Chapter 1: Keeping Watch at the Fountain (Headstone, Tears in Rain, and Astral Skye)

[Charybdis Richelle]

{GM}

Most of the parking lot is full when Headstone and Tears in Rain pull onto Space Circle Drive, but Headstone manages to find room to park his motorcycle where two compact cars parked side by side, leaving extra room in a space. Tears doesn’t exactly find a spot, but she pulls up next to the outer line of the last space before the circle enters the street. While technically not in a parking spot, her bike is far enough inside not to be a threat to any traffic entering or leaving the circle, so the Space Needle Security and Lone Star should leave it alone even if they do come to look

Still straddling their bikes, Headstone and Tears see a few people scattered near the fountain. Two female elves in complementary evening gowns stand hand-in-hand, alternating between kissing and tossing coins into the fountain. A human couple stands back a ways taking pictures of two preschool age kids sitting on the edge of the fountain. A trio of men – two humans and a dwarf – dressed in jeans and University of Washington T-shirts stand gazing up at the Space Needle and taking pictures with the cameras in their wrist phones. No one pays either of the two runners any mind.

[Juramenta]

Headstone parks his bike and kills the engine, taking a moment to soak in the atmosphere. The sight of people genuinely enjoying themselves fills him with joy. A nice reminder there is still happiness in the world, even if it’s fleeting. But that moment is brief as his instincts kick in alongside his ’happy’ thoughts, urging him to observe the scene with a sharper eye.
The elves by the fountain, the family taking pictures, and the trio of men snapping shots of the Needle, all seem innocent enough at first glance. But in their line of work, appearances can be deceiving.

His gaze narrows as he takes in the bushes to the south, on the western side of the parking circle.
Without drawing attention to himself, Headstone casually pulls out his secretary and pretends to line up a shot of the Space Needle, just like the trio of men nearby. He does not take a picture however, but sends a message to Tears in the Rain and those remaining at HQ. Normally he would send a message to everyone, but it could be harmless and he does not want to needlessly distract those at the meeting.

- Someone or something is hiding in the bushes to the south on the western side of the parking circle. Cannot discern if it is relevant yet. Could be harmless. I will wait for a few minutes to see if it will come out on it’s own. If not, I will disappear for a bit to investigate -

[Charybdis Richelle]

{GM}

A few seconds later, Pandora messages back, -Sorry, Boss. None of the cameras zoom in enough to be much help to you – neither the ones on the Space needs nor the street cams.-

[Gremlin]

Skye

Skye had slowly followed Headstone and Tez to the grounds around the Needle. Well, slowly from an astral perspective as she had to move at a relative snail's pace to not outrun the pair of motorcycles. She could have just zipped there earlier but she wanted to make sure she could see where they parked and set up their stakeouts.

Once she sees 'Stone and Tez dismount their bikes, Skye floats up and back away from them to give herself a nice overhead view of them while keeping the Needle in full view in front of her. She looks up to see if the same watcher spirits are still circling the top of the Needle but she doesn't approach that area either way, at least for now. She also pays attention to the rooftops to see if there's anyone spying from above.

[Juramenta]

{Headstone}

"No sweat, Pandora. We will handle this in the meat. How's the crew inside? They still breathing easy?" Headstone says more concerned about those who are entering unknown territory over their own safety.

[Charybdis Richelle]

{GM}

-Angel hasn’t yanked me back to the meat world, so I’m guessing that’s a yes, Boss,- Pandora messages back. -I can shift my focus back to the conference room and check the cameras, but I pretty much thought you’d rather have me here.- Even in text, Headstone can almost hear her laughing.

[Juramenta]

{Headstone}

Headstone waits a few minutes to see if anything comes out of the bushes before deciding to act on it.

[Stirling]

Tears in the Rain

Pulls up with a last roar of the engine, resisting all temptations to pull wheelies and drift around traffic islands scoring dramatic skid marks on the way. Save such theatre for expeditious escapes.

"Well, we have our own watchers watching the Watchers." she muses, noting Headstone's interest piqued at the trembling bush. Unlikely to be more than just an urchin or beggar than rogue assassin.

Dressed in her 'biker chique' over prom wear, figuring heeled boots, fishnet stockings, short skirt and leathers; plus discreet under garment armoured vest more suitable for the urban scene. Taking a mirror from her satchel she feigns powdering her nose and other lady ablutions, taking a glance in the reflection to view over her shoulder at the bushes.

Hearing test = 8, Perception = 4

She shrugs, forcing herself to concentrate on matters at hand, focusing eyes and ears above the traffic noise, chatter of tourists and squawk of pigeons; trying to notice anything out of the ordinary.

She closes her mirror case. On a whim she will walk to the fountain too, casting a coin into the still waters.

[Stirling]

Tears in the Rain

Casually walks to the fountain, tossing in a nuyen bit. "Some pasty-faced rebel in blue jeans taking a dump perhaps" she says to Headstone regarding the sheltering figure and what she has perceived of them. "No need to bush-whack him or her. Probably trying to spy out their own mark coming and going from the Needle." She figures grappling with anybody outside the Needle entrance is bound to draw a camera or two upon us, best leave whoever to their own devices unless they interfere with ours.

[Gremlin]

Skye

Skye zips down to where Bone Biter is leaving the metro station. While it may startle a few other people around, she manifests a few feet in front of her teammate.

With a grin and mischievous look she says, "Hey Bone-man, you might want to check your pockets. The delight in that dwarf kid's aura tells me he probably made off with something good you don't want to lose when he bumped into you." Her grin widens and her tone turns overly dramatic. "Woe be unto you if he got Pandora's slivergun!" Returning to a more normal tone, she adds, "Oh, and if you see Headstone tell him all is clear so far."

Without waiting for a reply she vanishes again, going back to whatever it was she was previously doing.

[Juramenta]

Headstone, still positioned between the parked cars and his bike, reads the message to his secretary. He waits a few minutes to see if anything changes before typing out a response:
- I don’t expect any aggro either, my chummer. I’m also betting the team's exit will be smooth and steady, making their way back to us like a stroll in the park. If things go sideways, though, I need to be aware of everything about our location, information is always our safety line. I'll give it a quick lookover just in case. -

Headstone goes for a little walk like any tourist would. He does not walk directly to the bushes, instead moves past it a little further to the side.

[Charybdis Richelle]

{GJM}

Approaching the bushes, Headstone can now hear movement. Someone backing away in the bushes, moving south.

Meanwhile, the music grows louder. Eventually, a motorbike pulling what looks like an old-time ice cream cooler as a sidecar pulls to the southwest side of the park area, south of the Needle (which is south of Headstone’s position, south of the bushes

Abruptly, a dirty-faced teenaged human boy in a ratty black T-shirt and olive-green khakis emerges from the south of the bushes. He sports a wild, rough cut hairstyle not unlike Pandora’s, save his hair is a dirty blond. Both of his arms sport black line-art tattoos. Neither Headstone nor Tear gets a good look at him as he dashes across the park, heading towards the ice cream cart.

[Stirling]

Tears in the Rain

"The urchin spies on the entrance. Reporting back to his handler?"

She doesn't consider the youth any threat to our own concerns. "Best not to get too sidetracked. Let's walk around the block a little."

She goes to check the wider area around the Needle entrance.

[Charybdis Richelle]

{GM}

As Tears and Headstone start to walk around the wider area, they notice that the street urchin from the bush is not the only one hastening toward the ice cream cart. A Native American human girl wearing torn blue jean cut-offs and a beaded denim shirt with the sleeves cut and an elven girl in a tattered green jumper dress with daisies on the front with combat boots that are at least two sizes too big for her feet, both 8, 9, maybe 10 years old are running from the playground in that direction. The boytoys and joygirls that had been hanging near the treeline at the edge of the park start moving that way too, at only a slightly lesser pace. A chiphead from across the street heads there as well.

[Stirling]

Tears in the Rain

So I get the vibe that the music playing from the ice cream cart is coercively attracting these youngsters or that the cart is a not so covert drug dealer peddling his wares to junkies getting a fix beyond cones of raspberry ripple.

She shares her thoughts with Headstone. "Is the ice cream pimp someone we should worry about? Deal with later?"

[Juramenta]

{Headstone}

’’Deal with?’’ he responds as he thinks about it before sporting a big smile.
"Nah, let’s not put the little rascals out of work. I remember my first hustle, selling at middle and high schools. Never stepped foot in a classroom, but the teachers never gave me a second look, just another kid blending in. These street rats, they’re just trying to make a living. The real criminals? That’s the corps, not these kids. They’re just playing the hand they were dealt." Headstone replies, always quick to shift the blame from those scraping by on the streets to the bigger, more faceless villains in the world.

"As for the kid junkies, I can't slag 'em for needing a way out. Life’s a drek storm, and who are we to say they don’t deserve a little escape? Moral high ground’s for folks who can offer a better gig. We ain't there yet, but maybe when the nuyen starts flowing, we can throw some shine back into the streets. We’ve kept our block and the apartment complex clear of any gang scum so far. With time, we could do a hell of a lot more."

[Charybdis Richelle]

{GM}

As Headstone is talking to Tears in Rain, he notices something. The street rats, joygirls, and boytoys that are lining up at the ice cream cooler are handing over money – some in cash, some by credstick… few with small items. But unlike what Tears assumed, the man collecting does not seem to be handing out drugs… or BTLs… or food… or anything. He simply collects the loot. Sometimes he says a word or two to the ‘donor.’ Sometimes he doesn’t. Twice he lashes out and clouts the person at the head of the line in the ear… hard. No one else standing there objects. Not even the victim. Each person simply pays and slinks off.

As the two are taking all of this in, Headstone, Tears, and Bone Biter get a message from Pandora – in text since that’s how Headstone initiated contact earlier.

-I just heard from the team at the meeting… Their ‘orders’ contained mixed messages. It seems the biz is fragged in some way. They warned us to be ready. But they haven’t mentioned anyone being hurt. So just be ready. Things may not have gone totally south, but they definitely went sideways, at least.-

-They haven’t emerged anywhere I can see them yet, so they must still be in the private dining room.-

-Bone Biter just stepped out of the Metro station, so he should be with you momentarily. Angel hasn’t yanked my cord, so both Skye and I must still be breathing. Watch your backs out there.-

[Juramenta]

{Headstone}

’’Looks like we’ve got a five-finger discount ring holding down this turf. Makes sense with all the tourists wandering around. Could be useful if we need something lifted down the line’’ Headstone says, correcting his earlier assumption before taking out his secretary to see what the news is.

’’Message from Pandora’’ he says as he is reading it. ’’Time to roll my chummer. Nothing seems to have been fragged yet, but something is up. I'll swing by the Metro and scoop up Big BB. Can you do a drive-by past the Needle? Just a quick pass, no need to stop.’’ he asks Tears in the Rain as they make their way towards the bikes.

[Charybdis Richelle]

{GM}

Headstone pulls out towards the Metro station. It takes less than a minute to get there by motorcycle. As Headstone pulls close, he see that Bone Biter has exited the station and taken a few steps away. He is patting himself down, and looking off toward the playground area.

[Juramenta]

{Headstone}

Rides up next to him without killing the engine.
’’Yo Bone Biter, hop on’’ Headstone says while keeping on hand on the throttle ready to move out.
’’Meeting’s wrapping up soon, so we’re heading to the Needle’’ he adds without going into further detail in this public space.