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Palace of Greed, El Dorado (Library of Ruina)

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[X] Plan: Spicy Meatball Sub

Got to wonder though, how big was the debt Lin owed that he allowed Lily to stay instead of kicking her out?

Also, @SoothingCoffee do we actually have 415 XP or is it supposed to be less than that? Just asking in case we need to bump up some stats later during the week.
 
Islanderninja said:
Got to wonder though, how big was the debt Lin owed that he allowed Lily to stay instead of kicking her out?
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You could find out if you go and ask him about it.

Islanderninja said:
Also, @SoothingCoffee do we actually have 415 XP or is it supposed to be less than that? Just asking in case we need to bump up some stats later during the week.
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Thanks for noticing it! I missed that somehow, but yeah, you actually have 215 XP.
 
Adhoc vote count started by SoothingCoffee on Apr 10, 2021 at 7:29 AM, finished with 49 posts and 21 votes.
  • [X] Plan: Spicy Meatball Sub
    -[X] Luxurious, and Nutritious (80,000 Ahn): You can… you can treat yourself a little, right? For once in your lifetime, and – fuck. You don't know. Eat whenever you're hungry. HamHamPangPang sandwiches, and that rice porridge Mao and Mori treated you to. Shit, maybe even pork belly? God. Please. [Receive Status: Energetic – +5 Max Health, and Sanity Points. Receive temporary +1 to one of your Favored Skills (1d3 Dice Roll)
    -[X] Deal with Devils (Urban Myth)
    --[X] Go with Kai? (Recommended)
    -[X] Someone to Hang Out With?
    --[X] Kai. During a lull, you notice Kai moving up to the roof. Thinking about it, you've never seen her eat before, and well, one thing leads to another, and now you're standing in line together for HamHamPangPang.
    --[X] Mao. "Fuck the jobs," that's what she said, and… well, you don't think she actually meant that. Regardless, she is making time for you. So you suppose that means something.
    -[X] Back to your Roots – Simply to prove his point, eight people have been evicted from the apartment. Just like that. And they weren't even allowed to get their stuffs too. Technically, you don't have to – this isn't your job, anymore. But Landlord Lin's more than willing to lend you the keys, and – who knows, maybe you'll find something. (a part of knows that this is going to be awful; it's never fun).
    -[X] Corpse Party – Karrion is the "official" tailor of the Scarecrow Office. Technically, she has other customers, but the Scarecrow is her main customer. Regardless, she's apparently in need of a model – specifically female model, and this is something she has been severely lacking. There's Mao, of course, but Mao's built differently. You and Kai, on the other claw…
    [X] Plan: Crisp Bacon Sandwich
    -[X] Luxurious, and Nutritious (80,000 Ahn): You can… you can treat yourself a little, right? For once in your lifetime, and – fuck. You don't know. Eat whenever you're hungry. HamHamPangPang sandwiches, and that rice porridge Mao and Mori treated you to. Shit, maybe even pork belly? God. Please. [Receive Status: Energetic – +5 Max Health, and Sanity Points. Receive temporary +1 to one of your Favored Skills (1d3 Dice Roll)
    -[X] Sitting the Baby! (Canard): AH YES. Last week, you've spent your Bodyguarding in a somewhat short term. Escort this guy, deliver that dog. Mostly in the span of one day. Less, really. But REAL Bodyguarding is LONG TERM. Days – sometimes weeks, to months! THIS IS WHERE THE REAL MONEY IS! Nevertheless, Tony and Mari are a pair of husband and wife, and they're planning for their long-awaited honeymoon anniversary. That means leaving their thirteen years old daughter, named Tori (because TOny, and MaRI, get it?) alone. That can't stand. That's where you come in. Three days. You're going in blind. What sayeth you? Pay: 225,000 Ahn – After Cut. Unlocks Long Term Bodyguarding jobs.
    -[X] Dreaming of You (Urban Myth): Miss Ann has been having nightmares since… well, since a few months ago. That's nothing new, of course, and she did ignore it at first. However, it has gotten worse ever since to the point that she couldn't do her work – a teacher, of all things! – properly. Recently, she has woken up with cuts, and bruises on her body, and she has requested the Scarecrows to guard her from… whatever's causing this. Perhaps even from herself. Pay: 800,000 Ahn – After Cut, Before Split.
    --[X] Go with Kai? (Recommended)
    -[X] Someone to Hang Out With?
    --[X] Burke. Of all the three, Burke is the least you know about, though that's not saying much. He likes reading, as it happens, when you walk into the Office with him, and the Boss.
    --[X] Boss. Stepping into the Office, you realize that everyone is out – and the only one here is the Boss. Well. Shit.
    [X] Plan Pastrami on Rye
    -[X] Luxurious, and Nutritious (80,000 Ahn): You can… you can treat yourself a little, right? For once in your lifetime, and – fuck. You don't know. Eat whenever you're hungry. HamHamPangPang sandwiches, and that rice porridge Mao and Mori treated you to. Shit, maybe even pork belly? God. Please. [Receive Status: Energetic – +5 Max Health, and Sanity Points. Receive temporary +1 to one of your Favored Skills (1d3 Dice Roll)
    -[X] Sitting the Baby! (Canard): AH YES. Last week, you've spent your Bodyguarding in a somewhat short term. Escort this guy, deliver that dog. Mostly in the span of one day. Less, really. But REAL Bodyguarding is LONG TERM. Days – sometimes weeks, to months! THIS IS WHERE THE REAL MONEY IS! Nevertheless, Tony and Mari are a pair of husband and wife, and they're planning for their long-awaited honeymoon anniversary. That means leaving their thirteen years old daughter, named Tori (because TOny, and MaRI, get it?) alone. That can't stand. That's where you come in. Three days. You're going in blind. What sayeth you? Pay: 225,000 Ahn – After Cut. Unlocks Long Term Bodyguarding jobs.
    -[X] Someone to Hang Out With?
    --[X] Burke. Of all the three, Burke is the least you know about, though that's not saying much. He likes reading, as it happens, when you walk into the Office with him, and the Boss.
    --[X] Boss. Stepping into the Office, you realize that everyone is out – and the only one here is the Boss. Well. Shit.
    -[X] Back to your Roots – Simply to prove his point, eight people have been evicted from the apartment. Just like that. And they weren't even allowed to get their stuffs too. Technically, you don't have to – this isn't your job, anymore. But Landlord Lin's more than willing to lend you the keys, and – who knows, maybe you'll find something. (a part of knows that this is going to be awful; it's never fun).
    -[X] Corpse Party – Karrion is the "official" tailor of the Scarecrow Office. Technically, she has other customers, but the Scarecrow is her main customer. Regardless, she's apparently in need of a model – specifically female model, and this is something she has been severely lacking. There's Mao, of course, but Mao's built differently. You and Kai, on the other claw…
    [x] Healthy, and Fulfilling (40,000 Ahn): Rice porridge, but this time with proper seasonings, and meats, and vegetables. Maybe not even porridge – maybe you can eat rice as is with a side-dish, without turning it into sludge. Wouldn't that be nice? [Receive Status: Ready – You Deal 0.5 More Damage to others]
    [x] Sitting the Baby! (Canard): AH YES. Last week, you've spent your Bodyguarding in a somewhat short term. Escort this guy, deliver that dog. Mostly in the span of one day. Less, really. But REAL Bodyguarding is LONG TERM. Days – sometimes weeks, to months! THIS IS WHERE THE REAL MONEY IS! Nevertheless, Tony and Mari are a pair of husband and wife, and they're planning for their long-awaited honeymoon anniversary. That means leaving their thirteen years old daughter, named Tori (because TOny, and MaRI, get it?) alone. That can't stand. That's where you come in. Three days. You're going in blind. What sayeth you? Pay: 225,000 Ahn – After Cut. Unlocks Long Term Bodyguarding jobs.
    [x] Dreaming of You (Urban Myth): Miss Ann has been having nightmares since… well, since a few months ago. That's nothing new, of course, and she did ignore it at first. However, it has gotten worse ever since to the point that she couldn't do her work – a teacher, of all things! – properly. Recently, she has woken up with cuts, and bruises on her body, and she has requested the Scarecrows to guard her from… whatever's causing this. Perhaps even from herself. Pay: 800,000 Ahn – After Cut, Before Split.
    -[x] Go with Kai? (Recommended)
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Calling the Vote.

Looks like Social Week it is!
 
Well.

"Social"

We're celebrating officially being on top of our bills (Provided we don't fuck up the job) by goofing off before we get back to the grindstone to start working our way up to some gear.
 
Well, I can enjoy this winning vote-guilt free, I suppose. Although much of my brain was and is screaming at me to the point where I wasn't really able to support it, I still really wanted to see it, lol.
 
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2.1 Gambas al Ajillo
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    • [] Deal with Devils (Urban Myth): Wu, your client, is a local business owner in the Backstreets. Textile, for the most part, though not the 'special' sort of textile. He is, at the very least, savvy, and successful enough to make a living with a family of two; a wife, and a daughter. He even managed to pay tuition to get her daughter into school. One day, however, his daughter did not return from school – matter of fact, when he came to pick up the daughter, all that he found was a slip of a note. A location, a name, and a number. It's a ransom note. Raizer Jugglers, they are called. A Proper Syndicate, not unlike the Burning Men. They're known to be erratic, "random", and a tendency to go back on their words, etc, etc. You know the sort. There's really nothing that says that the daughter isn't already dead, but it's not like Mr. Wu got much choice. You'll be there to accompany him; your job is to obviously protect him, but that's not your first priority. Your real top priority, Wu has requested personally, is to make sure his daughter lives through this. Don't fuck this up. Pay: 1,350,000 Ahn – After Cut, Before Split.

    -[]     Go with Kai? (Recommended)
    ...​

    "Okay, quick briefing before you go," Mori says, clapping his hands for your attention.

    Raizer Jugglers. What about them? Who are they? You've heard of them before. Well, of course you have. In your close-to-ten-years stint doing the odd jobs for Landlord Lin, you've come to learn the people talk, and it's part of your job to listen. Most of them went through your head, but some things stuck around. Those are the real important stuffs, the things that could mean life or death, depending. Dying Syndicates replaced by new ones. The Boltcutters slain by Fixers, and an Office raided by the Merry-Go-Round. The Medallion put down, and eaten by the Anklebiter. A spree of vanishing Syndicates, and a spree of dead Fixers – nothing new, but still alarming enough to get talked about. Raizer Jugglers. Relatively new, and small time, in the grand scheme of things. They don't get talked about much. Or at all. Just a mention here, and never again, from somebody who dealt with them, and from someone who talked with that somebody. There are hundreds of Syndicates out there, and the Raizer Jugglers is one of many; a speck of red in the sea of blood. But nothing goes unnoticed.

    Mori provides a more detailed account on them. Fucking punks, really, but they're a proper Syndicate still. They sneak, and steal, and rob, and mug, stringing the corpses into "statues" for whoever's going to stumble into them, if they didn't rot first. Cut faces, and stapled skin. A horizontally bisected couple, joined torso-to-torso, and pelvis-to-pelvis, strung up on a rope like wet laundries. A group of people cut up and stapled together until they form a giant rolling ball of flesh that leaves behind a splat-splat-splat trails of blood behind. Corpses put into uncompromising positions – they're statements, supposedly; some "ironic" commentary about society, and the City at large, and –

    Yeah, they're that type of Syndicate. Psychos. Nutjobs. Not that Syndicates in general aren't nutjobs already, but some are more nutjoby than the others. These Raizers are not even the special brand of nutjobs.

    They're just sadistic, and murder-y.

    That's like, basically all of the Syndicates.

    Mori sighs, frowning as he staples his hands together. "And somehow, they nab themselves a schoolgirl."

    Somehow is the real-important word here. Schools have in them dozens, maybe even hundreds of kids inside – and for a lot of sickos, that's a fucking wet dream come true. People know that. They know that, and shit, you know that, so the schools definitely fucking know that. That's why they got their own Fixers, just as the Workshops got theirs, and they ain't 9th​ to 7th​ Grade chumps either.

    There's something fucky going on here, you think, and in a room of you, Kai, and Mori – as well as the Boss, because he's always there – all of you are probably thinking something along the same line.

    Probably. Who the fuck knows.

    Not that it actually matters – it's not your job to care about that now. Probably never going to be. Schools are for bitches anyway. You might be dumb, but even you know that schools are stupid. Let those Fixers the school hired take care of that, or maybe they won't, and who knows. Who cares. You're taking this job, and –

    "Make sure that everything goes swimmingly," Mori finishes your thought. You grumble under your breath. He glances at you, before quickly shaking his head. "… Easier said than done, 'course," he muses aloud. "Knowing what we know… well," he smiles. "I think you two will do just fine."

    You glance to your side, just in time to meet Kai's.

    Right.

    You meet Mori's eyes, and nod. "We got this."

    [+1 Modifier to Instinct, +5 to Health and Sanity from Food Bonus.]
    …​



    For once in your admittedly short career as Fixer, you don't have to go after your client. This time, it's the other way around. Sharply dressed, wearing black trousers, and buttoned-up black jacket over white shirt, Wu stands ready at the front of your Office building. Black hair peppered with flecks of greys and whites, swept back with some sort of gel, and a face wrinkled by time. Old enough to be twice your age. There's a familiar aloofness to him, reminding you of those bored cashiers behind their desks. Not quite stoic, not made from stone, but firm. In his hand is a briefcase of, probably, the ransom money.

    He has the look of someone knowingly, willingly walking to his own graves.

    Why is that?

    His eyes scan you two, and then nods. "I cannot say this is a pleasure, Miss…"

    "Name's Lily," you say.

    "Kai."

    He nods, closing his eyes one moment, and opening them back again. "… But thank you, regardless, for accepting this job. Here," he hands you a folded note. The ransom note, you muse, as you unfold it. Chicken scratches, though yours ain't any better. Amount of ransom: lots, nearly triple this job's reward. Location. You don't know where it is, exactly, but it's distinct enough. Time: today, in four hours. You have time. "Should we walk?"

    You look up from the note. "Sure," you nod, glancing to Kai. She nods, and you pass the note to her. She reads it. "I'll take the front; Kai takes the back. You stay middle."

    There's no nod, or affirmation from Wu, but he follows your direction regardless.

    Compared to all your clients, you might like Wu the best. Granted, it's only a small pool of threes, and you don't know if the second one counts, but whatever. Wu's quiet, doesn't lick, and doesn't exude that same snob-filth of Hailey. Just a man ready, and willing to die.

    You'll take it.

    "Miss Lily," Wu calls out, his voice firm. Flat, and monotone.

    Or not. Frowning, you glance over your shoulders, meeting his eyes. "What do you want?"

    He opens his mouth – and then closes it. His eyes flicker away, his hand squeezing tight around the handle of his briefcase. "My… my daughter," he whispers out, barely audible to you. "Do you think… do you think she's alive?"

    Lily being blinks, before shrugging. "Who the fuck knows? I only heard of 'em, and it ain't so outta character of 'em if what's left of her is just the head."

    Behind him, you catch Kai staring at you.

    You think about what you just said, and – oh. Shit. "Yeah," you add, lamely. What would Mao say? "She's probably alive."

    His face cracks, head dipping low. "… I see."

    Looking back to the road, you grimace. Fuck. Shit. Look, you're not even fucking wrong – in fact, you're in the fucking right here! You know this shit. You know how these Syndicates work. That is to say, expect the fucking worst, because they'll do even worse. Give a liver, and they'll take your fucking heart. It's better that he knows this in the first place. You're… you're tempering his expectation, yeah! Saying 'it's gonna work out' means fuck all when it's never gonna work out.

    He probably knows that too – walking like a man ready for his own grave.

    Why?

    The answer comes to you: because he's already given up.

    He's pissing you the fuck off. Fuck. You take back what you said. He might be quiet, but his attitude's fucking garbage. He's definitely fucking looking down on you, the goddamn asshole. Just because he's being a sad shit-sack don't mean he can jizz it all that sadness all over you, yeah? Like, what if you fail this job because he's being a shit like this. Not that you'll let it drag ya down, but – God, just why can't any of your clients be like…

    Like Sun.

    You scowl. "Just fucking stop it."

    There is a pause from behind. "… Stop what?"

    "This," you gesture at the empty air. "Lookin' all prepped up to die. Knock that shit off."

    There's quiet. Glancing over your shoulders, you catch him drilling a hole through you. "I do not expect you Fixers to understand," he says.

    You roll your eyes. "Fuck off."

    He shakes his head, frowning. "I did not mean it in that manner," he adds, pursing his lips. "We all have our own personal hardships, and… ultimately, she is my daughter. My family. She, and my wife, they are the only things I truly have left. If I am going to die for them, then so be it."

    You growl in frustration, shoving your hands into your pockets. "Fuck did I just say? Fucking knock that shit off."

    "Then what do you suggest me to do, Fixer?" there's a stone-like firmness there, in his voice. A growl. You glance back again, and his impassive stare turns into an equally impassive glare. "That I should weep, snot and tears running through my face? That I should act as scum, smiling and laughing as though everything is fine? Nothing is fine, Fixer. That damned school, and those fools who work there – I paid, and I trusted, and this is how they repay me?" he clenches his jaws, fists turning white. He turns back to you. "So, tell me, what do you suggest me do, Fixer?"

    You don't look away from him. Behind him, Kai shoots you an indecipherable look. "Anything but… this," you gesture vaguely, grumbling. "Being sad, looking sad, actin' sad. Bloating with so much sadness, you might as well just jizz it all over the streets," you open your fist.

    Wu blinks. "Jizz," he repeats, flat.

    "You heard me," you scowl, eyes back to the street. "Might as well just scream it out loud, why don't you? That you don't expect this to work out, that you're gonna have to die for there to be a chance – if you're lookin' to kill yourself, don't fucking include us, you shitsack."

    A pause. Long, and encompassing. The crowd around you, small as it is, seems muted. "… I am not looking to kill myself," you hear him say, eventually. "I am willing to die for my daughter. There is a difference, but like I said, I do not expect you to understand. For you, this is just another job, but for me, this is my everything. But you have a point," he adds, something weak in his voice. "I have settled my affairs before this. If I am to die, my family would be able to live still, and you would be paid regardless, if one of us – my daughter, or I – lives."

    You click your tongue. "So what happens if your daughter's dead."

    "Kill them. Kill them all. Every. Last. One of them. I want you to make it count, make them scream," his voice is cold. "It is not part of your mission, I'm aware, but I will give you this," he jostles the briefcase in his hand.

    "Hah," you snort. "So we'd profit more if your daughter's dead."

    There's silence. The implication is there, drilling through the back of your head.

    You scoff. "Don't you fucking look down on me, asshole," you growl, glaring over your shoulders. Behind, Kai lowers her shoulders. Really? You roll your eyes. "If I'm doing that, I'd work for a Syndicate already. She's probably alive," you say, closing your eyes. How would a Syndicate like them do it? Tie her up. Goad her, and torture her, perhaps. Wait for the father, and his bodyguards to come – and kill her right in front of them, savor the despair in their eyes.

    That's how they'd do it.

    Just your typical local loony-folk.

    "… Let's think how we're gonna do this," you muse aloud.

    Article:
    Plan your Approach (Choose 1):

    [] Just as Planned. You're going to walk straight into their trap. You can't risk it – they know that, and you know it. Negotiate, and hope that everything will go smoothly. Unlikely, but one can hope their own sadism would give you an opening. [Negotiation Checks. Best of 3 (Lily (+2), Kai (+1), and Wu (+3). Medium/Hard/Very Hard/Improbable Difficulty. Degree of Success reflect the result. Do not fail the Medium Difficulty.]

    [] Loud and Clear. You're taking the element of surprise. Smash and grab. You and Kai will break through the windows, or the doors, or whatever, and use their surprise against them. You're going in blind, but hopefully you're quick enough. [Instinct Clash Checks. Best of 3. Your and Kai's Instinct Roll against theirs. Unknown Numbers. No more than ten. They receive +1 Modifier. At least 1 Success is Required. Failure means death of daughter.]

    [] Mission Improbable. This is going to be tricky – instead of going through the front-door, you and Kai will instead go through the backdoor. Wu will have to move in alone, playing distraction. Or maybe one of you can stay with him, while the other sneaks in? [Negotiation Check to delay time, and Stealth Check to sneak in quietly. Easy/Medium/Hard Difficulty. Degree of Success reflect the result. Do not fail the Easy Difficulty.]
    -[] Who's sneaking in, who's playing distraction? Lily's and Kai's Stealth are at Equal level. If two people are together, roll becomes Best of 2.

    [] Write-in Approach. (I'll dictate the Checks that'll happen before, but suggestions are welcomed.)
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Oh boi.
    On one hand, going with Just As Planned would be best to gather info. On the other hand, Mission Improable may be more effective, especially if we send Kai and we stay with the man.
    What do you guys think?
     
    I believe it would be best to go for Mission Improbable, sending Kai to sneak in while we go with Wu for the negotiation. We are the tank, and an Easy/Medium/Hard check seems the easier to not fail then the others, a Medium min check, and an unknown check. Will wait for others opinions and potential write-ins first.
     
    [X] Mission Improbable. This is going to be tricky – instead of going through the front-door, you and Kai will instead go through the backdoor. Wu will have to move in alone, playing distraction. Or maybe one of you can stay with him, while the other sneaks in? [Negotiation Check to delay time, and Stealth Check to sneak in quietly. Easy/Medium/Hard Difficulty. Degree of Success reflect the result. Do not fail the Easy Difficulty.]
    -[X] Kai sneaks in, Lily plays for time.

    It's mechanically impossible for either of us to lose the bare minimum result whether both of us have Temp 1 or not--and we've seen her fighting style is all about fake-outs and going for One-Sided attacks when possible. She's shy and socially awkward, but her ability to move quietly has been consistently shown to be excellent--she might have an Insight converter like she has for Instinct or something similar. If her Temperance is good she can't fail to get the Medium result and with two dice at least one is a good idea.

    More importantly, we're a Protection office. Just because our Client is willing to die doesn't mean we're willing to let him do so, and Mission Improbable all but guarantees he dies because he's left alone and playing distraction against a gang of sickos. Our primary objective is saving his daughter and that's well and good, but leaving him exposed and unprotected is a really good way to risk him getting caught by a straggler or something, and that's just unprofessional.

    Let Lily be her usual distracting self, and Kai be the one who takes advantage of that, that feels like the right choice. Doubly so as this is absolutely the most cinematic option.
     
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    Now this is more my speed.

    [X] Mission Improbable. This is going to be tricky – instead of going through the front-door, you and Kai will instead go through the backdoor. Wu will have to move in alone, playing distraction. Or maybe one of you can stay with him, while the other sneaks in? [Negotiation Check to delay time, and Stealth Check to sneak in quietly. Easy/Medium/Hard Difficulty. Degree of Success reflect the result. Do not fail the Easy Difficulty.]
    -[X] Kai sneaks in, Lily plays for time.
     
    Hmm.

    Well, she's still able to guarantee success in the bare minimum result, and narratively, Lily being a distraction feels like it'd make a better result than just leaving it to the client.
     
    I'm kinda tempted by smash and grab, seeing as we're red primary and we got a + to instinct.
    It's risky, but on the other hand, it does play somewhat to our strengths
     
    [X] Mission Improbable. This is going to be tricky – instead of going through the front-door, you and Kai will instead go through the backdoor. Wu will have to move in alone, playing distraction. Or maybe one of you can stay with him, while the other sneaks in? [Negotiation Check to delay time, and Stealth Check to sneak in quietly. Easy/Medium/Hard Difficulty. Degree of Success reflect the result. Do not fail the Easy Difficulty.]
    -[X] Kai sneaks in, Lily plays for time.

    4 hours is a long enough period of time for a vote to be decided on.
     
    [X] Mission Improbable. This is going to be tricky – instead of going through the front-door, you and Kai will instead go through the backdoor. Wu will have to move in alone, playing distraction. Or maybe one of you can stay with him, while the other sneaks in? [Negotiation Check to delay time, and Stealth Check to sneak in quietly. Easy/Medium/Hard Difficulty. Degree of Success reflect the result. Do not fail the Easy Difficulty.]
    -[X] Kai sneaks in, Lily plays for time.
     
    [X] Mission Improbable. This is going to be tricky – instead of going through the front-door, you and Kai will instead go through the backdoor. Wu will have to move in alone, playing distraction. Or maybe one of you can stay with him, while the other sneaks in? [Negotiation Check to delay time, and Stealth Check to sneak in quietly. Easy/Medium/Hard Difficulty. Degree of Success reflect the result. Do not fail the Easy Difficulty.]
    -[X] Kai sneaks in, Lily plays for time.
     
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