foxglove
Forum Replies Created
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Evening, Saturday December 25, 2077; Rooftop, Seattle Opera House, 800 North Taylor Avenue, Downtown Seattle
“Apparently not!” Colibri quipped as one of the spirits lashed out at her, and she ducked and turned into a crouched pirouette reminiscent of an ice skater’s spin, letting the tendrils whip out above her into open air, only to come back up again, using the momentum to carry her heel at speed into the other spirit’s…soul? Sternum? Whatever it was that spirits used as bodies when they materialized, jibing with an excited grin as the kick reached the apex of its arch where the spirit should have been: “No one appreciates star gazing, any more!”
Spoiler:Evening, Saturday December 25, 2077; Ballroom / Opera House Host, Seattle Opera House, 800 North Taylor Avenue, Downtown Seattle
Ryoko frowned at the loop that she had found. Their situation was probably better for it, but it did make her wonder who else was rummaging around in here with her. However, it did tell her that there was, indeed, another runner team in the vicinity. She didn’t know her team terribly well, but from what she did know of them and what she had seen so far, she had no doubt that they were going to be brutally efficient…which meant the possibility of being noticed by the civilians or actual security.
The decker moved to the alarms system, shutting them down one by one to make certain her new friends wouldn’t draw in any other unwanted attention.
Spoiler:Evening, Saturday December 25, 2077; Outside the Boardroom, Seattle Opera House, 800 North Taylor Avenue, Downtown Seattle
The girl twitched, a small movement that gave away her intent just before the champagne flute flew through the air, spilling its contents which, honestly, probably wasn’t actually champagne. Foxglove was nearly a blur when she moved, stepping aside and twisting her shoulders so the flute went past her and crashed upon the wall behind her, the step bringing her closer to Eric.
However, while the flute was a concern, the cybered man beside her was the threat, and that step swiftly turned into a fighting stance as her left arm came up in a knife-hand at the man, sprouting a long, sharp blade mid-arch. He may have had the gun, but she had the speed, and by the gods she would use it.
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Evening, Saturday December 25, 2077; Rooftop, Seattle Opera House, 800 North Taylor Avenue, Downtown Seattle
Colibri shivered with the sudden cold spike, watching her breath come out in a thick cloud before realizing what that meant. Smiling, she looked up at her two new friends, glancing between one, then the other, then glancing around for the one responsible for their appearance. +I think we’ve been noticed. Got two air bogies up here with me+
Whether she saw the spirit-wrangler or not, she turned her attention back to the two next to her, slowly standing and holding her hands up in what looked like a pacifying gesture, though she was still smiling cheerfully. “Hoi-ya, guys! Nice night for a stroll on the rooftops, wouldn’t you say?”
Evening, Saturday December 25, 2077; Nook Between Ballroom and Boardroom, Seattle Opera House, 800 North Taylor Avenue, Downtown Seattle
Ryoko reluctantly pulled her attention away to regard the man before her, blinking slowly and furrowing her brow in what probably looked like a pained expression. She looked him over for a moment, then gave a shrug. “My apologies. My head was hurting, so I wanted to get away from the noise. I did not realize this area was off-limits.”
Without further word or any complaint, the decker stood and made her way back to the ballroom to find a seat there, instead. She had wanted to be closer to her team in case something went horribly wrong, but she could just as easily get into the place’s security from another room as she could from the hallway.
Evening, Saturday December 25, 2077; Outside the Boardroom, Seattle Opera House, 800 North Taylor Avenue, Downtown Seattle
The “drunk” party girl was apparently not fluent in the “Drunken Master” style, and the Nocturna found herself thinking that the little darling would probably benefit from a couple of very, very old Jackie Chan movies. Foxglove noted the glint in the girl’s eye, and lowered her hands from her lower back to her sides in what could be considered a “quickdraw stance,” fingers loose but arms at the ready. She still didn’t take her attention away from Eric, knowing quite well that he was still a threat and just as much of a priority.
This, however, was all she did. Biding her time until one of them made a move and gave her a concrete reason to strike.
#39-19
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Ilario blinked in surprise at the sudden attention from Al as his hand was vigorously shaken, but quickly recovered with a beaming grin. “Ah! Why thank you, my good man! I was lucky enough to receive some of my training from The Bard himself!”
When the topic of who should go into the town proper came up, the elf frowned in thought. His eyes then traveled up to Haydee, as well, his expression and movement eerily mirroring that of Alessandra. The woman, however, was quicker on the draw to speak than he, and he allowed his young charge to speak for herself.
Haydee, on the other hand, stiffened when Alessandra called her out for what she was, giving her a half-hearted glaring pout before giving a haughty huff and averting her eyes. “I suppose I could alter myself to fit in better, yes.”
The pouty expression lasted for a moment longer, then vanished as a thought came to her, and a truly wicked smile tugged at her plump lips, blue eyes sliding over to Ilario before she minced her way over to Al. “Guess it’s you and me, honey!” She piped gleefully, popping up onto the point of her toes in order to lean against Al’s back and throw her arms around his shoulders, that wicked smile directed at Ilario all the while.
The elf narrowed his eyes at the girl, his expression momentarily showing a darkness that had yet to be seen by most of the party. It was gone in a flash, however, as he returned to his usual joviality, albeit with a slight edge to it. “Well! I wish the both of you the best of luck! I shall most likely be in one of the pubs, should you need me.”
#32-16
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Evening, Saturday December 25, 2077; Rooftop, Seattle Opera House, 800 North Taylor Avenue, Downtown Seattle
Colibri made her ascent quickly but warily, watching for anyone else that might be stationed on the roof. Hoity toity thing like this, she wouldn’t be surprised in the least to find a sniper or two up there. Not seeing anything overt, however, she soon found her way to the designated skylight and crouched next to it. +I’m in position.+ She sent to the team, her eyes scanning the roof and space around her to make certain she stayed alone up there.
Evening, Saturday December 25, 2077; Nook Between Ballroom and Boardroom, Seattle Opera House, 800 North Taylor Avenue, Downtown Seattle
After Calista, Lace, and the two bodyguards disappeared from the ballroom, Ryoko allowed a slight lead time before she headed in the same direction. She, however, stopped part way to the room, ending up somewhere in between in a nook in some hallway that happened to have a few seats set aside. She sat down, allowing herself to lounge a bit and rested her forehead on her fingertips as if she had a headache. What she was really doing was some AR hacking work, using the deck in her head to continue to keep an eye on the camera feeds in one corner of her HUD while the rest of the viewing space was used to search out the necessary parts of the security system she would have to deactivate.
Evening, Saturday December 25, 2077; Outside the Boardroom, Seattle Opera House, 800 North Taylor Avenue, Downtown Seattle
Foxglove had returned the nod and silently noted the hang of the man’s jacket. The Nocturna, herself, had actually arrived as a guest, not a bodyguard, and so hadn’t had the luxury of carrying her pistols.
But he didn’t need to know that. Not yet, anyway.
When they got to the door, Fox made sure to stand on the opposite side of the doorway from Eric, slipping into Parade Rest as she waited, a stance that would have at least hinted at her previous military experience but not given away exactly what she had been.
She raised a brow when the girl padded up to them, sparing a glance at the gun that materialized from Eric’s jacket and taking note as to what make, model, and caliber it was before focusing on the tiny one again. Fox, however, didn’t move or speak, simply allowing her usual “neutral” expression to do its work for her in hopefully warding or scaring off anyone getting too nosy. All the while, she kept on her guard, both for the girl, the guard, and her surroundings. This girl could just be a drunk party-goer, or she could be a distraction, or, of course, there was always the possibility that she was also a threat. Magical or technical talent and power didn’t always present itself as obvious, and she wasn’t about to write off any possibilities.
#38-19
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Thank you, everyone. Hopefully this whole debacle is cleared up soon.
@Aria: Good to know, thanks! ^_^
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Ilario nodded in agreement to the suggestion of heading to town. “A visit to town sounds like a splendid idea! And besides, I could use a good, hot meal. Field rations are just so…unsatisfying.”
Haydee smirked and gave a snort. “Of course it would be the food that you’d complain about. It’s not like they can carry a five-star restaurant in their back pocket to satisfy your needs.”
The man gave a helpless shrug, taking the comment as the playful barb he knew it was and decided to go along with it, turning his performance up to “over-acting.” “I’m not exactly expecting aspic-preserved duck a l’orange, here, Haydee. But I don’t see any reason why chicken Marengo couldn’t be supplied. The thing was developed as a field ration for pity’s sake!” He wailed in feigned desperation, even including the back-of-the-hand-to-the-forehead swoon.
#31-15
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+Understood.+ Foxglove moved from her position, making her way through the crowd toward Calista and flipping the switch in her head from “Shadowrunner” to “Bodyguard” in order to match the possible assumptions that went along with the Banshee’s words. +Colibri, I want you on the roof and ready to extract the target from the skylight we had set up. You have the speed, so make it quick. No telling how fast Cal will have to move in there.+
+Roger, Roger!+ Suddenly, there was a zig-zagging, red and black blur going through the crowd, causing gasps and exclamations of surprise from a few of the patrons. And then she was gone.
+I don’t like the idea of her being alone in there.+ Ryoko caught Fox’s eye through the throng of people with a brief frown of uncertainty. +We do not know what all this ‘Lace’ is capable of.+
+Calista can handle herself. Trust me on this.+ Foxglove gave the decker a nod in what she hoped was reassurance, +I will need you in the Matrix tapping into their security. Any alarms or cameras that might be a problem need to be shut down or blocked off during the extraction itself. I will stand outside the door with Ms. Lace’s “friend” to make sure he stays outside the door with me.+
#37-18
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Heh heh heh
Also: Yay! Another game! 😀
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Foxglove and Ryoko watched in wonder at Calista’s enthralling performance, their attention drawn immovably just like everyone else in the grand room. Fox had heard the Banshee sing, before, but never quite like this, and the illusions that had gone with it were much more grand and somehow heartfelt than ever before. The woman was incredible. It really was no wonder she got along with those Idol girls so well.
Then, the performance was over, and Robyn was once more in Calista’s arms. Foxglove watched for a moment longer, allowing herself to revel in the satisfaction of seeing her best friend finally have a chance at regaining her long-lost dream, before clamping down and getting back to work. She messaged the team as she made her way over to an horderves table, +The crowd is moving. Seems the distraction was a success. Now it’s our turn. Fan out, find our mark. If you have a clean shot at her, go for it, but if not just keep eyes until one of us does+
Ryoko glanced at the Nocturna, for a moment, as she watched her go, then turned to head her own direction as she read the message. Her eyes casually scanned the place again and again for their mark, making sure to make it look as natural as she could and periodically checking the security camera layover feed in AR. Finally, she spotted the girl, and frowned at what she saw. +Seems the distraction worked a little too well. Mark’s not going after corp goons, she’s heading for you, Calista.+
+Status on her guards?+
+Spread out. Her shadow seems to be hanging back at her request. Maybe our girl likes to live dangerously?+
+Could work to our advantage. If she’s willing to leave her tail behind, we might be able to get her alone easier. Might be easier for you, Cal, since apparently you’re the most interesting thing in the city, right now. Awesome performance, by the way.+
#36-18
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“And a gallant passtime that is, Mr. Guthrie!” Ilario quipped, giving the man a companionable clap on the shoulder and glad to have another topic to focus on. It wasn’t that he didn’t remember those times, it was just that…well, he would need his journals to do so enough to speak on it. He leaned in, then, lowering his voice, somewhat, as he continued to speak to the man, “Best just to sit back and observe, at times like these, my good man. Once folks such as us get started on war stories, there is little that can redirect from it until the tales fizzle to a close.”
With that said, he removed his hand and once again stepped into a respectable distance, “I, however, would much enjoy your own fine tellings of your time in Thailand!”
#30-15
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*snort* Ilario in a small town? Yeah, that’d go over well XD
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“Hmm, yes, I can see how triggering an eruption while still at ground-zero could but a damper on things,” Ilario said in response to Shrike. “Though, if we did, I suppose it would answer the question for the arguing sides!” He added with an amused grin.
He looked to Sian when she mentioned Haydee, giving her a sly smile.
It was then that the girl dropped her concealment, having moved up to be walking to the side and just behind the vampire. “Who’s leaving me behind now? ‘Lario, were you planning on leaving me behind?!” The elf chuckled and waved a hand, dismissing the notion.
“Of course not, darling! I had every confidence that you would find your way to us, just as you have.”
Despite his assurances, Haydee gave him a wary look before returning her attention to Sian. “Thank you for your concern, though. I do appreciate it.”
#29-14
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After all had gone quiet, and the all-clear had been given, Haydee released Ilario’s arm. She kept the concealment over herself, leaving her lover to his own damn devices. This, however, was expected, and Ilario shifted his perspective to rely on his ability to move quietly through the brush as they both made their way back to the rest of the group.
“Indeed! Well done, all!” He chipped, having come into the conversation about the time the compliments were being given out. “Though, I must apologize for not being able to chip in. This sort of deception is not exactly by bag.”
Then, Shrike was suggesting their next move, and Ilario nodded in complete agreement, and then grinned, “The Demon Springs, it is! Lead the way, Man of the Maps!’ he said, reaching into an inside pocket in his coat to bring out his own respirator.
#28-14
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Welcome back! Glad you’re feeling better! 😀
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Good luck, Mercy!
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Ilario had sauntered back over to Haydee, who was grinning wickedly, about to say something snappy in response to the ‘pig’ comment, when the new voice was heard. Immediately, the half-genuine offense disappeared, and a hand shot out to grasp the girl’s arm as he pulled them both down into a crouch behind the bushes.
They both listened for a moment before Haydee began readying a spell in her free hand. Ilario’s quickly covered it, interrupting the focus, giving the girl an exasperated look and a shake of his head. He then motioned over his face, his eyebrows raising expectantly.
Haydee responded with a glare at the interruption, but then rolled her eyes at the request. She acquiesced, however, linking her arm with his, and then they, too, were gone from sight as her concealment kicked in.
They were both ready and waiting, should they be needed, but it seemed like Al and Shrike and…whoever it was that made that horrible roar, had it covered for now.
#27-13
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Seeing Coibri’s message, Ryoko frowned, but looked up at Foxglove. She knew Calista better than any of them. The decker didn’t know the whole situation, just that Calista and Robyn had a thing going on.
Fox caught the look and the message, giving a sigh as she considered. It took a good few seconds. She knew Calista wouldn’t go back on a job, particularly not this job; they needed the reputation boost too much. But she was also deeply connected to Robyn, and Fox knew she desperately wanted her back. This job might jeopardize that, or Calista’s reaction to her lady love might jeopardize the job.
No. Calista was stronger than that. Foxglove knew this, and she was sure that the Banshee would find it incredibly difficult to forgive her if she didn’t trust her with this.
She gave a solid, decisive nod, and sent her own message: +Calista is solid. She’ll do the job.+
#35-17
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“Ah-hah, yes, very funny, my dear.” Ilario shook his head, “No, no. Were I to be turned into any creature, I believe a majestic, golden eagle would be much more fitting! Besides,” he added, his expression falling to one of mild terror at whatever thought he was having, “were I to be transformed into an ass, I may draw the attention of a jealous faerie queen under the influence of a flower.” Ilario gave a shudder, though it was more at the thought of drawing the attention of the fae than at being turned into a donkey.
Haydee, meanwhile, took on a thoughtful visage as she considered her partner and wandered closer to Sian. “Perhaps a wild boar, then? I mean, he certainly is a pig.” The words were said in something of a stage whisper, giving the appearance of secrecy without the actual effect, and Ilario popped out of his reverie long enough to give the girl something of an offended glare. Her only response was to grin back at him.
#26-13
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It was at this point that Ilario finally drew his attention away from watching a caterpillar crawl along a branch, his ears cluing him in to the conversation going on. “Ah! My Haydee should be able to help with all of this sneaking about business!” He said, going over to the girl and clapping her on the back, the tiny redhead glaring up at him in response to being voluntold.
She sighed, however, and stepped forward with a nod. “Though I can’t fly, I can conceal myself well enough. It should save you a spell, should you wish me to fly, though I can easily move on ground as well.” She glared back at Ilario, again.
“I don’t see why you can’t be turned into an animal. I think the most fitting would be an ass.”
#25-12
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Having arrived about 20 minutes earlier, Foxglove and Ryoko had spent an acceptable amount of time wandering the area and mingling with those that insisted. Eventually, the two found a comfy couch and sat, Ryoko leaning against Fox’s torso with the elf’s arm around her shoulders to keep her steady as she dove into the security system of the place. The cameras on wifi were many, but it was a trifle to hack into them and rout their feeds to her own, internal deck.
She was about to come back out when one of the feeds caught her attention, and she watched their target for a moment to make certain it was the girl they were looking for. +She’s here+ she sent to Foxglove. Ryoko then pulled herself out of hotsim, deciding to go with the AR rout to keep an overlay of the camera feeds easily accessible, and sat up straight. The two stood, turning to look at the new arrival. With a quick scan, Ryoko narrowed her eyes at the girl’s escort. There was no question about it, and she marked the man with an ARO for her teammates’ benefit.
+Agreed. With the kind of ‘ware he has, I wouldn’t doubt he’s got backup. You don’t send a decker to do a vat’s job.+ Came the decker’s reply to Colibri’s assessment of the man and possible situation.
+Unless they’re you+
Ryoko gave Foxglove a small smirk, but it fell away quickly as her mind turned back to the job. Her gaze turned toward one end of the room, then back to Fox in a glance and a flick of the head. The gillette knew what the girl was referring to, and nodded. +We could try talking to her+ She responded back as the two chromejobs made their way to the conference room, noting the lack of Calista’s name on the receivers list and keeping it that way for the time being. +If we can get Robyn to help convince the girl to come with us, for one reason or another, it would make things a whole lot easier. It would be a delicate process, however.+
To the whole team, Foxglove sent another message, +Ryoko and I are going to check on the status of the conference room, make sure everything is still in place. Keep us updated.+
It didn’t take them long to find the place, though it appeared a couple were already utilizing it for its unintended purpose. Walking in on the act between what appeared to be some corp kid and someone else’s trophy wife, they both completely ignored the surprised and incredulous outbursts from the two to walk the circuit of the room, both going opposite ways around the large table in the center. When they met at the other side, Ryoko gave a nod, and the two left, following the panicking lovebirds out the door.
#34-17