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Post by Krakenbox on Dec 27, 2021 15:34:54 GMT -8
Gavin narrowed down the territory, giving Aster the threads she needed to speak with her people. Some of the Halcones seemed familiar, surprised that the name was coming up outside the shiny veneer of being the University's local Weed Man. The dealer largely kept his head down and did fair business through the tangled web of one percenter motorcycle clubs and white supremacists that wanted nothing to do with a local Cartel connection. He threw well attended parties for harder gangsters near the bottom of the totem pole, accidentally becoming the local peacekeeper in the process as he offered up his slumlord assets as a dumping ground for spiraling relapses and new blood with too much money and a burning future. The locale was starting to corrode under the pressure of corruption, but no one had died just yet to kill the vibe. He seemed to have enough friends to dodge a raid. Really, the piece of shit was a goldmine to network for information when you were hunting a mark. Sage was somewhere on the east edge of Paradise off Russell and Sandhill, in a territory usually controlled by Green Nation. He would likely be surrounded by a gaggle of strung out squatters using inherited property to recover from the latest binge while assets were traded and protection money was put in the right hands. When Paisley came up, Aster was told that Sage had recently tried to hire their Sicario; there was a quiet rumour that one of his girls had overdosed, but the body was still cooling as every druggie froze at the prospect of being roped into an investigation. Sage had gone on the hunt with another one of his women, blaming some randie on the incident and even whipping up a chunk of help. The once-attractive house was two stories one a sizeable lot, with the blinds tightly drawn and only half the graffiti pressure washed before someone had gotten bored or gave up. There were a few nicer looking bikes that no one was interested in touching, with a few other nicer looking vehicles mixed with battered write-offs. There was an outdoor area with dirtied patio furniture and a barbecue someone had forgotten to cover that a grackle was picking at, and a floating bikini top in the uncovered pool.
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Post by Aster Blau on Jan 4, 2022 14:02:08 GMT -8
Aster couldn't help but smile as the Cartel melted away her biggest concern: Sage was not one of theirs. If anything, he was linked with supremacists and, honestly, Aster was down to deal with that fall out if she needed to.
As they rolled up, Aster looked like she was positively itching, her expression hungry as she looked to the nicer bikes with a look of disappointment.
"Seems like going in heavy would be a bad idea. Our boy's got company. Bikers, looks like," Aster said looking to the more intelligent Beast, "I ain't great with words otherwise, boss. Any ideas?"
The cerebral nature of the investigation itself was nagging at Aster, highlighting her faults, but her pride didn't matter when it came to finding Tanner. They still needed to talk and learn more, but it wouldn't take a lot to push the Beast over the edge. Now and then the call of the Hunt rang and Aster wanted blood.
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Post by Gavin Graves on Jan 4, 2022 17:24:37 GMT -8
He wasn't as sure as Aster about the current presence of bikers, but wasn't going to question it. She had enough pull to know things beyond his reach, even though he tended to see some things ahead of their arrival, and usually enough to get out of the way. They were about to deliberately go into the drug nest, decidedly not his usual choice.
"I'm not sure if that is just an affectation, but I'm no one's boss. Sorry if I got a bit weird back there. Dragons send me into a place where I'm kind of difficult to manage. It's like I hyper-fixate and am more energetic than usual. I don't know what it is, exactly." He had at least that much self-awareness after the fact. He was reminded of Aster's annoyance at him and knew it would anxiously burn 'boss' into his mind as he worried about it becoming an extension of that incident if he let it slip by without address. No one had put him in charge anyway.
"You said he was looking for a guy to do some work on the low low. He was even ready to look further afield than his obvious connections. Says to me he might be trying to maintain his front with the bikers and not appear weak and unable to solve his problems in house. Might give us an angle of approach: quiet freelancers. Tit for tat, or maybe the incidents are somehow connected and we can convince him to pull us on board to find Tanner and get a later favour out of him. Gives us an angle to appear serious, without stepping on toes to hard," his tone said it was merely a suggestion and like he was trying out the variables for size and match with their goals. He estimated their two Mantles would create an interesting mix going it. The confluence of Autumnal vulnerability and Summerly venom might keep the tweakers from getting ideas, the muscle from making much of a show, and make the business man consider the possibilities.
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Post by Krakenbox on Jan 8, 2022 17:35:31 GMT -8
Aster's concern about the bikers are valid, unless they're strung out. The idea would be that if the Beasts were going to throw their weight around, just be prepared to deal with addled violent criminals if the threat didn't land: both of them were well aware of how squishy mundies are.
Sage isn't ranked to even approach a demand that the biker gang should kill for him. Sage was trying to hire a sicario because he blames Tanner for something bad happening to his girlfriend. The optics of Gavin's assessment make sense if the criminal was more politically minded and looking to be quiet about the fuckup. If Paisley is connected to some of the bikers, the blame could easily flip to Sage.
Leverage with Sage would entirely depend on what they find.
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Post by Aster Blau on Jan 8, 2022 20:22:07 GMT -8
Aster's gaze left the house as Gavin spoke, the eyes remaining coldly attentive before gradually growing blank as the bird-like Beast continued.
"I'm not sure if that is just an affectation..."
"A what?" she quipped, her expression confused as she blinked. Then ol' Gavin started to get apologetic. That shit could get distracting fast.
"Look..." Aster began, "We got a job to do. And I'm a big girl, I don't need you looking out for my feelings. I need you watching my back. You do that and I'll do the same, don't gotta make it more complicated than that."
There was a shrug as the plan is pitched.
"We can probably do that," she mused, "but if Sage or his buddies puff up? Heads are hitting floors. If he doesn't tell us what he knows willingly, I'll be making damn sure he's forced to."
Tanner would be found whether by ruse or force. Aster didn't particularly care which so long as the outcome remained the same.
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Post by Gavin Graves on Jan 10, 2022 23:43:04 GMT -8
"You know how some people call everyone Dude, Boss, Cuz, Buddy, Mate." He shrugged.
"Right, it was more about respect than anything, but you got it." He didn't want to come off as some kind of crawler, and she was no cry baby so this Sheila would get what she asked for here.
"I can crack jaws if needed, don't worry. Mostly, I just try not to make that my opening move." If it came to it, he reminded himself to throw heels and elbows instead of claws.
As an outsider, the sound of his Oz accent tended to throw off the first blush scent of cops that these types were always wary of. May as well make use of it to get through the door he figured.
"Heya mate, Sage about right now?" he offered to the first occupant that didn't look faceless.
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Post by Krakenbox on Jan 12, 2022 19:24:12 GMT -8
Apparently the good times had not stopped rolling in the crack house. The wanton Beast popped his head inside with a casual air, stepping over strung out party goers that had just crashed on the floor when no couch space remained. Strewn trash had been carelessly kicked aside, and graffiti had been written over newly varnished walls while no one had bothered to turn off the playlist that thrummed through the complex. With the coverings over the windows, the inside was dark, and Gavin eventually honed in on a young and tired looking woman checking one of the aging pizza boxes. She leaned against the counter, head ticking back slowly as she squinted at him in confusion, "Who're you?"
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Post by Aster Blau on Jan 15, 2022 14:07:07 GMT -8
Aster listened for a moment, her impatience building as Gavin was stonewalled by some tired, hungry hippy. Still, the Serpent would give it one last shot before she started throwing hands, but she wasn't really patient enough to deal with all of this in a "nice guy" fashion. As the woman struggled to place Gavin's face, the Viper approached, serpentine eyes locked as she moved to the counter, placing herself within arms reach of the woman.
"Listen, shitdick, I've had a long fucking night, so I'm gonna make this nice and simple, yeah?" she began, "You don't need to know who the fuck we are and, trust me, you don't want to. We got business with Sage and we need to know where he is. We have a shared interest in a fella he's trying to find. So... where is he?"
Aster's countenance was smoldering, edging on the side of simmering violence aided by the blessing of Summer. They needed results and Aster was going to be sure they got them.
One way or another.
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Post by Gavin Graves on Jan 15, 2022 17:42:47 GMT -8
Apparently 'Plan A' had got all the time it was going to get out of Aster, which was apparently about eight seconds. He grimaced with annoyance momentarily and sized up the situation. Quickly estimating it was past the point where this could be spun into a good cop, bad cop routine--at least it was if it was him playing the role of good cop anyway, it was time to adapt.
Taking it in stride, he gauged the room and repositioned himself to physically impose on the occupants of one of the couches from behind to make sure they wouldn't get the idea to stand up or make moves on pockets or a strap and accelerate the situation further, while mean-mugging across to the other seating. In any case, he was in the best position to respond to a changing situation from. Leaning over them it was clear the manner of threat he was posing.
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Post by Krakenbox on Jan 16, 2022 18:16:28 GMT -8
The lady bends back until she's sinking into the counter, face twitching as her eyes started to water. Meanwhile, Gavin paced the room, shouting and snapping as he raked his claws along some of the furniture and over the heads of flinching burnouts. Glamour tricks took care of the rest, and by the time one of the bikers stood in protest to physically intervene between the two women, he thought the pointed talon under his chin was a switchblade.
The woman considered shouting a warning, but the risk Aster posed felt insurmountable.
"He's with Paisley," she whispered, indicating upstairs in the master bedroom as she started humming a familiar tune to herself that Aster and Gavin had caught themselves mimicking.
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Post by Aster Blau on Jan 16, 2022 19:54:14 GMT -8
And there it was. The moment when the prey knew it had loss and cowered meekly to beg mercy from the hunter.
Submission.
As Gavin did his display behind her, the Viper kept her eyes on the quarry as lips spread into a predatory smile while the girl sold out there quarry.
"That's good," she offered, "Very good."
Two birds, one stone.
"We'll have our chat then and, if all goes well, we'll be out quicker th'n shit," Aster continued, "It'll be like we weren't ever here. Right?"
With that Aster looked to the Bird, his muscles seemingly flexing with the desire to stay and play.
"Seems our egg is right up stairs," she said, "Comin'?"
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Post by Gavin Graves on Jan 16, 2022 21:53:00 GMT -8
Room control was hard on the vocal cords. He was plenty used to talking a lot, with his usual chattering through most conversations, but this had gone beyond his usual endurance with the volume he had used.
The cowed hippy girl soothing her overwhelmed nerves with a pleasing and familiar tune caught his notice. It was constantly running in the background of his mind offering cues and prompts and otherwise encouraging him to join in echoing it aloud. Hearing it come from another person unsettled him. It was the tune he tried to quiet in his mind figuring it might just be the song he was supposed to 'give no ear to' from the Demon Bird. To hear it now yanked it to the forefront again along with disturbing reminder of the ongoing Fae invasion.
This place was an additional problem for the Freehold piled onto all the other problems it currently faced. One that the pair were not equipped to handle in an ideal way right this second. He'd not seen what effect this ear worm might have on the mundane, and was morbidly curious what it would mean, but a more prominent task was at hand just now. He could make a phone call later.
Plan B was less than subtle so far. The yelling he knew would have caught the attention of everyone in the house, and he wasn't eager to be caught by someone's home turf advantage. Setting out glamour in the manner demanded by his contract, his movements became serendipitously precise.
The room was rampant with his court's emotion anyway. There was no sense letting it go to waste, but it needed to simmer for a bit. He would have to get it on the way out.
The Bird followed the Serpent to the top.
"The girl's been infected. They might all be." Paired with a whisper, he gestured with his head to the people left below.
"I'm wearing a vest; I can get the door." It was a practical offer, and nothing in his tone suggested otherwise. There would be no insistence. His companion was a serious person, and this was part of the work.
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Post by Krakenbox on Jan 18, 2022 23:37:17 GMT -8
The woman shook her head as Aster spoke as if she was a monster that was supposed to dissipate, hands open and in front.
There was a loud scrape from beyond the door while Gavin whispered with Aster.
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Post by Aster Blau on Jan 20, 2022 21:16:15 GMT -8
The room of bikers was under control. For now. Thus, the two hunter pushed further onward to the next clue in tracking their quarry. With a little bit of luck, it'd help them get the scent, but Aster had his doubts that Sage would help unprompted, even if it was fundamentally in his interests.
They would likely need to convince him and ensure they themselves weren't hurt too badly in the process.
The bird had the right of it. If he had a vest, Aster would be an idiot to try and make him take up the rear. Thus, she nodded, coursing the Glamour through her form to shield herself from potential harm.
"Right behind you," she offers, signifying her readiness to proceed.
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Post by Gavin Graves on Jan 20, 2022 23:43:21 GMT -8
The Beast moved on the door knowing it was likely barricaded from the other side by this point judging from the ruckus beyond. By now the girl downstairs had texted one of the pair inside that there were two toughs coming their way fast if the earlier yelling hadn't already given it away.
Back to plan A.
With an assertive knock on the door, "Sage, you asked a certain someone for fixers on a time sensitive problem. We're here, open up." He figured the man wouldn't want the name of a Cartel contact said too loudly through the door for the bikers down below to hear. The right pattern of knowing his pressing business and keeping it under reasonable wraps should help to ease things down a touch. "Twenty questions downstairs wouldn't do you any favours, right?" in answer to the obvious question.
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