Depths of Regina – Turn 1.7 – Waterfall Bid Complete
The last few days of June end on a hectic note as the group puts the final touches on the Waterfall bid. While the group feels fairly good about the bid overall, it becomes clear that both Vareq and Jack know they could have done a better job and it shows in their demeanor. But deadlines are deadlines and the bid is submitted on time.
GM: One detail I did not have written down is the final price on the bid. What number did you want to go with?
JACK: The appropriate range was 320,000 to 400,000, so I am
suggesting 340,000. We'll spin it as a lower bid for a top quality
service simply because we aren't well enough known to draw top
dollar... yet. Best I can do, I guess.
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With the Waterfall bid out of the way, the group returns to business as usual in the early days in July. Kyle arranges for a private meeting with Isobella, the young detective that Kyle met just a few weeks ago on July 3rd. The rendezvous will be around 1am at Joe B’s, a favorite university dance club and bar. The nightclub is quite large with several places where relatively private conversations could be held.
GM: Currently, Jack and Vamperina have asked to join Kyle for the informal meeting. This could be a fairly interesting encounter so if other PCs want to join in we can do so without making it obvious that it’s SCE related. Let me know if you want to attend. Additionally, Joe B’s has a wide ranging dress code. You’ll have your super casual college kids to the young party crowd wearing sexually provocative outfits. So do indicate how you’re dressed if you go.
JACK: Jack arrives separately from the rest of the group, and it
actually takes a few passing glances to realize it's him. He's dressed
very similarly to the casual college kids, he could easily be the captain
of the football team, and even looks young enough to pull it off. He
reserves a bit of a sheepish grin for the teammates who spot him,
when he's sure he's not going to be noticed, and slips away to meet
with them after he's seen everyone arrive that he knows is coming.
MIDNIGHT: Midnight will not go to the club. It would be rather difficult
for him to be there and not draw attention which blows the whole point of
meeting off site anyway.
VAREQ: Vareq will go to the club, dressed up in an expensive all-black designer
suit. He is in one of his gregarious moods. He buys drinks for everyone,
but only drinks ginger ale himself.
Although he looks at ease, anyone who pays attention can tell he keeps
scanning the crowd intently. For some people, ! the war is never over.
VAMPERINA: Vamperina will arrive in an outfit that is both chic and sexy
without being too revealing. She will not try to look like a college
kid but will look to be a recent graduate. She looks to be in her upper
20's. She will arrive separately from the others and will join them at
the night club.
KLYE: Kyle will be dressed in a casual outfit of slacks and a button-down
shirt. The style will be that of an older graduate student or younger
professor dressed for a casual evening out.
ISOBELLA: Isobella goes with the casual student look. She's not a
good looking woman and she isn't trying to pick up someone so she
doesn't bother with glamor outfits, though they would look good on
her tall trim athletic body and perhaps distract attention from her
angular face. She's left her attache case at home. Like Vareq,
Isobella looks relaxed but is always discreetly scanning the crowd
and surroundings. Though in her case it's more a matter of taking it
all in than scanning for trouble (though she does that too). Also
like Vareq, she's avoiding alcoholic drinks. Her movements are very
graceful, as each movement was choreographed and well rehearsed. If
she recognizes anyone other than Kyle (from pictures (if any) in
public records or SCE public net presence), she let them make
contact. Kyle she'll approach at 1:00 AM exactly if someone doesn't
make contact sooner.
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GM: I have a slew of private turns to send out over the next few days. Also, I intend to time flow more and not play out the details of all jobs. If a particular encounter seems so interesting that you would like to roleplay it in detail, let me know. Otherwise, I’m going to just gloss over the ‘side jobs’ that will play the mundane backdrop to your SCE business.
JACK: Sounds good, I'm just not enough of a businessman or
salesman to make it worth my time roleplaying such things :)
----------
Late on the night of July 3rd, the various members of Stellar
Consulting head over to Joe B's to meet the young detective, Isobella.
Jack is first to arrive around 10pm, dressed casually. He mingles
with the crowd, finding several young ladies to dance with.
The nightclub has three main areas. First there is the center dance
floor. It is separated into three elevations roughly 4 meters above
the other. Several walkways connect the different levels together. A
large stage sits behind the dance floor, raised a meter above the base
floor. A DJ sits behind a booth to the right side while the rest of
the stage is populated by scantily dressed dancers of both gender. A
modern dance mix is played throughout the evening that is high energy
and mildly disorienting.
Second, to the right of the dance floors is the bar and grill. The
bar stretches for 15 meters with 30 bar stools along its length.
Wrapping around the bar is the grill portion where food is served. A
collection of tables and chairs spread across the room offering the
patrons a place to sit and eat. Much of this section is not visible
from the dance floor until you enter the bar area. Kyle indicated the
meeting would take place in one of the tables at the back of the room.
Third, to the left of the dance floor extends a darker area with a
mixture of tables with chairs and booths. This is where most of the
patrons hang out. This area connects with each of the dance floors so
patrons can easily come and go from any of the dance floors. Couples
are often found making out in the booths towards the back.
Vareq is the next person of the group to arrive, dressed in an
expensive black designer suit. Though his looks is very stylish it is
not found on the more casual students. A few of the more
sophisticated women dressed in racy outfits give him some looks but
his demeanor suggests he's beyond their reach. Kyle arrives next,
closer to 11pm. He immediately finds a table near the grill and
orders a drink. He can see most of the dance floor from his table and
relaxes while watching the students partying. Vamperina follows
shortly thereafter and drifts through the club. It doesn't take long
until she receives several proposition from various young men.
Vamperina does enjoy some dancing but doesn't take any of the young
men up on anything but an informal dance.
Isobella arrives closer to midnight dressed in a casual outfit and
mingles with several of her classmates as she surveys the nightclub.
She spots Kyle 10 minutes later and makes eye contact. Kyle heads
back to a more private table and Isobella follows after saying good
bye to one of her friends.
GM: Go ahead and submit how you come over to the table. Kyle and
Isobella will have a bit of conversation before anyone could sit down
but I'll weave it together as the turns come in. Also, I'm going to
keep this as a public turn as almost all the PCs are present. Only
Midnight and Surge will not be in attendance. Do feel free to adjust
the entrance and actions of your characters as I just set it up in a
probable manner.
GM: I haven't asked whether the group would have any photos of
themselves on the net but I'll assume that you do not so Isobella
really only will recognize Kyle for certain. She has seen many of the
other members but has no concrete name to face connections.
VAMPERINA: I wouldn't expect that we would keep photos of the SCE
members on the net.
ISOBELLA: Joyce was still grateful to Isobella for help dealing with
a bit of nastiness last year and considered Isobella a friend. For
Isobella it had been something she had to do to satisfy her sense of
justice, but she hadn't rebuffed Joyce's efforts to keep in touch
afterwards. After catching Kyle's eye, "It's been nice seeing you
again," said Isobella to Joyce, "but I just saw the guy I have my eye
on. I don't manage to catch him very often, so I hope you don't mind..."
ISOBELLA: After parting from Joyce, made her way over to Kyle,
announcing herself with "Hello handsome, mind if I join you, or are
you waiting for someone in particular?"
KYLE: "Not at all," Kyle responded, standing up and waving his hand at the
empty chair across from him. "Some friends said they might stop by, But I'm
sure they wouldn't mind. Can I get you something to drink?" He waves to try
and catch his waitress's attention. "So how did that last exam go?"
ISOBELLA: Isobella sat across from Kyle and responded, "I think I did
well. Now it's just a matter of waiting until I get my diploma. Root
beer for me please."
VAMPERINA: After a bit, Vamperina will walk over to the table where Kyle
and Isobella are sitting. She nods at Kyle and then sits down and waits
expectantly for an introduction. Vamperina looks to be in her early
20's and could easily be a college student. But her eyes, face,
demeanor and self-confidence give the impression of someone much older.
She does not come across as overly friendly, but she is not hostile
either. Her movements are purposeful and graceful.
KYLE: "Vana," Kyle says, rising once more from his chair. "Glad you could
make it. This is my friend Isobella. Isobella, Vana." He gestures to them
both by way of introduction. "I'm afraid you just missed our waitress.
She's a bit overworked tonight and it's been hard to get her attention."
VAMPERINA (VANA): "Good to meet you," the raven haired women replies,
"Kyle has spoken highly of you. Are you a student at the university?"
ISOBELLA: "I was, but I've finished last final this week. Now all I
need to do is wait for my diploma and I'll be done. It's been a nice
break, but it's time to get back to work."
VAMPERINA: Vamperina will be relaxed and will try to be personable but
she is not a good conversationalist. She simply wants to get to know
Isobella better but without asking a lot of probing question. She will
keep her questions innocent but, at times and despite herself,
Vamperina's questioning will come across more as interrogation than
innocent conversation just by the rapid fire nature of some of her
questions. Once Jack arrives, she will let him do most of the talking.
ISOBELLA: Isobella will answer most questions asked, and doesn't seem
to be put off when the questions come fast and furious. She'll ask
questions of her own, and since she is a skilled conversationalist,
she may learn more about Vamperina and SCE than Vamperina realizes
(then again, she might not, she isn't asking probing questions
either). Like Vamperina, Isobella appears to be in her early 20's.
Her demeanor matches this, but she has a self confidence and fluidity
of movement that would be more in place for someone much older and
experienced.
ISOBELLA (GM): Does Isobella have any progress to report?
GM: No, not by July 3rd.
------------
JACK: About 2 minutes after Vana enters the back room, a
handsome young man stumbles into the room, saying "So where'd
that stone cold hottie get off to?" in a bit of a drunken slur. He makes
a show of looking around the room for this erstwhile hottie
disappointedly, and then slides in next to Vana, saying "You look even
better than she did!" Anyone watching who doesn't know better is
completely convinced that he is some frat boy who is about to get real
lucky, or real slapped. He looks around and winks at Kyle and says in
a completely different, low tone of voice that is 100% sober, "So this is
your friend, Kyle? I'm Jack. Isobella, wasn't it?"
TECH: In case it matters, Acting roll at 16- [rolled 15]
ISOBELLA: "Yes, Isobella Holmes. Pleased to meet you Jack. That was
quite an act, have you ever considered a career in show business?"
TECH: In case it matters, INT roll at 15- [rolled 12]
GM: Jack’s performance is believable, however Isobella picks up on the fact that it is a performance.
KYLE: Kyle smiles at Jack's performance. "Well done," he says. "You almost
had me fooled with that drunken student act. I think if I hadn't seen what
you were wearing before we got here, you would have. But yes, this is the
woman I've been telling you about. I'm glad we managed to let you guys
meet."
VAMPERINA: Vamperina smiles at Jack's entry but does not otherwise say
anything. Once Jack is seated, she will let him do most of the talking,
only occasionally interjecting a question or observation of her own.
 JACK: "That was for the benefit of any onlookers of course. Kyle tells
us you have quite the analytical mind, Isobella, your deductive skills
could definitely serve us well. I've played detectives but I know
enough to know I couldn't do it without the writers to make the stuff
up. Yes, as you may have guessed, I have done professional work as
an actor many times before, most recently I was working here in Cape
Goliath several years ago. Now, however, acting seems pretty
mundane compared to the real adventures we've had together.
ISOBELLA: "I think I've seen some of your detective films while I was
a student here. I just didn't connect <actors name> with you. You had
some good writers. The stories were plausible with no serious flaws."
Since with modern medicine Jack would have to be around 60 before he
started showing signs of aging, Isobella didn't notice that Jack was
unusually old, at least not yet.
JACK (OOC): Any of my other activities here in Cape Goliath would
have almost certainly been before her time, unless she's also older
than she looks. I think the last thing of note before that was about 27
years ago.
ISOBELLA (OOC): The GM sent a private E-Mail saying that she
recognized Jack from the movies, so I posted accordingly. She's only
been on planet for a few years (she came her for the university). I
was thinking old movies being shown on campus, free or low cost to
students, much as is done in the current time. However, Isobella is
older than she seems, so be on the look out for clues <g>
JACK (OOC): His last run of professional acting ended about 4-5
years ago, so that syncs up just fine, movies 2 years old would be
easy for a campus theater to get cheap and run. Whether or not any
of his stuff is considered a 'classic' is very much in the realm of
opinion, but I doubt it. The stuff 27 years ago wasn't movie acting,
but it was high profile enough to be remembered if she was in Cape
Goliath at the time. If she wasn't, so be it.
JACK: "They did a pretty good job, yeah. I certainly didn't spot any
flaws. Acting pays the bills pretty well, but doesn't really feed the
soul, if you know what I mean.
ISOBELLA: "The sort of acting I do goes the other way. It feeds the
soul, but not the wallet. And mistakes could be painful."
JACK: Feeding the wallet is usually just a matter of doing what people
want, and spending enough time at it. Having real skill helps, of
course. It does seem rare to have a job feed both the soul and wallet
though, almost as if it's a tradeoff..." Jack ends with a grin. "As for
mistakes," Jack continues soberly, "we're all human, we all make
them. Some of them cost more than others." Jack's eyes show some
very real pain as he conjures up distant memories, but then he snaps
back to the present. "In any case, if you ever find you've made a
mistake that you need help correcting, or protection from the backlash
of such a mistake, please come to me, and I will do what I can to
help."
ISOBELLA: "I'd say you learned that the hard way." said Isobella
sympathetically. "I learned early on that a mistake in my field can
be a matter of life and death." She smiled and added as an
afterthought, "Though not as immediately as in Kyle's field. If you
prove a case against the wrong man, you might not discover it for
years, if ever. At least when I make an acting mistake, the response
is usually immediate. It also is usually violent and with no time to
call for help. Though thanks to my martial arts training it's not
likely to be lethal. Still it means starting all over again, so I
try to be careful to stay in character."
----------
JACK: "How much has Kyle told you about Waterfall and SCE's
current project to put in a bid for their transportation needs? I don't
suppose you have any information on Waterfall or ETC for us?
KYLE: "I've actually told her next to nothing. I was curious to see what
she could uncover on her own.”
ISOBELLA: "He didn't mention Waterfall at all, only that SCE had a
current project that didn't need a detective. I tracked it down to
the Waterfall bid from the permits your group received and the timing
of them. Then I started looking into past attacks on the transport
run and discovered that while different groups are involved each
time, they have all switched to non-lethal attacks. Which has worked
for them, before the went non-lethal none ever got away with the
goods, now a few do."
JACK: Jack nods, "We had discovered much the same information
ourselves, it does work somewhat to our advantage being better
suited to repel boarders onto the transport than to keep them from
blowing us out of the sky. Unfortunately this also implies a certain
level of intelligence and planning on the part of the attackers now,
which is always just as dangerous as a missile up your backside.
Thank you for looking into it for us, but it would seem your skills would
be better suited to helping us clean up the aftermath if indeed we
were to lose the cargo, finding out who did it, where they're hiding it,
and taking it BACK so it couldn't harm any civilians, that kind of
thing." Jack seems pretty matter of fact about being willing to go that
far, and confident of being able to do it, which seems almost strange.
"If you hear anything more about someone gathering forces or
planning an attack, please let us know."
ISOBELLA: "I'm digging into that now, but haven't gotten any specific
leads yet. I'll let you know when I have something." She smiled as
she continued, "Kyle described getting specifics as hiring interview
of sorts. I have to say, this is the toughest interview I've ever
heard of."
JACK: "We have a pretty tight team, and we do dangerous work, so
we like to get a good feel for people before relying on them as heavily
as we have to. You seem a very bright and talented young lady from
what Kyle has told me, I have no doubt that we will definitely have
SOME work for you, it just remains to be seen how closely you will
work with us, and of course we can't be sure when we will need your
services until it happens. Did you incur any expenses in your work on
our behalf? I think it only fair that we help you cover those costs, and
pay you a little for your time, of course. Can't starve that wallet TOO
much, after all.
ISOBELLA: "Nothing significant so far, just some makeup supplies for
a disguise and travel fare though the seedy side of the city. I can
give you a detailed accounting when I have some results to show."
KYLE: "I think that would be fine. We meant this to be a chance for you to
show your stuff as a detective. We didn't mean for you to be out of pocket
anything. We may be a struggling new company," he smiles mischievously,
"but we're not totally flat."
ISOBELLA: "I'm not exactly short of cash at the moment, I have enough
left after tuition to last a few years without any income. Which is
why I can take the time to apply to one place at a time instead of
applying everywhere at once and taking anything I can get. I've got
the time to be selective, so I'd just as soon get it right the first
time and not be looking for a job in a year or two."
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VAMPERINA: Vamperina doesn't have anything else to add. She really
didn't have a lot of specific probing questions to ask. She just wanted
to get to know Isobella better since she is doing some undercover work
for SCE.
JACK: I think we're pretty much down to the small talk and wrapping it
up point, I don't really have any actions to suggest regarding Isobella.
Unfortunately it's not like the subject of mutancy is a comfortable one,
so it's not like we will end up bringing it up this early in our
friendship,
unless she did her homework and gets curious about what I was
doing in Black Moon, and how I got my name cleared. As far as I
know Kyle has no idea either if she's a mutant or not. Maybe once
she comes to visit us at our offices and runs into Midnight she'll notice
that we all seem pretty comfortable around mutants ;)
KYLE: As I understood, this was just to be a meet-and-greet opportunity for
Vamperina and Jack. Assuming we win the Waterfall bid, Isobella should
continue her research and let us know if and when she finds something. To
that end, Kyle will keep meeting her for lunch and the like by the
university, just like a couple of friends meeting for lunch (which is, in
fact, the case). I imagine that most of those lunches have nothing to do
with Waterfall, but they give Isobella an opportunity to pass along any
information she finds. |