W2 🛸 PLAYER CYOA: HIGH ROLLERS (LOWE) 🚀 CHARLES, LOVELACE, SHOMA

[dropoffs]

Comments

[inequals]

[ You were doing better than the actual LCB they normally have to deal with, at least. Keyword, were. You're approaching same level rapidly.

The Tingtanger just. Immediately raises his fucking hands, in which he has a dagger, like WHOA. ]

Whoa there, wh-where'd you get a gun?! Shit, you a big shot or somethin'?!

[ For the record, guns are PROHIBITIVELY expensive in the City. Isabel currently holds like a year's worth of rent to somebody, I'm sure. The pawnbroker is also looking at this with huge eyes like holy shit!! Holy shit!! Holy shit!!. ]

--Wait, my shirt -- oof! You stupid bitch, why I oughta --

[ Apparently, his alarm about the gun goes straight out the window the moment he is punched, because the guy is definitely taking a swing at Charles with his dagger. Alright! Cool.

Ftr you can hear some rustling outside too. ]

Saude

Ah. Our hard-worked plans.

[thematics]

[ ignoring saude for now sorry ma'am. ]

I am a big shot. And a good shot.

So you should make this faster, and quieter, and easier for all of us.

[ THAT SAID, charles seems to have a handle on this guy (haha) and that reaction tells her that he isn't about to pull a gun too... so she will try and aim her gun towards the sound. where is it. outside the window? is there a window to look out??? or just a door. she'll aim at wherever a new threat seems most likely to enter from okay. paranoia is her middle name. ]

[riverbeans]

[sorry saude!! and shoma!!!]

Whoops—

[stepping back to avoid that dagger, before he tries to counterattack by knocking it out of the guy's hand with his sword.]

C'mon, you heard the woman. We can settle this peacefully—it's up to you. [without looking back—] Old man, you might want to get ready to run, just in case.

[solesuccess]

[ oh my god he's just ignoring both of you and getting out of the way, actually. can he take the packet of documents from saude to actually look at what the plans were. lowe i do not expect you to actually have this written but jesus. ]

You're gonna have to settle this one way or another because if you let him go there's no way he won't tell people about this. [ you FOOLS. but he's also trying to pinpoint where the rustling is coming from and determine what it is. ]

[inequals]

CHARLES

ISABEL

SHOMA

Fuck right off, you think bullets are enough to scare me in a tiny shop? I'll get you --!

[ Yeah, this is definitely escalating into a full-on fight. The Tingtanger does not hit Charles right in the neck as intended with his first swing, but he does manage to block Charles's sword. Turns out, the dude has quite a lot of muscle to back up all that talk.

Not enough muscle to be able to shove Charles off without getting a little cut on him either though, the blade giving him a gnarly slice across his face which will maybe one day evolve into a Cool Scar^TM. As he does, another guy in a similar Hawaiian shirt, albeit a different colour, comes walking in. ]

Oi, the fuck's takin' you so long? -- wee slimmy!!! The everloving hell is going on here?! Ayo, troublemakers! You beans are gonna regret the day you grew stems!

[ Now you get TWO Tingtangers. His name is Jim and he's got a massive spiked bat over his shoulders which is definitely getting swung at Charles also. Rip old man and your fine chinas.

Shoma, you are Saude's only friend right now. ]

Effie

Not that I think you should get involved in this, but also, you good with this?

[ I do indeed do not have the entire thing written out because they didn't have it written out and I don't have actual floorplans from the casino or anything, but Shoma will see... that the documents really are truly so well-written out, every aspect of the plan squared down to a T. Firstly, they were to grab some gear and learn the gameplan in the pawnbroker's shop, using the company card to grab any extra goodies as necessary, as well as their uniforms. Then, they were to 'borrow' some of the Tingtang Gang's clothes and knock them out in order to take their place as one of the four Syndicates looking to gamble for the Bough. It lists some other stuff like how Floor 1 is teeming with security, and Floor 2 is generally overseen by Los Mariachis. Floor 3 is roaming with the Tieqiu Crew. No info on the Yurodiviye, funnily enough. ]

[thematics]

[ why does this guy talk like a fucking freak

ok that's fine

since this new guy is distracted with charles, lovelace will try to hit him with the butt of her handgun, hoping to knock him out. that's better than just shooting someone, right? she would rather avoid it if she can. ]

How many more of you are nearby?

[riverbeans]

[why DOES this guy talk like a freak]

Hey, hey, let's not be uncivilized, hmm? Why don't we take this outside?

[he's going to try and duck that bat and also while he's down here to sweep his leg to. kick the og tingtanger in the crotch. he trusts isabel has jim handled while shoma does actual work.]

[solesuccess]

[ +1 why the fuck does this guy talk like a fucking freak.

listen he's banking on the fact that he's small to duck over toward the pawnbroker with his documents so he can absorb the information and also, like, not be here right now! however: ]

Hopefully there's at least a third. [ their clothes! they can go off-script a little and borrow these guys' outfits. but now that he's here he's also focusing on the pawnbroker. ] If we get these guys off your back, we're making a new deal for additional items. Agreed?

[ a little thank you gift, right? but he's also just keeping an eye on the door while scouring the shop for an extra exit, or even a place just to store these guys once they're subdued. ]

[inequals]

CHARLES

ISABEL

SHOMA

[ Don't judge him and his radical way of speech. Ftr this does not seem to be like, a translation quality issue because other characters talk fine so yeah they're just a freak for no real reason. ]

You're basically in our territory, you stupid bag of frijolitos! We --

[ So says Tingtanger 1, while Isabel just knocks him out because that's what you get on a 19 plus extra. She manages to hit that nerve point perfectly, and he goes down like a log. Kinda makes the entire place shake like one too. ]

Aww, no! Our li'l guy! Shit, you're gonna pay for that, you damn old codger -- !

[ So says Tingtanger 2, but you rolled a 18+3 to kick him in the nuts, so he truly Makes A Noise and deflates like a balloon, curling in on himself. You're pretty sure you can make out the faint sound of 'mommy'.

Shoma truly trying to just tune out the world and read docs while this is happening. Me too. The pawnbroker nods so fucking fast. ]

Y-yes! Hoo boy, you two knocked these boys down like they were nothin'! It's really been a problem lately, the Yurodiviye shaking us down for money even though we've barely got any for ourselves -- and then they send bottom-rung goons like them to do the dirty work. It's been a nasty time. M-make sure the Yurodiviye stays out of my hair, and I don't need all this stuff, so take 'em!

Effie

...

Saude

...If the end justifies the means.
But donning the clothes of goons won't do the trick. As the plan stated, we need you to get the boss's clothes, or else you won't be allowed in and will be instantly outed as imposters.

[thematics]

What, are all of us the boss?

[ because she figured she'd be the boss and these two would be goons? (this is rude of her to assume.) also she is going to pat down the guy she knocked out. any valuables? ]

[riverbeans]

[charles is fine with isabel being the boss, honestly.

cheerfully,]

Well, this was a good learning experience. Now we have an idea of how to act like common thugs. [a beat, before he looks to the pawnbroker.] Do you have anything we can tie these two up with?

[solesuccess]

[ you know what. sure. we can let isabel be the boss. ]

What a valuable life lesson. [ he's being a little bitch now because this actually isn't the worst thing he's witnessed. and since those two have asked their questions, he follows up with: ]

We can keep the Yurodiviye out of here but we need more information about them. So...anything you've got, we'll take.

[inequals]

Saude

At least one of you will need to dress up as the boss to play cards at the table, yes.
The other two can be considered plus-ones to attend. The important part is that the real boss doesn't show up for the game.
We don't really care which one of you is acting as the "boss", so you can decide that among yourselves.

[ The pawnbroker will HAPPILY hand over some rope. Get their asses!! The guy who didn't get knocked out, and rather, just got hard-kicked in the nuts, could not recover from the shock of losing his future generations, and puts up surprisingly little struggle as he is bound. ]

Y-yes, the Yurodiviye is a rather new group around these parts you see. It's as if they've got a thing against pawnbrokers like us, targeting us in particular. They claim it's to take our money and redistribute it to those that need it more, but look at me...!

[ He's just an old man, probably in his 70's or so. He is just a little guy. ]

[thematics]

Like I said, I'm good at games.

[ please feel free to overrule her. i'm sorry i play bossy characters aaaaaaaaaaaa ]

[riverbeans]

[ties these dudes up...]

Sure, you can be the boss, Captain.

[solesuccess]

[ hm...he sees. the yurodiviye group is full of assholes...he's nodding though. ]

Okay. So if they appear anywhere it's likely to target smaller shops. [ while isabel is becoming the leader and charles is busy tying up the dudes, he's just waving the packet to debrief them. ] We should probably grab anything else we think we might need for the game. Weapons, any other useful items, uniforms, etc. We'll have to find clothes for the Tingtang Gang to make us blend in, and then...getting through is gonna be a pain. The first floor of the casino's crawling with guards and hired security. Then we have to get past the Los Mariachis on the second floor, and the Tieqiu Crew on the third.

We shouldn't stay here much longer. Do we know what time the game's set to start? [ he is checking his watch again. ]

[inequals]

Saude

The game will be set to start in the evening at 5pm, so you should have plenty of time. The District is rather infamous for its nightlife, after all, but do try to be careful -- time really flies by and quickly.

[ Saude seems immensely grateful that somebody actually read her paperwork.

You won't be able to grab anything major here, unless you want to try rolling for that too. But you can grab little fun miscellany stuff, like gloves or overcoats or just random heirloom trinkets that you think will come in handy somehow. Mostly, they're just hoping that you'll wear stuff that is both practical and doesn't stick out like a sore thumb once they're in the place, though changing into Tingtang gear should fix that at least somewhat. When you're ready, they can proceed towards the casino itself. ]

Effie

Well, I'll at least give it to ya that that was some impressive on-the-fly handling of some thugs.

[thematics]

Once we've got the right clothes, getting through security is easy. It'll be the second and third floors that give us more trouble.

[ maybe. but mostly we just act like we're supposed to be there and if they raise a fuss, act like they're in the wrong! she's good at this stuff. her charisma should not be as low as i set it when her primary strategies are bluffing and intimidation and those usually work for her.

anyway. she's ready. ]

[riverbeans]

[charles is not interested in taking anything from this poor pawnbroker without payment, so he will not loot his things. consider beating up thugs just a friendly charity act...

is there a closet or anywhere he can throw these tied up dudes in.]

I'm good to go if we are.

[solesuccess]

[ absently nodding with the information from saude. he does actually grab a spare set of gloves because you never know, tucking them into his pocket. but he doesn't say anything otherwise and seems to be waiting for the next move. fine. let's get the guys squared away and gogogo. ]

[inequals]

[ Alright, and here they go! Or so they can try.

And try they did but uh, the fact that two Tingtangers went in and none came out, means that it turns out, the alleyway is absolutely teeming with Tingtangers curious to know where the feck Jim and Jab have gone. And there was no sneaking happening as Isabel opens the door and the bell jingles, letting everyone know there was activity going on here.

Someone nearby comes racing, alert, and just stares at these people. Just one whiteboy Tingtanger, one 12-year old in a poorly tailored Tingtang getup, Isabel, and your two LCCB members who look like they're ready to start dealing cards. ]

What the fuck?!

[ Girl, same. Anyway, explain yourselves. ]

[thematics]

[ ... sorry.

lovelace holds up her gun again! she's aiming it at this newcomer. this is a solid strategy that worked well last time. and a lot of lovelace's plans boil down to: point a gun and sound intense until people leave you alone. ]

Back away! Let us through.

I don't know what those two traitors were thinking attacking us when we're all from the same gang, but we're not sticking around to find out. This is going straight to the higher ups.

[ just telling lies i guess. ]

[riverbeans]

[also immediately starts telling lies as he casually brings his sword over his shoulder]

You heard her. C'mon, time is money—we've got places to be, and you don't want us having to tell the wrong person you wasted ours. We got what we were owed from that old fart, so we're moving on.

[solesuccess]

[ at this rate he does not entirely trust that if he doesn't say anything this'll fly, so. ]

And anyway, it'd be a real shame to have to say we ran into you slacking off on the job when we're just taking out the trash. [ this is probably very believable when this outfit is half-draping off of him, but it's fine. he sounds confident and casual enough in what he's saying. ] So? Are we going to have a problem?

[inequals]

[ Well, this Tingtanger just uh. Between your 10, 12, and 13 rolls, he just looks... uncertain. Logically, he should know this is not Jim and Jab, and yet, the outfit... it is just so convincing... ]

Ah -- jeez! You ain't from the same gang, where's your uniform?!

[ This is apparently, the only thing he really has an issue with, as he immediately looks to Charles. He also glances at Shoma, but just decides not to even start with that. ]

Quit it Jimmy, you know I'm workin' as hard as you are -- in fact, I'm workin' harder, 'cause it takes more cash to feed this body, alright? You ain't mind if I take a second gander at the old man then, do ya? Just wanna make sure it's clean.