Ivory
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Pres 4 (Regal) - SL 1 (Noble) Fairest Hunterheart
Posts: 588 
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Post by Ivory on Apr 3, 2021 19:08:17 GMT -8
The day had come. With Riley and Archie handling things on the ground, it fell to Ivory and Agrippa to look into things at the rental office. As Ivory had suggested she would do, she was dressed conservatively in a well-tailored gray suit and a navy blouse. The Pale Dragon's white hair was pulled back in a tight bun, make-up was subtle, and large aviator sunglasses completed the image of one bad business woman. With a little luck, the look and tapping of the Wyrd would help the pair get access. Ivory had done this before, of course, although that previous investigation nearly ended her own life due to her rash actions and failure to truly execute her gathered intel. Naturally, she wouldn't tell Agrippa any of this. Ivory was confident today would be different and, frankly, the past didn't matter. What did matter is the pair were on the same page. They needed to agree what they were looking for. Having at least 33% of a plan on what their focus should be would be important. Thus, as the pair edged closer to the rental agency, moving along in a nice, rental Mercedes (probably best not to use her own car. Just in case), the Pale Dragon would speak.
"I think we need to agree on what kind of information we're after," she said, "It won't bode well to be pulled in multiple directions once we get inside, particularly since you will need to remain in my sight once the contract is invoked in order for it to work for you too. I presume we'll need to look for the kind of information Riley and Archie may not be able to gather on their own. Of particular interest is finding out who's stalling the exodus of residents or maybe looking into the files of tenants on the block. I think we need to use this time to find whatever leverage we can to move this project along. Your thoughts?"Ivory's eyes remained on the road, her tone direct, but gentle. Collaboration was required in order for them to succeed here. |
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Post by Agrippa on Apr 5, 2021 7:57:04 GMT -8
"Hm?"
Ivory's voice tore Agrippa's bright eyes away from the passenger window. It took a moment for what she said to filter through, at which point they pursed their lips and frowned slightly
"Was there an indication that there was administrative force working to stem the tide of leaving residents? I was under the impression that it was mostly the residents themselves that weren't keen on evicting themselves. Either way, getting the names and job descriptions of all administrators involved is a must. Figuring out their opinions on the matter, as well as any personal agendas should also be a goal, if we can get that without suspicion. And keeping eyes out for outside parties is a good idea, I think, especially if we find any names that trace out of the neighborhood. If we want to move things forward, the first order of business is to make sure that we aren't missing a spanner in the works."
They fussed with their shirt collar as they spoke, clearly unused to the thing being unrestrained from a tie- they had kept their promise to Ivory, dressing down from their usual garb to a business casual in warm white and grey.
"Other than that, we should see if they know anything about where evicted residents would move to. If there are any obvious options, or if any help other than the payouts are being offered for moving. If there is none, then we know part of the problem immediately. If there are, then we can key in on a specific area to put our efforts and resources to make it more enticing for the residents to move there..."
They trailed off, scraping the reaches of their mind for other ideas
"Admittedly the administrative side of these sorts of things is not a strong suit of mine, so I could be missing important things here."
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Ivory
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Pres 4 (Regal) - SL 1 (Noble) Fairest Hunterheart
Posts: 588
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Post by Ivory on Apr 5, 2021 15:30:53 GMT -8
Ivory listened as she parked the car, roughly a block from their destination before killing the engine and turning her head to grant the Beast her full attention, gilded eyes glowing behind the inky blackness of the aviators perched upon her nose.
"I think it helps knowing that we have a second team on this too," Ivory says as the Beast says their piece, "It might be more worthwhile to focus purely on the administrative side and learn whom is heading the efforts to evict in the wake of pressure from the developers. If that's the goal, we can see what we can dig up from employee records. Go from there and see about their involvement with outside groups and maybe the developers themselves?"
At the mention of pressing the agency for information on where the residents can move, Ivory's lips gently pressed together. She was less than confident that information would be forthcoming.
"My guess is they'll feed you a script about local resources and grants. I'm getting the sense that their primary concern is getting people out. Where they go after that isn't really their problem," she said, "I'm not saying it's fair and I'm not saying we shouldn't try to help the residents. I just don't want to see us piling things on that we can't accomplish here, but if the opportunity arises when we get in there? We should definitely look into it."
Ivory fell to silence, musing over some internal thought.
"Archie and Riley are on the ground, right? They might have more information on who is connected to the block, mundane or otherwise," she mused, "Might be able to uncover a few means of helping the people there too. Either way this isn't a one and done problem. We could be at this for longer than just today."
Evictions didn't happen over night, the group had time to temper their approach and their aid. WHat they needed now was information. That had been a hard pill for Ivory to swallow herself, but today was a day to be precise.
"Nice suit, by the way. Gray fits you well," she said, affording the Unicorn a genuine compliment.
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Post by Agrippa on Apr 5, 2021 22:03:12 GMT -8
Agrippa listened patiently and nodded at every point the dragon made, clearly wishing to defer to her for a relatively knowledgeable opinion. They waited until the very end, when she complimented their suit, to respond
"I sure hope so, these are just about the only neutral things in my closet!"
They chuckled, smiling slightly embarrassed
"The idea to look into where the residents may go was more practical than empathetic- after all, if they have nowhere to go, they'll be far less likely to take the payout and leave. Not that I wouldn't want to make sure they're going to be alright after this, but making sure that they have a place to go doesn't only serve to calm our consciences. But you are right, we have finite time, and we can't be meandering about this. I'd suggest a hierarchy of goals-"
They held up a hand as a visual aid, lifting a finger for each item of the list
"First order is to get all the names and details of the administrators involved, preferably by getting our hands on employee records. Second order is to figure out what they have been doing, or at least their version of it- if the story we get is different to what Riley and Archie get, that might be a point of interest. Third order is to sniff out anything fishy in terms of connections or actions on the administrative side. All of that should be plenty enough for one trip."
They nodded to themselves, before looking up to Ivory with an expectant optimism
"I'm not missing anything, am I? I'm on the right track?"
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Ivory
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Pres 4 (Regal) - SL 1 (Noble) Fairest Hunterheart
Posts: 588
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Post by Ivory on Apr 8, 2021 0:57:16 GMT -8
Ivory smiled.
"An excuse for a little shopping? Say no more," the dragon offered as Agrippa announced the limits of their wardrobe, "Perhaps after this we'll have a reason to celebrate. Even if not a little retail theraphy will probably be in order. I think you'd kill in navy."
Investigations were stressful, particularly when they didn't have a super strong lead. Though, what would be the point of an investigation if the plans forward were plain? This needed to happen.
The smile turned slightly solemn as Agrippa voiced their understanding that the aid for the residents was secondary now. It wasn't something Ivory particularly enjoyed putting on the back burner, but they had to. Once they were done, then she would approach various charities to try and mobilize some aid, because going through her acquaintances and other notables in the Freehold had been... a source of frustration.
At the hierarchy of goals, Ivory listening, nodding slightly as each point was given.
"I think the reason they are doing it is fairly clear, Agrippa," she said, "There is an increased interest of property in Whitney from developers. The property owners of the property managed by this company are looking to sell in order to profit from the interest boom. If some agenda regarding our people is involved, I doubt they are aware. Still... you're right it might be worth looking into. Especially if some in the company are pressuring the owners to sell. I agree with you're hierarchy."
Then the smile's warmth returned.
"Of course you didn't," she praised, "You're a natural!"
Clearing her throat the Pale Dragon would grab her phone and purse, within which rested a small notepad, pen, some cash, and, of course, her credit cards and ID. If this line of work continued, Ivory was beginning to suspect she would need to lay the groundwork for another alias...
"As for the contract," she began as she checked to make sure everything was gathered, "If successful it will imbue me with a sense of authority which should allow me to get through and function as if I belong... Do you possess the Mask of Superiority?"
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Post by Agrippa on Apr 9, 2021 2:02:35 GMT -8
Agrippa smiled wide, nodding at Ivory's suggestion of retail therapy
"With that motivation hanging over our heads, we will have no choice but to make sure we have something to celebrate!"
In truth, the unicorn's closet was limited in colour for more reasons than a simple lack of resources- they had fallen in love their pastel aesthetic, and had quite deliberately avoided sullying the candy wardrobe with anything that didn't belong. But there was no good reason to elaborate on that at present, and if they were being entirely honest with themselves, having some variety would be useful for situations like these.
As the dragon went on to speak of motivations, Agrippa kept nodding passively, checking their pockets to be sure they had everything in order: wallet, phone, pen, notepad, and two little plastic card holders that could either be pinned, or worn on a lanyard. The last they pulled out just as Ivory complimented their investigatory intuition. They flushed, though their expression was shy only momentarily, as it widened into a mischievous grin as soon as she mentioned the contract.
"Do I? Oh, don't you know it! Its the reason I got these here-"
They offered one of the card holders to Ivory
"Just in case they have nametags or whatnot. You know how these things work better the closer you look to the authentic article. I also have something that can get us through locked doors and file cabinets, if it comes to that."
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Ivory
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Pres 4 (Regal) - SL 1 (Noble) Fairest Hunterheart
Posts: 588
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Post by Ivory on Apr 9, 2021 14:53:21 GMT -8
Ivory's tugged wider at Agrippa's enthusiasm at a potential visit to shops. It was something they would both want, if things went well.
At the Beast's assurances that they knew the contract, Ivory let out a soft sigh of relief.
"Excellent," she offered, "That will make this much easier and afford us the ability to work independently if need be."
It made things substantially less stressful.
The dragon granted the Unicorn an impressed look. Agrippa had thought this through thoroughly and, although she doubted she would need it, Ivory accepted the nametag graciously.
"Thank you," she said. Then eyes flicked in the direction of their quarry, "Well, with both of us knowing the contract we have two ways we can play this. We can enter as a pair or we can enter separately. On the one hand, being grouped would allow us to make use of our talents together, but wandering around attached at the hip could also warrant greater attention. On the other, entering separately would allow us to pursue our objectives with less overt attention, but we wouldn't be able to pool our gifts. How do you want to play this?"
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Post by Agrippa on Apr 9, 2021 15:52:29 GMT -8
Agrippa pursed their lips, eyes wandering similarly towards the office as they mused over the question of strategy
"I think I would be more comfortable if we went together- even the matter of pooling our gifts aside, it is prudent to have a safety net in each other, should something slip up. And it would prevent us from collecting redundant information."
The unicorn cast a look down at their side, just long enough to locate the seatbelt clip they were still strapped into. They unbuckled it, the click and subsequent whir of the thing unlatching and winding back up into the roof of the car interrupting their train of thought
"Honestly, even if we entered as a pair, we could still split up without much suspicion provided we both use the contract. We would be associated with each other of course, but that doesn't mean we can't talk to different people if the need arises. It isn't especially suspicious for two separate office workers to sometimes collaborate, after all."
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Ivory
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Pres 4 (Regal) - SL 1 (Noble) Fairest Hunterheart
Posts: 588
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Post by Ivory on Apr 13, 2021 14:45:21 GMT -8
A warm smile was offered to the Beast, the Pale Dragon's attempt at reassurance.
"Together then," she said, affirming her agreement at their approach.
Ivory let out a breath as she stared down the block. This shit could be nervewracking at first. With a little luck, though, the Wyrd would help pave the way. If it didn't? Well...
No point thinking about that now. Move. Forward.
A glint of resolve hit the Fairest's features as she glanced back to the sweet Unicorn.
"Ready, partner?" she asked, "Don't forget. Prock that contract as soon as we enter."
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Post by Agrippa on Apr 13, 2021 15:07:56 GMT -8
Agrippa nodded decisively, reflecting Ivory's reassurance back at her twofold with an optimistic grin
"Ready as I'll ever be!"
With that, they reached out to the door handle, clicked it open and stepped outside.
"After you."
The offer was as much polite invitation as it was a subtle reinforcement that the unicorn would rather not take lead.
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Post by Krakenbox on Apr 14, 2021 21:06:02 GMT -8
 The property management office on the block they were supposed to investigate was open at 9:00, the younger looking man with a dark complexion and a fresh cut fade typed on his computer, taking the occasional call. He wore a button up with a tag indicating his name was Jorge.
The outside was single level with one entrance and one emergency exit. There were bars on the windows and some discoloured paint from replacing the graffiti, the newest tag bleeding through the wet tan stucco with a message in Spanish. |
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Post by stray on Apr 16, 2021 15:16:38 GMT -8
Leading at Agrippa's insistence, the Pale Dragon entered with a sense of confidence, driven by a deep need to prove the outing had been useful. The graffiti was ignored. It was unimportant. Instead, as she entered, the gaze of the dragon rested on the young man at the front desk and the logo behind him. Then the Pale Dragon invoked the Wyrd. The catch was met, but Ivory was pouring more into this than simple glamour. This outing needed to go well.
After a moment of straining her will to adjust the course of the Wyrd in her favor, Ivory simply strode up to the desk and cleared her throat.
"Good afternoon," she said, her eyes resting upon the man with her inherent authority.
It was time to see what the Wyrd had wrought. How would this man see her?
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Post by Agrippa on Apr 18, 2021 0:11:31 GMT -8
Agrippa tried to hide a self-satisfied smirk as they spotted the nametag on the employee's shirt. It had been an easy guess, but the unicorn was going to take this as a win in any case. They glanced to Ivory momentarily just to make sure she hadn't seen something they hadn't, before they followed suit on her calling of the contract. True to their intentions from earlier, they simply smiled and nodded at the man as Ivory spoke her greeting- they weren't planning to be silent for long, but they would let the Dragon dictate the tone of this play before they would join in with the improv.
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Post by Krakenbox on Apr 20, 2021 17:03:38 GMT -8
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Post by Agrippa on Apr 21, 2021 3:34:09 GMT -8
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