Scene 1

Prologue:
Some of you have been working together for a while, some are newer additions to the group. You have all worked together as a team at least once before. Your last job together went swimmingly. Some cheating company man got thrown out of his swanky apartment and hired your team to steal back all of the stuff that his wife was set to take in the divorce. Milk run.

That job came from Vinyl. He's an Ork that used to run the shadows as a face. Now he leverages the connections he made during that life to run his new business of being a fixer. He gets people in touch with other people... for a fee. He takes his clients and their needs very seriously, but once the business is done, he'll be the first one at the dance club living life to the fullest. He's warm, friendly, and rather flirtatious with the ladies. He loves to have a good time.

Scene 1:
It's a typical Spring Monday in Tacoma: Smoggy, drizzly, and generally unpleasant. Most of you have lived in the area your whole lives and are used to the weather. The "Tacoma Aroma" isn't particularly bad today, the wind is mostly from the North bringing with it a constant chill.

Throughout the early to mid afternoon you are all contacted by Vinyl. He knows you all at least well enough to know if you prefer voice or text, and always makes sure to use the right one. Staying on people's good side is his job and he's good at it. Vinyl tells you all that he has a client that he wants you to meet. They'll be at a sports bar/grill called Sideliners at 19:00 (7:00pm). They serve food there, but the Johnson won't be eating with you. Please wait until business is concluded to order food.

I'm assuming everybody is going to accept the invitation. Does anyone want to show up early to stake the place out? Does anyone want to intentionally arrive late? Is anyone going to carpool and arrive together? If you don't have a car and aren't carpooling, are you going to take a cab or the bus?

Vinyl talking to Rinse over comms:
"Come on, Rinse. You know the shadows don't work that way. The Johnson won't even give me the details until we all meet. What I can tell you is that it's some kind of a heist, but that you should be able to pull it off quietly if nobody frags it up."

Lo is easily the first one of the group there. Sideliners Sports Bar is in North Eastern Tacoma. It's a contrast to the places most runners are used to meeting. It's brightly lit, the staff is friendly (or at least they pretend to be) and the patrons don't spend most of their time scowling and looking over their shoulders.

There's a bar in the center of the public area with several large trideo screens hanging from the ceiling. Around the edges of the dining area are several booths and tables where couples, small groups, and families sit and eat dinner.On the trideo screen, you can tell that there is a Hockey game getting underway. At first glance, you don't see anything out of the ordinary. No one appears to be watching the restaurant or preparing for an ambush. Fully scouting the area will require a Perception + Intuition [Mental] test.

Does anyone else want to do anything to prepare before heading over to the meet?

F4d30ut, as you're the decker I assume you will also be looking in the Matrix (probably AR, though that's up to you) for suspicious activity as well as the the meat world. Matrix perception will be Computer + Intuition limited by the Data Processing stat of your deck. Which, I'm assuming will probably be the highest rating of your deck when you're making the test.

Lo finishes his third sweep of the perimeter, checking all the nearby alleyways and parking lots. He doesn't notice anything out of the ordinary. There are some local street gangers in the area, but that's to be expected. None of the gangers appear to be from any notable gangs.Almost as soon as Lo plops his rear on a bench to wait for the group, Rinse shows up.Rinse walks into the middle-class sports bar at 18:38. Just as he gets to the hostess stand the bar erupts in a round of cheers and groans from the other patrons. The place is packed. Rinse throws a quizzical look at the uniformed human girl behind the stand. "Flames just tied up the game at the end of the first period," she says by way of explanation. She starts to look at her chart to tell Rinse how long the wait will be when he tells her that there's a reservation. Vinyl thought ahead and made a reservation under "Vinyl Industries" to be sure you all got a table.

The hostess checks on the reservation and tells Rinse that the table won't be ready for at least 10 minutes. She invites you to browse the menu on your commlink while you wait.

Several minutes pass while the commentators on the trid talk about how the game is going and how the players have been performing that season. A few other diners come in while Rinse waits and they are all told that the wait will be at least 45 minutes. Eventually, Andy and F4d30ut get there. The pair takes a quick circuit around the lot to check things out, but don't see anything particularly suspicious. Actually, you lot are the most suspicious people in the area just now.

The Matrix doesn't really show anything either. A few of the gangers in the area, the ones that are much too full of themselves, have AROs showing their symbols and colors. For now, this neighborhood appears to be having a quiet evening. Of course, it's still early.

Inside, F4d30ut in particular notices how crowded and noisy the place is. There just seem to be a lot of bodies in there all rubbing shoulders and elbows together, especially by the bar. It's rather unsettling. There is also a large ARO above the bar indicating the current score:

Detroit Red Wings: 3
Calgary Flames: 3
End of First Period

The hostess is visibly relieved when Andy and F4d30ut join Rinse in the waiting area. Shortly after that the Game appears to be starting up again and the general hum of the restaurant raises noticeably. It isn't long before Vision walks in to join the group.

As soon as Vision steps out of the cab she unfocuses her physical eyes and begins to see the world of the Astral. She can see the astral forms of every patron and employee in the restaurant. She sees that there are a small number of magically active people in the establishment, but notices no evidence of spells, wards, or spirits in the area. She can tell, however, that someone was recently murdered in a nearby alley. The taint of the act is still splashed across the Astral plane, even over a day later.

Soon after Vision joins the part waiting in the restaurant, the hostess approaches the party and tells you all that the table is ready. She leads you through the restaurant to a booth in the corner of the dining area. This is as far as you can get from the din of the bar area. Once you are all seated, the hostess tells you that your server will be Whitney and she should be along shortly.