Ellis and Victor will be interesting.
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How am I already a third wheel? Deuce had to wonder as he watched his comrades team up with one another. It was a little amusing how easily everyone appeared to have drifted into pairs. It wasn't exactly something Deuce personally had a lot of experience with, his social skills only extended towards acquiring contacts, getting in a friendly conversation with a co-worker was something he had no experience with. That said the rest of his team didn't appear entirely incompetent, Aimee was a bit long winded but she didn't seem terrible per say. Although he had some doubts about the latecomer, the one by the name of Ellis, but he the man did style himself in attire fitting of Deuce's own ancestor, Philip Marlowe. Deuce was mildly intrigued to see how much he lived up to the hardboiled expectations set by forefather, for Deuce himself had already failed in the eyes of so many.
Before his mind had too much time to dwell on the past, Deuce found his thoughts interrupted by the German teammate Victor the "doctor." Apparently the man was also feeling like a third wheel, something that made Deuce chuckle a little. "I wouldn't discount yourself just quite yet buddy, the two of us will probably end up fighting over that title. Oh and just call me Deuce, it's nice to meet you Victor."
Of course Victor's introduction also reminded Deuce of his potential rudeness to the women sitting next to him, "My bad Miss Zech, I didn't even bother to greet you. But yeah the name's Deuce, nice to meet you as well."
"Now," Deuce leaned back in his chair, "What to talk about indeed. Should we be our own little band of three musketeers to avoid being third wheels?"
That was a terrible joke.
Before his mind had too much time to dwell on the past, Deuce found his thoughts interrupted by the German teammate Victor the "doctor." Apparently the man was also feeling like a third wheel, something that made Deuce chuckle a little. "I wouldn't discount yourself just quite yet buddy, the two of us will probably end up fighting over that title. Oh and just call me Deuce, it's nice to meet you Victor."
Of course Victor's introduction also reminded Deuce of his potential rudeness to the women sitting next to him, "My bad Miss Zech, I didn't even bother to greet you. But yeah the name's Deuce, nice to meet you as well."
"Now," Deuce leaned back in his chair, "What to talk about indeed. Should we be our own little band of three musketeers to avoid being third wheels?"
That was a terrible joke.
@Reaper No worries, he's been working on a Logi the entire time.
In all fairness, @Crimmy has been working on the profile since @Plank Sinatra and I started.
Finally got the icebreaker up.
Apologies, this week has been a little hectic.
Apologies, this week has been a little hectic.
As the customers began to filter out so that only the Butei were left, Deuce continued to observe the actions of his fellow Butei with a keen interest. He was a Lezzad and a Detective after all, observing people was what he was paid to do. When Stephan and his motley crew left, Deuce exchanged a few parting pleasantries as his contacts offered to keep Deuce informed in the event any thing came up. Satisfied with the rekindling of his relationship with his contacts, Deuce leaned back and finished his smoothie, this time in silence.
It wasn't long there after that the Barista revealed herhimself to be their team leader. Admittedly, Deuce found the reveal to be rather amusing. Gender bending disguises was more akin to something out of a movie than an actual practice. It was a useful skill to have for sure, even if it did appear to be a tad excessive. However no sooner had their Team Leader introduced themselves did he start scrolling down dossiers detailing every member of the team. This confirmed many of Deuce's suspicions, the man who had been watching him early was indeed a Dagula, one with hypnotism no less, Deuce made a mental note to come up with some counter strategies. Most of the others were indeed assault, and quite a few of the trigger happy variety. Too many for Deuce's comfort.
However as he continued the observations, the others went though their icebreakers, which as Deuce had learned a few years back, was the policy of introducing yourself with a few interesting facts. Deuce found it rather interesting to see the degree of comfort his fellow teammates had with such a concept. Some appeared extremely nervous, while others breezed threw it. While he may still have had his doubts about the team, Deuce did not deny that they were an interesting bunch.
"I guess it's my turn now," Deuce chuckled as he stood up, "Sorry about the noise from earlier. As you can probably infer, it's not my first time in Arkhan so I've got a few contacts, had to make sure they were still viable. Uh yeah, but about myself. The name's Deuce, I'm a Lezzad, and well I've been freelancing for a few years now. Not much to say really. First time since the academy that I've operated as a Butei so I guess that makes a few of you my seniors. Looking forward to working with you guys."
It may not have been the best introduction, but Deuce figured it would do.
It wasn't long there after that the Barista revealed herhimself to be their team leader. Admittedly, Deuce found the reveal to be rather amusing. Gender bending disguises was more akin to something out of a movie than an actual practice. It was a useful skill to have for sure, even if it did appear to be a tad excessive. However no sooner had their Team Leader introduced themselves did he start scrolling down dossiers detailing every member of the team. This confirmed many of Deuce's suspicions, the man who had been watching him early was indeed a Dagula, one with hypnotism no less, Deuce made a mental note to come up with some counter strategies. Most of the others were indeed assault, and quite a few of the trigger happy variety. Too many for Deuce's comfort.
However as he continued the observations, the others went though their icebreakers, which as Deuce had learned a few years back, was the policy of introducing yourself with a few interesting facts. Deuce found it rather interesting to see the degree of comfort his fellow teammates had with such a concept. Some appeared extremely nervous, while others breezed threw it. While he may still have had his doubts about the team, Deuce did not deny that they were an interesting bunch.
"I guess it's my turn now," Deuce chuckled as he stood up, "Sorry about the noise from earlier. As you can probably infer, it's not my first time in Arkhan so I've got a few contacts, had to make sure they were still viable. Uh yeah, but about myself. The name's Deuce, I'm a Lezzad, and well I've been freelancing for a few years now. Not much to say really. First time since the academy that I've operated as a Butei so I guess that makes a few of you my seniors. Looking forward to working with you guys."
It may not have been the best introduction, but Deuce figured it would do.
It wasn't long before Deuce's comrades came wandering in, one by one the Butei trickled and Deuce made sure to take note of each one. So far it appeared the team was comprised mostly of Assault members, although Deuce suspected the one ordering the scones to be a Dagula. From the way the man spoke it was apparent that he possessed quite a bit of charm. Something extremely befitting of a Dagula, but not always the case in the other divisions.
There was also the potential Butei that had sat down near Deuce's own table. To the untrained eye, the lady appeared to simple one of those quieter folks, the kind who came into a Starbucks, quietly sipped some coffee and then left. However there were a few red flags for that particular assumption, the biggest one being that she hadn't bothered to get anything, thus obviously waiting for a meeting. Then there was the smudge on her hand, that while it could possibly just be paint, the faint odor wafting over to Deuce from across the tables seemed to suggest otherwise.
There was of course a scattering of other Butei across the restaurant. Some Assault members conversing with one another, another Assault member chatting with the Dagula, and Deuce took careful notice of all of time, at all times keeping an eye out in case things went a little awry. At this point he also believed it to be best if he let Stephen take over with the conversation. Deuce could easily act as another criminal listening to his friend's boasts as he observed the rest of the Starbucks.
So far the crowd around him was shaping up to be an interesting one, but Deuce wasn't yet sold on their individual competence.
Also, Deuce wondered why he didn't thing about ordering some scones, those things were delicious.
There was also the potential Butei that had sat down near Deuce's own table. To the untrained eye, the lady appeared to simple one of those quieter folks, the kind who came into a Starbucks, quietly sipped some coffee and then left. However there were a few red flags for that particular assumption, the biggest one being that she hadn't bothered to get anything, thus obviously waiting for a meeting. Then there was the smudge on her hand, that while it could possibly just be paint, the faint odor wafting over to Deuce from across the tables seemed to suggest otherwise.
There was of course a scattering of other Butei across the restaurant. Some Assault members conversing with one another, another Assault member chatting with the Dagula, and Deuce took careful notice of all of time, at all times keeping an eye out in case things went a little awry. At this point he also believed it to be best if he let Stephen take over with the conversation. Deuce could easily act as another criminal listening to his friend's boasts as he observed the rest of the Starbucks.
So far the crowd around him was shaping up to be an interesting one, but Deuce wasn't yet sold on their individual competence.
Also, Deuce wondered why he didn't thing about ordering some scones, those things were delicious.
<Snipped quote by Snakes>
They're usually small cafes or additions to bookstores. NOT large, by any standards. I can only assume Starbucks has become a megacorporation in this world and taken over the entire coffee scene, becoming akin to full scale stores where you buy hemp beanies and ambient soundtracks.
...not hard to believe actually.
I dunno, the Starbucks near where I live are pretty large, easily enough to house all of our characters at separate tables and what not.
Bit of a rushed post, but it's up.
Case File 126: Six Degrees of Division
The case started like most others, the night was young, the wind was silent, and the finer parts of city blissfully slept unaware of the darkness that lingered beneath. It was on this faithful night that my client, soon to be employer, strolled into my office. He had the air of man who had fought in many battles yet still found my humble abode to be beneath him. It was then and there that I knew this was going to be an interesting case indeed. Something far livelier than the typical complaints of blackmail, smuggled goods and lost kittens. No, when a fun case came along it was a like a sixth sense suddenly came to life. A rapid feeling of exhilaration letting you know that this one was going to be a wild ride.
When the man began speaking, my suspicions were confirmed. It seemed this man was a representative of Cerberus. While normally this would be a cause for alarm, I was rather intrigued by the fact that my former school had sought me out after all these years. After working alone for a while one soon comes to realize that most people in life look for the easy path, and thus if they go out of there way for your help it’s generally in your best interests to listen.
So listen I did, as the man relayed his request, and it was something far more complex than a simple case, no the man was offering me a job uniquely suited for my skills. The chance to join Division Six of the new Butei Unit. This of course is the very same offer I disregarded as spam in Case File 116: A Ride with the Devil, it appeared I had made a mistake.
However it was not the job that interested me, in my line of work job offers are no rare occurrence, hired muscle is always appreciated on any team. Yet I enjoyed my ability to serve as a detective to the people of this city, while it may have been sinful, tears did not suit this city. Normally that would have been the end of it, I would wished the potential employer the best of luck and seen him off.
Two things made me hesitate, the first was the man’s nature as a Cerberus operative, and they were a unique and powerful organization after all. The very fact that the school that had trained others and myself so well was now going through the painstaking trouble of tracking me down for this job was rather intriguing. Then there was the setting, the division was stationed in a little city called Arkhan.
The very same Arkhan that had given me so much trouble in Case File 47: The Flying Kestrel. If my current city was a city of sin, Arkhan was a place that even sinners dared not tread. It was then that it dawned on me, for so long I had been defending this city, offering even the poorest clients my help. However now the people appeared to have finally rallied behind heroes and good Samaritans. Tears did not suit my city, and it seemed they were finally flowing out of our streets.
Arkhan would be a good next stop, the city of sin and death, was a city I could get behind helping. After all, I had been there a few times before, I’d do well to help my contacts in that area. So I did the rational thing and accepted the contract. This next case would no doubt go on for a while, but isn’t that the way all good things went?
When a good case came blowing through the front door, one would be remiss to not give it a go.
There was no denying that Starbucks was an interesting place for Deuce to first meet the rest of his new teammates. It seemed the coffee chain could survive even in the most scum ridden cities, not that Deuce was too surprised, for even criminals loved their coffee. The time of day was also an interesting choice. 10 PM, a time when most Starbucks around the country shut down, but Deuce supposed the different clientele gave ample excuse for the late hours.
Deuce however wasn’t going to just wait around till ten, he wanted to get a glimpse into the people he was working with before they had a chance to know who he was. At this point he doubted anyone other than his leader would have his picture, and Deuce had more than enough experience in Arkhan to pass as just another one of the lowlifes that lived in this city.
Entering the coffee empire’s store at precisely nine o’clock, Deuce grinned as he caught sight of an old acquaintance. An old contact of his named Stephan Sinclair, it seemed the man was enjoying some smoothies with some of his own friends. All criminals no doubt, but that suited Deuce just fun, it was unlikely the rest of his team would be expecting their teammate to be mingling with criminals before they had even arrived. Thus granting Deuce a better chance to observed his newfound allies.
“Stephan Sinclair,” Deuce stated in greeting as he walked closer to his old contact.
“Deuce is that you? Long time no see buddy.” Came the response, as the two shook each other’s hands. “What brings you back to Arkhan?”
“Just some business, say are you with friends?”
“Oh those crazy guys, here let me introduce you to them.”
It wasn’t long after that Deuce found himself sitting with criminals, toasting with smoothies as Deuce regaled them with tall tales of his previous assignments.
“So there I was staring down a guy three times my size, when out of nowhere Bloody Mary, you remember her right Stephan, well anyway she steps out of nowhere he slash the dude’s achilles. Poor guy probably didn’t walk straight for the rest of his life…”
Laughter and his storytelling would carry on even as Deuce’s other teammates sauntered into the Starbucks. Storytelling was not something to take lightly after all.
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