[Trespassers IC] Shadowrun: Seattle By Sundown: Breaking Point

[Chevaleresse]

A flash of. . . something. . . moved across Heidrun's face before it was replaced with rather more mundane startlement. She stumbled back a step as if she'd been struck, completely disproportionate to the force of the poke. "Hey! I asked you nicely to please not touch me, it, um, it really bothers me." Also not technically a lie. "I'm sorry, are you saying you're a full AI? I didn't know any of them existed yet, the most intelligent robot I've ever seen was just a hunter-killer drone. Well, um, until it got smashed, anyway. I didn't mean to offend." 

[Yours Truly]

On 12/18/2018 at 6:38 AM, Strider said:

"Or, and hear me out here, this polite fella," Liliya gestured to the one who seemed to be speaking for the gang, "Can have a look at what the woman is carrying. We'll all sit down real polite like, she'll show what she's got, and we'll see whether anything looks stolen."

 

"Now Ms healer, if you haven't stolen anything, that should be perfectly fine, right? And we'll all be here as witnesses, so there's no need to fear these folks doing anything to you. Of course they wouldn't but, now there's even less reason to worry about it."

 

As she speaks, Liliya walks out into the middle, on alert for any warning signs that the situation might end with her getting shot or injured in the very near future.

(Liliya will walk out if "I've got a feeling of some sort" doesn't tell her that she's about to be murdered)

  Reveal hidden contents

"I've got a feeling of some sort": Liliya will get a general sense of whether something bad or good is about to happen at GM discretion. It is the responsibility of the player to bring attention to this trick.

 

Liliya would get a slight sense of...resolution when the healer finally allowed the gang members to get a look at her 'meager' possessions, a positive kind of resolution of course, as her fleeting glimpses of the future inform her that she is at the very least highly unlikely to die in the next few seconds. The long haired man went through the coin purse's contents for a few moments before he realized something and stood back up to say, "Nope, she's clean, no one's got real silver around these parts, at least, no one paying us for protection , but just try to stay out of walls next time alright? And stay safe, I don't think I have to tell you what happens to young women wandering through the streets of Seattle at night with a purse full of unmarked valuables."

The man makes an effort to hand the coin purse over to Heidrbun without invading her personal space before he dusted himself and took a couple of steps back behind perfectly acessible cover, "Alright....now are the rest of you lost too or something? Or do you actually have business here?"

[DragonRage]

"I exist.  Therefore, full AI exist.  I believe this place has developed the technology to create more, though the process is still extremely resource-intensive," Alexandria affirms her own existence as she lowers her shield, "I believe we have business in the apartments behind you, but I am hardly the sort to allow a tense situation to devolve into violence when it is within my abilities to de-escalate."

[Chevaleresse]

Heidrun retreated back towards the group of non-gang members as soon as she got her purse back. She didn't reply to the wish for safety; she wasn't sure if it was intentional, but it was much more threatening than reassuring. "Wow, this place really is different," she said. "I thought we were years away from actual AI, especially now that we're not using Mako any more. . . well, and that most of the research labs for that kind of thing are radioactive ruins now.'

[Yours Truly]

The polite man raises one of his eyebrows as he heard Alexandria's claim, and he let out a slight chuckle before he sarcastically said, "Yeah sure why not lady, of course you're an AI, and I'm Cypres the godking of the Grove affordable apartment block, it's nice to meet you," he turned around for a moment to face the rest of his gang with a 'can you believe this drek?' expression before he turned back again and said, "But for real though, just don't cause any trouble in there and you won't hear anymore from us...unless you break the elevator with the sheer weight of all of the fancy gizmo's you're carrying." 

 

After all of this was said and done Solomon slowly crept out of cover as he finally realized that the situation had been defused somewhat, and he coughed a little to get the polite man's attention before he rather uselessly said, "We're just visiting a friend I guess, if you could call him that," and took a couple hesitant steps towards the door as the gang collectively decided to not pay much attention to the oddly dressed skinhead of a nerd.

[Chevaleresse]

Heidrun, seeing that the initial tensions had been defused, took a mental step back to consider her options. The gang members, as "friendly" as they were, were probably not likely to be of much help. A glance at the unfamiliar street taken in combination with the warning she'd just received made trying to find her way back, alone, to where she was supposed to be alone a rather unappealing option. Which mostly left the group of outlandish individuals that had intervened on her behalf. She wasn't entirely keen on relying on a group of strangers for help, especially given the robot woman's seeming lack of care about the boundaries she'd tried to set. . . but it's not as if she had a lot of options. "Um, do you mind if I stay with your group until I can get my bearings? I don't need all the details of your business or anything, but I have no idea where I am and would rather not travel by myself in a strange area. I can offer my services as a healer, if you need compensation!" 

[DragonRage]

"Meeting a lizard alien in an ill-fitted mammal suit was a remarkable experience!  Thank you for speaking with me!"  Alexandria calls after the gang leader/Lexiel cultist, "I had believed your kind to be an urban legend previously!  And if that elevator breaks under me it deserved to!  Because it was already broken!

 

"Call me fat, will you?  I'll show you fat," Her fans spinning up to dissipate the heat of her anger, Alexandria puts her foot on the steps, which creak alarmingly under her weight.  "Or maybe I'll just take the stairs."

[Strider]

"Sure, lady. You're probably meant to work with us anyway. Tell ya more later though." Liliya followed Solomon into the apartment, as it'd be a pretty stupid idea to start spouting out the trespassers and multiverse stuff while the gangsters were still in earshot.

[Yours Truly]

On 12/21/2018 at 3:59 PM, DragonRage said:

"Meeting a lizard alien in an ill-fitted mammal suit was a remarkable experience!  Thank you for speaking with me!"  Alexandria calls after the gang leader/Lexiel cultist, "I had believed your kind to be an urban legend previously!  And if that elevator breaks under me it deserved to!  Because it was already broken!

 

"Call me fat, will you?  I'll show you fat," Her fans spinning up to dissipate the heat of her anger, Alexandria puts her foot on the steps, which creak alarmingly under her weight.  "Or maybe I'll just take the stairs."

Alexandria and the rest of the group would find their trip up the stairs to be uneventful, because honestly, are you going to mess with the heavily armed group of people that just waltzed in past security with what seemed to be nothing but a very funny joke? Didn't think so. The group soon finds themselves inside of a concrete floored and slightly grimy entrance hall with a wall of lockers and a man dressed in the important half a security guard's uniform resting in front of a monitor. The room was mostly silent save for the usual sounds of the street filtering in from the outside world, and the slightly crackled sound emanating from the monitor, it appears that someone named 'Yashiro's' twin brother's uncle had been poisoned, and this 'Yashiro's' innocence was found suspect after the altercation he had with the victim during the travesty that was his marriage to his own stepsister. 

Solomon coughed a little once he was sure that they weren't being followed, "Well that actually went well, if we keep this up we might not have to blow up another arcology this time, but anyway who's this girl? And why's she tagging along with us again? I'm asking this now because the clown's going to ask this later"

[IntSys]

Halley respectfully stayed clear of Alexandria's way, as she followed her up the stairs.

 

"Come now, Solomon, does it really matter who she is and what she's called? She already stands out enough to look like one of us anyway." She said nonchalantly. "As for why she's coming with us, clearly she finds us to be more reliable than the Lexiel gang out there! And that we'll probably last longer than a band of ragtag misfits likely involved in a gang war anyway, especially with Alexandria on our side." 

[Strider]

"If she ain't from around here, and doesn't know how she got here, she's probably part of this. Seems to happen, right? And if she does know where she is. . . well, she can explain and ditch us or whatever. Doesn't hurt us if she sticks around for a bit."

[Chevaleresse]

"My name is Heidrun. Heidrun Losnedahl, like I said, I'm a healer. I used to live in Midgar, before. . . you know, everything." She hurried after the group, seemingly torn between following behind and trying to get into the center for safety. "And, um, yes, I don't really know where I am. I was headed into Edge because there was a boy there that needed healing, but this doesn't look like any part of Edge. Maybe the fancier parts of old Midgar. And, um, what do you mean by 'part of this?'"

[DragonRage]

"Does the name 'Seattle' mean anything to you?  It's a city on the planet Terra.  Sometimes called 'earth' by its less creative inhabitants,"  Alexandria offers, "If those words do not mean anything significant to you, it is probably safe to assume you have been plucked from where you were and sent to defend all worlds from a force of malevolent creatures called Trespassers, who come from the void between universes.  Here we have been tasked with the removal of a malevolent artificial intelligence, as a previous group affiliated with us accidentally allowed him to gain a position of power in destroying a Trespasser that invaded this world.  A sort of clean-up operation if you will, with a side of pest control."

[Chevaleresse]

"I've heard of Earth - it'd be a little difficult not to - but never any city called Seattle." She blinked, trying to take in the rest of Alexandria's words. "Saving the multiverse?" Heidrun shook her head slightly. That sounds almost like. . . "Are you sure I'm the right sort of choice for this? I'm not much of a fighter." She would gladly help out in some sort of multiverse-defending operation, and she wasn't really in a position to question the validity of the idea, given the people telling it to her. She was just concerned about. . . certain conditions making things more difficult. Especially if she was going to be out doing high-stress things like fighting monsters. 

[DragonRage]

"Battles are not always decided by who can deal the most damage," Alexandria assures the newcomer, "People talented in healing and other supportive skills are in painfully short supply, as they nearly always are.  Besides, between Navin and myself, we should have plenty of firepower should violence prove unavoidable."

[Yours Truly]

Solomon started to walk closer towards the elevator after he heard Heidrun's series of questions and responses, and he had a suspiciously kind tone of voice when he said "A healer is always welcome, and I'm pretty damned sure that we'll need one sooner than later if the last group was any indication." The elevator's doors swung open mere moments after he pressed the button that called it, revealing a slightly grimy looking example that seemed to have been installed about a decade or so, and he quickly turned around to hold the door open before he said, "But anyway the Harlequin's waiting for us in Apartment 13-B, and we've got nothing else to do down here so...I guess we'll see you up there Alexandria? I'll be waiting at the door for you."

[Chevaleresse]

Kind tone or no, the content of his words was worrying, to say the least. "Um. . ." She wanted to think that he just meant they were accident-prone, but she wasn't nearly that naive. Heidrun shuffled into the elevator, shying away from the labcoated man as much as she could in the cramped space. "I suppose your line of work does sound dangerous." The healer was nervous about what she'd gotten herself into already. She hadn't expected what was described to be safe, but things sounded ominous. And after everything had been calming down for her, too. . .

[DragonRage]

Grumbling indistinctly under her breath, Alexandria goes up the stairs.  It takes a while.  The building makes alarming creaking noises with every step.  By the time she reaches the top, the android is rather annoyed.

[Powder Miner]

Navin laughed ever so slightly at Heidrun's "I suppose your line of work does sound dangerous" -- not a mocking laugh, and in truth not that much of a laugh at all, just a single little sound of slight amusement at the understatement. "Ah, well, yes, what we do is dangerous, very much so; you just missed our participation in a full war, if I am to be blunt. If it provides any reassurance, though, we have not had anyone die." Navin considered his next words carefully as he stepped onto the elevator, realizing that the net effect of what he was saying was probably indeed not reassurance. "How do I put this... we very much engage in combat, and it is very much intense, but at the least we all seem to know what we are doing." There was a pause as Navin reflected on earlier friendly-fire incidents in the castle -- incidents, plural. "...the vast majority of us seem to know what we are doing, that is."

[Chevaleresse]

"O-oh." The look of concern on her face only continued to grow. "Most of you, you say?" What on earth had she gotten herself into? "Uhm, well. . . hopefully those of you that do can keep me safe." With the way her tone rose at the end, the statement sounded much more like a question than she had intended. "I guess with a group as diverse as this one, the levels of competence will vary too." She glanced back and forth at the group, trying to do something other than look at the man in the stained labcoat. It was indeed quite the menagerie. A lot of them seemed to be using some very advanced technology. "So, um, does your group come from a very futuristic place? Er, I suppose it wouldn't be futuristic for you, but I've never seen armor like that, or a thinking robot."

[Strider]

"You'll see all sorts. Medieval, futuristic, middle, as well as varying competences with different magics and weirder stuff. But also, you're not gonna really be able to tell perfectly about the places since we kinda pick up stuff from different places to use."

Liliya flipped out her switchblade as an example, gesturing to the licking flames that wreathed the blade.

 

"I couldn't have added the fire or anything, but I had Mar help, so now I've got some pretty sweet permanent flames here."

[Yours Truly]

The elevator ride up to the 13th floor was about what you'd expect from a crowded apartment, with what would have been a quick and comfortable ride being drawn out unnecessarily with several stops that mostly served to try and annoy the party with how crowded the elevator was getting, especially after it became clear that an ever increasing number of residents seemed to have gotten on to crowd in front of the door and wait until the elevator goes down, you know...just in case someone else did that first and they'd have to wait for another one.

 

It took quite a bit of prodding and pushing before the party managed to unpack themselves from their sardine can, where they were quickly led past a spacious and well ventilated common room full of people minding their own business, and into a equally cramped and dusty hallway that had Apartments 13 A and B at the very end for some unknown reason.

 

Solomon coughed and stepped up to rapidly knock on the apartment's door until a slight sigh could be heard, followed by an annoyed sound as something clattered down to the floor. Another moment passes, a quiet pulsing emanating from behind the door through the silence before it finally opens a crack, revealing the face of a white haired young...elf with sharp and slightly rectangular features whose expression quickly soured as they finally saw the man knocking on their door, "Oh, it's you again,".

[IntSys]

"Wait, do we know you- Oh," Halley paused, giving a quick, judging glance at the elf's face. It was almost as if fancy holograms had subconsciously heightened her standards for how people around these parts should look. "Okaaay. I suppose we won't be using honorifics for the time being. Anyway, do you have enough space for our little crew here? We've been making a lot of compromises on our way here."

[StormLord]

As the group poured out of the elevator Friedhold took several steps closer to Heidrun, not enough to invade personal space, but enough that they wouldn't have to talk around other people.

"My name is Friedhold Von Grimmelshausen.  You watch me like a child watching a dark corner.  Why?"

The little girl following Friedhold at this point stares blankly up at Heidrun for a moment before seemingly losing interest and moving on to look at something else.

[Chevaleresse]

Heidrun did her best not to visibly flinch away from Friedhold as he approached. . . and spectacularly failed, taking a couple steps away from him as he closed. Her only encouragement, if one could call it that, was wanting to get a better look at the girl, which only seemed to confirm some of her suspicions. She was clearly modified, unless she was massively mistaken, a once-normal human girl who had become something else against her will. "What did you do to her?" she asked quietly.