Chercheur
Lisbon Portela Airport

---

Lou hadn’t been waiting at the airport long, exactly, nor had he arrived right on the dot. Working as a runner makes one develop certain habits, certain aspects of the self, and one of these was not exactly a degree of punctuality, but also not exactly a degree of extreme laxness. The latter would waste too much time, would create too long a vulnerable frame which was especially dangerous with some of the types he had been forced to deal with. They would hunt him if given a chance, and waiting too long at one place or another would be deadly enough. The former would be too predictable, dangerous for the same reason. No, he’d been at the airport for roughly twenty minutes beforehand, had attracted some few looks by passers-by who kept their eyes open instead of on the next flight, but generally speaking the priest hadn’t been accosted too much.

The bus - and the team - arrived. One man Lou knew and had worked with before, Whetstone, while the others he did not and had not. The most notable among them a Troll, then an Ork, an Elf, and a pair of humans rounded out the list. It was, put easily, the standard Shadowrunner group, replete with a drone hovering about the Elf. He knew their names, though, or at least that.

"Chercheur? What’s the good word in Lisbon? You're been our man on the ground...for I don't know...some time...Any sweet data you have to share with the rest of us?"

The question had played about Lou’s head for some time. Ms Tower had disappeared quite completely, and the street level sources he had grown to rely upon for local issues had struggled in providing any answers at all. In fact, they had provided none, and the priest had been hesitant about working with the more legitimate organizations; they had been hired for a reason, after all, and discretion was just as valuable as success to such people. Six years was colder than any case Lou had worked before, though, and leads had proved insubstantial at best. Before he had a chance to speak, however, the Elf began; her smile was one that he’d seen before in the red light districts, same with the tone.

"Ooo, man of the cloth. This girl likes the hard-to-get types. Or is this priest the confessional type, because, hoo, have I got some sins to get off my chest."

He let the silence fill it for just a moment, turning his head to look the woman up and down. Sighing, deflating almost as his mouth went wry, Lou let out his thoughts from the pause. “A tease, how…boring.”

Turning back to Wildfire, the human who’d first spoken, he shook his head. “No word from my usual sources. Forgotten Greens and Vultures don’t talk to outsiders, not unless they receive substantial favors, and the favors either want aren’t the sort that are done quickly or easily…not without drawing fire from the other.”

So this is Lisbon, Intan thought as they got off the bus. It sure was a busy place, given it was the capital of Portugal, after all. The only problem he sees is that he will stick out like a sore blue thumb. The downside of being an oni outside of East Asia is that his kind is rare outside of it, so he will have to endure people staring at him yet again. If they care that much about seeing a clear newcomer to their city.

Still, he is with his team and it seems that some of them know each other. So that will help with working together and a less chance of someone screwing over the team. Being a shadowrunner is a rough job, you do not last long with a team or knowing who to trust.

Intan was looking around for their new team member when he showed up and spoke to the group. A priest? Intan thought to himself. That is a new one for them that he will be working with. Granted, he used to be a healer at a street clinic before becoming a shadowrunner so Intan was sure that Chercheur had a good reason for turning to the shadows.

But, now that that team was finally together, it was time to plan their next move. Though based on Chercheur's intel about the two gangs, they have to deal with. It would make getting friendly with either of them a challenge.

"So Chercheur, since you have been in the city before us, do you have any ideas of how to proceed? Since it sounds like we have our work cut out for us with these gangs." Then, speaking to the group, "otherwise, I suggest we head to the district to see how bad it is and try to figure out which gang to get friendly with so we can find out where Abigail is and if anyone has seen her."

Reinhard ‘Tenno’ Martin

During the trip, something in Tenno broke. He was tired of this, tired of marking time in a stagnating, rotten world where there was no ideal solution - Even his nation, the Flux State, had its bad spots and flaws and factionalism, even as doom drew near. The Corpos had too much power, but to be honest, anarchism... It was not able to erase the flaws of Humanity and its nature. No, only true balance can contain it and bring forth good results; not that enough realize it to make a difference. But maybe, for now, it was enough that he knew; maybe being a Hooder, guarding moments of happiness for people, was enough.

He still hated it, still hated the long shadow of trauma and the continued destruction of his mental state that his life, alone, without trusting anyone or anything, brought him. The slow death of himself. These people... They were too content with how things are; they've settled down and accepted the unacceptable. They weren't family, much less friends.

As they got off the bus, there were long moments of indecision as the group began to discuss what they should do; Lisbon was an unfamiliar place, but that did not mean they considered all the possibilities. Not that the one he, barely in his early twenties, wanted to propose was in any way typical or even normal, even for Shadowrunners. So his next words were, “We’ve been given a lot of latitude and nuyen to pursue that latitude. We also have a priest, sinful though he may be to his sect to hang around with us. This opens up local religious groups as a means of inquiry; some people are fearless enough to preach to gangsters in this day and age.”

Then he continued, “I’m going to the brothels, though - I’m old enough and I need to drown my issues.”

Blatantly turning his back on the others, Tenno then brought up his PDA/Smartphone/Comms Device and began looking for semi-reputable red-light establishments close to the area without a care in the world. Well, that was a lie; he did care about what the others thought of him, he was crying out for someone to care about him despite his issues. Despite him being mean to them inside, he still held out hope that maybe just maybe the impossible could happen and he could find something to care about than what was already lost.

He looked at the Oni (Bomoh), and strangely enough, the suit guy, saying, "Oi, you two; if you don't have plans, want to come with me? Or do you intend to chase other leads you've come up with? Also, just to make sure, is the district those two gangs are fighting over a red-light district, or just your regular economically depressed hellhole with no jobs, no money, no investment, or even decent infrastructure? Yes, a Flux State brat knows what those terms are; we're not all uneducated rubes."

One second, two seconds, and a third, for the two to get that Tenno's invitation was to take their measure, to offer a chance at connection and conciliation before he just dismissed them as a defeatist and a willing collaborator with the corpos. Whether they refused or not, however, Tenno would head for an establishment that advertised the company of adult men and women of both genders, an establishment rumored to have links with the Vultures, although those were unsubstantiated...

@Theyra

---

“I need a drink, any drink, so let’s do that? Two gangs…right? So we find one, in a bar, and we go from there,” Wildfire said.

“I’ll get them talking, one way or another. You can count on it…” she added, swiping an imaginary set of claws through the air.

“Besides, Frost’s credits are burning a hole in my pocket. And I could be doing so, so much more with this sweet, sweet pile of Nuyen than standing here.”

“Keep pressing me and there might be a hole in more than just your pocket.” Frost growled threateningly, and though the sentiment might have seemed serious to anyone out of the sisters’ loop, to those in the know, this was just more of the usual. Frost hadn't touched a hair on her sister's head since the day they met- though certainly not for a lack of trying, in their earlier years at least. Nowadays Frost was cybered enough that she could at least track Nadya's movements, though their cat and mouse games usually never went too far while working.

“We've been drinking all day.” Frost grumbled, “Small glasses in a small airplane.”

“And now we can drink bigger drinks in bigger glasses in bigger bars! Just say yes, Frost. Please? Don’t make me pout. Oh! I know! We can sit outside!”

Frost glared at Nadya for a moment, bright beaming puppy dog eyes staring back at her. A vein on Frost's forehead pulsed, a rumble in her throat suggested something close to aggression. With a tired sigh, Frost relented.

“We're supposed to be working, mui.” Frost grumbled, an oversized hand rubbing tiredly at her temples. She was almost certain she felt wrinkles beginning to form on her face. “A self guided tour of Gangland might not be a bad idea though.”

“Fine.” Frost eventually relented, “But first we need to get transportation. Drones and guns aren't exactly subtle in the middle of the city. Work first, then we can get drinks.”

“Moya lyubimaya starshaya sestra,” Wildfire replied, a cheshire cat grin plastered on her face as she reached up with her right hand to softly pat Frost on the cheek, her sister's face notably contorting and slowly burning red- seemingly uncharacteristic to her given handle. “You finally see sense! The Old Timer always said drinking was a full time job!”

“You are most right though! We need a ride. Something discreet. Preferably fast. Something big enough for your many, many guns and the drones of the Josei,” Wildfire added, nodding in Captcha’s direction.

“The old man is full of shit.” Frost grumbled, but nodded anyway, shooting a glance at the rest of the group. “We'll find a ride. Send us your location in the district and we'll meet you there.”

“Yeah, or wherever,” Wildfire said, “Just remember, we charge by the kilometer. And don’t keep us waiting...”

---

EZ Glossary
Mui = Cantonese “younger sister”
Moya lyubimaya starshaya sestra = Russian:“My Beloved Older Sister”
Josei = Japanese “Lady”

"That sounds like a plan," Intan said to the troll. Having something to travel in will help in this city, and so they do not have to walk everywhere. Lisbon is a big city, after all.

Now Intan was looking around when Tenno asked him a question. "A brothel? I suppose we could go there to find some information about the gangs. Not my choice of getting information, but it is a source." He sounding a bit uncomfortable which is strange for a shadowrunner. "So why not since I got no ideas right now. Though the Johnson did not say if the district was a red-light district or not. So I guess will find out."

Though as Intan said this, he noticed that Tenno had already started leaving and would catch up with him.

---

It would take some time to travel to the brothel with supposed ties to the Vultures. The two had to take a taxi, with Intan paying the fare. A brothel of mainly humans but with some metahumanity. As Tenno and Intan would find, the brothel would be in a district somewhat near the contested district, and it looked like a shady brothel one would find in a big city. Though a bit more on the style side, it looks a bit cleaner than one would expect. At least on the outside. It was called the Sliver Rose, with a large sliver rose symbol neon sign on the outside above it that was faded since it was still daytime. The Silver Rose was open with one satisfied human female customer coming out of it with a smile on her face.

@Letter Bee

Reinhard ‘Tenno’ Martin

"I'll pay," Tenno said to Intan, "So, what are your tastes? I like men of my age group - 18 to 22 - and older women with an Amazonian disposition; muscle girls. I presume you only like women, though? If so, what's your type?"

This wasn't just small talk; Tenno needed to know what he can about his teammate - After all, it's best to know their buttons should they turn against him one day, or he felt the need to turn against them for some greater good; it's not like they're going to reject bringing a girl who did not want to be brought back to her father, especially since her father probably wanted her to marry an abusive asshole for money and alliances.

He entered the Silver Rose, his silvery hair shimmering as he moved; if Intan viewed him through the Astral Plane right now, he would be a bright beacon, emanating metallic hues of golden, silver, and platinum light. Speaking of the Astral Plane, Tenno thought of switching to Astral Perception but decided not to be rude to the... employees and the madame. With a smile, he approached the receptionist, saying, "Greetings; I presume this place is open?"

Once he had gotten his answers, he would ask another series of questions, namely about the availability of their workers, their experience, and what races they employed, which segued into another query about how frequently they had business. Then, he'd look for someone who was both handsome/beautiful and not dumber than a sack of hammers, and if multiple people who fit those criteria existed, he'd spend money on them all plus what Intan had, then head off into the rooms, where in-between 'exertions', he would ask them about their lives and the local situation, pumping them for info.

"Well, Tenno, you are right about my liking only women, though I do not really have a type." This is not the topic he expected, but when heading to a brothel, these questions can come up, Bomoh guessed. "Granted, I have not been looking really lately, and brothels are not my thing, but no judging there.: Bomoh sounds sincere in his tone, "Either way, I will be waiting for you near the door while you do your business." So Bomoh started leaning against the wall near the front door and would wait until Tenno was done with his dealings with the place.

---

Inside the Silver Rose, like the appearance on the outside, it looked clean and a bit on the classy side of things when it comes to furniture and the general theme of the place, and while there was a main area on the first floor, there was a staircase that led to a second floor where the deed would be done in the various bedrooms. On the first floor there were mainly human men and women conversing freely with each other and taking each other upstairs to do the deed. The receptionist, a human woman, said yes to Tenno. The place was open, and Tenne was free to seek someone for a fun time. Plus, he provided the other information he asked for.

While Tenno was able to find several prostitutes, both human, male and female, that fit his criteria and one of them. A young human woman named Estela was eager to answer his questions while being paid some extra Nuyen for the information.

However, with his questions, he's throwing money around and having a companion who is an Oni, who is clearly a foreigner. It did raise some eyebrows from the staff. So, while Tenno was able to get his information, maybe he or Bomoh would see one of them, a bartender. Quietly received a nod from one of the human man in a security guard outfit with gang tattoos visible on his arms and one of them being a vulture. The bartender sent a text to an unknown recipient, and the same human security guard would keep an eye on the two while they stayed there.

@Letter Bee

Reinhard ‘Tenno’ Martin

After cleaning up and dressing, Tenno strolled out of the establishment - His body had a natural immunity to poisons and diseases - and walked towards Bomoh with a smile on his face, trying to indicate that he had gotten at least some of what he came to the brothel for. He said to the Oni, "Let's go; I had my fun."

The young man then wandered off, seemingly without a care in the world, even as he sent a text message to the rest of the group - He could trust their Technomancer to encrypt the messages automatically.

There's a lull in the gang war. Vultures started the latter. Their leader is a she and she sounds dangerous. We're probably being followed.

He then gestured to Bomoh to come over and follow him before whispering, "Play along with what I want to do next, but be ready for a fight."

Sending a message to CAPTCHA, he asked her to, Trust me provisionally and relay a plan I have to Bomoh and the others covertly.



Tenno was not in a hurry to meet up with the others; that much was certain. So he continued walking at random, deliberately trying to lure any watchers into a false sense of security, even as he continued to walk the border between the contested district and the other, richer ones, his hatred deepening as he saw the contrast between rich and poor. Any observer could tell that he was looking for something, and keener observers could tell that he was going to more deserted places where the constant corporate surveillance was laxer.

He then found a small pedestrian bridge close to the district in question, then whirled around at the Oni, before saying, in a louder tone, "Let's spar, Bomoh. Prove to me that you're worth sticking with."

The young man drew his sword to show to the people no doubt tailing him that he meant business, saying, "I've decided that I don't really want this job; why should I take a young woman from her new home so her father can do something selfish like marry her off? I was hoping that when we find her, she can give us a counter-offer and I can ask you guys to take it, but that's a fool's dream; a fool's errand. It's not as if I want to live anyway, so Nuyen isn't of any use to me..."

His eyes glinted again with reflected light, but a keen look at them told Bomoh that he was still on his side - Their side.

Then he said theatrically, "So spar with me - Prove with your fists and magic that you and your group have more to offer me than just survival from payment to payment."

@Theyra @vietmyke @Fading Memory @Abstract Proxy

Bomoh was not sure what Tenno was planning when he whispered into his ear about playing along. Still, he uncertainly followed Tenno wondering what his plan was, not really sure why Tenno was going. But it seemed like he was looking for something. What that thing was, Bomoh did not know and was tempted at points to ask but decided against it. Though he does not know much about Tenno and so who knows what he is planning?

Then, when they stopped at a small pedestrian bridge did Bomoh got some idea of what Tenno's plan was. But he was still not sure what Tenno was doing. Wanting to spar and talking about not doing the job. Bomoh remembered what Tenno had said before and when he saw a glance from Tenno giving him the warning that he was still on their side. Bomoh was willing to play along, at least for now.

"Tenno, only a couple of hours into the job, and now you want to quit?" He sighed and massaged his nose for a brief time. Now sounding annoyed, "Okay, fine... fine, I will spar with you, but I will not go easy on you, he said, drawing his knife." Bomoh knows that he is not good in a melee, and he guesses that Tenno does not know either. He is a medic, not a frontline fighter, but he is an orc and has physical strength on his side over the human. So, here goes nothing, and Bomoh hopes that whatever Tenno is planning does not hurt them and that there is a point to this. "So you want to start punk, or do you not have the guts to start your own fight?"

@Letter Bee

Frost and Wildfire team up and go off in search of their wit and whimsy; Tenno claimed some strange need to disappear into the red light district; CAPTCHA slapped Bomoh upon the shoulder.

"Alrighty chummers, sounds like a plan. I could use a little escort on my own walkabout, if you don't mind my good man Bomoh."

Each of them received a matrix ping from her Persona, requesting access to any devices they obviously had upon them. Her Marks came as digitized slashes from rose thorns, but they merged into the device icons easily with the permissions granted. As the team split, she whistles to Frost as she makes a gesture. The Carnwennan hovered out of her pocket and skimmed forward in the air before almost 'jumping' up at Frost and into her hand.

"If you need an extra set of eyes, then just ping me and toss Carnwennan about. I can jump in at a moment's notice, and it'll give me a chance to interfere in other ways once I can spin up the sensor suite. Pour one out for Big D when you get to the bar."

She winks, stuffs her hands into her long jacket's pockets, then turns and starts whistling as she traipses into the city.

---

Bomoh gets to see a down-to-earth approach to legwork in action.

CAPTCHA's eyes flicker every few blocks, and she redirects her steps. Back in The Chosen Hiding Spot, her Steel Lynx hides in its crate with the Ares Duelist on standby to protect the box-- but here, in the city streets, she isn't walking with the eyes in her head. Rather, she is witnessing an overhead view from the Dalmatian drone as its powerful sensor arrays map the area around her and Bomoh. She makes a seemingly random turn down an alleyway and kicks the cardboard off the top of a sleeping man as if she simply knew he was there. Another time, she flips a credstick out of her pocket and into her hand and tosses it towards a young girl wearing a ripped up jacket with a jarring yellow facepaint, the simplest of waves for the girl to fall into step with CAPTCHA being the only introductory conversation made. A third time, Bomoh witnesses CAPTCHA step into a Stuffer Shack and buy a full set of vended clothing and boots; when the machine displays the prompt for a SIN to be displayed, she merely frowns for a moment before her Living Persona manifests over the display and winks to Bomoh before the machine vends its payload for her.

The first man she sits down with at an outdoor stall, a cup of hot noodles going from her hand to the homeless man's. She brushes white hair from her face and listens as he speaks;

"Mmm...Yep, uh-huh...Fightin' goin' on, but gone quiet-like." The man devours the food hungrily. CAPTCHA watches as he slurps from the steaming cup with such greed, as if someone were going to take the food from him. "Birdies started it. Birdies started it. Don't trust the quiet. City doesn't sleep, yeah? Mm... Yep, uh-huh, city doesn't sleep. Never asleep. Not since the lights outshined the...mhmm....outshined the stars."

The young girl, in fierce yellow warpaint, CAPTCHA spoke to in the bright fluorescent lighting of a subway bathroom. CAPTCHA lined out a dose of Novacoke on the dirty surface of the long sink and sat up onto the surface to kick her legs in the air as the girl leaned down to take a hit.

"Fuckin' A, that's right. What are you, the snowdust angel or something? Fuck me, yeah, alright. Damn. Vultures, yeah, I know about them. Fuckers muscled us Yellowjackets outta our turf. No skin offa my back to give someone a little leg up on 'em. Their boss is a mean bitch, and I don't mean your manic pixie slag type of bitch. I mean your evil bulldog kind of bitch. Fuck, what I'd give to string her up from a streetlamp--"

CAPTCHA kneels in an alleyway and slowly places the clothing down. She slides it forward, the outfit in its original vacuum-sealed plastic. She tosses the boots farther into the shadows, where the glinting eyes of a filthy man pierce into Bomoh and CAPTCHA. CAPTCHA raises her hands and backs up a few paces, before smiling easily. The shadow of a man lunges, too-pale arms and too-dirty nails scarcely visible in the blur of his movements as he snatches at the offered clothes. He recedes into the darkness, mumbling loudly.

"Eyesonya. Eyesonya. They-a be watchin, ah, ye, they-a be watching. Eyesonya. Eyesonya. Vulture-a prowlin', a-mouth waterin', a-waitin'. Vulture be lookin' for the carrion prey. Eyesonya. Eyesonya. Eyes all a-gleam. Prayin' and preyin' and peelin' and schemin'. Eyesonya. Eyesonya."

---

CAPTCHA sighs, staring into the racks of a vending machine. She chews her lip. Then, she reaches over and slowly presses the antiquated, still physical, interface of the machine with a deliberate and exceedingly meticulous series of buttons. The divine combination, C-04. She watches, almost enthralled, as the coil within the machine spins in place and propels a singular granola bar forward. She watches as it tumbles against the machine's translucent plastic barrier. When it thuds in to the bottom she yelps and jumps nearly half a foot in the air, before laughing maniacally and dropping to her knees to rummage into the bin to retrieve her snack.

She rises up and takes two steps to the side to lean back against the machine and gesture towards Bomoh with the granola bar as she peeled the wrapper open.

"Can you believe how much soy they manage to pack into these bars?" She lifts it to her lips and takes a dainty bite of it, chewing thoroughly before swallowing. "Ninety seven percent soy and soy-based product. Right there on the wrapper. Synthetically articulated proteins, soy-based flavor additives, lab-grown nuts. The only natural ingredient used in this drek is 'quadruple distilled water via reverse osmosis and charcoal filtration'. This thing was made with cleaner water than I get in my showers back in Denver. Mmm. Azzies put all this right on the label and people still eat this stuff."

She takes another bite.

"Kinda insane. I mean, I did this one job." She swallows thickly. "It was about fractional costs of soykaf cups. Had to hijack a train to delay the shipment of a competitor's Styrofoam. And people think I'm the crazy one. Ha."

She folds the wrapper over to save the remaining half of the bar, sliding it into a pocket on her jacket.

"Right. I think we got some useful stuff there, I'm starting to wonder if this gang fight was timed around our arget-tay's esence-pray. Something like that suddenly coming to Old Berlin status is pretty scarce. I grew up in a street gang like this, and usually it's blood on the streets until one side's gone limper than a drowned fish. Things are too clean. I'll tap the others, let them know what we learned, but uh...I'm thinking once they get us a van we just go knock on the door and see what's left behind. Whaddya think? Wanna do whatever that spirit-ghost-flight drek is that you mage-types do?"

She blinks and her vision goes briefly filled with augmented datum.

"Oh, man, check it out. One less slice of the pie. Tenno just shot me a message that he's out. That brothel must've had some wiz services to clear that kid's head up. Post nut clarity slaps like a sack of bricks sometimes. Good for him, woulda hated to see him get hurt."

Bomoh was quiet as he followed and watched CAPTCHA do her thing. He liked the idea of getting information from the homeless, and they were eager once given some food. Granted, some of them had some choice words to describe the vultures's leader. It made him remember his life growing up in the abandoned parts of Kuala Lumpur and how the homeless there would sometimes help him out. Even in the worst situations, kindness can be found, Bomoh discovered, though it can be hard to find sometimes.

Either way, they got some info, though he would rather not have offered the homeless Novacoke. Bomoh may be a shadowrunner but, he is also a medic and he knows what Novacoke does to people. It gets worse when they get addicted to it, and he does not like to remember the people checking into his old street clinic because of an overdose.

Still, he said nothing and as CAPTCHA was eating her soy bar, he spoke up but sounded a bit surprised, "Soykaf cups? I mean, I have been on some weird jobs, but stopping a train because of that. That is very weird, but I guess with corporations, anything can be used against a rival." Which makes Bomoh is glad that he is not a corpo.

Then when CAPTCHA mentioned that Tenno had abanded the job, he spoke again. "Oh, so he is gone. Our employer will probably be pissed that he left, but at least our employer did not pay him in full." Bomoh crossed his arms. He did not have a problem with the human, though they barely met and now probably never, but like CAPTCHA said. At least they do not have to see him get hurt.

"So CAPTCHA, what is our next move, you think? We have some info here about the Vultures, and it sounds like maybe we should not go to them based on what the homeless said about their leader. It is one thing to deal with a gang, but it is another to deal with a gang with a messed up leader. So maybe we should check out the Forgotten Greens next and see what their deal is. However, we have a window to go into the district before things become hot again and see what we can find out about the girl. What are you thinking?"