Scene #8320: PNL: Bullying Works, Actually

Owner	Pose
Stanley Padgett	Between the members of the Persona Squad and others, Stanley, Charlotte and Isaac had decided to start rustling up some trouble of their own in Lampport. Stanley Padgett links to the site, which appears to be a bog standard Secondary Sales website, but everything on this very dull and uninteresting website is extremely expensive high end luxury items. Dragonfly says, "That last one reeks of money laundering, anyways." Ophrys says, "Hmm~... Laundering or cheap replicas. I'd have to take a closer look. Most would, probably." Stanley Padgett \| okay cool im planning a feild trip This building is the most average office building imaginable. Squat, rectangular, glass-sided, the parking lot needs repaving, and it's stuck in the lower-rent section of East Lampport Innovation and Entrepreneurial Complex. The only exciting things to mention would be the loading docks that are surprisingly modern, and also the Very Corporate Swoopy and .PNG-ish Vector "TradeItNow" logo on the side of the building and the rest of the signage. There's a little man with a banker's visor, holding up a cartoon money bag on the logo. It all smells of... newly formed LLC. An office worker trundles out of the revolving door on the front of the building, and Stanley pops up from his hiding spot. That 'hiding spot' is the very used, very borrowed Astrometro minivan he's been borrowing to take Left Hand Drive lessons. It's parked across the street in a separate lot, in front of an equally corporate-looking BrewStation Coffee House. "....Okay. So. My plan is to uhhhhh, well, check out what sort of stuff they have on site, really. If this is just all online, then it'll be real quick, but if they DO have priceless artifacts and stuff here, that changes things..." Stanley has found himself one of his Stage Crew outfits. Black turtleneck, black sweatpants, black shoes, black socks. He couldn't look shadier if he tried. Good work, Stanley.
Sleek Shimmer	The last few Multiverse encounters have been very satisfying for Sleek Shimmer. When she hears that a few she's fought alongside before are getting up to mischief, well, of course she's inclined to show up. But there's something a bit different this time. An exotic martial artist with fox tails and cutesy ears isn't who shows up at all. No, Shimmer looks like a perfectly ordinary human today, wearing tight blue jean shorts and a loose-fitting, black midriff-baring blouse. Perfectly suited for the locale! And she's brimming with energy and excitement, barely able to contain her chipper attitude. "I'll keep my senses open! Anything weird comes up, you'll be the first to hear. ... though if it doesn't give off any kinda feeling..." Well if that's the case, she can't guarantee ANYTHING.
Kukuru	For better or for worse, the Persona users in Lampport are joined by their self-appointed guardian angel with the drills on the side of her head. Kukuru's outfit today is a fair bit more modern looking than her usual white and green getup, though, trading in the long-sleeve shirt and dress for a sleeveless shirt and shorts, a light jacket, and a proper (clip-on) tie to... She heard ties were in, but she's not really sure how or why. Whatever the case is, though, she looks considerably less 'casual' today despite looking like she'd probably blend in better with this outfit than her usual one. It all projects the image of someone that's trying a bit too hard to look serious and more 'hardcore', but the lack of her usual vacant smile might be an indication that it's not just an act. "Do we take the things and break everything else if they do have those artifacts?" She asks while staring out at the building. Despite her duller expression and sharper appearance, though, Kukuru still can't quite kick the habit of providing everyone with food and drinks in the van. Today's menu: Sparkling iced tea with shrimp sliders on potato rolls with little packets of ketchup, mayonnaise, and mustard on the side.
Timespace Riders	Swirling sands and billowing grey fabric appear from nothing, over the cracked asphalt of the parking lot, behind the borrowed minivan. Unfolding from a pinprick point in space, the cloth expands outwards like sheets blowing in the wind, until it encompasses the space of approximately two people, at which point it assumes the more normal shape of a particularly long scarf. As it uncoils itself, Sougo Tokiwa and his retainer Woz are seen standing within it, before it resumes its shape as an otherwise ordinary scarf, resting coiled around Woz's shoulder. "Hi Stanley!" As ever, Sougo's smile is bright, though it looks like he and Woz both were in a bit of a scrape recently. Woz has a healing split lip, and Sougo has a bruise under the collar of his pastel yellow button-up. "I do hope you don't intend for me to dress up in some ridiculous outfit, Stanley Padgett," says Woz, looking disdainfully at the stage crew outfit. He makes to lift the book tucked under his arm, but Sougo gently puts his arm across his retainer's chest, as if to gently say 'no' without words. "What Woz means is... it looks like you want to break in. Shimmer seems like she could help, but what would you like the rest of us doing? Maybe..." He smiles, glancing to Kukuru and Isaac. "Distraction?"
Isaac Beaufort	Isaac sits in the back of the van looking across the street with a thinking expression. He then looks at both Stan and then Sleek. He makes a big intake of breath and then holds a hand up. Between shrimp sliders and sips of iced tea, he shuts himself in the van and seems to be on a call. While smashing thing is a good tactic for the Watch... Well, Isaac is starting to learn the direct way isn't always the best way. He calls the number, and between name-dropping and indicating his status as a member of the Concord...and a desire to buy some artifacts, with an official black card, he attempts to set up a meeting with someone who can authorize trading...but only in person. He steps out after finally getting through or not and looks around. "Distractions," he says to Sougo. "I am waiting for a call back on scheduling a meeting. We'll go in and you can follow us in and look around while we talk with the person in charge."
Charlotte Newman	Charlotte had raised her concerns at Stanley's sketchy-looking wardrobe before they even headed out here. When he didn't budge on it, she just surrendered and went with something similar. It's black pants and boots and a differently patterned dovetail blouse, white this time with gray chevrons. The black jacket is actually worn on her shoulders for a change. Kukuru's appearance brightens her expression as she leaves the van, though. Ducking back in, she rummages, then offers the horned lady a lunchbox in exchange for shrimp sandwiches, "Here, you're always doing nice things for us, so I wanted to return the favor." It's a roast beef sandwich, loaded with extra cuts and cheeses, light on the condiments. A good cold-cut meal. Sougo and Woz are greeted with a wave, though she glances towards Isaac when he places a phone call. Taking a bite of one of Kukuru's shrimp sliders, she offers another one to the jock once his call is through, "Any luck? I thought about approaching as a customer too but it seemed too risky."
DRYCLEAN-SIGINT	Another stealth mission, another conspicuous figure. At least this time, it's less likely somebody is actively looking for them. Not that they would be hard to miss. A stiff breeze blows DRYCLEAN's coat out behind them; a relatively dramatic pose, if it wasn't set atop the roof of a coffee shop. The drama is aided by the blood-red crystalline greatsword that they have slung across their back. What seems to be some spare electrical cabling wraps across it in a makeshift sling; it's a hell of a juxtaposition. A hand reaches back to tap it every couple seconds; a quiet ringing echoing out. Tuning. This directly harmonizes with the faint white noise that has been pouring out of them and into the devices of the kids at ground level for a while, now; like someone looking over their shoulders. Reassuring, maybe, for some definition. The clips comprising their voice crackle through communications. "Hey folks. Good weather for a heist, ha ha. I'll keep things all patched'n safe on my end, rest easy and all that jazz. You got a plan past just, ah, gettin' in and makin' a mess?" They pause as Isaac wraps up his call. Quiet static flow, like hold music through his phone. Numbers, times, schedules... Keep those at a high priority. Anything digital and low-security in the company's systems that can be shifted to make certain Isaac's meeting request goes through proper is carefully moved to allow it. Nice subtle option. Best t'not make a scene for a spell. On high, a dark shape watches, and waits. It will be necessary; but for now, there is a hair trigger to be upheld. Anticipation.
Stanley Padgett	Issac already seems to have a secondary plan in place, and Stanely smiles and gives his friend a thumbs up. "That works for me, honestly, though..." He purses his lips. "Let's just hope no one you're talking to has kids on the lacrosse team." A chuckle. Like that would ever happen. Woz and Sougo... Sougo gets a respectful hug, and Woz a nod, as Stanley looks between them and Isaac. "...I think his stuff would work better with people who are... uh." >It looks like you want to break in. "...More professionally dressed, yeah." He takes some of the iced tea and sips, whetting his whistle, before scarfing down two of the Sliders, as he considers Sleek. Stanley is pregaming his carb loading. "Charlotte's right. Isaac, you aren't really known as one of our... associates yet, so they might not be expecting you... and if you're coming as a member of Concord, having Sougo and Woz there would be natural." He takes a breath. "So, team sneaky and team 'howdy there'?" DRYCLEAN: As you settle into the flow and vibe of the comms around here... something feels familiar. And not just the regular old hum of pre-relativistic dataflow and infowebs and terrestrial radio. ...No, something out here feels like an old friend, who you haven't talked to in a while.
Isaac Beaufort	Isaac nods to Stanley, by logic he should be unknown to Novacorp and any companies they've spawned. He looks to Charlotte, "Well, not to be dismissive or snooty, but it does take more than money sometimes. Connections and knowing a guy who knows a guy tends to work a bit better...especially in something that's a bit shady." He gets a ring and holds up a hand to answer it. He seems to be saying yes a few times and then hangs up. "Alright, got one. Faster than I thought too. Woz, Sougo, Kukuru, and I can go over...then you can root around while they're focused on us. We can also see if we can get any information from them face-to-face. Maybe even strike a deal...but that all depends I guess." "Any objections or anything else to add?"
Timespace Riders	Sougo beams at Charlotte post-Stanley hug; Woz seems not displeased to see her, and this is among the nicer modes of Woz's expressions towards others. "That works!" Sougo nods brightly at Stanley's suggestion. "If we're there as part of the Concord, then Woz's outfit stands out less. Or... um, at least, it makes more sense that it stands out. Why do you wear that all the time, anyway, Woz?" Woz smiles and brushes a lock of dark hair from his face, before taking a knee before Sougo. "It is a sign of my station, and my devotion to you, my Demon King," he says, before balancing his forearm upon his knee then resting his brow on it. Sougo blushes, tugging at his collar with one hand while the fingers of the other play at the seam of his rolled jeans. "Haha... Come on, Woz, you can get up now." "It is settled," says the retainer as he rises, making a theatrical sweep of his free hand, palm upturned, eyes towards the heavens. "We shall be part of 'Team Howdy There,' and an auspicious team it shall be." Sougo shakes his head at Isaac. "Nope! No objections." If everyone else on the 'team' is ready, he's more than happy to lead the way to the front door.
Kukuru	Sougo suggests a distraction, and Isaac is already on the ball. That's enough to get Kukuru to crack a proud smile again, returning to her usual self at least for now. "GOod thinking. You're all really good at talking, but I bet it'll look more official if I'm standing behind you looking all scary and official, right?" She asks in her distinctly unscary tone. That tone just gets a bit brighter when Charlotte offers her that lunchbox. "Aw, thanks Charlie. I'll make sure to savor every last bit of it." She affirms with a quick nod, popping it open to take in the arrangement of it all first before taking the first few bites. She doesn't get to eat all of it just yet as people start moving, but she does seem to be enjoying it quite a bit. DRYCLEAN, sadly, is missed in all the prep work. Or at least, they should be, but as Kukuru steps out of the minivan, she happens to glance up briefly and spot them. She doesn't make a big show of it, but instead excuses herself for a moment to step into a convenient alleyway before teleporting herself up to DRYCLEAN's perch in order to leave them with a bottle of that sparkling tea and a couple of sliders as well. It's game time soon, though, and once she's back with the group, she replaces her usual circular glasses with a pair of rectangular ones to look more intimidating (???) while shaking her head at Isaac's query. "I think it's a good plan, mhm. I'm not smart enough yet to pull off fancy deals and stuff, but... I think I'm getting better at acting~" She says, while slowly reverting back to her usual chipper lilt in speaking. She'll eventually follow Isaac's, Sougo's, and Woz's lead once it's time to go in, having the focus and enhanced eyesight to pick out more minute details in their surroundings that might be worth picking out. Weirdly placed cameras, suspicious grass, and even obscured signage are all things she's actively looking for on the way in.
DRYCLEAN-SIGINT	Flow, rhythm, getting lost within the tides... ...and like the theme song of a plastic-clad adversary, the harmony becomes all too loud and all too recognizable. A watchful gaze from low orbit readjusts, with an alacricity an observer might construe as mild alarm. It tugs on the melodious threads of the ground crew's electronics; locations waver, shift, and coalesce. One signature redirected; another, then a third, fourth, fifth. Communications are rerouted; no delay; until the only positional data available on any of them points to one shining beacon atop a cafe. Via signal-based means, it would be very, very hard to tell that the group is anything except a particularily loud attenuation array at DRYCLEAN's position. Their voice pulses through devices. No tone; not ever, but it seems almost intentionally devoid at the present. "Heads up, folks, we got an attache. Old friend, maybe. I ain't rulin' out drones again, so don't get too comfy, ha ha." They thoughtfully grab the tea as Kukuru delivers it, giving a small but appreciative two-finger salute, and pour a bit... somewhere. Are they drinking it? It's something to do with their hands while they keep a watchful gaze on the Elite's little network they're wrangling; if anything tries to touch it, whether read or write, they'll aim to immediately lash out and choke the incoming connection. Keep up our own rhythm.
Sleek Shimmer	"More... professionally dressed?" Shimmer... frowns at Stanley's description of Sougo and Woz's predicament, looking over herself. "I can switch it up if you like? Seen a bunch of different outfits around town!" What follows is, in a fit of nervous and utterly ignorant-of-the-implications enthusiasm, Shimmer snapping her fingers and cycling through a handful of different outfits. Each fingersnap hails a subdued flash as her qi reshapes. From jean shorts and blouse, to fingersnap a pressed business suit and tie. From that to fingersnap a long, dazzlingly sparkly crimson slip dress. fingersnap Punkish biker leathers. fingersnap A bunny suit complete with fishnet stockings and high heels she doesn't look so comfortable in. fingersnap A luxurious, crimson, formal qipao covered in fancy embroidery... She's got her eyes on Stanley, checking for his reactions to try and figure out what constitutes 'professional.'
Charlotte Newman	"Miss Kukuru's wearing a lot of Scary Bodyguard energy right now," Charlotte remarks, "with Sougo and Woz too, you four will be great at this." She glances back at Isaac with a nod of understanding. She'll stick with Stanley and Shimmer and be part of the Sneaky team, it seems. DRYCLEAN makes their presence known, but she doesn't look up at them. That might draw attention. Instead, she just speaks to the air, "Someone you recognize? Is it the Solutiony people with the robots again?" She hasn't forgotten how much the TV-headed spacer helped during that whole mess, "You're probably already on it, but let's figure out if they're going to be a help or a hinderance and move from there." It's only now that Charlotte tugs on a pair of comfy black leather gloves, buttoning the snaps to hold them around her wrists. An extra pair is offered to Stanley. She didn't bring any for Shimmer, not knowing the foxgirl's hand sizes. Which is then proved to be unnecessary when Shimmer just bamfs herself a new, flashier outfit, "--This is a covert operation, not a rich people party, I'm not sure if that's appropriate."
Stanley Padgett	Sleek gets a thumbs up at whichever one she stops on that doesn't show off all the skin, and then tasks Charlotte's gloves. "Fingers crossed, we'll have plenty to handle and chase and no one's going to actually get hurt, right? Right?" He slips them on, snags Charlotte's hand... and then smiles at the others. "Good luck!" The pair of them vanish in a puff of digital haze, as Stanley bamfs them closer to the building, out of sight of... KUKURU: CAMERAS? MOTION TRACKING? SURVEILLANCE? This place has got it all. Though... just the right amount. Not too much to look ostentatious or paranoid, not too little to show Deliberate Malfesance Or Dereliction. There are cameras on the main entrances, the loading docks, the side entrances, the fire escapes, and up on the roof at the access doors. TEAM HOWDY: The sun is setting, and it's nearing the End of Business for most people. The shifts are changing at the place, likely IT people shuffling in and out for their helpdesk shifts for the website, but there's still a fancier car down there in the EXECUTIVE PARKING REGION. Something that a shithead would drive, if they wanted to show that they had more money than sense. You know the model, the one with the weird front nose that looks like it's doing the >:\| all the time. The front doors lay open for you, an open book waiting for All That Concord Money. DRYCLEAN: ...If it's the drones they're using different transmission methods this time. Though, last time they went for autonomous joint operation, shared decision making. No, this feels like... the data has the taste of honey cake and warm milk, your favorite song on the radio on a Saturday night, a whispered nothing from your best sweetheart... And then just a bit more. The faint sense of aspartame and HFCS at the end of it. Something's trying too hard.
Isaac Beaufort	Isaac decides it's time to go, and when the groups split he walks with the Concord group toward the building. It's all about confidence right..? He's trying to hide the slight bit of nervousness he's feeling, and instead focus on what's in front of him. He will take an elevator up to the top floor, where the lights are on and presumably where the meeting is to take place.
Kukuru	It's go time! Kukuru straightens her tie, nudges her glasses back, and then she pushes her lips down into a professional-looking poker face as she follows behind her boys in Team Howdy. She leans in close to Sougo, Woz, and Isaac to indicate the positions of all those cameras, but none of them are getting her too worried about things are they are presently. All she really can do for now is to look as tough as a 5'5" lady that might have stepped out of an anime fighter can look. Until they've found the higher ups to talk to, she's mostly there as the visible '''muscle''' of the crew. After DRYCLEAN mentions a familiar feeling, though, she's also keeping her eyes out for Solutiony signage around the place. She also has to really fight the urge to smile and greet those workers leaving the place for the night. It kind of hurts not being polite and just forcing herself to look ahead, but that's only a small bit of the discomfort she's going to have to get herself used to. She gets the elevator ready for the crew, at least, and... She really has to resist the urge to hit all the buttons, too.
Sleek Shimmer	Stanley's hurried response has Shimmer dwindling in the middle of effort when combined with Charlotte's commentary. Flickers of embarassment strike her as she's left returning to the jeans and midriff-baring blouse setup she arrived in - but incorporating black gloves like Charlotte's with another, bamf as Charlotte put it. The foxgirl shows an uneasy smile Charlotte's way. "I have no idea about local attire." She admits, mildly embarassed. "The fabrics, the styles, they're all completely different. Many, not so comfy to move in. Some really catch the eye, though." Bamf. And they're gone. She blinks a few moments, rather awkwardly, and then her form flickers and blurs, briefly streaking in the direction of Stanley-- Spacetime behind Charlotte and Stanley ripples as Shimmer simply does a BAMF of her own behind them. "The more that I think about it, the less sense it makes. A spy wouldn't wear anything that makes them look all spy-like, that's silly."
DRYCLEAN-SIGINT	A few things are running through DRYCLEAN's mind as they hear all this. A finger runs down the flat of a blade; considerations made. - This is obviously a trap. - Ain't it wonderful that they wanted to set a trap for us? - Would be mighty rude t'leave them hanging. The equivalent of a raised gun is lowered; though the positional trickery remains. They route, instead, to look more into the signal chain directly; walk along the path they're putting down, see what they want to be seen. Triangulation, careful unravelling of nested encryption, a gentle touch. A soft sonata of data manipulation. I'll bite.
Timespace Riders	Through the front doors they go. Sougo's all smiles, as if this were a visit to a beloved relative's country home, and not wading into unfamiliar territory. Woz holds his head high, as any good hype man should, secure in the knowledge that he is part of an entourage which will make waves wherever it goes. Kukuru has opted to be the scary security, and Isaac looks a little nervous, so Sougo speaks up first, once they're shown to whatever room the meeting is to be held in. "Hi, thank you so much for having us on such short notice. My name is Sougo Tokiwa. This is my retainer Woz, and our business partners, Isaac Beaufort and Kukuru. Isaac has a fantastic mind for business," he says, smiling over at Isaac--there's the sense that he'd give a thumbs up, if it were appropriate. If there are seats, Sougo and Woz both take them as soon as they're offered. "And when he mentioned an opportunity here in Lampport, my retainer dutifully let me know just what a lucrative opportunity it was. We do have a few concerns, but it's fine if we wait to discuss those. Isaac?"
Stanley Padgett	TEAM HOWDY: TradeItNow is 100 percent legit, totally. There's after-hours security guards, there's some scant reading material in the lobby, and there's even someone checking security cameras right there in the lobby. Everything you'd expect from an outfit that does Bland Websites for Expensive Things. You're let up to the top floor, which is just the 4th floor, really. It's not a big building. The EXECUTIVE FLOOR has well appointed rooms, at least, the boardroom/meeting room is Expensive PreFab Chic with glossy black "marble" and "leather" all over, big screen TVs that show trading data and CHARTS and shit. Your contact is- Ah hell. Hey Sougo, Woz? Remember that guy? You know the one, the guy who was talking with that Elf you kidnapped^H^H^H^H recruited? In your lovely 'I know Your History' moment? This is him. Mr. Johnson, or whoever. He seems pleasantly happy to speak with you two and Isaac though. "Fantastic, lovely, it's just a joy to see you here. I'm Francis Smithering, and welcome to TradeItNow. It's lovely to see you all here, actually. Quite the surprise, really. Happy to know the Concord has such bright up and comers in its ranks, ready to wheel and deal. So tell me, what sort of investments are you looking to make today?" It's the smile of a snake.
Stanley Padgett	DRYCLEAN: Oh as you knife that outer layer, the corn syrupy taste fades away from the data and- Cognitohazard warnings start to flare. Low level ones, but still there. Something in all the data coming too and from the website, off to the rest of the world is Juuuuuuust on this side of Everything you are about to see is true. The names prices availability are exactly as they should be. Please convey your monetary funds SECURE THE BAG FUCKO
Stanley Padgett	TEAM SNEAKY: Stanley, Charlotte and eventually Shimmer find themselves inside the main warehouse of the facility. Or, it OUGHT to be the main warehouse of the facility. This is the right place, the right location, it's in the big old dark section at the back by the loading docks. The doors to the outside are right there. The whole place is empty. Sure, there are big heavy marks on the ground, where forklifts have been shuffling around. There are pallets all over, with heavy canisters on them, but that's the only thing that's in here. No antiquities. No priceless paintings. No gold and silver. Stanley huffs as he gets his footing, balancing on a big old 55-gallon drum, and looks around at the echoing warehouse. "...Oh this isn't good." SHIMMER: Something about this place stinks, metamagically. There's Narrative Dissonance going on here. Someone's telling the world a Story that isn't true, but the world is listening anyways.
Isaac Beaufort	"Nice to meet you, Mr. Smithering. I'm really here to look into long-term investments now, that way when I am out of college I can then immediately turn them into the building blocks of my future wealth. The Concord is lucrative, but I'm always looking to acquire more, as you can understand.." "My father has taught me a lot and really has decided that I try and strike out on my own with this kind of responsibility as a sort of test. So I am also looking forward to making him happy...and he might look to be investing too." Isaac keeps his cool, looking only at Sougo once or twice. His heart is racing, trying to come up with things on the fly, but somehow make them plausible sounding. "So do you have anything that might fit in this kinda venue? I'll be investing my profits from the Concord if that is a question that needs answering," he says, looking to Sougo and nodding. "No go right ahead Sougo. We should be open with our reservations, I feel."
Charlotte Newman	SNEAKY: Charlotte lets out a Noise when Stanley grabbaports her. When the pair reappear in a more secure spot, she's rubbing her wrist, mock-complaining, "Was that revenge for way back then?" It's clear she's not hurt in any sense of the term, though. Shimmer pops up behind them and she casts a glance towards the martial artist, "It's about being harder to spot. Blending in only works in the right situations." She pauses, then, tapping her chin in thought and glancing towards the parking lot. After a bit, she shakes her head and dismisses it. The office is too small, everyone knows everyone else, she'd never be able to pass as a worker here. Instead she follows Stanley, the Sneakier of the pair, warehouse-wards. Which turns out to...either have been recently completely emptied, or was never used in the first place. She walks a few paces, circling the old empty drums until she just comes to a stop, her brow knit in confused frustration. After a moment, she pulls out her own phone, tapping her way through an app. A glitch-laden portal rips open beside her and she hops through, leaving the gateway behind for her companions. If this side of the interior is empty, now she wants to see what's going on in the Reverse side.
Kukuru	So far, so good. Following along with the crew is easy enough with Isaac handling the setup, and Sougo handles the smooth-talking in a way Kukuru couldn't even begin to imitate. It's certainly the complete opposite of what Kukuru had tried just a scant few weeks ago, but it's a remarkable difference for her to really key in on now that she's actively paying attention to it. Better yet, the guy that greets them seems quite receptive to what's being pitched! Clearly not recognizing the snakeyness at first blush, Kukuru seems content to just stand near her charges for the time being, listening to Sougo and Isaac as they bring up opportunities and concerns. Strangely enough, something actually clicks in Kukuru's head when investments gets brought up so many times. Instead of making a show of it, though, she heads over to one of the windows to make it look like she's just taking in the view and reporting back to some kind of base with her hand coming up to her ~~ear~~ drill. In reality, she's raising her own concerns to her allies. <Tac-Concord> 4 Kukuru says, "Is it just the one person running all this? I thought there'd be more." <Tac-Concord> 4 Kukuru says, "Like a... Um. Like a team or something. I guess this is easier, right?"
Sleek Shimmer	TEAM SNEAKY: Shimmer wrinkles her nose soon after getting a feel for the place and walking in, and nods her understanding to Charlotte. "This place isn't right, you two. The flow is all wrong. Like..." She searches a long time for a good way to describe it, ending up on an embarassed-to-admit-sounding, "Like being pet, but backwards, against the fur." Shimmer, it seems, has no trouble moving quietly and staying out of sight with light steps, even in her human form.
DRYCLEAN-SIGINT	Patterns of information, anathematic to standard consciousness, flow through a mental relay. Concepts with sharp edges; words that sell. The broker's subtext attempts to bend a mind - - but there is not just one to bend. DRYCLEAN pores over the infohazardous advertisements like a discerning librarian; a finger licked to turn a page, attention pulled three inches to the right to scribble a note. Poking further, reading between lines. Research. Another pour from a bottle of tea; rhythmic tapping along the side. Subtly, at volumes only audible to intended recipients, they speak once more. "Well, seems these folks got some right excitin' advertisin' practices. Any of you all feel funny readin' through that site? Because I reckon these slimy fellas are aimin' t'coerce, and I ain't talkin' in the classical sense, ha ha. On guard, course." If anyone was looking at the ceiling of the TradeItNow building, they would see a red circle projected. Extremely specific geometries line the interior; shifting inward, but not quite converging. But nobody looks up, do they? They take a seat.
Timespace Riders	Some time ago, Sougo had asked both Charlotte and Stanley a loaded question, in a Taco Hut on a slow day, being surveilled. If they could make a wish, he'd asked--and decide how everything turns out, what would that wish be? Loaded though the question might have been, they both gave similar answers. Charlotte and Stanley both wanted to be able to live in their own homes without being watched. Both Stanley and Charlotte wanted the people paying to have them watched to go away and leave them alone--and people of that sort have to believe that something is their idea, before they'll go along with it. During an ensuing fight, Sougo had managed to half-grant that wish, for a time. But more importantly, he'd found the pathway to granting it in a more permanent sense. Through the timestream, he'd managed to trace a path to a mercenary's employer. That employer is sitting before him now, some time after the Demon King gave the mercenary an out. As Isaac gives a pitch for a previously nonexistent business proposal, Sougo appears to be motionless in his seat, save for the pssage of a second in which his body, ever so subtly, 'skips' as if reality itself had dropped frames for a moment. Woz's lips curl upwards at the corners in catlike amusement. Perhaps it was in response to Sougo. Or perhaps, if the flick of his eyes are any indication, it's in response to Dryclean. In truth, that momentary skip was simultaneously the departure to, and arrival from, a jaunt through the past of Mr. Smithering. A fact-finding mission to discover: Who is Francis Smithering? What is his interest in Lampport, and in Charlotte and Stanley?
Stanley Padgett	TEAM SNEAKY: Stanley sighs as Charlotte gets the idea and cracks open a gate to the Reversal. "Come on, you," He waves to Shimmer and hops through the portal... THE REVERSAL: Welcome to old school Wall Street. The Town Square. The Open Market. Back when Streets Were Streets, they were outdoors, and it was LOUD. This is a Town Square, and hundreds, thousands of Shadows are pushing and jostling in place, trying to make their voices heard. They're clustered around glittering treasures, piles of gold, fat livestock, ostentatious paintings, luxury electronics. Everyone wants their piece of the pie, and all of these vague xenon shades are clamoring for attention, for a sale. Stanley, suddenly in his neon combat tabard, balances on top of a signpost, looking around the dust and the dirt and the shades. "...Hell. What the hell is this?"
Stanley Padgett	HOWDY PARTNERS: Mr Smithering smiles wanely at Isaac, and nods. "I know your father, actually and he's been a stalwart fixture in Lampport's business world for some time. Honestly, some days I don't know if anything would get done without him around. He's a good man, but he wears his heart on his sleeve." Hands spread out on the table, and the Corpo shifts to press some buttons on a tablet. "So, I looked into things, and I think you'd be perfect for our general stock sales. We're not a public company yet, but there's plenty of room for backend investments. We love having fresh venture capital in Lampport. Mixes things up ever so much, you know?" Kukuru: Someone else is on the floor. Two someones. You can smell cologne and protein powder and sweat, the sound of well worn leather on carpet. Big fellas incoming. THE PAST: Smithering, if that's his real name, sits at a table with several other people. None of them look familiar to you, but he knows these people to be fellow other rich and powerful people in the region, not just Lampport, but those outside. On the table, in the folders around them, are plans to move to Lampport, plans to apply for public funding, private funding, bills, assurances, promise, all of it is honeyed and cloying. The sort of things that big business people love to scatter around them to get others to follow. A man at the head of the table... has no face. That's not to say there's no facial features, but any attempts to focus on his face just slide away. The Concord has met this man before, at NovaTech HQ. The Eraser. No-Face. The small talk in unimportant, but what IS important is the roles being assigned to those at the table. Another man is handed a cell phone, and- and he makes A Wish. "I wish for myself and my family to never know poverty again." There's a moment of terror in the room, as if everyone is expecting something dramatic... but it doesn't come. All that happens is a sudden wave of pressure that rattles the folders and papers... And then the No-Face smiles. You know he's smiling.
Stanley Padgett	Time shifts. Smithering is sitting at his OWN table, with the No-Face and the other man present. "That's it? That's the job? I can get you anything you want, but you need me to handle... kids. Why can't Paddie handle things on that front? It's his kid." No-Face shrugs. "You know the rules, Smitty. It's 'how high' time. Get it sorted." The other man smiles. "Hey, you always wanted you own kids, didn't you, Smitty?" A leeer on that. "Or is that just what you tell all your secretaries?" Smithering frowns. "Fuck you."
Sleek Shimmer	TEAM SNEAKY: It takes Shimmer a few moments to realize the implications of what Stanley and Charlotte are on about with the empty warehouse. She's far more attuned to the mystical to think that much about the mundane, but... "A trap?" Who knows. Seeing her team mates hop into the Reversal though, Shimmer follows suit... And once she's inside, she allows her ears and tail to erupt forth with a comfortable stretch and shake... only moments later taking a good look at everything going on here... "A... counting house? It looks like a counting house. Very much LIKE one..."
Charlotte Newman	SNEAKY: Well if there's nothing Here, there might be something There. What Charlotte blunders into is absolutely not what she expected, Shadows crowding together with Shadow animals and monsters all clamoring for attention. She manages to collect herself and relocate to the pole that Stanley wisely stands on top of, Reversal-costumed into her Silver Springs uniform. "What the heck..!?" is about all she can say, stunned, "Did the shadows create an old-time bazaar..?" Her silhouette distorts until the mechanized statue Galatea pulls away from her. The construct reaches down, collecting the girl and lifting her up out of the din and then just floating there while she stares out over the neon-colored mess. "This is definitely weird, isn't it? If they wanted to be around shopping they'd go to Southcourt or East Center or the strip mall by the Happycade, right?"
Isaac Beaufort	So his dad knows him...and while it sounds normal, this place isn't normal obviously. People are getting too many weird senses, and what's coming back about the Reversal isn't making him confident that this was just a simple wrong guess. Alright...just keep things going, for now, Sougo will let him know when he needs to. That and Kukuru is watching their back. It's fine. "Mm, I can work with that. What sorts of backend investing are we talking about here?" Isaac continues to keep the ruse going.
Stanley Padgett	DRYCLEAN: That little red dot starts to converge, starts to shift, starts to take a bead on the building. The cognitohazards aren't stopping, won't stop. The data is flowing THROUGH this building but it's not originating from the building. It's... this place is a filter.
Stanley Padgett	THE MARKET PLACE: The whole place is a pot of greed, but without drawing extra cards endlessly. And the Shadows continue to by and steel, forever, endlessly. This is weird, there's usually more to the Reversal incursions than just... one spot. Stanley looks over at Sleek and Charlotte, and then scampers up to a higher point again, flicking lightly from perch to perch. "...You're not wrong. This building doesn't scream buy and sell. Though, if there was a Wish made here... and this is as far as it goes..." A beat. "I didn't see any sort of strangeness from outside the building, is it just in here, then?" He rubs at his face, and crosses his arms, still perched on one foot up on his signpost that points in all directions.
Kukuru	Smithering showing recognition of ISaac has Kukuru pausing at the window briefly, but... It's normal, right? Isaac's the star of the football team, after all, so it wouldn't be a huge surprise that there'd be people that recognize him. That's probably going to make their job here easier, too, and with minimal amounts of bloodshed! The sound and smell of people approaching the room has her just a little bit more wary, though, but she's actually pretty good at not looking too worried about things she's not particularly worried by. Bringing her hand down from the side of her head, she starts pacing around the room, taking the long path to get to the door so that she'll be there roughly around when those oncoming smells become their strongest short of just opening the door. Although she can't see them, she can already start adding some of that infectiously comforting energy to their minds to reassure them about the Concord's presence. After all, the Concord is here to help us as part of our new family. There's even that nice lady at the door, ready to welcome us in as long as we behave. She's even standing a little bit away from the door, looking every bit... Well, she might be wearing that '''tough''' '''bodyguard''' outfit today, but she still practically radiates that comforting energy just by standing there, watching over the proceedings and her crew all the while.
Stanley Padgett	ISAAC AND KUKURU: Smithering smiles as the ruse continues. Is this a 'he knows we know he knows we know' situation? Maybe. But the game is still going. "Well, there's a number of improvements that could be made, but I can safely say that all the really big angel investors let proper start ups go their own way, and let the money roll in... we'll all get rich together... The words echo in the room, and... Yeah that's a good idea. Everyone likes money, and making more money. We should make all of the money, this is a great plan. The footfalls outside the room slow down and still, and Smithering's eyes narrow a little bit at Kukuru's own soothing mental thoughts. For a moment, she can feel the honeyed words of Smithering sssrcccccccaaaaape again her own attempts, as Audible Ideas collide.
DRYCLEAN-SIGINT	External traffic has been pored through; won't matter much to the rest of this act tonight. Time for operation, now. Tracking. DRYCLEAN listens through the building under reticle in frequencies past common perception. Their passive sitting-in through Isaac's phone has provided a variety of useful information: potentially-fake name, point of contact, stock status. Like the poured foundation for a skyscraper, data is filed through and stacked on top of these concrete points - specifics are hazy, but they aren't what's being looked for. A constellation of irrelevant personal data is compiled, and if one squints and pulls their head back to look at the outline of the big picture - - they could answer what, exactly, Francis Smithering is planning to do with them in the next fifteen minutes. Circle rotates, slowly repositions. Like the glyphs of one of the more large-scale casters, points orbiting one central laser. Tracking, tracking. Plan B. They go to lean back in their chair, but are forced to awkwardly reposition their sword before doing so. It's slung at a sort of awkward angle now. Hopefully nobody saw.
Timespace Riders	In the past, as a strict observer, Sougo rises from his seat and strides around the table with a concerned frown. Open folders tell a story--or make a plea. Seated at the head of the table is a man who defies Sougo's attempts to focus on his face, until he lifts a hand to his temple to soothe a developing headache. He startles, when the papers rattle, following the wish. Back in the present, a curious influence washes over Sougo. Does he like money? Perhaps he does. "Mm... I was hoping you'd be going public, so I'm glad you brought it up. I want to be a good king, and there are some things that good kings shouldn't use the royal treasury for." Sougo smiles. "That means having a separate personal reserve built up, the sooner the better," he says, nodding briefly at Isaac. Waiting for Smithers to answer Isaac's question first, Sougo then poses his 'concern.' "I take a hands-on approach to business, and I like to be informed about everything when I make an investment. Sort of like checking the weather before you set sail, right?" Sougo kills the overwhelming urge to put in an 'um,' with some effort on his part. "My retainer tells me that Lampport is undergoing some growth, at the moment, which is an excellent sign for a business getting off the ground. But he also brought to my attention that..." Sougo frowns. "...among some other concerning things, there's been a lot of anti-Multiversal sentiment here." He leans forward in his seat. "I know that you're obviously not so small-minded, or you wouldn't have entertained us--but your company is still young, and I'd like to know... to what extent are you prepared to have us as investors, once you're public, in this present climate?" Woz looks simultaneously proud and impressed. Sougo might appear carefree, sometimes even like a buffoon. When he wants to be, however, he's remarkably canny in a social sense--even when his mind is being influenced to care more about money than he normally would. He waits for an answer to his first question. Then, he aims the next one to penetrate Smithers' guard: "There's also the matter of your other partners, and their behavior towards some associates of mine within Lampport. Please," he says, leaning back in his seat. "Don't disrespect me by denying it. I do my research, and so does my retainer," says the Demon King with a warm smile. "We can redefine what it means to be prosperous and successful, for you. But you'll need to smooth over whatever issue your old friends have with my associates, and if you can't, I'm asking you, as an equal, to arrange an introduction so I can do it myself."
Charlotte Newman	Charlotte follows Stanley's jumping about for a moment, then returns her gaze to the clamoring Shadows with a little frown. With Galatea's help, she takes a higher perch herself, though something less precarious than a Reversal-neon lamppost or sign. It's the top of one of the sales stalls. She mulls over the situation, her frown deepening, "If the Wish is so focused that it's containing itself like this, it's probably not hurting the Reversal, but look at what it's doing to these shadows..." She drops her hand, "Stanley, Shimmer, I think we should disperse them before they get so messed up that they start breaking the Reversal themselves." She lifts her hand, fingers spread. Beside her, Galatea twists and lifts her left arm to present the cannon, "We just have to avoid killing them, or we're no better than the Ripper. Mabufu!" It's the closest thing Charlotte's magical arsenal has to a firehose, or a cold shower. Galatea's cannon lobs a bright blue sphere in an arc with the distinctive crack of a cannon shot. At the top of its arc, bursts open into chilling light and fluttering snow.
Isaac Beaufort	Isaac stares right into the eye of Smithering. There is something wrong because neither the soothing from Kukuru nor the attempt to grip Isaac's greed works. He sits there, staring at the man as he explains...or rather refuses to explain anything. "Mm. I would like these nebulous improvements explained to me first. I want to know where my money is going and why. If you are unable to do that, then I may be unwilling to invest.." he says evenly. The game keeps going. "Mm, yes my partner is quite right. Going public is important..." he muses, "Other partners? Well, Mr. Smithering, I would like to hear your side of things. Please tell me all about this misunderstanding, and how it can be addressed."
Kukuru	If Kukuru notices Smithering's mind-scraping, she certainly doesn't show it. Indeed, she doesn't really realize it's happening at all, vacant-minded as she often is. Although she'd normally find extraneous thoughts to be rather obvious attempts at influencing her mind, the fact of the matter is... She really likes money, too. That's why she doesn't even consider his honeyed words as something intrusive at all, simply taking it all in stride as though she came up with the thought of getting rich herself. After all, who wouldn't want to make boatloads of money doing.... Something? Actually, she's not sure what a lot of those words he's saying actually mean. Angel investors? Start ups? That sounds like modern business speak, but she'll have to remember to ask Sougo and Isaac about that later. Either way, she just looks pleasantly happy again, and her invasively comforting thoughts continue to push not just into the hallway outside, but towards Smithering himself after Sougo makes that rather pointed suggestion regarding Multiversal PR. It only makes sense to agree to the Demon King's idea and answer Isaac's questions. After all, joining the Concord's happy family is what's best for everyone here. All we need to do is play nicely with everyone else and get along, and then we can make sure everyone can live their best lives making lots of money and eating lots of tasty things together.
Sleek Shimmer	TEAM SNEAKY: Since nobody has come out to accost Shimmer, who's really just standing and looking around where she showed up, the foxgirl briefly falls into a bout of deep thought... She nods to Charlotte, but seems confused at the idea. Disperse them? Drive them where? "What do you mean? Scare them into scattering? Rough up a few...?" She has another plan of her own though, to try first. With a calming inhale, she once again reaches out with her senses through the chaos, searching for anything that stands out amidst the sea of transactions and goods... a powerful artifact, perhaps? Or some lord or boss or supervisor being whose just Bigger than everything around...
Stanley Padgett	DRYCLEAN: There are a lot of threads going on here, and it all revolves around the next 2 minutes. -The building is burning, as blasts of RIDER ENERGY and ELECTROBLASTING ricochet through the facility. -Smithering, bloody and bleeding, Kukuru stands over everyone with lust and joy in her eyes. -Stanley Padgett, screaming as he shoves his rapier through Smithering's chest. -But the most common one, the strand that sticks out the most, is Smithering scampering though space and time, a corrupt portal to the Reversal blistering at the room.
Stanley Padgett	TEAM HOWDY: Smithering frowns, as his honeyed words don't register, don't get the outcome he's used to, expecting. He sets his jaw, and hmmmms. "Of course, I can get a full prospectus drawn up for you both and we can sit down for a full proper briefing. There are procedures to run through, after all. Financial concerns and all that. But I can assure you that TradeItNow is Lampport's premiere import/export house, and we intend to keep things that way." Sougo presses his points, and the man shifts in his chair, clicking his teeth. "Associates, I can assure you that there are, of course, other investors, other sources of money. Any outfit like this has other partners. Or are you attempting to garner... exclusivity?" He's staring daggers at the Rider now. Outside in the hall, there's a clatter as weapons slump to the floor, and then two big fellas slide into the room, moving to take up positions alongside... Kukuru. Their eyes are glazed, and the brawny fellows are just... entranced. Smithering snorts, and snarls. "...Weak minded peasants." He pulls his phone, and jabs his thumb on the surface.
Stanley Padgett	REVERSAL: Charlotte has a good idea. Upset the place. The whole place. Massive blasts of ice smash into the stalls, the stands, blasting shades, and stores and stocks all over the place. And it works, at least a bit. There's a... let's call it a mild panic. Xenon and Argon shadows flicker and shift and flutter and try to get away. Stanley is about to do something of his own, as questions over the radio transfix the poor young man, and he nearly loses his footing. Shimmer reaches out her senses, her thoughts, her magic... Oh, oh that's good. The Manager is on the way, the keeper of this place is coming to set things straight. There's energy building in the place, much like the energy that allowed TEAM SNEAKY into the Reversal in the first place. Someone's opening a portal.
Isaac Beaufort	Isaac is up in a flash, jumping over the desk and straight towards Smithering. His hand reaches out to grab the phone and immediately crushes it between his hands as if cracking a walnut between them. He stares at the man, not as a boy but as an equal. Which might be quite the turnaround for Smithering. "I know how that trick works, Smithering, and I would ask that you politely answer the questions of my associate," he says, pressing his other hand on the man's shoulders. His strength is quite mightier than he's letting on, and he makes it known with just how he squeezes the shoulder. "We're going to continue to ask questions until we have learned what we need to know. You are also going to avoid doing what you did a second ago. Then, when we are done asking questions, we're going to talk about the nature of your wish...because you were sold a bag of bad goods, sir. This is as much for your benefit as it is for ours."
Sleek Shimmer	REVERSAL: Shimmer... wasn't really expecting Charlotte to so quickly go all out with an attack on the Shadows. Nor is she quite sure what's so terrible about all of the merchantry to warrant such violence, even if it's distasteful. In a flash, Shimmer's form collapses into her native fox form and she's diving for any sort of physical cover that she can easily hide behind and peek out of, while doing her best to suppress her own presence... not that she's very good at that. Gotta see who's coming, and whether they're a problem or not...
Stanley Padgett	The phone is smashed, and Smithering's eyes flash as he stares right into Isaac's eyes. "...You really are a pain in the ass, kid." In the Reversal, everything suddenly feels wrong. Instead of that energy of the Tyrant arriving, it's... reversed. Something has happened on the outside, and the whole place, the Shadow World... undoes itself. But not like how they're used to it happening. It's not the collapse of the place, but rather Stan, Shimmer, and Charlotte get the narrative sense that the Shop Is Closed. And they are Politely Shown the Door. All three are unceremoniously dumped back into the warehouse.
Stanley Padgett	And in the boardroom, Smithering changes. He stares Isaac dead in the eyes and growls. "...All you kids ought to have just stayed home. And left this shit alone. But now you're on the list too." There's a moment, and then the man's head is engulfed in... a digital fishbowl. A big old bowl helmet, and inside his head is just a mass of mist and shadows, the vaguest sensation of a face in glowing orange accents. "...All of you are going to hear from us. Don't worry. There's a world of pain coming for everyone, and we're going to make sure it's on you." And Smithering is once again shifting, sliding backwards through a tear in space, that spits fire and smoke.
Charlotte Newman	Charlotte draws her hand back. In the same instant, Galatea lifts her arm, the cannon trailing a wisp of smoke. Like this, she watches the shadows break into a panic. She has no interest in stopping their attempts to escape, in fact the girl looks rather relieved as the neon ghosts scatter for the proverbial hills. DRYCLEAN mentions something in the radio about blocking portals, which she has no idea how to do. She's already formulating a plan for the oncoming Big presence Shimmer warned about when Something Weird Happens. Uncerimoniously, Charlotte is ejected from the Reversal back into the Warehouse, dropping several feet with a screech. She lands on her feet, unsteadily, then falls back into a seated position, "...What the heck was that?!" She quickly glances around for Stanley and Shimmer. Once she's aware of Where they are, she's back on her feet. Galatea re-merges to her silhouette, "Are you guys okay?"
Isaac Beaufort	Isaac's flinch in the face of being called a pain in the ass isn't unnoticeable, but instead, he simply grips just a slight bit harder on the man's shoulder. "I am sorry to have to be so rough with you sir, but I promise it is really for your own good. The power...the wish you were given is wrong." "It is not the end all be all either, or else how would a kid be able to stop you? How would another find out your past, and how would another be able to stop your muscle without lifting a finger? More than that, the weight of your person is dangerous." "More than that, sir. We can offer you better power, actual power. Where the details are in the open, an-" Then the tear happens. Isaac aims to keep his grip on the man's shoulder, staring at that hole with a sudden panic as his plan quickly is uprooted. "You're making a huge mistake, sir!"
Kukuru	Exclusivity? That sounds like the opposite of what Kukuru would want in this sort of matter, but the boys know far more about business dealings than she does. Trusting their judgment in handling Smithering, she looks over towards the doors as they open up, and she smiles brightly despite herself as the big busters come on over to her. She pats them each on the arm softly and gives each of them a gentle shake to try and snap them out of their stupors, then tugs them a bit closer to her on as she receives word to brace. Just because they're Smithering's hired help doesn't mean she won't try to protect them from... Whatever it is DRYCLEAN might have planned, after all. It just might not look particularly bodyguard-like for her to be so chummy with the other bodyguards. Before DRYCLEAN's expected thing happens, though, she lets her guard down when she hears Isaac throwing himself at Smithering to smash the phone. She looks at the phone, then at Isaac, then at Smithering, then Sougo and Woz in utter confusion. Just in case, she glances at those two brawny guys to see if they can explain any of it, but her confusion is soon addressed when Smithering transforms and starts slipping into the Reversal(?) with that big fishbowl on his head. "Get everyone out of here, you two. Be careful." She semi-orders the two guards without any sort of mental influence, just a concerned tone as she steps forward to squad up proper with her friends in the Concord and those coming from Team Sneaky. "Are you sure about this, Franky? We really do wanna work together, and I bet we'd make way more money together if you-" '... if you want to convince someone, they have to believe you're trying to convince them, specifically... not some other person that you couldn't convince, a long time ago.' "... Never mind." Kukuru sighs softly as she puts on a more sour look to try and put that TOUGH BODYGUARD look back on, trying to mask her frown after recalling Sougo's advice. "I guess not... We'll just have to destroy him and find out what this stuff about Paddie is, huh?"
Sleek Shimmer	WAREHOUSE: Shimmer plops to the ground shortly after taking shelter. She peeks out from behind an opened, empty crate atop an otherwise-empty pallet. The little fox looks this way and that, ears swiveling, senses alert, head tilting this way and that in clear and obvious confusion. She hops out from cover when Charlotte calls out, form filling with light and then expanding up with a flash and once again she's henge'd to human-like form, though this time she's back in her normal martial artist attire, and fox features on display. Typical Sleek Shimmer. "No injuries here. I think we got kicked out of the illusory realm... err, the Reversal. Or the owner collapsed it?" She continues to look about for a few more seconds... "Where's Stanley?"
Timespace Riders	Woz arches a brow imperiously at Smithering. It's the first time he's looked directly at the man. He's about to speak--but Sougo's outstretched palm, gentle and firm, stays his retort. Sylvi's advice rings clearly at the front of his mind: Treating real power with this kind of snide respect is absolutely presumptuous. If anyone speaks to you like that and you have no strong reason not to, punish them on the spot. He hesitates, for a moment. Does he have the strength to do it? "...Yes, Mr. Smithering, that's exactly what I'm proposing," he says, still all smiles despite the staring. Despite the clear and present evidence that yes, this had been a trap, one which may not even be completely disarmed as yet. He remains seated, when Isaac rushes across the table, letting the action speak for itself. " I'm more kind and forgiving than Isaac is. ...but, you know. I'm still feeling a little insulted, by the fact that you thought those 'weak minded peasants' would be enough to handle us. I was willing to indulge the idea that we're equals, but you weren't. I'm sorry, but that demands an answer." He frowns, then reaches for his Timespace Driver, standing up and strapping it around his waist. Sougo slots in the Zi-O pocketwatch, mashes the stop on the Driver, and spins it. RIDER TIME! Large pink gears form around him, knocking his chair backwards and clear, as they fade to reveal his pink-and-silver, analog-watch themed armor. He gives chase to Smithering, just as physically tangible pink katakana fly through the office to snap into place over the helmet's face to spell out "RIDER." o/` Ka-meeen Rider! o/` ZI-O. . . His leap clears the table, his fist very nearly grasping Smithering by the collar just as he disappears. In the cleared-out office, Zi-O sighs. "Man..." he laments, gloved hand rubbing the back of his helmet. "I guess there's no straight-shooting someone like that." The rider turns and looks at Kukuru, clock-faced helmet bobbing in agreement. "I'm glad you remembered," he says. "Personally, I thought being direct would work for a guy like him. But people who make Wishes... it seems like things get twisted up inside pretty easily, for them. Isaac is right, at least, and it was good we had Dryclean here, too. I guess the only thing to do now is to find and handle his Tyrant. Then, maybe he can tell us about his 'associates."
Stanley Padgett	Kukuru: These two beefy fellows are Hester and Francois. They are local guys that work- worked for whatever TradeItNow is supposed to be. And they are very confused and following you around like a pair of ducks.
Stanley Padgett	Stanley Marigold PADGETT is currently sitting on a old plastic pallet near the loading bay. He's back in his black outfit, the whole thing making the lanky guy look slightly smaller than he ought to be. But probably what's making him feel and look smaller is the look in his face. He's looking back at his whole life right now and he doesn't like what he's seeing.
DRYCLEAN-SIGINT	This is the first time DRYCLEAN has seen any of the Reversal shenanigans in action. What fun! If there's any one thing they feel relatively assured about, though, it's that there's a very simple thing that people tend to forget when making dramatic exits. Gravity. <J-IC-Scene> DRYCLEAN-SIGINT says, "Also, ah, bracin' wasn't for this fella's thing. Watch the floor." Converge. An infinitely thin beam pierces down from the heavens, slicing through the roof - and a few floors more, but only for a second. It starts behind Smithering, to keep in the blindspot, and lazily loops around both him and Isaac, leaving a tiny smoldering scour on the tile of the meeting room. It doesn't finish a full rotation before suddenly a clean chunk of the ceiling creaks, groans - - and falls directly through the still-open portal; a sort of last-laugh of metal and momentum. If he didn't move out of the way of the other end fast enough, it'll range somewhere between 'annoying' to 'a solid surprise hit' - but the only thing that matters is the message. A burst water pipe sprays down on the room. Though DRYCLEAN isn't present within the room, there's an almost telling silence from their end. A small piece of ceiling tile falls. "Mistimed that."
Charlotte Newman	Shimmer shows herself and Charlotte nods once at the fox's assessment. She keeps glancing around, though, until she spots her friend blending in a bit too well in the dark. With quick steps she trots right over. Before she says anything, she notices that look on his face, and whatever she was going to say just... evaporates. Sougo apologizes on the radio, and then explains why. Some pieces fall into place in her own mind, reflected on her own face which shifts from an 'are you okay?' sort of look to an '...are you okay?' expression. They really should probably get out of here Right Now, but-- she supposes they have a minute. Without a word, the girl seats herself on that plastic palette beside her friend, content to give him the time he needs without interrupting his thoughts. Being There is a promise she made, after all.