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Palace of Greed, El Dorado (Library of Ruina)

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Adhoc vote count started by SoothingCoffee on Jul 4, 2021 at 1:21 PM, finished with 36 posts and 27 votes.
  • [X] A Walk in The Park. What better way to spend your day other than shopping? Shopping for food, there is! Well, you can also shop for something else, but you know where the real good stuff is. Anyway, point is, it's not everytime you can just go into the rich neighborhood of the Backstreets, and here you can expand your palate (as the rich would say it). Anyway, there's a strip of shops nearby here. It's pretty safe on the account of the Zwei. Tori's willing to pay some, but you gotta chip in a little still. [A Culinary (And Rich) Experience. Costs 50,000 Ahn. Upon Unlock, Cooking Skill receives a Bonus 150XP. Window Shops.]
    [X] Ready? Action! Tori wants to see you in action, and… and that's a fucking stupid idea. But. Well. You are getting a little too tense, and you need to vent a little. You don't even need to look for a fight – you can just walk around in the less guarded area with Tori in tow, and somebody will come, eventually – or get into the alleys, and look for Rats. Either or. [A Fixer Experience. Roll 3d100 for Random Encounters. Enemies limited to at most Low Urban Myth. Higher is Better.]
    [X] Kino Experience. Since there's no school tomorrow, Tori wants to go to the Cinema. From what she said, it's like watching a movie, but different. Better. It's an experience. You don't get it. H Corporation shit that only the rich can afford – only a handful of them exist in the Backstreets, and there's apparently way more inside the Nest. Not that Tori even gone there. Still, it's a bit costly, and even her loaded wallet can't afford two tickets – you gotta chip in a bit. [A Kino Experience. ???. Costs 100,000 Ahn.]
    [x] Just Chill. Or… you could just stay inside. It's boring? Well, fuck her. Just stay inside. Maybe watch more shitty movies. Maybe read books (eugh). You don't know. Tori'll find something to do. [A Cultural Experience. Get Culturized with the Rich Youth.]
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Calling the Vote!

I'm still a bit busy due to stuffs, but I should be able to get back to writing in a week or two.
 
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    • [] A Walk in The Park. What better way to spend your day other than shopping? Shopping for food, there is! Well, you can also shop for something else, but you know where the real good stuff is. Anyway, point is, it's not everytime you can just go into the rich neighborhood of the Backstreets, and here you can expand your palate (as the rich would say it). Anyway, there's a strip of shops nearby here. It's pretty safe on the account of the Zwei. Tori's willing to pay some, but you gotta chip in a little still. [A Culinary (And Rich) Experience. Costs 50,000 Ahn. Upon Unlock, Cooking Skill receives a Bonus 150XP. Window Shops.]


    It's late morning – no, early afternoon the next day when you both left the house for the nearby plaza. What a fucked-up thing to have. Hidden only in the fanciest of the Backstreets, a small clearing in the maze-like narrows of this urban jungle, paved with smooth bricks, and grey concretes; a fountain there in the middle, surrounded by benches, restaurants, cafes, and perfume shops. It continues upwards, rising, and narrowing, both sides lined with a variety of windowed stores, until it breaks of, returning to old reality.

    When Tori talked about it on the way, you thought it would be like the Market Streets, but this ain't nothing like that.

    You scowl, shoving your hands deep into your pocket, digging deep into the seams of your jacket. This is more than the Market Streets. You see couples of men, and women walking hand in hand, reclining on benches; a handful of kids there, running around the fountain. Music comes from a violin-playing man standing by the fountain. Scents of food wafting into your nose, wetting your mouth. In the corners, you catch men in blue coats – Zwei Fixers, their eyes watching like hawks.

    Feels like you just fell into a fever dream.

    You look up, and the Nest is still there, staring down at you. Mocking, and leering.

    This is no dream – just old reality, plain and simple.

    You sigh, forcing to relax your shoulders. You imagine it'd take a whole lot more to drill a hole into your pockets – especially one that would last long enough. You had noticed that despite being turned into a pincushion last week, there wasn't any mark left when you took all the knives out. Still. No point in trying to ruin your shit, right?

    Standing beside you, Tori makes a face. "What's up? You look… uh," she pauses, stumbling for words. "Angry."

    [Empathy Check: Easy. Pass.]

    It goes unsaid, of course, but in her eyes: 3 out of 4 times, you always look angry.

    You roll your eyes. "I'm not," cringing at how that sounded, you let out a quiet grumble. When in doubt: "I'm just hungry," it's not even a lie. "Let's get something to eat."

    "Are you serious?" she gapes. "But we just had breakfast!" squawking, quietly, she snaps her back straight; her hair flaring for a moment, before it rests back on her head. You raise an eyebrow. She flinches but recovers with a pout. "N-no, I don't care how hungry you are, L-Lily – we're not going to eat immediately the moment we got here. For one, I'm still full."

    You let out a groan. "… Then why are we here?"

    "Not just food. It's not all about food," Tori answers you, mumbling under her breath. She looks around the plaza – "M-maybe we should shop first?"

    "Maybe?" you repeat, glancing down at your charge. There's unsureness on her face. You smirk. "You don't even fucking know, do ya?"

    "S-shut up," she squawks quietly, looking away, shoulders slumping. "I know what I'm doing – I've been here before."

    "Whatever you say, kid," you snort, letting her lead the way. People part around you, eyeing with caution. You recognize that look. You're not welcome here. Or rather, you don't belong here. If it was back then, there might be something they could've done to kick you out – but now? You're a fucking Fixer. "But most of it is, by the way," you say idly.

    Tori looks away from display window – mannequins stand behind them. Dresses that hug tightly to the body, and gaudy wide hats. Got no pockets, hard to move, and probably ain't made with the same materials as Karrion's. You shiver slightly, recalling the time you spent dressing up for the seamstress. "What is?"

    "Food, that is," you say, and Tori makes a face. "Hey. You ever starved before, kid?"

    "… I've missed dinners."

    You snort. "I ain't talking about that pussy ass shit, kid – that ain't starving. Starving's when you haven't eaten for days, when you could see the bones poking outta your stomach, when you could barely move; when you start diving head on into the trash, and just eat whatever that enters your mouth. That's starving."

    Tori looks at you like you're a freak.

    You're not a freak. She is.

    Then it changes. You catch a familiar wariness in her eyes.

    [Empathy Check: Medium. Pass.]

    Last night meant something to her. It's a small thing, but you did comfort her, and in turn, she confided in you. Trust. Hope. It's a heavy, and fragile thing. She doesn't fear you, not really – but you're still a little scary to her. Ultimately, she only knows you for a few days, and vice-versa.

    Not quite strangers, but not so close to also not be strangers.

    [Negotiation Check: Easy. Pass.]

    Also, going "hey you ever starved near to death, kid?" and then "that's not starving, this is" is probably not the greatest topic opener. If you change "starved" to "fought", maybe you'd get a different reaction. But starving? Starving's just pathetic. You don't boast about starving. It's just sad, pitiful, and painful.

    "Where are you going with this, Lily?"

    Where are you going with this? You don't really know. It just came up, and it seemed natural in the moment. You look around yourself, at yourself, before back again at Tori, your lips pursed.

    [Ego Check: Hard. Failure.]

    You've felt this before. Bitter, and sour. You don't know how, or when – but it's tamer than before. It's right there at the tip of your tongue – but it's gone now.

    You click your tongue. "Just saying," you shrug in annoyance, rolling with it. "Food is pretty important. On my list of 'Most Important Things', it's up there in the Top Five –"

    "Lemme guess, it's number –"

    [Instinct Check: Easy. Success.]

    "Don't fucking cut me off."

    Tori jumps, spine straightening. You see heat rushing to her face; shock. "U-uh –"

    "It's not, by the way," you cut her off, crossing your arms over. Tori stays quiet, peering at you. In the corner of your eyes, you watch a food stall preparing food. Some sort of meat cutlets covered in one of those white dust things that makes food crunchy, dropped into a pool of oil. They bubble immediately, crackling, and simmering. When they took them out, they turn golden-crisp. Deep fried cutlets. Some got dusted with red seasonings. Looks spicy. Something Kai would like, you reckon. The others got cut up to square pieces, and then drenched with a brown dark sauce. "It'd be power."

    Tori blinks, startled. "Huh."

    You don't elaborate. You don't really need to. That one word explains everything that needs to be explaining. Power is Control. While the City runs on money, you can't have money without power. In fact, without power, you can't have anything. Just death. No. Worse than death. You'd be a puppet, tugged around by those with actual power. No dignity, no pride; not even dream, to look up, and wish for the better. Even your death would be painful, pitiful, and utterly pathetic. Without power, your whole existence is pointless.

    You look around yourself again – to this surreal spot of wealth, and power; at the people eating, lounging, and happily spending money, then up towards the towering buildings of the Nest. Then at Tori, staring at you with a complicated look, a question right on her face, then back to the display window – there's a man inside, watching in part annoyance, and expectation. You catch your reflection, glaring. Behind, the plaza, looming like dark shadows.

    You are so goddamn small.

    You shiver, burrowing your hands back into your pockets. So fucking much for being calm, and relaxed.

    On the reflection, you catch Tori's head snaps, eyes wide. "You know," Tori starts. "If you're really this hungry, we can still get something light to eat."

    You perk up at that.

    …

    ​
    Kara Fried Cutlets offers a selection of meat cutlets, ranging from good old chicken, to even fish and squid. You get each one, 'course – you gotta. You watch the dude behind the stall prep them up, his meat cleaver cutting in such a way that you can't even begin to explain. Like, man, who knew beating the shit out of your meat could make them so much wider? He dipped them into a bowl of some white stuff, and when they came out of the bubbling oil, they got this golden shell that reminds ya of HamHamPangPang's fried chicken! Huh. So that's how they did it. They give out two options after that – either you get them dusted into some red spicy-looking stuff, or they get slathered into some kinda thick soy sauce.

    "Mhmm."

    Crunchy. Easy to carry too. One's spicy, and salty, and got your mouth all watery and stingy – meanwhile, the one that got dark sauce on it is sweet, but also salty, and makes the meat all chewy-like; creating this sorta crunchy sugary skin on the golden coating.

    They're good, is what you're getting at. The pork's juicy and porky – the chicken's thin, and real crispy. The fish is pretty flakey, and – and you don't get to eat fish all that often. Or sometimes. Or at all. It's new. Squid's too – takes a while to get used to. And then there's –

    And for a moment, you let yourself forget about all the shitty shit all around you.

    In the corner of your eyes, you catch Tori keep glancing back at you.

    You smirk. "Bet you regret not buying this, huh," and then, to make a point, you bite into this – and you could hear the crunch, even as you chew it. Juicy. Spicy. "Sucks to be you."

    "Wha –" Tori flinches, before scowling – or at least, you think she's scowling. It looks more like a pout. "That wasn't what I was thinking," grumbling, she gestures at the store next to her. On the window, there's a set of pictures: no eating, no drinking, no smoking, no recording. "I want to get in there, but someone just got to take their sweet time!"

    You hum, looking down to your arms – you only got a couple piece left – then back up to the store. Zhi's Odd Emporium. A mix of toys, antiques, and pawned items. You see a case of what you think is a set of DVDs on the display. You shrug. "Well, the store's not going anywhere."

    And the food's going somewhere.

    "But –"

    You shoot her a look. She clams up quickly, looking away with a pout. She still sneaks glances up to your food.

    [Empathy Check: Medium. Pass.]

    She's not hungry, not really – but she might be a little bit peckish. Sharing would –

    Hah. You? Sharing food? Hell nah.

    …

    ​
    Article:
    [] Pouch of Iron Pills (3x). Used to be the product of one of the many fallen Wings, somewhat forgotten, their secrets now available to the public, only worth something to the select few. They were supposed to be some sort-of wonder miracle drugs, where minerals were turned into pills that could somehow interact with the human body one way or the other. You don't really get it, but then, you don't really have to. That's the good thing about Singularities. When Consumed, Heal 2 Health. Do Not Consume More than 1 at a Time. Cost: 50,000 Ahn.

    [] Hockey Mask.     It's a mask that covers the whole face except the eyes. It… well, there's nothing special to it, and beyond covering your identity (to a very thin degree), there's not much else that it can do. It's sturdy enough, though you're not going to trust it actually protecting your face. You suppose it looks somewhat ominous at the right angle… well, you gonna need to wash it a bit if you're gonna wear it. Covers Face. Really nails that Psycho Syndicate look. Hides… identity? Cost: 20,000 Ahn.

    [] Wristwatch.     It's a watch. More than that, it's a wristwatch – that is to say, a watch strapped around your wrist. It lets you tell time. Let's you tell time. If you're gonna be late to a meeting, it's because you chose to be late. Cost: 40,000 Ahn.

    [] White Jasmine Bracelet.     It's a bracelet. Good quality... you think? What else can you say? Well. It has a flower on it – jasmine, you think. How do you know that? Well. Fuck off, how about that? It just seems… nice enough. Standard Accessory. Seems well-made. Doesn't do much else. Conversation piece? Cost: 15,000 Ahn.

    [] Don't Buy Anything.


    It's alive!
    Somewhat of a nothing update -- and interactions might feel a bit clunky, since I haven't written for a while, but this is just to get the ball rolling, and go into the next things.
     
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    • Does anyone remember how our budget is looking for rent and taxes? I'd get the wristwatch and iron pills at least if we're looking good on money. Maybe get the wristband as a gift for Kai or something.

    I don't think the hockey mask works for the scarecrow atheistic.
     
    Parzival95 said:
    Does anyone remember how our budget is looking for rent and taxes? I'd get the wristwatch and iron pills at least if we're looking good on money. Maybe get the wristband as a gift for Kai or something.

    I don't think the hockey mask works for the scarecrow atheistic.
    Click to expand...
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    Well, we have 618,150 and we should get 675,000 total this turn. So just under the 1,300,000 we need to cover all the issues, but it isn't due until the end of Week 4 (I think) so we have some leeway. If we take two jobs next week, we can afford to buy all the stuff, I think.
     
    [X] Plan: Luxuries
    -[X] Pouch of Iron Pills (3x). Used to be the product of one of the many fallen Wings, somewhat forgotten, their secrets now available to the public, only worth something to the select few. They were supposed to be some sort-of wonder miracle drugs, where minerals were turned into pills that could somehow interact with the human body one way or the other. You don't really get it, but then, you don't really have to. That's the good thing about Singularities. When Consumed, Heal 2 Health. Do Not Consume More than 1 at a Time. Cost: 50,000 Ahn.
    -[X] Wristwatch.     It's a watch. More than that, it's a wristwatch – that is to say, a watch strapped around your wrist. It lets you tell time. Let's you tell time. If you're gonna be late to a meeting, it's because you chose to be late. Cost: 40,000 Ahn.

    The hockey mask isn't our style and the wristband doesn't really speak to me. Maybe as a gift for Kai, but I don't think it's really good for her either.
     
    [X] Plan: Luxuries

    Yeah, wristwatch and iron pills.

    Iron pills are obvious- Lily's a tank.
    Wristwatch allows for... well, knowing time. What time does a client wants to meet, how much time passed since your partner went in, how much time left till the darkness descends upon the City. Lily may be observant and have sharp instinct, but anything higher than that, thinking wise, and she's a civilian, if that.
     
    [X] Plan: Luxuries but cheaper
    -[X] Pouch of Iron Pills
    -[X] Wristwatch.

    I'm not so comfortable spending so much money. Pills are consumables. Better safe it to equipment or weapon or whatever.

    Edit: it's good to be back btw. I'm glad to continue this quest.
     
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    With a bit of luck, we'll get a bonus from dealing with the Rats next event, although we should still probably do two jobs next week. And there might be some interesting loot from the Rats as well.
    [X] Plan: Luxuries
     
    [X] Plan: Luxuries
    I was thinking about this quest in the last days and also imagining how cool would be a quest where you start as Rats and try to become a proper Syndacate.
     
    [X] Don't Buy Anything.

    I'm a bit tempted by the healing items but that warning makes me question how useful they'd be if we can only take one at a time. I kind of feel like any time we're in a situation where we need emergency healing +2 HP may not cut it.
     
    [X] Don't Buy Anything.

    I'm not really seeing reason to get the pills. Watch might be cool, but nothing we're doing at the moment really needs something like that. Keeping a nest egg for rent and taxes sounds nice.
     
    [X] Plan: Luxuries

    Is it risky? Yes. Are we likely to come back here? Not as far as I can see. So yes, I will buy the medical supplies. I could go either way on the watch but this way is more likely to win.

    Also I am ecstatic to see this is updating again! Long live Lily!
     
    You know, I cant help but keep feeling tense about bad luck causing an event roll that has us lose our money from a pick pocket. God, that would be hell.
     
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