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

[Gremlin]

Skye

Skye suddenly manifests next to Headstone. "Ice cream guy there is a fagin, 'Stone," Skye says, figuring she's likely stating the obvious. "The kids are all terrified of him. I know we can't single-handedly clean up all the streets in Seattle and I'm not naive, I know this kind of thing is ubiquitous, but kids still shouldn't have to live in fear all the time. But if we confront him now, he'll just take it out on them that much harder once we leave."

The image of Skye frowns. "I'd give him a little suggestion, but he doesn't have enough presence on the astral plane so I can't do it while projecting. But if he were more than meets the eye and were to look into the astral..." Skye let's the comment trail off with a wicked grin.

[Juramenta]

{Headstone}

Headstone’s lightning fast hand instinctively moves to the grip of his slivergun.
He’s visibly startled when Skye suddenly manifests beside him.
"Skye!" he exclaims, before quickly correcting himself, "Oh, uhm right, Skye…" He slowly eases his hand back into the open, leaving the slivergun untouched, his heartbeat settling as he listens to her.

He takes a moment to let her words sink in, then responds with a serious tone "We might not have the time to hash this out right now, but I gotta ask and take your time to really chew on it before you answer. It only took one look to peg that guy for what he is. Scum like that doesn’t scare easy. There’s only one surefire way to deal with a parasite like him, and I know you’re not exactly keen on wetwork, right?" He pauses, watching her reaction closely, wanting to be sure.

"My only priority is the crew’s safety, every last one of you. If this matters to you, I’ll back your play, no question. But it means you’d be stepping into a world you might’ve been trying to steer clear of.
First off, while I’m ready to handle the unspoken part, you’d be complicit, at least morally. Second, those kids still need a way to get by. So we’d need to take over his little operation, but run it right. Better working conditions, a better future for those kids. The works. If we don’t, they’ll just drift to the next lowlife, and the whole thing repeats. Take a day to mull it over, but if this is what you really want, his time’s up." he says giving Skye the time she needs to respond before he revs the engine, ready to head for the Needle.

[Charybdis Richelle]

{GM}

After Skye and Headstone discuss the world’s ills, he takes his bike up north and picks up Bone Biter and then quickly returns to where Tears has parked her bike. As the four of them, including the manifest Skye, wait for the rest of their team to finish meeting with Dashiell, the ice cream man, starts talking to the little elven girl in the tattered green dress, the one Skye knows as ‘Daisy.’ Whatever Daisy has told the fagin, it’s obvious her answer doesn’t please him. Though none of the four are close enough to hear, the snarl on the dwarf’s face makes his displeasure known. He reaches out and grabs her right arm with his left hand; with his right, he takes hold of her right pinkie and starts bending it back. Her screen pierces the night, carrying all the way to where the outside team members stand.

A few of those in line begin to mutter, stirring a bit, but none moves to act. The teen in the black shirt and olive pants that Tears and Headstone had seen dash from the bush sneers and makes an obscene gesture. The fagin takes note and stops trying to break Daisy’s finger. Instead he releases her arm and backhands her hard enough to knock her to the ground. The Native American girl Bone Biter had seen go down the slide dashes forward, hugging Daisy, trying to console her. The kid from the bush all of two, maybe three years older, flips the fagin off again and goes to the girls’ side. He and the girl in braids help her up. The boy says a few words. Both girls shake their heads. The boy reaches into his pocket and pulls out two synthetic-meat-flavored soy sticks, handing one to each of the girls. They give him weak smiles; Daisy doing so while tears run down her face.

The two girls start walking in the direction of the apartment/hotel south of the skatepark. The boy starts walking northward, towards the Needle – or maybe just to his earlier bush.

As this mini-drama comes to an end, Pandora sends another message. -Okay, frosty. Baby Blue, Pacman, and Revs just stepped out of the private dining room. They’re waiting near the guards up front, probably getting their weapons. They should be down shortly. Be ready. They don’t seem happy.-

[Gremlin]

Skye

After the little group settles into waiting next to Tez's bike, Skye takes the opportunity to respond to Headstone. "I wasn't suggesting murdering him, as much as he might deserve it. We both know I'm a thief, not a killer. But yes, I'm well aware we can't do anything to him unless a better situation can be arranged for the kids. That's my point, I'm fishing for ideas here. I mean, look at him. Look what he's doing to that girl. I know that can't sit well with you, and people abusing kids strikes a real nerve with me. I don't know what we can do, at least not yet. I'm saying something needs to be done. Probably not right this minute, but eventually." Skye makes her point with uncharacteristic intensity.

"Everything looks clear here as far as the meeting goes. Once ice cream drekhead starts to move, I'm going to follow him in the astral. I won't do anything to him right now. I can't really, not from the astral. I just want to see where he goes, maybe even where he lives, to follow up on this sometime soon."

[Ozgood13]

{Bone Biter}

Bone says, " Headstone, it seems some Dwarven street tween hit my pockets. He got my wallet and had a sealed bag with a lock of my mum's hair. I keep it as a way to keep her with me. He also nabbed my walking cred stick. It only has about twenty creds. I am not worried about the cred stick. The wallet tho holds personal meaning to me. If any of the three of you know a person who tracks it could come in handy down the road. I would think the kid could be part of a Guild."

Bone looks to Skye and Tears, and says, "Sorry to be late. What is the sit rep?"

[Charybdis Richelle]

{GM}

As if on cue, the outside team gets a message from Pandora, -Okay. I think we’re frosty. BB, Pacman, and Revs just got into the elevator. The doorman has hit the button to descend. They should be within two minutes or so. I still don’t know why they put me on alert. Watch your backs.-