[rednblack]

Chaim has never seen so much jing in one place.  Here he was, thinking he was living high on the hog with 44¥ in his backpack, thinking about the nic-sticks and the synthahol he could score, and now he was looking to get outfitted, "prepared" as Kubiak had put it.  And Rat had put the right word on it.  Runners.  As in Shadowrunners, as in the baddest most ubermensch that run the streets.  The kind of guys who paid respect around places like this, not because they'll rob you blind, but because they're professionals who have earned it.  Fear maybe, but a fear that comes from power and capability, not colors.  Hell, four hours ago Chaim would have gladly joined the cutters, but this sounded so much fragging better.

Then another thought crosses his mind.  Shadowrunners have gear.  He starts making plans: a taser, maybe a pistol, an armored vest and lock-picking kit, maybe some of those contacts that let you see in the dark.  Hell chummer, 2Gs'll get you an AK and the explosive rounds to go with it.  But that's 2,000.  Chaim's cut is 500.  "Hold on, hold on, hold on, Rat," reaching out his hand to stay his friend.  "Mr. Kubiak, I put my cutter into one of those Cutters, and I came back with a blunted tip.  Let me tell you, I hit that guy hard.  If you don't want anybody to die, then we're going to have to feel like we can stand toe-to-toe with these guys and not have any of us end up like, well, me.  Way I figure it, we can maybe get four armored vests out of the deal, but Xem and I are still working with rusty shanks.  I mean, I don't mean to come off bad here.  From what my chummers are telling me you took me from fucking geeked to re-spawn, but, man, I don't wanna go back. Ea'van got a line on some armor or anything like that?  Maybe a pistol or two?  Maybe you get a discount round the way?  I dunno, but chummer, I'd like going in better prepared next time."

[spoiler]Considering Chaim's life in the sprawl, I think it's worth a test to see if he knows how much weapons/armor cost.
This cat know what gear costs? (Sprawl Life): 8d6t5 4
I would say so.  Let's hope the dice gods stay with me.

Also rolling Composure because Chaim might not even take the time to run the math on this one, but assuming a low threshold.
Composure: Look at all this ¥: 8d6t5 2
I'll take it.

Ok, let's see how Negotiation goes.
Negotiation: 8d6t5 1

Not great.  I didn't take any Social Modifiers as, 1. I don't know if Kubiak is actually friendly toward the PCs and 2. While Chaim's desired result is advantageous to NPC, I'm not sure if that really counted in this instance.  In case either of those work here's 3 more dice.
NPC Friendly + Desired Result is Advantageous: 3d6t5 0
Doesn't matter anyway.
[/spoiler]

[inca1980]

[spoiler]OOC: Kubiak negotiation roll:    11d6t5: 5 [11d6t5=3, 5, 6, 5, 4, 4, 5, 2, 3, 3, 6].[/spoiler]
When Kubiak hears Rat talk about shadowrunners you see a slight smile curl on his lips.  "That's not entirely far from the truth.  So I suppose that would make me a Mr. Johnson then..."  His smile turns into a full blown chuckle.  "Well then I honestly must say it is my first time serving in such capacity.  We are not used to violence and the only violence I can condone is violence meant to end violence.  This is all that we can spare taking from our crop yields and donations.  The power of Ea'van fills us with riches of a different kind.  Look inside and let the power you hold within guide you."

[gradivus]

Easy for him to say, he's not the one that's going to be physically fighting the Cutters. And my father used to make more than that every month without having to do bully-boy work. Of course, he ended up dead anyway.

Werner says, "Seeing as Rat took your money I guess he's clairvoyant and knows the rest of us are going to say yes." as he gives Rat the same stink eye that Rat had just given Xem.

 

[Poindexter]

"I was hoping the four of you would one day find your way here.  I didn't think it would be today though....." 

Xem narrows his eyes and scrunches up his swolen face. So... You're either crazy, lying to manipulate us, or near omniscient. Noted.

"It is rare to find young ones with the talent.  It is even rarer to find four young ones with the talent who for reasons perhaps unbeknownst even to them have found each others' company."

The elf boy cranes his head to the side, as though trying to hear a far away sound. Did you just say that? He can't keep quiet anymore. "Are you suggesting we have been manipulated into each other's company by an outside force?"

"The followers of Ea'van don't have their own Clean-up Crew, but that must be remedied.  I know you four took quite a licking, especially Chaim.  I also know that could have only happened because you held back.  You did not own the power that your very DNA yearns to wield.  I am loath to send anyone into battle, especially children, but you are no ordinary young-men.  I think it is time that the Jungle learn who you really are and who you stand with. In order to repair the fear and intimidation the Cutters wish to sow, I need you to find them and teach them that the followers of Ea'van will no longer tolerate this.  Take this cred, use it to prepare, find Oakley and his boys and get your revenge.  I only ask that you spare their lives and no-one who wasn't involved gets hurt.  I also ask that you refrain from extracting your revenge on Sarafin.  No matter who dispicable he may be, he still serves an important role in this community.  The example of what happens to the Clean-up Crew should be enough to make him think twice."  

"Let me get this straight. Correct me on any point I mis-state, please. You wish to hire us four youths to be your cleanup crew. For our first task, you wish us to attack and defeat, but not kill a ruthless and effective squad of armed and combat trained gang members for whom, none of us hold any personal malice. You also wish us to stay our hand in regard to the dwarf against whom, we do hold personal malice. And for this task, you wish to pay us two thousand nuyen." Xem holds an expression of disgust. I'm going to own this man's house one day.

"If you decide to take this cred and do what I am proposing, the followers of Ea'van will have your back, especially once the whole Jungle knows you four are special." 

"What if we decide not to? What if we walk outta here like, 'fuck your cred and fuck your pissing contest', hypothetically?"

[gradivus]

Werner thinks to himself, First Rat presumptuously takes the money sealing the deal. Now, Xem tell the guy to go frag himself. I'm pretty sure that I only saw Chaim get hit over the head but maybe I blinked. This is going to be good- I can see Rat blabbering endlessly how this would be our first real run and so on and so forth. Wiz- not!

[rednblack]

"What if we decide not to? What if we walk outta here like, 'fuck your cred and fuck your pissing contest', hypothetically?"

"Then we don't get the two Gs, obviously," Chaim cuts in and waits for Xem's glare.

In a way this was perfect.  Kubiak may well stay their collective hand against Sarafin now, for this slight, but there would be others.  In a place like The Jungle you could very well buy a man's death for much less than 2,000, less than a tenth of that really, but it takes a lot more to buy someone's life, even a skat of a dwarf who ran a little hovel of a shop.  That the followers of Ea'van, that their mouthpiece no less, full of talk about peace and the people's will, full to the gills of ressentiment, that they would look to these four to do what they hadn't the guts or the will to do, that filled Chaim with pride.

Bet he aḥarit ha-yamim, Kubiak.  Four ubermensch rise.  Again, the irony is not lost on Chaim.

[spoiler]Bet he aḥarit ha-yamim means, "In the end of days"[/spoiler]

[HydroRaven]

Rat turns to Xem, an incredulous look on his face. "And go back to soggy cardboard walls and scraps Junior brings us? Drek no, we're runners now! We'll be going all over Seattle, all the girls will want a piece of us, we'll be sleeping on beds made out of gold!" The ork moved his arms around as he was explaining his dream, a glimmer in his eyes as he imagined himself in all sorts or scenarios, most of them far removed from reality.

[rednblack]

"Come on, Xem, let's do this thing," Chaim says before turning to Werner.  "I mean, you're in, right?"

[Poindexter]

"Then we don't get the two Gs, obviously,"

"And go back to soggy cardboard walls and scraps Junior brings us? Drek no, we're runners now! We'll be going all over Seattle, all the girls will want a piece of us, we'll be sleeping on beds made out of gold!"

"Come on, Xem, let's do this thing," Chaim says before turning to Werner.  "I mean, you're in, right?"

The wild haired elf turns to face his friends and holds his arms out wide, as if to embrace them all at once. He wears a soft, warmhearted smile and he tilts his head, lovingly, to the side as he speaks to them in a melodic tone. "My friends, bros, chummers, compadristadors, if you will, No one wants to go back to soggy cardboard walls less than your good friend, Xem. But do we trade freedom in misery for comfort in a cage?

I'm not certain that's what we're being offered, but if it is, I mean to know before I make any binding decisions. Don't you agree?" He turns around once more to face Kubiak, with a happy insanity dancing behind his eyes. "I merely await your response to my querries, Sir Kubiak."

[inca1980]

Kubiak's attention has been on several ARO's while the four of you discuss your decision.  He turns to Xem.  "If that is the way you wish to paint it, then so be it.  I am asking you to do all those things and this is the remuneration I can offer.  If there was anyone as well armed or as capable in combat as the Cutters or their Cleanup Crew they would have been displaced a long time ago.  The K9'ers are lazy drug dealers despite their formidable companions, the Royal Riders are get their bread and butter directly from the Cutters, the Red Skulls and the 162's are completely insane and cannot be trusted.  So I ask you young elf, who else can we turn to?  The four of you have powers that powerful people in the Barrens would kill to possess.  I do not want to possess you, I can only humbly ask for your service.  I would be in your debt if you were to assist our cause of maintaining peace and balance in the Jungle.  If you decide that this is not for you, then your secret is safe with me and we part ways. "

[Poindexter]

Xem crooks his back and arches his eyebrows as he juts his head forward on his boney neck toward Kubiak. A skillful dodge, my friend. But now, I thrust where you cannot hope to avoid! With a sly and quiet voice, he near whispers to the man with the monkey, "One... What of your use of the phrase, 'reasons unbeknownst to us'? Are these reasons beknownst to you?" He leans to the other side like snake, lining up a strike and speaks a bit louder."Two... What of our powers and special whatever-it-is? How can you know of us already?" Dust shakes out of his hair and dances in the light as he darts his lean back the other way to get ready for the finish. He's even louder now, more forceful. "Three... I have no secrets. My foes shall meet a blade in the dark, a hail of gunfire in the street, fire from the pits of hell and lightning from the very sky! Secrets are lies, and lies are for the weak."

He goes still as a corpse and drops all the zeal out of his voice to finish his harangue, looking down at the ground. "And four... I will willingly beat, kill, stab, or burn anyone you so wish, whether it's to death or stopping at any point before or after if you pay me for the act. I have no moral code of any sort that would prohibit me from doing any of the things you ask. I just want to make certain that we are discussing the same things." He slowly lets a wide manic smile waltz across his face as he looks back up to gauge the response.

[inca1980]

@Xem:
Kubiak nods at Xem with a patience rarely seen in the city.  "Only Ea'van knows why the four of you find yourselves in each other's company.  She speaks to us all through signs, and the only difference between myself and others perhaps is that I try to listen more carefully than most.  I keep no secrets from you either.  She merely shares with me a few threads of the glorious tapestry fate weaves.  I believe in my heart that there are no accidents and thus our encounter is no accident."

He looks at you rather curiously and thinks for a moment and then reaches behind his neck and unties a bead necklace and hands it to you. 
"I think you will know what to do with this.  May it keep you safe."

[spoiler]OOC: make Arcana (1) check.[/spoiler]

[Poindexter]

[spoiler]OOC: make Arcana (1) check.[/spoiler]

Xem reaches out carefully for the bauble. What is this?

[spoiler]What is this thing? (Logic 5 + Arcana 1): 6d6t5 2[/spoiler]

[inca1980]

@Xem:
You look at the old wooden beads and you see that each one has a separate rune engraved on it.  As you clench the necklace in your hands and feel it respond to your chaotic spirit as if beckoning you to get to know it better.  You've seen very little magic other than your own abilities but you remember a wandering merchant that occasionally would come through the Jungle calling himself a talismonger.  He claimed he sold objects that could teach you how to expand your talents. Maybe if you spent more time with this object in secret by yourself you could unlock its potential. 

[spoiler]OOC: It's a spell formula for a Heal spell.  Since you're Chaos tradition you can learn magic from a variety of sources.[/spoiler]

[Poindexter]

"Only Ea'van knows why the four of you find yourselves in each other's company.  She speaks to us all through signs, and the only difference between myself and others perhaps is that I try to listen more carefully than most.  I keep no secrets from you either.  She merely shares with me a few threads of the glorious tapestry fate weaves.  I believe in my heart that there are no accidents and thus our encounter is no accident."

Xem ties the beaded necklace around his own neck slowly and carefully. All of his questions and concerns having been answered to his satisfaction, he says "Well, I suppose that settles that." Turning to Rat, "You've got our funds, correct?" Then back to Kubiak, "I suppose we'll contact you once our assignment is complete. In the meantime, I suppose we're off to equip ourselves the task." He stiffens up in a military posture and gives a snappy salute. "Captain."