The face of that sneering Arbiter still fouled her expression as she stormed out of the Arachnos Goverment Building. Walking by the reflecting pool, she stopped to get a good look.
Operative Rosemary Anne-Magdelane Jameson stared into her reflection. Hard blue eyes, long straight blonde hair, usually covered by her Nightwidow helmet. The helmet that had been thrown at her snarky Arbiter Psychologist.
The dark and reflective texture of her Nightwidow armor glinted in the afternoon light. Way to early in the afternoon to get bolloxed. But, she probably wouldn't have a job tomorrow, so to hell with it. Shouldering her duffel, Jameson sought to get well and pissed.
She pulled off her neck piece as she wandered around Port Oakes, looking for a place that would at least serve her.
Finally, she came across The Den. It was new, she hadn't seen it before at least, so the bar would be clean.
Stepping inside, Jameson confirmed her suspicion, the place was new. The heavy scent of liquor and smoke didn't permeate everything yet. Almost a pity.
Noticing the glances her uniform got, She shook her head, "Not here for a shakedown gents" She had been born and raised on the Etoile Islands but her voice held a trace of Ireland in it. She blamed her grandmother, but that was neither her nor there.
Stepping up the bar, Jameson held up two fingers, "Two shots of Jameson, a pint of Guinness. Where's the bathroom? I need to get out of this spook suit."
Infinity
Sam Varden 50 MA/Reg Scrap
Doomtastic 50 SS/Inv Brute
Ceus 50 Eng/Kin Corr
Cinderstorm 50 Fire/Fire Blaster
Morgan looked as the Widow entered but not seeing Guns and hearing "Not here for a shakedown gents" she relaxed.
Brian watched as Jameson came to the counter "Aye Two shots and a Pint coming right up the restrooms are over there" Points to a hall way between the Lounge and the Bar area. He then takes a pint glass and tilts it as he fills it from the draft.
After setting that down he places two down a double shot glass and filled it. Once Anne returned from the back rooms "Welcome to the Den."
Right as Jameson exited the bathroom, a thug enforcer with black hair and a ponytail, a gray coat, red shirt and government-style glasses suddenly entered the building and waltzed like he owned the place right up to bar. He leaned on it, attempting to catch Morgan's attention with a snap of his fingers, as if directly addressing her was below him. A strange scent wafted from the thug, as though he was sweating a sweet perfume. He was wearing a strange emblem around his neck, appearing to be made of ruby with a delicate carving of a screaming skull etched into it.
"Hey there sweet thing. I need to talk to the manager. And as long as I'm here, hit me with a pint of Moonbeam Absinthe if you've got it."
Morgan looked at the thug and tryed not to make a face at the smell "Of course sir the manager right there at the bar with you."
Gorge smirked and started filling the pint as Brian walked over. "I'm the Manager and owner what can I do for you?"
"Ah, you must be Gorge than. Nice to meet'cha." The enforcer said, giving him a mock salute. "I'm here representing Erik Raoul. You may or may not 'ave heard of him. Doesn't matter either way. But he's real interested-like in this little venture you've got set up, see? And he approves of what you're tryin' to do. He thinks this place is gonna be the next big hit in the isles. So he wants to toss in his lot with ya' before a line starts formin', see?"
He suddenly leaned in closer, and lowered his voice.
"So what I'm tryin' to say here, nice n' subtle-like, I would prefer it if we could go over this somewhere else, preferably a tad more quiet-like."
[ QUOTE ]
"Welcome to the Den."
[/ QUOTE ]
"So that's what this place is called. Cool", a voice came from apparently thin air, which became not so thin as the stalker sitting at the bar decloaked. She'd been on her way to the Pocket D, but had seen this place on the way there and decided to give it a try. The sneaking in was just a habit more than anything.
She was dressed in a black trenchcoat that had at some point had the sleeves ripped off it (The tattered remnants were still visible) over which sat a pair of sheaths containing two long and slightly curved swords, plus matching black pants held up by a studded leather belt. Her longish hair, somewhere between brown and orange in colour, was tied back in two bunches to keep it out of her face. Those with mercenary connections might recognise her under the name Bladed Mirage, but she usually went by Ildela.
Pulling a pair of fingerless gloves off and shoving them in her pocket, she leaned casually on the bar and looked at the various bottles stacked on the shelves behind. "One of those, thanks", she requested, pointing to the bottle in question. "And I have five bucks that says those heroes beat Babbage but take at least one casualty doing it", she added with a glance over to the MFC guy, before going over to him to give him the cash.
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: STOP!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WAIT ONE SECOND!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WHAT IS A SEAGULL DOING ON MY THRONE!?!?
Jameson had exchanged the Nightwidow suit for tough black jeans, a slightly armored undershirt and a black leather jacket with the Arachnos logo emblazoned on the breast. On her belt in the small of her back were the infamous Widow smoke grenades and her widow claws still sat sheathed on her arms. A pair of sunglasses hung from an unzipped pocket.
She approached her waiting drinks, thanked the barkeep and slammed the two shots with a quickness that seemed supernatural, her eyes watering just a little with the burn.
Rosemary might have recognized Bladed Mirage, but most of the Destined One candidates she knew were dead and awaiting investigation. As the thug leaning on the bar gave his shakedown speech, her hand unconsciously reached into her pocket to finger her rosary, mumbling a quiet prayer in Latin.
That task done, the Widow glanced at Gorge, nodding her head to the thug, 'Did he want Arachnos Intervention?' It was her duty to maintain order on the isles, even if she was facing suspension and only wanted to get blind drunk.
Taking a seat at the bar in front of her pint, She kept her eye on Gorge and the thug.
Infinity
Sam Varden 50 MA/Reg Scrap
Doomtastic 50 SS/Inv Brute
Ceus 50 Eng/Kin Corr
Cinderstorm 50 Fire/Fire Blaster
The Bartender Gorge came over and place down the drink and with a very scratchy and foced voice "I'm Gorge and I'm just the bartender." Motions to Brian O'Malley "He's the boss"
Then Gorge walked over to where Rosemary was and makes a motion to Tony who was eyeing the Thug.
Of course Tony smiled when Bladed Mirage came over "Ah Five on Babbage with one Face down... Lets see that be 5 to one odds is the going rate." he took the money and put it in the counters safe like lock box. She would note his left hand wasn't very far away from a red button on the console.
Brian O'Malley listened to the Enforcer and nodded lightly "Well tell Erik Raoul that I can't at the moment make any more contracts. See this Bar is on Family teritory and that's why I got to deal with..." Motions to Tony. "They be kind of angry if I start dealing behind there backs and I got enough trouble with the Mooks trying to move in."
He smiled abit "So you see my hands are tied as it were. And I really don't want a visit by Billie Heck or one of his hired hands."
Morgan had moved to two civilians who entered and she guided them to the lounge. Of course she wanted to get away from the Thug.
Near the docks, the water suddenly moved slowly, then quickly rose to an eruption as a submarine exploded out of the sea, sending drops of water everywhere. The hatch on top slowly opened, but revealed no one there. After a couple of seconds, a face emerged like it had been there all along. Short brown hair with a black hood laying restless on his shoulders, he looked down into the hatch and smiled.
"S'all good Jay, get the bag," he called, climbing out of the sub. He had an open black jacket which explained the hood, and underneath that a white shirt that had a couple of straps going around it, holding something. He had black jeans and a brown leather belt holding them up, completing the whole thing with big, black boots.
Next came up Jay, a bald man with a short beard. He also had an open black jacket, except underneath he had a heavy gray shirt that held bullet-proof armoring. He had regular blue jeans and a black belt with brown boots. In his hand was a large black duffel bag, seeming to be stuffed to the top with whatever was inside.
"Without a hitch," Jay said smiling, and hefted the duffel bag for emphasis. "Well, what should we do now?" the other man, Spencer asked. They were contemplating this for all of half a second before they both said "Get hammered!" and jump onto the deck.
The two men entered the Den, seeing a small assortment of customers. "Not too shabby," Spencer commented as they made their way to the bar, sitting a couple seats down from the thug. "Two rounds of some heavy stuff, please," Jay asked while Spencer looked closer at the other people. Spencer whistled quietly "Dang, lookit that fox," he said, indicating the blonde with a movement of his head. "She's out of your league," Jay laughed, laying down a twenty for the drinks, and probably many more.
The thug exited the den. "What bout it, boss?" An awaiting arsonist asked.
"We are going to go kill the Family." The enforcer said coolly, drawing one of his uzis and checking his belt's gear.
"Nice. How many?" A second enforcer asked, leaning against the wall of the establishment."
"I just said." The first enforcer said calmly. "We are going to kill the Family..."
***
[u]Somewhere in St. Martial[u]
An extremely bored thug enforcer sat, as if engrossed, in an extremely ornate and comfortable looking chair that was bigger than a giraffe, looking more like a throne than a chair. There was classical music playing in the background and a horde of people in formal wear talking and doing what they did best: Wasting space.
The thug's attempts to not fall asleep in the over sized chair when his cell phone rang. It was from the incursion group to Port Oaks. He flipped the cell open. "This is Con, talk to me."
"Apparently his hands are tied." The voice of the first thug enforcer answered him. "Do we have permission to kill Billi-"
"Absolutely not." Con, or the Conductor as it were, said suddenly. He had gone from slumped to alert instantly. "And you are not allowed to go and start a gang war with the Family either. Don't even try it. I do not want calls from people telling me you have set fire to Villa Montrose. And I swear if I get a whiff that you've been capping Family members, I will personally come down there and crucify you. Are we clear?" The Conductor asked menacing through his phone.
***
[u]Port Oakes[u]
"Crystal, sir. Alright. Uh-huh. Got it." The enforcer said, examining his fingernails as the Conductor shouted at him from the other end of the line. Finally, he hung up. The enforcer turned to the rest of his group, and said, "Alright people. Here's the rundown. The Hellions want power and territory from the Family. The Council is angry at the Family. The Lost are loading off drugs to the Family. The Hellions will take down Billie Heck. The Council will mow them down in Oil Spill and Marconeville, and remove of Angelo Vendetti. The Lost will eradicate them in Dockside. If you get what I'm saying, get moving........."
The enforcer and his entourage all split and started walking in different directions.
Brian watched the Thug walk out of the bar "Yup this place called Marconeville for a reason" he then move to where the two men had sat down.
"Hard stuff I got some strong Moonshine, Tequila, and some nice Rum Captain Mako own blend Mako's Bite" Brian said as he wiped his hands off on a towel.
Tony then called out "Fight with Babbage is over One hero fall Hey Brian you lost!" he checked the list and handed 25 bucks to Bladed Mirage. Then brought up an arena battle on the main screen.
Jay listened to the list and thought for a second, then turned to his partner, asking "Hey Spence, wanna try the..." He tapered off, noticing that Spencer was still looking at the girl he had mentioned earlier. Jay sighed and said "We'll try two of the Makos Bite" he said, then slapped his partner behind his head. "Huh? What?" the man said, swiveling on his chair and raising an eyebrow at Jay.
"Don't even try," Jay began, but Spencer said anyways "I'm gonna go talk to her," As his partner walked away, Jay sighed, muttering under his breath.
"How ya doing?" Spencer asked, sliding up to the bar next to the Nightwidow. He looked around slowly, "Not too bad of a place,"
[ QUOTE ]
"They be kind of angry if I start dealing behind there backs and I got enough trouble with the Mooks trying to move in."
[/ QUOTE ]
"You really think they'd be stupid enough to attack a place frequented by so-called 'destined ones'?", Ildela asked as Tony handed her the money. "Ahh who am I kidding, of course they would. Be complete suicide, but that's never stopped them before."
She looked over at the guy going over to talk to the Nightwidow. "Yeah, that'll go well. How come I never get looks like that?", she mused absently as she looked up at the screens to see if there was anything else she could waste her money on.
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: STOP!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WAIT ONE SECOND!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WHAT IS A SEAGULL DOING ON MY THRONE!?!?
Jameson sipped her Guinness and looked at Spencer. She shrugged, full shoulders and replied, "Looks nice enough. Needs a bit more seasoning, but I figure its a right proper placed to get smashed after you threw things at your boss."
Taking a long drink, Jameson shook her head. Not the place or people to be airing her dirty laundry with. Not for a few more drinks anyway.
"And you? How's the great game going?"
Infinity
Sam Varden 50 MA/Reg Scrap
Doomtastic 50 SS/Inv Brute
Ceus 50 Eng/Kin Corr
Cinderstorm 50 Fire/Fire Blaster
Brian nodded and poored two glasses of the Spiced Rum and slid one to Jay. "I just take your partner to him." he leans foward and softer "I think your right she's out of his league."
He chuckled and walked to the other side of the bar and set down the glass infront of Spencer. "here you go one Mako's Bite Spiced Rum."
[ QUOTE ]
"You really think they'd be stupid enough to attack a place frequented by so-called 'destined ones'?"
[/ QUOTE ]
Tony shruged "I have no idea what are in the Mook's mind. If anything does happen I can just hit my switch and two buildings down the street an alarm would sound and a bunch of Family guns be rushing here. Not to mention there two Arachnos Patrols paths that go just out front about twice a day." Tony tapped the console and then moved a finger to his blue tooth. "Ah we got a few things coming up one is a Royal rumble between 4 fighters in Faultline! Arbiter Sands, Nocturne, and Captain Castillo are known combatants we are rating each one a 3 to 1 odds of winning the fight.
"The fourth Fighter is a Fire fire Tanker going by the lame name of Roast Beef. Were giving him the odds of 6 to 1 of winning with out becoming road kill." Tony then taped the console and brought up a vidio of Faultline on the big screen. "Beting on that ends at first blood and were expecting a blood bath."
"The Other event has a teem of destined ones giving Crey a lesson. Seems Crey been trying to get there hands on some Arachnos tech and Kidnapped a Tarantula Queen to study. Well now the team of a Zombie Mastermind, Electric Brute, and a Mind Dom is going to Punish Countess Crey."
"Betting odds are a bit random as we still haven't been able to Tap into Crey sercurity camras." For a moment one of the screens showed fuzz then came into the view of a lab. "Ah there we go and yes the Countess is in the building. Going odds Countess wipes them all out 3 to 1 odds. The team winning with no KO's 10 to 1 odds. Winning with one KO 5 to 1 odds. and Winning with two KO's 3 to 1 odds."
Brian looked at Tony "I want my money back Tony put me down for a team wipe ten bucks!"
Ildela looked up at the screens, thinking quietly to herself. "Hmm..." She took some of the money she'd gotten off the last bet and handed it back to Tony. "Five on the tank, and five on the villains with one KO."
"And incidentally...", she pulled one of the swords from its sheath on her back. "By the time those goons get here, they'll wonder why you called them." She held the finely polished and very sharp-looking blade up to emphasise her point before sliding it calmly back into its sheath. "And where's that drink I ordered? Actually screw it, get me one of that stuff he's having instead." She gestured towards Spencer.
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: STOP!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WAIT ONE SECOND!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WHAT IS A SEAGULL DOING ON MY THRONE!?!?
[ QUOTE ]
"And where's that drink I ordered? Actually screw it, get me one of that stuff he's having instead."
[/ QUOTE ]
Brian looked over to Gorge "What am I paying you for didn't you get the woman with the very sharp sword a drink?" He shook his head and poored a glass of the Mako's Bite.
"Strong stuff this Mako's Bite but I have a feeling your use to the strong drinks." He walked out of the bar and over to where she was standing and handed her the drink then pulled out a ten and handed it over to Tony.
Tony nodded at Ildela "Ah but you won't always be here now will you. Right Five on the Tank at 6 to one and 5 on the Villians with one KO. Ten on the Countess."
Jameson looked up at Tony, "Nocturne is a pansy, but Sands is sweet on her. He won't kill her, and she can't kill him. Castillo will go first. If the hero is smart, he'll let them finish each other off."
She didn't place a bet though, gambling was not smart on a Widow's payroll and a Grandville apartment to maintain.
Infinity
Sam Varden 50 MA/Reg Scrap
Doomtastic 50 SS/Inv Brute
Ceus 50 Eng/Kin Corr
Cinderstorm 50 Fire/Fire Blaster
((OOC The Den can be found on Port Oaks at the location of -1180.0 64.0 -224.3 and look south you be looking right at the building.))
Jay smirked as he heard Ildela. He glanced over at her and whispered "Don't worry about it, the kid's a sap for the blondes," He took a sip of his drink and blinked back the tears, his throat burning before he continued "Although if he strikes out with her, you'll be his next target," He took another sip and glanced over at the fights going on. He didn't place any bets yet, but he had his ideas about who was going to win.
Spencer looked at her curiously. Throwing things at bosses didn't usually come up so easily, but he shrugged it off. "Eh, nothing much, same as most of the people in the Isles. Just want to make a nice living then retire early," He nodded his thanks as he received his drink and took a long swig at it, barely resisting the urge to cough it back up. "Strong stuff," he muttered, placing the cup back on the table.
"Sorry, I'm Spencer," he said "I didn't catch your name"
[ QUOTE ]
"Ah but you won't always be here now will you."
[/ QUOTE ]
"Well, I would be if you asked nicely. Or you could always hire me as a bouncer or something", Ildela replied, grinning at him as she took the drink Brian handed her. "Not like I'm doing much else these days", she added before going back to the bar, taking a seat beside Jay.
"Might wanna tell him I'm taken, then." Actually she wasn't, but it was a convenient way of keeping unwanted attention at bay. She even had a fake wedding ring on the appropriate finger.
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: STOP!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WAIT ONE SECOND!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WHAT IS A SEAGULL DOING ON MY THRONE!?!?
[ QUOTE ]
"Well, I would be if you asked nicely. Or you could always hire me as a bouncer or something"
[/ QUOTE ]
Brian rubbed his chin as he thought about it. He walked back to the bar and over to where Ildela was. "I am looking for a bouncer but I want to see your skills first. Over at the docks some Coralax have taken over a warehouse where some of my goods are being kept. The cook hates making meals out of Dr. Aeon's NutriPaste she calls it Gloyfided Tooth paste. So Clean out those fish and your hired. Of course if your not looking for a long term job I still pay for those beasts to be out of the place."
Brian smiled abit "So are you interested?"
Over at the lounge Tony looked at his displays "Betting is over on the Royal rumble they are now fighting! Still time to bet on the Countess and a group of Villians!"
Jameson paused. It had been a long time since she'd actually had a friendly conversation with someone. Or had a need to use her first name. What the hell, she figured. Might as well give it a go,
"I'm Rosemary. So, Spencer, how is that retire early thing working out?"
Infinity
Sam Varden 50 MA/Reg Scrap
Doomtastic 50 SS/Inv Brute
Ceus 50 Eng/Kin Corr
Cinderstorm 50 Fire/Fire Blaster
Jay smirked. "I'll be sure to tell him that before he jumps at you," he said, taking another swig of his beer. He listened to the bartender tell Ildela about the Corlax infestation in a warehouse nearby, and couldn't help but feel curious. He almost asked how much he would pay, but then stopped himself. He would see if Ildela asked.
"Rosemary, nice," Spencer said nodding, taking a sip of his drink before he continued "Well, not too bad. Got a nice house in Cap and a pretty good amount of money in the bank," He paused for a moment, thinking whether or not to show someone in the Rogue Isles a large amount of money, but decided to anyways. "Yo, Jay!" he shouted, getting the bald man's attention. Spencer clapped his hands and held them out. Jay got the message and tossed the duffel bag to him, Spencer catching it and laying it on the bar.
Spencer zipped open the bag and let Rosemary get a look at all the money in it, literally bursting at the seams with it. "Man, the bank in Steel Canyon is loaded," He re-zipped the bag and dropped it by his feet. "So," he asked "What's your big dream for today?"
(( The Den is an Open RPG anyone welcome to join. The Den bar and Grill is located in Port Oaks so Mostly Villains but Heroes are welcomed to be the nights Entertainment. All damage done when a hero arrives will be billed to the hero. Regular Groups visiting the bar are Arachnos, Family, Some Mooks, Civilians, and a few Hellions. The Den is a Bar not a Safe house or hide out it's a place for Villains to come and relax and even seek information for a Heist. Yes information is there for a price. Think of the Den as a Cheers for Villains! So come in order a drink and enjoy. Morgan, Gorge, the Cook Brenda, and Tony are all NPC's))
Brian O'Malley ran his fingers in his brown hair as he entered the Den's double Oak doors. He was greeted by the U shaped bar lit by soft over head lights giving the bar a warm orange glow. "Greetings Boss" came the voice of one of the waitresses Morgan her black hair was tied back into a long braid this day and she had on a skimpy deep red dress.
"Got dressed up for the grand opening I see Morgan." She smiled "Dress to impress that what my mother always told me." Morgan went to the right to turn on the Jukebox and dance on the small dance platform there till customers arrived.
He ran his finger along the Red wood counter top the bar was well stocked in the center was an island with the liquor bottles. Gorge was wiping out a mug and nodded to Brian. Gorge was a quiet man the burn scars along his neck and up the side of his cheek was only part of the reason he don't talk. The rest was his secret.
Brian could smell the cooking from the back where the Cook Brenda was preparing for what ever meals customers might request during the day. To the left he looked to the Lounge area where booths and tables were set up for dining.
Well most of it was in the back were 7 screens showing Fights taking place not just in the Arena but also at random locations from Paragon City and Rouge Islands. From time to time the Monkey fight club symbol flashes on the screen advertising who was streaming the information over the airwaves. Tony the Fight Club official was already at the system's terminal preparing to take bets on the fighting. "Anything going on Tony" Brian asked. Tony looked up and adjusted his glasses "Well Babbage is up in Skyway and bashing some Task Force but mostly it's still quiet. I'm hoping some profitable action going to happen today for the grand opening of your bar."
Brian smiled "Put me down for 10 bucks Babbage TKO three of those Heroes". Tony taps on the computer "Alright that a 2 to 1 odds data of the Task force seems to be mostly new heroes and haven't got the knack of working together well." Brian places 10 dollars on Tony's betting counter.
He then headed to the front and turned on the OPEN sign under neon red and blue glow was a second sign "Help Wanted". He moved to go behind the bar to work as the second bartender and waited for people to arrive.