Run 1: We're on a boat!

[saithor]

It's approaching midday in Miami when the message arrives on your comn. It's not from any number you recognize, and attempts to contact the number do not get a reply.

>>>Interested in work? I have it on good authority you are very skilled at illicit activities. I have a target in need of liberating from someone else's hands. If you are interested, meet me at the following dock this evening at 4 PM local time. Payment will be fifteen thousand nyuen for the job.

 

As this message comes in for each of you, who are you and what are you doing as this comns message comes in?

[Ayeba]

Pup, Fox shapeshifter

Bod 3 Agi 3 Rea 5 Str 1 Wil 5 Log 2 Int 7 Cha 6 Edg 2 Mag 7
Limits, Mental 6 Physical 4 Social 8
Damage, Physical 0/10 Stun 0/11

 

The encrypted message passed through the intricate networks of the Matrix, spreading out to reach multiple commlinks. A notification was sent out to the owner of each commlink, alerting them of the offer.

Meanwhile, Pup remained completely oblivious. The closest she had ever gotten to owning a commlink was the time she sunk her teeth into one and confirmed it tasted as bad as it smelled.

The fox lay completely motionless on the floor of the place she shared with Isadora Salgado Medina, also known as Llorona. The body was currently empty; her astral soul was chasing minor spirits in the astral plane. It was just a game for both her and the spirits. She managed to catch one, rewarding it with a lick, and then the tables were turned. The spirits chased and caught her. The game went back and forth as they darted around wards and other inhabitants of the astral plane. There was the occasional pause when they got too close to an intimidating spirit that did not want to be bothered, but the game resumed the moment they were further away again.

Pup's delight at the chase was shared with Llorona, who Pup maintained a telepathic connection with. As much as she would love to share everything with the dryad, Pup tried to hold back when she noticed Llorona was uninterested. She liked the dryad, particularly her smell, and refrained from doing anything that would annoy her... unless the fox was hungry, in which case all bets were off.

Edited April 24 by Ayeba (see edit history)

[Draidden]

Luke Books, aka LEGION

Bod: 5 | Agi: 2(3) | Rea: 6 | Str: 3(5) | Wil: 3 | Log: 4 | Int: 4 | Cha: 2 | Edg: 1

Limits: Physical: 7 | Mental: 5 | Social: 4 | Astral: 5
Damage: Physical 0/13 | Stun 0/10

Initiative: 10 +1d6 | Rigger Initiative: 10 +1d6

Matrix AR: 10 +1d6 | Matrix Cold: 4 + DP +3d6 | Matrix Hot: 4 + DP + 3d6

Black not white->

Luke is elbow deep in the insides of Bruce, his Ares Roadmaster truck, doing routine maintenance. Working on vehicles or drones helps him think through things. Right now he is trying to figure out what his next job is going to be. He still has some money, but it is starting to get low and he would prefer to get more before he runs out.

As luck would have it, his commlink chimes. He glances at it, but it is an unknown number. He smiles. The only time he gets calls from unknown numbers is when there is a job being offered. with a mental flick he activates the commlink and listens to the message. He wishes he could talk to the person sending the message so he knew whether to bring Bruce or Kate, his Kawasaki Manta Ray Speedboat. Being on the docks it could be either. Well, might as well bring both. He can drive Bruce there and then link to Kate and bring her in close and have her waiting just in case.

I love being a Rigger!

With that decided he finishes up his work on Bruce and then gets cleaned up and dressed for the occasion. He double checks the drones are ready and that all his weapons are loaded. Well he loads several clips with different kinds of ammo and then once they find out what the job is he will select the most useful ones and load them.

Once all set he heads for the meeting. He arrives early so he can check the place out using Gail, his Fly-Spy mini drone to scout out the area is clear and this is not some sort of ambush. Then at the appointed time he will head to the meeting. He has Bonnie, Jane and Sara, his three attack drones, on standby if things go south.

Edited April 24 by Draidden (see edit history)

[NewSheo]

Llorona, Dryad Street Samurai

Bod 3 Agi 7(9) Rea 4(6) Str 4 Wil 3 Log 2 Int 4 Cha 5 Edg 1
Limits, Mental 4 Physical 6 Social 7
Damage, Physical 0/10 Stun 0/10

Initiative 10+3d6

Kamikaze+Narco: Bod +2, Agi +2, Str +3, Wil +2, Physical Limit +2, High Pain Threshold 3, +2d6 initiative dice

 

While Pup is having fun in the Astral, her physical body conked out on the living room floor of Isadora's small, relatively sparse one-floor suburban house, the dryad herself was sitting on the couch nearby, doing her usual weapon maintenance. Three pistols, a Savalette Guardian, an Ares Light Fire 70, and a Terracotta Arms Pup (no relation), lay lined up in a neat row on a coffee table, alongside their respective magazines, unloaded and ready for cleaning. Beside them, several knives of varying lengths and design lay sheathed on the table, as well as the sheath of a sword.

The sword itself, meanwhile, was in Isadora's hands, as she carefully ran a cleaning rag over the blade. She usually did her maintenance when Pup was out on her Astral jaunts. Less chances of the curious little one trying to snack on something that wouldn't agree with her. The ammunition and other, more dangerous items in Llorona's arsenal were locked away safely out of reach, especially the Blight rounds for her heavy pistol. Isadora glanced over at Pup's prone form, the fox shifter's breathing even and steady. She smirked, and shook her head. I still don't get why Adam wanted me to take her in. Could have found her an actual mojo-slinger, someone that could teach her, instead of someone as fragged up as me. She barely understood a thing about magic. But between her fixer's insistence that Isadora take her in, and what she'd been told of Pup's experience with the Azzies - the dryad's lip curled into a slight snarl just at the thought - Isadora couldn't help but come to care for the young fox shifter.

A message from her commlink stirred her from her thoughts, as her hands paused while passing the cloth over the sword one last time. Hmm, need to get Pup a commlink at some point, if she's gonna be out on her own. Isadora added that to a to-do list, then pulled up the message through her DNI connection. Her scarred eyebrow quirked up as she read the message. While she'd certainly been looking for work, especially now that she had another mouth to feed, the runner known as Llorona couldn't help but feel a tad suspicious, both at the language used, and the fact that someone was reaching out for a job. It had been quite the culture shock to learn how the shadows in the Carib League worked, especially after Seattle. Still, the reward was worth looking into, even if it was split a few ways.

Isadora reached out mentally, still somewhat unfamiliar with the astral link that Pup had set up with her. "Pup, docinho, can you hear me?" She thought, using the Amazonian term of endearment out of habit.

Edited April 24 by NewSheo (see edit history)

[Ayeba]

Pup, Fox shapeshifter

Bod 3 Agi 3 Rea 5 Str 1 Wil 5 Log 2 Int 7 Cha 6 Edg 2 Mag 7
Limits, Mental 6 Physical 4 Social 8
Damage, Physical 0/10 Stun 0/11

 

Pup stopped abruptly upon getting the message from her mistress. The spirit that had been chasing her caught up immediately and tagged her, but Pup didn't care. She wagged her tail at the spirits and pulled back to her body, leaving the game. The spirits wouldn't bear any grudge; they would soon be busy with a new game or prank.

Pup's previously lifeless body darted up. She faced the dryad, wagging her tail. "Is it dinner time?" she sent with an eager look on her face. It lasted mere moments before the signals from her nose reached her brain. She closed her mouth and sniffed. The smells were familiar; Pup had sniffed them from the dryad many times before, but it was a lot stronger than usual. Synthetic materials, among them oils and gunpowder. Isadora was cleaning her weapons again without telling her. Pup darted forward to get a closer look, and more importantly, sniff. It placed its front two paws on the table before it sensed a strong disapproval from her mistress. The dryad was sending her a stern look. She backed down, her tail sagging low.

A quick glance at an old watch hanging on the wall revealed that it was not, in fact, dinner time. "Why call me?" she wondered out loud, mentally speaking. "Something wrong?"

OOC

Let me know if I make any assumptions you don't like. You can also assume that Pup is generally feeding all manner of sensory input through the mental connection including her own very different view of the world through scents, but Isadora is probably experienced enough that she can filter out what she is uninterested in. It might be harder to ignore when Pup very deliberately sends an impression through the link.

 

[NewSheo]

Llorona, Dryad Street Samurai

Bod 3 Agi 7(9) Rea 4(6) Str 4 Wil 3 Log 2 Int 4 Cha 5 Edg 1
Limits, Mental 4 Physical 6 Social 7
Damage, Physical 0/10 Stun 0/10

Initiative 10+3d6

Kamikaze+Narco: Bod +2, Agi +2, Str +3, Wil +2, Physical Limit +2, High Pain Threshold 3, +2d6 initiative dice

Isadora's stern look lasted until Pup backed away from the gear on the table. The dryad didn't begrudge Pup her curiosity, but she still had a long way to go before Isadora was willing to trust her around metahuman weapons. Besides, Pup had her own strengths to cultivate. Her expression softened as she reached over to pat Pup on the head.

"Nothing's wrong, docinho. It's just that ... remember what I told you about 'shadowrunning'? About the jobs that people like me - people like us - do for a living, jobs like the one that freed you? Well, I just got a message that might lead to one." The dryad hesitated for a moment. Protectiveness for her charge warred with her desire to let Pup learn on her own, before the latter won out. "Do you want to come with me? It would be good experience, but ... it might be dangerous." She didn't want Pup's first experience of a Johnson meet to be one that went south ... but Pup needed to learn about the world of shadows she was immersed in, for better or worse. The fox shifter was smart in her own way, she'd learn quick enough how to support herself eventually.

And Pup being on her own wasn't a matter of if, but when. Isadora knew she wouldn't always be around. She never thought her survival was a guarantee, not after Bogota, not after she woke up on that Azzie operating table when she should have been dead, and most certainly not after the Pit. She'd been living on borrowed time ever since the Battle of Bogota, one stumbling step ahead of death ... and one day, El Cadejo would find her scent, whether she was ready or not.

Dismissing the dark thoughts from her mind, and hoping Pup hadn't picked up on it, Isadora ran the cloth in her hand down the sword blade one last time, cleaning off the excess oil before sheathing the blade. She smiled at the fox shifter as she turned, waiting for a response.

 

OOC

Gotcha! Liking the dynamic they have so far, look forward to seeing how it progresses lol.

 

[Ayeba]

Pup, Fox shapeshifter

Bod 3 Agi 3 Rea 5 Str 1 Wil 5 Log 2 Int 7 Cha 6 Edg 2 Mag 7
Limits, Mental 6 Physical 4 Social 8
Damage, Physical 0/10 Stun 0/11

 

Pup's tail was wagging. Hear that, Fox? It's time! she called out to her mentor spirit. Fox didn't immediately answer, but that wasn't uncommon. Maybe he was asleep or busy; he'd appear as suddenly as he'd disappear when he felt like it.

"Yes! Shadowrunning! I remember. I want to go!"

Pup could see that Isadora's aura flickered a bit, appearing a bit darker than before. Why? What was wrong? The fox darted around the table and gave her a lick on her chin. "Are you hurt somewhere? Or sad?" she asked. She examined her fingers to make sure the dryad hadn't cut herself with the sword. Cutting her nose on it once had been enough to teach her that it was scary. But her mistress liked it, so Pup hadn't thrown it away.

OOC

With 13+ dice on perception tests, you're going to struggle to hid things like that, but you can reasonably easily talk your way out of it.

 

Edited April 25 by Ayeba (see edit history)

[NewSheo]

Llorona, Dryad Street Samurai

Bod 3 Agi 7(9) Rea 4(6) Str 4 Wil 3 Log 2 Int 4 Cha 5 Edg 1
Limits, Mental 4 Physical 6 Social 7
Damage, Physical 0/10 Stun 0/10

Initiative 10+3d6

Kamikaze+Narco: Bod +2, Agi +2, Str +3, Wil +2, Physical Limit +2, High Pain Threshold 3, +2d6 initiative dice

 

When Pup sees Isadora's aura through the astral, as she likely had several times before, she'd see very clearly that it was ... dull, almost like the outline had been hollowed out and replaced with something else. The dryad's astral imprint was almost as dull as the metal of the weapon she'd recently held, except for a few tendrils of greenish light that intertwined through the grey, like vines through concrete. The light tendrils began to lose their green glow, looking for all the world like they were sickly and withering. They usually only did that when Isadora couldn't sleep at night, when she woke up with a cold sweat and heavy breathing, with the scent of panic, fear, and rage pungent around her. She usually dismissed it as bad dreams to Pup. Fortunately, those things had happened less frequently ever since Pup had taken up residence with her.

As the fox shifter licked the dryad's chin, however, the light of the tendrils came surging back, as Isadora laughed and scratched Pup on the back of the head, smiling. "I'm fine, docinho. Just thinking about some things." Things you'll never have to worry about, not if I can help it, she carefully didn't say, or project through the mental link. "Let me get my things ready, and I'll get you a treat before we head out, yeah? Speaking of which, we need to get you a commlink, and more importantly teach you how to use it..."

A few hours and a favorite treat later, a black and gold Suzuki Mirage carrying an elf-looking Latina woman and a canine form approaches the dock location specified in the message. They arrive a few minutes early, stopping a bit away to get a better view of the place.

Edited April 26 by NewSheo (see edit history)

[Ayeba]

Pup, Fox shapeshifter

Bod 3 Agi 3 Rea 5 Str 1 Wil 5 Log 2 Int 7 Cha 6 Edg 2 Mag 7
Limits, Mental 6 Physical 4 Social 8
Damage, Physical 0/10 Stun 0/11

 

While Isadora got ready, Pup tried to call one of her friends to tag along in case they needed help. Not only were they busy, Pup messed up the summoning to leave her with a bit of a headache. She was uncharacteristically silent while her her mistress prepared everything.

Once the headache had subsided, Pup tried again, undeterred by her earlier failure. This time she got a good call out, and a spirit of beasts showed up. It complained a bit that it had been busy, but was willing to help Pup out, provided she played with it later. Pup eagerly agreed and gave the spirit a good lick, which it didn't seem to mind at all. She asked the spirit to guard them against mishaps.

A fox and a dryad climbed onto a motorcycle. A punk and a bulldog stepped off.

While riding, Pup had weaved an illusion around them, concealing their real appearances. It wasn't her best illusion, but it would, as Fox put it, keep them guessing.

She took in the scents as they looked around the area. Some were familiar, though stronger than usual, such as the scent of salt from the sea. Others, not so much. She wanted to run around and take a good sniff, but maybe that was a bad idea? Isadora looked a bit tense. Pup pushed her body against her mistress, trying to offer her comfort.

"Are you scared? I'm not scared. Not while you're with me," she eloquently shared her thoughts.

"Want me to fly around and have a look?" she asked her mistress, "I mean, Astrally? Though I can also do it physically if you prefer."

OOC

Summoning a Spirit of Beast, force 3 with the optional power Guard. Got no net hits, so no spirit. And then I take 2 points of stun damage. Yay!

Since they had some time to kill, Pup rests for 2 hours to recover from her stun damage.

The second summoning was a lot more successful, yielding 3 net services. Spending one service to ask it to Guard Llorona and herself.

Casting Trid Phantasm at force 3 to mask their real appearances. Buying 3 hits on (the limit) on the spellcasting, and 3 hits to reduce drain to 0. Sustained by Illusionist.

Also keeping extended Mindnet up at force 2, sustained by her Focused Concentration.

Trying to pick up as much information as possible with her senses, particularly with her scent.

 

Edited April 25 by Ayeba (see edit history)

[NewSheo]

Llorona, Dryad Street Samurai

Bod 3 Agi 7(9) Rea 4(6) Str 4 Wil 3 Log 2 Int 4 Cha 5 Edg 1
Limits, Mental 4 Physical 6 Social 7
Damage, Physical 0/10 Stun 0/10

Initiative 10+3d6

Kamikaze+Narco: Bod +2, Agi +2, Str +3, Wil +2, Physical Limit +2, High Pain Threshold 3, +2d6 initiative dice

 

The dryad, now glamoured up, smiled at Pup and gave her a scratch. "Nah, just ... 'professional skepticism' is the best way to put it. You're getting better at these illusions. Well done!" A small mote of pride resonated down the mindlink. She'd gotten used to how Pup weaved her spells, after a bit of initial apprehension. Llorona had a ... spotty history with magic, summoned spirits especially, but she wasn't about to let her baggage stunt her charge's growth.

"Go ahead and take a look around in the Astral, just like we practiced. I'll be here with your body." With that, Llorona settled in to protect Pup's physical form, her eyes scanning the surrounding area while her hands rested close to her Savalette Guardian and combat knife, both ready to be drawn at a moment's notice.

 

OOC

Not able to access my sheet at the moment, need to tally a few modifiers and the like, but Llorona is doing meatspace visual Perception.

 

[Draidden]

Luke Books, aka LEGION

Bod: 5 | Agi: 2(3) | Rea: 6 | Str: 3(5) | Wil: 3 | Log: 4 | Int: 4 | Cha: 2 | Edg: 1

Limits: Physical: 7 | Mental: 5 | Social: 4 | Astral: 5
Damage: Physical 0/13 | Stun 0/10

Initiative: 10 +1d6 | Rigger Initiative: 10 +1d6

Matrix AR: 10 +1d6 | Matrix Cold: 4 + DP +3d6 | Matrix Hot: 4 + DP + 3d6

Black not white->

Luke watches the two new arrivals. That is either one of the best trained dogs he has ever encountered or there is something more to that mutt. Most dogs he has encountered were not able to ride on motorcycles. And then the dog sort of drops and appears to go to sleep.

Some guard dog that is!

He holds his spot in his truck and waits to see if anyone else shows up. Once it gets within 10 minutes of the meet time he will bring the drone back to the truck and then walk over to join the others.

[Ayeba]

Pup, Fox shapeshifter

Bod 3 Agi 3 Rea 5 Str 1 Wil 5 Log 2 Int 7 Cha 6 Edg 2 Mag 7
Limits, Mental 6 Physical 4 Social 8
Damage, Physical 0/10 Stun 0/11
Perception, Astral 12 Scent 15 Visual 11 Audio 14 (can hear Ultrasonic)

 

After getting a good sniff, Pup looked around the astral for any spirit that could she could ask for the lay of the land. It would also give her a clue if the spirit was friendly or not. She lay down for a moment to dart out of her body, examining all living things nearby.

OOC

This is typically a post where I'd wait for GM feedback after each action, so I'll just state my intentions here.

1. Perception by mundane means; scent, visual, audio.
2. Astral perception without leaving the body. If there are nearby spirits except the one Pup brought, try to speak with them.
3. Astral projection, darting around to get a feel for the surroundings and all creatures nearby. Contact spirits, if any.
4. Assensing on any nearby living creatures or spirits.
5. Return to the meat body after finishing the task.

Edited April 26 by Ayeba (see edit history)

[Kuri_kun]

It was mid day as the sun was shining high in the sky, obfuscated by the Miami smog high above in the sky. As the sun beat down on him Blockade spread out a few engine parts and began to assemble them. The other much smaller troll by him watching him carefully as Blockade assembled the junked parts he had fished out of a dumpster. Beneath them was the frame to a smaller motorcycle that they had begun to put together on every visit.

"Alright Vorrka. This is called a carburator. It mixes air and gasoline, sending that mix into the engine, and powering it." he began as he set the part in and watched the younger troll screw the bolts into their makeshift engine. "So it sits on top of the engine block?" the boy asked as he looked up with genuine interest a moment that made Blockade smile with pride as he nodded with genuine enthusiasm. The makeshift bike was a rat rod to be sure with every single part scoured, cleaned up, and fixed from dumpsters, junk yards, and bargain bins but it was the perfect project for a father and son to work on.

He was about to continue the lesson when the message appeared in his augmented reality setup and he paused, reading through its contents before he heard the smaller trolls voice. "Dad? Something wrong?" the voice said, shaking him back into the real world. "Huh, oh yeah. Everything's fine. Just a job opportunity, Ill take a look at it after I take you back to your moms." The rest of the afternoon would be spent together, building the rat rod of a motorcycle and Blockade would drop his son off before going to the meeting.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that day the Harley rode along the road stopping at the dock, a huge troll dressed in bikers leathers and with a helmet with a tinted glass visor over his face, his long curved horns sticking out through hole he had cut in the material. The roar of his bike could be heard far off and it was intentional as he wanted to advertise his presence. The presence of a large, loud man, that none could easily ignore. The bike itself was an old Harley Davidson, rebuilt several times over the years and painted black with gold trim. Everything about it said it was the love of the man's life, clean and polished, running perfectly, and tuned up for his exact needs.

The roaring engine shut off and the bike visibly lifted as the man stood, swinging one leg over the side before he stood at a full nine foot, two inches in height, not quite counting his long curved horns. The biker leathers hugged his frame tightly showing a man that was nothing but muscle from head to toe with the armored jacket over his heavy and well built frame. He reached down to his bike and picked up the combat ax securing it to his back with a long leather strap. Under his jacket was an FN HAR assault rifle that was not hidden well by any stretch of the imagination. The way he stood and held himself betrayed a man of discipline and consideration but as his helmeted head constantly looked around it also said he was careful, seeking out trouble. He paid special attention to the few who were gathered together and sized them up for a moment before he walked forward, not hiding his weaponry but not reaching for any either.

He reached up flipping up the tinted visor of his motorcycle helmet as he looked at each of them, revealing his different colored eyes. One red, one blue. "Hmmmm none of you look like a Mr. Johnson. Must be some other runners. Names Blockade, nice to meet ya!" he says in a jovial and welcoming tone of voice that ran counter to the way he held himself in these circumstances.

Edited April 26 by Kuri_kun (see edit history)

[Draidden]

Luke Books, aka LEGION

Bod: 5 | Agi: 2(3) | Rea: 6 | Str: 3(5) | Wil: 3 | Log: 4 | Int: 4 | Cha: 2 | Edg: 1

Limits: Physical: 7 | Mental: 5 | Social: 4 | Astral: 5
Damage: Physical 0/13 | Stun 0/10

Initiative: 10 +1d6 | Rigger Initiative: 10 +1d6

Matrix AR: 10 +1d6 | Matrix Cold: 4 + DP +3d6 | Matrix Hot: 4 + DP + 3d6

Black not white->

That is one BIG trog!

Well, it's time. Come on back Gail.

He reaches up and opens a small door in the roof. It is not even big enough for one to put their head out of. A few seconds later a small dragon fly looking drone flies in and moves over to a shelf on the side of the vehicle. Luke closes the door and secures it. He then drives the truck over to the meeting. He places his helmet on his head and then gets out. He will keep his appearance hidden until he learns whether he can trust these guys and Mr. Johnson. Besides he feels safer in full armor. His outfit is a black leather outfit much like the large bikers and he has a black full helmet with blackened visor. Each hand sticking out of the sleeves is obviously cybernetic.

Evening folks. I am Legion.

[saithor]

While you are waiting on the docks, a new message arrives from your employer. He'll be there in ten minutes, and will pay for dinner at a small corner cafe he gives the location on. He invites you to splurge, as it will be a busy night for all of you.