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[Synik]

Nestled between a boarded up kebab shop and a run down mini-mart, Joe's Bar sits comfortably within The Stack. A set of mismatched doors rest slightly ajar and a dark plastic mesh covers the places where the windows should be. Music can be heard from the stim shop over the paved street. A collection of 'street treat' mobile catering stalls are scattered along the road. People sit under plastic awnings or by make-shift tables. The south end of the street spills into an industrial area melts into the flesh shops and clubs under the glitzy sway of Ruben Street.

Inside the bar there's a small stage up against one wall to your left. A chipped black door is closed to the side of it. In front of you, between you and the bar, are a collection of tables. Some match, some don't. Around the sides, apart from the small stage, are a number of booths. The walls of the booths are high and each one has its own air-con pull on it. The small overhead fans can be seen whirring lazily in the heat. On the right hand side between the booths and the bar is an off-white door with an icon of a toilet glued to it.

Behind the bar a bored looked barkeep, his pitted cyberarm whines when he wipes a glass or stops to clean the bar. There's a row of bottles and tubes epoxied or bound to the grey-black fabricast wall. Lined up against the think black plastic bar are a series of stools like you'd see in a diner.

Edited by Synik, 18 July 2008 - 01:19 PM.

[Dehoffren]

Fi watched as Joe easily sorted out the group that just arrived. He certainly had away of calming anyone who hinted at being unruly. Casting a glance at the antiquated wall clock it appeared to Fifi that the hands hadn’t moved at all. When did the barman say this Winston was due to arrive? She pondered. Half nine seemed to be a lifetime away to the young Trix.

Needing to amuse herself to while away the minutes she had to wait she began looking around the room trying to catch the eye of any potential punters, after all a girl/boy could do a lot of things with half an hour to pass.

[Early Bird]

Walking up the street, Ophelia cast her eyes casually over the people sitting at the tables by the various 'street treat' stands. It paid to be cautious, but she saw nothing of concern as she reached the mismatched doors of Joe's and slipped inside.

A quick look around as she approached the bar but no sign of Bailey. A glance at the clock showed she was a little early but it wasn't like him not to be here. Her guard went up a couple of notches instantly although she appeared noncholant as she crossed the floor and slid onto one of the bar stools. "The usual Joe when you're ready thanks" she called, surreptitiously eyeing the clientele. A bunch of young necs and a girl on one of the other stools. No saying who was in the booths. She would give Bailey a few more minutes then take her drink over there. At least in one of those she would be able to check out who was coming in before they saw her

[fury]

Cass strode back into Joes as if she belonged there. [color=#6666CC;]"Something to hit the spot please sugar?"[/color] she asked waving on of the notes in the direction of the barman. After getting her drink she sat down in the booth she had previously vacated and awaited the arrival of Ophelia.

[Synik]

Fi

Turning your back on the bar, you swivel against the cheap plastic of the bar stool. There are a few people in tonight, but they seem lost in a newspaper or huddled in groups. There's a bald chap reading through that rag MetroNews - talk about corporate mouthpiece. Sheesh. The wrong kind of stiff. There's the gang of Necro teenagers. They're huddled together talking using words outside your area. You shrug them off because they start to make you feel old. Two SHARCs are talking quietly over their pints and they're not reknown for their witty banter.

Two female Necs come in seconds apart. One has the swagger and dress of a girl like you. The other's more causal but you get the vibe that she's wound tighter than a data-coil. Given Joe's reaction and their language, they're regulars. Maybe they'd be interesting.

Ophelia

Bailey's tardiness pulls at your street smarts and you force yourself to relax. He's been late the odd few times. Maybe he's double booked himself. It wouldn't be the first time. You switch your mobile on as you wait for Joe the barkeeper to sort you out. He looks over your head and waves to someone who - you assume - is either coming in or going out.

Joe's scruffy t-shirt shows the 640k logo on it and is in need of a wash and a proper burrial. He smiles showing the risks of bad dental care as you pull up a chair. "Long time, no see," he says genially and puts down a synthi-cafe in front of you. There's a biscotti on the side. Something he keeps back for the regulars. "I'll be back in a mo, gotta sort out another regular. Enjoy the coffee."

In the reflection in the dirty mirror under the optics, you watch Joe wander off with a bottle of Cat's Blood in his mechanical arm. He sets it down for someone in a booth. Come to think of it, that's where Bailey likes to sit when he's in here.

As you return your gaze to the optics, you catch sight of the young lady next to you look away. She's dressed for a night out on the tiles and just thinking about her heels, makes your back ache.

Cass

Joe gives you a wave over the head of the woman he's serving. You catch sight of a young lady sat to her right look you over as you come in. She's dressed for a good night out. You ignore her and slide into the booth, your leather coat making that odd squeaky noise against the patched plastic of the booth's seating. At least Joe's been round with the mop tonight.

A moment later and Joe puts a bottle of Cat's Blood down on the scuffed table in front of you. He's wearing a cheeky grin that's boardering on a smirk. "Everything alright Cassie?" he asks. The fruity liquid is ice cold and the active ingrediants start to loosen you up nicely.

[fury]

[color=#6666CC;]"Everythings fine Joe, why shouldn't it be?"[/color] she says returning the grin. [color=#6666CC;]"What's the matter sugar? Do you think someone may have been talking about you? Or are you just getting jealous of sweet little Cass actually having some money."[/color] She leans back into the booth, beginning to feel chilled out by the sensation of a full stomach and the cats blood. [color=#6666CC;]"Or maybe you want to offer me some business?"[/color]

[Early Bird]

Something about this evening just didn't feel right, it was making her twitchy. Maybe it was seeing Hopton in that building, seeing him again especially so unexpectedly was bound to have an effect. Bailey had been late before, maybe he was with a client or seeing someone else about their job. She was under no illusion that she was the only one on his payroll even if Bailey was so damn cagey about who the others were. She didn't know if she was his top earner or not, but she was good. She knew it and so did Bailey which was no doubt why so many lucrative jobs had come her way lately.

She switched on her mobile as Joe served her sythicaff, with biscotti. "You know how it is Joe" she said with a brief smile in reply to his "Long time no see". "I like to get around but I come back for the best". She sipped her coffee. Not like imported, but she had to admit it was good here. She watched in the mirror below the optics as he went over to one of the booths. The one where Bailey liked to sit when he was holding court in here she noted. Not that it was him in there now, you couldn't exactly miss him and he certainly didn't drink Cat's Blood. He would be mightily p*ssed if he came in and found his favorite booth occupied she reflected. The figure currently in there was in shadow, she couldn't make out who it was.

As she looked back up to the optics, she saw the other woman seated at the bar turn away. Was she watching her? Ophelia forced herself to relax, damn but the paranoia was strong tonight. The woman was dressed for a night on the town, those heels, how did she even stand in those let alone walk. Probably a pro she thought, likely she's just looking around to see if there's any punters.

Edited by Early Bird, 20 July 2008 - 11:02 PM.

[Dehoffren]

Well this could be fun thought Fi as she watched the woman check her out. She appeared a little strait laced to be looking for a thrill but the woman was like a moth drawn to a flame, her eyes kept being drawn back to Fi. In the mood for a little fun Fi drew herself up to a standing position. Wobbling dangerous on her heels, her feet complaining desperately at the renewed torture she tottered over to the seat next to the woman. Looking for a opening Fifi spied the woman’s drink “Ah I had the synchi-café too” not waiting the be asked Fi plonked herself down next to the woman “Gets the old motor running doesn’t it” nudging the woman’s arm with her elbow as if they were sharing a private joke

[Early Bird]

Edging away from the woman, Ophelia looked at her like she was something that occasionally crawled up from the bottom of the containers. Just as she thought, a pro after a pick up. "Not unusual that we had the same, it's a common enough choice if you don't want to get blasted" she said scathingly.

"Sorry to disappoint" she continued. "But I'm waiting for someone and he should be here any minute". Ophelia turned away, appearing to find something intensely interesting to look at behind the bar whilst still keeping an eye on the mirror to see who might be coming in.

[Synik]

Cass

Joe chuckles. "No and you **** well know what I'm talking about too. I'm guessing it went well. Be nice to see you live a little." His tone sours. "Rather than for the dead-zone boyf of yours."

He drops the bill from the old thermal printer against the bottle. It wiggles briefly in the air-con breeze before it gets stuck on something. "'Cuse I," Joe says and wipes the table. "Damn SHARCs, can't hit there damned mouths half the time."

Joe starts to back off: "I'll catch you later, when the rush has died down... and maybe I'll take you up on that offer. For old time's sake."

Fi and Ophelia

Joe returns from his errand of deliverying drinks. "Sorry, about that," he says dropping the dishrag into the cracked plastic sink. "Always nice to see a familar face in a place like this," he replies. "It's a special packet. I got it from Bailey last night."

A grin plays at his features. "You two having fun yet?" he tries to joke and his gaze shifts to Fi: "I hope you're not pestering my regulars," he says only half serious. "Now, what did you say what up with your friend?"

Edited by Synik, 21 July 2008 - 08:53 PM.

[Aras360]

Tan opens the door to Joe's Bar and slips in (or so he hoped), in a quiet and discrete manner. Walking up to the bar, he set down the bag containing the rifle. Never being one to mince words, he leaned over the bar, and when Joe took notice of him, whispered:

"Joe, where's Scorsby, I need my money."

[Early Bird]

"Bailey" muttered Ophelia. "Don't suppose you've seen him have you Joe? He's supposed to be in here tonight". She supposed that the pro trying to pick her up would now assume she'd been stood up and renew her efforts, but Ophelia was getting impatient. She had hoped to tell Bailey about tonights happenings and see if he knew anything.

[Dehoffren]

Raising her eyebrows in a gravity defying arch Fi nearly poked her tongue out at the woman’s disregard but felt that the action was just a tad too childish. “Me...never!” she said in mock horror at Joe’s comment “Anyways this one seems too tightly wound to be fun.” Nodding to the woman next to her “Anyhoo I don’t know Jo-Girl was supposed to met me but the little minx let me down at the last minute and left this odd message on my moby. Actually she did sound rather rattled and kept counting for some strange reason”

[Synik]

Fi

Joe puts a bowl of crisps on the bar between you and the Necro lady sat next to you. His cyberarm whines as he picks up and eats it."Counting you say?" Joe's grizzled face wrinkles as he talks. "I've been hearing a bit about that of late. I know a decker guy who's got the same thing. Some people are saying its residue from a bad stim recording to the rounds."

Ophellia

"He was in earlier, Ophelia" he replies, "with Cass, that young nec lady in the booth over there. She's a regular here." He nods to the booth you watched him deliver the bottle of Cat's Blood to. "She was the last one to see him."

Tan

There are a couple of people at the bar as you draw up: two women. One a necro, one dressed for a good night out (or looking for customers depending on your cynism). Joe makes his excuses and leans on the bar near you. "He's not in yet," he replies as if you'd asked him what the time of day was. "You wanna a drink? Cool your heels until he turns up."

[fury]

[color=#6666CC;]"You were always a sucker for a good deal,"[/color] Cass shouts after Joe, sniggering to herself. She sits back in the booth and sips the drink, she takes in the clientelle and wondered who this Orphelia woman was, was she already here? She shrugged to herself, how the hell am I meant to meet someone when I have no idea what they look like.