[ For Isabel; please define whether your gun is a lasergun or a normal bullets gun. If lasergun, you have 5 shots of charge which can be replenished in the bus; if regular bullets gun, you have a clip with 10 ammo.
Your 9 means you only barely hear their conversation, as hushed as it is. It's not as clear as you would've liked, which honestly kind of annoys you.
+1 NE.
CHARLES
ISABEL
SHOMA
(Not to worry, as PE/NE generation is intended to be plentiful and this is kind of a low/no-stakes example on how gaining it may work.)
Anyway, the best she can catch is the sense that they are discussing plans about an upcoming mission, and that they probably don't actually have that much faith in you...
Charles, you can see that the quieter people is the back of one older man, and one tiny... girl? Well, she has grey hair. The tiny girl with long grey hair is your bus driver. You know her name to be Charon, and the bus you're riding on to be called Mephistopheles. The man in the grey hair... the spirit of Crystal is here. You know his name to be Vergilius, and he essentially is your boss. You don't want to piss him off, that's for sure.
Shoma, you have 5 miniature pipe-bombs. They're not so extreme as to blow up entire buildings but they sure can do damage to someone if you throw it in their face. Your watch tells you it's seven in the morning, rise and shine! Outside, you see the City. Nothing that tells you specifically that it's Rodion, Gregor, and Yuri's specific City, but it is very urban. You are driving at a speed which you are 99% sure is not legal in any place besides the freeway, and this definitely does not look like the freeway. Somehow, you're doing okay right now though. Seems like you're traveling in backstreet roads rather than a main one. ]
anyway seven in the morning is early, but it's fine, he doesn't seem too bugged. rather, he's busy fidgeting a little, toying with his bracelet, looking out the window, stretching his arms. but he does at least notice there are two other people, so he decides now is a good time to get up and stretch his legs.
it also means his bracelet ~accidentally~ slips from his arm and rolls slightly down the aisle toward the two other passengers, giving him a convenient excuse to chase after it and try to see if he can get a sense of who they are. ]
[ The old man... is already giving off such 'don't bother me' energy that he straight up ignores Charles. Me like do I want to give Charles +1 NE for this too.
At least when Shoma arrives up front, the two seem to snap out of their discussion to turn to him. ]
???
Oh -- good, you're awake! Right about on the dot, too, before we were going to go wake you up instead.
???
Leave it to the busheads to be sleeping in so casually.
???
Well... let's be nice, Effie. I'm sure they've been hired for a reason. Anyway, good morning everybody!
Of course, we were just sorting out the last remnants before you woke up. We don't want all this to go awry after how hard we worked now, after all!
Saude
Ah, before we begin. My name is Saude, and this is Effie. We're from the LCC Before Team and we're here to make sure the plan to get the next Bough goes off as seamlessly as it can.
We don't want to lose any if we can manage it, after all.
[ Well! She seems friendly at least? Big ol' smile and all. Vergilius seems to turn to watch this debriefing happen, as unamused as ever. Alarmingly, Charon is also looking over here. Did you feel the bus bump? No you didn't. ]
Effie
We're just about where we need to stop, so get ready to get off the bus soon.
We'll talk shop at the pawnbroker's.
[ Yes and no -- you're familiar with some, and not so much with others. You are not very familiar with the LCC Before Team, because canonically Faust had to explain it to the rest of the bus and while I adore her, I refuse to RP a major character for half of a CYOA. You are free to ask away any questions you'd like.
Saude's smile seems... strained. ]
Saude
Ideally it shouldn't, since we've created a plan for you to follow... and as long as you stick by it, nothing should go wrong?
Effie
Great timing, actually. We're here.
[ Because as if right on cue, Charon is going to step on those brakes. Grab onto something because it is going to be a very sudden stop. Vergilius doesn't follow with, and neither does Charon, though at least your bus driver is nice enough to wave at you.
[ there is a very high chance he sort of crashes into the back of a seat and grips the top to keep from eating shit. rude!! there's a startled sound, but he's back on his feet and he's following the others immediately off of the bus. he's also whispering under his breath: ]
Maybe the plan will be fine...? [ debatable. so we are in an alleyway. is there anything notable on their path as they walk and follow saude and effie? other people, landmarks, etc? ]
The alleyway is reaaally shady. And seemingly quite backstreets, to put it one way. The houses and streets are all extremely ratty. This clearly isn't an area for people with money.
Your guides will gesture you into a pawnshop. The interior is dim and kinda cramped, and there's an old man behind the counter who seems kinda jumpy. ]
Saude
Yes yes, well -- that's what the plan is for. We've been working on this for quite a while, specifically to make sure it goes as seamlessly as possible, so we're really counting on you, alright?
[ Firstly, the pawnshop. The pawnbroker will buy off any trinkets you have for some extra cash and tradearounds, and you can buy one extra thing while you're here -- another weapon, some extra bullets (if you look at bullet pricing, you'll notice that they are exorbitantly pricey, so you won't be able to get a lot), perhaps a smoke bomb or two. Effie goes around the back and returns with a croupier uniform, looking like he'd fit right into a casino. ]
Effie
The Golden Bough is under District 10's famous casino this time.
Your job as retrievers is to infiltrate the casino, make your way to the top floor where you'll act as one of the four Syndicates currently vying to get it, and beat them at whatever game they've planned to earn the rights to get down to the basement.
Saude
The four Syndicates will be the Tingtang Gang, Los Mariachis, Tieqiu Crew, and the Yurodiviye. You'll be impersonating the Tingtang Gang, for two reasons -- because they are one of the four Syndicates participating, and because they have a special mechanism that will aid you greatly at the betting table.
Questions so far?
Oh, this is definitely Gregor and Rodya's thing... Sure wish we had Rodya's luck here, then.
[rodya give them your gambling skill???
anyway he's listening as isabel asks proper questions, but also, can charles afford, like. a dagger or something to go with his sword. or to give to shoma, one of the two. dagger?]
I'm guessing we don't know "whatever game they've planned" is yet?
[ yeah that was my question was if we have enough money that we could buy a single dagger because he would like one in addition to his bombs. ]
Yeah...Rodya told me a little about this but not much. [ for. reasons. ] If we don't know the game, do we at least know the mechanism that they've got as an advantage?
[ So the cool thing is... if you ask, Effie pulls out... a company black card. Whoa. He can definitely afford a few things here and there, though he isn't going to go crazy with it on your behalf.
Isabel: +1 Smoke Bomb. It doesn't have a real trigger. It looks like it's meant to go off with enough impact, so be careful with it. Charles: +1 Dinky Dagger. It's not impressive, but it definitely gets the job done. There's a carving on it that implies it was once an heirloom to somebody.
Saude
Oh, it won't be that important. Gangs and ruffians, they all act the same anyway.
The important thing is that you don't act like you have no business being there, that's all. Oh, and you steal their clothes. The outfit is very important to the Tingtang Gang.
Effie
It's a casino, eh. It's probably a casino game. We're infiltrating as croupiers to guide you through the place and get you to where you need to go while being as non-suspicious as possible. It's probably just a regular game of poker knowing this place.
Saude
The Tingtang Gang is one of many gangs that extort in this District, but not everybody can pay with money. In that scenario, they will accept non-monetary payment in the form of "Wishpower".
[ hum. lovelace doesn't know too much about rodya's world except for the very concerning monster that was briefly explained to her???? so that's a new thing to be concerned about.
oh well. problems for future lovelace, maybe. ]
... Yeaahhh, one more question. Casinos generally have an age limit?
[ pocketing this dagger, thank you. anyway okay, they have covered the important-ish questions so he just decides that it's stupid at this point and turns to lovelace. ]
Captain, I'm eighteen. [ just. to get this out of the way. no further explanation, it's fine. anyway. ] If it's a card game, then we probably have to play a few hands. Right?
Yyyes, in some cases, or most. But it isn't certainly a crime to just walk around one to begin with! Beside that, not to worry, since we did get your paperwork beforehand and have confirmed you're all set to go.
Your presence alone shouldn't be raising alarms, unless you're doing something quite silly.
[ Her energy truly is don't. But yeah she also gestures to Shoma revealing his age so you guys should be fine. She also hands you guys a pamphlet that's all about District 10 and its creature comforts, which mostly revolves around betting and all.
"District 10 is known as the Nest of Gambling, and is owned by J Corp. People living in District 10's Nest devote themselves to gambling and thus, there are many casinos. One department of J Corp. tasks employees with checking the security cameras placed in affiliated facilities and spotting anyone who cheats. The lines are flooded with calls all day, and the employees are overwhelmed because they must keep track of dozens of calls and screens at the same time."
Furthermore from this pamphlet, you will learn that J Corp's Singularity specialises in locking technology. ]
Effie
You could also call it "luck", to put it another way.
You pickin' up what we're putting down, or do I need to get more specific than that?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Your 9 means you only barely hear their conversation, as hushed as it is. It's not as clear as you would've liked, which honestly kind of annoys you.
+1 NE.
(Not to worry, as PE/NE generation is intended to be plentiful and this is kind of a low/no-stakes example on how gaining it may work.)
Anyway, the best she can catch is the sense that they are discussing plans about an upcoming mission, and that they probably don't actually have that much faith in you...
Charles, you can see that the quieter people is the back of one older man, and one tiny... girl? Well, she has grey hair. The tiny girl with long grey hair is your bus driver. You know her name to be Charon, and the bus you're riding on to be called Mephistopheles. The man in the grey hair... the spirit of Crystal is here. You know his name to be Vergilius, and he essentially is your boss. You don't want to piss him off, that's for sure.
Shoma, you have 5 miniature pipe-bombs. They're not so extreme as to blow up entire buildings but they sure can do damage to someone if you throw it in their face. Your watch tells you it's seven in the morning, rise and shine! Outside, you see the City. Nothing that tells you specifically that it's Rodion, Gregor, and Yuri's specific City, but it is very urban. You are driving at a speed which you are 99% sure is not legal in any place besides the freeway, and this definitely does not look like the freeway. Somehow, you're doing okay right now though. Seems like you're traveling in backstreet roads rather than a main one. ]
no subject
but whatever, they can have no faith and she'll just prove them wrong when it counts. ]
no subject
anyway sorry did he not want to bother them? charles doesn't believe in not doing that.]
Hey, boss. Where are we headed?
no subject
anyway seven in the morning is early, but it's fine, he doesn't seem too bugged. rather, he's busy fidgeting a little, toying with his bracelet, looking out the window, stretching his arms. but he does at least notice there are two other people, so he decides now is a good time to get up and stretch his legs.
it also means his bracelet ~accidentally~ slips from his arm and rolls slightly down the aisle toward the two other passengers, giving him a convenient excuse to chase after it and try to see if he can get a sense of who they are. ]
no subject
At least when Shoma arrives up front, the two seem to snap out of their discussion to turn to him. ]
no subject
no subject
but he will also go pay attention to this...]
Morning!
no subject
anyway he's a little startled at being addressed but it's fine. ]
Morning. Um...we wanted to see if we can get a debriefing about the mission before we get there.
no subject
We don't want to lose any if we can manage it, after all.
[ Well! She seems friendly at least? Big ol' smile and all. Vergilius seems to turn to watch this debriefing happen, as unamused as ever. Alarmingly, Charon is also looking over here. Did you feel the bus bump? No you didn't. ]
We'll talk shop at the pawnbroker's.
no subject
Wait, how might it go awry?
no subject
charles waves at butthead vergilius and charon, before looking back at saude and effie.]
... This should be interesting.
no subject
How long until we get to the pawnbroker's then?
no subject
Saude's smile seems... strained. ]
[ Because as if right on cue, Charon is going to step on those brakes. Grab onto something because it is going to be a very sudden stop. Vergilius doesn't follow with, and neither does Charon, though at least your bus driver is nice enough to wave at you.
You step out into a pretty neat-looking alleyway, with a bunch of twists and turns. ]
no subject
"Nothing should go wrong" doesn't mean anything. Things go wrong. We need to know what to expect.
no subject
[charles will grab something to keep his balance... before he then follows isabel out of the bus (waving back at charon) and whispers,]
Something is definitely going to go wrong...
no subject
Maybe the plan will be fine...? [ debatable. so we are in an alleyway. is there anything notable on their path as they walk and follow saude and effie? other people, landmarks, etc? ]
no subject
[ You're doing great.
The alleyway is reaaally shady. And seemingly quite backstreets, to put it one way. The houses and streets are all extremely ratty. This clearly isn't an area for people with money.
Your guides will gesture you into a pawnshop. The interior is dim and kinda cramped, and there's an old man behind the counter who seems kinda jumpy. ]
[ Firstly, the pawnshop. The pawnbroker will buy off any trinkets you have for some extra cash and tradearounds, and you can buy one extra thing while you're here -- another weapon, some extra bullets (if you look at bullet pricing, you'll notice that they are exorbitantly pricey, so you won't be able to get a lot), perhaps a smoke bomb or two. Effie goes around the back and returns with a croupier uniform, looking like he'd fit right into a casino. ]
Your job as retrievers is to infiltrate the casino, make your way to the top floor where you'll act as one of the four Syndicates currently vying to get it, and beat them at whatever game they've planned to earn the rights to get down to the basement.
Questions so far?
no subject
Yeah, first question: how are we supposed to act as people we know nothing about?
no subject
[rodya give them your gambling skill???
anyway he's listening as isabel asks proper questions, but also, can charles afford, like. a dagger or something to go with his sword. or to give to shoma, one of the two. dagger?]
I'm guessing we don't know "whatever game they've planned" is yet?
no subject
Yeah...Rodya told me a little about this but not much. [ for. reasons. ] If we don't know the game, do we at least know the mechanism that they've got as an advantage?
no subject
Isabel: +1 Smoke Bomb. It doesn't have a real trigger. It looks like it's meant to go off with enough impact, so be careful with it.
Charles: +1 Dinky Dagger. It's not impressive, but it definitely gets the job done. There's a carving on it that implies it was once an heirloom to somebody.
The important thing is that you don't act like you have no business being there, that's all. Oh, and you steal their clothes. The outfit is very important to the Tingtang Gang.
no subject
oh well. problems for future lovelace, maybe. ]
... Yeaahhh, one more question. Casinos generally have an age limit?
[ looking? at shoma?? ]
no subject
If that's a problem, we'll just pass Shoma off as a tiny, baby-faced adult.
[smiles. also,]
... "Wishpower"?
no subject
Captain, I'm eighteen. [ just. to get this out of the way. no further explanation, it's fine. anyway. ] If it's a card game, then we probably have to play a few hands. Right?
no subject
Your presence alone shouldn't be raising alarms, unless you're doing something quite silly.
[ Her energy truly is don't. But yeah she also gestures to Shoma revealing his age so you guys should be fine. She also hands you guys a pamphlet that's all about District 10 and its creature comforts, which mostly revolves around betting and all.
"District 10 is known as the Nest of Gambling, and is owned by J Corp. People living in District 10's Nest devote themselves to gambling and thus, there are many casinos. One department of J Corp. tasks employees with checking the security cameras placed in affiliated facilities and spotting anyone who cheats. The lines are flooded with calls all day, and the employees are overwhelmed because they must keep track of dozens of calls and screens at the same time."
Furthermore from this pamphlet, you will learn that J Corp's Singularity specialises in locking technology. ]
You pickin' up what we're putting down, or do I need to get more specific than that?
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...