Feng Shui!

Game Master LanguageJunkie

For the last few weeks across Hong Kong, but especially in the Kowloon area, the talk is all about the Portland Street Community Centre. Everyone is talking about it, even the tourists are hearing the chatter. A new community center in the busy, sometimes seedy Mongkok area. Many are hopefull that the philanthropic benefactors behind the center can truly do as they've stated and reduce the area's sex trade. Others just see a potential for their own business. But most are excited about the athletic facilites, meeting spaces and offices that will be opened and available.

Either way, the ribbon-cutting ceremony is happening tonight, and it seems like there's no choice but to go. Whether a major donor, someone hoping to use the center for their local business, just there for the free food or following someone from your past, you've all made it to the ceremony.

The night starts simple, the large building hosting a large number of very different people. Many officials and business men give long-winded speeches throughout the night. Some people listen attentively, while others wander, gazing at the tables full of cakes and snacks. Some of the youth gather in disparate parts of the room, a little knot of black or red or blue, practicaly snarling at each other from across the room. Even a small knot of homeless people stands together, hovering near the food table, waiting.

Go ahead and get a quick introduction in there, including your reason for being here and what you're doing. Do any of you know each other? Do you know someone else here? etc., etc. And remember, if I haven't specified otherwise, you are welcome to specify any part of this.

Li Wei waved to his aunt on his way out of the noodle shop she owned, she was letting him sleep in the office. It still felt odd to be hearing little Jin’s clothing, he still thought of him as a 6 year old sometimes. The knock-off canvas hi-tops fit well and where comfortable, but he had traded the jeans for comfortable loose fitting black cotton after the first day. He hates the way the leather jacket limits his movement but it covers the distinctive brands on his forearms and lets him fit in.

He looks at the note his informant gave him.
Jimmy Wo will meet you at the opening of the Portland Street Community Center, tomorrow at 0600 he will be wearing a green bomber jacket and red fedora. Ask him for ‘directions to the nearest karaoke bar’

Li located the Portland Street Community Center, in an area called the Mongkok area, and looking at the nearby transit map he sees he can take a Citybus and only have to walk a couple blocks. He pulls out his transit pass and waits for the buss, this is going to be easy...

Li was still a block away when the shear number of people made him admit that this was going to be difficult, he is currently moving his way through the crown looking for for one man is a sea of people, he looks up. “Maybe a higher vantage point?”

Bruno opened the door for Brother Kwan, allowing the man to exit somewhat gracefully. Brother Kwan was an older man who projected the aura of "community leader", but he was in fact one of the major players in the locak sex trade, even if he kept to the shadows and worked through intermediaries.

Following into step behind the elderly Kwan, Bruno himself looked like he was towering over the man. At 6'6", 245 lbs, he tended to tower over people in Hong Kong in general.

Dressed in a "Bodyguard" style rented suit, Bruno did as he was told and began scanning the crowd for threats, noticing the location where the bodyguards were instructed to wait.

He tapped Brother Kwan on the shoulder, pointed and waited, then received the nod of approval.

Bruno then made his way to stand near the other bodyguards. Even though he towered over them, it was clear that they were professionals, many of them former soldiers. Like the other bodyguards, Bruno put his back to the wall and began scanning the room, looking for threats to his protectee.

Only three more jobs and I get her back. thought Bruno to himself.

Jazz wasn't sure whether the new community centre was going to make much difference in the area, but exercise facilities are good, and more offices probably meant more people looking for a courier service, so a good chance of more work, if she could make the right contacts.
And right now she needed the work, well, needed the money anyway.

Leaning against the wall at the back of the room gave a good view of everybody - the speeches went on too long without really saying anything, and the clusters of youths looked like trouble waiting for an excuse.
Plenty of muscle in suits though she thought, looking at the cluster of slightly twitchy bodyguards.

What this place really needs is a decent sound system. Less talking, more music.

The opening of something like this community center was good for the public. It would help people have a place to go, and hopefully build the community- at least, that's what the pitch on the brochure said. Declan was cleaned up neatly, their clothes not as nice as some of the people here, but it was decent enough to be okay. This was not a fancy ball or anything, and the free food here beat the street noodles and occasional fruit or vegetable by a long shot. this was the first time that they were daring to go out since... then. The raised silver-ish scars around their wrists that ran up the outside of their arms under their sleeves and down the sides of their body like a seam to their ankles (which were similarly encircled) were almost hidden, thanks to the long, loose sleeves of their sweatshirt and jeans. They were comfortable, and it felt good to be in their favorite clothing.

'This place could use some music. All this talking is for the cameras' The people hovering near the food was not missed, and if there was not someone to keep things orderly, things were going to get ugly, fast. That was a fight they were willing to have, though. Some of those dumplings were going to be claimed before they ran out. Evil looks were being given to some of the people that were seen eyeing the steaming mountain of food, and it was presently a staredown to see who was going to break first.

If they could help it, it was not going to be them.

Nikki prowls the edges of the hall, watching the crowds and especially the stage, looking for someone who might trigger a memory. It was a long shot, but in the bad old days the Order had controlled politicians. He might spot a familiar handler. Not a lot of other leads to follow and there had to be something dirty in a project like this in this neighborhood.
Plenty of money and corruption, if the cheap thugs were any sign, but nothing interesting yet.
At least one of the old drops had still been intact and he had access to one of his old numbered accounts. With cash, it wasn't hard to find a dealer and be properly armed again.

Slowly, it seems a little too slowly, the speeches wind down. Some of the officials and business people begin to filter out for other pressing appointments. The food table opens up and music starts to play.

The crowds begin to move and are looking around. Several small kids stare up wide-eyed at Declan as they move around the room, seemingly in their own little pocket of emptiness despite the crowds, though none but the children seem to actually notice them.

The shifting crowds allow Li to catch sight of his man, red fedora bobbing in and out of sight as it floats towards the food.

Some of the crowd shifts out of the main room to the pool, where they walk around inspecting the new facilities. Nikki catches sight of one of them just as they pass through the door, and there's the barest hint of a flash in his mind, but he can't quite grab the thought that's associated with that face before it disappears.

Jazz begins to make a direct line for the food table, then takes a slight detour round several homeless guys as they start to help themselves.
Pretty sure this would go better with more cheerful music she thinks as she starts trying to identify the various food on the table.

Li begins to move through the crowd, like a carp swimming against the current. Closing in on the man in the red hat and the food table.

Nikki stares for a moment, struggling to place the face, then shakes his head, but follows towards the door anyway.

Bruno continues to observe the room and keep an eye out for Brother Kwan and anyone who appears to be a threat moving towards him.

The staredown broke as the food table was opened up, and Declan headed for the table, sweeping by as everyone broke against the table like a wave of bodies- riding the ebb of the press out with a pair of steamed buns, one in each hand.

The press of bodies finally began to circulate about the vicinity of the table, compared to the initial rush, and Declan moved with the people who looked to get out of the press of bodies, finally appreciating that some music was playing, and curiosity got the better of them, as they wandered through the nearest door to see what the rest of this place looked like. The design was one of the newer ones, clearly, and the glass panels that served as walls for some of the front areas, with what looked like an open area in the middle that had some greenery open to the sky. Quite out of place, quite beautiful.

A thundering, crashing noise emanates from the pool. The entire building shakes, as if hit by a bomb. In the In the natatorium a burning armored truck bursts through the wall, leaving a gaping hole in it. Chunks of cinder-block hurtle through the air and land in the pool with a splash. The hole exposes the room to the street where a black SUV roars toward the hole. Several compact cars lie overturned like ladybugs on the street. The armored truck, the kind used to transport cash to and from banks, lies on its side, about to teeter into the pool. Its driver lies slumped across the wheel. He wears a leather jacket over a blood-soaked dress shirt, a loosened tie draped over his shoulder. Armed figures disembark from the SUV and another behind it. One of them hefts a rocket launcher on his shoulder. They clamber toward the community center, gunning down any innocent bystanders unable to get out of their way fast enough.

The driver of one of the SUVs charges over the rubble and through the new hole, heading for the cab, where that driver lies, slumped. She raises her AK47, preparing to take him out.

Nikki, Li Wei and Jazz you are up. You've got 1 to 3 shots to spend. Most anything you might want to do would cost three. For the most part, don't worry about movement. There are 2 exceptions: 1. Right now most of the baddies are outside, to clamber through the hole either way is 3 shots. 2. One is in the pool area, to get from the main area to the pool area is 1 shot.

Jazz looks up from the table as the truck slides to a halt. Quickly taking in the carnage, and the sight of the rifle aimed at the driver of the truck, she rushes into the pool area.
That's 1 shot used. Being a bit unfamiliar with the mechanics of the game I'm not sure if I can get away with the next bit in the time allowed
Jazz rushes across the poolside and throws herself at the woman with the gun.

Go ahead. If there's ever a doubt, go ahead and do it and roll for it. If it doesn't for in quite right, I'll let it in as best I can.

Oh! Also, defense values for the featured foea are 13 and mooks are all 15 in this fight.

Jazz launches herself across the rubble-strewn poolside, trying to grab the shooter before she can fire
Martial Arts grab: 1d6 - 1d6 + 13 ⇒ (1) - (2) + 13 = 12

The combination of debris and fluids leaking from the truck have left the area more treacherous than Jazz thought, as her feet go sideways and she ends up short of her target.

Thanks, dice. Looks like I'm going to be the comic relief at this rate

Li scrambles up the rubble and out to the approaching gunmen, he spares a quick look over his back to the pool where a crumpled red fedora floats.

As the explosion goes off and gunfire rings out, Nikki finds himself flat against the wall by the door to the pool. Crouching down, he sneaks a glance around the door just as Jazz goes rushing through. Deep breath and he follows, a quick dash to meager cover behind a flipped table, snapping off a shot at a mook coming through the hole as he goes.

Beretta - Carnival of Carnage : 1d6 - 1d6 + 15 + 2 ⇒ (3) - (6) + 15 + 2 = 14
One shot to move and 2 to fire.

Just to be clear here - we're all starting in the main area, the action is all in the pool area with baddies clambering through the hole from the street to the pool, right?
So to get to them, we need to move to the pool room (1 shot) then 3 more to get over the rubble if we want to get outside.

Also, I don't have the books and I'm not sure how the stats on my guns work - they're listed as something like 10/2/3, but I don't know what the numbers mean.

The feeling came like static along their skin, the first sign of danger. As it spread, there was a feeling like they were being covered in needles, passing in a wave over their skin as their disguise was undone. Their skin shifted and hardened. This always felt so much better than playing the role of their host.

This form was lean and thin, their color a dark red that would blend into the dusk, or red brick of the city. The suggestion of hardened plates on the flatter surfaces of their body was evident, with a reinforced ridge along their spine. Three digits terminated at thier hands and feet, while their face was featurless— flat save for a covering where their eyes would be, if eyes were twice the size of a human eye and were also faintly luminescent strips of flesh that traced back along the side of their head to the base of their neck.

Prowling towards the door in a fluid motion, they pressed themselves to the edge of the doorway, waiting to see the first of the prey to come through.
________________________________
3 shots spent, acting on shot 9

"Fidel!" One of the men screams, pointing at Li Wei charging through the rubble. The man with the rocket launcher, Fidel apparently, shakes his head.

"It's a bad time to be a hero," Fidel calls in a hoarse voice before pointing it at Li and pulling the trigger.

1d6 - 1d6 + 14 ⇒ (5) - (5) + 14 = 14

Li flips out of the rocket screams past him, crashing into the wall of the community center. The building shakes for the second time today and seems to creek for a moment before settling.

Inside, the woman screams, "Fidel, you watch those blasts! I'm still in here!" She turns quickly and brings out her machete, swinging at Jazz as she slips on the rubble. Jazz twists, but gets caught just barely on the forearm.

1d6 - 1d6 + 14 ⇒ (3) - (2) + 14 = 15
Jazz takes 6 wound points

Bruno, Nikki and Jazz, you're up.

Nikki, answers in the discussion.

"Hey! Mind the jacket. I just got it cleaned!"
Jazz gets up to a knee and
Martial arts grab: 1d6 - 1d6 + 13 ⇒ (5) - (1) + 13 = 17
grabs the woman's leg, pulling her off her feet and (hopefully) stopping her getting another swing with the machete.

should be 3 shots, so back in at 6

Bruno moves before he considers the full implications of his actions. Moving to the vehicle that crashed through the wall, Bruno begins shoving it back out through the hole. He then turns it so that it provides a makeshift wall for the breach.

Nikki squeezes off another shot at the one who's yelling to Fidel.
Beretta - Carnival of Carnage : 1d6 - 1d6 + 15 + 2 ⇒ (2) - (2) + 15 + 2 = 17

As his target drops, Declan goes rushing by and Nikki pales, a revolver coming into his other hand and covering it, but not quite pulling the trigger before realizing the creature seems to be stalking the attackers.
Madness. Or hallucination? No matter. The guns are real.

Whatever the shot cost for pulling the second pistol, I'm sure I'll want it out shortly anyway.
Also, if there's still an active dodge rule, I'll use it to dive for cover if that rocket launcher points my way.

@Nikki, they are, but with the armored truck now blocking most of the hole, you shouldn't have to worry about the rocket launcher.

Now a total of six actions to squeeze through the hole

The man falls back over the hood of his car as Nikki shoots him, landing unconscious.

Fidel drops the rocket launcher and pulls out his machete. He charges at Li

1d6 - 1d6 + 14 ⇒ (6) - (6) + 14 = 14
Boxcars Reroll: 1d6 - 1d6 + 14 ⇒ (1) - (2) + 14 = 13

Li Wei leans to the side of the machete stroke. He grabs the arm as it passes, then flips Fidel over onto his back, ending with the machete in hand. Fidel coughs, and splutters, "Nails, get 'im."

A woman runs by, her own machete in hand, and shakes her head. "You can take care of yourself Fidel, isn't that what you said." she laughs as she starts trying to clamber through the hole.

Declan and Li Wei

Li Wei continues the pivot he used to disarm the thug flipping the machete to his left hand and delivering a palm strike to the downed man's chest.

"I will take care of Fidel"

Martial Arts: 1d6 - 1d6 + 15 ⇒ (3) - (3) + 15 = 15

Should only take 2 shots due to The Four-Six Stance

It was easy when the prey was distracted.

They were a reddish blur, low and not-quite-human shaped that read as somehow wrong, the brighter luminescent patches along its head leaving streaks like am afterimage, hitting the machete-wielding woman and taking them both into the pool.
__________
Creature Powers: 1d6 - 1d6 + 13 ⇒ (6) - (1) + 13 = 18

ooh! Don't forget to reroll and add (or subtract if you get a negative one) your sixes, you get high enough you could make that action more epic. I'll post in a little bit either way. But I'll leave room for more depending on your reroll.

Kinda need to know how well Declan succeeded: 1d6 + 18 + 1d6 ⇒ (6) + 18 + (4) = 28

Declan knocks Sherri into the pool and before they know it, Sherri is out and lying unmoving from the force of the blow.

Another woman breaks off from the group, and heads for Li and Fidel.

1d6 - 1d6 + 13 ⇒ (5) - (4) + 13 = 14

She swings at Li, a snarl on her face and a growl in her throat, but he instinctively dodges without even looking.

A host of mooks start to try cramming through and into the community center.

Li Wei spins on his new opponent striking her with a horn punch wile chopping into Fidel with his own machete

Martial Arts - Multiple opponents: 1d6 - 1d6 + 15 - 2 ⇒ (2) - (2) + 15 - 2 = 13

Was that the woman I was wrestling that Declan just took out? If so, who's the closest problem?

Yes that was. There are 14 mooks and one featured foe on their way inside. You can treat them as clambering their way inside now and available for attack if you'd like.

Jazz looks up as the red blur flies past, then glances at the incoming hordes.
Plenty of people with guns around.

She moves into a crouching run and scuttles for cover behind the armored truck then starts looking for a way to get the driver out that isn't going to leave her totally exposed to gunfire.

As Jazz looks around, while there are plenty of guns around, they seem too busy to stop her.

Jazz, you can do what you're looking to. Also, Bruno, you're up.

Now that the hole was (more or less) plugged, Bruno turned back and saw that the party was in chaos, with a small group of people fending off a larger group.

Snatching up a table, he throws it so that it clips two of the mooks trying to attack the rest of the group.

Guns: 1d6 - 1d6 + 11 - 2 ⇒ (5) - (2) + 11 - 2 = 12

Jazz squirrels her way into the truck's cab, kicks out the windshield and pulls the driver clear before the truck falls into the pool, while quietly swearing at him to "wake up and make this easier you ..."

this could take a while, but unless something interrupts I'm going to concentrate on getting this guy into a safer location

Bruno's table tumbles through the air, twisting just enough to scrape the two mooks, but does nothing more.

At the same moment, Li strikes quickly. Fidel, thrown off his stride, pulls back and tries to punch Li. Li twists, dodging the fist seemingly with time to spare as he handles his two foes with ease. So far.

1d6 - 1d6 + 14 ⇒ (4) - (4) + 14 = 14

Jazz pulls the guy out of the truck, his body leaving a trail of blood as she starts to drag him out of the fight.

Declan, Nikki and Li

Li reaches under his jacket for his Nunchaku, He focuses his chi and lashes out at Fidel.

[dice=Nunchaku "Whirl of Fury"]1d6-1d6+15[/dice]Sixes: 11 - 1d6 ⇒ 11 - (2) = 9"yikes!"

The jacket pulls too tight preventing the maneuver from completing.

With the rocket launcher not a threat for the moment, Nikki steps out from behind the table for a better shot, still covering the monster while casually dropping another clambering mook.

Beretta - Carnival of Carnage: 1d6 - 1d6 + 15 + 2 ⇒ (4) - (2) + 15 + 2 = 19

A lot of the light was coming from the other room, as it looked like the vehicle through the wall had damaged some of the power, as there was still enough light to see by, but the far end was starting to flicker. They must have hit a junction box or clipped a line in the wall. As the lights started to flicker, one of the group that came turned towards Jazz, but took one step too close to the pool...

In an explosion of water, the whole thing was over almost before it began. The creature burst from the edge of the pool, one long arm grabbed the foot of the unwary soldier before they had the chance to even look down. Their surprised shout was brief, which was stopped by another large splash, the surface of the water slowly calming as the thing and its new prey returned to the depths.
______________________
1d6 - 1d6 + 13 ⇒ (6) - (2) + 13 = 17
+: 1d6 + 17 ⇒ (6) + 17 = 23
+: 1d6 + 23 ⇒ (2) + 23 = 25