartboard hangs just next to a TV on a nearby platform. The bikers nearby seem slightly angry at their fellow, refusing to speak to him while they talk amongst themselves.
[01:28] * Paula can't help but be amused. If they've got something to say, they can go ahead and say it to her face! She glances at Marco, gives the pool table a nod, and saunters over to it.
[01:29] * Marco goes over and sets up the table for a game with his companion. He wonders what they're actually accomplishing here, but hopefully Paula knows what she's doing.
[01:32] <Paula> "Anyone up for a game?" Paula asks the room in general, picking up a cue. "Seems pretty silly for all of us to just sit being silent at one another."
[01:34] <@Nao> OOC: Make a charisma+empathy check
[01:35] <Paula> roll 4#d10
[01:35] <Rei-chan> 6,0Paula rolled :6,0 4#d10 --> 6,0[ 1d10=5 ]4,0{5}, 6,0[ 1d10=5 ]4,0{5}, 6,0[ 1d10=10 ]4,0{10}, 6,0[ 1d10=2 ]4,0{2}
[01:42] <@Nao> "Oi. Blake. You play her," orders one of the men, raising his glass. "And I'm putting one share on you, so you better not fuck it up," he adds, icily.
[01:45] * Paula toys with the pool cue absentmindedly, spinning it in her hands. "Blake! Welcome to the party. I'm Paula."
[01:45] * Marco shrugs and backs off from the table. "I'll play the winner?" he offers, going to lean on the nearby wall.
[01:47] <@Nao> It seems like one of the younger ones is stepping up; he doesn't have much of a beard, and looks a bit younger than the others- though still at least mid-twenties. The game seems terribly important; at the other man's words, many of the fellows looked on, interested. "Alright," he mutters, glancing at Paula. "What're you wagering?"
[01:51] * Paula chews her lip in an exaggerated fashion, meaning to convey that this is indeed a momentous decision! "I'm no rich girl. Maybe we should get...creative with the stakes?"
[01:51] * Marco rubs his head, shaking it in disbelief.
[01:53] <@Nao> OOC: Make a uh appearance+empathy check. Yes.
[01:53] <Paula> roll 4#d10 I need to buy more empathy already
[01:53] <Rei-chan> 6,0Paula rolled :6,0 4#d10 1,0I need to buy more empathy already --> 6,0[ 1d10=2 ]4,0{2}, 6,0[ 1d10=1 ]4,0{1}, 6,0[ 1d10=8 ]4,0{8}, 6,0[ 1d10=5 ]4,0{5}
[01:54] <@Nao> "I dunno. Can I trade it in later?" he asks, with a snort.
[01:54] * Marco laughs briefly but does his best to quickly smother it.
[01:57] * Paula smirks. "Our warrantee does cover returns based on customer dissatisfaction in the unlikely event of poor performance," she says. "Not that this'll happen. Now, if I win? You all drop the snooty elitist act and let me in all the little hobbies I've been hearing go on here, mmkay?"
[02:00] <Marco> This is almost painful for Marco to watch. He glances over at the other inhabitants of the bar to see if they're as tortured by this performance as he is.
[02:01] <@Nao> "What've y'been hearin', little lady?" asks the woman in the corner, southern accent slight and whimsical.
[02:03] <Paula> "I'm sure all the regulars know what I'm talking about, right folks? Suffice it to say that I believe I have business with the Redrods." She shrugs. "Those are all the questions you get, hun. Unless I lose, of course," she adds dismissively.
[02:05] <Marco> Marco tenses slightly, his heightened senses alert for any increased activity from the other patrons in case they decide it best to keep their secrets violently...
[02:05] <@Nao> "I'm thinking that the questions will be decided by us," she remarks, with a snap of her fingers.
[02:06] <@Nao> OOC: We'll go into combat time here. I mean in three weeks.

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