>>3696072
“I mean, we figured that was happening already, right? Ain’t much news if it’s already known,” you shrug and down the entire glass of wine in one go.

“Sammy… there’s a difference between knowing something and having evidence of it. Baker wouldn’t get in trouble with just us knowing he did something wrong,” she retorts, “And you should slow down on the wine.”

“Oh, I’ve not going to get drunk off it any time soon. I’ve only had three cups, I’ll be fine,” you placate.

“No, I know, it’s just that it’s expensive. I mean, if you’re happy to spend a couple hundred standards per bottle then be my guest,” she shakes her head, “and—”

“Welcome!” A man on stage captivates the audience with open arms and a loud booming voice. His face covered in a mask, but you could guess he’s the host. It’s been nearly two hours since you’ve arrived, so you were wondering when it would start. Though, to their respect, the two of you did arrive early. “Now, before we begin…”

“… We will remind our guests that all recording devices have been disconnected as per the contract signed,” he continues.

You lean to Naomi, “what about them recording us?”

“Oh, they wouldn’t. Too many important people are here and they aren’t really happy in sharing their conversations here,” she answers.

“Ah, I’m glade the slave traders have a code… but doesn’t that mean it would make more sense to record them? Like… I don’t know, us plotting against them?”

“Pfft, no, their whole business is ran by these people. It’s more about trust, no one would buy from them if they recorded everyone,” she looks to you, “besides, the contract, the people here signed it so it’s already enough of a blackmail to keep them from talking.”

“Knifes at both their necks…” you mumble.

“… and so, a word from one of our sponsors. You might have seen them around here,” the man on stage continues to speak, “Curriculum Vitae would like to make an announcement. Starting next month, they will begin to expand their services outside of Leo, Math’s Hold, and Arcady. Curriculum Vitae is looking to put offices within other Systems, including but not limited to; Alchemy, Marston, and Midway. Thank you. Now, let’s begin the auction.”

His hands point to behind him and the red curtain lifts to reveal an item sitting atop a pedestal. Gold lines spiderweb black marble, a beautifully designed sculpture sits in the spotlight. The shape of a woman in a dress, but to you it’s strangely familiar. Though you’ve never seen this woman, it looks like someone you know. You’re not sure where you would place her though, the memory of this woman seems foggy at best.

>>3696075
Maybe it’s a famous person from a movie you watched. Your eyes turn to the catalog given at the front door. The first item is a sculpture of a woman by an unknown artist. Apparently, the starting price is eight hundred standards. The next few items seems to range from guns to ship parts to works of art and even sensitive documents. Strange… you flip through the book-like pamphlet before reaching near the end. That’s when they’re selling the girls…

>You’re just here to watch and talk with Naomi. No reason to buy anything here, not like you can buy anything anyways. Eight hundred is the cheapest thing here and it’s the first item.
>You’re going to try to get something, at least. Why not the sculpture? She seems familiar so why not? You have enough money for it so you could buy it, plus it helps you blend in if you buy something instead of sitting around like a weirdo.
>”Hey Naomi, are you going to buy anything? You check out the catalog?” you know the two of you are here to gather information, but she might have wanted something here too. Perhaps a catgirl, even?
>[write-in]

____________________________________________________________________

Welcome back to For Hire. I had taken a small break of two weeks so that's the reason why I've been absent for a while. I've mentioned it in my discord and I've been talking a lot with a few other people about some things. Nothing major, really, just had adjusted a bit on the timescale we're working with to try to speed things up a little bit. I understand that the biggest issue right now is just the snail's pace everything has been going at. Thankfully... I've figured out a way to fix these issues.

Thank you and welcome back! Returning strong with episode 11! Let's go!

Twitter: Kov_QM
Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=FHQ
Character Sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1z3WwwCvkilVxWx6uAuIThapoTypzZ_X9zP8OgdH3XMY/edit?usp=sharing
Discord: https://discord.gg/QznmEus

>>3696089
>[write-in]
Check if there's catgirls for sale.

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>>3696118
>Strange… you flip through the book-like pamphlet before reaching near the end. That’s when they’re selling the girls…
That was meant for the catgirls. This is the auction house mentioned earlier that sales catgirls.

>>3696089
>You’re going to try to get something, at least. Why not the sculpture? She seems familiar so why not? You have enough money for it so you could buy it, plus it helps you blend in if you buy something instead of sitting around like a weirdo.

Its the fucking red lady isn't it? After that we can

>You’re just here to watch and talk with Naomi. No reason to buy anything here, not like you can buy anything anyways. Eight hundred is the cheapest thing here and it’s the first item.

And see what is her plan around here

>>3696166
+1

>>3696166
>>3696246
>two for buying the statue and biding your time.

I want to make sure about this decision since I forgot to mention that you guys are still in debt with about 400 standards. The clothing and armor you guys bought still needs to be paid off but you don't have to until the end of the month. which isn't until another two weeks. Once you finish the job for Moreh, you'll get paid an additional 500 standards as well.

>>3696360
Just don't go over what we owe and what we expect to recieve

>>3696382
alright,

>>3696166
>>3696246
>two for buying the statue and biding your time

Writing!.

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>>3696089
“Starting with item one on our list is this mysterious sculpture. This exquisite piece was originally made by an unknown artist and has pass through several hands before landing on our stage here. The statue itself is accompanied by several documents that are equally mysterious. Though provided, the documents themselves are unreadable as they, like the statue, are written in an unknown and, at times, illegible script,” the host goes over a basic description of the black-gold statue. His words bleed into the background as you lean towards Naomi.

“So, what do you think?” you ask.

“About the statue? It looks nice, I guess?” she answers, “Why, you think it would look nice in your ship or something? Sammy, really, how are you going to fit that anywhere?”

“Well, I don’t know. But, hey, what about you? Are we just going to sit it out and not buy anything? Wouldn’t that… make it look kinda obvious we ain’t really here to buy?” You try to convince her as you half-listen to the host, “Besides, it’s pretty much the only thing here I can buy.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have spent your money so quickly. You might have had something left,” she gives you a look that makes you know she’s unconvinced.

“What, like the guns?” you ask with raised brows.

“No… well… Sammy, it’s your money,” she gives up.

“Right, right…” you trail off as you turn your attention back to the host.

“The things that we do know about this statue is from the portions of translated text that we have discovered so far. For one reason or another, the artist deemed to call this piece ‘Chimera’. Which many of you know, isn’t anything like the mythical beast or the spliced we come to know. Even though the artist is unknown, the piece itself is extremely life-like. What we know is that it was made by hand, and we should all know what that means,” he pauses while the audience begins to chatter amongst themselves, “Yes, yes… a lost art indeed. But… sadly, or happily, due to the unknown origin, the price will start at eight hundred standards.”

The audience seems quiet, hesitant. The sculpture is, comparatively, inexpensive but that might also turn off several bidders. Chimera. Strange name for sure. A man a few tables in front of you raises his hand after several minutes. It seems as if it’s an almost unwanted item. “Eight hundred, eight hundred, can we have an eight hundred and twenty?”

The rest of the Audience seems to remain quiet. “Going once, twice,” you look over to Naomi and she shows her full disapproval. You smirk and raise your hand. “Eight hundred and twenty!”

>>3696661
The audience seems to not care and the man who raised his hand keeps it low. The unknown nature of the statue must have kept people away. Hell, the documents could have been forged. “Going once- ah- Eight hundred and fifty!”

A man to the left with long black hair and similar suit raises his hand. “Eight hundred and fifty!” the host repeats. It seems there’s competition, however limited. “Can we get a eight hundred and seventy?”

You raise your hand; the man looks to you. You’re not really sure why you would want to pay for something like this. Naomi was right too, it’s not like you have anywhere to put it. The corner of the garage? It’s not like it would fit in your ship… “Eight hundred and seventy! Going once, Going twice…”

The man holds his gaze with you for a moment before nodding and looking away. He shrugs but doesn’t raise his hand again. “And sold to the man in the back. Wonderful piece.”

“Why?” Naomi groans. Honestly, you’re not sure why. You just wanted it and it adds to your cover.

“Pfft,” you laugh, “It’ll go right with my collection, you know. Besides, it didn’t seem like anyone else wanted it. Pretty much a steal.”

That black sculpture was hand-made. You’ve never heard of anything like that being hand-made. But… that’s not really why you bought it. There was something… strange about it. Being pretty is part of it but it was more like it called out to you. Not in a creepy way, but more of like how a piece calls to you in a scrap yard. Maybe you’re seeing things but if feels just like when you went out to buy parts with your old man. Nostalgic could describe it.

Time passes slowly as a few more pieces come to the stage and leave. These must be the low-end items that the auction starts off with. A painting of a winding red river, a gold-plated rifle, a stone with a natural hole in it.

“So,” you start, “what are you thinking about buying? You’ve looked over the uh whatever yet?”

“Ahh,” she pauses for a moment, “do I have to?”

“Yeah, yeah, I got something. Why not?” you ask.

“Well, they’re all pretty expensive,” she sighs and looks over the catalog. She skips a few pages before landing on the section with the splicers.

“Ah, are you thinking about buying one?”

“One what?” she looks back to you.

“A uh,” you stretch your neck to read the text on the top of the section, “a Catgirl?”

“Why,” she asks, “are you?”

“Nah,” you lean back, “Don’t think I got the cash for that kinda thing.”

“Even if you did, what would you do with it?” she asks with an almost accusatory look.

“Oh, I don't know. Shouldn't we try to save them at least?” you shrug off her concern, “They’re why we’re here right?”

“Why? I mean... no I'm not here to save them,” she shakes her head, “There's not reason to anyways”

“What? Why not?”

>>3696666
“They're not really human anyways. Just—” she pauses and brings the catalog closer, “here, look, Sammy. Sure, they're like selling pets, I guess. Anyways, they're not the victims...”

“Well, if you ain't here to save them then...” you look towards the stage again, “what else are we here to do?”

“I'm here to watch, you know? Observe, right? Look at who's buying them instead of what they're buying. Look, over there, that's one of the local politicians pushing for the closure of the investigation and over there is an officer of the local police force... and over there…” she points by nodding her head towards the people.

“Are four CV agents,” you lean back, “Right, right. Well, I guess that’s all good…”

You trail off as you watch the auction continue. There’s no way you could care for any of the ‘catgirls’ any ways. They’re used like bargaining chips, blackmail, a sort of underground that sets these guys into the pockets of whoever makes them. She’s here to bid on one thing and it’s not anything up for sale. She’s bidding that Baker’s the one making them.

> -870▲
> new total: 135▲
Character Sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1z3WwwCvkilVxWx6uAuIThapoTypzZ_X9zP8OgdH3XMY/edit?usp=sharing

>Wait for the end of the auctions. She what goes where like Naomi said. Watch and learn what kind of people are doing what.
>Go and inspect your purchase. You just spent your earnings on this thing, might as well go to the back to check it out.
>”So, all these guys here, how did you find out so much about them? You didn’t get those freaky eyes like Coraline has when I wasn’t looking, did you?” just continue to talk while watching the stage.
>[write-in]

>>3696672
>>”So, all these guys here, how did you find out so much about them? You didn’t get those freaky eyes like Coraline has when I wasn’t looking, did you?” just continue to talk while watching the stage.

>>3696672

>”So, all these guys here, how did you find out so much about them? You didn’t get those freaky eyes like Coraline has when I wasn’t looking, did you?” just continue to talk while watching the stage.

>>3696672
>”So, all these guys here, how did you find out so much about them? You didn’t get those freaky eyes like Coraline has when I wasn’t looking, did you?” just continue to talk while watching the stage.

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>>3696672
“So,” you start, “Senator Collins?

She turns to look back at you, your eyes meet, and the both of you fall silent, “What about him?”

“Oh, just uh… what all do you know about him? You got this Commissioner fellow and that other politician, right?” you ask before pouring yourself another glass of wine.

Another item is set on the stage, this one, however, seems to garner more attention than the rest. The two of you turn to see whatever it was that the audience thought was worthy of their words. Something something… they’re still near the beginning of the auction. Most of these items are mundane at best. This one seems to be the first of the more regal items, though everything here is expensive.

You turn back and tap the side of her arm. Bare skin. Even though you were there helping pick out the dress she’s wearing, you weren’t really there. If anything is to be called regal, she’d be at the top of your list right now. You might be a country bumpkin from some agriculture colony, but even city people would be hard-pressed to find a princess like her. The dress only makes it even more apparent.

“Hey,” you get her attention, “the politicians?”

“Oh, right,” she nods, “yeah, like, so Senator Collins is part of the side that wants the bill to pass. He’s actually, like, quite vocal about it too. The two sitting with him are, like I said, one of Leo’s police commissioners and a high-level manager in a trading company partnered with Collins. Collins himself has recently been growing his sphere of influence in his political party, but I didn’t know if there was anything solid on him. You know, I’m pretty surprised about seeing him here. I heard he was supposed to have, like, a party or something in a few months.”

“Maybe he’s picking up party gifts,” you say dryly.

“Yeah, maybe,” she scoff-laughs.

“And what about that guy over there? You know anything about him too?” you point with a jerk of your head.

“Him? Oh, well he’s Keven Scofield, one of the shareholders for RLD Logistics,” she answers, “He’s not that famous, actually, just one of the hundred other shareholders and RLD isn’t even that large of a company…”

>>3698451
“Oh really….” You trail off, “what about that one?”

“That guy?” she makes sure, “I think he’s part of the group there, which are all part of one of the local advising firms. I think… they are part of the Jorge Patterson Firm, not sure, actually. Wait, you know, actually they could be the Stanton Firm. Which, if you didn’t know, has been around for quite a long time.”

“Really, really… that’s… hey,” you turn to look her in the eyes, check to see if they’ve changed since last, “you didn’t happen to get that weird eye thing that Coraline has, did you?”

“What? You think I had the time to go get surgery and back before you turned around or something, Sammy?” she stifles a quiet laugh before it breaks her composure too much.

“Oh, but you had the time to research all of these guys?” you narrow your eyes in doubt.

“pfft,” she almost laughs again, “Sammy, really, do you even watch the news? You should really pay attention. I mean, all of this isn’t really hidden information.”

“Ah, right right,” you nod, unconvinced, “this is all common knowledge, yeah?”

“Yeah,” she nods quickly, “Yeah, pretty much.”

“Alright, sure,” You scoff and turn back to the stage. The Audience went quiet once more, as if in anticipation for something grand. The host returns, his gestures far more flamboyant and exaggerated as he enters the stage.

“Ah, fantastic… fan-tastic,” He stops in the center, placing his hands in front of him, “Now for the first introduction of some of our items. Now, most of you have came for this particular event but we will first show five,” he holds up an outstretched hand before lowering one finger at a time, counting down from five, “Five. We’ll be starting, if you would check the catalog, from numbers Three hundred and sixty-four to three hundred and fifty-nine.”

He stands back and raises his right arm to his side, pointing to one end of the stage with a flat palm. Soon, five girls draped in various white dresses file in. Their cat-like ears rise from the crown of their head while tails half their height protrude from their backside. Each girl, otherwise, look like normal, if a bit nervous, everyday… girl.

“After these five we will be returning to the regular auction, though we will periodically reveal groups like these. The lowest number will be Three hundred and thirty-nine. In total, we will be revealing twenty-five beautiful works of science,” he bows slowly before rising once again, a smile crept across his mask.

>Options next

>>3698454
[ O P T I O N S ]

>”Are you sure you’re not buying one?” They’re just innocent girls, seeing them up there like just another item to be sold off hurts you more than you would have imagined.
>”I… can’t.” You’re going to get up and go to the back. You’d rather not see them sold off so you’re going to go and inspect the item you purchased. That marble statue.
>Just sit quietly and watch. You’re not here for heroics but information. Naomi apparently knows each of these people like the back of her hand so you might as well see it through.
>[write-in]

>>3698454
>Just sit quietly and watch. You’re not here for heroics but information. Naomi apparently knows each of these people like the back of her hand so you might as well see it through.

>>3698456
>”I… can’t.” You’re going to get up and go to the back. You’d rather not see them sold off so you’re going to go and inspect the item you purchased. That marble statue.

>>3698456

>”Are you sure you’re not buying one?” They’re just innocent girls, seeing them up there like just another item to be sold off hurts you more than you would have imagined.

>>3698456
>>”Are you sure you’re not buying one?” They’re just innocent girls, seeing them up there like just another item to be sold off hurts you more than you would have imagined.

+

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>>3698456
Five sets of eyes stare back out into the crowd of jovial smiles baring sharp fangs. The girls on stage look more like mice than cats, though they look as they were trained to keep their composure. Tearing your eyes away from them, you turn to Naomi, “Are you sure about this?”

“About what?” her eyes flit back to yours only to stay for a moment before returning to the stage, “Sammy,” she sighs, “yes, I’m sure about it.”

“Is it because of money? We could get Moreh and talk with him, he’d probably give us enough. I mean, I don’t mind working to pay it off eith—”

“Sammy, no. Besides, you haven’t even finished the other job he gave you,” she crosses her legs under her dress, “I… I know you want to help them, Sammy, but we can’t. I mean, where would you even put one? Do you have an extra bed somewhere or room, even?”

“But we can just buy a room or bed, right? We’re talking about a life here.”

“Yes, I know perfectly well,” she sighs. Her emerald eyes return to meet yours, “If you want to help them then we should stop it from happening in the first place. And even, it’s not, you know, entirely legal to do these kinds of things, right?”

“Legal,” you snort, “When did that matter? Come on, if we wanted to do something legal should we be promoting the bill?”

“No… ?” she shakes her head, “That bill would only make this whole problem… tenfold. You know the whole story. It’s just going to make it easier for them to do more of this. Legal too.”

“Well I don’t like it,” you state. Of course you don’t like it. You’ve felt powerless since you arrived on Milo. You couldn’t do anything to save Adam, you couldn’t do anything in the face of those vultures or those government guys, the preacher, the train… Lately, you haven’t been able to do anything.

You at least want to have… have something to show for your effort. To show it’s not going all to waste. Have something in the bag, a win or… just something. Anything. Falling silently, falling into your chair, you watch as the host gives an overview. Just like any other auction item. They’re not treated as human. You cross your arms in front of you.

Forty-eight thousand, sixty-two thousand, sixty-three thousand, fifty-four thousand, fifty-seven thousand. That’s the price paid for each girl. They’re the least expensive out of the supposed twenty-five to be shown. That’s half a ship in standards. More than you could pay for.

>>3701980
Your eyes narrow when the host returns to the stage and the girls exit. Feelings well up inside you, a mixture of hate, disappointment, and fear. Fear for never being able to do anything, fear for the future… but mostly hate. These are the same kind of people to kill of their brother in arms. Perhaps they even sold out your grandpa. Maybe that’s why you’ve been a criminal your whole life. Colony work while these guys get to prance around and evade law.

Hate for them, hate for their actions, hate for your inability. But you’re not delusional enough to think that you could just bomb or shoot up some place. None of that would even be near the sane conclusion to this whole train of thought. Naomi is right, you need to stop this. That means stopping Baker and his goons.

>”I need some fresh air.” You’re going to step out for a moment. Maybe longer. Think things through, clear your head.
>Keep still. Running away from something simple like this only shows weakness. This stuff is trivial. If you back down from just sitting and watching them do this then how will you even have the courage to stop this.
>”Who were the guys who bought them?” Naomi probably knows their names, if not that then some general information about them. Whether she got it from the news is another topic.
>[write-in]

>>3701984
>>”Who were the guys who bought them?” Naomi probably knows their names, if not that then some general information about them. Whether she got it from the news is another topic.

>>3701984
>Keep still the beating benis. Running away from something simple like this only shows weakness. This stuff is trivial. If you back down from just sitting and watching them do this then how will you even have the courage to stop this.

>>3701984

>Keep still. Running away from something simple like this only shows weakness. This stuff is trivial. If you back down from just sitting and watching them do this then how will you even have the courage to stop this.

>>3701984
Black is the heart of a man who looks on unflinchingly. For you, gritting your teeth and bearing through the rest of the auction would probably turn you mad. Products of some sick fantasy are paraded around like toys to be bought and sold. Premiums paid for with an unknowable price.

This only solidifies your conviction, your crusade against Baker and his minions. Hell, you have half the mind to get up and leave the place just to try to get things on the move.

“Sam?” Naomi calls. Even if you usually keep from revealing your emotions, your face betrays you. You feel it now, your brow was furrowed, eyes narrow, and jaw locked.

“Huh, what?” you feign ignorance. For more than one reason, you’d much like to not have repeat of what happened last time you were here. You couldn’t leave fast enough, gripped by disgust and nausea. Your expression softens as you calm yourself down.

“Nothing, you just look a bit intense there for a moment,” she smiles. Her smile grounds you -- centers you – it returns you back to the present and keeps you from running wild. That’s the power of her smile.

“No…” you deny, “I was just… squinting. Maybe I need glasses?”

“Glasses?” she snorts, “I don’t want to think about you in glasses. Why not get those ‘weird eye things’ that Coraline has.”

“Doubt they sell those at the market,” you reply, staring forward. You’re not even paying attention to the auction at this point. What little peace you derive from the small talk with Naomi is quickly squandered away. Five more splicers are shuffled onto the stage.

Heavy is your heart. Heavy as it should be. It’s the first time you’ve seen something like this that isn’t hidden behind a digital screen. This isn’t some penned story written for the pleasure of viewing. This is something you’re witnessing with your own eyes. Even with the theatrics of the host, it’s not some play.

Time drifts. Forcing yourself to hide your heart, you keep quiet and watch. The ones Naomi had mentioned by name, Senator Collins, Scofield, the group from the firm, had all each bought a girl. The firm, nearly frat boys, bought a total of three and are unable to contain their excitement. Each consecutive purchase gave rise to more cheers from their group. The good senator and his men had bought an equal amount. One for each at his table, you would guess. The catgirl with pink hair that you had been introduced to the first time you were here was sold off to the Senator. Keven bought one and so on.

You’re not sure if you should be taking notes or not, but you’re positive all of this has been seared into your brain regardless. Names, place where they sat, the expression on the girls’ faces when they were sold off…

>>3704655
You sink into your chair; the leather cushion feels like lead. You’re not sure how long the two of you had been here for. Longer than a few hours but feels like an agonizing century. Twenty-five girls, all sold and accounted for.

>”So, you got what you wanted.” Naomi already had a plan for this. She must have figured something out while you were staring off into space.
>”Right, well, I’m going to go grab the statue.” The auction is over. Time to collect your things and continue on your way.
>”That commissioner with the senator, isn’t he a local? Same goes for the Firm and Keven and the others. Couldn’t we follow up on where they go?” You couldn’t buy them, the catgirls, but you could try to free them.
>[write-in]

>>3704661

>”So, you got what you wanted.” Naomi already had a plan for this. She must have figured something out while you were staring off into space.

>>3704661
>”Right, well, I’m going to go grab the statue.” The auction is over. Time to collect your things and continue on your way.

>>3704661
>>”So, you got what you wanted.” Naomi already had a plan for this. She must have figured something out while you were staring off into space.

>>3704680
>>3704673
>two for got what you want

Writing!

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>>3704661
You push yourself up from the stupor and turn to Naomi. She’s been quietly watching the now thinning crowd this entire time. The contrast between now and how she normally is striking. You knew whenever she gets serious, she would almost change entirely. From a bubbly, carefree girl to a stoic one.

She came here with a different intention other than just sitting here. She came for information, a drive not wholly different from yours but far more of it. Where you’ve been stewing in your own anger, she’s been watching.

“So,” you start, somewhat louder than what you had wanted before quieting yourself, “Uh, so…”

She continues to look ahead; she wasn’t paying attention to you. Her hands placed in her lap atop a small handbag while her legs are crossed. She looks regal, if you had to describe her. A Princess, though, this time, it’s not sarcasm. “huh?”

“Ahem,” you clear your throat. This time she looks at you, “Did you get anything useful?”

She nods rapidly, repeatedly, “Yeah, Sammy,” she leans into the table, placing her weight onto it, and points down to a napkin. Tapping it, she begins to explain, “C.V. What did they do today?”

“They made an announcement,” you play your part.

“They’re expanding,” she says, “Not only that, but they’re trying to pander to higher clientele.”

“So, they need money?”

“I guess, but that’s not just it. Ryen, and by extension Baker, are connected to C.V. so it probably stands that either of them told C.V. to expand, or that they’re not one hundred percent needed. Whatever Baker needed them for could be coming to a close,” she leans back, “next month. That’s all the time we have.”

Oh. That would mean several things. For one, the girls will either be harder to find, or they will be released. It was volunteer work but they’ve practically been completely isolated from the world and you doubt Baker had them sitting in a room alone all day.

“Not only that,” she says, “For every auction item, the host gave a source except for… the catgirls, right?”

“Right, so, wait,” you stop her, “I thought we already knew that they were all in-house. That’s not really news.”

“Yeah, they’re the source. They know where the spliced come from and…” she explains, “We can follow the source. I’m thinking that we could either follow their source or we could try to follow through C.V. They’re both here and obviously both connected. You heard from the host; C.V. is a sponsor.”

>>3704856
You look around the auction house, people are standing up and going to retrieve their purchases. Several are continuing to chat with each other at their tables. Several others are dining here. It looks as if the auction itself had never happened. “What about the guys who purchased from them, anything interesting from that?”

“Yeah, it gave me a list of political figures and companies that are already under Baker,” she answers, “You remember the freighting notice from a few days ago, right? A lot of the CEOs, shareholders or managers or whatever were connected to some shipping or freight company. Baker is buying his resources with spliced.”

Industry power fueled by a blackmarket. Baker has been garnering favor through giving the people what they want.

>Get the statue and move this conversation back home.
>”What could Baker want to do with all of this power?” Really, he’s built himself an army, has political backing, and pretty much isolated himself with the majority of resources here.
>”So, we either follow C.V. or the auction house. Which on would be easier? Maybe we could split up or something?” Either one will likely lead to the same source. You’re now positive that the girls are being used as surrogates for this.
>[write-in]

>>3704859
>”So, we either follow C.V. or the auction house. Which on would be easier? Maybe we could split up or something?” Either one will likely lead to the same source. You’re now positive that the girls are being used as surrogates for this.

Better chose the easiest and stick together, they can be dangerous.
Do we have our weapon nearby?

>>3704859
>>”What could Baker want to do with all of this power?” Really, he’s built himself an army, has political backing, and pretty much isolated himself with the majority of resources here.
>>”So, we either follow C.V. or the auction house. Which on would be easier? Maybe we could split up or something?” Either one will likely lead to the same source. You’re now positive that the girls are being used as surrogates for this.


can we follow and talk? I want to hear about Baker

>>3704884
no, you don't have your gun on you at this moment. it's back at home since you're not able to bring it here.

>>3704856
>”So, we either follow C.V. or the auction house. Which on would be easier? Maybe we could split up or something?” Either one will likely lead to the same source. You’re now positive that the girls are being used as surrobillgates for this.

>>3704884
>>3704900
>>3704916
>three for easiest route

Writing!

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>>3704859
“C.V. or the house,” you repeat, “which one would be faster you guess?”

“I don’t know, honestly. Either or, really,” she answers, “We’d have to look for the people from C.V. since that wasn’t given. If we try for the auction house, I’m pretty sure things could get complicated but also probably the fastest of the two.”

“What do you mean complicated?”

“Well,” she explains, “We’d be following the product to the source rather than following the lead. Plus, we don’t even know for sure if Sumi is any part of this. You know, right? Baker worked on artificially creating splicers. This could just be a false lead too…”

You’re not that optimistic about it though. In all likelihood, the ‘volunteers’ could be used for getting influence while Baker works on whatever it is he’s working on. You know he’s up to something larger than what you can see now but… Hell, with C.V. connected to the auction house all but confirms this. You just don’t know where they’re held.

“House also has a lot of money,” you start, “They’re more or less guaranteed to use it for protection. Doubt they rely on C.V. with what they can throw around. So either a few elites or a thousand goons. I don’t like either.”

“We could try both?” she advises, “you’re acting as if we’re going to have to go in guns blazing or whatever. I doubt it would be that exciting.”

“Yeah, well, you remember the train.”

“It’s definitely not going to be like that all the time,” she reassures you, “What, do you expect to just shoot your way through?”

“As apposed to what? I doubt they’d be willing to talk it over a few drinks,” you counter, “Eventually it’ll lead to it, trust me.”

“Well with that attitude, sure,” she shakes her head, “Going through the house would probably be safer, honestly. Just have to ask a few questions and be on our way.”

“Yeah but if you’re going to try to blend in then wouldn’t trying for C.V be easier since they have more personnel. It would probably be faster to just talk with them if that’s what you’re after,” you reply. Both options are liable to lead to bad news.

“Well, it’s up to you if you want to follow either,” she shrugs. “All I’m saying is that House would be faster to at least check out.”

>”Why is it up to me? Just choose.” You’ll let Naomi decide on this.
>”C.V. it would be, ironically, safer to get in and find where the girls are at through them.”
>”House. Fastest way. Doubt we can get out of trouble if we’re caught though so I’m counting on you.”
>[write-in]

>>3705053
>”C.V. it would be, ironically, safer to get in and find where the girls are at through them.”

>>3705053

>”House. Fastest way. Doubt we can get out of trouble if we’re caught though so I’m counting on you.”

>>3705053
>>”C.V. it would be, ironically, safer to get in and find where the girls are at through them.”

>>3705061
>>3705068
>Two for CV continuation

Writing!

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>>3705053
“Let’s just keep to looking into C.V.” you answer, “Like you said, can’t even be sure the auction house is connected to the volunteers. Sure is suspicious but it could just be a waste of our time. Besides, once I get the key for Moreh, we’ll be able to get into that Argus system or whatever.”

“You’re right,” she agrees, “When are you going to do that anyways? What, you got until the end of this week, right?”

“Yeah, soon,” you answer, “Probably tomorrow or the next day. No one is willing to buy, and they know Arcady is after them. Thought it’d be better to just let them sit on it, get a little more willing for a trade.”

“Oh, that’s pretty clever,” she smiles.

“Yeah, they used that in Bloodhounds,” you say.

“Yeah, yeah,” she nods, “it was uhhh, they used that a few times, no? Think they used it…”

“When they were following up on the gem thief,” you say, “and then again when the detective was dealing with the vampires and lycanthropes in season eight.”

“Oh yeah, I remember that. I hate that arc,” she replies.

You snort, “Yeah… well,” standing up, you push your chair in, “We should probably get going anyways,” you check your display, “it’s already pretty late… oh hey, call something in and get it delivered to the house. We can eat there.”

“Alright, sure. Pizza?” she asks while standing up from the table.

“Yeah that’s fine…” you give a quick nod to her as she reaches into her purse, “Let’s get the statue and go.”

“Oh right, nearly forgot you bought that thing,” she says, “where are you going to put it anyways?”

“I don’t know, cost me nearly a hundred so it’s not like I’ll just put it anywhere…” you say while making your way to the side room. Most of the buyers already cleared out with a few still standing around and discussing the auction. You ignore them while the two of you make your way to the black marble statue. An attendant stands beside it with a large display in his hands.

The statue is slightly shorter than you are, and she looks incredibly life like now that you see it up close. Most notably is the hair and clothing that flows beautifully. As if someone simply turned this person into stone and set her in front of you. You look to the base of the statue, the word ‘Chimera’ sits boldly at the center.

“Ah,” the attendant says while you approach, “You must be mister Gauterot. The purchase went through smoothly so, if you will, here are the documents and the information for delivery.”

“Oh okay…” you aimlessly flip through the pages before looking up again, “Right, can’t I just take it with me? I arrived by ship so can’t I just load it up?”

>>3705187
“If that’s what you wish to do then we can set this on a mobile pallet and you can move it yourself,” the attendant answers before getting the attention of two others. One of them wraps the statue up with a cloth to keep it from chipping or being damaged while the other two of them gets a large mobile pallet. Carefully, they put the statue onto it and hand it off to you.

You and Naomi walk quietly together with two attendants as you make your way back to the ship. It takes very little time to get everything in order. Shorter even then when you arrive back at the house. It takes a while to carefully lower the statue into the garage, but using a crane and a lot of time, you manage to make do. By the time you set it up, the food Naomi ordered arrived.

it’s now Night.

>Eat and go to sleep. It’s late and there’s not much else to do today. Tomorrow you’re probably going to be busy so you might as well try to get some sleep now.
>Inspect the statue and the documents. You bought it on a whim, and though it did help to make people not suspicious of you, it’s still here.
>Talk with Naomi about something [write-in]
>[write-in]

>>3705187
>Inspect the statue and the documents. You bought it on a whim, and though it did help to make people not suspicious of you, it’s still here.

>>3705191

>Inspect the statue and the documents. You bought it on a whim, and though it did help to make people not suspicious of you, it’s still here

Did I understand it wrong? Weren't we following someone?

>>3705216
not literally following them, it's the direction of the investigation.

>>3705191
>>Inspect the statue and the documents. You bought it on a whim, and though it did help to make people not suspicious of you, it’s still here.

>Inspect the statue and the documents. You bought it on a whim, and though it did help to make people not suspicious of you, it’s still here.

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>>3705191
The stone base settles on the plated floors with a light thud. Removing the straps that connects the statue and the ceiling crane, you step back and take the statue in fully. The black, flawless marble makes up the body of it while gold is used mortar that holds together large chunks of it. It is as if it was broken apart and put back together.

You’re not an artist, and you certainly have little artistic sense, but the gold definitely compliments the black marble. It sort of reminds you of a certain some one who wears a gold mask… Moreh would probably love this statue, since he’s one of those types. You certainly do not want to end up with his aesthetic sense so you push the thought out as you get closer to the statue.

Originally, the gold spiderweb of cracks looks patternless, like a haphazard assembling and disassembling of stone. Yet, on closer inspection, it creates smaller and more intricate designs along the seams and thoroughly brings out definitions in the stonework. The gold doesn’t simply run in straight lines but rather, it follows the curvature of the sculpture. You can make out circles, lines and what looks to be symbols within the gold detailing. These smaller details are almost unnoticeable at a distance and you must nearly press yourself against the stone to even see them.

Such fine detail work… and the host said that it was made by hand or something… You step back. If that is true, then whoever made it must have hands as steady as a god. Ridges, dimples, and pores in the skin, details so miniscule they become unfathomably difficult to carve into stone. And yet… they’re all present.

What is far more surprising is the price, something like this could easily be sold for tens of millions of standards -- at least that’s your layman’s estimation. It’s far too impressive to be near your hands. It should honestly be in a museum somewhere, but for now, it will sit in the corner of the Ryo’s garage. You turn around and spy the documents you’ve left on the cot and retrieve them.

Of course, you’re unable to read them, just like anyone else, but you still decide to flip through the pages. Few of the letters look like they’re composed of English, a few others look like letters from the Imperialist, or rather Royal, character list. The entire thing is hand-written and looks more like chicken scratch written by some insane person. You sigh and toss it back to the cot.

From a distance, the statue looks pretty much just like a person. It’s honestly kind of creepy to look at. You certainly wouldn’t want to wake up in the middle of the night and see it in the corner of your eye. So, you take an extra sheet from the cot and cover it. Even if it still retains its shape, it would be weirder just to have it standing there.

>>3708688
A metallic click and the sliding open of the garage door is accompanied with a greeting, “I was wondering what you’d do with that thing.”

“Yeah,” you turn to see Naomi poking her head through the door, “Thought it didn’t, uhh… fit the atmosphere of the whole, uh, work chamber. The canvas blanket really pulls together the who aesthetic, I thought.”

“Oh wow, you’re a real master of the arts, aren’t you? I didn’t know I was in the presence of someone so proficient, and you’re right! It really does pull together the room. Honestly, I the grease stained rags and oil buckets make it feel just like a garage,” she smiles, taking only a moment before continuing, “I was just popping in to tell you the pizza will get cold if you wait too long.”

>”Yeah, I’ll get some in a second. What do you know about that C.V. company?” You decided to make them your number one on your shitlist today. Might as well understand them entirely, plus… they’re ran by a guy that knew Adam.
>”Actually, I ain’t that hungry. Gunna go to bed early tonight,” You have a busy day ahead of you, besides, you’re probably not able to stomach food tonight after what you saw. You’re really not that hungry.
>”Sure, what’d you get?” Eat, small talk, sleep. Tomorrow can be for questions, you’re too damn exhausted for any serious talk.
>[write-in]

>>3708694
>”Yeah, I’ll get some in a second. What do you know about that C.V. company?” You decided to make them your number one on your shitlist today. Might as well understand them entirely, plus… they’re ran by a guy that knew Adam.

>>3708694
>[write-in]

"You know how to read royal royal right? Could you give me a hand with these documents, the statue it's too....good...to be sold for so litle and there is something familiar with it, I was hoping the papers would shed some light in that"

>>3708755
Supporting

If she can't understand or after she reads it


>”Yeah, I’ll get some in a second. What do you know about that C.V. company?” You decided to make them your number one on your shitlist today. Might as well understand them entirely, plus… they’re ran by a guy that knew Adam.

>>3708755
Make sure to show her the statue too, so she can see we are not exaggerating when we say its high quality for the price specially if hand made

>>3708755
>>3708793
>two for lesson on languages
Writing!

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>>3708694
“Yeah… I’ll get some,” you nod, “but, no, yeah, uh… did you even look at this thing?”

“What, your statue?” she says, leaning against the doorway, “yeah, it’s very nice. Come on, let’s eat.”

“Were you waiting for me to eat or something?” you ask, turning away to the statue, “Look at this, really, like I’m not kidding you when I say this, but I’m pretty sure this thing is far more than what I paid for it.”

“It’s a black market, isn’t the whole point of it being that you find rare things?” she shrugs.

“Yeah, but ain’t it supposed to be even more expensive?” you raise the sheet and wave Naomi over, “I mean look at the thing. They said it was hand carved but it’s a perfect replica of someone. Hell, it looks like it is someone. Could of fooled me if you said something like that this was actually someone turned into stone.”

“Is that why you covered it up with a blanket?” she asks, almost appearing behind you out of thin air, “And yeah, it’s pretty good…” she leans in closer, ignoring that she startled you, and places a finger onto the black marble, tracing the gold lines, “You sure it isn’t someone turned to stone?”

“Hey, don’t joke like that,” you scowl, dropping the sheet.

“Pfft, it’s called chimera, not medusa. I’m pretty sure it’s not a real person. Besides, even Arcady, in all their power, can’t actually turn people to stone,” she says, lifting the sheet once more to look at it. “Wow, it really is life like. Eight hundred was it? Honestly you should sell if for, like, a few million at least.”

“Yeah, no. This thing is far too valuable to just sell it again. Even more is that ain’t even the weirdest part,” you say, making your way to the cot, “look, you can read Royal characters, imp speak or whatever, right? This is full of those weird squiggly lines and what not,” you hold up the document, “It’s all handwritten too. Reckon the guy who made it is probably from a border world.”

You flip through the pages again, looking over the strangely written script, “besides this dude’s apparent diary, it doesn’t really come with much else.”

“Let me see it,” she says, extending a hand. After a moment of her flipping through the short black book, “yeah this is pretty illegible. You sure this guy wasn’t on some drugs or something when trying to write this?”

“I don’t doubt drugs were involved,” you reply, “but can you read some of the characters at least? I mean, I can’t read a lick of it. Looks like it’s all over the place to me.”

“Well, no, not really,” she answers.

“Not really?” you repeat.

>>3709148
“Well…” she trails off, flipping the pages before stopping on one and drawing closer to you, “see these two characters,” she points to two strange square-looking squiggly lines, “they’re kanji, a uhhh group of characters. Really old script, but… these two mean something like a disguise or mask? Maybe a veil or something? I don’t really know since none of these sentences give context. It’s like a bunch of random words mixed in with incoherent gibberish…”

She stands for a moment, silent, while staring at the pages. “Yeah… so it has something like that? Could it be like a code or something? Don’t want to learn ten different languages just to read about a weird statue.”

“Yeah…” she trails off, not listening to you. “Hold on… I think I’ve seen something like this,” she points to a sentence that looks like random English characters and other assorted symbols, “it’s like they’re making the sounds for English words, you know? So, this one sentence says, ‘Found in’ but then uses this weird symbol here… hmm… Honestly Sammy, I don’t have a clue.”

She pushes the book back to you. “Wait,” you push it back to her, “you said you saw something similar to it?”

“Yeah, they use something like this in some chatrooms,” she answers, stepping away, “just kinda like an in-joke. Basically, just take a romaji keyboard and type English words. Looks weird but, like, it’s pretty popular. I don’t know what to tell you, though. Maybe take it to a linguist or something. I think it’s using more than just one language and it’s switching between them. Maybe Moreh? I don’t know.”

“Eh… Moreh,” you sigh, “is he some kind of linguist too?”

“Yeah, of course he’s a linguist and cryptography too, he’s a information broker. I think he’d have more problems if he wasn’t one,” she answers, walking backwards toward the garage door, “Anyways, if you’re not going to eat… “

“Yeah yeah, okay,” you toss the book to the bed and follow Naomi through to the kitchen. Pizza was always a special food for you back on the colony… The three of you, including Coraline, eat in silence. The TV doing most of the talking while you eat.

>”If Moreh is such a smart guy, why is he just some nobody hiding away in Leo of all places?” Nothing serious, you’re tired after all.
>”What all do you know about C.V? If we’re going to be dealing with them…” You decided to make them your number one on your shitlist today. Might as well understand them entirely, plus… they’re ran by a guy that knew Adam.
>”Chimera, I bought it because it looked familiar. What if Arcady actually can turn people into stone? Does she look like any of the volunteers or anything?” you’re kind of worried. Not to mention a strange eerie feeling you’ve been having since you bought the thing.
>Go to sleep! You’ll be busy tomorrow. You can figure out everything later.
>[write-in]

>>3709152

>”Chimera, I bought it because it looked familiar. What if Arcady actually can turn people into stone? Does she look like any of the volunteers or anything?” you’re kind of worried. Not to mention a strange eerie feeling you’ve been having since you bought the thing.

Oh, I know I was wrong when I thought about this but let's clear this out shall we?

>>3709152
>”What all do you know about C.V? If we’re going to be dealing with them…” You decided to make them your number one on your shitlist today. Might as well understand them entirely, plus… they’re ran by a guy that knew Adam.

We haven't slept in her room again after that day, right? We should change that.

>>3709172
I change to
>”What all do you know about C.V? If we’re going to be dealing with them…” You decided to make them your number one on your shitlist today. Might as well understand them entirely, plus… they’re ran by a guy that knew Adam.

to break the tie
we can check the girls faces before we sleep

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I apologize about dropping off the earth for a moment there. there's some people i know that might come stay over since their house got flooded during a recent rainstorm. I won't be able to continue for tonight. I'll be able to start up again tomorrow around the normal time though.

>>3709152
>”What all do you know about C.V? If we’re going to be dealing with them…” You decided to make them your number one on your shitlist today. Might as well understand them entirely, plus… they’re ran by a guy that knew Adam.

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>>3709152
“So… C.V. guys are all over the place, the auction house, the missing girls, Baker,” you start, half finished with a slice of pizza, “What all do we got on them though?”

“Ah right,” Naomi says, covering her mouth before swallowing, “Ahem, yeah, when I heard about C.V. for the first time, I looked into them a little bit. They were, originally, groomed from mostly elite forces, I think. Like spec-ops and veterans and such, but… you know I think they’re mostly training them in-house nowadays… Anyways, they’re well-trained. I wouldn’t, you know, rank them in the number one spot or anything like that, but they’re better than a decent portion of their competition.”

She pauses to bring up her display. “And from what the advertisements say, they’re ran by the Ross guy. He’s some hardcore guy or whatever, something about being in special forces. I couldn’t actually find anything else about his military record though so either he’s really telling the truth and he’s actually really crazy good… or he’s lying.”

You wonder why that is. Why his record is scrubbed clean. You have proof that what he’s saying is true, though. The picture inside your breast pocket proves that much. “Doubt he’s lying…” you mumble, “C.V. sounds like a pain. Military vets and all. Honestly kinda expected it though, they’re Bakers minions so it ain’t like he’d get low quality ones… got anything else on them?”

“They have a bunch of head quarters around the place. They’re like little fortresses, they have docking, supplies, and their security is, like, really good too. I was able to walk around in that one a few days ago just because I was talking to them about applying and they gave me a small tour and whatnot,” she takes a breath, “so yeah, when I was walking around there, I found the place that was shown in those pictures.”

“You think we’d be able to do that again when time comes?” you ask.

“Nah, I was thinking of impersonating the guards. A lot of them wear full body gear, like the helmet and everything, so I think it’d be easier to get away with acting as one of them,” she answers.

“I ain’t much of an actor though,” you confess, “Think really that’d work? After we get the ARGUS system or whatever, you think we’d be able to just walk in acting like them?”

“How hard could it be?” she shrugs, “besides, I’ve done it before. It’s not that hard.”

“What if they have a secret code you gotta say before entering their fortress?” you ask.

“It’s a military group, Sammy, not a bar club,” she gives shakes her head, scrunching her brow while pursing her lips, “And, if they do have secret codes and what not, I’m pretty sure we can figure that out easily enough. Moreh said he’d be helping us on this so with back up like that, we’ll be just fine. Don’t worry about it.”

>>3712385
Yeah, well, you said that about the train too, you look away while thinking. Indulging yourself in the last few bites of pizza while staying quiet. You spot Coraline sitting on the couch, again. She seems, for probably the first time, interested in your conversation. Even if she isn’t actively participating, at least she’s not completely occupied by the TV. She seems to be getting better, you think, though you’re not sure what better is for her or if there is even a better.

“So, you know when they started?” you ask Naomi, “The C.V. guys, you said they were a start up company. If they’re already ready to expand then they must be having some good business.”

“Yeah, a few years ago,” she nods, “couldn’t tell you the exact day though. I think they’re expanding for something else. I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but they’re the only private military company around here. Pretty sure they’re the reason.”

“So you think they’re pushing out the competition? Why?” you ask.

“Pushing out, taking over, I don’t know,” she yawns, covering her mouth as she does before stretching, “well, in any case,” she yawns again, “It’s getting late.” She looks at you for a moment longer before standing up.

>”Right, see you in the morning. I’ll stay up a bit longer, want to check out the statue for a little bit.” You’ll be staying up slightly longer. The statue is still on your mind. Of course, you’re worried about a few possibilities, but you still don’t know where you recognize that face from.
>”Good night, I’m probably gunna go to sleep soon too.” You haven’t slept in her room since that one time. You’re not about to make a habit of it either.
>” Oh, okay, yeah… I’m going to grab my pajamas then.” You’ve been sleeping in her bed for the last two days. Though it was awkward at first, it’s like when you were camping and had to share a bed with your brother or mom or whoever. Naomi is afraid of the dark and after you slept there the first time, she asked you to again.
>[write-in]

((Note, this kind of affects what happened the last few days. Votes like this will show up when timeskips happen.))

>>3712387
>”Right, see you in the morning. I’ll stay up a bit longer, want to check out the statue for a little bit.” You’ll be staying up slightly longer. The statue is still on your mind. Of course, you’re worried about a few possibilities, but you still don’t know where you recognize that face from.

>>3712387
>[write-in]

>like a mom or a brother... NOPE!

>"Yeah, sure, I'll be right there, just gonna clean up here". We've being sleeping there in a non platonic way, let's hope Coraline doesn't hear us.

>>3712426
this guy gets it, but instead of cleaning up let's go see the statue

>>3712387
>”Right, see you in the morning. I’ll stay up a bit longer, want to check out the statue for a little bit.” You’ll be staying up slightly longer. The statue is still on your mind. Of course, you’re worried about a few possibilities, but you still don’t know where you recognize that face from.

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>>3712426
>>3712451
>NOPE!
oh come on, platonic relationships are very wholesome. :(

>>3712741
>a surprise late poster arrives
and now it seems we are tied, should I roll a dice for this or do you guys want to switch votes? I swear it's not me

>>3712752

no need to roll, we just check the statue before going for it

>>3712752
Let's go for the statue then, you monster

>>3712767
>>3712775
kek, alright

>>3712394
>>3712741
>>3712767
>three for fine arts appreciation

let's uuhhhhh get some fucking rolls in here guys.

give me three 1d100s. Roll under, as always.

>DC Medium = 70
>?▲a▲ -10
>Out of your Expertise -10
>No Saved Crits
>DC = 50

0 - It just looks like any old statue to you. Nothing special other than it's weirdly detailed.
1 - It's suspicious, alright, but you're unable to figure out what bothers you about it.
2 - The marble statue has something about it, you recognize something.
3 - It's a curious thing, the statue.

Rolled 75 (1d100)

>>3712821
hello red lady

Rolled 97 (1d100)

>>3712821

>>3712823
comprare the face of the statue with the volunteer girls, and try to remember the red lady if we don't recognize any of them

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>>3712829
>Rolls the highest I’ve rolled all week
>In a roll under system
Figures.

>>3712829
>>3712836
damn, It's okay, at least it's not a 100.

Rolled 24 (1d100)

>>3712821
I'm going to get a one.

>>3712823 75
>>3712829 97
>>3712857 24

>One degree of success, zero criticals.

0 - It just looks like any old statue to you. Nothing special other than it's weirdly detailed.
1 - It's suspicious, alright, but you're unable to figure out what bothers you about it.
2 - The marble statue has something about it, you recognize something.
3 - It's a curious thing, the statue.

Writing!

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>>3712387
>>3712821
>>3712898
“Yeah, goodnight, see you in the morning,” you stand up, covering a yawn of your own before reaching into the file box, “I’m gunna be up for a bit longer, got something I wanna…” you find what you’re looking for; three vanilla files, “check out.”

“Alright,” she waves, “don’t stay up too late.”

You’re not thinking to stay up much later but… the statue has been bothering you since you bought it. Originally, it looked familiar the moment you laid eyes on it. You just didn’t know exactly where you saw the face or… something about it.

“Naomi said you bought something,” Coraline says from the couch.

You look to her and then return to picking up the files you wanted to check out, “uh, yeah, it’s a statue. You wanna check it out? It’s in the garage.”

“Yes,” she answers, getting up immediately and follows you through the garage door. You’re not sure if she’s excited or just simply bored, but she seems content enough. When you remove the sheet covering the statue, she still wears the same deadpan expression. You couldn’t tell even if you wanted to, maybe she is bored. She definitely always looks bored.

Alright. You take a small step back as you hold up the files, “So, what do you think?”

“Is it real?” she asks.

“No,” you answer, “why, does it look real?”

“Yes.”

You lower your files for a moment and turn around to face her, “like it looks realistic or does it look real? I mean, it’s made outa stone, right?”

“Yes,” she says, leaning in to look at it, keeping her hands in her pockets as she does so, “Realistic. Real. I don’t know what you mean.”

“Uhm, like it’s made to look real instead of being real,” you answer.

“Yes,” she says, standing upright.

“Why, does it register in your eye thing or something?” you question.

“No. That’s why I asked,” She definitely scared you a bit when she said it looks real, but it must just be that you’re misunderstanding. It’s hard to tell what she means when she uses such short language with everything.

“Ah…” you say, “well, it being so, uh, realistic, is what I’m tryna figure out…”

You turn back to the statue and your photos. Holding one up and seeing if there are any similarities, the first one up is Sumi. Though both faces are fair as any other woman’s, the only real similarities are the hair color. The next one being the rich kid, again nothing. Then the last one, again nothing. You lower the files and stare out at it.

“Have you figured something out?” she asks.

“No,” you answer, “Well, I mean I guess. At least the statue ain’t any of the missing girls.” You place the files down to the side, “I guess that’s one thing.”

“It is,” she agrees, standing off to the side.

>>3713030
The only other guess would be a long shot even if you had remembered what she looked like. That being the red lady in your dreams… the only thing you see is fuzzy, distorted features. It was, after all, just a dream. You’re pretty sure you read somewhere that dreams stay in your memory for about half an hour and it’s far exceeded that.

“Well,” you say, “you sure nothing pops up if you try to figure out who it is?”

“Yes,” she answers. If something did show up, then it could have been one of the volunteers. Maybe Naomi is right, that Arcady couldn’t turn people to stone. It’s silly to think that anyways. Not medusa, you laugh to yourself. But… the detail itself is enough to require a model or something. It’s far more surprising that it didn’t show anything.

“So,” you say, “think this’ll look good in the living room, eh?”

“No.”

“Yeah… me neither,” you put the cover back on top of it. It’s weird for sure, but it’s not like you can figure it out anyways, “It’s pretty though. I mean, if I got some mansion or someplace pretty to put it in then it’d fit right in. Still can’t believe it’s only like eight hundred though.”

“Should it be more expensive?” she asks, looking at you, though with no expression you could tell she was curious.

“Well, yeah, the guy who sold it said it was hand made,” you say, “something like this, the, uh, precision it takes is pretty hard to do by hand. First time I went to a proper auction like this, but I’ve seen a few documentaries on this.”

She nods, “what will you do with it?”

“Nothing, not for now anyways…” you say as you walk back to the cot.

>”Alright, well, I’ll see you in the morning. I’m beat.” You’re tired. Time to sleep.
>”Tomorrow we’ll go do that job. Get some rest, though I doubt we’ll do anything in the morning.” Time to sleep but you’re planning to do the job for Moreh tomorrow. She should prepare.
>”Oh hey…” ((Ask Coraline something)) [Write-in]
>[write-in]

>>3713033

>”Tomorrow we’ll go do that job. Get some rest, though I doubt we’ll do anything in the morning.” Time to sleep but you’re planning to do the job for Moreh tomorrow. She should prepare.

>>3713033

>”Tomorrow we’ll go do that job. Get some rest, though I doubt we’ll do anything in the morning.” Time to sleep but you’re planning to do the job for Moreh tomorrow. She should prepare.

What a tremendous waste, fucking hell

>>3713033
>>”Tomorrow we’ll go do that job. Get some rest, though I doubt we’ll do anything in the morning.” Time to sleep but you’re planning to do the job for Moreh tomorrow. She should prepare.
Maybe we'll look into who made the statue later. They might have some sort of insight. Or see if there's a list of missing people at whatever counts as law enforcement here.

>>3713062
>”Tomorrow we’ll go do that job. Get some rest, though I doubt we’ll do anything in the morning.” Time to sleep but you’re planning to do the job for Moreh tomorrow. She should prepare.

Adding a Write-in

Before going to sleep take a picture of the statue and send it to Moreh
"Do you know whose face is this?"

>>3713673
>>3713717
These.

File: Plugged in distorted.jpg (46 KB, 640x905)

46 KB JPG

>>3713033
The files bounce before settling onto the cot while your eyes linger on them for the moment. For all it’s worth, it was a longshot from the beginning. No way could this statue ever be some linchpin. Especially if it was sold by the same people who would have done this to the girl. You would laugh at yourself if you didn’t think it’s still a good buy.

Eight hundred down the drain… who cares. You earned it in a night. Although you’re slightly annoyed it was for nothing, it’ll still look pretty sitting in that corner. Lowest priced item in the auction or not, it’s a damn good set piece. You shake your head and clear your thoughts of the statue. It doesn’t matter now anyways.

Coraline’s still staring at it like it’s one of her shows, bewitched by the beauty no doubt. “Hey,” you call out, she turns, “but, uh, yeah… anyways. You should catch some sleep. Gunna be up for the whole job tomorrow.”

She perks up, standing straight, “Moreh?”

“Yep…” you answer, turning away to fix your bed, “yeah, yeah. Put it off long enough. Let the guy, uh, marinate for that long. Might as well call it cooked.”

“Cooked?” she asks.

“uh,” you look back over your shoulder, “he sat on the… whatever Moreh wanted long enough. I mean that he’ll be easier to deal with.”

“Ah,” she nods, and you return to what you were doing. You hear her make her way to the garage door but before she does you call back out to her.

“Ah, right, take these files and put them back on the table, will you?” you ask, holding out the three vanilla folders. You had thought you just bought yourself a ticket straight to the answer, but it seems you’re off the mark. Who ever this statue is, whatever it is, it’s familiar. You’re honestly glad that it wasn’t one of the girls. You wouldn’t know what to do if it was.

“I will,” she answers and proceeds to take the files away from you. You watch as she leaves you behind in the garage. The lights dim, but the sounds around you don’t. You sigh before lying down. The bed was as uncomfortable and unremarkable as yesterday but, just as yesterday, you take out the picture from the breast pocket.

Five men stare back at you. Five names reverberate in your skull as you name them off. By now, you’ve memorized each name and could probably point them point them out in a crowd. The picture itself hovers several inches above your face, your knuckles white and the edges crumpled. Adam…

You lower the picture and put it off onto a bench on side. You haven’t told Naomi yet. Naomi probably already knows, though. Maybe there’s a reason, the death, or maybe they weren’t really friends. Adam certainly must have held them in high respects if he kept some old picture around. You would have never guessed that you’d actually have some connection to a monster like Baker or Ryen or…

>>3731645
You blink, once, twice, and then you’re awake. The room is lit, and it feels like only a second has past since you went to lay down. It’s morning. Of course, you weren’t expecting another dream but… it has been happening a lot recently. You haven’t actually dreamt since last and it feels somewhat odd.

The sheets slide off as you pick yourself up from the cot. Looking around the room, everything is just normal. Picking up the display, yep, it’s morning. In any case, you’re going to have to get up.

The steel sheet flood is cold as night as you shuffle across it barefoot. Beside the garage door is a calendar you’ve set up. Today is Wednesday, Friday you’ll be busy as far as you know. Something about Naomi’s friends meeting back up or… something. So, of all the things you should deal with, this is at the top of your list for now. Maybe the next task would be either taking a stroll down to find out who had a hand in Adam’s death or find a way into that A.R.G.U.S. system Moreh talked about.

Either way, Friday is the deadline for Moreh’s job. Your eyes dot back to the device sitting on the counter beside you. A stick bugged by the best, and worst, man you know -- Moreh. Some real sinister plan he’s cooked up. All you have to do is hand over the stick and take back the key or whatever he called it.

Donning perfectly average attire, you holster your gun and step out into the kitchen. Naomi and Coraline are eating cereal while watching the news from afar. “-mist groups have been assessed and classified through the levels of danger by the senate. Currently, a new assessment by the Bureau of Homeland Security has placed the terrorist organization “The Sons” in threat level Charlie.”

A well-dressed woman stands outside of a large building. Her steady and well versed lines describe something that you’d already expected. “Threat level Charlie is the third highest threat level that can be given to any organization. This means that ‘The Sons’ are capable of mass casualties and are a threat to several systems. Currently, four bureaus are discussing on a possibility of assigning a new task force—”

“Good morning, Sammy,” Naomi says, drawing your attention away from the newslady.

“Morning,” you reply, pulling yourself a chair and a bowl of cereal. “Anything new?”

“Nope,” Naomi answers between a mouthful of cereal, “What’s your plans for today?”

>”Job.” First thing on the list. Actually, it’s the only thing there.
>”Going to see if I can visit Moreh.” You want to ask him about the statue, or about the picture, or something.
>”Got a few calls to make.” You’re going to talk with the Prince fellow. He probably knows about the auction. Maybe he knows a bit more.
>[write-in]

>>3731646

>”Job.” First thing on the list. Actually, it’s the only thing there.
We need money.

>>3731646
>”Job.” First thing on the list. Actually, it’s the only thing there.

>>3731646
>>”Job.” First thing on the list. Actually, it’s the only thing there.