Golden Tornado 5

[01:24]	<[GreenwichMean]>	Another day in sunny Mexico!
[01:25]	<[GreenwichMean]>	Another dollar spent by gambling schmucks.
[01:25]	<[GreenwichMean]>	Life is good.
[01:27]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Life is good.
[01:27]	* [Atai]Temperance	glances at the paperwork scattered all over his desk.
[01:27]	<[Atai]Temperance>	...The people, though.
[01:27]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Theeeey kinda suck.
[01:28]	* [Atai]Temperance	kicks back in her chair, and scoot-scoot-scoots it over to look down at the main gambling hall.
[01:28]	<[Atai]Temperance>	...They suck, too, but at least they're doing something good for me.
[01:29]	<[Atai]Temperance>	It is high time I go terrorize some of them.
[01:29]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Or eat lunch.
[01:30]	<Ruth>	Man. The Boss sure does talk to herself a lot.
[01:30]	* Ruth	says to herself, behind Temperance.
[01:30]	<[Atai]Temperance>	She totally does.
[01:30]	<[Atai]Temperance>	The bitch is nuts.
[01:31]	* [Atai]Temperance	nods in agreement with Ruth.
[01:31]	<[Atai]Temperance>	...
[01:31]	* [Tess]Soraya	knocks on the office door from outside.
[01:32]	<Ruth>	I wonder if the boss wants me to get that.
[01:32]	<[Atai]Temperance>	...aren't you supposed to be appearing imposing and threatening down at the fr-- WE DON'T WANT ANY OF YOUR DAMN CHURCH SCRIBBLES!
[01:32]	* [Atai]Temperance	breaks off, and hollers at the door.
[01:32]	* [Tess]Soraya	just opens the door and walks through it, ignoring the outburst completely.
[01:33]	<Ruth>	I hope you don't have any damn church scribbles.
[01:33]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Oh. Hi Sorie. Did you knife the missionary?
[01:34]	<[Tess]Soraya>	Certainly I'd love to have done it if there was one. Actually I'm just back from drawing up the last accounting figures.
[01:35]	* [Atai]Temperance	tenses up.
[01:35]	<[Atai]Temperance>	It was Pete, wasn't it?
[01:35]	<[Atai]Temperance>	That son of a bitch. I knew he looked shifty.
[01:35]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Goddamn.
[01:35]	* [Atai]Temperance	slumps back against her desk.
[01:35]	<[Atai]Temperance>	How much did he take?
[01:36]	<[Atai]Temperance>	...Wait, Pete was Mother's accountant.
[01:36]	* [Atai]Temperance	straightens up again.
[01:36]	* Ruth	whirls a finger around her ear while giving the boss a nod.
[01:36]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Never mind that, then.
[01:37]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Are we going bankrupt?
[01:37]	<[Tess]Soraya>	I'll get to the point. Simply put, business is good.
[01:37]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Oooh~!
[01:37]	* [Atai]Temperance	hops up and down like a gleeful child, even clapping her hands together.
[01:38]	<[Atai]Temperance>	How good~?
[01:40]	<[Tess]Soraya>	Well, keeping track's difficult this far out. No tickers for the price of the peso or dollar, but apparently the figures have gone up by somewhere between five and six percent since last month's figures.
[01:41]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Hmmm... all right, all right...
[01:42]	* [Atai]Temperance	nods.
[01:43]	<[Tess]Soraya>	Friends of mine back in the capital have been making business quite good throughout, but we seem to be above the standard.
[01:44]	<[Atai]Temperance>	So we're better than good?
[01:44]	<[Atai]Temperance>	I like that.
[01:44]	* [Tess]Soraya	smiles a little mischeviously.
[01:46]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Let's go spread some good fortune around.
[01:46]	<[Tess]Soraya>	Nothing wrong with that. By the way, I've ordered one of the new arithmometers from Russia; telegraph's gone out but the shipment may take a while. That going on the books or off my salary, boss?
[01:47]	<[Atai]Temperance>	And by good fortune I mean alcohol.
[01:47]	<[Atai]Temperance>	and by alcohol I mean them. drunk. bad-playing, and spending, and...
[01:47]	* [Atai]Temperance	blinks.
[01:47]	<[Atai]Temperance>	...Huh?
[01:47]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Aretha mwhatnow?
[01:48]	<[Atai]Temperance>	what's it do?
[01:49]	<[Tess]Soraya>	Simply does math for you. Useful little box.
[01:49]	<[Atai]Temperance>	So...
[01:49]	<[Atai]Temperance>	you
[01:49]	<[Atai]Temperance>	in a box?
[01:50]	<[Atai]Temperance>	...Isn't that witchcraft?
[01:50]	<[Atai]Temperance>	you'd be all tiny.
[01:50]	<[Atai]Temperance>	and I'd have to feed you tiny-people food.
[01:50]	<[Tess]Soraya>	The box doesn't talk politics, boss. Not quite the same, is it?
[01:51]	<Ruth>	You're pretty tiny yourself, Boss. You could just feed us your food.
[01:51]	<[Atai]Temperance>	This sounds dodgy. It's on your salary until you can show me what good tiny versions of you in a box are going to do.
[01:52]	* [K]Len	, the tiny one, happen to pass by.
[01:52]	<[Tess]Soraya>	Besides, still needs the me you're looking at to give instructions and do the actual analysis- aww.
[01:52]	<[Atai]Temperance>	And if I catch you sacrificing goats or cavorting naked under a full moon, you are fucking fired.
[01:52]	<[Tess]Soraya>	...I thought cats were more common when it comes to that, but okay.
[01:52]	<Ruth>	But didn't you-
[01:53]	* Ruth	stops and whistles to herself
[01:53]	* [Atai]Temperance	notices Len.
[01:53]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Hey!
[01:53]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Come in here.
[01:53]	* Ruth	thinks she sees a speck in the distance. Is that the little girl?
[01:54]	<[K]Len>	?
[01:54]	* [K]Len	obediently follow the instruction.
[01:54]	* [Atai]Temperance	beckons her closer.
[01:54]	* [K]Len	does so.
[01:54]	<[Atai]Temperance>	...What do you eat?
[01:54]	* [K]Len	m..... milk?
[01:54]	<[K]Len>	milk.
[01:54]	* [K]Len	nods, satisfied with the answer.
[01:55]	<[Atai]Temperance>	You eat milk?
[01:55]	<[Atai]Temperance>	And I suppose you drink steak?
[01:55]	* [K]Len	nods again to confirm.
[01:55]	* [Atai]Temperance	frowns, puzzling over this quandary.
[01:55]	* [K]Len	shake head.
[01:55]	<Ruth>	I think you got it backwards, boss.
[01:55]	* [Tess]Soraya	turns her eyes at Len in a bit of confusion, but doensn't say anything.
[01:55]	<[K]Len>	Steak... too chunky. Can't drink.
[01:55]	<[Atai]Temperance>	...Yeah, I was figuring about as much.
[01:55]	<Ruth>	Though I think steaks eat Len before she could eat them back.
[01:56]	<Ruth>	Bulls're mean creatures, they are.
[01:56]	* [Atai]Temperance	giggles.
[01:56]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Well, in...
[01:56]	* [Atai]Temperance	looks back at Soraya
[01:56]	* Ruth	isn't laughing. No one knows where Ruth has been gored before, and no one ever will.
[01:57]	<[Atai]Temperance>	...when are they getting here?
[01:58]	<[Tess]Soraya>	I got two on order, they're being sent through the post from the capital by a friend. One's to use and the other's to take apart to see if I can make something more complex.
[02:00]	* [Atai]Temperance	turns back to Len
[02:01]	<[Atai]Temperance>	...in whenever, you may have to share your tiny-people food with even tinier people. It's going to be tough, but Sorie here ASSURES me that this is somehow okay with God. Or something. There's math involved.
[02:01]	* [K]Len	is not good with math at all.
[02:01]	<[K]Len>	mu.
[02:02]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Anyhow. I just want you to know, I'll make sure myself that you don't starve.
[02:02]	* [K]Len	just nods. Where's the tiny-tinier people again?
[02:02]	* [Atai]Temperance	ruffles her hair.
[02:02]	<[K]Len>	Mm~
[02:02]	* [K]Len	close her eyes and let herself being ruffled.
[02:03]	<[Atai]Temperance>	All right, enough chit-chat. Where's Bianca?
[02:03]	<[Tess]Soraya>	Don't think I've seen her.
[02:03]	* [Atai]Temperance	looks at Ruth.
[02:04]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Did you eat her?
[02:04]	* [K]Len	deny!
[02:04]	<Ruth>	Nah. People have too much bone and hair. Hard to skin'em, too.
[02:05]	<[Atai]Temperance>	God, tell me about it.
[02:05]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Don't eat a smoker, either.
[02:05]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Well, hmm.
[02:06]	<[Atai]Temperance>	There's always the old standby.
[02:06]	* [Atai]Temperance	draws in a deep, deep breath.
[02:07]	* Ruth	plugs her ears.
[02:07]	* [Tess]Soraya	braces for the coming sound, holding one hand over an ear and the papers over another.
[02:07]	* [K]Len	just look around being oblivious to the situation.
[02:08]	* [Atai]Temperance	claps her hands over Len's ears at the last minute.
[02:09]	<[Atai]Temperance>	| H E Y , B I A N C A ! |
[02:10]	* [K]Len	flinches a bit, but thanks to the last minute savior, her eardrums are saved.
[02:10]	* [Atai]Temperance	shouts for her favoritest toy^H^H^H slave ^H^H^H^H^H employee
[02:11]	* [Atai]Temperance	Loudly.
[02:12]	* [GreenwichMean]	A few bats fall out of the rafters.
[02:13]	<Ruth>	I don't think she heard you.
[02:14]	* [Atai]Temperance	pouts.
[02:14]	<[Tess]Soraya>	How does that work? I think you could even hear that in the main hall.
[02:15]	* [Atai]Temperance	taps her chest proudly.
[02:15]	<[Atai]Temperance>	All Wisconsins have amazing lung capacity and vocal range.
[02:15]	<[Atai]Temperance>	We come from hearty operatic stock.
[02:15]	* [K]Len	wonder if that would disturb the customer?
[02:20]	<[Atai]Temperance>	...Awww. Well, maybe we'll run into her and Mercy on the way.
[02:21]	<[Tess]Soraya>	Well, what's the next job? Need me to go deal again?
[02:24]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Hmm.
[02:24]	<[Atai]Temperance>	No.
[02:24]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Wait.
[02:24]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Wait....
[02:24]	<[Atai]Temperance>	....
[02:24]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Yes.
[02:24]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Maybe.
[02:25]	* [K]Len	look back and forth between Temperance and Soraya.
[02:25]	<[Atai]Temperance>	We're going to buy people drinks and be friendly and there. With there-itude.
[02:26]	<[Tess]Soraya>	Very well. After all, the only difference between me and the rest you got is that I count. Put me in there in the interests of business or give me something else to do in the interests of fairness or customer behavior. Right?
[02:28]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Wha? I, yes, that. Don't be afraid to show off a bit of the goods every now and then, either.
[02:30]	* [Pyg}Bianca	finally arrives, stumbling into the room in her haste.
[02:30]	* [Tess]Soraya	shrugs.
[02:30]	<[Pyg}Bianca>	"Boss, you were calling?"
[02:31]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Theeeeere we go!
[02:32]	* [Atai]Temperance	bounds over to Bianca, hooks her arm around hers, and looks up, satisfied.
[02:32]	<[Atai]Temperance>	NOW we can go.
[02:33]	<[Pyg}Bianca>	"Go? Go where? Where are we going?"
[02:34]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Down, down into the lowlands, to strike fear into the hearts of the unjust, or perhaps just slip booze into their kidneys.
[02:35]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Let us ride!
[02:35]	<[No]Mercy>	"I must interject."
[02:36]	* [No]Mercy	enters, knocks twice, then closes the door behind her
[02:36]	* [Atai]Temperance	comes to a screeching halt.
[02:36]	<[Atai]Temperance>	...Awww.
[02:36]	<[Atai]Temperance>	What is it?
[02:37]	<[No]Mercy>	"Oh, I merely heard the sound of a very bad idea, so I thought it best I come straight to you."
[02:37]	* [K]Len	wonder if this counts as a meeting?
[02:39]	<[Tess]Soraya>	And who are you trying to save?
[02:39]	<[No]Mercy>	"Save? I wouldn't dare. I'm on the clock, after all."
[02:39]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Thaaaat's my Mercy.
[02:40]	* [Atai]Temperance	ducks past her, and throws open the door.
[02:40]	* [Atai]Temperance	drags Bianca out of the office, and down the stairs, chatting to her about Soraya's crazy plan to put tiny versions of herself into a box for the purposes of doing sums.
[02:41]	* [Atai]Temperance	pauses 2 steps down, and goes back up to her office.
[02:41]	* [Pyg]Bianca	nods at her mistress's words, hardly listening.
[02:41]	<[Pyg]Bianca>	"Ah."
[02:41]	<[Atai]Temperance>	...Y'all'a you get down here, too.
[02:41]	<[K]Len>	!!
[02:41]	* [No]Mercy	stands about, watching her master escape, then unescape, then conscript
[02:41]	* [Atai]Temperance	resumes the downward spiral.
[02:41]	* [K]Len	doesn't even consider that, but okay.
[02:41]	* [K]Len	follows.
[02:41]	* [Atai]Temperance	Er, trip.
[02:41]	* [Pyg]Bianca	gets a little dizzy anyway.
[02:42]	* [Tess]Soraya	leaves the papers on a shelf, following after the boss.
[02:42]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Lessee...
[02:43]	* Ruth	has been left alone.
[02:43]	* Ruth	has foreseen this.
[02:45]	<[No]Mercy>	"...He may have meant us."
[02:45]	<Ruth>	No one knows what it's like...
[02:46]	* Ruth	slowly steps out of the office, shutting the door behind her
[02:48]	* [Tess]Soraya	hangs back, waiting for Ruth before proceeding down the stairs.
[02:49]	<Ruth>	...Behind blue ey- oh. Hey.
[02:49]	<[Tess]Soraya>	Hey.
[02:50]	* [Atai]Temperance	waits for everyone else on the middle landing to give instructions.
[02:51]	* Ruth	stares.
[02:51]	* [No]Mercy	stands around and looms, as good butlers do
[02:52]	<[Tess]Soraya>	Thinking of anything at the moment?
[02:52]	<Ruth>	Nope.
[02:54]	<[Tess]Soraya>	Hrrm. Makes it harder to start a conversation. No wonder we haven't talked much.
[02:54]	<Ruth>	Yep.
[02:54]	* [No]Mercy	discreetly maneuvres herself to loom from behind Temperance, which is the optimal position
[02:54]	* [Pyg]Bianca	makes sure her knife is where it should be.
[02:54]	* [Atai]Temperance	calls from down below:
[02:54]	<[Atai]Temperance>	GET DOWN HERE ALREADY!
[02:55]	* Ruth	tilts her head a little.
[02:55]	* [K]Len	rush over! hurry, hurry!
[02:55]	<Ruth>	Did you hear something?
[02:55]	* [K]Len	get there as fast as her short leg could!
[02:55]	* Ruth	grinds the wax out of her ear with a spare pinky
[02:55]	<[K]Len>	*huff*
[02:55]	* [Atai]Temperance	remembers again why she had Ruth doing ground-floor bouncery.
[02:56]	<[Tess]Soraya>	Apparently we're to follow them. Care to join me?
[02:56]	<Ruth>	Sure.
[02:56]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Nnnrrrgh.
[02:56]	* Ruth	joins.
[02:56]	* [Atai]Temperance	taps her booted feet on the marble.
[02:57]	* [Tess]Soraya	walks down to join the rest with Ruth in tow.
[02:57]	<[Atai]Temperance>	...Thank you.
[02:58]	* [Atai]Temperance	stops tap tap tapping.
[02:58]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Okay.
[02:58]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Ruth, wander about and glare intimidatingly at any loud drunks, or anyone a dealer signals needs glaring at. Unless the drunk is me, in which case, shuffle me back to Bianca.
[02:58]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Sorie, shuffle, deal, and at your leisure, shake your ass.
[02:59]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Mercy, don't you dare try to stop me now.
[02:59]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Bianca, don't let anybody with a knife or that's juggling balls near me. Until then, stay with me.
[02:59]	* Ruth	wanders around and glares at everybody
[02:59]	* [No]Mercy	had already opened her mouth, so she shuts it again
[02:59]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Len, you're free to do as you like. Taking drink orders wouldn't hurt. If somebody grabs your ass, you can slap them.
[03:00]	* [Tess]Soraya	pulls a deck of cards from a back pocket and proceeds to shuffle it. Where to begin...
[03:00]	<[Atai]Temperance>	If they persist, you can stab them in the thigh or the hand; don't worry about doing so, because it's house policy to do that.
[03:00]	* [Atai]Temperance	points to the Golden Tornado's house rules above the door.
[03:01]	<[No]Mercy>	"If you do stab them in the thigh, do try to miss a major artery, because that much blood is just not going to come out of Persian."
[03:01]	* [K]Len	nods!
[03:02]	* [K]Len	look around for stabby thing. Sadly she doesn't have one.
[03:02]	* [K]Len	ORDER CONFLICT. CANNOT STAB.
[03:02]	<[Pyg]Bianca>	"Hmmm."
[03:02]	* [K]Len	confuse!
[03:02]	* [Atai]Temperance	cracks her knuckles and turns to Bianca.
[03:02]	* [Tess]Soraya	taps Len on the shoulder.
[03:02]	<[Tess]Soraya>	Looking for something?
[03:02]	<[Atai]Temperance>	And now, my dear, let us get drunk.
[03:03]	* [Atai]Temperance	pauses.
[03:03]	<[Atai]Temperance>	...Let us..get OTHER people drunk.
[03:03]	<[No]Mercy>	"Better."
[03:03]	<[K]Len>	....how... can I stab?
[03:04]	* [K]Len	look up to Soraya, seeking instruction.
[03:04]	* [K]Len	show her empty hands.
[03:04]	<[Pyg]Bianca>	"A better idea."
[03:04]	<[Tess]Soraya>	Need to get something sharp, eh? Let me see what I have. Tamping iron's too big, so...
[03:04]	* Suite_Manager_McSchmueax	comes up to Temperance, looking a little nervous, and whispers in her ear.
[03:05]	* Suite_Manager_McSchmueax	is a short bald man in his late 40s, of French-Scottish ancestry.
[03:05]	* [Tess]Soraya	presents Len with a railroad spike, placing it gently in her hands.
[03:05]	* [No]Mercy	tries to shuffle Soraya from Len
[03:05]	<[Atai]Temperance>	What.
[03:05]	<[No]Mercy>	"Don't start actually -encouraging- her. A stabbed customer is not a returning customer."
[03:05]	* Suite_Manager_McSchmueax	whispers some more.
[03:06]	<[Tess]Soraya>	I didn't figure she'd be the type who's easy to provoke, you know.
[03:06]	* [K]Len	carefully swing it around. Nice little pointy thing it is.
[03:06]	<[Atai]Temperance>	...Well, didn't you offer him an escort?
[03:06]	<[K]Len>	...ready!
[03:06]	* Suite_Manager_McSchmueax	whisper whisper whisper
[03:06]	<[Tess]Soraya>	Oh, don't be waving that around. Put it away for now.
[03:06]	<[No]Mercy>	"This is definitely the wrong image."
[03:07]	* [K]Len	put it in her pocket as instructed.
[03:08]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Check the other rooms on that floor, and question the staff. Double-check the logbook.
[03:08]	* Suite_Manager_McSchmueax	...whisper?
[03:09]	* [No]Mercy	meanwhile tries to eavesdrop on Temperance, if only to save time squeezing it out of the manager later
[03:10]	* [Atai]Temperance	glares at McSchmeaux.
[03:10]	<[Tess]Soraya>	Well, it's a certain kind of interaction. You call it... hm?
[03:10]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Absolutely not.
[03:10]	* [No]Mercy	eavesdrops harder
[03:10]	* [Tess]Soraya	notices Mercy's sudden distraction. Something's amiss if she moved on this quick.
[03:11]	* Suite_Manager_McSchmueax	nods, and makes his way back through the crowd to the hotel half of the establishment.
[03:12]	* [No]Mercy	stops eavesdropping immediately once the manager breaks off
[03:13]	<[No]Mercy>	"--If you're going to keep that in your pocket you'll have to pay for your own tetanus shots."
[03:13]	<[K]Len>	---!!
[03:14]	* [K]Len	present it back to Soraya immediately. Tetanus is not a nice thing to have!
[03:14]	* [Atai]Temperance	yanks on Mercy's lapel to keep her from de-eavesdropping.
[03:14]	<[No]Mercy>	"...Yes?"
[03:15]	* [Tess]Soraya	quickly grabs it and puts it away again, hidden neatly from sight.
[03:15]	* [No]Mercy	bends at a very uncomfortable angle to get head to Temperance's eye level
[03:15]	* [K]Len	practice stabbing with her finger like a martial artist! Duwah!
[03:15]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Mercy, gonna need you to go round up the others and have them out of the way of the bar in the next five minutes. We have a bit of a Situation.
[03:16]	<[No]Mercy>	"That's an Evacuate Bar, then?"
[03:16]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Over by... the craps table.
[03:17]	<[Atai]Temperance>	No, no. There's going to be an exodus TO the bar.
[03:17]	<[Atai]Temperance>	I need all of you with me.
[03:18]	<[No]Mercy>	"How much Chaos are we looking at?"
[03:19]	<[Pyg]Bianca>	"That's all we're going to?"
[03:19]	<[Pyg]Bianca>	"I thought it would be along trip."
[03:20]	<[Atai]Temperance>	" 'Free drinks for the next ten minutes' level."
[03:20]	* [Atai]Temperance	pauses.
[03:20]	<[Atai]Temperance>	...Five minutes.
[03:20]	* [Atai]Temperance	turns to Bianca.
[03:20]	* [Tess]Soraya	gets back to shuffling the deck. Whatever comes up she'll probably be notified if it's important.
[03:21]	* [No]Mercy	crunches some numbers in her head
[03:21]	<[Atai]Temperance>	I'm not sure WHERE we're going. We've got a missing bigshot.
[03:21]	* [No]Mercy	glides away without a word
[03:22]	<[Pyg]Bianca>	"Bigshot?"
[03:24]	<[Atai]Temperance>	Big winner, in this case.
[03:24]	* [Atai]Temperance	begins making for the craps table. She pauses, head back to the bar, gets a sasparilla and a ham sandwich, THEN goes for the gaming table.
[03:24]	<[GreenwichMean]>	[END SCENE]