old and locked Past tense IC

Jagger wrote:

Again he glanced between Skink and V, "What do you think?"

"So you volunteer to go to the museum? Nice of you" ... might have given him less credit then necessary ...
"the thing we need to do is to check any alarm system we can find. look around for some blind spots, locate our target, hope you are able to do this? I will be sending my spirit to check the Museum for magic protection." She has Viking materielaze so anyone in the room can see her Favourite spirit.
"But the question about getting off the island is the most important one. I think the best course of action would be stealing a boat for that evening, but I lack the skill for that, do you?"

"No skill with watercraft personally," Dakota replied. "But unless Skink here is a wiz with piloting boats, its one thing to hack into one, quite another to pilot one, especially if we're being pursued."
He thhought for a moment then added, "There must be a smuggler's hangout somewhere nearby, perhaps I can hire us a get-away skipper."

He looked at his partners, "Anything else?"

Jagger wrote:

"No skill with watercraft personally," Dakota replied. "But unless Skink here is a wiz with piloting boats, its one thing to hack into one, quite another to pilot one, especially if we're being pursued."
He thhought for a moment then added, "There must be a smuggler's hangout somewhere nearby, perhaps I can hire us a get-away skipper."

He looked at his partners, "Anything else?"

"May be going there by air is one more possibility. Skink? you do use a hover-board right?"
While still in midst of the conversation Gave her first task to Viking - Scout the museum - meaning assense everything you see there, look for magical protection without activating it, and see the physical as well. tell me everything you see even if it's just a small detail.
Viking nods and is on his way

It seemed that Skink had fallen asleep while Dakota and Valkyrie were planing, he was really so much into this job, or might have had a rough night, who knows. Waking a runner can be dangerous as you never know just how paranoid and weaponized they are, so neither Dakota and Valkyrie risked it.

V's com buzzed, there was a message with a comcode, and 3 words
@Team >New team addition<
Valkyrie looked at Dakota, then put her com on loudspeaker and called this number.

@unknown >Hello, who would I be speaking with?<

No image appears on the coomlink, but the voice compensates for that - it almost fills the room, bouncing back from the walls, making everyone feel like it's smaller than it is in reality (Skink winces in her sleep). They can almost see the person in front of them...and he's big. The voice itself is hell-deep, but with an echo of some dark humor, irony or cynicism inside it.

"You can call me P-T, squeeky. Now, I hear you're in need of some assistance. For a good price, I'll get you from anywhere to everywhere, and for a little more, I'll even make sure you're in one piece when we arrive. I can even help with whatever you're planning to do. But these things are not to be discussed over a 'link so do you mind' telling me an address where we can talk or should I find you myself?" - the latter possibility sounds like something nobody in the right mind would want, but it's impossible to tell if it's a threat or a joke.

The Viking is gone for a few hours. When he returns, he reports. A deep voice sounds in Valkyries mind. "There was a watcher on the island. But I snuck around it. The guards are all mundane. None of them sensed me. I have found three items that are magical. One is a spear that has an accuracy enhancement on it. The second is a figure that is a spell formula of some sorts. The third one is another figure that had a very strange aura. I could not make much of it, I am sorry." He stands in front of Valkyrie, slightly translucent, waiting for further commands.

Aalith wrote:

No image appears on the coomlink, but the voice compensates for that - it almost fills the room, bouncing back from the walls, making everyone feel like it's smaller than it is in reality (Skink winces in her sleep). They can almost see the person in front of them...and he's big. The voice itself is hell-deep, but with an echo of some dark humor, irony or cynicism inside it.

"You can call me P-T, squeeky. Now, I hear you're in need of some assistance. For a good price, I'll get you from anywhere to everywhere, and for a little more, I'll even make sure you're in one piece when we arrive. I can even help with whatever you're planning to do. But these things are not to be discussed over a 'link so do you mind' telling me an address where we can talk or should I find you myself?" - the latter possibility sounds like something nobody in the right mind would want, but it's impossible to tell if it's a threat or a joke.

V looks up to Dakota with a confused face. "what do you think about it? I would say let's meet him see if he can fit in the plan."
She then gave him the address and waited for him to arrive, and while waiting she not only received the message from Viking, but also thanked him for his service and let him return to his plane for the time being.

Not a long time after the conversation, the doorbell rings. Outside the door, the shadowrunners can see a pretty well-fed ork with a same looking backpack on his right shoulder. He has a dark skin, not afro-american or latina, but more like the matte-black color used to paint guns. His eyes are also black, but his short hair is chestnut-brown, in line with his eyebrows and stubble. He's wearing a camo-suit with a military belt and vest, but it's under a long coat favored by low-class workers, so it cannot be seen until he takes the coat down.

"You guys ordered the pizza?" - he says then he's already in. He stops for a second to poke the sleeping gal a little, than takes his pack down (it lands with a good "thump"), then his coat, flexes his muscles a little and goes searching for the kitchen. He's got an unnaturally fluid and fast movement combined with a vibe of a "I know exactly what I'm doing" and "You cannot stop me". He seems very confident in himself, as in like he was invincible or something.

After some jangling sounds he shows up with some food in his hands and with a full mouth, he says:
"Should have ordered a real pizza guys! But it's all right, I'll manage somehow." - he swallows, then his voice turns more serious - "Tell me about the job, and more importantly, about the payment!"

Aalith wrote:

After some jangling sounds he shows up with some food in his hands and with a full mouth, he says:
"Should have ordered a real pizza guys! But it's all right, I'll manage somehow." - he swallows, then his voice turns more serious - "Tell me about the job, and more importantly, about the payment!"

"What job? What payment? you barge into the room plunder the fridge and demand to know some mystic information?, first tell us what you know, or at least suspect, before i call someone to throw you back out to the place you came from, the street that is." ... One more Arrogant i know better then all type, god i hate my luck today ...
Valkyrie was not sure who had sent him, who had told him what, could he be possibly informed about the museum, if so who had told him, how, and where was the information leak, might PP be VR and not sleeping, called him?
too many questions, time to get some answers.
"better start yapping or you can forget we ever met."
even thou it was just half an hour she had last seen Viking, she asked him to return, there was a certain feeling of security with him around.

Okay, okay, don't get so mad little elf lady or you crack a rib of yours or something. - he smiles - Come sit down, have a bite, really, getting your voice up won't help anyone. Sorry about the food, I just have to eat a lot to keep myself in shape and those damn ration bars just can't fill me up. Is this place yours? It's really nice.
Now, weren't you the ones giving me this address? We talked about some help I could offer you if the price is right. But if I'm wrong, and you don't need help at all, then excuse me - he steps to his coat and 'pack, but then glances back across his shoulder - but forgetting we have ever met...that would be difficult. You see, these eyes - he points a finger - have your faces, these ears - again, pointing - have your voices and this brain - ... - knows you're up to something in the near future. Also - his light hearted voice suddenly gets way deeper as he leans closer, his massive body seemingly casts a bigger shadow as it would be possible, his eyes and hair black as the abyss itself - I know where you live. So if you pull something out, it's not that hard for me to find out and I can do whatever I want with that information. Think of this before you start "yapping". Now, I said sit down and eat!!!

Intimidation roll, no modifiers (up to Darkhon) to get V to calm down and eat:
Intimidation (opposed by willpower + intimidation)

Aalith wrote:

Okay, okay, don't get so mad little elf lady or you crack a rib of yours or something. - he smiles - Come sit down, have a bite, really, getting your voice up won't help anyone. Sorry about the food, I just have to eat a lot to keep myself in shape and those damn ration bars just can't fill me up. Is this place yours? It's really nice.
Now, weren't you the ones giving me this address? We talked about some help I could offer you if the price is right. But if I'm wrong, and you don't need help at all, then excuse me - he steps to his coat and 'pack, but then glances back across his shoulder - but forgetting we have ever met...that would be difficult. You see, these eyes - he points a finger - have your faces, these ears - again, pointing - have your voices and this brain - ... - knows you're up to something in the near future. Also - his light hearted voice suddenly gets way deeper as he leans closer, his massive body seemingly casts a bigger shadow as it would be possible, his eyes and hair black as the abyss itself - I know where you live. So if you pull something out, it's not that hard for me to find out and I can do whatever I want with that information. Think of this before you start "yapping". Now, I said sit down and eat!!!

Intimidation roll, no modifiers (up to Darkhon) to get V to calm down and eat:
Intimidation (opposed by willpower + intimidation)

"As if(5) i need to fear you. we outnumber you, we have the home advantage. So be careful who you insult." she pats the head of Viking "my friend here is enough to take you down no sweat, so start behaving like a guest and show us some respect." She turns to face P-T straight on. "Quit playing games! we want to know, who you are and what you know, there might be a job for you, there might not. It all depends on wether we like what we hear, not the other way around."

If you try to be a hardass, be ready for opposition - was P-T's motto. This is why he stepped to his coat before trying to pull this one off. He needed this job, really needed it, whatever it is, and he wasn't much of a sweet talking man - he was trained to get what he wants trough fear or some version of it.

If you think I'll be scared of a little elf girl and the floating ghost of his grandma, you are deeply wrong. - he drops the coat from his arm and reveals a tidy Franchi SPAS-22 automatic combat shotgun, aimed at V's face - Now before you say a word, or even think of one, I can have half a clip of the finest flechette ammo in your face. From this distance, even if I miss I'll tear away half of your body, so you better STAND DOWN! After you've sent your pet home, we can talk like civilized people! But if you try something I'll kill you, you can bet on that!

Another Intimidation roll to STAND DOWN, now with modifiers (Imposing + wielding weapon) and let me say, subject is a small elf woman who does not wield magic or weapons right now:

Intimidation=4 hits

Dakota simply could not believe this fiasco. 'Why didn't I stay in bed today,' he thought to himself as he drew his own weapon, an HK Urban Fighter.

"I don't know who you think you are, drekhead," Dakota said, "but you've just thrown away any chance you might have had of joining this team. Did you seriously think you could walk in here and join this team at gunpoint?! You're wires are tuned a few notches too tight then. Now how about you go back to whatever goo-tank you escaped from and let the nice doctors finish installing your brain!"

"Ok, OK" Valkyrie sat down on the coach, but did not sent her spirit away, Dakota keeping his gun on P-T was a pleasant view "So what do you know about this supposed job? why do you think we have a job for you as well?" She had lost the will to fight him head on, but there was not much hope she would just spill the beans.

Sweat on the forehead (among other places), stomach a little shaky - shouldn't have eaten before this - but hand steady, P-T steps back, gets his back to the wall and (while still keeping an eye on Dakota) lowers his weapon. He exhales deeply and wipes his forehead:
"I've got to say, you've really given a tough time for me. Most grown men would already be a cowering husk by now, but I never imagined a woman could pull something like this." - he holds his hand out - "It was a compliment little lady, not many people can stand before me like you did, believe me. For a minute, I thought we are all gonna die here. And that wasn't my intention."

He thinks for a second, then looks up again:
"Okay, so here's the deal. You wanted to know who I am and how I know about what you're planning to do.
The first thing you should know about me: I'm a sniper. I'm good at many things, but this is what I do best. The second: my name is P-T, and I'm here because I can help you."
"For several days now, I followed a guy, name's not important, because I suspected that he's tied to a bunch of people who hurt my "friends". It turned out to be a false lead and I broke off observation not far from the restaurant where you guys met. As I mentioned, I'm a sniper, so I was on the roof on the opposite side when I saw you...Well it's not entirely true, at firs I just watched people through the window, eating all those 10 pound stakes, but eventually I noticed you too." - he swallows big, it's evident that the simple thought was enough to torment him - "As every sniper (well, all the best ones) I'm really good at reading lips and I was able to put together most of the story, although my attention was divided (again, he remembers the two stakes the characters shoveled in). When the lead guy flashed those credsticks, I knew this was some serious business so I almost fell down trying to see those comm numbers on the paper you passed around. I was partially successful, so I decided I'll follow you guys here to play it safe. It wasn't that hard, it never occurred to you that following the taxi with the jumping skate-girl on tow might be easier than a plain one, so when you arrived, I climbed the nearest building (unfortunately the roof was too high so I had to let myself in to a place where the resident's weren't home) an continued to keep an eye on you until I felt I know enough. Then I called several numbers and watched which one rings your bells and...here I am. I knew you're looking for a driver, and I can drive anything, so I thought if I play like I know about everything it would be easier to get into the job, but things got out of hand and I see that wasn't the best idea...for what it's worth, I'm sorry, but I really needed this work and I was desperate."

After this, he looks down to the floor and awaits in silence.

Dakota heaved a long sigh of relief, pressed the barrel of his pistol against his forehead, feeling the cold steel cooling the hot skin, then reholstered it.

"Well, PT," he said after a moment to let his shoulders as well as the rest of his body relax from the adrenaline-charged tension, "I'll give you props for determination and resourcefulness, but a bit of advice; intimidation has its uses, and you certainly seem well suited to it, but when approaching metas you hope to begin negotiations with, try a little communication before whipping out the heavy ordenance, neh?"

"Commo...Commuo...You'll have to spell this word for me, chummer." - P-T says with a full-teethed smile. His hair starts to slowly change color, now it's around the warmer spectrum of the deep red. "And don't blame me for trying, it worked on everyone else before you. Where do you think these clothes are from? But OK, no harshness with you guys, truth be told, I was getting tired of seeing grown men cry and not having conversations other than "please not the face". But this "friendly" advice you gave me means you're willing to give me another shot? I'm telling you guys won't regret it if you do!"

Dakota couldn't resist the smirk that tugged at the corners of his mouth. Despite the hair-raising 'introduction' a few minutes ago, Dakota found himself liking this guy.

"For me," he told PT, "I can let by-gones be by-gones. Just remember; nice end of the weapon at us, mean end at our enemies, agreed?"

Dakota looked at V, then added to PT, "I'm afraid, chummer, that you're on your own with my associate here. My only advice, from one guy to another, a little groveling might not hurt for this 'negotiation.'"

Still smirking, Dakota stepped out of the living room, heading for the kitchen area to look for something to drink.

teach this goon what happens if he points a gun on me, Dear.
Valkyrie was still focused on P-T, when her Viking received an mental command to fight on her behalf. He suddenly raised his hand and a Electrical blast was thrown in the direction of P-T. then Viking stepped between Valkyrie and P-T. to protect her from a direct attack.
Valkyrie stood up from the couch and said in a angry and loud voice. "Next time Pull the trigger if you point a gun at me, I do not take things like these lightly!" Her hand started to shine, you could feel a tension in the air "Or maybe you can tell me why I need to give you a second chance?"

P-T looks at the smoking hole in the wall beside him and lifts an eyebrow. She may have taken it a little harder than I thought.
"As I mentioned - he speaks keeping his voice calm - I'm here because I need this work. I wasn't going to pull the trigger - he shrugs - I'm not a murderer. At least not the kind who kills without a reason. It was just a negotiating tool, although a stupid one, admittedly. It's OK if you don't want to give me a second chance this soon, but you have to understand, it wasn't something personal. If you don't trust me enough to give a second chance, then give me a chance to earn a second chance - he smiles - and I promise you won't regret it. Besides, you'll always have your friend here to zap my ass if I disappoint you - P-T finishes with a wild grin.

Valkyrie starts to smile too. the glow around her hand diminishes and disappears.
" You are a wild one P-T, and you just earned yourself a place on the team for the job as far as i am concerned, that reaction of yours is something. Defiantly good to have if you drive us away of the island, just say me something. What actually you think we should use, aircraft or boat?"

When Dakota looks out of the kitchen to the Smouldering wall, Valkyrie just adds in a half earnest manner
" that could have been you if you had continued to pester me about taking to much pay from the J."

Viking is still standing between n the two just in case PT decides to take up arms.

After putting together the whole story, P-T thinks for a minute, then:

"I think we should do recon before we decide it, but water sounds better. We can go on or under, it's cheaper, there's less fuss about it (air traffic control is pretty tough), easier to disguise and easier to hide than a plane high in the air."

"What do you think, almost-fried-boy number one? You know museums and stuff. Is there a point to go by air? Also, this is just a thought, but do you know that the statue we want to steal is the only one worth real money, or is there something else we should "check out"? It would be a great bonus, not to mention it would make less obvious what we were after and it would make the badges' work harder."

Dakota considers the smouldering hole in the wall for a moment, then a bright, winning grin lights up his face and he thinks, 'We're going to pull this off.'

In answer to Valkyrie, "Then may I say, V5, that I am distinctly glad to have you on my side." He flashes her a wink and his smile broadens.

To PT, Dakota answers, "Any museum would have many items of great value, although, of course, that value is not always based on just nuyen. Some pieces may be of great age or have historical significance. And though you are quite right about covering our true target by taking other items, I must point out the downside of the idea. The more we take, the more intense will be the search for us. We will have to use some discretion in which, as well as how many, pieces we take. I can help with these choices, as I have a good knowledge of artifacts as well as one or two good contacts when it comes time to offload our booty."

Smiling still, Dakota approaches his growing little group of 'partners-in-crime' and offers around a few chilled bottles of water he'd found in the fridge.

"A toast," he says, raising his bottle. "To new friends," he intones, nodding to each in turn, "and to the success of what should prove to be a most lucrative endeavor."

Dakota 'clinks' his bottle with the others', the bottles coming together in the center of a triangle formed by the three co-conspirators, and then takes a long, cold swallow.

"To new friends!" P-T toasts too and then coughs a little "Water?" - he asks -"Could have chosen a beer at least, we are all adults here, y'know!"
"But maybe we should have a clear head for what comes next. I think we should go and get all the necessary information and gear to pull this one off. And for that, we should assign who's going to do what to fit into this plan. You mentioned something about driving, that's where I come into the picture. I assume Dakota will get the ring, maybe with your magical help?" - he nods towards V and Viking.

Aalith wrote:

"To new friends!" P-T toasts too and then coughs a little "Water?" - he asks -"Could have chosen a beer at least, we are all adults here, y'know!"
"But maybe we should have a clear head for what comes next. I think we should go and get all the necessary information and gear to pull this one off. And for that, we should assign who's going to do what to fit into this plan. You mentioned something about driving, that's where I come into the picture. I assume Dakota will get the ring, maybe with your magical help?" - he nods towards V and Viking.

V throws the chip Skink left on the table over to PT "this and plus what I told to Dakota is all we have, a hacker would know how hard it is to hack the system, but for know we should concentrate on things we can do on our own. Like finding a place where we could get us a boat. Dakota volunteered to Reckon the museum first thing he can in it's working hours, but i think i will be the one to go in and letting you in when we are ready to strike Girl who missed the last boat is more likely to get some guard pity her end let her in the museum for a cup of tea. right?"

V joins the two other to the toast, but rather then drinking it, she pours part of the cold water over Skink.

There is no reaction.

she drinks then a bit while the other two still grasp what just happened

"She is out, I think no point in being here, PT, let's get going, we have a boat to find. Dakota you can join us if you want, but check the Museum work hours, we want to get it done as soon as possible and most of the Intel the J provided is accurate we are in position to strike already."