The Realm of Ganoltir: Strife, Exploration, and Prosperity
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Creed decides not to respond to their comments but nods in response. He listens to Hikaru's story for a short while. "Hah, sounds like fun." He nods and rubs his eyes. "I've never gone to anything like that."
"He makes me look humble, and I'm a fuckin' teen dream pop sensation," Hikaru replies, joining in the laughter as they ridicule his archrival. As Tess mentions his performance in the bedroom, Hikaru leans in closer and smirks. "Well, rumor has it, he underwent several enhancements but still can't perform. Kinda like him on stage." He thinks for a moment, a devious grin on his face. "I'll bet you he's into something freaky, like wearing diapers or something."
He turns towards Creed, surprised at his sudden involvement in the conversation. "You should try it sometime. There's more to life than you even know."
The pop star's smile fades as he desperately tries to get such an image out of his head. "Anyways," he says, eager to continue the story. "He starts SCREAMING at his manager, saying he doesn't want to be among the peasants or 'those with less talent than him,' he says." He shakes his head, trying to not blow up over Raye. "Fast forward a bit and we're in the lobby, Raye and his manager at the front desk. He's screaming at the poor desk clerk, talking about how he's gonna own this place and fire the clerk. Then this woman comes out, fancy suit with the resort's logo on it. I think you can guess what happens next."
"She profusely apologizes for the poor service, and offers to comp his stay?" Tess asks, knowing from her friend's tone that this isn't true.
"Hah! He wishes," Hikaru says, continuing with his story. "Turns out she's the owner and is unhappy with his behavior towards her staff. Threatens to throw him out and ban him for life. PR nightmare in the making, so the manager literally gets on her knees to beg. Funnily enough, the manager offers to pay more and get all kinds of upgrade and services. Owner agrees but says he's on thin fucking ice." Hikaru smirks to himself, realizing the inadvertent pun he'd created as he tells about the icy wonderland.
"Okay, uh, where was I?" he asks himself, lost in thought. "Right, right. So he's on mostly good behavior for the first few days, but I can tell he's straining hard. Literally looks constipated. And then he runs into me." Hikaru can't help but laughing knowing what's to come. "I guess all his built-up ego must've spilled out of his ass since suddenly he's challenging me to a snowboarding competition in three days. Gotta proof your superiority, I guess. So I talk to the resort owner and my manager and we decide to publicize it. Free press, and all that." He nods, hopeful that Tess and Creed are still following along.
"So cue the next day, I head to the ski shop for a new jacket, since I can't wear my old one for such a public event. And then I see it." He starts laughing uncontrollably, trying to take some deep breaths to calm himself down. "Mr. Raye Diànt, decked out in gear and surrounded by five year olds in what I can only assume is an intro class. Of course he had a hat and goggles on to try and hide his identity, but when the goggles are covered in what I can only assume are real gemstones... So I stay in the shadows and watch for a bit. Cue him falling over, face-first, into the snow. Then he throws the biggest tantrum I've ever seen. And this goddamn five year old puts her hand on his arm and says 'It's okay to fall,' or something. He recoiled so fast, I thought he'd get whiplash."
Tess bursts into laughter once more, trying her best to imagine the situation for herself. It takes her a moment to calm back down, but when she does, she says, "please tell me you at least got a few pictures of that? I'd love to see one of the child consoling the much larger child," she says, chuckling some more as she thinks about it again. Imagine the scandal if one of those accidentally got posted to social media.
"Better," Hikaru says, a devilish smirk on his face. "Video." He pulls out his compad and quickly locates the video, showing his screen to Tess and pressing play.
"I was gonna release it, but what happened the day of the competition would have buried it anyways," the pop sensation says, eyeing Tess with devious eyes. "So we get to the day of the competition, and holy fuck is it packed. Half the League media must've been there. They were calling it 'Snow Hard Feelings' and I gotta give them credit for a good title. He nods in admiration for the journalistic integrity he'd witnessed for that event.
"Anyways, the two of us are on top of the slope. Raye's talking trash, as if he wasn't just consoled by a child a few days earlier. The race starts, I take off. I get in the zone, pay little mind to anything else. I get to the finish line and Raye's nowhere to be seen. Jae comes over to me and shoves his compad in my face. It's a livestream of the news, featuring none other than Mr. Raye Diànt, face buried in the snow, throwing the BIGGEST tantrum I have ever seen. Best part? In the background, that little girl's watching and just shaking her head." Hikaru laughs, pointing to the girl in the video on his compad.
"So he left immediately, vowed to never return. Not that it matters since the owner decided to ban him after he trashed his room." He leans back on the couch, rolling his head back with a blissful grin. "God, I wish you were there to see it all happen live."
"No..." Tess says, an equally devilish grin streaking her face before her friend turns the compad with the video on it in her direction. Once more, she bursts out laughing at the sight. As she wipes some tears from her eyes, she asks, "how do people even stay fans of his? Doesn't he have a childish outburst at least once every couple months? Like, at what point do they just stop supporting the guy, and realize his singing isn't worth all the drama?" she says, shaking her head in disbelief as the amusement starts to fade.
"Still, though," she says, her mind drifting once more to other thoughts. "I bet you it would be a riot to sleep with him. I want to do it now, just so I can say I have. Hey!" she says, her voice suddenly becoming more excited. "If I manage it, I could always put a small picture of you somewhere in his room. Wouldn't that be hilarious? Imagine the outrage..." she trails off, bursting into a fit of laughter yet again.
Tess feels the vibration of her compad as her laughing fit begins to subside. She picks it up off of her lap and looks at it, reading the brief message that she'd just received. "Well, it looks like this 'Amber' is about to be here," she says, calming down more quickly as she reads. "Should we wake Cass?"
Creed considered it. "M-maybe I should t-try to party..." He looked away and shrugged, before looking back and listening intently.
After the story finishes, Creed gives an awkward laugh. "That's uh, pretty funny." He said with a smile. "I'm sorry for how quiet I am. Like uh... Like I said, some of the only social interaction I got growing up was with my mom." He said, somehow keeping his stutter under control for a brief period. "This is both the most exciting and the, uh... most i-i-interesting time I've spent with anyone ever." He said, looking away again. "I'm s-s-s-s-sorry if that was too open. You were s-s-sharing so I felt like I should s-share a bit as well."
Hikaru shrugs at Tess's question, trying to contain his laughter over his rival's behavior. "I guess teenage girls don't care about what he does as long as they think he's hot or something. They'll grow out of it." He's interrupted as Tess's compad buzzes, signaling the approach of the arms dealer. "May as well wake him. He's the one who wanted her so badly."
He turns towards Creed, raising an eyebrow as he speaks. He sighs and shakes his head. "You can't just try to party. You just have to live, in the moment, without overthinking it. You'll just look like a dumbass if you try too hard. Just relax and don't overthink it." He rolls his eyes and shrugs, getting up from the couch and making his way towards Cass. He vigorously shakes the man with his foot, hoping to wake him. "Oi, sleeping beauty, nap time's over. Your friend's almost here."
Tess turns towards Creed as he speaks, intrigued by his sudden openness. He is like so many of my early clients, she thinks, as he nervously stutters through a very minor bit of personal information, yet enough that it seems major to himself. I wonder what his life could have been like to end up like this. Probably pretty bad, she thinks, feeling a bit sympathetic towards the man.
"That's fine, Creed," she says, her voice more consoling than it had been before. "You can stay quiet if that is what makes you most comfortable. But we're in this together now, at least for the time being, so don't be scared to open up more. We don't bite. Unless that's what you're into," she adds, her voice now more light-hearted, as she gives the man a playful wink.
Cass groans, pulling the covers over his head to hide from the day — and the foot jostling him. "Fuck off," he manages in a low whine, his face feeling tight and a sharp pain in his head throbbing. Mm. I'm thirsty. Feel like shit.
He throws the sheets off, and gives a sigh that turns to a yawn. Swinging his legs over the edge of the cot, he laces his boots back on and stands up before itching at the uncomfortable bandage seal on his shoulder. "Shit, I wish I had some spare clothes," Cass says to nobody on particular as he slides his now-tattered hoodie over his tank-top.
"You guys ready?" he asks, stepping over to the couch and rubbing his eyes. He grabs a small cup of water from the cooler and downs it.
"Creed left you some, actually," Tess says, motioning for the folded suit that Cass clearly missed in his groggy state. "Might be a bit tight at first, but you get used to it," she says matter-of-factly. When asks if ready she simply nods and stands, eager to meet their new business contact, and hopefully purchase something useful. This pistol is nice, but if we are gonna get attacked by League spooks then something more substantial would be nice.
"Huh?" Cass turns around, looking back at the neatly folded jumpsuit next to his cot. "Hey, thanks a lot beratna. Nice of you, yeah?" he says, smiling at the pilot. "I'll get you back."
Taking no hesitation for decency and in the interest of speed, Cass slips back out of his boots, hoodie, and trousers, donning the dark blue armored jumpsuit. It's tight and a bit starchy, likely unused or barely used, and he smiles again. "What do you think?" the man asks the others, striking a smug pose. "Presentable for an arms dealer?" He zips it up to the top of his chest, only leaving the collar of his ribbed tank top exposed.
"Well you no longer look like junkie off the street, so that's a plus," Tess says teasingly to the man. "Though the hobo chic look you had going was growing on me a bit. Now you look like a dock worker," she continues, giving the man a playful smirk.
Cass laughs, a genuine one. "Change of clothes doesn't change the man," he says with a shrug. "Still a junkie off the street. But... I'll take this as a good thing. If we're going to be in the market for leasing — or pinching? — a tub then I'll fit right in as a sailor."
He peers down into the main warehouse level for a moment. "Ready to go buy some guns?"
"Presentable if she doesn't have eyes, maybe," Hikaru jabs at Cass, giving him and his new jumpsuit a quick once-over. He shakes his head and sighs. "Nah, we're going on a shopping spree once this is all over. No way we'd get approved for a loan with you looking straight from a bottle of coolant. At least not at any respectable place. And not even good coolant. Off-brand coolant the new stagehand thinks will do the trick but it just delays rehearsal another twenty minutes." He grumbles to himself. Fucking useless Glen or whatever the fuck his name is.
He sighs and shrugs. "Buy your toys and then we can relax the rest of the day, yeah? Not much else to do here anyways."
"You can't go without me," Tess says to Hikaru, at the mention of a shopping spree. "I haven't had a proper day out shopping in awhile now, I could use one." Turning back to Cass, she says, "ready whenever, let's get this over with."
Cass shrugs again, this time at Hikaru's critique. "Hey, if it stops a laser shot, that's all that really matters. Trust me on that." He pauses, giving Hikaru a once-over. "Look, I was an engineer before... and, well, now I'm on these streets. I don't know shit about fashion, so if we're looking to pass as respectable, Glitter, then — as much as I hate to admit it — I'm gonna need to lean on you for what to wear."
A sly grin grows across his face. "Course, that's if we're looking to lease. Considering how easy it was for our boy Creed here to hotwire a gravcar, that might not even be necessary. Some of these Diktat navyboys leave their tubs parked in those docks while they're on shore leave, boozing and whoring. I'm sure Tess could find an easy way to slip the access codes from them if we met them in a bar. But that's a chat for another time. Let's roll."
The pop star smiles at Tess. "Duh, who else is gonna help me clean up these two burnouts?"
Hikaru smirks as Cass admits to needing his help in all things fashion. "Lucky for you, that's one of my many areas of expertise. I'm sure I could make even you look good. Find that signature Cass style that won't leave the ladies recoiling in disgust," he says with a wink.
At the mention of stealing a ship, Hikaru mentally weighs the options. "Sure, but you can't steal a ship if you don't look fuckin' gorgeous. Do you wanna be flying off in cheap duds or do you wanna be flying off in style?" Deciding to leave the discussion on fashion for later, he trails behind the others as they go to meet the contact.
"I will be looking gorgeous no matter what we wear, so that's more a problem for the boys here," Tess says playfully to her friend. At Cass' suggestion, she adopts a feigned tone of offense, saying, "how presumptuous of you, assuming I would just sleep with any sailor if it meant a ship could be had. I have my standards, you know!" she continues, now returning to a more playful tone. "They've got to be really, really cute."
Your conversation is interrupted when you hear the honking of a car horn from outside.
"Shit," Cass says, his head swiveling toward the entrance. "Let's go."
He leads the others down the steps of the loft-office toward the door to meet the arms contact. Alright, let's see what these gunrunners have. It's been a while since I've been able to afford much for personal security, and this pocket-piece isn't cutting it.
Tess nods and follows after Cass. I bet the prices are gonna be jacked up, she thinks, as they head to meet Bao's dealer. There's no way a shady door-to-door arms dealer isn't way overpriced.
Hikaru trails behind the other two, watching carefully to see how the exchange goes down. Let's just get this over with so we can do nothing the rest of today.
At the talk of a shopping spree, Creed smirks to himself thinking of what he might look like in decent clothes. He shakes his head and then follows the others out to meet the dealer.
Heading out of the warehouse you find a dark grey van parked up in the loading area. Leaning against are two people, a red haired woman wearing a jumpsuit and a tactical vest, and a man in a long brown duster, a weapon clearly visible on his hip.
As you approach the woman stands up. "I hope your credits are good, I've got some of my best merchandise with me," she says, flashing the beginnings of a small smile.
"They're good," Cass replies neutrally, nodding toward the van. "Can we take a look?"
"Sure thing," Amber replies walking around to the back of the van. The other man stands where he is leaning against the front of the vehicle. "You're the one that called right?" She asks Cass, presumably recognising his voice.
"The first question is Laser or Mag?" She asks, opening up the rear doors of the van to reveal about ten large weapon cases stacked up in the back of the van.
"Yeah, that was me. Amber, right? You can call me Cass." The junkie peers into the rear of the van at the weapon cases. "Laser to start. Looking for a rifle." He turns to the others expectantly. "Anything else?"
"I'm looking for a sniper rifle and ammunition," Tess replies. You'd think the Harlequins would have given me one with the jobs they give me, she thinks, eager to finally own a proper long range weapon. "And, if you have them, a mag pistol and a few magazines for that as well."
Creed takes a moment to think. "I wouldn't mind a l-l-laser rifle." He says, gulping. "It would give me an option if I had to hit someone who was r-really far away." He pauses for a moment again. "Some more type-A cells would be good too if you got some to spare."
Hikaru eyes the others uneasily as they discuss their gun purchases. "I'll pass, thanks." I doubt management would like pics of me with a gun showing up online. Plus I've got these three to protect me.
"At least get a knife or something," Tess says, shaking her head at her friend. "I might not always be there to keep you alive, and you need something to help even the playing field she says."
"That's me. Nice to meet you Cass," Amber replies as she pulls out one of the cases and opens it.
"ANVIL Arms XM3-7," she says, picking up the rifle within. "Bullpup design, cells load in behind the trigger, in built scope with targeting assistance. 400 Credits. Here, try it out for size," she says passing the rifle towards Cass and Creed.
"As for a Sniper Rifle," she says turning back to the van and pulling out another case. She pulls out the sniper rifle, before setting in back down on top of the case resting on its bipod. "Akursor's G03, lightweight and compact with a bipod. It might not be slinging mag flechettes but it still packs a punch. That's going for 500 credits at the moment."
"As for mag weapons, that's something the Diktat are cracking down pretty hard on, but I do have a couple of pistols. This is the ProTec FR-8," she continues, pulling out a pistol from another case and passing it to Tess. "They are hard to get right now so that's 600."
"I've got mags and cells, for 10 a piece - and bags too if you need them. You probably don't want to be open carrying any of this when a Diktat patrol walks by," she adds once she's finished handing out weaponry. "Are you sure I can't tempt you with even a pistol? These are dangerous times," she asks Hikaru, clearly trying to go for the sale.
Creed began to transfer the credits. "I, uhh... Three energy cells, the gun, and uh... how much are those backpacks?"
"More dangerous if I had one of those in my hand," the pop star says with a smirk, gesturing at guns she's brought out. "I'd lose an eye in a day, and one of these three would livestream it."
Cass takes the rifle, holding it in his hands and checking the grip. It is a quality gun, which surprises him. Shit, this is as good as what I used in small arms training back in the League. Amber's got a good supplier if she's running this shit like candy out a van.
He hands it back to her nodding. "Think I might take it, but I'm still browsing." He peers into the van curiously, then back to her. "You guys got spike throwers?"
Tess holds her hand and thinks for a moment. I knew it'd be pricey, but that is a bit much. 50% markup due to the Diktat 'cracking down', eh? An idea comes to her, and she reaches into her bag to pull out a handful of the credit chips she'd stolen earlier. "Now, if I paid you in these would I get a discount?" she asks the woman, hoping that untraceable credits are worth more to her.
"Backpacks are 50," Amber replies to Creed, pulling out her compad to accept the transaction. She takes a bag and the power cells from the van before handing them to you. "Cells are charged up and good to go," she adds, before opening another weapon case to reveal another XM3-7 which she also gives you.
"Not right now. If your set on one I'd could put some feelers out, it wouldn't be cheap though," she explains to Cass.
"Well when you get bored sitting on your hands while these 3 are in a fire fight give me a call," Amber replies to Hikaru, giving him a playful wink.
As Tess holds out the credit chips she picks one up and examines it for a moment before placing it back in Tess' hand. "I could drop down to 500 if you're paying in chips, do you have that much?"
"Perfect!" Tess replies to the woman, excited that her ill-gotten gains would come in handy so soon. She takes all of the things from her bag except the chips, and hands the whole bag over to the woman. "Count them if you like. Should be 50 of them, all 10 credit chips, so exactly your price."
As she waits she looks over the remaining stock, before saying, "Alright, if that's good for you then I'll take the magpistol and the rifle, 6 boxes of bullets, and 3 Type A energy cells. Oh, and also one of your backpacks. Feel free to keep that one," she says, motioning to the bag that holds the chips.
"That's 640 credits then," Amber replies, taking the chips from you and handing over the ammo and bag, leaving the pistol in your hands and the sniper rifle for you to pick up.
Tess gives the woman a smile as she sends the credits to her with her pad. She then gathers her things and places them in her new bag, before walking to a crate to sit. After a moment of rearranging her things, she tosses 4 of the Type A Cells over to Cass, saying, "here, you could use more for a gun that big."
"Hey, thanks." He said to the dealer. "I guess I can dump this old backpack now." He mentions off-handedly. "You don't have any use for it, do you?" He asked the dealer, figuring it was worth a shot.
"That I could," Cass says, catching the power cells with an embarrassed smile. "Thanks for looking out."
He turns back to Amber. "No rush on the spike thrower. But if you do come across one, send me a ping. I might be in the market. For now, I'll take the laser rifle." Slipping his compad out, he transfers the credits to her. "I'm good on ammo."
"I can probably find a use for it," Amber replies to Creed, taking the backpack off of him and tossing it into the back of the van, along with the now empty weapon cases she starts packing up.
"I'll let you know if I hear anything. It was a pleasure doing business with you Cass and Co," she adds with a small smile. "If that's everything we'll be on our way?" She asks as she finishes loading up the van.
Creed nodded again, awkwardly. "Thanks, again." He said and backed away from the van.
"That's everything," Cass confirms after a quick onceover at the others. "Thanks for bringing the goods straight to us. Free to call you again if we need?"
Being under Bao's thumb isn't ideal, but at least he gave us a safehouse and this arms contact. Something tells me that this won't be the first time meeting these two.
"You've got my number," Amber replies to Cass with a smile - still small but the largest she's made so far. "Let's roll," she says to her partner, as she closes the rear doors of the van and makes her way to the driver's seat, with the man finally moving from his perch on the hood and climbing back into the passenger side.
A moment later the van lifts off of the ground as Amber turns it on, and they pull out of the warehouse's loading area and back onto the road, leaving you alone once more.
