"So whaddaya think?" Lug asked.
"About what?" Hamon replied.
"About da cost of Mars landing vehicles....." the dwarf replied with a straight face. Then seeing that his partner was going to treat the question seriously, quickly amended "about Artie as he impressed lovable Louis, ya goof, what we were just talkin about. Ya think da University reference was out of Louis' life or was actually something outta Artie's?"
"No way to tell" The swordsman replied.
"Yeah, but it's a crumb a cheese our Mouse will haveta follow."
"Whew!" Itami exclaimed. "You guys ok in there?
The two heads which popped up from the dumpsters wore grins. The trash diving street urchins were just acquiring the final load of Artie's art from the stinking mass at the bottom of the garbage bin. Len and Squig were tremendously amused at the fact that the pair of shadowrunners were paying good cred and food for something that the kids did daily as a matter of survival. That the huge orks were put off by a little smell was even more amusing. Finally that the kids were, however peripherally, involved in something as way cool as a shadowrun had the youngsters giggling with enthusiasm.
Mouse, an ork decker with only 8 or 9 years on the youngsters was too busy with his makeshift scanning table to be amused by the kids enthusiasm, but Itami's memories of his own childhood on the streets was constantly sparked by the by-play between the young brothers. While Mouse did his best to scan every pictograph off the collection of wrappers, labels and garbage bags that the kids had scavenged, Itami reflected sadly that the youngsters' lives on the streets would probably be short and unhappy and that moments of this kind of carefree joy were few and far between. That survival on the street required a hard-bitten edge and a great deal of luck and that if one of the pair were struck down, the other would probably not last for want of someone to watch his back. Sighing, the rigger shook his head and handed each of the kids 20 nuyen in coin and the extra bag full of food that Mouse had brought back from the stuffer shack.
Smiling fondly at the young decker's earnest efforts to scan all of the wrappers, Itami reflected that Mouse was not from a street background, but had been around enough to know that the kids might live for a week on the bounty he brought back when sent to buy sandwiches. He's smart, he's working hard and learning, but he's picking up on stuff he don't have ta be told. Kid's gonna be all right. The rigger thought with pride.
Owen had endured BeBop's lecture about home and family with such good grace that it took Goren's comment, "Don't worry, Kid. Women just don't understand dat a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do", to refocus the dwarf's ire on her husband and let the phys ad off the hook.
"Will you please stop filling the boy's head with dat macho bulldrek?! Honestly! You'd think that I don't have to put up with enough having to deal with your weak mind as it is! No, you have to go and try to poison Hot stuff's brain as if you haven't asked me a hundred times, 'Why don't da kid stop by? Should we call him? Ya don't think he's mad at us, do ya?'"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever you say" Goren muttered, immediately ducking to avoid whatever missile his wife and partner would use as a physical response to his jibe. Unfortunately, BeBop was as familiar with his moves as he was with hers, so as he bent down to avoid the missile he imagined flying at his head, he presented a more tempting target to the dwarf woman's steel toed combat boot. Her physical reproach was enough of a surprise that the ork lost his cigar stub and spent the next several minutes rubbing his posterior.
Owen's attempt to keep a straight face through this interaction was not entirely successful, causing the weaponsmith to exclaim, "Dat ain't funny, kid! Little sli.....WOMAN, has some damned strong legs! And her feet are........" pausing as BeBop crossed her arms, Goren reconsidered his complaint and muttered ".....just lovely." Turning back to the phys ad, he asked "So what's been goin on wit you, kid? Ya keepin outta trouble?"
"Trying to, Goren, trying to" the phys ad said with a smile. "Listen, I've got a little job and I was wondering if you guys could help me with it. I've come across this item and I need to have a copy made. It's a scourge that's been kicking around the neighborhood...."
"Hot stuff, you're not pulling some bait and switch con are you?" BeBop asked. "I know you are too straight an arrow to do anything like that but you're also far too trusting and who knows who is influencing you."
"No, bless your suspicious heart, I am not engaging in a con game, BeBop. But I recently had an experience with the Atlantean Foundation and I saw that fortune favors the prepared, which unfortunately, I was not."
"Now, that sounds like a story. Let me grab something to drink and you can tell me all about it." The dwarf woman replied. When Goren said, "We don't know if the kid's got time...." BeBop glared at him and said "Well, let him make the time. We don't get to see him often enough as it is. Now you're gonna help him drop off a job and run? Has your brain gotten as soft as...... well as certain other parts of your body?"
"Hey!" Goren exclaimed, but he quieted as he caught his wife winking at Owen. "Oh no you don't. Don't you try comin on to the kid. He may be a physical adept, but he definitely doesn't have the experience to handle you, ya horny halfer."
"Might be fun to train him" BeBop vamped. As Goren sputtered at this remark she returned with her oversize coffee mug and said "Now, now, don't strain yourself dear. You're only half prepared for a battle of wits. Have a seat while we listen to hot stuff's story."
Presented with no other options, Owen sighed and took a seat. In order to explain how the lost boys had come into possession of the artifact to begin with, he found himself retelling the story of the kidnapping of Sara'a egg. When that was finished he said, "So we each had some good stuff as a reward but we also had this cursed artifact that nobody, not even Doc, was comfortable having around. He had Sara contact a rep from the Atlantean foundation who must have set a speed record getting to us."
"Now, you know that I try very hard not to judge people on the basis of their appearances, and you know I'd just finished dealing with the largest, most over developed elf I've ever dreamt of, but I still have to admit that Nestor P. Echanis was the strangest looking elf on the planet. You know how attractive elves usually are, of course, well, this elf was.....wrong. I mean, he looked like.....like several people had sketched an elf and then someone without any sense of reality had mixed and matched the parts. His eyes were different colors, different sizes and didn't really line up properly on his face. His nose would have been perfect on a smaller sized head, but on him it looked bizarre. His mouth was way too large for the rest of his face and while his upper lip was non-existent, his lower lip looked like he had just been stung by several bees. His chin was invisible, his forehead sloped improbably, his ears were different sizes and located high and forward on the left and way too far back on the right. Finally, his head was covered by the worst looking wig I think I've ever seen."
"Now, as I've said, I really try not to let what people look like affect my opinion of them because we don't control what face nature gives us, but I confess, I was weirded out by this elf. The annoying thing was that however hard I tried to hide it, he not only knew my discomfort, but he used it against me. If I didn't look, he attributed it to his strange physiognomy, if I did look, he accused me of staring. Eventually I found myself wondering if he had undergone plastic surgery to make himself look like this as a negotiation ploy. You know, keep-the-other-guy-off-balance-so-you-can-make-the-best-deal sort of thing. Well whether it was his intention or not, he nearly manage to put me in an impossible position."
"See, before we defeated S'ssral, we had battled with him in his home. He had gotten away while leaving behind several very ancient texts which he had used for research on opening a gate between worlds. Doc argued that destroying them meant advocating ignorance and managed to convince me that they might be useful in defeating S'ssral the Black, so I opted not to destroy them immediately. I made it clear, however, that they were too dangerous to leave lying around for the next mad mage to use as a blueprint for ending life on earth. Doc wasn't happy but he agreed."
"Well, I don't know how Nestor got the story of our run, but he seemed inordinately well informed of the details and he wanted those books more than the artifact itself. He used every argument from the sanctity of knowledge to the potential for positive uses of seemingly negative information. He offered less than a million for the artifact but as much as 3 mill for the artifact and books. He tempted me with how much good could be done for the city's poor and homeless with 3 million nuyen. He pointed out that Doc hadn't gotten any tangible gift from Sara and that he was entitled to a reward...I'm telling you, the elf was a master psychologist and kept pushing my buttons."
Pausing to shake his head, Owen continued, "It was as difficult a negotiation as I've ever been in, and while I getting manipulated, somebody from the foundation decided to cut to the chase and attempted a raid. This pushed me over the edge. I destroyed the books right in front of Nestor while he screamed bloody murder, then I jacked up the price on the artifact to 1 million nuyen and told him if he didn't pay immediately I'd sell it to Lofwyr. Well he paid, but he also made it clear he thought I was a barbarian who could not be trusted. I don't expect any Birthday greetings or Christmas cards from the foundation."
"What I do expect, should we ever have to deal with them again, is that they will come in with guns blazing to 'preserve an endangered antiquity' since I've already demonstrated that I will destroy historically significant items if you push me far enough. Against the chance that this thing might turn out to be valuable, and that I might have to deal with old Nestor again, I'd like to out-think somebody, for a change, and if they (or anybody else) decides to take it by force, leave them holding the bag." Sighing the phys ad concluded, "I know it's locking the barn door after the horses are out, but I really don't like having my hand forced. The only thing worse would be having to fight to take an item back from people who could preserve and study it because they decided to use force instead of paying due to what I did the last time I dealt with them."
"Kid, I think that's the most you've said in the whole time I've known ya." Goren responded with a grin.
"Leave Hot stuff alone, Goren" BeBop said defensively. "He's become a team leader. It's natural that he would have to explain more than when he was running as a single." Turning to the phys ad, the dwarf woman continued, "And it sounds like you did the right thing destroying those books, Owen. Even if you were pushed into it, you know they were the tools for some nutter spell worm to try to destroy the world. We're better off without them. I also think the decoy is a clever idea and if you'll give us the holos we can get started right away."
"And since we know your rolling in dough....." Goren said jokingly.
"I wish it were true my friend, but after you take out damages and other overhead, divide the sum 10 ways to cover everybody involved, you've got some nice money, but it's hardly rolling dough."
"OWEN!" The dwarf woman shouted, "When will you learn to ignore my idiot husband? You know your suggestions with the squirters and the stun grenades have netted us a fortune. The big lummox could retire tomorrow if he wanted to from the profit he's made on your ideas. Don't you dare discuss paying him for this duplicate. And YOU", she said rounding on the ork weaponsmith,
"KIDDING! I was just kidding!" Goren said with both hands in the air. "Of course I wouldn't take the kid's money. He's family. It was just a joke."
"Hmmph!" BeBop said as she looked over the holopics. "I can have this together for you in 3 or 4 hours, Hot stuff. Will that be good enough?"
"That's great. I'll stop back by later today." Owen said with a smile. "Thanks guys. You two are the best."
The area where Pietr's studio was located reeked of money. Not flashy I-can-buy-anything-I-want money, but, quiet sedate, it-would-be-unforgivably-gauche-to-be-too-obvious money. Doc thought, in the last century, the people shopping here would know instinctively that the Bentley is only driven by the owner and the Rolls Royce is only driven by the chauffeur. Or that the person who mentions the size of their yacht knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. It's perfect. He's set up among shops that won't sell to Joe Dokes even if he's throwing the nuyen at them. Precisely the kind of elitist, we're-part-of-the-club bulldrek that Pietr loves. I bet he's happy as a clam.
As he made his way along, force of habit made Doc look at the security precautions on the street. Although the cul-de-sac was technically a city street, the elf mage recognized extensive security precautions, many of which were of the lethal variety. I wonder how many palms were greased to install pop-up turrets on a city street, he thought, or if there was any concern about the armada of drones whispering back and forth overhead. Well, that also goes well with Pietr's aversion to danger. Looks like he's found his niche.
Doc stepped up to the door only to find it immediately opened by the proprietor of the shop. Clad in Burgundy smoking jacket, with a canary yellow ascot, pencil thin mustache, tinted monocle and jauntily tilted red fez, Pietr quickly urged his guest inside. "Enter freely of your own will" the diminutive figure invited. When Doc hesitated, Pietr quickly amended, "Oh, come in, come in, come in! If I have to wait until you've done a filmography on every vampire movie where that line is used, we'll be standing here till midnight!"
Nodding with mock solemnity, Doc entered the talismonger's studio and waited for his college chum to reactivate his security precautions. The elf mage jumped a foot in the air when the deepest basso profundo voice he had ever heard softly said, "Excuse me, please" from directly behind him. When Doc turned, he saw that what he had taken for a piece of tapestry was actually a colorfully patterned vest on one of the largest trolls he had ever encountered. After a confused second where Doc simply stood looking, Pietr said "I'd like you to meet my... doorman, Andreas. Andreas, this is Doc. He may actually turn out to be a customer, so don't eat him."
Doc was further surprised when the Troll bowed deeply and softly said "My very great pleasure, sir."
Coming back to himself Doc replied "And mine, sir, and mine. Please forgive my stare. I was taken very much by surprise."
"Think nothing of it, sir" the giant replied as he took up his position in the entry way.
"Well, old man, let's toddle off to my workroom so you can show me the item you wish tested." Pietr said as he led Doc through the richly appointed accommodations. When Doc unwrapped his bundle, Pietr said "Faaugh! You weren't joking when you called it malodorous, were you? Ugh!" After a few seconds of attempting to study the scourge carefully while distancing himself from the smell, Pietr abandoned his pose of aversion and began intently studying the markings. "Hmmmmm, yes.....yes..Interesting."
When Doc demanded "Well?" a third time Pietr was jerked from his reverie and responded, "Hmmm? Oh, yes, Doc. Well, you'll have to leave it here for some tests. On first impression it does have the feel of antiquity and I'd like to study the low grade compulsion spell commanding the viewer to wield the thing. Almost makes one think of those stories Wally used to tell about the poor researcher who picks up the artifact to test it and finds he has been overwhelmed by a magic sentience to become a sort of hypnotic slave...... I can have a full report on this for you tomorrow."
"Your pardon, most estimable of college chums, but my natal celebration was not yesterday. If you honestly believe I intend to walk blithely off into the sunset, while you announce your 'discovery' to the world, you are sadly delusional, my friend."
"Are you suggesting on the one hand that I am not to be trusted to maintain the confidentiality of this item, and on the other, that I would invite a notorious shadowrunner, an elf who is doubtless on several corp 'dead or alive' bounty lists to spend the night in my shop, endangering my safety? Mes non, mon ami. The item may stay, you may not."
With a theatrical sigh, Doc dropped his head like a defeated man. When he began re-wrapping the scourge, Pietr said "What? Your actually going to take the item before I can run tests on it? Are you attempting to punish me?"
"Not at all, friend of my salad days. I just don't intend to be separated from an item for which I have taken responsibility. Since that is sadly a pre-condition to your efforts, I am compelled......"
"All right, all right, all right! You can stay and watch, but ask me no questions and do not disturb me or Andreas will be dinning on elf tonight, Wakaru mas?", the tiny human demanded with hands on hips.
"Of course," Doc replied biting back a smile as he placed the scourge back on Pietr's workroom table and gestured for his college classmate to continue his research.
The Shadorat and shapcano. Together again for the first time! This serial continues at Winterhawk's Virtual Magespace. To read Chapter 4 click here.
This story is copyright of the author. Shadowrun is a Registered Trademark of FASA Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Used without permission. Any use of FASA Corporation's copyrighted material or trademarks in this file should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights or trademarks.
"About what?" Hamon replied.
"About da cost of Mars landing vehicles....." the dwarf replied with a straight face. Then seeing that his partner was going to treat the question seriously, quickly amended "about Artie as he impressed lovable Louis, ya goof, what we were just talkin about. Ya think da University reference was out of Louis' life or was actually something outta Artie's?"
"No way to tell" The swordsman replied.
"Yeah, but it's a crumb a cheese our Mouse will haveta follow."
"Whew!" Itami exclaimed. "You guys ok in there?
The two heads which popped up from the dumpsters wore grins. The trash diving street urchins were just acquiring the final load of Artie's art from the stinking mass at the bottom of the garbage bin. Len and Squig were tremendously amused at the fact that the pair of shadowrunners were paying good cred and food for something that the kids did daily as a matter of survival. That the huge orks were put off by a little smell was even more amusing. Finally that the kids were, however peripherally, involved in something as way cool as a shadowrun had the youngsters giggling with enthusiasm.
Mouse, an ork decker with only 8 or 9 years on the youngsters was too busy with his makeshift scanning table to be amused by the kids enthusiasm, but Itami's memories of his own childhood on the streets was constantly sparked by the by-play between the young brothers. While Mouse did his best to scan every pictograph off the collection of wrappers, labels and garbage bags that the kids had scavenged, Itami reflected sadly that the youngsters' lives on the streets would probably be short and unhappy and that moments of this kind of carefree joy were few and far between. That survival on the street required a hard-bitten edge and a great deal of luck and that if one of the pair were struck down, the other would probably not last for want of someone to watch his back. Sighing, the rigger shook his head and handed each of the kids 20 nuyen in coin and the extra bag full of food that Mouse had brought back from the stuffer shack.
Smiling fondly at the young decker's earnest efforts to scan all of the wrappers, Itami reflected that Mouse was not from a street background, but had been around enough to know that the kids might live for a week on the bounty he brought back when sent to buy sandwiches. He's smart, he's working hard and learning, but he's picking up on stuff he don't have ta be told. Kid's gonna be all right. The rigger thought with pride.
Owen had endured BeBop's lecture about home and family with such good grace that it took Goren's comment, "Don't worry, Kid. Women just don't understand dat a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do", to refocus the dwarf's ire on her husband and let the phys ad off the hook.
"Will you please stop filling the boy's head with dat macho bulldrek?! Honestly! You'd think that I don't have to put up with enough having to deal with your weak mind as it is! No, you have to go and try to poison Hot stuff's brain as if you haven't asked me a hundred times, 'Why don't da kid stop by? Should we call him? Ya don't think he's mad at us, do ya?'"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever you say" Goren muttered, immediately ducking to avoid whatever missile his wife and partner would use as a physical response to his jibe. Unfortunately, BeBop was as familiar with his moves as he was with hers, so as he bent down to avoid the missile he imagined flying at his head, he presented a more tempting target to the dwarf woman's steel toed combat boot. Her physical reproach was enough of a surprise that the ork lost his cigar stub and spent the next several minutes rubbing his posterior.
Owen's attempt to keep a straight face through this interaction was not entirely successful, causing the weaponsmith to exclaim, "Dat ain't funny, kid! Little sli.....WOMAN, has some damned strong legs! And her feet are........" pausing as BeBop crossed her arms, Goren reconsidered his complaint and muttered ".....just lovely." Turning back to the phys ad, he asked "So what's been goin on wit you, kid? Ya keepin outta trouble?"
"Trying to, Goren, trying to" the phys ad said with a smile. "Listen, I've got a little job and I was wondering if you guys could help me with it. I've come across this item and I need to have a copy made. It's a scourge that's been kicking around the neighborhood...."
"Hot stuff, you're not pulling some bait and switch con are you?" BeBop asked. "I know you are too straight an arrow to do anything like that but you're also far too trusting and who knows who is influencing you."
"No, bless your suspicious heart, I am not engaging in a con game, BeBop. But I recently had an experience with the Atlantean Foundation and I saw that fortune favors the prepared, which unfortunately, I was not."
"Now, that sounds like a story. Let me grab something to drink and you can tell me all about it." The dwarf woman replied. When Goren said, "We don't know if the kid's got time...." BeBop glared at him and said "Well, let him make the time. We don't get to see him often enough as it is. Now you're gonna help him drop off a job and run? Has your brain gotten as soft as...... well as certain other parts of your body?"
"Hey!" Goren exclaimed, but he quieted as he caught his wife winking at Owen. "Oh no you don't. Don't you try comin on to the kid. He may be a physical adept, but he definitely doesn't have the experience to handle you, ya horny halfer."
"Might be fun to train him" BeBop vamped. As Goren sputtered at this remark she returned with her oversize coffee mug and said "Now, now, don't strain yourself dear. You're only half prepared for a battle of wits. Have a seat while we listen to hot stuff's story."
Presented with no other options, Owen sighed and took a seat. In order to explain how the lost boys had come into possession of the artifact to begin with, he found himself retelling the story of the kidnapping of Sara'a egg. When that was finished he said, "So we each had some good stuff as a reward but we also had this cursed artifact that nobody, not even Doc, was comfortable having around. He had Sara contact a rep from the Atlantean foundation who must have set a speed record getting to us."
"Now, you know that I try very hard not to judge people on the basis of their appearances, and you know I'd just finished dealing with the largest, most over developed elf I've ever dreamt of, but I still have to admit that Nestor P. Echanis was the strangest looking elf on the planet. You know how attractive elves usually are, of course, well, this elf was.....wrong. I mean, he looked like.....like several people had sketched an elf and then someone without any sense of reality had mixed and matched the parts. His eyes were different colors, different sizes and didn't really line up properly on his face. His nose would have been perfect on a smaller sized head, but on him it looked bizarre. His mouth was way too large for the rest of his face and while his upper lip was non-existent, his lower lip looked like he had just been stung by several bees. His chin was invisible, his forehead sloped improbably, his ears were different sizes and located high and forward on the left and way too far back on the right. Finally, his head was covered by the worst looking wig I think I've ever seen."
"Now, as I've said, I really try not to let what people look like affect my opinion of them because we don't control what face nature gives us, but I confess, I was weirded out by this elf. The annoying thing was that however hard I tried to hide it, he not only knew my discomfort, but he used it against me. If I didn't look, he attributed it to his strange physiognomy, if I did look, he accused me of staring. Eventually I found myself wondering if he had undergone plastic surgery to make himself look like this as a negotiation ploy. You know, keep-the-other-guy-off-balance-so-you-can-make-the-best-deal sort of thing. Well whether it was his intention or not, he nearly manage to put me in an impossible position."
"See, before we defeated S'ssral, we had battled with him in his home. He had gotten away while leaving behind several very ancient texts which he had used for research on opening a gate between worlds. Doc argued that destroying them meant advocating ignorance and managed to convince me that they might be useful in defeating S'ssral the Black, so I opted not to destroy them immediately. I made it clear, however, that they were too dangerous to leave lying around for the next mad mage to use as a blueprint for ending life on earth. Doc wasn't happy but he agreed."
"Well, I don't know how Nestor got the story of our run, but he seemed inordinately well informed of the details and he wanted those books more than the artifact itself. He used every argument from the sanctity of knowledge to the potential for positive uses of seemingly negative information. He offered less than a million for the artifact but as much as 3 mill for the artifact and books. He tempted me with how much good could be done for the city's poor and homeless with 3 million nuyen. He pointed out that Doc hadn't gotten any tangible gift from Sara and that he was entitled to a reward...I'm telling you, the elf was a master psychologist and kept pushing my buttons."
Pausing to shake his head, Owen continued, "It was as difficult a negotiation as I've ever been in, and while I getting manipulated, somebody from the foundation decided to cut to the chase and attempted a raid. This pushed me over the edge. I destroyed the books right in front of Nestor while he screamed bloody murder, then I jacked up the price on the artifact to 1 million nuyen and told him if he didn't pay immediately I'd sell it to Lofwyr. Well he paid, but he also made it clear he thought I was a barbarian who could not be trusted. I don't expect any Birthday greetings or Christmas cards from the foundation."
"What I do expect, should we ever have to deal with them again, is that they will come in with guns blazing to 'preserve an endangered antiquity' since I've already demonstrated that I will destroy historically significant items if you push me far enough. Against the chance that this thing might turn out to be valuable, and that I might have to deal with old Nestor again, I'd like to out-think somebody, for a change, and if they (or anybody else) decides to take it by force, leave them holding the bag." Sighing the phys ad concluded, "I know it's locking the barn door after the horses are out, but I really don't like having my hand forced. The only thing worse would be having to fight to take an item back from people who could preserve and study it because they decided to use force instead of paying due to what I did the last time I dealt with them."
"Kid, I think that's the most you've said in the whole time I've known ya." Goren responded with a grin.
"Leave Hot stuff alone, Goren" BeBop said defensively. "He's become a team leader. It's natural that he would have to explain more than when he was running as a single." Turning to the phys ad, the dwarf woman continued, "And it sounds like you did the right thing destroying those books, Owen. Even if you were pushed into it, you know they were the tools for some nutter spell worm to try to destroy the world. We're better off without them. I also think the decoy is a clever idea and if you'll give us the holos we can get started right away."
"And since we know your rolling in dough....." Goren said jokingly.
"I wish it were true my friend, but after you take out damages and other overhead, divide the sum 10 ways to cover everybody involved, you've got some nice money, but it's hardly rolling dough."
"OWEN!" The dwarf woman shouted, "When will you learn to ignore my idiot husband? You know your suggestions with the squirters and the stun grenades have netted us a fortune. The big lummox could retire tomorrow if he wanted to from the profit he's made on your ideas. Don't you dare discuss paying him for this duplicate. And YOU", she said rounding on the ork weaponsmith,
"KIDDING! I was just kidding!" Goren said with both hands in the air. "Of course I wouldn't take the kid's money. He's family. It was just a joke."
"Hmmph!" BeBop said as she looked over the holopics. "I can have this together for you in 3 or 4 hours, Hot stuff. Will that be good enough?"
"That's great. I'll stop back by later today." Owen said with a smile. "Thanks guys. You two are the best."
The area where Pietr's studio was located reeked of money. Not flashy I-can-buy-anything-I-want money, but, quiet sedate, it-would-be-unforgivably-gauche-to-be-too-obvious money. Doc thought, in the last century, the people shopping here would know instinctively that the Bentley is only driven by the owner and the Rolls Royce is only driven by the chauffeur. Or that the person who mentions the size of their yacht knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. It's perfect. He's set up among shops that won't sell to Joe Dokes even if he's throwing the nuyen at them. Precisely the kind of elitist, we're-part-of-the-club bulldrek that Pietr loves. I bet he's happy as a clam.
As he made his way along, force of habit made Doc look at the security precautions on the street. Although the cul-de-sac was technically a city street, the elf mage recognized extensive security precautions, many of which were of the lethal variety. I wonder how many palms were greased to install pop-up turrets on a city street, he thought, or if there was any concern about the armada of drones whispering back and forth overhead. Well, that also goes well with Pietr's aversion to danger. Looks like he's found his niche.
Doc stepped up to the door only to find it immediately opened by the proprietor of the shop. Clad in Burgundy smoking jacket, with a canary yellow ascot, pencil thin mustache, tinted monocle and jauntily tilted red fez, Pietr quickly urged his guest inside. "Enter freely of your own will" the diminutive figure invited. When Doc hesitated, Pietr quickly amended, "Oh, come in, come in, come in! If I have to wait until you've done a filmography on every vampire movie where that line is used, we'll be standing here till midnight!"
Nodding with mock solemnity, Doc entered the talismonger's studio and waited for his college chum to reactivate his security precautions. The elf mage jumped a foot in the air when the deepest basso profundo voice he had ever heard softly said, "Excuse me, please" from directly behind him. When Doc turned, he saw that what he had taken for a piece of tapestry was actually a colorfully patterned vest on one of the largest trolls he had ever encountered. After a confused second where Doc simply stood looking, Pietr said "I'd like you to meet my... doorman, Andreas. Andreas, this is Doc. He may actually turn out to be a customer, so don't eat him."
Doc was further surprised when the Troll bowed deeply and softly said "My very great pleasure, sir."
Coming back to himself Doc replied "And mine, sir, and mine. Please forgive my stare. I was taken very much by surprise."
"Think nothing of it, sir" the giant replied as he took up his position in the entry way.
"Well, old man, let's toddle off to my workroom so you can show me the item you wish tested." Pietr said as he led Doc through the richly appointed accommodations. When Doc unwrapped his bundle, Pietr said "Faaugh! You weren't joking when you called it malodorous, were you? Ugh!" After a few seconds of attempting to study the scourge carefully while distancing himself from the smell, Pietr abandoned his pose of aversion and began intently studying the markings. "Hmmmmm, yes.....yes..Interesting."
When Doc demanded "Well?" a third time Pietr was jerked from his reverie and responded, "Hmmm? Oh, yes, Doc. Well, you'll have to leave it here for some tests. On first impression it does have the feel of antiquity and I'd like to study the low grade compulsion spell commanding the viewer to wield the thing. Almost makes one think of those stories Wally used to tell about the poor researcher who picks up the artifact to test it and finds he has been overwhelmed by a magic sentience to become a sort of hypnotic slave...... I can have a full report on this for you tomorrow."
"Your pardon, most estimable of college chums, but my natal celebration was not yesterday. If you honestly believe I intend to walk blithely off into the sunset, while you announce your 'discovery' to the world, you are sadly delusional, my friend."
"Are you suggesting on the one hand that I am not to be trusted to maintain the confidentiality of this item, and on the other, that I would invite a notorious shadowrunner, an elf who is doubtless on several corp 'dead or alive' bounty lists to spend the night in my shop, endangering my safety? Mes non, mon ami. The item may stay, you may not."
With a theatrical sigh, Doc dropped his head like a defeated man. When he began re-wrapping the scourge, Pietr said "What? Your actually going to take the item before I can run tests on it? Are you attempting to punish me?"
"Not at all, friend of my salad days. I just don't intend to be separated from an item for which I have taken responsibility. Since that is sadly a pre-condition to your efforts, I am compelled......"
"All right, all right, all right! You can stay and watch, but ask me no questions and do not disturb me or Andreas will be dinning on elf tonight, Wakaru mas?", the tiny human demanded with hands on hips.
"Of course," Doc replied biting back a smile as he placed the scourge back on Pietr's workroom table and gestured for his college classmate to continue his research.
The Shadorat and shapcano. Together again for the first time! This serial continues at Winterhawk's Virtual Magespace. To read Chapter 4 click here.
This story is copyright of the author. Shadowrun is a Registered Trademark of FASA Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Used without permission. Any use of FASA Corporation's copyrighted material or trademarks in this file should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights or trademarks.
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