"Maybe's she's not here right now? Should we ask someone?"
Wildfire also sees no sign of her. Maybe you need to make yourselves... noticeable.
[ooc]I think that's totally a use for Underworld lore. Unfortunately,[/b] Lunar-17 doesn't much know about how this place works.
Nitpick opts to blend in.
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Jaedana decides to give the gambling a try. Her parents would never have let her do this, but if they didn't want her to, they shouldn't have left her on this planetoid with no one but a professor who was destined to be murdered for company!
She manages to lose all her credits almost immediately. "I don't think I understand. Why does the jack have to be black?"
As Jaedana tries her luck at cards, Lunar-17 drifts around the crowd, seeing if anyone reacts to a mention of Vazylyza.
Vorza continues to actively search for Vazylyza. He is listening to see if her name is used or if she is recognizable in the casino.
Vorza is confident that she is not out here in the main gaming area.
Lunar-17 settles in a stool at a table.
"This is my first time playing. I might need someone to explain the rules."
"I imagine these low cards aren't a good thing?"
Seeing the opportunity to get out and be a helper, the enthusiastic bright-purple Skittermander decides to be everyone's nufriend and enjoy the social life around the bars and tables at the venue!
Diplomacy
Finally, you catch a break. Tapkey's enthusiasm draws some attention; a smooth barathu who gives off "big spender" vibes approaches.
"The name's Bebubelu. you lot have the look of people on a mission, missions that don't usually bring you to a House of Luck. I'm guessing by the fit and the less than subtle eyes, you're looking for someone."
"Yes!" Jaedana says with a sigh of relief. "Vazylyza! Do you know where we can find her?"
"Ha! Yes." You suddenly realize that his braggadocio is fueled by alcohol...
"You won't find here here though. She's a high roller. I can introduce you. But... why do you want to talk to Vazylyza?"
"Well, yeah. I get that. I ask only because Tierny was asking for her recently, and you know how that ended up. Violence is bad for business around here."
"Who?" Jaedana says, playing dumb.
"Tierny? Sorry. Their actual name is Tier-99-Professor. I met them the other night. Vazylyza dragged them to the gambling table in hopes of tricking them out of some relic she wanted— she failed, and the straight-laced anacite professor stuck out like a sore thumb. Vazylyza was disappointed, but things were cool until some guy in the bar started a fight with Vazylyza, telling her to back off or stay out of it."
Bebubelu then launches into a slightly drunken but technical explanation of how barathus reform their internal organs to process alcohol more slowly, allowing them to stay intoxicated longer and experience stronger effects without harm. Clearly he's not picking up that you'replaying dumb.
"Fighting? Oh! You can't have THAT at a bar! Who was the other guy?"
"But if you could do an n introduction that would be amazing!"
"Hic.... The other guy? He was a human in fancy but unremarkable
clothing. The guy disappeared just as quickly as he caused trouble. He kept telling her to back off or stay out of it or something. And hecking yes I can. You know what? Yeah, hang on."
Bebubelu meanders over to a bouncer, exchanges a few words, then comes back, "Ask and ye shall receive. Let's go."
The High Roller section is noticeably more lavish. The room is comfortable and cozy. The social center is a luxuriously dressed vesk woman, Vazylyza.
She looks the lot of you up and down, "You're not dressed to be here, and given the tailoring of your attire, you aren't here to play. So I can conclude you're here for information. So.... delight me and make my time well spent."
"We want to know what was happening with Prof Tierny" Jaedana demands. "Someone killed him! Who were you fighting with?!"
She immediately looks around, not because she's suddenly scared, but because she doesn't want to be seen talking to you. She brings you to a booth with luxurious seating, "I can't tell you much."
You pass on some basic information, careful to not reveal too much. She starts by revealing that she tracks her location for safety reasons and can prove her exact whereabouts every minute of every day of the few months she’s been on Aballon, she isn't your murderer. She then comments on the altercation. She saw the mysterious stranger who lashed out at her again about a week ago. It was a weird encounter—he got up and nodded at her with this weird, crooked smile and left. There was a mechanical flower left behind at the bar where he’d been sitting and a handwritten note that said “Sorry.” "I kept the note and the device. It's a poor replica of a First Ones relic." as if anticipating the question she adds, "Whenever I try to check security footage to learn more about the stranger, I find that he either doesn’t show up on camera, the vids are “restricted,” or the vids don’t exist at all."
"Can you tell us about the relic you wanted? Was the replica the same item?"
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Upon hearing that Vazylyza allows herself to be tracked 24/7, Nitpick's palms grow sweaty, and his heart rate spikes; the very idea of something like that is pure anathema to him...
If anything, he is more interested in the 'mysterious stranger's' ability to digitally obfuscate their presence; now that is a skill that Nitpick would be interested in!
"Interesting, the First Ones you say?"
Accustomed to sitting at a table tracking opponents, Vazylyza has no problem tracking three threads of conversation,
"Do you not watch the newsvids? The First Ones are a near-mythical group of beings who are said to have come to the planet Aballon in the Pact Worlds system thousands of years before the Gap and created the precurser servitor robots that over time evolved to become the anacites. Off world they've been everywhere lately too - news of a massive starship called the Wreck of the Returned that crashed onto the planet Akiton. It's supposedly one of theirs."
"The relic I wanted? The relic itself is immaterial, it's that it was something from The First Ones. The demand is increasing, and anything from them is worth more than it's weight in platinum."
"It does take extreme skill... and maybe also someone within the government to be that thourough covering your tracks."
"But they're trying to pass it off as the real thing? Maybe Prof Tierny found out their scheme?" Jaedana says, thinking out loud.
Vorza tries to recall what he knows about the Wreck of the Returned.
Vorza recalls that it's been all over the news. An actual crashed ship has been located on Akiton, and all the usual suspects are trying to lay claim. Rumor abound over what might be found inside. Art objects and relics alone can fetch a fantastic price. Potentially powerful items may mean a power shift in the system.
Nitpick doesn't think Vazylyza knows anything about how this stranger does what they do, but it is indeed curious. Vazylyza ponders Jaedana's line of thought, "Maybe? I'm as in the dark as you."
It doesn't take long for the conversation to fizzle out. Frustrated, you realize that you still don't know the who, how, or why Tierny was killed. Dejectedly, you start to consider calling it a night...
...which is precisely when those of you with the Insight Array app get pinged.
You have been identified as an assoicate of Tier-99 Professor. If you or others wish to pay your respects in the reclaimation ceremony, please arrive at the Unification Cathedral tomorrow. There's a time and address included.
"We have an appointment"
"We will probably learn something there, one way or another."
Lunar-17 doesn't know much more than anyone else....
As you head back to crash for the night, everyone with the app gets a rather timely message...