Welcome to the Hard Knock sorority podcast, a Shadow Run 4th Edition actual play podcast.
My name is Paul, and I am your host in GM.
Player characters are given voice and agency by Veronica, playing Cecile, aka College Girl,
a literal college girl who finds herself abruptly entangled with the sixth world's shadows.
Elizabeth playing Grace, aka Nightingale, a literal pony on a quixotic self-imposed research
expedition to the sixth world.
Valerie playing Ollie, aka Boxer, ex-merk and literal catwoman who now applies the shadows
in search of redemption.
And finally, Cat playing Dandre, an elven ex-cop who is in search of her brother in Seattle
and is literally prettier than any elf has any right to be.
All along as we muddle our way through the Shadow Run 4th Edition rules.
Please feel free to contact us on the Hard Knock sorority website.
Boy Tummers, this is Zach Flash with KSAF, your last bastion of free and independent news
in Seattle.
Stick with us, Tummers, as we bring you the breaking news of an attempted terrorist kidnapping
in the very heart of our beloved Metroplex.
You heard that right, Ome, right here in downtown Seattle.
Shadow Runners.
More terrorists, depending on your view of the sixth world, attempted to kidnap a highly
qualified research assistant, deployed by one of our favorite corporate overlords, Eva,
at their Washington U research facility.
We are set to report that this promising young woman's career was cut short in a blaze of
terrorist gunfire.
More details at the top of the alley.
Coming off, this is Zach Flash with KSAF, bringing you my favorite rock opera, Mother
of the Sea by Shieldwall.
This scene opens up in an opulent office, high in the Seattle skyline.
Floor to ceiling windows on one wall provide views of Puget Sound and Council Island.
The walls appear to be clad in real wood paneling of a deep red color, and are lined with shells
populated with books and curios.
The floor is covered in a deep cream colored carpet, while the ceiling is covered in a
single piece of translucent white material with the luster of jade.
It is backlit and diffuses an even warm light across the room.
Lush plants stand in the far corners of the room, and at its center sits a massive desk,
with a slate tabletop and a cabinet made of the same wood as the wall paneling.
The chair behind the desk has a tall back, and it is turned towards the view of the sound.
A soft chime echoes through the room, and a section of the paneling slides away.
Woman of Asian descent steps through the opening and approaches within a meter of the desk.
She stops.
Her hands are clasped behind her back, and her head is bowed.
A male voice speaks from behind the high back of the chair.
How did this happen, Alice?
The woman starts to speak, but the man in the chair raises a hand and silences her with
a gesture.
The hand is out of a human male.
The hand is fair, but appears thin and fragile.
You were confident the girl was acting alone, and now I hear that she has escaped.
Assisted by several accomplices, who brazenly snatched her from your grasp.
The woman bows deeply towards the chair.
I was wrong, she says, simply.
The man in the chair responds with a dry laugh.
Indeed, well, four warned is four armed.
So it is said, you'll find her and her team and learn who their employer is.
There can be no more underestimation, underestimating the gravity of this intrusion, Alice.
Alice straightens.
May I ask what is in the files this girl's seal accessed?
It might help me analyze the threat vector.
The content of the files is irrelevant.
It is history, and should remain so.
The man in the chair, the man in the chair responds.
Take them alive.
At a minimum, this is a seal.
Maximum effort, Alice.
Leave no stone unturned.
Alice responds.
It will be so.
She bows again and begins walking towards the door.
As she passes through the opening, the man behind it, S, says, with your shield or on
it, Alice, her step hesitates briefly, and then the door closes softly behind her.
Camera pans out across the city, swoops down into the streets of Seattle, or see a
motorcycle with two people on it speeding through the traffic, followed closely by a
large van.
All right, you guys, you're up.
When we left off, you had snatched to seal from the limousine and boxer you had thrown
a smoke grenade to obscure your escape, and now you're dodging and weaving through traffic
head to where?
That's me.
Where's the Seattle map?
Not here.
Okay.
So what boxer is doing is she's trying to hit multiple different corporate or jurisdictional
areas to throw off any pursuit, or at least make it take longer.
Basically, she's taking advantage of data vulcanization so that she's going through
areas where the monitoring systems are divided between different entities that will have
to go through bureaucratic processes, etc.
Does boxer use AR?
Yes.
Is it glasses or goggles or is it?
Cyber eyes.
Cyber eyes, okay.
So you pull up them.
You've got a map of Seattle and the various jurisdictions brought up in your AR, and are
you sharing the feed with Grace who's following you?
Yes.
Okay.
So Grace, you get that in your, how are you in AR again?
Grace doesn't have AR glasses or anything, so I suppose the info would have to go to
her calm link.
It could also be superimposed on the car, right?
I mean, it'd have smart window.
Exactly.
You've got it transmitted from Boxer's feed onto your heads-up display on the windshield.
And Boxer, I believe Kirsten had given you a destination of a nightclub or a club in
Auburn to head towards.
You've given us both that.
Okay.
So Grace, you're driving the van.
So you're on your motorcycle plotting a route through the multiple corporate districts in
Seattle and Cecile, what are you doing?
Cecile is not quite hyperventilating, you know, but she looks shaken and is just quiet.
Yeah, you find yourself in a van with what appears to be a small horse or pony, which
in some ways resembles a para creature you've heard of before, a unicorn.
And this unicorn, this small horse, appears to be driving the van without any real fear
of physical input.
Yeah, Cecile's just quiet and like she has her feet up on the seat and her arms around
her legs just kind of like, no, she's coming down from a lot of adrenaline.
Grace is just happy that she has stopped screaming.
Trying to open the door and jump out.
Yeah.
That would have been awkward.
Great.
You rescued her only for her to run away from you.
I imagine Kirsten would also be talking to her still.
Are they?
They are not at the moment.
Cecile did rescue her comlink from Alice's hands.
So Cecile does have her comlink on her at this time.
Box, do you have any navigation skills?
Let me check this.
I do not believe.
No.
All right.
Let's make just a logic and intuition.
All right.
That's it.
She wants to say if Grace or anyone else were to look closely at Cecile, she has around
her fingertips a bit of a blackness to her flesh, like a poison is setting in.
I can just set the car to drive, right?
It can do that, right?
You'd have to set it to follow.
You're going to set it to follow Boxer, right?
I was thinking to set it to go to the address that I'd been given.
Okay.
So you're just going to go straight there?
Well, I had already pulled off and done some evasive driving through.
Just set the follow Boxer, sure.
Okay.
Because Boxer is basically headed from downtown Seattle.
She's not headed through Bellevue because of the tight security.
And so she's headed south from downtown towards Renton and potentially Tacoma and then east
towards Bellevue, or not Bellevue, sorry, Auburn.
All right.
You guys make it without further incident to Auburn, which is your home, which is sort
of your stomping.
Hold on.
I want to know what's wrong with Cecil's hands before anything.
Have you noticed it?
What I have?
Do you want me to make a roll for that?
Looking back at you?
Sure.
Make a perception test.
Okay.
I mean, you were driving.
I can give it to the robot.
It's okay.
Where is perception?
What is perception?
A skill.
Okay.
So I need to find out.
So I need to fault it looks.
I think everybody has a clicky for perception.
Where is it?
It's a skill.
It's an active skill.
Okay.
Well, then what is its attribute?
Intuition.
Okay.
I guess I did not notice.
But yeah, just go ahead and drive.
Drive there.
Take her there.
So what was happening with your hands again, Cecil?
I'll DM you.
A rare form of gangrene is setting it.
If only.
All right.
So all right.
So you don't see any signs of pursuit as you head through down the streets of downtown
and into Renton and then cutting back west towards Tacoma and then into the blue collar
areas of Auburn that are, you know, your stomping grounds boxer.
This is where you live and where you have your networks.
So you're aware of this club that Kirsten has given you as a destination.
And it's sort of a known as a, it's a very blue collar club.
Very, they play a version of orcish country music.
And you know, it's the kind of place where you get a lot of line dancing and a lot of
orcs in plaid shirts and cowboy hats and cowboy boots on Friday nights and Saturday nights.
Usually you can count on some kind of brawl or fight happening in the parking lot.
And you've heard a lot of this from your friend Vicente who works, works around this area.
But at this time of day, late morning on Tuesday, as you're pulling to the parking lot, the
parking lot is empty and the club appears to be deserted.
And about 30 seconds later, Grace and pulls into the parking lot behind you with the van.
That's basically just a, you know, an asphalt covered space.
The building that the club is housed in is a pretty mundane rectangular building.
The walls are painted gray, the exterior walls.
There's a big sign over the door that at night is neon lit, proclaiming the name of the club,
which I haven't decided at this point.
But you know, all sorts of fake country, western type nuances in the name.
But it's Kirsten.
We're here.
I assume you have some plan.
Kirsten gets off the bike and you can tell you've, you know, from your experience, from
your experiences in the past, in your past employment, you see this sort of that this
girl, the girl's coming down off sort of the, the adrenaline rush and high of excitement
of combat and, you know, the chase.
And she's, she's almost sort of shaking a little bit, but she's got an elated grin
on her face as she says, we did it.
We did it.
We rescued her.
And then she, she throws a big hug around you box her and then immediately pulls back
when she remembers that she doesn't, you know, she doesn't really know you like that.
She says, thank you very much.
I, you know, I owe you one.
So Cecilia, sorry, Cecilia and Grace, as you're pulling in, you see, you see Kirsten having
hopped off the motorcycle is sort of bouncing up and down and then throws a quick hug around
box her and then backs off and then waves towards you guys as you pull into the parking
lot.
And she says, how loud despite what you would imagine, Cecilia does not immediately get
out, but gets up very slowly and carefully.
Kirsten immediately comes running up to you.
She's all effervescent with, you know, with the aftermath of the adrenaline and pleased,
obviously pleased with herself.
And she grins at you and she says, you know, you should have taken my call, Cecilia.
Yeah, yeah, sure.
I know you don't like me, but we're still friends, which is a very weird thing to say.
Kirsten is a weird girl.
Um, Cecilia is clearly not having a conversation right now.
She's just brushing everything off with like a single word response.
While Kirsten is talking at Cecil, my girl gets out of the car.
Kirsten just laughs and says, you're so stubborn.
God, just be happy you got out of there.
That wasn't going to end well.
Oh, no, that wasn't the, uh, those are very bad people.
Indeed, but what I want to know is what makes you, she points at Cecilia with the trouble
to whom?
I'm not at all.
I doubt that.
I mean, as much as any other mage, probably.
And what else?
They don't.
But it's, tell me what happened.
What happened to them?
Anything you have?
It's maybe we should go inside before we have this conversation.
Just a thought.
Oh yeah.
Yeah.
She's Kirsten says, sorry, I've got to call my friend.
He's a bouncer here.
I assume there is a private space inside of there with which we can commune privately.
Well, it's, it's locked right now.
It's closed.
Let me, let me give him a quick call.
She gets on her com link and you see her having, you know, firing texts backs and forth.
You can tell by her eyes, she's in AR and then she looks back at you.
He'll be right, he'll be right here.
He lives right around the corner.
Good.
And if I know him about two minutes later, a large male or comes sauntering up dressed
in a very standard working Auburn style of clothes, you know, aside from being, aside
from him being in work, there isn't that much that is stand out about him.
And he, Kirsten runs up to him and gives him a big hug and he puts an arm around her and
then they walk up and he says, so what's going on here?
Chalmers?
We need a place to talk privately and my friend here has mentioned your fine establishment
as such a place.
Oh, okay.
Um, well, let me get the door unlocked.
I've got the key and he walks over to the door and unlocks it and motions you over and
takes a quick look around and then he looks at box and he says, no trouble following you,
I imagine.
Okay.
Good.
Are your vehicles, should your vehicles be hidden?
Please don't touch my bike.
Okay.
Then however is up to actually with the grace be visible.
So, Hanan Gal is, I imagine she's not invisible and she's just been kind of standing there
awkwardly, maybe a little bit visibly tense and anxious as this new person arrives.
She's trying not to call attention to herself, but still and obviously not engaging in the
social situation now occurring, but there's a very awkward moment for her.
The orc looks over at Grace and says, oh, your pet's not going to make a mess in here,
is she?
No, no, she wants to make a mess.
You know what, just leave the van as well.
Okay.
I just don't want any trouble around here.
Relax.
If she makes any messes, I will clean up after her.
All right.
Well, that's, no, I was more worried about the vehicles.
If you've got the heat on you, you might want to park them under cover.
Hanan Gal just suddenly grabs her keys from one of her front pockets and tosses it at
the orc.
He looks startled, but instinctively, reflexively catches them and then looks at Grace and then
at Kirsten and Kirsten just punches him in the shoulder and says, don't worry about it.
It's all going to be okay.
Just get the vehicles, pull them out back and get them under the overhang.
And he looks skeptical and then he said, oh, shrugs and all right.
And he heads off for the van and climbs in and heads off.
And Kirsten's got the door open for you guys.
And as I imagine you guys are all going in with her.
Before that, sorry.
Boxer takes out her comma and commands her bike to follow the van to the hidden area.
Okay.
Hanan Gal sighs a breath of relief as the guy steps and climbs up into her van and he
scrolls into the doorway as soon as it's open, as soon as she's invited in by Kirsten.
The interior of the club is dark and the lights are mostly off except for some courtesy lights
that are lit.
The floor is sort of a rough, hewn, fake faux wood made to look like faux planks and covered
in a material that's made to imitate sawdust.
It's very much a, the theme would be something like you would imagine seeing out of a, maybe
the interior of a barn with the, with booths.
Things upholstered in red faux leather and the walls are adorned with sort of faux pseudo
western paraphernalia or what in, in Seattle and in the sixth world, sort of a, a stereotype
might be of, of western stuff with, with cacti and cow skulls and things like that, of that
nature.
Some of the few oddities on the walls are what are probably fake taxidermied paracritters
of the Southwest, but other than that, the interior of the club appears to be empty.
The seal is reacting and looking around as though every surface is covered in spikes.
She doesn't touch anything.
Not exactly my kind of diet, but doable.
So she, she starts, she says, Oh, wow.
I thought this was a Native American.
And then she suddenly jumps whenever she looks over and sees one of the taxidermied paracritters.
And there is the closest thing to like a, it's just a very light, loud squeak.
She stares for a long moment and then she relaxes.
She processes what she's looking at.
Yeah, I guess everybody could make a perception check again if they wanted to.
Well, except for Cecil.
Perception.
The seals at least looking at stuffed animals.
Stuffed animals.
I got a three.
I got a three and Liz got a one.
So Olly, you see that you notice that there's a strange, that this, this woman that you've
rescued, the Cecil characters, there's a strange, something is strange about her, odd about
her hands.
It almost appears like as if there's been a color change under skin around her, around
her fingertips.
Grace, you don't notice it, but you do notice.
I mean, you're, you're enthralled or maybe appalled by the, by the taxidermied road runners
and mutated armadillos that are hanging on the wall.
You go let's go.
You imagine your image, right?
Yeah, sure.
And that's what have something to do with what is occurring with your hands.
Yeah, don't worry about it.
I am worrying about it.
That is my job to worry.
Cecil just crosses her arms and looks away.
This is something that will pose a problem, I need to know it unless you want it to become
worse.
And it will not mean me that it's not a problem.
Kirsten.
Kirsten's starting to calm down.
I mean, a lot of a bit of the adrenaline has faded out and she's looking a little bit
more subdued at this point.
And she's, you know, some of the, the jovial effervescent mood that she had outside and
during the rescue is starting to fade a little bit.
She wraps her jacket a little bit tighter around her to cover herself up a little bit.
And she's looking at Cecil with some little bit of worry as well.
So this is not normal.
I take it.
I understand that you don't want to talk about it, but at least tell me what is happening.
It's fine, it just happens sometimes.
Right.
And does anything happen when this happens?
Look, don't worry about it.
I am worrying about it.
Cecil just walks off.
Olly, that's, that's, that's like a, it's like being sore after exercising, but for
magic.
That's what that is with her fingers.
I'm pretty sure.
I'm not the major, I wouldn't know.
All right, Kirsten says, all right, so, so what are we going to do?
Do you have a place for her to stay?
I, I, I, what is it like there?
Surveillance, corporate presence, government.
Really?
This is ideal, assuming you have a place to stay.
I'm sure one of the community members would be fine with taking her in.
I imagine this girl would have some manner of bounty or other monetary incentive for
her.
Well, as opposed to dependence, we still don't know why she is wanted and by whom.
Kirsten said, I don't know a lot.
I can't really tell you where I came.
I got the information, but I saw the people who were coming to get her.
And I knew, well, I knew by, from the look of them, who they were.
But I can tell you that it is definitely a corporation that is after her.
Wonderful.
All right, in that case, your buying community.
What are the people like there?
Are they wage-lifes?
No.
I guess it's honestly really similar to my village where I come from.
Everyone works for everyone else.
And of course, some of us have lives outside of Pines, but it's not.
Communist.
Lovely.
Well, I thought you were a communist.
It means you live in a commune.
Okay.
Yeah, I guess that's what I am.
At that point, the door opens and the orc walks in and says, well, I got the vehicles hidden
and he walks up to you guys and looks over at Kirsten and says, well, by the way, my
name is Moe.
Would you guys like a drink?
You're welcome to sit down, take any of the booze.
I'll go back behind the bar and get you a drink if you want.
Just making sure, Veronica, are you comfortable with us?
Yeah.
Okay, good.
Cecil's not responding?
Yes.
Fuck it.
Get me something you like.
Okay.
He looks at Grayson says, I can get you some water too for your horsey.
I don't suppose you have anything involving fruit?
Not real fruit, of course.
Oh, I'm sure we do.
There's usually some pineapple juice and some other orange juice.
Orange juice.
Get us some orange juice.
Okay.
He saunters off towards the bar and Kirsten looks over and says, fine.
Let's grab a seat while we talk this through.
Indeed.
I do believe your friend will be able to stay with these communists.
However, if that is not viable, I do have a place where she could stay and be secure.
It is not comfortable per se, but it is secure and tolerable.
I suppose you should contact whoever you intend to.
Not in jail.
Oh, okay.
My name is Mel, it goes for her con link with her magic and the stylus.
I think she's going to seat herself while she does this and she fumbles with it for a
little while until she can text Ms. Magnumfoot.
Okay.
Moe comes back.
I've got a picture of orange juice and several glasses and he has a small stainless steel
bowl with water in it that he puts down on the ground near Grace.
Oh, the juice was for her.
I see what the horse drinks orange juice.
The horse likes sweet things.
Oh, okay.
He takes the picture and he just dumps the water unceremoniously on the floor and pours
the orange juice into the... Before he can even do that, Knight and Gale just takes
the picture from him with her psycho kinesis while she's still fussing with her con link.
He sort of dirks back and his hands go up to his shoulders and start a look on his face.
Okay.
And yes, I did... Did you guys want anything to drink?
As I said, get me something alcoholic that you like.
Nothing too intense, no.
Okay.
And he... A little bit less nonchalantly hustles back towards the bar with a glance
back over his shoulder.
Yeah, quite a spin.
Oh, I mean, Grace.
Grace does kind of stare him down while he's walking.
It's not really malicious.
He's just kind of weirded out self.
Still is kind of weird having people treat you like that.
He's going to go ahead and drink directly from the pitcher like an animal.
Take a glug or two and then go back to trying to text Miss Magnumfoot, which he's going
to do that now.
What would Miss Magnumfoot be doing on a mid-Tuesday morning, late-Tuesday morning?
Assuming she's not doing any shadows work, she's probably like hending to the community
garden or helping with some project around town or watching cowboy movies.
He watches old cowboy movies.
Oh, that's beautiful.
Are you texting her directly or calling her directly?
Texting.
Before emojis, I assume.
Tree emojis.
Tree emoji.
I'm going to text her.
Hi, Miss Magnumfoot.
Grace.
And then, delete that, the Grace.
I have someone who needs somewhere to go.
They're not safe in Seattle.
It's a human girl, like 20-something.
It's kind of serious, but we don't really have anywhere else for them to go outside of the
city.
It would be temporary, obviously.
And then I'll send that.
And Moe comes back with a...
Tree emoji.
Send.
Moe comes back.
He's got a picture of water and a picture of what looks like probably some kind of soy
beer and some glasses and sets them tentatively on the table in front of you guys and then
looks at Kirsten and says, so do you need anything else right now or should I just...
But you know what?
I'll just go stand by the door and make sure nothing's going on.
And he walks off and stays inside the door, but he's watching outside.
And you get a message back from Miss Magnumfoot almost immediately.
And Miss Magnumfoot texts, as long as you don't bring trouble to our doorstep, that
will be fine.
I will try to be studious and sharing.
There's no way that they can track us off to Pines.
Period, send.
She texts back very well.
Thank you.
Period, send.
Just remember, this is our home.
And if we bring trouble back here, it won't be our home anymore.
I know Miss Magnumfoot.
Mininggelsen's another tree emoji.
And then you get the four tree emojis back from Miss Magnumfoot.
Kirsten.
Which sort of means affirmative, all good, go for it.
Beautiful.
Yes, then.
I do not suppose you would be willing to pay for Cecil's, a good guide for Cecil.
I do feel that reusing these vehicles to take her out there would be something about risk
that we should not take.
Kirsten says, oh yeah, sure, I can do that.
Good.
I know what guide.
Mininggelsen stows her for calmly in one of her pockets.
Wait, wait, wait, I'm not taking my van back to Pines?
It is probably best if we leave both of our vehicles in a secure place for a little while
and long enough for the trail to go at least a little more cold.
Don't worry, you won't have to be hurt for too long.
Honestly.
Well, I should probably get my stuff from my car.
I keep everything in there, including my camping supplies.
All right.
Yeah, I'm going to miss my bike.
So we have arranged that, assuming of course, and she looks to Cecil that...
What do you want?
Is Cecil sitting at the table or is she still wandered off on her own?
She's in the corner.
She's standing leverally in the corner.
Of an MC bar?
You, Cecil, university girl.
I don't know.
Don't care.
Look, we have so much safe for you to go.
Let alone for a little while until I have someone who can help possibly with arranging
a new identity to...
Hold on, hold on.
Why was that part?
It's about the real location.
New identity?
Yes.
We may need to make you something temporary or permanent, depending on who you pissed
off.
How long am I going to have to stay with you?
I haven't agreed to anything.
Oh, yes.
But, well, you are aware of why people take armed guards to escort nobodies, or so you
say, nobody, out the middle of a dock, nowhere, in other words.
Probably just a misunderstanding.
My classmates probably played some kind of prank on me.
Yes, what is it?
I don't think this is a misunderstanding, Cecil.
Look, I don't...
Clearly it's a very serious one.
I don't care to get in your dirty laundry.
However, whatever you did or have been accused of doing has clearly upset some people in
powerful places.
You cannot afford to trapeze along, especially in outfits like that, which are rather distinct.
Our outfit isn't actually that expensive.
Yeah, but to Boxer, it probably looks quite different.
I mean, Boxer comes from a blue-collar part of town and has a very different backstory,
lifestyle upbringing than you do.
Right.
All you do is draw attention.
So you're going to Lailo and you are going to become a new person, at least temporarily.
Look, it's unfortunate, it's difficult, I get it, but it is also necessary.
And unless you want to take another trip in the limousine with people who are going to
be far, far less nice to you after you have an armed escape from them.
Well, I suggest you get to work on figuring out what you want your new name to be.
This deal looks expectantly at Kirsten.
Kirsten looks back at you like, what, me?
She's calling a grid guide.
Your friend hired us to help you.
And that's what we are doing.
We are helping you.
Kirsten blushes nervously.
I don't know if I said hired.
Oh my God.
I was hoping this was sort of a fave for boxer.
You said that I could call you if I needed help.
She now has a hand on her head.
Like, oh, this idiot.
At the very least, I have to expand the fuel for my motorcycle.
I'm unisoned for my weapons.
I may have to repair my body armor.
Look, these are not insignificant expenses associated with this.
And furthermore, I'm a professional.
I do not do this for fun.
They require payment.
Now, I understand if you cannot pay my normal rates, however, you will at least cover my
expenses, which if we are to involve getting her a new identity will be notable.
First looks at Cecilia, she's got her hands up like, hey, and she says, Cecilia, say
something, I mean, we rescued you.
I was helping you.
You want me to put the bill for your hired goons?
I am not a goon.
Get used to it, Don.
I haven't heard that for a while.
Thank you.
For all I know, I don't have any money anymore.
Okay, my bank account was through Evo.
So if they're trying to kill me, I don't know why they'd cash my checks.
That is rather unfortunate.
I'm not like, use the seal.
I don't have the big, the big brain getting sponsored by corporate.
I have to pay my own way.
I work two jobs so that I can go to school.
How do you think I've always tired and don't have notes and I'm coming to you for help
steadying?
What, you think I don't have debt too?
Oh, it's Cecilia.
Do you have anything you can liquidate?
Feel gives a look like, are you serious?
Look, this isn't just me requiring this.
I have to pay for professionals to handle your problem.
Kirsten says, looks at Boxer and says, I don't really have anything.
I'm not paying a value, but I do have some contacts and I can make an introduction for
you that could be profitable for you Boxer.
And she looks around and the rest of this group, she looks at Grace and says, you rescued
Cecilia.
So you have some skills and I know people who are willing to pay for those skills.
Let's just say.
Well, if there are anything like these people, I'm sure they're lovely.
Why, thank you.
I'm here all day.
You asked me to foot the bill or pawn my possessions after I got kidnapped.
I don't know.
Can we please stop with the raised voices?
Everyone where, hey, I understand everything's really stressful.
I understand she doesn't understand.
He seems a little out of it right now, but that makes sense.
If he went through what she went through, you probably would be.
If I went through what she went through, it would be Tuesday.
It is Tuesday.
Cecilia, your comment rings.
Cecilia picks up immediately.
Boxer, give me a logic plus intuition check.
Actually, Grace, you do too.
Logic plus intuition.
I don't actually care what the caller ID said.
Cecilia just doesn't want to be part of this conversation anymore.
Far.
Two.
So Grace is pretty certain that the fact that this Cecile person's calm link is still
active is a very dangerous situation.
Boxer, to a lesser extent, you are looking at Cecile with the calm link thinking, why
does she still have her calm link on?
Hey, they're going to track you by that.
So Cecile, you answer the calm link and it is your roommate.
What's your roommate's name?
Hold on.
You got that paper?
Grace's ears prick and swivel to focus on Cecile.
I'm not sure if I'd be able to actually hear the conversation, but I have the equivalent
of audio enhancement.
Her name is Siang-Ben Yoon.
Oh my God.
You have to turn it off.
Actually off power, none.
Siang-Ben Yoon?
Siang-Ben Yoon.
I'll text it to you.
You want it off?
Siang-Ben Yoon.
You said it yourself.
You used the cracker.
Okay, so you answer and it's your roommate.
Oh, probably just by Yoon.
Okay.
Do you hear her voice on the calm link?
It sounds rather tense and nervous.
And she says, Cecile, what is happening?
Where are you?
I look, it's a long story.
Are you okay?
No, I'm not okay.
They sent, they sent corp security to our place.
Boxer is intervening.
She's trying to take that calm link if she has to.
All right.
I bet you it's going to be fist to cuffs.
Yeah, and I know how that's going to go.
So you're going to try and grab the calm link out of Cecile's hand?
Yes.
Right.
Cecile does not let that happen.
So we're going to have to make an opposed test here.
What are we rolling?
Agility plus strength seems like a reasonable.
Well since I failed this role.
That's right.
Oh, never mind.
Did you both get a one?
Yes.
It's actually even.
I guess Cecile just really wants to hang on to this calm link.
All right.
Boxer you reached to grab the phone and Cecile's apparently anticipated your action and now
you find yourself both struggling for the phone.
And from the calm link you still hear Yoon's voice saying Cecile, Cecile what's going on?
They threw the whole apartment.
They've searched everything.
Yeah.
Look, just call me if anything happens.
It's at that point that Nightingale intervenes with her own psychokinesis.
She's risen from the booth and she reaches out with her magic and tries to snatch it
away from them too while they fuss and fumble with it.
All right.
Everybody make another test.
Effective strength would be willpower plus magic.
One.
Nope.
Grace.
One, two, three, four, five.
Yes, because it's willpower plus magic.
Jesus.
So, Grace, you snatched the, as the two of them are awkwardly tussling for the phone
trying to get control of it, you just snatch it out of Cecile's fingers and it levitates
through the air towards you.
The promptly snaps it in half and then dunks it into the orange juice.
Nothing happens.
It's waterproof.
She snapped it in half.
Oh, no, you can't do that.
It's pretty sturdy.
Cecile did not invest in the cheap ass calmly.
Just turn it off.
God, remove the battery if you have to.
So, what if you were mapping it in half, not actually not work?
Would I not be able to do that with psychokinesis?
You would have to make a damage test at least.
How do I do that?
Yeah.
If Cecile sees you start trying to do that somehow, she will engage you.
All right.
You guys.
Yeah.
Roll initiative.
Seriously?
Oh, my God.
Okay.
I did roll properly.
I have the same one as I had before, so it works out.
I'm going to put that down as 11.
I forgot to send that to the turn tracker.
We can modify it.
There we go.
All right.
So, Boxer, you've been reaching for this comlink.
Cecile was struggling against you, and suddenly it was snatched from both of your hands by
magic and is now, appears to be under the control of Grace.
What are you doing?
Remember, you can hold actions too.
She's holding until after night and go ask one way or another and using free action to
say.
Burn it off, pull it off, not just on standby or remove the battery.
After that, holding action.
It doesn't have a battery.
How does?
Shatter on.
It's magic.
Don't worry about it.
So, Cecile, make a logic and intuition test.
Sure.
Logic and intuition.
Logic plus intuition, that would be three.
You recognize the validity of these people's concerns at this point.
We weren't thinking about it earlier, but in light of the situation and having an active
com that is on file with the school and with Evo, I mean, you're aware of the validity
of their concerns at this point.
Cecile immediately goes, ah, turns it off.
Just mentally.
She also runs over to the horse at the start of her combat term.
All right.
So, Nightingale, you see the common link go dark?
I think if the screen goes dark, Nightingale isn't going to dunk it into the orange juice.
Okay.
Any other action that you're going to take at this point?
Because it didn't break as easily as she was expecting, but now it's off.
Okay, so Kirsten goes next and her action is basically just to slap her hand down on
the table and say, cut it out, guys.
We don't need this right now.
We're in enough trouble if we're not fighting amongst ourselves.
And Cecile, it's your turn.
Where is the common link right now?
It's lying on the table.
Okay.
In that case, once again, I'm going to cast a Force 2 Levitate.
And then we would drain test.
So I take one stun.
It's going into her hand again.
She cannot let that thing go.
All right.
We can go out of, I take it we can go out of initiative at this point.
Correct.
Yeah.
I would have.
Yes, the shortest combat in D&D.
So your roommate is fine is what I heard.
She's not in trouble.
She's not in danger.
If anything, that conversation she just had with her put her, with you put her in more
danger.
I don't know what corporate security is going to do.
I don't know what's going on.
No one's explained anything to me.
The first person that kidnapped me explained more than you all have.
You, Kirsten, Kirsten, have a sit down with her.
Have a nice long talk.
Please explain everything.
Answer her questions.
Me?
I don't know.
I can see that she's a...
Then you guys do it at this point.
Yeah.
I didn't hire you.
You're the one that hired us.
And you know, you know what I mean.
And you know more about Evo than I do.
I don't know anything.
I know that I heard something...
You guys are going to make me say it, aren't you?
Yes, spit it out.
I heard something from somebody who works in the court.
I wasn't supposed to hear it.
Evo, then, we are up against Evo.
Great.
At that point, Moe turns towards you guys and say, oh, there looks to be a good guy.
Pulling into the parking lot.
Who?
A good guy?
That's what the people are associated here and my equine friend.
Where am I going?
Are you taking me?
You're going somewhere more secure than a club and outside of the city.
So you don't have to worry about whatever the hell Evo is going to lose on you.
So I recommend that you call her.
Sorry, where outside of the city?
It's some commune.
She says it's different.
Oh, great.
Lovely.
Yeah, it actually is very nice.
All of the people, very considerate.
We just do things for one another and most of us, we don't know each other.
We haven't been there our entire lives, but it feels like home, like family.
Right.
I'm going to be staying with a bunch of crazy in the woods.
This is just perfect, Kirsten.
Would you rather be dead or would you rather spend time with me?
I don't know who you are.
I am decidedly less pleasant than a bunch of hippies in the woods if you're going to
act like that.
Sure, whatever.
Cecile just walks outside.
She's done.
Kirsten just looks exasperated.
She looks over at Boxer and says, I'm sorry, but I will get you more.
I will get you some contacts that will make you money.
That's acceptable.
And I owe you one.
Yeah.
All right.
What are you guys doing?
The seal hasn't gotten in that car.
I think it's got to whatever you arranged.
I need to talk to the police.
Okay.
Just how is my audio quality?
Is it much different?
It's mostly the same.
A bit.
Is it like noticeable?
Oh, whatever.
I'm going to step out with, sorry, step out with Cecile and try and gently hurt her over
to the grid guide saying, you can ask me any questions you have.
I've lived in Pines for about a year now.
I know quite a bit about the people there.
I don't know you.
I'm not going out of the city with you.
Well, what do you want to do then?
What are you?
I don't know.
Well, we'll see.
There's an issue there because some rich people don't like you and they operate in large
part in the city.
Cecile's just facing back and forth now.
She's not listening.
It's kind of a matter of, I don't like the word because it sounds very intense and severe,
but survival.
I know that you're scared and you're confused and that's okay.
Your emotions are perfectly reasonable.
Your situation is strenuous and strange.
But for that exact reason, you have to be willing to trust others and to take leaps
here because otherwise, if you play it safe, well, they have the keys to the safe world.
Cecile runs back inside and yells at Kirsten.
Kirsten, get over here.
She huffs and flounces out of the booth and comes over to you.
Kirsten, what is our plan?
I don't have a plan.
I just wanted to rescue you.
What you do now, I don't know what to do.
I can't take responsibility for you, Cecile.
You've got to take responsibility for yourself.
Why can't I just watch with you?
No, no, no, no.
We're friends, but we're not that kind of friends.
Great.
So you saved my life and now you're not giving me a place to stay, huh?
You can't stay with me, Cecile.
I'm sorry.
It's for the best.
Your friend is associated with where you came from.
I have no doubts that they will be examining her.
But I say, not have you been in a room when that happens.
Look, if you don't want to stay out in the middle of nowhere, you can stay with me.
Well, I'm sure that this is not exactly appealed to you and you would have some greater measure
of privacy with my equine associate.
So this is your choice.
I do.
You, whatever.
I don't care.
Just ugh.
Oh, uh, Nightingale brushes past Cecile's legs.
Moe's standing at the front.
Where is Moe?
She's on the outside but standing at the door looking outside at the grid guide.
Oh, it's back.
There's an overhang where the loading docks are.
The horses are hot.
I'm sure he's been watching at this entire time and he was probably surprised at first
when he was like, okay.
He's sort of studiously just staring outside the grid.
Where exactly?
Can you give me like an address that we can send the grid guide to so that I can get my
stuff?
Oh, right.
Oh, also the keys.
Can you please?
So, it holds the keys out questioningly like, how are you going to take this?
Nightingale takes it with her magic.
It's consumed in this weird, what almost looks like a translucent blob of plasma and she
clusters it away into the pockets.
Sweating a little bit and he says, well, I can show you.
We can get out to your car through the back door.
Oh, yes.
It's just in behind this building where the loading docks are where we load our food and
liquor shipments.
Oh, yeah, let's go do that.
Okay.
Would you be okay helping me carry stuff?
He looks out.
Right.
Kirsten just shrugs and shakes her head.
Boxer approaches Kirsten and she says, but it's I don't suppose you have any side-by-side
kits.
Who are you talking to me?
Yes, Kirsten.
Or if you're near Kirsten, I guess you'd hear.
You're talking to steal or Kirsten?
Kirsten, but if the seals nearby, well, she can reject.
It's your cousin.
No, I don't have any cybersecurity skills.
All right.
I was hoping to make talking us a little less easy.
Are you asking you want them to not be able to track us?
Yes.
I enjoy not being in prison and I imagined you enjoy not being dead.
Give me a tag eraser.
Well, you do have one, don't you?
Not on me.
I wasn't expecting this.
What?
Do you think this is a video game and I carry everything with me?
At this point, Kirsten is standing close to Seel and just reaches out and pats her on
the shoulder and says, okay.
Okay, Seel, be in touch and she runs out the front door.
Wait, Kirsten.
She's dumped into a grid guide and it leaves.
All right.
So who are you?
What's your deal?
What's the gas mask thing?
Is that for intimidation purposes?
No, that is because I'm rather identifiable and because I enjoy having a bunked-
No, no, no.
Just take the grid guide.
I'm well aware of what the pollution in this city does.
The grid guide that you had called for Seel left since nobody got into it.
Kirsten called her own grid guide.
So Moe and Grace are walking back behind the bar through the kitchen area and out to the
back door and there's a loading dock with a roof over it, sort of a lean two-style roof
and your van and Boxer's motorcycle are parked underneath of it.
I provide security of the unconventional and unofficial kind to this area and others.
Could you repeat that?
I provide security of the unconventional and unofficial kind to this area.
So, what, you shake people down?
I don't...
No, I am not a common criminal.
Right, you're an uncommon criminal, of course.
Yes, and so are you.
I have done nothing illegal.
Yet.
Really, you've done something that wants your apprehension with these people?
Ostensibly so, yeah.
Look, God, I hate this term.
I am what people like to call a shadow runner.
I think it's a bit of an overblown term, but whatever, people recognize it.
You had a runner criminal, it's all the same.
I don't care what you call yourself.
We just get out of here.
I assume you want to go with me, I'm not my associate.
Yes, I would prefer that you have arms.
I heard that.
Chris, I...
I guess we can say at that point Grace comes back with Moe and she's loaded Moe up with
a bunch of gear.
It is literally everything.
Just about everything she owns.
You know, backpack on and bags hanging off of him.
His arms are stacked full so he can't barely see where he's going.
Aw.
And nine ago, she's doing some of her...
I mean, Grace, she's doing some of her own part, carrying her stuff, but she's evidently
appreciative to have him and Tom love her burdens too.
But she comes on up and she says, oh, this is not...
You're not going to be coming with me?
No, unfortunately not.
So, so...
Fine.
It's your choice.
It's fine.
That's it.
Grace, you...
Well...
I don't suppose there's anything magical that has been done to her that would require
your expertise?
Nine ago, very promptly blinks in a senses and then astrally perceives and goes onto a
sense...
Both...
Well, first, Cecile, but then she'll also check herself a little bit.
Sure.
Is she making a sense in your own?
I actually don't know if you can sense yourself.
I think you can.
Well, I wouldn't say that is my instinct.
So...
I think you're going to have more than half or more than half.
More than half for glitch.
More than half for...
Yeah.
More than successes for glitches.
No successes for critical.
So you didn't glitch.
So Cecile, aside from...
How is Cecile feeling right now?
What's her emotional state?
Emotion.
She's just annoyed, kind of panicking silently.
Very tired.
So Grace, that's the aura you get from her.
You don't see any spells on her.
There's no astral tracking of her.
She...
The woman's Cecile does appear to be magically active, so she's not mundane.
And you yourself are...
There's nothing attached to you either.
There are no spirits around at the moment, and there's nothing astrally perceiving, and
there's nothing magically spellcasting-wise been attached to you.
Okay.
Gaging Cecile, can I tell what her magic rate is relative to me?
I don't think two is enough for that.
Presentable.
Hits to presence and location of cyberware, class of a magical subject, environmental manipulation
spell power focus.
If you have seen the subject, or before, you may recognize it regardless of physical disguises.
For one, state of subject's health, emotional state, happy, sad, angry.
What subject is mundane?
Okay.
So I can tell that she is an aspect of me?
Or is she just a...
Full-mage?
Okay.
You do not have enough to determine what her magic rating is at all.
So you guys are all...
We're still suffering the effects of combat too, right guys?
So you still got damage trackers?
Yes.
So...
I want to help her.
She has a lot of stun.
Yeah, Boxer has seven boxes of stun.
Cecile has two boxes of stun.
No, wrong Cecile.
Wrong Cecile.
Nightingale has two boxes of stun.
Which Cecile am I supposed to be looking at?
The normal Cecile, not the one with the picture.
Okay.
Cecile has two physical and one stun.
She's hurt.
Ow.
Yeah, so all three of you are looking somewhat the worst for the wear.
Cecile's Boxer's carrying it more better because she's used to it or has experienced it before.
But Cecile's looking quite run down as well.
Her shoulder of her dress is...
Or Blouse is torn.
No, no, no.
She hasn't taken damage.
She's just taken drain.
I thought her condition tracks as two physical.
Yes, but that's drain.
Well your Blouse is still torn.
GM's Ferocious.
As you got dragged out of the car, your Blouse caught on a sharp edge of a metal and was
torn.
Another inconvenience you can thank this whole situation for.
It's fine.
She can fix it.
In fact, I should note, in case any of you looked hard enough, Cecile is wearing real
cotton.
Boxer would like literally not care.
She would probably wonder why when there's so much better stuff to be had.
I mean, she can actually protect the gunfire.
All right, it's up to you guys to figure out what we're doing here.
So, apparently Cecile is coming back to Boxer.
Unfortunately for her, there's a shape house.
It's not nice.
It's rather decidedly less nice than Boxer's actual place.
It's more secure.
Grace, are you guys, so what are you guys doing?
Are you getting a plan together?
Grace?
That's a great question.
I don't actually know what to do here because the good guide is gone.
How much do good guides typically cost?
Wow.
Oh, really?
No, it's just part of your overall cost of living, which is sort of your lifestyle cost
at the end of every month.
Oh, wow.
Okay.
That makes them a lot easier.
Definitely not the kind of thing that I would want to track in my new ship.
But if your lifestyle was like squatter or homeless, then yes, you'd probably have to
pay for it.
But I don't think any of you guys are at that lifestyle.
I mean, now?
Yeah.
Technically, Cecile is homeless at this point.
Technically, 90 gallons of squatter.
Boxer can pick up the bill.
If you want one too, you'll have to ask, but you can't.
I'm going to do that because I don't have very much money.
Though I kind of don't want to leave town now.
If Cecile isn't coming with me, I could do stuff staying in town.
I suppose.
Maybe want to lay low because you are rather distinct.
I don't know what.
I mean, if you were invisible for the majority of that.
Sorry.
Wait.
In what context are we talking?
Right.
In character.
Sorry.
You may want to lay low.
Boxer, boxer.
You may want to lay low.
Nightingale.
I imagine that someone as distinct as you, even given a limited appearance, maybe best
self to laying low.
I, well, there's a reason I kept my helmet on.
Just say that.
Yeah.
I know.
What I typically do is that I walk the streets invisible or perhaps taking on the form of
a dog.
I people watch.
I listen to people.
I listen to the sounds coming from people's homes.
That sounds normal and not worth mentioning.
Anyhow.
Yes.
Let's get you to see some of the words a little less.
A little more.
Sure.
If you want.
Can I come with?
Okay.
That sounds good to me.
Do you want to stay with her?
Actually yes.
We're all staying up.
Yes, you can come with.
I can't promise that I'll be comfortable though.
Oh, I sleep on a stack of hay.
I'm not worried about it.
My cup of morning.
God, thank God.
Letting go.
I giggled.
And anyway, we should probably call the grid guide so that Moe here, yeah, he looks like
he's about to break.
He's just been standing there due to the entire time.
That was fine.
He's a big work.
Boxer thoughtlessly just calls it up with an AR thingy.
All right.
You're ordering a grid guide.
Are you ordering manned or unmanned?
Oh, unmanned.
All right.
It only takes about a minute before the, I take it you ordered a larger grid guide of
van or something.
Yes.
Before the, the van pulls into the parking lot and the doors open and you guys climb in
and Moe deposits the, the gear that he's got in the back of the van and then he waves it
you guys and says, well, say hello to, to Kirsten when you see her again.
It was good to see her.
Nice meeting you guys.
Yes.
Nice to meet you too.
Have a good rest of your hour long.
Come by anytime.
And go.
Boxer always smiles at that.
No, he said we're a friendly bunch.
What did he say?
And then he, he heads off and locks the door.
So the grid guide boxer, you're, you're giving a destination to the grid guide.
Oh, that would be to the second, second lifestyle, which is the safe house.
Sad lumpy one.
Sorry.
That's never, she's, she's taken them to the safe house or safe house.
She has one.
Okay.
Cat bed one.
All right.
So where, where is cat bed one?
I imagine it's not in Auburn.
It's like in one of the less pleasant areas, not like what's it called red, red demand.
Just like some industrial shit hole.
Auburn is probably the industrial shit hole.
Well, it is, but you can also go to Puyallup or Tacoma is not great either.
Tacoma is down by the docks.
And it's pretty crappy too, but between Auburn, Puyallup and Tacoma, Puyallup is probably the worst.
It's basically a step below Redmond.
Yet below the Redmond barren.
Step above, sorry.
Wrong direction.
Well, they're going on a trip to a sketchy place.
The top's company Inc. has sole ownership of the names, logo, artwork, marks, photographs, sounds, audio, video and or any proprietary material used in connection with the
game Shadowrun.
The top's company Inc. has granted permission to the Hard Knock sorority podcast to use such names, logos, artwork, marks and or any proprietary materials for promotional and informational purposes on its website, but does not endorse and is not affiliated with the Hard Knock sorority podcast in any official
capacity whatsoever.