Found Arcana – Chapter 4 IC
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Found Arcana – Chapter 4 IC
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Having gone to bed around daybreak, Mato is up and looking rested at 10am. He joins AM in the kitchen for soykaf. He grimaces at it; he likes it best when he makes it, but even he’s no miracle worker. It tastes like someone reused grounds and filtered them through one of Bobby’s dirty socks. It wakes you up but for all the wrong reasons, like a punch in the face wakes you up. He gets the food processor to crank out a flaccid soyrito.
He takes a minute to sync up with AM and Jawsey before they go to sleep.
“I’ll shower and get dressed and get back to the gallery. Liam’s perch is actually a good vantage point for keeping an eye on the place, plus it’s warmer and dryer than standing on the gallery roof. I’ll stand around the gallery and will inspect the place so that Janet feels like she’s getting her money’s worth. If I’m trogging the place up too much, I’ll post up across the street.”
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Mato appears all fresh and focused, moments after AM finally managed to pull herself out of bed, and before even taking a look at a mirror. She waves a little “hi,” and sits silently with the large man as she drinks her coffee. She does not want to chat as her head still akes from the previous night.
However, Mato speaks nevertheless, “Not as charming without the Destroyer.” she thinks, but he says the right professional words – it is her that cannot keep up. “Don’t finish the hot water! I want to shower too.” is all she manages to responds. She eats a nutritious bar to have some sugar in her blood, and then sighs in frustration when Jawsie admits that he cannot use a freaking computer.
“He can’t use a computer? Seriously?! How did you ever learn anything?” she thinks bitterly.
Then she takes a deep breath and texts >>> I will do research – AFTER I shower.
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“Ah, Arthur Liu!” Mato remembers fondly. “We have his car. The Hyundai isn’t from Asamando too, is it?
“You should go back to bed,” Mato says to AM. So that I can use all the hot water, he mentally adds. “You don’t have to be there until tonight.”
Mato showers, uses most of the hot water, then puts on his suit and drives the Americar back to the gallery to resume his watch.
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AM frowns, “I am not going to sleep. II have things to do even when you do not *need* me. So easy on the water.”
She is currently working on a recent obsession – forming an ally spirit. While some Shamans like Jawsie can connect with the Sioux spirits, these spirits have rejected AM despite her genuine attempts in contacting them. The Sioux spirits, just like the Sioux people, do not see AM as one of their own. “Leave them, instead of following the advice of an ancient spirit; I will create one in my image, and I will guide the spirit into maturity.”
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Mato went back on guard duty.
The morning turned into midday, turned into evening. Except for the cold nothing much happened until the caterer arrived. Shortly after that the guests began to appear – in sportscars and heavy black limousines.
Around 1 o’clock in the morning the event ended with the last guest gone and Janet locking the doors.
<<Good work. Everything went fine. I even managed to sell the statue. I’ve transferred the reminder of the agreed fee to your account.>> Janet texted back.
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Mato is good at standing around. He’s above-average patient and his cyberlegs/cyberfeet don’t get achy the same way that meat legs/feet do. From his perch, he toys with a throwing knife, rolling it across his knuckles in a way that seems discordant with his nice suit. He watches the swells come and go, and nods when they get the sign-off from Janet.
<<Good work, team. Let’s celebrate. I got a line on a dozen eggs from one of my contacts. We’ll get some rest and have a fancy brunch in the morning.>>
He heads back to the Americar and then to Touristville.
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The actual soiree had been anti-climatic. Jawsey had spent the evening parked outside the gallery, taking turns with AM on being physical eyes in the car, and out-of-body patrolling.
But as they drove back to Touristville, Jawsey realized “You know, I did get to take a good look at the auras of a lot of serious players in organized crime in Seattle, and I didn’t get shot at. And we got paid because we did head off all the problems. It may not have been exciting tonight, but we did good and we maybe learned a bit!”
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It was about a week later, that the team’s news feed showed them an item about a new mafia war after the assassination of a high ranking Vory member and his family through a fuel air bomb over their estate.
The street contacts likewise had something to say about the Braineaters who had managed to regain quite a bit of their lost territory after sending a bunch of microdones packed with high explosives against their rivals enforcers and detonating them into their faces.
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The shower was hot and then cold. Shivering, AM closes the water – but she is awake alright.
She does some research on Arthur leaving the city, and then moves on to researching advanced mana constructs. Spending the hours until it was time to go to the gala.
Jawsie insists that they stay in the car, and do rounds. So the night is boring, but they made very nice money which lightens up her mood.
AM thanks Janet, and collects their pay.
She replies “Indeed, best gigs are when nobody gets hurt, paid us enough so that I would not get hurt this month., there is a genuine smile on her face when she realizes that, and for a moment she feels warm and happy.
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Mato reads the news about a new mob war with grim dispassion.
“This is Yakuza turf,” he says in the kitchen one morning while everyone is gathered. “And the rumor is that the Crimson Crush get their BTLs from the Triads. What I mean is that there are not a lot of Italians or Russians nearby. But we need to be mindful of things spreading.”
He doesn’t look comforted though.
“Someone can drill you in the back of the head and you’ll be dead before you hear the gunshot,” he says in a matter-of-fact tone. “But now we have to worry about drones exploding in our faces, or flammable aerosol vapors. Nothing like getting napalmed in the comfort of your own home.” He shakes his head and wonders how he’s going to be on guard against these threats. Constant vigilance seems to be the only answer.
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AM responds “This war may be closer than you think as I owe the Finnigan Mafia an arm and a leg.” In response to his next statement, AM gives him a meaningful look and says matter of factly “The Destroyer takes our weak, and our gullable to make the herd strong and healthy. Never feel too satisfied, even if we scored big, just like the Ducks story.”.
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