Mashiro 'Chibiko' Fujiwara's page

Chibiko wormed her way into the ventilation duct. It was a tight fit, even for her. For once, her small stature was a blessing.

Crawling forward, she peeked through a number of vents until she found the right one: a floor below her, a relatively small room with several monitors, a pair of uniformed guardsmen, and an inactive drone perched by a maglocked doorway.

Perception: 5d6 ⇒ (5, 1, 6, 4, 3) = 19 2 Hits
Sneaking: 15d6 ⇒ (1, 2, 6, 3, 3, 1, 1, 6, 1, 3, 2, 6, 1, 4, 4) = 44 3 hits. Wow

Slowly, she pulled out her commlink and tapped a message to her comrades below.

<Found a security room on the 9th floor. Two guards, take them out =/ ? Vents are pretty tight, not sure Julia can fit =) might need to stay on the outside. How's your entry?>

Chibiko and Julia had set up camp on the top of the neighboring building. Ten stories up, and still only a fraction of the way up the corporate tower. There was a sizable gap between buildings, but Chibiko was confident--mostly--that she could make the jump. Fortunately the Leibenherr Group hadn't shelled out for a huge property for a bunch of middle managers and their family.

She double checked her comm. Julia said she'd put it into silent mode, but Chibiko didn't really know what that meant. She poked and prodded a couple of buttons, and when nothing made any noise she shrugged, satisfied.

She glanced out over the gap, then down ten stories to the street below. A ledge on the other side held an air conditioning unit and a series of ventilation ducts. Cameras were surely watching the spot, waiting for someone as foolish as herself to leap between buildings.

"Got the cameras off?"

Julia nodded. She tapped away on her cyberdeck without a word, absorbed in her work.

Taking a few steps back, the tiny woman started a running leap, launching herself over the gap...

Leap of Faith + Edge: 13d6 ⇒ (3, 4, 3, 6, 3, 5, 6, 6, 5, 2, 1, 3, 4) = 51 5 hits, 3 explode
3d6 ⇒ (4, 5, 1) = 10 6 Hits total = 12 meter jump

Chibiko heads to the drop van in Julia's stead, knowing the jittery shut-in would want little to do with two strange Germans. Knowing her, she'd probably try to incinerate them before they could get a word in edgewise. Grabbing the remaining technician's uniform, Chibiko holds it up in a cursory examination. It was big enough to fit two of herself in. She sighed quietly to herself, although she'd already known the obvious. Sometimes--rarely--she wished she could pass for normal. It would be a nice change. Instead she was wearing her corporate finest--the Auctioneer 'Little Exec' Business Suit. The style (and protection) of a bright-eyed prospective wageslave. It wouldn't help her sneak through the vents, but it might buy her a second or third glance before the alarm was triggered... and that was enough. It would be a lot harder to explain the collapsible bow secreted away in her pack.

"I'll take this for our friend," she mutters, tucking the tech's coveralls under her arm. "And I think I'll take a few of these other toys for myself. I'll get Julia in and let her do her thing. Hopefully we can take one of the security rooms out and give you guys clear passage through the building."

She takes a moment to pick through the tools James provided before stuffing a maglock skeleton key and a keypad sequencer into her pack. More things that would be hard to explain--but hopefully she'd never need to. After a brief moment, Chibiko grabs a crowbar and adds that on top. Somehow, she suspected the subtle approach was only going to go so far.

"Keep running silent and stay in touch," she says, tapping her commlink for emphasis. "Coordinate our entry and hunt down Cherry. She's got to be somewhere... and she's got a lot of questions to answer." With a nod, she heads off to join Julia and work on her own entry to the Liebenherr Group's structure.

Chibiko had no doubt she could pull off the look... even if she was probably twice the man's age. Still, 'cute' was not something she prided herself on. It was just a reminder of her miserable life prior to living in Miami. She settled for offering Billy a simple shrug. "Maybe next time." She hoped not. Even if it was an effective disguise, it was a little degrading.

"Julia's dependable," she continued. "She's a bit of a recluse, but we've worked together before and she's held her own. Just so long as she stays out of any actual fighting. Or talking. She's got a nasty temper and zero social skills."

Chibiko glared, expressionless, at Billy's invisible rainbow. This was getting ridiculous. She resists the slowly growing urge to kill the men she was running with. The German even looked so enthusiastic about it. "You're kidding." The least aggressive response she could muster. "Really, don't worry about my entry. I've done this plenty of times." Plenty might have been a bit of an exaggeration, but it was close enough. Probably. "Just get your covers together and I'll get Julia close enough to do her thing. I can meet up with you inside the building and we can find Cherry and her friends. Hopefully we can grab some other intel or something someone wants while we're inside. Extra pocket change is always good."

With a groan, Chibiko slipped off to the side and prodded at her commlink until a familiar face popped up. The bespectacled woman at the other end of the line was as much of a liability as Geezer, if for entirely different reasons. She was unstable and easily provoked, and had absolutely no social skills to compliment the fact she didn't look like a 12 year old filling out the shoes of a competent runner. Still, Stanton was the only decker she knew, and they'd run together before... It was better than nothing.

The commcall rings three times before it's picked up. No one answers, but Chibiko knows Julia's listening in. As paranoid of the outside world as ever. "It's me, relax. I've got a job that needs a bit of your technical skill, if you're interested."

"I wouldn't worry about me. Like I said, I'm rather good at staying out of sight. With the right papers I could probably talk right past the front door." Chibiko offered a sly smile. "No one looks at kids twice, and I look just the part. Just about the only good part of this whole thing." She gestures to herself, shrugging. "Gets real annoying being denied a drink everywhere you go. But yeah, either's an option. We can even split up, send you two in as whoever while me and Geez slip in somewhere else. Take down the security and split up to find Cherry and her associates. It's a big building, so we'd better have an idea of where to find her before we get there. We won't have all that long before our covers are blown, no matter how well we pull it off."

Leaning back on the couch, Chibiko shrugs. "I didn't get a look at the place, but B&E jobs always easier with some prep work. Ask nicely and throw some nuyen in the right places and you can get the security codes to just about anything. A couple of uniforms, some identification, and maybe a corporate vehicle or two--lots of ways to make it look like we belong." She considered her words a moment, glancing around the crashpad James had arranged for them. It was a nice enough team meeting place and, as far as she could tell, off of any corporate books. "Well, like you belong, at least. I'm a bit... shorter than your average wageslave. I've either got to stay out of sight entirely or find a different way in."

A particular decker pops into Chibiko's head. She winces. Not sure if it's from the healing hole in her gut or the aching head she was about to get. <If we need a decker, we DO know someone, Geez. She's, um, a bit of a mess, though. If you can coax her out of her room she'll probably be cheap enough.>

Making a mental note to ruin Geezer's day later, Chibiko rolled off her bed and crumpled up the note in front of her door without even reading it. People who used paper like that should know better than to waste it on her. She'd already done her time learning from books; she'd found the streets far more educational.

<I'm always ready. Tell me where and when and I'll grab my gear.>

Chibiko rolls over to the sound of her commlink buzzing again. Hours had passed. It was already dark outside. Or late afternoon. It was hard to tell, since her window was trapped in the shadow of several U-Miami buildings. A paper had been shoved under the door. Probably a notice from the RA again.

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she snapped up the commlink and checked in. The twinge of irritation drove away the rest of her restlessness. She didn't feel a hell of a lot better, but at least she was well rested now. Still, there was only one thing on her mind.

<Don't call me that.>

Chibiko tried not to wince as she rolled over and glared at the commlink on the table. She grabbed it and answered simply and honestly.

<No.>

Chibiko rolled over. She didn't really remember falling asleep, or even getting back to her room. Thankfully she'd managed to do it without making a mess, otherwise she'd have woken up to the sound of the RA screaming through the door instead of her commlink's soft buzzing.

Grabbing for it without actually moving, she shuffled through a series of messages she'd received overnight--a pair from the professor, one telling her everything was in order and another telling her to keep out of trouble, and a third from Geezer. She flipped over and stared at the ceiling as she typed out a response on the clumsy keypad.

<Friedrich and Billy said Cherry was meeting with someone who looked the beach bum type, but well-dressed. And as big as an ork. Sounds like your kind of problem :)>

She tossed the 'link to the side and laid still. Technically, she was supposed to be helping comb the beaches. But this was Miami. Finding a beach bum here was like trying to find a particular grain of sand on the beach. Caribbean Casual was the standard operating procedure for all but the most formal of businessmen. A musclebound orc in a nice Hawaiian shirt? He was the needle in the haystack.

Instead she closed her eyes and waited. If anyone needed her, she was sure they'd let her know. And it was nice to have a day off once in a while...

Chibiko's gonna lay low for most of the day sleeping off the bit of physical damage she still has.
Healing: 6d6 ⇒ (4, 1, 2, 2, 4, 3) = 16
Productive!

Chibiko nods and wishes her new teammates well as they depart. Left with only a drug addict, a paid room, and a damaged uniform, she sighed. At least she'd put in her time at 'work' during the day - the Professor would make sure everything was in order for at least a week. Gave her plenty of time to track down the muscleman on the beach... not that the description was particularly helpful. This was Miami, after all.

"Alright, Geez. I'll take the North Public Beach tomorrow. More family friendly. Southern one is your problem, it's got all the cheap beach bars and stuff. We'll alternate duty and find this guy. Keep in touch."

With that, she grabbed her bag and headed for her ride. Inwardly she grumbled. Bathing suits did not look good on her.

"The worst of mine's already been taken care of... but Geez could probably use some help."

"Not sure a couple of mags are going to convince her to do anything. She nearly sliced me in two. Somehow I don't think she's one for blackmail of any kind. And having narcoject... I've got a couple of arrows with the stuff. Stuff's strong enough to bring down a hellgator out in the Glades. She wouldn't be carrying that around for nothing - and I'm going to regret saying this - but I think maybe Geez is right."

The words felt seconds after leaving her mouth. A bitter aftertaste with a side of insanity. Chibiko glanced down at herself and inwardly sighed. She hated going to the beach; reminded her of what she wasn't. Miami was a great place to disappear, but damned if it wasn't a terrible place to have her curse. She'd long gotten used to it, of course... but still. It stung her pride a bit.

"I'll take the beach then. I'll set up shop somewhere on the north public beach and keep watch for anything... suspicious...? What exactly am I looking for, anyway? I doubt they're out murdering people on the sand."

The crawling feeling under her skin hadn't gotten much better, but Chibiko nodded. "There's also the rest of this stuff to go over. It's all gotta lead us somewhere." She picked up the maglock passkey and scrutinized it, but it was as featureless as it appeared. Not that these kinds of things were her specialty, anyway. Instead she opted for the pack of syringes. Tossing them towards Geezer, she grinned. "You're our local drug expert. What've we got?"

Chibiko nods at Billy's plan. "Shouldn't take long for her to get out, either. The Star's like any other business - they'll take what's not supposed to be hers, slap her with a fine, add a note in her SIN's file, assuming she has a SIN, and send her on her way. A couple of illegal augmentation's isn't enough to warrant a full criminal SIN writeup. They're not going to waste the money on a hooker."

Chibiko slumps herself down into a chair as she enters, half leaning onto the cheap table in front of them. She offers Geezer only a passing glance and a shake of the head. "Kamikaze," she explains to the two new team members. "Geez has a bit of a problem, if you couldn't tell. I'm honestly a bit surprised his heart hasn't exploded yet." She leans back, stretching. Immediately she regrets it; all the medical care in the world didn't change the fact she'd very nearly had her innards become outards. "Down to business, then? Find anything that can lead us to a psycho killer?"

Chibiko shakes her head quietly. She'd just gotten over being nearly carved in two. It was too soon to have to deal with Geezer's drug problems.

"I suppose if we want to sit bloody and drug-addled in a public space in the middle of downtown that would work... I was thinking more like a place for us to crash as a team and share what we've found. We've still got all night to hunt this guy down."

"I've got my own ride around the corner. And..." She looks up at the towering knight. "I'll probably attract less attention on my own. No offense. Appreciated, though."

Why was everyone so worried about her? She'd already had most of the injury treated. It was just a flesh wound!

Was it because she was half their size and looked a third their age? It was endearing, sure... but half the reason she was in the biz in the first place was to prove a point. On her own behalf and all the others left in the world's shadow.

"We should regroup somewhere a little less conspicuous and check over Cherry's stuff. I'm figuring she's more involved than we thought."

"Negative," Chibiko manages through heavy breathing. "And I'm stable enough to walk myself to the truck. Don't bother sending the big boys." She didn't want to have to pay extra for the extraction. They did like to overcharge for big shows of force.

As she started for the door, she grabs Cherry's bag. With a shrug, she threw it over her shoulder along with her own. "No sense in leaving all our lead here in the dirt. If Cherry manages to avoid the Star, she'll just come back angrier and if she doesn't this will all end up in a hole somewhere. Whatever she's into has to be in here."

After a moment, Chibiko starts the long and painful trek down the stairs to meet the Docs.

7P damage is going to be super ouchy to sleep off...

Chibiko raises an eyebrow. "Are you getting sappy on me? Jeez, Geez. Go back to smoking. And no - let's try this without brutalizing her. It's called take all her stuff and bail before the cops show up. That had to get us the wrong kind of attention. Let her try to explain the illegal equipment to them."

She paused for a second and looked down at her clothes. Drek. She was going to need a new uniform.

"I could also probably use an ambulance before I pass out from blood loss. Probably."

"No." Chibiko shuffles up to the door of 402, staring down at the blood and charred body of Cherry. She was breathing, but barely. Kind of like herself. "But I'll live. Now what the hell do we do with her?"

"Forget that," Chibiko spits into her comm. "Cherry tried to kill me. Going to return the favor."

Spending my last edge point to blitz initiative and roll a full five dice.
RetroactiveIni: 2d6 ⇒ (3, 4) = 7
Chibiko at 21 Ini.

With a deep breath, Chibiko pulled out one of her specialty arrows and flicked the switch. The arrowhead began to crackle and pop with the sound of electricity flowing through it. Carefully she nocked the arrow and darted up to the door frame. She breathed a sigh of relief for her small frame as she tucked herself around the corner and sent the arrow flying toward Cherry's cover.

Bow: 7d6 ⇒ (1, 1, 6, 6, 5, 2, 1) = 22 -6 for blind fire included; 3 hits
DV 12S, -5 AP

Wary of taking her eyes off the door, Chibiko speaks softly into her commlink.

"The Black Bull Motel, fourth floor. Cherry's hostile, shots fired."

Chibiko watches as Geezer leaves the door - leaving them completely and entirely uncovered - as he leaps out the window and hangs from the ledge. Again, like the drug-addled maniac he is.

"What the drek, Geez?"

These things should really stop surprising her.

She dug into her pack - it was half-ruined with blood, now - with as much haste as she could muster. She had the sinking feeling that a lot of her haste was flowing out of her chest and onto the floor. Still, with a few flicks of her wrist, the collapsible bow she's kept stored in her pack was fully assembled and ready for action. Unfortunately, it did nothing to numb the pain coursing through her body...

Using my actions to ready my bow and arrows, and stay behind the cover of the bed.

Absorb: 10d6 ⇒ (2, 3, 3, 1, 5, 3, 4, 4, 1, 1) = 27 1 hit. 7P = 7 armor, damage stays P.

The blade sinks deep into Chibiko's chest. She clutches her stomach and finds blood pouring from the wound. To her side, Geezer is belting out expletives like the drug-addled maniac he is. Part of her was telling her that this was all wrong; that they shouldn't be fighting the girl they're out to save. Another part of her was telling her that that girl shouldn't also have cyberweapons implanted into her wrists; nor should Chibiko herself be bleeding out.

Diving beneath the hail of bullets, Chibiko dashes through the door Geezer was firing out of. In her condition, it was best to get out of the line of fire as quickly as possible. She slumped down behind the bed and grabbed for her commlink, typing as fast as she could on the clumsy keypad. She only hoped they'd survive long enough for the message to mean something to their new German compatriots.

<Found Cherry. Not good.>

As the scene erupts into violence, Chibiko springs into action. In an instant she closes the gap between herself and Cherry, bringing her hands down in a balled up fist to break the woman's grip on the taser.

Unarmed Strike - Knucklebreaker+Edge: 9d6 ⇒ (3, 5, 4, 5, 1, 6, 2, 5, 4) = 35Explode: 1d6 ⇒ 2 4 Hits.
5S, 0 AP

Chibiko takes a deep breath. Dealing with unstable civilians was not a typical part of her job. She usually liked to just avoid them entirely. It was a lot less... noisy.

"Whatever you think is best," she says in the calmest voice she can manage. "Maybe we should all just have a sit down and talk it out. If you'd like to put down the weapon, that'd be great... or not. We've got proof that Frank's behind it all, if you'll just let us show it to you... And probably not in that room. That room is a little messy. We've rented the room just beside yours."

Negotiation: 12d6 ⇒ (4, 6, 2, 3, 5, 2, 1, 5, 2, 2, 3, 5) = 40 4 Hits.

Seeing no reason to further escalate the situation, Chibiko quickly steps past Geezer and walks a bit down the hall.

"Just let her see it for herself... it'll be easier to explain when she sees it with her own eyes."

"That's a start, I suppose," Chibiko muses, still leaning against the wall. "But we've still got no idea where to start looking for this Frank guy."

"Probably best not to go poking around on corporate lawns. Gets all the wrong kind of attentions. Maybe try digging up some dirt on the Matrix and see what turns up instead? We could also try waiting around to see if he turns up in the area." Chibiko glances over at Geezer, still with the 'link. "We've also got Cherry's number. Might be worth a call to see if she's even still breathing."

Chibiko pops the earpiece to her commlink on and rejoins the commcall. It takes a few tries before she successfully reconnects. "It's possible our Frank Harris is an ork. We couldn't get any extra information without getting into the computer systems, and that's neither of our specialties. But him being a high rolling corporate employee? That fits perfectly. Sounds like it's our man."

"We'll see." Chibiko smiled. That went better than expected. "Thanks again. Maybe I'll give you a little something special tonight... but business first." She closed the call before the ork could respond. No sense in listening to that drek for any longer than she had to.

She nods at Geezer, handing him back the commlink. Better he carried it, just in case its owner came calling. "Got a name. Frank Harris, and probably looks the part of a wageslave. Might even be his day job, when he's not off cutting up girls." A moment passed as she let him process the information. Gave her type to tik-tik away on her commlink's keyboard to share the information with everyone else. She sent a message to everyone else with the same: <Got a name. Frank Harris, possible wageslave.>

Glancing back up, her eyes rested on the mystery commlink. "Think that's his commlink? A burner, maybe?"

She could see the frustration on Geezer's face, but that wasn't anything out of the norm. The only time he wasn't angry at the world was when he was downing kamikaze puffers like an asthmatic. It was a miracle the man's heart was still pumping.

"This had better pay off. We need a lead or we're fragged." Taking a deep breath, Chibiko gave her voice a few experimental tests. She didn't make it quite as pronounced as before, but it was still entirely foreign to the little girl body. She's long come to terms with her condition, but sometimes...

No matter. She hit dial and hooked the earpiece to her ear. An automatic answering service responded. She waited, then hit a few buttons to get it to go to an actual human. Or in this case, an ork. The man mumbles a practiced greeting. Showtime.

"Um, hi. This is Cherry, from 402? I was wondering if you had the name of the man who last paid for the room on record. See, he's trying to skimp on my payment... and that's not good for either of our businesses. I need his name so an 'associate' of mine can go and handle things."

Impersonate: 10d6 ⇒ (2, 5, 3, 2, 2, 2, 6, 1, 3, 1) = 27 1 hit. Spending an edge. Edge: 4d6 ⇒ (6, 5, 4, 6) = 21 Explode: 2d6 ⇒ (2, 4) = 6 4 hits.
Negotiation: 10d6 ⇒ (4, 1, 4, 3, 1, 2, 5, 4, 6, 2) = 32 2 hits. Spending another edge... 4d6 ⇒ (6, 3, 4, 3) = 16 explode: 1d6 ⇒ 5 4 hits.

Chibiko rolls her eyes. Working with Geezer was like working with... well, like a confused old guy who had a perpetual stick up his ass. Which was particularly funny since she was fairly certain she was older than him, even if she didn't look it. And never would. "Apologies, I'm clearly not as well versed in the mannerisms of female escorts as yourself. And I wasn't exactly planning on walking up to him. Anyone with eyes could see that I'm not an escort. At least not in this hemisphere." She takes the commlink from Geezer and leaves the room, pulling the door shut behind her. A shiver ran down her spine as she left the terrible scene. She'd find whoever was responsible for this and make him pay dearly.

With a few poke and prods at the commlink it beeps loudly and angrily. Chibiko groans before handing it back to Geezer. "Find the number for this place. I hate these things and I haven't got a clue how to work this version."

"I've got a better idea, actually." Chibiko balls up her fist and bangs it against her sternum a few times, clearing her throat. When she speaks again, her voice is smooth and sultry, a strange mixture of angelic beauty and sensual tones; a voice that is entirely out of place, considering its source. "Hey, this is Cherry," she mockingly says to Geezer. "I don't suppose you got the name of the guy I brought up earlier? He's trying to rip me off and..."

The girl grins. In an instant her voice returns to its normal child-like state. "Sound believable enough? Or maybe I should go for the baritone wageslave looking to purchase a few 'home videos' for his simsense...? Whatcha think?"

Chibiko stops and stares at the gruesome scene. She'd seen a lot of drek in her travels (and caused quite a bit of it herself)... but this was something else entirely. Something very, very wrong had happened here.

"Wow. This looks... bad. If this used to be Cherry, then maybe the killer came back to finish the job." She snaps her fingers, realizing the obvious. "If the killer brought her here, then maybe our friend at the desk saw him. Or if there's a camera anywhere, maybe that got a glimpse of him."

Geezer can't see Chibiko facepalm, but that's exactly what she does as she sits against the wall of the hallway. <No. I'm actually pretty sure she isn't, but she has been here. Nice of you to take the dangerous part of the job though ;)>

"No reason to assume Cherry'd run... but I guess there's no harm in being careful. Feel like renting room 403 for us?"

Chibiko paused for a minute, then her cheeks flushed. "Drek. That sounded all kinds of wrong."

The girl nodded at her partner in crime, already regretting asking for backup. She glanced both ways down the rather short hallway, then whispered to Geezer. "So... we can either go through the door or try to find a way around. Maybe a window?"

<Doesn't seem to be anyone here, anyway. Time for a bit of breaking and entering ^_^>

After sending her text, Chibiko bounds off the surprisingly comfortable (if kind of scuzzy) couch and heads for the stairs. The ork behind the desk sighs and shakes his head, but goes back to watching a trid. Wasn't his problem - he tried.

A few moments later she was standing in front of room 402, wondering if knocking was really the best course of action. It was then that Geezer's message came back. She tapped out a reply.

<Nothing yet. Room 402, I'm about to knock.>

Chibiko took a deep breath, then put on her best game face and knocked.

"Hello? Anyone home?"

She put her ear to the door and waited, hoping she could hear them before they threw the door open and came face to face with a tiny high school student without any good reason to be here. She glanced down at herself. Maybe a tiny middle schooler. Her size was as much a curse as a blessing, she bemoaned.

Perception: 5d6 ⇒ (5, 3, 1, 3, 3) = 15 1 Hit

<I did.>

A pause.

<Okay, I tried to. This thing has too many buttons. Just check the information James sent over. And hurry up, the guy behind the desk here is giving me a funny look.>

Another pause.

<Not that kind of funny.>

As the pair of Germans ride on towards a slightly less biker and slightly more Miami bar, a message comes through to the groups' comms from Chibiko.

<Found a place she might be staying. Drekhole of a motel. Going to give it a look over, but might want someone to come back me up just in case.>

A few moments later, a series of blips appear on an AR overlay map. None of them appear to be in Miami.

<Um, it's down the road and along the waterfront. You'll know it when you see the place that's taller than it is wide and is tackier than every place next to it.>

Leaving the bench, Chibiko tucked her commlink away and walked off in the direction of one of Cherry's chosen stomping grounds. As she walked south along the road the quality of downtown quickly deteriorated. While the sections that bordered Little Havana and Overtown were havens for business and commerce, the south side was... something else entirely.

Dive bars were ferreted off down every other alleyway. Women of the night were already lining up along street corners, waiting for the business to 'open' later tonight. Cheap motels with their flickering neon boasted a view of the ocean through their bullet resistant glass. A McHugh's seated next to an equally greasy Stuffer Shack. It was that kind of downtown. And a little prep-school girl was blatantly out of place here. She caught a couple of glances shot her way - probably sizing up how much she was worth. It was a bit early for the muggers and she'd only been the victim of an attempted kidnapping once. Her supposed kidnapper wasn't going to be doing much more after Chibiko was finished with him.

Embracing the juxtaposition of herself and the world around her, she strolled through the sliding glass doors and into the tacky interior of a motel. The ragged looking ork behind the desk raised an eyebrow at her entry, but said nothing. Giving him a big, innocent smile (she practiced those for just such an occasion) she leaned up onto the desk on tip-toes. "Hi!" she exclaimed, putting an extra dose of enthusiasm into her voice and deliberately kicking it up in 'cuteness.' Was it fate that her adept powers only made her disguises more believable? "I'm looking for my mom, a lady who goes by Cherry? It's a bit of a long story, but my Dad used to tell me she died, but it turned out she didn't, and he got real mad that I found out, and I asked him why he never told me, and he didn't tell me, and now I'm looking for her..."

Con: 11d6 ⇒ (5, 4, 2, 2, 4, 4, 1, 4, 6, 5, 6) = 43 4 hits

Turning slightly in her seat, Chibiko glances over her shoulder towards the fountain. There was Geezer, talking into his 'link, with the two Germans beside him. For a moment, she wondered - once again - why she worked with this man. At least Billy Chimes had himself together, even if he looked like he fell out of a porn trid. She sighed, then turned back around and went back to tapping away on her commlink. A subdued laugh escaped her as she realized she looked exactly the part of the chatty teenage girl this way. She briefly wondered what the passersby thought of her... if they even took notice.

<Sounds good. I'll ask around and see if anyone's seen my 'mom,' LOL.>

Chibiko leaves her apartment in the Gables a good half an hour late. Turned out the RA was staying in today. Made grabbing her 'link back a bit more challenging than normal. She needed that commlink - it was the only one she knew how to use. And somehow she still managed to bork it every so often.

She putted up to the meet on her Dodge Scoot and tucked it into the pedestrian bike rack. Hopping off, she grabbed her pack - it held her collapsible bow and everything else in a 'cute and perfectly forgettable' form. Sporting the same uniform as she'd had on the previous day, she walks to the fountain and finds, unsurprisingly, that she was the last to arrive.

With a subtle nod of hello, she does her best to look the part of an unassuming youth in the midst of bustling downtown. She plopped herself down on a bench a good two dozen feet away and played her part. She'd played it plenty of times before. People just kind of looked over her - and not just because she was short. Fiddling about with her commlink, she pokes and prods at it for a minute before finally sending a message to the group's commlink channel.

<Don't mind me, I'll just be over here... looking unrelated and helpless ^_^ What's the plan?>

A young, soft voice chimes into the call, though it sounds like it's a mile away from the microphone. "Probably best to meet near the job." The last thing Chibiko wanted was them meeting anywhere near her cover identity's stomping grounds. It was hard enough to explain away her infrequent attendance. "I think James said Cherry worked downtown? So we should start asking around there, see what we turn up. If we get lucky, she'll turn up."

There's a bit of static and fiddling. Someone in the background says something unintelligible to Chibiko, then her line goes silent.

Drek.

She glares up at the dormitory's RA. The kid was probably three decades her junior, and yet he is the bane of her shadow life. Her real life. He stomped off with the confiscated commlink while Chibiko slipped his maglock key into her back pocket with a sigh.

Guess I've got a detour to make first.