|
Post by Dead Sidekick on Feb 21, 2011 8:24:07 GMT -5
After changing into civilian clothes provided by the Paladin Institute, Elixir and Ferine are issued cash and some small radio devices to communicate back with the others at the Angel Towers.
They take the subway to the Bronx, and emerge down the street from the Roaring Twenties club. The neighborhood is rough looking. Limosines slow down and stop as thugs go to their windows, likely making drug deals or passing messages.
There's a line to get into the Roaring 20s club. A burly man in a pin striped suit at the door checks a clipboard for names. Some people he waves through, others he charges $100 to get in if their name is not on the list. Both Elixir and Ferine pay the cover charge seperately, and are admitted in to wait for tables
Inside the club are a vast array of dining tables with people seated and eating and drinking. On stage a band playing acid jazz music plays. There's a dancefloor with a few people dancing or talking.
The club is full of well dressed individuals, businessmen and gangsters.
Elixir and Ferine are seated at seperate tables, and given menus with Mediterranean cuisine. The food and drinks are insanely overpriced. Still, there is a lot of people eating.
|
|
Ferine
Gd(10) Member
Posts: 75
|
Post by Ferine on Feb 22, 2011 13:17:55 GMT -5
Ferine looks around a bit just to get a feel for the place, then looks at the menu. When the waiter comes back Ferine orders the butternut squash pilaf for an appetizer and a bottle of the house wine, and the chicken farfalle with creamy walnut sauce for the main course, and a pomegranate poached pear for dessert. Ferine glaces around at the other patron as she waits for her food to arrive.
|
|
|
Post by Dead Sidekick on Feb 23, 2011 13:29:37 GMT -5
Ferine feels a chill down her spine and the hint of the smell of sulphur as a handsomely dressed yet harsh faced man passes her and plops into a seat at Elixir's table. and begins to speak with him.
There is a disturbance at the front entrance. The burly doorman hands his clipboard to another person and removes his suit jacket, squaring up for a fist fight. Less than twenty seconds later, the burly man is sprawled on the sidewalk unconscious outside the club and a man in a red costume with black cape and cowl enters the club. Security gives him a wide berth, but all eyes are on this costumed man that just made short work of the doorman.
=====
A man with bushy eyebrows, a goatee, and a harshly weathered face takes a seat across from Elixir. He is dressed in an expensively tailored suit.
He says in a low, haunting voice that seems to echo in Elixir's mind, "I know what you seek. I will help you find it, for a price."
|
|
Elixir
In(40) Member
![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star.png)
Posts: 232
|
Post by Elixir on Feb 24, 2011 9:40:58 GMT -5
Elixir responds in a flat voice, "Really. Which of the many things that I seek do you know about?"
At the same time Elixir thinks to himself,
Well this isn't something that happens everyday...
|
|
|
Post by Dead Sidekick on Feb 24, 2011 10:54:26 GMT -5
Ferine hears some in the crowd exclaim that the costumed man just knocked out the doorman who was an amateur mixed martial arts champion. The man walks to the bar at the other side of the club. Something about the man who sat down with Elixir is disturbing to Ferine's animal senses. She smells... evil intent and danger from the man. ====== The band onstage begins playing a dub jazz rendition of the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter" that flips into a Rolling Stones retrospective that prominently features "Sympathy for the Devil." [ooc: track #22 on the After Midnight game soundtrack www.playlist.com/playlist/18230362891 ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png) ] ...please allow me to introduce myself... I'm a man of wealth, and tastes...The man replies to Elixir, "I know that you have a dead friend. I know that you seek the ressurection spell of my servant Bartholomew Jacobs. I know that you can be an even more powerful servant than he."
|
|
Ferine
Gd(10) Member
Posts: 75
|
Post by Ferine on Feb 24, 2011 11:22:28 GMT -5
Ooc: *Ferines runs around the resturant flapping her arms, yelling danger Will Robinson danger!!!!*
IC: Ferine tries to divide her attention between the strange caped man and the other going over to Elixir.
Ferine shudders at the sulfur smell the man eminates as he walks past over to Elixirs table and wishes she was closer to hear what is being said between Elixir and the strange man.
Ferine asks the waiter where the ladies room is and heads off that way. Once in the ladies room Ferine attempts to contact one of the others at the Tower, to let them know that there may be trouble brewing.
|
|
|
Post by Dead Sidekick on Feb 24, 2011 11:56:14 GMT -5
As Ferine excuses herself to the rest room, she overhears some goons in pinstriped suits talking about the costumed man that just knocked out the doorman and went to the back of the bar.
"Mr. H ain't gonna be happy about capes in his club."
"Maybe he's on the payroll. You know Mr. H has a big job comin' up. Got all sorts of costumed freaks lined up for it."
"I don't like it. Mr. H don't normally pull in the masks and caped freaks to help him. Good ol' fashioned muscle is the way we always worked. This Faces of Fear gang must really have him spooked. And with the Punisher broke out of prison..."
"Shut that talk up, Bennie! Mr. H. ain't afraid of nobody. He's got a plan for the Punisher and those Kick junkie wannabes trying to play him."
"I'm just sayin' we used to take care of this for Mr. H. and now he's hiring these freaks that..."
"Shut it up, Bennie! Eat your spaghetti and shut up."
|
|
Elixir
In(40) Member
![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star.png)
Posts: 232
|
Post by Elixir on Feb 24, 2011 16:44:28 GMT -5
"Whoah", Elixir whispers quietly to himself, but still a bit skeptical.
"Okay hotshot, color me intrigued, you know something about what's going on and are in the right time and place to say something. But that doesn't prove anything other than that you've got connections and security at...well you probably know the name of the organization too...isn't all it's cracked up to be."
"So, what's your angle?"
|
|
|
Post by Dead Sidekick on Feb 24, 2011 18:43:32 GMT -5
"First, a test of loyalty," the withered man says to Elixir. "You can turn your body into anything. Become nerve gas. Kill everyone in this neighborhood right now and I'll show you how to seize the Jacobs resurrection spell for the dead Roma girl."
The man seems maliciously evil, getting as much of a rise out of suggesting the unthinkable to Elixir as of the thought of Elixir actually doing it.
"They're mostly humans. Monkeys. A mutant like yourself should walk among them as a dark god."
|
|
Elixir
In(40) Member
![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star.png)
Posts: 232
|
Post by Elixir on Feb 25, 2011 13:24:43 GMT -5
"You know...I could. But you still haven't proven that you're anything special, other than knowing how to cue up a good song for your entrance. Nice choice by the way, I'm a Stones fan myself. You know who else I'm a fan of? ACDC. They've got one particular song that seems relevant to this situation...you may have heard of it...Money Talks...BS walks..."
I'm still not sure about this guy, he seems to know an awful lot, but hasn't shown anything substantial to back it up yet...
|
|
|
Post by Dead Sidekick on Feb 25, 2011 14:59:39 GMT -5
The weathered looking man in expensive attire licks his lips, flashing a toothy, devilish grin.
"Ah, a negotiator. I love negotiators...."
He sets his hands on the table, almost as if he were going to push it through the floor as he leans forward towards Elixir.
"Let me say first that your goodness, your moral strength and sense of responsibility disgusts me. A doctor? A healer? Really? You that could be a poisoner? A terrorist? Surely you don't need me to point you the way towards instant wealth. Besides, I have what you need, not the other way around. I will have Bartholomew Jacobs' soul eventually. Perhaps his return and last gasp of murder and violence and destruction upon the Earth will serve me as well. All evil serves me. Even the loathed Formorexians will come to serve me. And when the time comes, perhaps you will serve me as well, in action if not in sworn allegiance. No deals to make today. I will tell you something, for free. You and your friends are close to finding the Jacobs book. So is Hammerhead. You must get closer to Hammerhead to find it. Engage him in a game of chance, a poker game. Tomorrow night. Use the name Sam Evans. This is your opening."
The weathered man sets a thumb-sized, smooth and round dark metallic pebble on the table.
"Take this pebble to your pathetically misnamed Paladins of Righteousness. Let the ones who stand vigilant know they live and prosper only at my amusement. That they trifle with forces that they should leave alone."
The man gets up from the table and blends into the crowd and shadows, and disappears, no where to be seen.
=====
At the back of the club there is some shouting, as thugs and gangsters begin to shout at the caped man at the bar.
|
|
|
Post by Dead Sidekick on Feb 27, 2011 0:10:41 GMT -5
Ferine enters the ladies' room.
At the sink, two women are snorting lines of a white powder off of the counter that glistens with a phosphorescent green glow -- a Raildriver (cocaine laced with a small amount of Kick).
|
|
Elixir
In(40) Member
![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star.png)
Posts: 232
|
Post by Elixir on Feb 27, 2011 13:26:28 GMT -5
Elixir shakes his head as if in a daze. Then, trying to make sure he remembers the name given, writes SAM EVANS down on a coaster.
"Probably not related to Bob Evans", Elixir comments with a wry smile. Almost as an afterthought he also pockets the odd stone left behind.
In any case, ignoring what this fellow's true nature is, he sure knows a ton about what's going on. There's no reason to doubt his knowledge about the poker game either. I wonder if his name is an acronym or code for anything. I'll have to get in touch with Glitch when I get back to have him check on that.
If he's telling the truth and this spell can be used to return Kassandra to life...what would I pay for that?
|
|
|
Post by Dead Sidekick on Mar 1, 2011 1:57:42 GMT -5
As Elixir pockets the small stone, he notices that it is composed a metallic material unlike any he's ever encountered. The stone almost feels numbing to the touch, as if it were giving off a small electrical current although no electricity is actually running through it or emanating from it.
The disturbance at the back bar is getting louder, as thugs encircle the costumed man in cape and cowl, arguing with him. The band continues to play.
Elixir overhears from a table next to his three men discussing the local gang war situation.
"Hey, are they gonna take that guy out back already? Anyway, like I was telling Vinnie, they have hit the Crimson Smiles, the Gutter Pirates, the Broad Daylight Killaz, the Flashing Blades, the Buzzcuts, and have escalated to hitting Nefaria's offices and the Kingpin's club. These Faces of Fear mooks are getting more ambitious. Gotta figure out who they're fronting for. Their leader calls himself 'Mister Fear' and he's muscling in a lot of family territory, and fast. Some of the street soldiers are rallying up behind some mutant kid, Tommy something. He was a Flashing Blades gofer but now he's piecing together an alliance of gangs that have been hit by the Faces of Fear weirdoes. Don't know what Silvermane's doing. Nefaria's trying to find out who blew up his warehouse, and the Jade Phoenix Yakuza has their damned ninjas out hunting for the capes that turned over their K shipment to SHIELD. Mr. H sent Deadshot to take out everyone dealing K on the payroll to cover those tracks. He said that he didn't get to the bonesaw in time before the Hand ninjas got to him. Somebody blew his hand off. SWAT took him in, by now he's feeding the fishes. At least Mr. H's still got the local cops in his pocket. Deadpool was supposed to take out that homeless superstrong guy, what was his name? Mr. Incredible or Old Sherman or something like that. Deadpool hasn't reported back, but he won't until the job is done. Mister H's getting a crew of powered allies together. Intergang down in Metropolis doesn't want to cart in any heavy firepower to escalate things, with all the mutant crazies and Kick junkies riling up things around Manhattan they don't want to compromise their assets just yet. Especially with the Army setting up a staging area on Ellis Island. If the President declares martial law a whole lot of shit is gonna hit the fan. Mr. H. really wants to ride this one out. We don't need the families going to war with each other. Mr. H don't want nothing to do with this Kick nonsense with Nefaria. Gotta guy coming in from Chicago in the morning, I'm supposed to pick him up from the airport. Some accountant that thinks himself to be some hotshot card shark. Sam Evans. He launders our take from the Midwest affiliations. Wants in on Mr. H's poker game tomorrow night. That's why Mr. H. is pulling in the superpowered muscle, to keep things quiet here while their game goes down. Don't need another incident like that lizard thing that attacked Nefaria, and we all know the Punisher just busted out of Riker's."
"Yeah. That mook's been gaslightin' Silvermane's boys. Left one of his Broad Daylight Killaz with a grenade duct taped in his mouth. Probably would have scattered him if Spider-Man hadn't spooked him. He's out there somewhere. Hell, he could be in here right now."
"If he was in here right now, we'd all be dead or he would be."
"Not if he was here just gathering information."
"Will you chill out with that paranoid crap about the damned Punisher?"
"Paranoid? It's not paranoia if they're really out to get you, and the Punisher is out to get all family men. He said so at his trial. In war, you gotta know your enemies. What they'll do, how far they'll go. If I were him, I'd be scouting targets."
"Yeah, so drive zig-zag off course and take 3 extra hours to get home. If you're so paranoid, why are you blabbing off at the mouth about crap out here in the open?"
"I'm just saying that we ought to look at the bigger picture, and the big picture is that a lot of moves are taking place and I don't think it's a good idea that Mr. H is pulling in so many mercenaries while shunning our street assets. Many of them are ambitious enough to advance in the family, and their loyalty should be rewarded. Our old Bat Boys have hooked up with the Faces of Fear and our Flashing Blades have been busted up by them. many are in the hospital by them, and this Tommy somebody is running what's left of them, and he's a mutant gathering an army. If he's gathering so many of the gangs that are resisting the Faces of Fear takeovers we gotta consider backing him, out of loyalty because he stands against a gang that has betrayed the family to join these Faces of Fear mooks. The Faces of Fear hit the damned Kingpin of Crime and Nefaria! It might look good on us to be backing this Tommy somebody's counter-revolution against the Faces of Fear."
"Mutant gang leaders saving Maggia families from monster kids whacked out on Kick. Hello? You been watching TV lately? Mutants ain't exactly popular right now, with that sleeping gas attack this morning. Mr. H. is right to try to stay out of this, stay on the down-low, tie up loose ends, keep the peace, and wait it all out. He's not gonna touch the street backlash with a ten-foot pole, at least not until he's ready. The Punisher'll just as likely go after the Faces of Fear. As many as they've killed, every cape in the city probably has a hard-on for them not to mention the Feds, Army, and SHIELD. It's probably why he busted out of Riker's. Those Faces of Fear mooks wanna draw heat on themselves from the whole world like a bunch of amateurs, that's fine. We'll take the opportunities that come. That's what Mr. H. is thinkin', and if you want to argue with his Tommy gun, you go right ahead."
Elixir snaps out of a surreal daze, from listening to the conversation at the next table, and turns to look over at them. He catches a glimpse of the weathered man's face formed in the wisps of smoke rolling from one of the gangster's cigarettes.
"Yo, Vinnie, you ain't supposed to smoke in here. It's against the law."
"Hey look, Old Joe is gonna rough up that cape. I got a thousand on Joe."
"He smoked Louie like he was nothin'. You're on!"
"Old Joe taught Louie how to fight. Joe's gonna mess this cape up."
|
|
Elixir
In(40) Member
![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star.png)
Posts: 232
|
Post by Elixir on Mar 3, 2011 9:01:04 GMT -5
Wow...I think I just learned more in 5 minutes here than in the last 24 hours...
Trying to remember everything he just heard, Elixir looks around, curious to see who this "Joe" they're talking about is.
|
|