Brad checked his watch against his phone to make sure he had the time he thought he did. It would be enough for one more without him being late, but not two if anything took longer than expected. Just one more it would be, then. Mrs. Nowak and her grandson would be two for one, but all the concerns that put her off before still held.
Mr. Holland and his funny growth, then. Probably just a liver spot and he didn't want to be trouble, but you never did know and doctors were so expensive. He probably saw a documentary on skin cancer or something and just had to be sure.
Brad could accept that. Television made everything look like a sure sign of something. It worked out very well for him and plenty of general practitioners.
On the way back to the elevator Brad opened his valise and shuffled the Pad a bit further down while bringing the stethoscope and prescription pad up to the top. He checked his phone to be sure there were no messages about the time of the meeting changing as he stepped inside and hit the button for Mr. Holland's floor.
Brad
The elevator dings and you step out onto Mr. Holland's floor. From the end of the hallway, you can hear music and people talking. A young couple knock on the door at 15G and are ushered into the apartment to a chorus of greetings after sparing you a glance. Housewarming party, it seems.
Mr. Holland answers his door without keeping you waiting for very long. He's a man in his late 60s, balding and round. He clasps and unclasps his hands in front of him nervously.
"Thank goodness. Hi, Brad. I've just been making myself sick thinking about this thing..."
He moves his collar and points to a little brown growth on his neck- honestly, it looks a lot like a mole.
"I'm sure it's nothing, but if I keep going to my doctor with these things, I'm worried he'll stop answering my calls! I read this kind of thing can be a, a warning for skin cancer or, or something like that, so that's why I gave you a call..."
"It's no problem, Mr. Holland. Why don't you have a seat under some light and I'll give it a good look over?"
If one of these days it really was cancer, Brad would be a little disappointed.
Wits + Streetwise to find a place to go look for a bite:6d10
With an additional Cha/App (2) + Expression/Performance (0) roll to appear as lost and helpless as possible: 2d10 , if it matters.
Remembering what you've seen from one of the crime report aggregates you saw online, you head east on Houston toward the Lower East Side. Much of the LES is getting expensive and gentrified, but there's still hairy pockets that have remained dangerous.
You turn down Orchard street, fumbling with a large city map and doing your best to look confused.... only to see that it's busy with hipsters, college students and other people looking for a good time. Not to be frustrated, you take several random turns down quieter streets and heading further toward the East River. On a block of warehouses your luck turns and a large figure looms out of an alleyway ahead of you; from his posture, it's plain that he has every intention of robbing you or worse.
Then the wind shifts and you get a scent of cannabis, cheap cologne and the sound of a heavy boot on the pavement- another potential vessel.
"Wrong turn,"he says as he grabs your map,"you want to go this way."
With his other hand, he grabs at the back of Cantor's shirt, trying to pull him into the alleyway.Thug rolls:
Cassandra laughs lightly.
"Not anymore, I'm not. Lead the way, Julian."
Jenni looks up briefly from shaking up a martini and catches your eye. "Four.", she mouths- meaning that room four upstairs is open.Taking the lovely Cassandra by the hand you give her a tour, culminating in a walk up to the second floor and the private rooms.
And these, my dear Cassandra, are the VIP rooms. The waiting list to reserve such a room is typically..
"It's no problem, Mr. Holland. Why don't you have a seat under some light and I'll give it a good look over?"
If one of these days it really was cancer, Brad would be a little disappointed.
"Oh, of course! Of course!", says the fidgety Mr. Holland. He seats himself on one of his dining room tables, turning on one of the floor lamps nearby.
"For years I didn't wear sunscreen, you know. I mean, sure, I put it on when they started telling you to but I wasn't a fanatic about it or anything... I mean, maybe the damage had already been done, right?"
Cassandra laughs lightly.
"Not anymore, I'm not. Lead the way, Julian."
Jenni looks up briefly from shaking up a martini and catches your eye. "Four.", she mouths- meaning that room four upstairs is open.Taking the lovely Cassandra by the hand you give her a tour, culminating in a walk up to the second floor and the private rooms.
And these, my dear Cassandra, are the VIP rooms. The waiting list to reserve such a room is typically..
"It's no problem, Mr. Holland. Why don't you have a seat under some light and I'll give it a good look over?"
If one of these days it really was cancer, Brad would be a little disappointed.
"Oh, of course! Of course!", says the fidgety Mr. Holland. He seats himself on one of his dining room tables, turning on one of the floor lamps nearby.
"For years I didn't wear sunscreen, you know. I mean, sure, I put it on when they started telling you to but I wasn't a fanatic about it or anything... I mean, maybe the damage had already been done, right?"
"I know how it is. Every day there's some new thing that'll kill us," Brad said ruefully. "Half of them aren't any worse than anything else. It's just the other half..."
Brad peered at the growth for a moment, then decided to cut to the chase and caught Mr. Holland's eyes. He didn't have all night.
"Could you still and silent until I give you my diagnosis? It's easier to check if you're not moving the tissue."
|
"Wrong turn,"he says as he grabs your map,"you want to go this way."
With his other hand, he grabs at the back of Cantor's shirt, trying to pull him into the alleyway.
Actually, I will not resist, letting myself be "pulled" out of view, while just waiting for a time when no one else can see us. . .
Perception (4+) + Alertness (3) <3 S>Once (and if) I get to a place like that, I will attempt to knock him out.
Str (2) + Brawl (3) and burning a Willpower <1 S>
Manipulation 3 + Subterfuge 2 Three successes.