Gurstag is riding shotgun and would like to see if Louie's erratic driving is causing their tail to do the same.
And then think about whether we shoot at them while driving or ambush them somewhere.
I mean, it seems pretty obvious that our tail would know the jig is up, so we probably can't lead them into an obvious ambush.
So we don't lose much by slamming on the brakes and talking aside the possible threat to our personage.
And we have a couple of hours to sort this out before hooking back up with our contact.
@Delzhand , is there a dead-end alley, or quiet part of town between here and the meet-up where we could lead the stalker(s), maybe trap them and their car without an easy outlet, so we could talk privately?
Alright, I say we confront them now, in public. CJ, is there like a Denny's parking lot or something we can pull into, that looks like it's got a good number of eyeballs on it?
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cj iwakuraThe Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered Userregular
Alright, I say we confront them now, in public. CJ, is there like a Denny's parking lot or something we can pull into, that looks like it's got a good number of eyeballs on it?
This late at night, nothing is particularly crowded, though there are a few late night 24 hour drive throughs that have a handful of cars passing through.
- OK, this person is definitely a Nosferatu right? The huddle of clothing, the garbled voice, their Unseen Prescene in the club....
- If they are Nos and they've found out about what we're up to tonight, maybe the Regentia's server isn't as secure as she thought. Maybe there was a bug planted, or Schrecknet is somehow involved?
- The Regentia stressed a few times how much our mission would piss off the traditional Tremere, Jonathan I think warned us that what we're doing in the Clan could get us perma-killed...of the three we've met so far, I'm kinda inclined to trust the third-party stranger who just tried to warn us off? (even if they were kind of harsh and threatening about it, but that's another point in my "probably a Nos" column)
- I'm thinking...we approach it something like, "If you somehow know enough to know what awaits us at our destination, you probably know that if we turn around and go home empty handed we'll be equally fucked. You see we're stuck between a rock and a hard place and are just pawns in this. But if you really want to help us, tell us more about what we're getting into"
So should we play his vamp-racism right back at him? Be like "Wow, we didn't bigot-it-up and call you a sewer rat when you first stepped stepped out of the car, dude. You'd think a Nos would have some sympathy for being unfairly judged!"
"...plus, I was on house arrest and Gurstag was xxx when all that was going down. We don't know shit."
- OK, that's like the fifth time these guys have made racist jabs against the Tremere. I don't think they could like us if they wanted to...so why even try to save us, and not just follow us and learn more? Unless, their purpose is just to stop us?
- Bone-Spurs mentioned that the deal we're conducting is between the Tremere and mortals, and that these mortals were problematic even among their own kind. I'm thinking, a cult of some kind? Only human faction I know offhand in VTM is the 2nd Inquisition, and they wouldn't make any sense unless the Tremere sending us tonight had made some absolutely dire agreements to turn against the entire rest of their own kind
- Fifth or sixth time they've threatened that we'd probably be dead by tomorrow too, although half the time, it's by someone else's hand. Feeling that the Regentia just meant us as a couple of sacrificial lambs for something intensifies. Whatever task we've taken on tonight, it's pretty clear by the end of it, we'll be pariahs to 95% of everybody we don't side with
- They seem to be teasing out a treasure trove of more info on who we're actually dealing with here, but the longer we spend dawdling trying to tease it out of them, the more suspicious Jonathan waiting at the Pawn Shop is gonna get (assuming we're still going, which... what's our alternative, really? Go back empty handed, have the Regentia kill us/get us killed anyway?)
IC Thoughts:
- Louie doesn't like being threatened. He's been patient and pleasant here. And now they're escalating
- Louie could go on an absolute tirade: yell at these guys about his unfair options, about his last few shitty years, about being tired of being effed around by people in power, and bullied by his lessers (maybe even try a DOMINATE here...)
- This whole thing is gonna be a ruse if course: a chance for Gurstag and him to position themselves to leap into the car at once, duck from the incoming bullet fire, start the car, then floor it at these guys!
... Gurstag, you're gonna need to talk me out of all this, or we are going the full Loony Louie tonight
It sounds to me like they're not finished dropping exposition on us honestly.
I'd say we wait for the quiet guy to stop talking before doing anything rash.
Rash probably being Louie getting wild, and Gurstag taking the opportunity to get uncomfortably close with one or both of the assailants.
He starts attempting to search for J like last night then, on his phone's browser.
If the internet cuts out again like last night, he is just going to assume it is.
Actually, I've scratched this.
If it's too hard, may as well just ask our associates and just assume it is.
Turning it off likely isn't going to help, but can't hurt.
Just won't be contactable by students
Louie's good to head from here to the meetup, as soon as the Nos answers Gurstag's question
Part of me thinks we should discuss the severity of the mess we're in on the car ride over, but another, smarter part of me is now utterly paranoid that everything we do is being watches and listened to by at least three parties at this point
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cj iwakuraThe Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered Userregular
Oh! Didn't realize you were waiting on me, apologies
Gimme a few minutes and I'll throw something minor down- Louie trusts these guys as much as the rest (which is to say, not a whole helluva lot), but for the moment he's gonna make an effort to look like he's eager to play ball with whoever's gonna give him the best (not dusted) offer
OK, after this exchange wraps, now Louie is good to jump back in the car and head to the meetup
The second they pull around the corner and away from the Nos, he's gonna fish around the glovebox for a pen and pad for him and Gurstag to pass a couple silent notes back and forth on all this, as we drive the rest of the way to Gurstag's Pawn Shop and Jonathan
OOC: Not gonna lie, Louie and Julie fucking hating each other on sight, despite the fact that I trust the Nos more than anyone else right now, has been the highlight of the game for me so far!
cj iwakuraThe Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered Userregular
As an H/A topic may have hinted at, I'll be out of the country for the next week or so. I may be able to check in, but probably not post much if at all.
Louie's good to head into the shop if Gurstag is ready! He's gonna be highly on edge after feeling like he's being toyed with by everyone, and looking for some definite answers from this guy
Posts
And then think about whether we shoot at them while driving or ambush them somewhere.
Or do you wanna head to the meetup, hide behind the door with a blunt object, and ambush them/interrogate them after?
So we don't lose much by slamming on the brakes and talking aside the possible threat to our personage.
And we have a couple of hours to sort this out before hooking back up with our contact.
If we want to ambush, better to drive them somewhere that looks like a possible meetup location, and then ambush them as they come in.
This late at night, nothing is particularly crowded, though there are a few late night 24 hour drive throughs that have a handful of cars passing through.
- OK, this person is definitely a Nosferatu right? The huddle of clothing, the garbled voice, their Unseen Prescene in the club....
- If they are Nos and they've found out about what we're up to tonight, maybe the Regentia's server isn't as secure as she thought. Maybe there was a bug planted, or Schrecknet is somehow involved?
- The Regentia stressed a few times how much our mission would piss off the traditional Tremere, Jonathan I think warned us that what we're doing in the Clan could get us perma-killed...of the three we've met so far, I'm kinda inclined to trust the third-party stranger who just tried to warn us off? (even if they were kind of harsh and threatening about it, but that's another point in my "probably a Nos" column)
- I'm thinking...we approach it something like, "If you somehow know enough to know what awaits us at our destination, you probably know that if we turn around and go home empty handed we'll be equally fucked. You see we're stuck between a rock and a hard place and are just pawns in this. But if you really want to help us, tell us more about what we're getting into"
What do you think, @discrider ?
It's odd that a stalker would know more than us though.
Seems you would stalk us to learn more.
Maybe they're looking to clean up the human side?
I have no idea what this guy is talking about.
Aren't we just trying not to emulate their failure.
How were we involved with Venice?
Not at all(that I know of...), but typecasting is all the rage.
"...plus, I was on house arrest and Gurstag was xxx when all that was going down. We don't know shit."
If it goes bad it goes bad, but yeah, whatever you think Louie would do.
- OK, that's like the fifth time these guys have made racist jabs against the Tremere. I don't think they could like us if they wanted to...so why even try to save us, and not just follow us and learn more? Unless, their purpose is just to stop us?
- Bone-Spurs mentioned that the deal we're conducting is between the Tremere and mortals, and that these mortals were problematic even among their own kind. I'm thinking, a cult of some kind? Only human faction I know offhand in VTM is the 2nd Inquisition, and they wouldn't make any sense unless the Tremere sending us tonight had made some absolutely dire agreements to turn against the entire rest of their own kind
- Fifth or sixth time they've threatened that we'd probably be dead by tomorrow too, although half the time, it's by someone else's hand. Feeling that the Regentia just meant us as a couple of sacrificial lambs for something intensifies. Whatever task we've taken on tonight, it's pretty clear by the end of it, we'll be pariahs to 95% of everybody we don't side with
- They seem to be teasing out a treasure trove of more info on who we're actually dealing with here, but the longer we spend dawdling trying to tease it out of them, the more suspicious Jonathan waiting at the Pawn Shop is gonna get (assuming we're still going, which... what's our alternative, really? Go back empty handed, have the Regentia kill us/get us killed anyway?)
IC Thoughts:
- Louie doesn't like being threatened. He's been patient and pleasant here. And now they're escalating
- Louie could go on an absolute tirade: yell at these guys about his unfair options, about his last few shitty years, about being tired of being effed around by people in power, and bullied by his lessers (maybe even try a DOMINATE here...)
- This whole thing is gonna be a ruse if course: a chance for Gurstag and him to position themselves to leap into the car at once, duck from the incoming bullet fire, start the car, then floor it at these guys!
... Gurstag, you're gonna need to talk me out of all this, or we are going the full Loony Louie tonight
I'd say we wait for the quiet guy to stop talking before doing anything rash.
Rash probably being Louie getting wild, and Gurstag taking the opportunity to get uncomfortably close with one or both of the assailants.
Just observing
He starts attempting to search for J like last night then, on his phone's browser.
If the internet cuts out again like last night, he is just going to assume it is.
Actually, I've scratched this.
If it's too hard, may as well just ask our associates and just assume it is.
Turning it off likely isn't going to help, but can't hurt.
Just won't be contactable by students
Part of me thinks we should discuss the severity of the mess we're in on the car ride over, but another, smarter part of me is now utterly paranoid that everything we do is being watches and listened to by at least three parties at this point
Gimme a few minutes and I'll throw something minor down- Louie trusts these guys as much as the rest (which is to say, not a whole helluva lot), but for the moment he's gonna make an effort to look like he's eager to play ball with whoever's gonna give him the best (not dusted) offer
The second they pull around the corner and away from the Nos, he's gonna fish around the glovebox for a pen and pad for him and Gurstag to pass a couple silent notes back and forth on all this, as we drive the rest of the way to Gurstag's Pawn Shop and Jonathan
When are those two just gonna kiss, already
Just wanted to wait until our gracious host is back.
It's not immediately clear, and you could try, though that be considered a bit impolite.