Issue #1.1: All aboard the pain train!

[Kavonde]

BENJAMIN "SEISMOS" ZAYNE
DGR +2 FRK +1 SVR -1 SPR 0 MND +1

---

"Ah, heck," Ben curses, reading the final note from Kiraw. "I've got some good information from my contact. Here, I'm sending it to the three of you. But... the transport evidently has an autoturret. He says you'll need 'personal defense scramblers.' And... well, I've got another contact who could maybe help, but I kind of owe her a lot already. I mean, like, that's not more important than you guys being safe, I just... " He shakes his head. "Well, no. I'm not going to be there, so I should help as much as I can. It's the least I can do. Never mind. It's fine."

He sighs and drafts a new message to another of his contacts: Beth Butane, the ex-villain turned black market Tangee tech broker who helped put Ben in contact with this crew in the first place. {Short notice, but do you have anything to scramble a beak autoturret?}

[Morphling]

Seismos gets a reply within a few minutes: {Of course I do. Portable with a range of twenty meters. They're not cheap though. I don't suppose you have 20k in unmarked bills?}

[Kavonde]

BENJAMIN "SEISMOS" ZAYNE
DGR +2 FRK +1 SVR -1 SPR 0 MND +1

---

Ben pulls his wallet out of his his cargo shorts' pocket, opens it, and inspects the contents. {I have seventeen dollars and a free movie pass.}

He glances up from his phone to look inquisitively at Charlie. "Hey, do you think you could get ahold of twenty thousand dollars cash in the next hour or two?"

[Kyoh]

Charlie "Zora" Bennett

Dgr 0 Frk -1 Sav +1 Sup 0 Mnd +3

---

While Ben works his magic to get the intel they need, Charlie tries to be as unbothered about being in this part of the city as everyone else seems to be. "So... what's good around here?" she awkwardly asks Temperance. Then she realizes the implication she made of asking, of all people, Temperance, and quickly shifts her gaze to include Calvin in the question as well.

Ben's question about money comes as a welcome distraction.

"Hey, do you think you could get a hold of twenty thousand dollars cash in the next hour or two?"

"Sure." Charlie replies without missing a beat, answering as though he had just asked to borrow a buck. She realizes the brevity of her response to such a request is not normal. Normal people can't just conjure twenty grand on a whim or throw it around without care. But she's a Bennett. She's spent that kind of money on a dinner before.

"I mean, if it's for Twilight, of course," Charlie adds, trying to emphasize that she'll throw away $20,000 for an important cause. They don't need to know about that dinner...

Charlie's bank isn't too long of a drive and no one will deny her a cash withdrawal of that amount. At her bank, they won't even bat an eye at that sum. It's pocket money for people in her world.

[Morphling]

Seismos gets a text back. {Yeah I figured as much. Hey, don't worry about it. These days favors spend better than money anyway. When do you need it by?}

[Kavonde]

 

BENJAMIN "SEISMOS" ZAYNE
DGR +2 FRK +1 SVR -1 SPR 0 MND +1

---

Ben doesn't really react to Charlie's ability to casually acquire large sums of cash. He's known her most of his life, after all, and he's at least been around people with that kind of ludicrous wealth. "Awesome, Char. You're the best. I think--"

His phone vibrates as he receives a new next. He frowns and taps a reply. {Actually I can do the $20k too. Friends in high places. Preference? Need it ASAP like next couple of hours. Doable?}

He looks back up at Charlie. "She says she'll take a favor. Maybe that would be safer. Won't your accountants or something want to know where that money went?"

[Eternal]

  

 Calvin "Verse" Zheng

Dgr +1 Frk +2 Sav +1 Sup -1 Mnd 0

---

“Hah! Thanks, Charlie,” Calvin chuckles with a slight blush when she vouches for the incomplete group to Temperance. Even if she didn’t understand him, she always made an effort to include him. “I really don’t know what my whole deal is, either. I can do memory stuff. And I guess I’m kind of an energy vampire? Wait… does that mean I suck the fun out of the group?”

His eyes glaze over while staring off into space, like that one meme where the woman struggles to solve complex math equations. After carrying the one in the air with his fingers, Calvin concludes that this is not likely. He certainly puts the lives of his friends in mortal danger, but death by boredom is the least of their worries.

Calvin shakes his head to bring himself back to reality. Best not to go down that rabbit hole. Case in point, Charlie was asking him what was good to do around here! Proof positive that good things can come from him after all.

“We have to take you to Super Score, the retro arcade with all the classics. They even have Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja! And there’s, uh… One of a Find, the vintage clothing store that might be more your style. I’m not very fashionable, but I know that’s popular…”

He scratches his chin. “As far as saving Twilight goes, we can always stop by the Graveyard and see if Lady Gray has any power-ups we can borrow… I need to check in with her soon anyway.”

[Kyoh]

Charlie "Zora" Bennett

Dgr 0 Frk -1 Sav +1 Sup 0 Mnd +3

---

Charlie chuckles at Ben's concern for her accountant's attention. "Trust me. They're not going to notice or care." Charlie doesn't have unlimited money to spend, of course. But she hasn't ever reached a point where her dad came down on her about her spending, which says a lot considering the brands she buys.

Which makes Calvin's suggestion of a thrift store particularly amusing. Charlie's never shopped at a thrift store, but she's not opposed to it. She likes to try "normal" things and get out of her Crazy Rich White People scene as much as possible. Though she's more likely to find clothing she wishes she likes rather than genuinely likes. "Alright! Arcades and clothes shopping sounds like a blast to me," she tells Calvin. "Once we've got Twilight rescued, hit me up."

Turning back to Ben, Charlie gets back to the task at hand. "So, sounds like we got everything set up, right? I can go get the cash and meet back up with you guys."

[Morphling]

{A couple hours?!} The notification on Seismos' text that a message is being written flickers on and off for a few minutes. Then: {You don't want to know what the upcharge for a rush job like that, and usually it's flat out impossible anyway. However in this case I happen to have all the parts, so I would just need to push back all my other orders a day so I can code it and put it together. I can have it ready in five hours. Can't call my usual couriers on such short notice, so come by my lab around then, with 50k and the understanding that you owe me big.}