part 1 of the session

<Nick|GM> ...
<Nick|GM> Last time, Moira Kane attacked the headquarters of a very well established gang in Pueblo, the Normal. Unfortunately for her, she was chased away before she was able to locate any goods. She ran back to her meager sleeping quarters and spent an entire day rigging the area around with traps.
<Nick|GM> It's Thursday now, and she's ready to go out into the city, leaving her home base well protected.
<Nick|GM> ||
--> Jackknife ([email protected]) has joined #WDPueblo
<MoiraKane> She looks at pride at the traps. Should slow someone down... hopefully. At some point, she expected her own HQ to be under siege and since it was just her... boobytrapping seemed to be the best plan. The woman casually heads into town, she looks disheveled... it should help her blend in with the junkies and other people that would stick around this hellhole. ||
<Nick|GM> She walks down the potholed streets, moving much slower than she had last time she headed out, without her power to enhance her movement. The sun is high in the sky, but it's not providing much warmth. Dirty snow and slush covers the streets, having only slightly melted since Tuesday night's snowfall.
<Nick|GM> The other people out in the cold are hurrying from one place to another, not paying attention at all to the woman passing among them. Moira sees the edge of the Normal's territory ahead of her, marked with a graffitied 'N' with a tail and a mouth.
<Nick|GM> She hears distant crashes and bangs intermittantly, somewhere behind where she came from. The sounds stop fairly quickly. A short fight? Something else? It's behind her, and out of her way if she wants to head farther into the city. ||
<MoiraKane> Not her fight, she'll let the villains take care of each other, but... well, she needs ways to actually start damaging them. How much work would it take to get an HOSV designation reversed? Oh fuck, that's unlikely. She needs solid info. Moira casually strolls into the city. Walk casual, Cherry. Just walk casual.||
<Nick|GM> ((Sneak and Awareness, please))
<MoiraKane> $roll 1d6-1 sneak
<[ATM]> MoiraKane "sneak" [4] -1 = 3
<MoiraKane> $roll 1d6 awareness
<[ATM]> MoiraKane "awareness" [4]  = 4
<Nick|GM> As Moira wanders through the Normal territory uncostumed, trying to stay indiscreet, she notices a distinct lack of activity. People aren't wandering around, here. As she gets deeper into the territory, closer to the relatively neutral downtown, she sees a crater, cracking the ground. That hadn't been there last time she was here. ||
<MoiraKane> Well, now THAT had her attention. The woman sucks on her teeth for a moment. This was... more curious. Definitely a power because, honestly, what the fuck else could do this? She looks for any clues, just trying to figure out who could have caused this. ||
<Nick|GM> ((Straight Knowedge and Investigate, please))
<MoiraKane> $roll 1d6+1 know
<[ATM]> MoiraKane "know" [3] +1 = 4
<MoiraKane> $roll 3h6 investigate
<[ATM]> MoiraKane "investigate" [6] (5) (3)  = 6
<Nick|GM> ((Also, just noticing, but your sneak roll should have been one higher))
<Nick|GM> ((Doesn't matter now, though))
<MoiraKane> ((No, she's not in costume.))
<Nick|GM> ((Where'd the minus one come from?))
<Nick|GM> ((you have 3 dex))
<MoiraKane> ((Huh, so I do.))
<Nick|GM> ((rip))
<Nick|GM> Moira notices that the crater seems to be directed straight down, and is large enough that not just any cape could make it. The only power she knows of in the city that would have such impact is Cruise, the Protectorate team leader. ||
<MoiraKane> ...huh. That was an unexpected result. Well, he's a good guy. He had to have a good reason. Then again, her brother was Protectorate and he was a fucking asshole. Maybe she should find out if they had some dirty secrets. Later, though. She was going to ignore the crater and find someone she could... well. Get information out of.||
<Nick|GM> ((You looking for just any civilian, or for something more specific?))
<MoiraKane> ((Not any, probably someone a little less civilian and a little more likely to have some sort of connection. People who are a bit more well-off than they should be.))
<Nick|GM> ((Invest, then))
<MoiraKane> $roll 3h6 investigate
<[ATM]> MoiraKane "investigate" [4] (1) (4)  = 4
<Nick|GM> Moira has to leave the territory of the Normal to find anyone. Near downtown, she notices smoke rising from some buildings, and checks one of them out. Inside are six people. One of them is cooking something over a fire. They seem fairly happy, laughing and talking more freely than most others she's encountered in this city. ||
<MoiraKane> Now, there were a lot of good ways to get in. She could try to breakin and overhear what they were saying. She could press her ear against the door, but that would leave her exposed on this side. She could kick the door in and force any information out of them. Instead, she knocks.||
<Nick|GM> The door swings open at her fist, the latch apparently broken. It catches on the warped floor, though, leaving it ajar. The man cooking tells one of the others to get the door, and they get up.
<Nick|GM> "You want something?" says the boy answering the door. He looks to be in his early teens, and has an accent that suggests English isn't his only language. ||
<Nick|GM> ((sorry it took so long, I didn't see your post for five minutes :( ))
<MoiraKane> Moira looks around the place. No, not Moira. This was Cherry. The woman that killed her brother. "Depends on what I can find here." She tries to seem almost out of it. Like not all the way here, just so people won't perceive her as a threat.||
<Nick|GM> "Come in," says the man cooking, from inside, "It's cold out." ||
<MoiraKane> Cherry casually strolls into the room and shuts the door. "Thank you." She turns back to the people that just invited her in. "I suppose introductions are in order. My name is Cherry." She manages to say with a large grin.||
<Nick|GM> ((Presentation))
<MoiraKane> $roll 1d6-1 presentation
<[ATM]> MoiraKane "presentation" [3] -1 = 2
<Nick|GM> "Howard," says the man cooking. None of them look at her while she talks, and she sees that one of the two women sitting on the floor next to the cooking fire has unshealthed a small knife.
<Nick|GM> Now that she's inside, she can see that he's making some sort of soup with a thick broth. It smells pretty good, especially compared to the airdropped dried food  packages most people in Pueblo were eating, and that she'd had last night and this morning. ||
<MoiraKane> Distrust. Is this what the world was coming to? I mean, you let a woman into your house, then pull a knife on her. She keeps her stance as casual as possible, she doesn't wish to show a hostile intent. Not even going to ask why she was stopping by? Cannibals? Please tell me they're not cannibals. "So, do people come in here often? You don't seem all that surprised."||
<Nick|GM> "Not that often, no," says the cook. "Not many people willing to approach a large group, and we move about. Can we do something for you? Need some water? Warmth?" ||
<MoiraKane> Probably not cannibals. Moira probably tasted less like pork and more like lizard, anyway. "Nothing so concrete as water, unfortunately. Information." She stops and wonders how word this. "I try to keep track of things, so I was walking by and saw a few people speaking and well, that soup does stand out with all the MREs, right? Just seeing what might be of interest, that's all."||
<Nick|GM> "Information. An invaluable resource. We could stand to give you some, if you could do the same in return?" He makes it a question.
<Nick|GM> The boy who let Cherry in perks up his head. ||
<MoiraKane> Cherry shrugs. "It depends. Mine likely isn't all that great since I'm from the edge of town. Might know a bit about some minor ruckus the other day, but that's about all." Most of yesterday was spent boobytrapping her house. Hopefully that would come in handy. ||
<Nick|GM> "Which edge? What scuffle? Anything helps." The man seems eager enough for any info he can get. ||
<MoiraKane> "Normals, the little dustup in their HQ." She keeps her answer short and simple. ||
<Nick|GM> "We already know a bit about that. Do you have any information we don't? Maybe, say, anything about the two new capes involved?" ||
<MoiraKane> Now, the two was news to her. Someone took her chance to do some damage? That might well benefit her in the long run. Or she might have to kill them, either way. "I know about one of the two, yeah. I saw her exit from the building as she ran out. I think it was a she. Looked like a giant salamander, trailing fire where she went. Wore a..." She pauses again as if she's trying to remember details."Wore an old fireman's outfit with the jacket
<MoiraKane> and a fire helmet."||
<Nick|GM> ((Deception!))
<MoiraKane> $roll 1d6-1 deception
<[ATM]> MoiraKane "deception" [4] -1 = 3
<Nick|GM> "Hm," says the cook. ||
<MoiraKane> ((Investigate to read body language.))
<Nick|GM> ((Go ahead))
<MoiraKane> $roll 3h6+1 investigate
<[ATM]> MoiraKane "investigate" [5] (3) (5) +1 = 6
<Nick|GM> The man looks like he's expecting more. Pressuring her with the silence? Or maybe he already knew that and is expecting new information. ||
<MoiraKane> "Think I got her name too. Moira Kane. There was a Sheriff's badge pinned to her jacket. Makes me think she wants to be the law enforcement of this..." Cherry stops again for a second. "What do you call a city like this?"||
<Nick|GM> "If you're using the official terms, it's a Hive of Scum and Villainy. Well, official enough. Most just say 'shiothole,' though. It's faster," says the women with the knife.
<Nick|GM> "Eh, don't be so hard on it, May," says the cook. "Aren't we healthy? Aren't we happy?"
<Nick|GM> Then, redirecting his attention, he addresses Cherry again.
<Nick|GM> "That's good to know. Thanks. What are you interested in learning as payment?"
<Nick|GM> Meanwhile, the boy seems to be taking notes. ||
<Nick|GM> ((shithole*))
<MoiraKane> She could ask about the crater, but that didn't concern her activities. "Shithole works pretty well, but yeah, y'all seem to be doing pretty well. Well, I was hoping to learn of work. Someone trying to set something up that I could get involved in." Involve in this sense meant destroying or disrupting, but whatever. ||
<Nick|GM> ((Wits))
<MoiraKane> $roll 1d6 wits
<[ATM]> MoiraKane "wits" [1]  = 1
<Nick|GM> The cook thinks a second before responding. "What sort of work? Do you have any particular talents?" ||
<MoiraKane> "Detective work and hand to hand combat. You'd be surprised how much they overlap."||
<Nick|GM> Moira notices a very pointed glance from the cook to the women sitting on the floor.
<Nick|GM> "Detective work, huh? We... might know someone looking for something like that." ||
<-- Divock ([email protected]) has quit (Quit: http://www.kiwiirc.com/ - A hand crafted IRC client)
<MoiraKane> "Yeah, I had a criminal justice degree and it's going unused." She muses. "Mostly the boredom is killing me at this point. So Cherry eyes the woman a bit. Wondering what her deal was...||
<MoiraKane> (investigation body language scan)
<Nick|GM> ((which woman? knife or no-knife?))
<MoiraKane> ((Knife.))
<MoiraKane> $roll 3h6+1 investigate, body language
<[ATM]> MoiraKane "investigate, body language" (1) [6] (5) +1 = 7
--> Divock ([email protected]) has joined #WDPueblo
<Nick|GM> The woman with the knife looks surprised, and in a positive way. Moira can't get a whole lot more than that, until she talks.
<Nick|GM> "We've got a... friend, see, who pays pretty well for that sort of thing. Information gathering. If we introduce you, and she likes you, you could probably make a fairly good place for yourself. That's... well, I won't say more, now." ||
<MoiraKane> Either this ends with her finding a criminal to get later and taking out a large information broker... or she gets an ally. Win-win. "That doesn't sound like a bad arrangement. What do I need to do?"||
<Nick|GM> "Well, she's due here in about an hour, probably. Or do you mean if you take the job?" says the cook, taking back over the conversation. ||
<MoiraKane> "The former. I figure I'd hear from her when the time came. I hope you won't mind if I wait around, then."||
<Nick|GM> "Don't mind. Don't think we can offer you any of the food, yet, though. Water?" ||
--> Stoic ([email protected]) has joined #WDPueblo
<-- Stoic ([email protected]) has quit (Quit: http://www.kiwiirc.com/ - A hand crafted IRC client)
<MoiraKane> "Water would be wonderful, thanks." She takes a seat in the room while she waits for... whoever it is to show up.||
<Nick|GM> The boy is instructed by the cook to fetch water from the (working!) sink, and he filters it through a wide straw-thing before putting it into a plastic cup and handing it to Cherry.
<-- Divock ([email protected]) has quit (Quit: http://www.kiwiirc.com/ - A hand crafted IRC client)
<Nick|GM> She sips it, and it doesn't feel like an hour has passed when the door is pushed open and a woman comes through, wearing a patchwork blanket with faded colors. She looks older, and a complete mess. She stares in Cherry's direction as soon as she comes through the door. Her eyes are brown, and they seem unfocused, as if she were looking at something in front of or behind Cherry, rather than directly at her.
<Nick|GM> "So, who are you, then?" she asks. Her voice is that of a woman older than she looks, but with the dirt on people's faces, age is harder to determine. Her tone conveys interest, above what Cherry would deem normal. ||
<MoiraKane> Drugs? Probably. Blossom stands up to greet her and extends her hand to shake. The running sink was suspicious... water really shouldn't be running in an HOSV which means they had some other arrangement. "My name is Blossom Cherry. I heard you had an interest in investigators."||
<Nick|GM> "Blossom Cherry, huh?" asks the new arrival. She laughs. "And would that make you an investigator, then?" she asks. ||
<MoiraKane> "My parents had a cruel sense of humor. My brother was named Lambert." She had already heard all the jokes about her name. If she went by other as a solo name, it sounded like a stripper. If she went by the whole thing, it sounded like a joke. She couldn't win. "Yes, I think that's a fair assessment. Sorta detectivy sort."||
<Nick|GM> "So, are you going to keep your powers secret, or were you going to tell us?" she asks, keeping a very straight face. ||
<MoiraKane> Moira hides her shock. With the weird look from earlier, she sort of expected this. "-What- are you talking about?" She asks, doing her best to sound confused.||
<Nick|GM> The woman doesn't respond immediately, but cracks up laughing.
<Nick|GM> "'What are you talking about?'" she mocks.
<Nick|GM> "No use hiding it. What is it? Fire, transformation, right? Are you the one who got chased away by the Normal?" ||
<MoiraKane> Moira stares her down. Keeping the confused look. "Or maybe I legitimately have no idea what you're talking about?"||
<Nick|GM> She snorts. "Yeah, right. You have powers and you have nooo ideaaa~. It's OK, we won't go around spreading rumors. "||
<MoiraKane> She rolls her eyes. Fucking great, the one person she runs into incognito can tell people have powers by looking at them. "Fine, you caught me. It WAS me. Happy now?"||
<-> JustLurking is now known as Lurks|Puppet
<Nick|GM> She laughs again, even more obnoxiously.
<Nick|GM> "I am, thanks for asking."
<Nick|GM> "So, do you still want to work for me?" ||
<MoiraKane> ((Knowledge roll to find out who she is?))
<Nick|GM> ((Go ahead))
<MoiraKane> $roll 1d6+1 know
<[ATM]> MoiraKane "know" [3] +1 = 4
<Nick|GM> ((Moira doesn't recognize her))
<MoiraKane> "That depends entirely on who you are." She manages to look over the woman. "I came into town on certain business and I'd rather not interfere with that."||
<Nick|GM> "Ah," she says, pointing with one finger, "you have prior arrangements."
<Nick|GM> The way she says it, it sounds like a joke.
<Nick|GM> "I can't be just telling people who I am, though. That'd spoil it for everyone."
<Nick|GM> The cook speaks up, interjecting, "Is the 'certain business' what you were talking about before? Being law enforcement?" ||
<MoiraKane> "I have a super power, a criminal justice degree, and REALLY can't go back to civilization." She puts emphasis on that part. "What else am I going to do? I want to make the shithole a lot less of a shithole. That's the goal."||
<Nick|GM> "Admirable," says the blanketed woman, "but unnecessary. The city is in a good place. If you want to work for me and do that, though, I won't stop you. I wouldn't be making you support anyone. Just learning about them." ||
<MoiraKane> That's... actually a fairly reasonable offer. She'll be getting plenty of info as she gets close to big targets and having a contact where she can trade it for more info would be handy. "That seems fair. Alright, I'm in."||
<Nick|GM> "Alright!" she says, and claps. "Soup time!"
<Nick|GM> The cook ladles out soup into various bowls. No two bowls seem to come from the same set. He and the boy pass them around to everyone. The two women by the fire, the silent man in the corner, themselves, the woman with the blanket, and Moira.
<Nick|GM> "No spoons, sorry," says the cook. "You'll have to drink it."
<Nick|GM> Everyone tilts their bowls into their mouths, enjoying the warm meal. ||
<MoiraKane> Soup was better than another MRE. Moira thanks the boy and drinks the soup as instructed. She still has no idea who this woman was or who she was eating the meal with. ||
<Nick|GM> "So," says the woman whose job offer she had just accepted, in between sips, "do you want to stay with the others, or do you have a place?" ||
<MoiraKane> Moira stops soup-drinking for a moment to answer the question. "I have a place." It's booby-trapped and she'd prefer to be alone most of the time anyway. Easier to hide the horrible thing she did if other people aren't staring her in the face all the time.||
--> FossWork ([email protected]) has joined #WDPueblo
<Nick|GM> ((pause))