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Into the Chaos - Land Grab [IC]

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Mercy Merchant

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« Reply #15 on: <08-22-15/0049:50> »
Athos smiles.  "I do not think so.  I can ask, but are you sure it is Japanese?  And quit drooping.  Whatever you are doing I am sure you will figure it out.  And you are still better than I am.  You just need more confidence in yourself.  Trust me, I have confidence in you."
"Speech"  *Thought*  <Matrix>

Shaman_Yuri

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« Reply #16 on: <08-22-15/0054:52> »
With Athos' encouragement, Minnie's ears and posture straighten up.  "You're right, Onii.  I just swear computers hate me.  I know between my feelings for your cat friend and my talk about computers you're sure I'm paranoid.  And with the cat you're likely right though I still say she's out to get me.  Still, you remember what happened when you tried to teach me how to drive.  How long was the truck in the shop for?  I think I once read they used to do contracts on paper.  Maybe I was just born in the wrong age."

Mercy Merchant

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« Reply #17 on: <08-22-15/0105:10> »
Athos smiles ruefully.  "Yeah, that poor vehicle.  Probably never be the same again.  As for the contract, go ahead and put it on paper.  I am sure Leo can read it that way as well as if it is on the tablet.  Maybe you can start a new craze.  And you are being paranoid.  The computers do not hate you and neither does Artie.  In both cases you just have to learn how to work around the problems."
"Speech"  *Thought*  <Matrix>

Shaman_Yuri

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« Reply #18 on: <08-22-15/0120:25> »
Minnie nodded thoughtfully but said nothing.  Athos' wisdom deserved the last word.  And anyway, a flashing alert in AR space notified her that they'd better get their butts over to Gino's or else they'd be late meeting said cat, not to mention the chance to enjoy the best omelets in Redmond.  "We'd best get going, Onii, if you don't want to leave Artee cooling her heels.  As much as the thought amuses me, I'm sure she'd find some way to blame it on me."  Her childlike grin at the former image turned into a scowl as she finished.  She then snorted.  "I probably should just start thinking of her as a client.  As much as I dislike her, she's not even in the running with some of the men, and even some women, I've had to accommodate."  Minnie shivered at thoughts Athos could never fathom, nor would he want to.  She then seemed to shake herself out of a trance before sliding out of the sofa to stand.  She seemed like a different person once erect.  "Shall we go, sir?" she asked in a perfect 'personal assistant' tone.  It was almost night and day and only a slight glint of humor in the girl's eyes assured Athos that good ol' insecure Minnie was still there.

[spoiler](I've just made a change to give Minnie a high Con with a seduction specialization.  Her behavior now is a reflection of her strong con skill.)[/spoiler]

Mercy Merchant

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« Reply #19 on: <08-22-15/0137:25> »
Athos nods and stands.  "Keeping me on task is your toughest challenge."  He motions for her to lead the way and follows, activating the alarms on the way out.  He frowns as he watches her walk ahead of him.  *I might not be the brightest Troll in the world, but I know that look.  She was back in whore land, where she was dying a bit every day.  Damn Vito and his cronies for what they did to her.* 

Athos clicks open the car doors and climbs into the front after helping Minnie into the back where the special human seat belts were.  After buckling up, he clicks open the garage door and put the car in motion.  It might not be much, but it still felt like a limousine after the years of walking from place to place because he was just too damned big.  The specially made car was built to order and its sturdy springs and axles were designed to accommodate his size.  The trip to Gino's was completed in companionable silence.  Mostly.  Athos flipped the car's radio to his favorite station where he found his favorite band banging away on instruments that Minnie has frequently told him sound like cats banging on trash bin lids while screeching at the top of their lungs.
"Speech"  *Thought*  <Matrix>

Shaman_Yuri

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« Reply #20 on: <08-22-15/0153:50> »
As Athos navigated out of the garage, Minnie took the opportunity to scan current news, especially anything she'd been fed from the Family.  She wanted to make sure where wasn't something which might clue her into what was coming down with Dame Valentina.  As she skimmed through the queued data she noted a message from Nagisa, her only other friend than Athos and her longest standing one.  The two grew up together even though their lives as teens couldn't have been more different.  Nagisa was born into serving the family and her prodigy-level skills with tech from the earliest age had placed her in the data operations division.  She was among the best deckers of her age in the service of Family Finnigan and looked on track for full admission in ten years or so.  Another pang of guilt hit her at the thought she might drag Nagisa down too, but she set it aside.  She had no time for her own pity party right now.

"I'm about as open minded as they come, Onii, but I swear I will never understand how you can call that music."  The thought of continuing the long-standing debate for a few minutes as they traversed the distance to breakfast comforted her like an old security blanket.

Mercy Merchant

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« Reply #21 on: <08-22-15/0203:09> »
Athos laughed out loud.  "That is because you hear it with mouse ears, not Troll ears.  It sounds plenty fine to me."  The pair keep up the banter for the trip.  The parking lot at Gino's is mostly full, even at this hour; a testament to the quality of the food Gino served as well as to the number of loyal customers who would eat almost nowhere else.  As Athos offered his hand to his friend his practiced look took in the row of Scorpions parked in the bike lane.  Even though Gino was well known for refusing service to anyone causing trouble, it could be an interesting breakfast.  He nods to the bikes.  "Humanis trash.  Want to skip breakfast?"
"Speech"  *Thought*  <Matrix>

Shaman_Yuri

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« Reply #22 on: <08-22-15/0224:26> »
Yulia scowled even before Athos spoke the obvious.  She'd been sheltered from things like Humanis before the past month or two.  Since that time, she'd learned to her surprise that bigots hated her more than Trolls and Orks.  She was a human, but yet not.  One of their own kind, but flawed - a travesty of human purity.  Her first real fight had been with a gang of Humanis thugs.  Athos had left her to shop in a part of town he had assumed would be perfectly safe for a human.  They'd both learned a lesson.  The Humanis bully boys had learned a lesson too, although a few of them probably didn't remember it afterwards given the concussions she gave them.  It had been her first run in with the authorities, too.  Only some help from a Family lawyer had kept her from being portrayed the aggressor, despite several security cameras to the contrary, and facing charges.  That and it didn't hurt that Minnie Mouse had several clients in the Seattle metroplex judiciary.  Awkward only begins to describe what prosecuting her would have meant, and so she was let go with an admonishment not to "go asking for trouble".  She'd resigned herself to shopping via the Matrix from then on.

"They know us, Oniichan," Yulia said quietly.  "They know we're good people and that your nuyen is good.  I can't imagine Gino's allowing anything bad to happen to regulars.  And anyway, what about meeting up with your cat friend?  They can always put us in the back room, assuming those Humanis pricks haven't already been segregated back there."

Jayde Moon

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« Reply #23 on: <08-22-15/0347:42> »
Artie's hand shot out from under the covers and onto the nightstand.  It flopped about there for a few moments before she lifted her head and half opened one eye.  With a few seconds, the commlink came into focus and she tapped the screen, finally putting an end to the incessant beeping.

She let her head drop back onto he pillow and lay there.  Her eyes opened.  Her eyes closed.  Her eyes opened.  She squeezed them shut and then grunted in frustration, tossing the covers off and sitting up.  Looking over to the commlink, she curled her lip and then picked it up.

"What's so important it has to be at six in the morning?" she complained as she checked the message.

>>@Artie [Athos] Hey Artie.  Athos here.  If you are not doing anything, how about joining Minnie and me at Gino's at eight this morning for breakfast.  I am sure that you still know your way there.  I will call and have a table for three.  Get back to me if it is bad for you.  I have a proposition  so try to be there.<<

Breakfast at Gino's in two hours could be a good reason to be up so early.  She clapped her hands to her face, rubbing the last remnants of sleep away before rising and heading to the bathroom.  A proposition sounded like work, maybe.  Work was always good.  Course, what work could it be if he was dragging the mouse along with him?

Just fifteen minutes was what it took to be out of the house and on the street.  Making her way from the Barrens to that part of the greater Seattle Area would take the better part of an hour and a half if she moved so there wasn't time to waste.  Happily, a good work out would keep her in shape and spark up an appetite for a big meal.  She'd be sure that Athos picked up the tab, to make up for the early wake up call.

He might be up before the sun as a matter of course, but a girl needed her beauty sleep.  She spent a few minutes in a stretching routine and with a wave to Old Man Harris at the corner mart, she took off at a solid running pace down the street.  Making it to the end, she turned into an alley, leapt onto a dumpster, kicked off the edge, and grabbed the rail of a fire escape at the second floor.  She quickly hauled herself up and then ascended the steps to the fifth floor roof.

From there to Bellevue, she'd never touch the ground.

Crossing from the Barrens into Bellevue was never that tough and once on that side, she just caught a ride on bus and let the public transportation system take her the rest of the way.

Getting off the bus, she shouldered her bag and walked briskly to the diner.  Her eyes darted swiftly back and forth, she didn't miss much.  Athos and Minnie had just stepped in after giving a good once over to a group of bikes parked just outside.  Good, I'm not late, she thought to herself as she reached the door.

Opening it, she saw that the waitress was just about to seat the two.  Athos gave Minnie the preference of which side of the table to sit on and just as the changeling was about to settle into the booth,  Artie vaulted the booth, her feet easily clearing and slipped herself right into the inside position of the booth, placing the glass on one side and Minnie on the other, forcing the mouse to the outside seat and unable to switch seats without making it utterly awkward.

"Heya!  Whatcha doin?" she grinned.
That's just like... your opinion, man.

Shaman_Yuri

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« Reply #24 on: <08-22-15/0904:42> »
Yulia froze for the briefest of moments as she absorbed the damn cat’s audacity.  Not that the older girl’s antics should have surprised her even that long.

Cats were entitled by nature, after all; strutting around as if they owned the place.  House cats looked down with disdain on the lowly metahumanity that fed them, often not even deigning to permit themselves to be stroked when their generous benefactors needed comforting.  Wild or feral cats lorded over their territory from their niche atop the food chain lavishly provided to them by Mother Nature herself.

Mice on the other hand were the humblest of creatures.  They lived in the shadows eating whatever rotting and putrid scraps presented themselves.  Always, ALWAYS, alert for the predator certain that mouse was next on the dinner menu.

Yulia once came across a copy of an old 20th century novel called Watership Down.  It was really long and kept a thirteen year old girl starving for non-bedroom stimulation occupied for two weeks as she devoured the tome between clients.  It was a good read, too, although she had to smirk at the idea of Rabbit being ‘prince of a thousand enemies.’  If that were true, Mouse’s retinue had to be at least ten thousand.  And Cat was Number One on the list.

Knowing that of all people the cat adept was well aware of Yulia’s transient hesitation, she decided she wouldn’t feed the damn woman’s conceit anymore and simply slid silently into the booth beside her tormenter. 

She’s playing with me just like she would her food, Yulia acknowledged to herself as she settled in.  Although Yulia was (mostly) sure Artie had no intention of physically eating her, she had little doubt that just as a real cat would digest nutrients from a dead mouse’s body to better itself, the Cat follower beside her wouldn’t hesitate for a moment to suck Yulia dry of anything that could further the older girl’s aims and leave behind a dry husk blowing lifeless in the winds of fate.

Refusing to be baited she remained silent and sat dispassionately, hands demurely folded on her lap, awaiting Athos’ response to Artie’s grinning inquiry.
« Last Edit: <08-22-15/1126:31> by Shaman_Yuri »

Mercy Merchant

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« Reply #25 on: <08-22-15/0949:50> »
Athos walked Minnie to the door and opened it for her, following his friend inside.  Gino's was a rather large restaurant and bar.  Not much on entertainment, it still had a very loyal clientele from all walks of life.  Gino had made it clear years ago that the outside world and its problems stayed outside.  Some early experiences had taught people to behave or never come back.  And once you had tasted Gino's food you wanted to come back.  Athos noticed several Humanis bikers at the bar, their riding jackets clearly identifying them.  Three of the metahuman haters nudged each other when Minnie had entered the room, grinning and smirking.  One of the men had left his seat and taken a step toward the girl by the time Athos enters.  At the sight of the huge Troll, the man practically freezes then carefully sits back down, the smirk replaced with something else.

Maria, the hostess, arrives just then and gives her newly arrived customers a genuine smile, saying, "Athos.  Yulia.  Your table is right this way.  Artie is not here yet."  As she turns to take them to one of the booths specially built to seat Trolls, she adds, "Now do not worry about Clem and his boys.  They know the rules.  Clem likes his pasta too much to take a chance on being banned."

At the booth, Athos lets Minnie sit first and is about to move into the booth when Artie makes her appearance.  Shaking his head, he sits at the end of the booth.  "Artie, that was not very polite.  You owe Yulia an apology.  I do not know what I did in a prior lifetime that has saddled me with two friends that do not get along with each other."  Athos eschews the menu, already knowing what he wants.  Truth be told, his tastes have not changed much in years.  Maria looks at the girls and hands them menus.  "So what can I get you two to drink while you decide what to eat?"
"Speech"  *Thought*  <Matrix>

Shaman_Yuri

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« Reply #26 on: <08-22-15/1013:03> »
Yulia permitted the edges of her mouth to curl in a smile at Athos’ diplomacy.  She was sure she’d get praise later for keeping her mouth shut and not being baited.

Maybe you can teach an old mouse new tricks.

Not that she was old, mind you.  Her twentieth birthday was still a few months away, but she certainly felt old.  And the damn cat’s continued grinning didn’t help matters.

Like Athos, Yulia knew what she wanted to eat and never opened the proffered menu.  “Apple juice and water,” Yulia replied to their host as she dismissed the cat from her thoughts for a moment.  Her grin widened with not a little anticipation apparent in her eyes despite the AR specs somewhat masking the brown orbs.  Apple juice.  The real thing.  Somehow Gino’s was able to get the precious golden nectar from a Shidhe source in Wenatchee.  It came at a steep price, of course, but it was an unwritten rule between them that Yulia got one glass of her favorite beverage whenever they came here for breakfast.  She’d nurse it through the whole meal, drinking water for hydration between tiny sips of ambrosia for pleasure.

It was better than sex.

A LOT better than sex.

Chocolate, however...

Oh the simple things in life, she mused, no longer much caring what the infernal cat would say next.  Curious to fill the time, and always on the alert like any good rodent, she took a brief look around the place using real sight, astral sight, and AR via her specs.  If there were any surprises in any of the three spaces, she’d be prepared...

gilga

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« Reply #27 on: <08-22-15/1049:00> »
@Minnie - You are not sure exactly what you just saw, but as you survey the place, you attention centers on a large jar of candies at the bar. You are almost certain that one of the candies at the bottom of the jar, changed its location just a tiny bit.

Shaman_Yuri

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« Reply #28 on: <08-22-15/1054:35> »
That's odd, she thought to herself as she noted the apparent movement in the candy jar.  Trying to appear nonchalant, she would steal additional glances to see if it or anything else happened again in or around the jar...in any of her three sights.  She suspected it was likely just her jumpiness being around Artee, but you never could be too careful.  Anyway, it distracted her from having to watch Artee and Athos actually get along.

Jayde Moon

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« Reply #29 on: <08-22-15/1117:34> »
Artie smirked.  "Apologize?  For saying 'Hi'?  Me doth believe some skins should be thicker if a 'What's up' offends.  Any 'friend' would appreciate the gesture, and aren't we friends?"

The mouse was truly thin skinned and that made her an easy target.  Artie couldn't help but needle the girl and if it was as easy as popping up with what amounted to jumping out from behind a door and shouting, 'Boo', that was hardly her fault.  And apologize?  It was too hard a world for Artie to entertain the notion.  She quickly deflected.

"Assholes in the back will probably be real trouble.  If not while we're eating, then once we've stepped out."  She reached over and grabbed a menu, popping it open. "Fish sticks are good.  What are you gonna get? she asks Minnie, turning to look at the slight girl.
« Last Edit: <08-22-15/1125:39> by Jayde Moon »
That's just like... your opinion, man.