[Zweiblumen]

The sound of Knucks' fist driving into the skull of the unknown mage is sickening, so much so that the final Technoid standing soils himself badly.  He attempts to flee the ambush but between his ruined pants and overall terror, he's unable to out maneuver the vengeful ork.  Upon finally kicking his literal ass, there's a squishing noise that is somewhat disturbing.  Knucks realizes he's going to have to wash his boots off before going anywhere resembling presentable.

Upon returning to the scene of the crime, while quickly rifling through the two corpses he finds a couple of commlinks a cred stick and some sort of fetish or focus in the shape of an ouroboros, he's not familiar enough to know the difference.  Uffington, when checking for any signs of life left on the mage, found another fetish of a tooth that's been recently embedded in the mages back.  As if he fell on it in one of the many trips he's recently made to the ground.  He recognizes the power it emanates and it resonates with his shamanistic ways. 

In the distance they can hear the sounds of bikes and a loud motor coming from the north side of the bridge.

[badneighbor]

“Hey, Uff. Drop the spell on me, will ya?” Expo’s voice has distance in it, like he’s working out a math problem in the back of his mind. While he’s still invisible, he takes a moment to himself to look over the bodies of all those poor kids lying charred and twisted in the street. This wasn’t the plan, he thinks. He’d hoped these kids would be smart enough to run away once Wizkid was taken out. They didn’t even get the chance. Well. One of them did.


Expo takes a deep breath in through his nose, puffing out his chest and holding his head upright. He regains his composure just as he becomes visible again. It would be bad for business if his fellow runners saw any regret in his eyes, even worse if the Chulos did, so he makes sure it isn’t there. He stands stock still, resurrecting the bravado these gangers like to see, and waits as the roaring engines of the Chulos approach. He glances back over his shoulder at where his invisible allies probably are as he subvocalizes, <<@Team [Expo] I wanna talk ta MeatWagon real quick, make sure he’s alright with being left out of the fun. Don’t wanna bruise egos and create problems down the road. You two stay outta sight. If he gets hostile, feel free to make your presence felt.>>


Arms folded over his barrel chest, Expo stands and waits.

[Zweiblumen]

The roar of the engines is almost as load up on the bridge as it was echoing off of the low buildings down the hill.  The familiar sight of the bikes and MeatWagon's customized ride crest the bridge and come to a stop in front of the carnage with Expo standing in the center of it.  The dwarf is met with the revving of engines and a few whoops and hollers until the giant of a human unfolds from the car and calms the other 4 down with a stern look.  MeatWagon surveys the scene and gives a slow golf clap.  "Well, I guess we didn't need to worry about backing you up.  It looks, and sounded, like a bomb went off.  But, this appears to have solved our territory problems.  You and your team have one in the bank.  Keep the burner you didn't use.  It'll work to get in touch if you need it.  TwoTooth'll also hear a good word or two, keen?"

Expo knows this'll end up helping out Mickey in the long run because he tries to always make sure either way the soy-cakes crumble, ol' Mickey gets a slice of the pie.

With a self satisfied nod, the giant signals his troops as he returns to his car.  Two of the gangers pull out paint-bombs and heavily tag the south end of the bridge.  The cops'll know it's a turf war gone bad, though the ghouls are likely to get to the corpses first.  Either way, Expo realizes its probably time to get their hoops outta dodge.

In the extreme distance you can start to hear the sounds of sirens coming, almost cautiously, over the hills into the Barrens.

[Tecumseh]

Knucks limps along, the wear and tear of the fight breaking through his NoPaint.

"Hey, Uff," he says with a grimace. "You know any of that magic that can stitch you up? Mr. Investment did something to my insides before I did something to his outsides. Feels like a blender went off in my belly."

Knucks looks with concern to the approaching Chulos, knowing that he's not in peak fitness if something goes sideways.

"Sure," the elf says, laying his hands on Knucks and infusing him with Gaia's love and healing light. Knucks takes a sharp gasp and stands up straight as the magic takes effect. He doesn't know if his guts are entirely intact but they are whole enough that he can't tell the difference through the NoPaint.

"Thanks, omae. You did good out there." Knucks looks approvingly at the barbecued breeders. "You're a stone-cold killer!" His tone indicates that this is a high compliment.

Now that his intestines don't feel like they are going to turn into liquid and shoot out his sphincter, Knucks is considerably braver when it comes to backing up Expo as he talks to the Chulos. He widens his stance and folds his arms, once again forgetting that he is invisible and that the posturing in meaningless.

"Yeah, but don't take no drek," he says with bravado when he hears Expo's plan. "They best understand that what happened to the younglings can happen to them to, amiright Uff?"

The Chulos are complimentary, not hostile. Once they leave, Knucks' cyberears pick up sirens in the distance.

"Time to geek out," he says. "Let's go get paid. Imma gonna buy Rudolph here whatever he wants to make his nose glow bright!" Uffington supposes that the half-orc is callously referring to the elf's large, bulbous nose.

[badneighbor]

The dwarf is met with the revving of engines and a few whoops and hollers until the giant of a human unfolds from the car and calms the other 4 down with a stern look.  MeatWagon surveys the scene and gives a slow golf clap.  "Well, I guess we didn't need to worry about backing you up.  It looks, and sounded, like a bomb went off.  But, this appears to have solved our territory problems.  You and your team have one in the bank.  Keep the burner you didn't use.  It'll work to get in touch if you need it.  TwoTooth'll also hear a good word or two, keen?"

Expo nods without a verbal reply, playing it off like that’s exactly what he expected to hear. Mentally, he’s celebrating like he just won the Urban Brawl championship. He makes a casual hand gesture to MeatWagon as if you say “you got it, chummer”.

Once they leave, Knucks' cyberears pick up sirens in the distance.

"Time to geek out," he says. "Let's go get paid. Imma gonna buy Rudolph here whatever he wants to make his nose glow bright!"

Once the Chulos are fully out of sight, Expo turns to face the spot in the street where he thinks Knucks’ voice came from. He makes toward the alley nearest the direction of the gallery, displaying a grin more satisfied than what he feels.

“Yeah, getting paid sounds pretty good right about now.”

[rednblack]

"Thanks, omae. You did good out there." Knucks looks approvingly at the barbecued breeders. "You're a stone-cold killer!" His tone indicates that this is a high compliment.

The healing took a little out of Uffington, and he shakes his head hard to clear it.  Did good, huh?  The elf surveys the scene before him.  They were little more than kids.  Fraggit.  It's not that the praise from their tactical brains is falling on deaf ears, but this isn't exactly what Uffington had in mind when he dropped that hoop drainer of a lightning ball down on them. 

As the Chulos approach, he and Knucks take a tactical position, Knucks ready to pounce, and Uffington behind some cover, but the gangers seem much too impressed by their work to risk being round two.  Or at least they don't see the profit in it right now.  Having one in the bank on TwoTooth certainly seems promising.  Uff just hopes it doesn't mean geeking any more preschoolers.

Knucks makes an off-color remark about Uffington's nose and getting out of Dodge, which Expo agrees with, at least the getting out of Dodge part.

"Wiz," Uffington says, and starts heading back toward the gallery.  They walk down the hill, and Uffington goes around the back service entrance before dropping his spell and walking into the gallery proper to make sure everything is still on the up and up.

[Zweiblumen]

The Chulos leave north over the bridge in deference to the favor done for them by the crew to not cause a commotion by the gallery.

As the three approach the gallery they see that it's opened an there are lots of chic SINners in expensive clothes and fancy cars showing up for the showing.  They are all dressed in their best urban chic, the styles coming out of the Barrens and winding their way up through the various echelons of corporate society.  It's a little after 6 and folks are there is still a lot of folks coming and going.  You know the showing doesn't end until 10pm tonight.

As they come in from the alley as requested Marianna comes racing through the door.  "Is everything alright?  We heard an explosion, or something, we couldn't tell from in the gallery.  Thomas stuck his head out but didn't hear anything more.  Will there be any problems?  We told the guests that it was just kids setting off fireworks up the hill.  Most of them bought that, but folks are nervous."  She's speaking a mile a minute, obviously concerned.

Peaking around the fretting woman, you can see the party is humming along.  While there's a little nervousness most people are enjoying the wine from the north and the art on display.  For now, everything seems to be moving along well enough.

[badneighbor]

Once the crew arrives back at the gallery via the alleyway entrance, Expo quickly sheds his armor and faux-ganger duds in favor of his tastefully-paintmarked white pants and designer t-shirt with sleeves short enough to show both his musculature and his colorful tattoos. He splashes some water on his face and runs a comb through his hair and beard. As he does so, he looks at the other two. “Dunno how much you two’ll want to be out there talking to snooty art-folks, but I’d take it as a personal favor if you were nice to the people spending lots of nuyen on my work.” He smiles and checks his commlink as he continues. “Not that I think you’d ever be anything other than nice.” He then quickly reconnects to the pizza place he had used earlier for that street girl and orders another pizza, sending it this time to Mickey. In the “custom instructions” section he taps out the massage Done good. Everyone wins. Here’s your pay. I’ll send the rest tomorrow.

As he tucks the device away,

Marianna comes racing through the door.  "Is everything alright?  We heard an explosion, or something, we couldn't tell from in the gallery.  Thomas stuck his head out but didn't hear anything more.  Will there be any problems?  We told the guests that it was just kids setting off fireworks up the hill.  Most of them bought that, but folks are nervous."  She's speaking a mile a minute, obviously concerned.

With a bemused smile, Expo holds both hands out toward her. “It’s alright, s'il vous plaît, restez calme Mademoiselle. You were absolutely correct: it was just some kids playing with fireworks. We sent them away, there’s nothing to concern yourself with.”

Peeking around the fretting woman, you can see the party is humming along.  While there's a little nervousness most people are enjoying the wine from the north and the art on display.  For now, everything seems to be moving along well enough.

He extends the crook of his arm out (and upward a bit) for her to take it, offering to escort her back to the party. Expo does his best to radiate calm as he mingles, forgetting for a few moments about Knucks, Uffington, or street gangs.

[Tecumseh]

Knucks laughs lowly and darkly at Expo's explanation of the events outside. He slaps Uffington uncomfortably hard on the shoulder to express his continued admiration and appreciation.

Knucks enters the alley door to the gallery office. In a flash of clarity, he realizes that bloody hands on a brutish ork at an art gathering might not be seen as edgy or avant-garde, but might be seen as alarming and possibly an indication of illegal activity. He sighs at the injustice of rich breeder opinions and their rush to judgement, even if said judgement is accurate, so he retires to the restroom connected to the office to wash ?? off his hands.

Having done so, Knucks props open the door to the alley and stands just inside, tuning his cyberears to the sounds of the SFPD response to their little scuffle. His eyes watch the drones passing by overhead as he feels the summer evening turns cool as the marine air advances across the city.

The drugs make him fidget, so at random intervals he drops for a hundred pushups, or a hundred squats. Stupid body-weight exercises, he thinks to himself. I'll never weigh enough for this to matter for my muscle tone. This is just cardio. He shadowboxes a bit, replaying his incapacitation of WizKid followed by his decapitation of ??. He's mostly annoyed that he missed his throw with the knife and wonders if he should have used the tomahawk instead.

As the event winds down and the guests depart in their Cadillac Nocturnes and Ares Humvees, Knucks finally slips out into the gallery to vaccuum up the remaining crackers, cheeses, and dried fruit that have been left by the guests. He does a turn around the room, looking at the art, but finds that he doesn't know much more than what media were used to create each piece. He doesn't recognize Expo's SINner name but he sees that the dwarf is looking at one of the pieces that didn't sell.

"That yours?" Knucks asks. Expo nods. Knucks looks it over. "I like it. I see veins. I see rivers of blood. Reminds me of what just went down. Makes me feel alive." He flexes hard. Expo might wonder if Knucks is misconstruing the feeling of drugs with the feeling of art, but doesn't say so.

Once the gallery is completely empty, Marianna steps forward to settle accounts. Having been paid, Knucks is in a good mood.

"Hey," he says to Expo. "You ponied up for TwoTooth's digits, yeah? That shouldn't come out of your share, savvy: we should share that expense. Whaddya say I buy this here painting to make us square? Makes you three for three this evening. Well, three for four if we include that Ace Holt impression of yours." He laughs, seeming to draw a comical, unflattering comparison between Expo's missed pistol shot and the hero of Ares' Cross Point: Daedalus trilogy, recently remastered and re-released for the end of the summer.

Knucks comms Fish Boy to report his success. The low-ranking Koshari goon expresses his congratulations, then tells Knucks to give him a ring if he's ever in the mood for some debt-collection work. Knucks decides that he'd rather break pinkies than have his pinkies broken, so he agrees with Fish Boy on a plan to work some of Knucks' debt off over the coming week. The postponement of having his fingers broken - which would result in a disastrous interruption in Knucks' gym routine - puts Knucks in an even better mood as he contemplates the reps and sets he's going to bang out first thing in the morning.