1 - Bottled Up

It all starts with a message on your commlink.

I'm in need of some runners urgently and your name made the shortlist. Meet me in Bangkok at Quay Bar, Sukhumvit Soi 11, near Nana Station at 3pm two days from now. Your travel expenses will be covered upon arrival.
-Nicole Triumph

It's the tail end of summer which is almost as hot as the height of summer in most other places. The city is a dense multicultural melting pot, certainly one of the most diverse in Asia. The landscape is a pleasing blend of tradition and modern, with neon skyscrapers and holographic displays beside ancient temples and traditional houses. Tourists seem to make up at least a quarter of the population, with military and police occupying another quarter, and residents filling up the the rest.

Nana Station exits directly onto Sukhumvit Soi 11. The bar should be two blocks away on a side street leading directly off the Soi. Looking around you as you walk, you can see the nicer places do not open until evening, so it is mostly tourists shopping and drinking afternoons away in bars. A few girls wave to you and try to get you into their establishments. Curry and lamb from a dozen Middle Eastern restaurants scent the air, which would otherwise smell like stale beer. One persistent Ethiopian man tries to get you to come into his restaurant as you approach Quay Bar.

"Come, eat good food," he says. "Very clean. Very delicious."

Quay Bar’s door opens as you approach, and the Thai bouncer tells the Ethiopian man to get lost.

"Come on in," he says to you. "You’re right on time."

Cleaning staff and cooks scurry all over the place, trying to get the club ready for the evening. A DJ plays with the sound system, and a bartender practices his fire show. The bouncer takes you back to a private room near the kitchen and leaves you with the elf occupant.

"Nice to meet you," she says, shaking your hands. She’s blonde, tan, and speaks with a crisp English accent. "I’m Nicole Triumph. I hope you’re as good as I've heard, because I’ve got a crisis here." She gestures to the table. "Please have a seat."

Kla was on vacation in Ko He—the English call it Coral Island—when he got the call. He'd needed to get away from Bangkok for a while and mingling with the tourists didn't seem like such a bad idea. They were clueless and didn't probe his cover story. He spent the time lying in the shade of a palm tree, sipping some fruity drinks until he got hot. He'd get up and go for a swim, party til late at night and then sleep in. Some university girls were visiting for the week on Daddy's yen. They partied, got drunk, and Kla hooked up with one of them. The next week, it was rinse and repeat. It was nice. Relaxing. But Kla couldn't afford to stay here forever, so when the job offer came in, it seemed as good a time as any to pack his bags, take the next boat back to Phuket, and catch a flight to Bangkok.

Walking down the street to the Quay, he smiled and nodded at the girls. He'd had his fill while on vacation, so resisting their charms was easy to do. The Ethiopian food was actually more tempting; he'd had his fill of fish. Still, he didn't want to be late to the meeting.

Kla recognized the bouncer, a big guy who'd be too slow in a fight, but if he got a hold of you… Well, fortunately Kla was on his good side.

The patron was an elf, pretty hot too. Not that he dabbled in other races. Her accent inferred that she was all business, so Kla shut down his vacation brain and went to work. He shook her hand and took a seat, waiting for the others to arrive.

Sakchai Khadpo, aka Tadaoshi, steps off the bus and moves with the crowd, glad he is at least somewhat familiar with the location. Moving through the throng of people me wanders in the direction of the Quay Bar. Tadaoshi looks around for marks that identify corporate patronage and gang affiliation on any buildings or business, curious if any of his contacts might know more about who would set up meetings here.



Passing the bouncer with a brief exchange Tadaoushi moves through the interior and upon noticing Kla feels a slight easing of tension. Familiar with the soldier he moves to join the man and their employer. Giving a brief bow, rather than shaking hands, he takes the proffered seat. Looking around for the other members of the team he responds to the women's comment. I am sure we will do all we can to uphold you confidence in us.

Quan sat in a dingy changing room massaging out the pain in his neck. He had to find another way to earn his way back to the top. These underground fights made a lot of people very rich, but he was not one of them.

The commlink beeped and he looked down. Quan almost had to look around to see if anyone was around to read his mind from how opportune the message was.

Two days later he arrives at the Quay bar. Dressed in a white singlet under a black leather jacket. He greets the bouncer and heads into the meeting. He introduces himself. "Knockout, pleased to meet you. How may I..." he pauses and takes in the other runners. "..we help you?"

Kla looks up as first Tadaoshi then Knockout arrived. He offers each a smile and a nod, pleased to know he'd be working with both of them again.

Screws from the panel between her teeth, Aiko lay on her back fussing with one of the electrical connections in her truck. Hardware definitely wasn't her area of expertise, but sometimes you had to make do with what you had on hand. Or well, your hands. Either way, she growled in frustration and her stomach rumbled with hunger.

She barely registered the knock on the window the first time, and on the second she spat the screws out before yelling expletives. The police officer didn't take kindly to that, but then police officers rarely did take kindly to anything she did. That they came into this dingy alley to knock on her window instead of extorting some poor perpetual civilian spoke of how bored they must've been.

With effort, she reposition her vehicle an extra alley over and slammed the door shut. Her software locks clicked into place, and she slipped a bar lock over a wheel just in case. You never could be too careful with all your earthly belongings after all. Satisfied, she turned on her heel, jammed her hands into her pockets and ambled to the bar from the weird message she'd gotten the other day.

If she didn't need a mechanic she probably wouldn't have shown her face, but life had a way of going number 2 in your dinner every time you had a 5 star reservation. The bouncer intimidated her, because why wouldn't a large muscled man intimidate a barely 5'2 young lady, and she slipped inside.

"Sorry I'm late. Parking is fun." She chips, glancing over those already assembled with undisguised curiosity.

"I am Knockout," Quan repeats. "I guess I know kung fu. I can fight, and you pay right, I'll fight to hell and back for you. Also no stranger to getting the truth out of people."

You may call me Tadaoushi. I am a mage. I can heal, locate things, and compel others to do what I ask of them. I also have connections within the government and many neighborhoods of the city.

Kla nodded in agreement with Nicole's terms. When it's his turn, he introduces himself, "I'm Kla. I used to be a soldier for the government, but now I work for hire. The pay's better, and I don't have to worry about the politics behind my orders. I guess that makes me a bit of a mercenary." He shrugs.

Ryosuke tugged at the sleeves of his suit jacket, brushing a speck off of his lapel as he pushed the suitcase closed. Looking in the mirror, he saw something that had grown increasingly unfamiliar. The close haircut, thick-rimmed AR glasses, and well-cut but otherwise nondescript suit would have looked at home walking the middle floors of any number of the skyscrapers around.

He was just another salaryman.

He emerged from the convenience store restroom and walked out onto the street, past the vacant front counter. The man who had been watching the store was busy with the lunch he had delivered. He spared a glance for his scooter, locked in an adjacent alley. It was always a gamble, but he couldn't exactly show up to work on it. Not to this job.

Though he arrived on time, he remained at the back of the crowd as the bouncer took them into the building, looking almost like a straggler, as he cast about, taking in their surroundings.

The name did raise an eyebrow. Even if she did intend for them to dig around, it was a quiet breach of protocol.

He did not return the courtesty, offering a shallow bow. "Ryosuke," he introduced himself with his pseudonym. "I can only assume I am here to facilitate the meeting."

"Aiko." She gives a small nod, not bothering to shift her posture from where she kneels on a chair.

She doesn't bother using a handle or anything. Given she has no fixed address and basically no attachments its not like knowing who she is would give them any leverage over her. She pulls her mouth to one side, tapping a rhythm on her lap and unable to sit still. After everyone else gave their description of their skills, she tried to come up with a way to make herself sound cool.

"I do VR coding and stuff, freelance swimming in cyberspace. I have a meat space body too but don't expect it to do much."

Recalling the information he had collected beforehand on the potential employer Tadaoshi figured he would have heard of they were not to be trusted so nods. I accept. Where will the contact take place? curious at the mention of a "ride home".

"Yeah, I'm in."

"You've got my services," Knockout replies.

Ryosuke tried not to lean forward. That was a substantial sum. Either the client expected this job to be over quickly, or they were throwing real money at the problem.

Or they weren't expecting to pay at all.

"Room and board are included. Is there a budget for expenses? And what is our advance rate? An open-ended contract like this should pay a week in advance. at least, desu ne?"

"So about taking over accommodations." Aiko cocks her head to the side. "Can I just, like, have it all plussed to my total payment instead? See, I don't exactly do preem crib hopping. I have my own cot'n'go situation and I'm not gunning for an upgrade."

Ryosuke politely waited for an answer.

Nicole looks at Ryosuke in silence for a moment, searching his face. "There is not a budget for expenses, beyond covering your accommodations and travel. As for advanced pay, I can give you today's pay up front after we meet with the client. If this assignment takes a week, you will have failed your mission. But you will understand better once the client explains the situation, so let's head there. It isn't far," she says looking at Tadaoushi. "As for Ms. Aiko..." she punches some info on her comm, "...there, your room has been cancelled. The amount saved will be added to your travel expense when you have finished the job. Now if you'd all follow me..."

Nicole leads you out the back door of the nightclub and into a short alley, where the bouncer that greeted you earlier is waiting next to another door. The path is seven flights of stairs down into what appears to be the parking garage of the Siam Plaza Mall. There are only four cars parked here: a moving van and three trendy Rover SUVs. A cluster of Japanese suits nervously point submachine guns at you. One of them looks less nervous than the others; he simply looks miserable. He’s flanked by two thugs, one in a standard suit, and the other wearing a Hawaiian shirt and sporting a cobalt-blue ponytail.

"These are the prospects," Nicole says to the miserable looking man. She introduces you in turn. Then, she says, "This is Shinoda Yoshinori, oyabun of the Kuroiban-gumi."

"Hello," Shinoda-sama says. "Thank you for helping us. I’m going to be direct with you, because we don’t have time for great subtlety or protocol. Someone has been attacking my gumi. So far, we’ve lost nearly thirty men in five days. I didn’t find out about the attacks until the day before yesterday, when I went to a meeting with the former oyabun. I found him and his council of advisors like this."

Shinoda-sama motions to the moving van. The Yakuza in the Hawaiian shirt opens the rear door. Inside you see two large jars about one meter wide and one-and-a-half meters tall. Each jar contains a human body floating in a yellow fluid.

"These two were found in an opium processing operation in Siam Plaza. Every incident has had identical results. This is a fight for survival, and you’ll be well rewarded for helping us."

Knockout strains his neck to look closer at the jars. "Was the tanks part of the opium processing operation?" he asks. "Or did they go to the trouble of bringing them to a slaughter? And has other operations been targeted or has the other men targeted been killed on the street?"

Kla gets as close as he's permitted to scrutinize the jars and their contents. "Art? That's some pretty sick shit for art. Maybe some kind of ritual magic instead. Have you opened any of the jars? Tested the fluid?"

Ryosuke tried to hold it together, although bile rose in the back of his throat. He had seen corpses before, the victims of violence. It never really settled with him, part of his humanity he tried to keep hold of. But he'd never seen someone... ...preserved before. He defocused, averting his gaze, avoiding eye contact with the bodies by examining the containers. Hopefully, it would be interpreted as professional.

"This isn't the sort of thing you buy off-the-shelf at a craft store." He leaned in a bit, examining the container and its fixtures, looking for any kind of brand, or maker's mark, or even a distinctive sign of manufacture. He also searched for fixtures that might be used to open and close the containers, that might have forensic evidence - or at least present a clue as to their original purpose.

"And you say the killer has left... thirty of them? Thirty two?"

Slightly upset at the "display" Tadaoshi moves closer to see if there are any wounds or traces that my indicate cause of death and/or post mortem uses. Have multiple sites been attacked? While I am sure your competitors may know of some of your facilities it would be useful to know how public the attacked facilities were or who may have known of their locations and defenses.

Taodaoshi opens up his astral senses and detects the faint signature of magic. A specialized combat spell of some kind using ritual sorcery. The bodies have no physical wounds of any kind. Magic surely killed them and most likely immediately. None of the faces register shock or pain.

He relays his findings on the magical nature of the deaths, siting the lack of wounds as his reasoning, but holds off on sharig additional details about his sould sight for now.

Aiko blinks at the reveal, but honestly she's more way of the guns being pointed at her. The thing about a flatline is they're already logged out of the meatbrain space, they couldn't do the same to you. Well, unless someone puppeted them but at that point was it the stiff or the caster? Theological arguments aside, that was the situation she found herself in.

"Do the timeframes all check out? That is to say, how long from when people disappeared to when y'all found 'em like grandma's pickles?"

"Well, what I mean to say is unless they were kegged overnight, which they might've been, surely someone would've noticed when they didn't show up?" She shrugs. "I'm thinking you answered my question anyway, immediate timeframe."

"Could it be an inside job?" Knockout asks. "They seem to know when to hit. And it would take some time to carry in the cannisters and pickle the victims. They seem heavy even without the added weight of the body."

Can you give us the timeline of these attacks and their locations? I agree going to the most recent site may be useful as would a list of potential suspects.

Kla says to the group, "Let's go to the most recent crime scene and see what we can find."

Ryosuke gently knocked on the glass, looking over towards Tadoshi. "Conjuring something like this that would remain permanent... or teleporting an object of this size, that is beyond state of the art in spellcraft, am I correct?"

It is more likely that it is simply crafted and used in a magic ritual. he musses aloud, pondering possible uses.

"But that means that whoever brought it carried it to the scene somehow, desu ne?"

Siam Plaza is not far. The building is a semicircular modern structure of steel, glass, and white concrete. It is mostly a business park with each office space big enough to comfortably hold a dozen employees. Suite 104 is on the ground floor, fourth office space from the south. A yakuza guard in business casual, dark shades, and a pistol in a shoulder holster stands outside the door. He nods as you approach.

"Yoshinori-san called ahead. You are clear to go in."

Inside the room has the bland corporate aesthetic hated for decades: cheap linoleum floors, white walls, office decor bought from a major supply store that sells in bulk cheap. Except where you'd expect offices there are drug stations. Making, testing, purifying, packaging, weighing, and storage. If you didn't know there had been murders here, you wouldn't have expected anything was much out of the ordinary. There are a few broken pieces of equipment, spilled drugs on worktables and floor with footprints, but nothing a half hour of tidying wouldn't solve. Most notably, there are no bullet holes and no spilled blood.

As they drove towards their destination Tadaoshi explains a bit of his abilities to the others

I am only able to cast a few spells but a couple should be helpful. My magic allows me to heal injuries, though hopefully we will be able to investigate without a fight. I can also compel others for a short time and create illusions over a small area. My last spell lets me detect various things nearby. However I am limited in how often I can use each spell. If you have an idea where my spells may be useful feel free to speak up.
In addition I have Soul Sight, allowing me to detect a person's mood and other bits about them. This should help when questioning anyone.

---

When they arrive Tadaoshi looks over the area, noting access points, security measures, signs of struggle, and anything out of place. After getting a sense of the situation he returns to the yakuza guard and asks several questions, though several are more for confirmation I assume there were no survivors? Have the neighbors been questioned? Can we get access to the security system?

Kla looks over the room for clues.

Knockout looks at the neighboring buildings to see if any of them happens to have a camera pointed in this direction or nearby. Couldn't have been that many cars with enough room for several cannisters in the area at the time.

"We'll want to save the magickal questioning for a... special occasion, I am sure." He nods at the Mage. He was the wild card. The others, he could roughly assess, but without disclosure, there was no telling what magic could do...

---

Ryosuke takes a moment to assess the building as they passed by it, eyeing it for signs of an underground parking garage. As they step in, he examines the floor, looking for unusual drag or scuff marks. Curious about the layout of the building, he took some time to look for a freight elevator, wondering if the roof was a potential means of ingress and egress. He also kept a careful eye out for signs of damage, especially hidden damage - blood beneath the carpet, ceiling tiles off alignment, or even strange smells that might hide something between the walls...

The crew sweeps through the room, checking everything they can think of. There are no blood stains, no bullet holes, nothing out of the ordinary at all except for drifts of powdered drugs with the Yakuza guard footprints in it, a few overturned office chairs, and some scattered papers and desk items. Ryosuke does notice that the electronic door lock is disabled and the mechanical lock has been picked. Whatever happened here happened quick and without harming anything except the employees.

Knockout sees several cameras on the building exterior pointing at the busy street out front and one behind for service vehicles. The jars are only slightly larger than human-sized so any panel van or box truck could transport several jars. Those types of vehicles are a nickel a dozen in this area, used by businesses of all kinds.

The guard says there are no cameras in this suite because of the illegal nature of their operation and they can't afford to have any evidence recorded. Suite 103 is vacant and Suite 105, a rug shop, is always closed this day every week. "So what do you think? Gotta be magic right? Deaths but no damage. Fuckin' weird is what I think. One of you able to do that mumbo jumbo shit?"

I may be able to help with that but it would help if I knew a bit more of what to look for

Leaving the exterior surveillances to the others Tadaoshi considers his options of what to try and look for. He doubts that Detection would allow him to simply locate "clues" he is unsure what to try and locate. He Looks over the room and surrounding with his Soul Sight, unsure if any traces will be visible. If nothing is found with his Soul Sight he will cast Detect Target and try and locate "traces left by the attackers"

"Got no cameras? What kinda street ring operation you running here? I thought y'all were professionals." Aiko scoffs. Even cartels know security's worth the risk, especially for times like this.

She's not really sure what she's doing here, since the place is looking particularly low tech. Sure there was an electric lock but that's more hardware and not entirely in her wheelhouse. Well either way, it's an opening worth following up just to look like she's doing something.

"You got a security centre or anything connected to that lock?" She points at it. "Or 'keys' for the other two suites? Even if rughouse wasn't open it might be worth sniffing around in."

"Yeah, yeah." Aiko turns back to the others. "Any of you got lockpicking experience? The electronic one shouldn't be a problem but I'm not bobby pin trained."

"We don't need to capture the actual act that took place. We need to capture someone carrying or moving large glass containers into the building. Surveillance on the doors, the parking, or the hallways will be sufficient. We just need to scroll through and check on anyone moving anything very, very tall."

"I know how to pick a lock. I'm not a pro, but I can usually get the simpler ones."

Tadaoshi opens his astral eyes and is greeted by a glowing radiance bathing the entire room. Every surface radiates magic and it is clear an area of effect spell was used that affected everyone inside. Moreover, noticing the subtle variations and patterns in the mana, Tadaoshi knows the magic is from the Hindu tradition.

Kla is surprised to open the lock very easily, but then is even more surprised when an alarm begins shrieking in a repetitive staccato.

RrrreeeEEE! RrrreeeEEE! RrrreeeEEE!

The Yakuza guard looks at Kla with a mixture of disbelief and anger.

"Shit." To the annoyed Yakuza guard, he says, "I said that I wasn't a pro."

"Probably best to leave illegal activities to the pros, then. Knowing the Thai forces well, I'd say you have between three and five minutes to either get out of here or come up with a very convincing cover story. One that doesn't involve the deaths and drug manufacturing right next door," he adds with a very penetrating stare.

Kla gets the message. He says to the others, "Text me when you get to your next stop." With that he leaves the building, looks for a crowd, and tries to blend in.

"Well, that was..." Aiko coughs to clear her throat. "Unexpected. So, want me to go chat up some camera owners and see what I can find?"

While she'd probably sold herself short on her lockpicking skills, after seeing someone a bit more confident end up in that situation she doesn't think its worth taking the risk. Instead, she turns to annoying people until she gets what she wants, her second best skill in life.

Aiko scopes out a camera on the corner of a building across from the rear alley entrance way to Siam Plaza. Anyone who wants to unload something would use this rear alley instead of in front of the large plaza. The camera would have an unobstructed view and would be perfect. Aiko jogs across the street and sees it is a dry-cleaning business. The open sign is on so Aiko goes inside...and stops dead in her tracks as she sees who is behind the counter and is staring directly at her.

Tadaoshi informs Ryosuke and Knockout of his intentions before heading out after Aiko to to find if any nearby shops with cameras are willing to share their video feed over the last couple of days. As he does he looks at where Aiko went and mutters a reminder to himself about getting secure coms for the group to coordinate better.

Ryosuke, hearing the alarm, briskly exits the building. Counting on his bland appearance and the distraction of the blaring alarm, he tried to weave his way across the street without looking like he was fleeing the scene, ducking into a convenience store and purchasing a bottle of iced tea.

He glanced over his shoulder, as if just suddenly noticing the alarm. He spoke quietly to the cashier. "That's strange. Who is in there?"

Knockout follows Ryosuke to get away from the building, though trying to stay close enough to see whenever the security forces is finished, so they quickly can get back to the task unless his companions have better luck.

Ah, damn. Aiko pursed her lips as she considered her next move. Part of her wanted to smile and wave or something, but acting like an old friend would make things worse. She knew she'd be recognised after all.

Ms. Apinya still had the same thin framed glasses and narrow jaw. She looked older than she had when they'd last met, more wrinkles, but Aiko had little doubt the cause was stress. She had a simple tee and skirt on, a far cry from the luxurious suit from before too. Even still, Aiko felt the feint sense of the bizarre that radiated off her as a by product of being a mystic.

The severe, skeletal woman had been a secretary cross advisor for the company the scam group had targeted. She'd never trusted Aiko or Bobby, but since there was nothing magic going on she didn't have a reason to refuse. Her boss had fallen hook line and sinker for all manner of bootleg cybervans; sleek on the outside but junk on the inside. They'd lost everything.

She must've lost her job. And now, as fate would have it, she was here.

"Must've gotten the wrong door." Aiko chuckles nervously, and turns to leave. She doesn't make it before TaDaoshi enters.

"Just one minute, miss!" Ms. Apinya says as Aiko is turning to leave. "Don't I know you from somewhere? Yeah, you were with that older man, Bobby something."

---

Ryosuke sees a Thai convenience store chain, Save 'n' Crave. They are open 24/7 and located catty-corner to Siam Plaza. There's a college-aged Thai woman behind the counter watching a music trideo on a small screen behind the counter. She looks up as you enter and greets you with more courtesy than expected from a bored college student. "Welcome to Save 'n' Crave, where you can save on whatever you crave."

"Mmm?" Aiko points at herself, determined to feign innocence for as long as possible. "Bobby? Bobby... That name rings a bell, but I'm not sure. What do you mean with him?"

She glances around, looking for an exit or some kind of physical barrier to put between her and Apinya. Even with neither of them being armed or remotely prepared for a fight, Aiko has very little expectation of victory. As usual.

The innocent act is exactly what triggers Ms. Apinya's memory. "Ha! I remember now! You tried that same innocent act the last time I ran into you! Uncle Bobby you called him. You were swindlers, you were. Tricked the company into some investment and vanished without a trace. I remember now. Well well, what a small world. I'd call this karma, I would! You've got about five seconds to give me a reason not to call the authorities right now."

"Because there's an alarm going off right across the street!" Aiko doesn't hesitate to respond. The statement probably would do more harm than good, in the scheme of things, but it was the first thing that came to mind. She winces. "They've probably got a robbery or something to deal with, and I'm a victim as much as you are."

She mock shivers. "He forced me to be his poster girl, can you believe that!?" No one could, surely.

"As a matter of fact, I cannot believe that. And I bet you had something to do with that robbery, too. Oh, I bet there will be reward money for turning you over! Just stay right there!" Behind the counter she grabs her commlink...

"Just this, please." Ryosuke put a small can of iced tea on the counter, along with a credit chit. Not strange for someone travelling from Japan, of course.

He paused for a strategic moment, letting the quiet of the store allow the soft echo of the burglar alarm to fill the silence. Waiting until she had finished scanning his goods, but before she had set them back onto the counter, he turned towards the door, as if noticing the sound for the first time. "Strange neighbors, hmm?"

He held his commlink in one hand, glancing up at her, as if she captured his attention away from his own business. He gave a polite smile, trying to look open and curious, without being too pressing. It was a mere invitation to talk, a chance to socialize without real consequence on a polite stranger.

A calculated social feint.

As he prepared to listen, he typed a message to Aiko without looking.

24 hr srvlce sv'n'crv sec cam

---

The cashier looks at Ryosuke with polite confusion. "You mean the alarm? There are dozens of small businesses in the Plaza so I don't know which one that is coming from. Do you? I only work here part time while I'm in school so I don't see too much strange things outside the walls of this place. First time I've heard that alarm. I saw an accident in the Plaza once. It was bloody but thankfully nobody died, I heard."

Stepping up to Aiko Tadaoshi says There you are. You should not wander off like that. Turning to the shop keeper he explains that he woks for the city social service, a minor branch of the police that exists mostly to make sure the corporate elite can feel good about themselves, and he Aiko is on his docket. Looking put out and exhausted the nudges Aiko to head back I think we do not need to spend any more time in this area. Let go get you settled so I can finish up your paperwork.

Kla surveils the convenience store that Aiko walked into and sees that the shopkeeper is upset with her. Looks like she might even be calling the police. Just as he decides to cross the street to pretend to be a cop and haul Aiko away, he spots Tadaoshi walk into the shop and pull off something similar. He chuckles to himself, Sonuva... But in case Tadaoshi is unsuccessful, he hangs out close by.

Ryosuke glanced at the cashier. "Oh? Was this recent?"

In his offhand, he messaged Aiko again, touch typing in the grandest Japanese tradition, "???!?"

Aiko blinks, then looks back at Apinya and shrugs. She refrains for a smirk or anything, which isn't too hard since from the moment of stepping into the store she'd been swept along by the whole thing. Instead, with a baffled expression, she nods and shuffles slightly in the direction Tadoshi's offered. Inwardly, she curses herself for missing a chance to get at the security cameras.

After a second message on her comlink, she fishes the device out of her pocket very glad of the distraction. She hastily types a reply; "Hell if I know, crazy lady alert!!!"

Once out of the store Tadaoshi regroups with the others.

Any luck getting acces to additional information? Are we ready to check out the next site?

Aiko, feeling sheepish as usual, tries to draw a low profile even among the group. She jams her hands in her pockets and hopes no one decides to press for more information. Knowing her, she'd cave to peer pressure far too easily.

The cashier shrugs. "Oh, maybe a year ago or so now. Not very recent I guess. Can I get you anything else?"

---

It seems the woman is about to protest, she still has her commlink in her hand, but Tadaoshi's suddenness and professional demeanor makes her flustered and forget what she was planning to do. You leave the dry cleaning building, but it's only a matter of time before Ms. Apinya comes to her senses and thinks about Tadaoshi's cover story.

As the group gathers to share their findings and plan their next step, Tadaoshi explains his findings and tries to recall any contacts he may have with more knowledge on foreign factions, specifically the Hindu.

I can try and find out more any maybe pick up an extra hand to help on grunt work. Tadaoshi suggests that perhaps they use the next day to try and gather additional information on the other sights and review any collected footage.

"At least one of the of the rival factions must be into fight fixing," Knockout suggests. "I could ask around the circuit, to see if anyone's heard anything."

"I'm not the kinda 'gal who has connections... well, except- uh, anywho I can poke at the online places and see if anything bites?" Aiko shrugs. At this point she's looking to go with the flow and let someone else make a decision, accepting how she almost sabotaged the entire situation with something adjacent to grace.

"So, I checked the cams you wanted me to. Copied the footage, made a nice little 3d recreation, that was the fun bit because the rest of it netted zip" Aiko shrugs.

Tadaoshi will leave the next steps to the others as he begins contacting his friends and other informants to gather information on and look for a possible employee to help with leg work. He focuses on emplyess with knowledge of forces with Hindu mages or origins.

Kla will tag along with anyone who wants backup.

Knockout asks around about unusual activity but there's no news about anything that seems overtly suspicious.

Tadaoshi knows a guy who knows a guy. The contact drops the name Falah Almarri, an Arabic manager of the Dawood Syndicate in Pattaya. He says he's got some information for you based on what you're asking about and is willing to meet you at a Yemeni restaurant named Ali's. It's about an hour and a half south of Bangkok.

"Then I guess that's where we're headed."

After explaining to the others what he has learned Tadaoshi agrees with Kla, I think this lead is worth following up. Aiko, would you mind driving us?

"I don't remember saying..." Aiko begins, then waves her own comment out of the air. "Sure, why not? Not like I've been helpful otherwise."

She leads the group to her van, when she pats the side of it affectionately. "Feel free to pile in, make yourselves at home but don't touch anything. You break it you buy it. Welcome to my abode and all that."

You take the trip down to Pattaya, the beachfront resort town just southeast of Bangkok. The streets are crowded with bikini-clad tourists, and the beaches are full of umbrellas and beer coolers. As in Bangkok, there are numerous clubs and bars, but the atmosphere is relaxed. In some ways, Pattaya is the sort of place that time forgot, and the music coming from the beach bars proves it: lazy, good-time surfer rock over a hundred years old blended with Euphoria and other classic ‘50s rockers. Everyone knows the words and sings along.

The fuzz use a more plain-clothes approach here so as to not scare the tourists. You make a mental note to be vigilant.

The area also seems to have a high number of Indian and Pakistani immigrants. Practically every restaurant serves food from the subcontinent, and dark-skinned men try to get you to buy tailored clothes. Come to think of it, this is just like Bangkok, only denser.

You pick your way through the crowds of backpackers, street trash, and beach folk until you find the Soi Post Office. There, nestled in between a shop selling "authentic nagahide" and a go-go bar, you find Ali’s. This little Yemeni restaurant is barely a hole in the wall, a door at the top of a narrow flight of stairs. Little electronic bells chime and then die as if the battery went dead as you enter. Ali’s consists of a counter and stool for the cashier and four small tables. The cashier, a young Arabic boy of twelve, smiles at you when you come in and points to a grey-haired man eating some sort of chicken and rice curry.

The old man wipes his mouth and motions you over. "I’m Falah Almarri," he says. "I hoped you would come by sooner rather than later. What can I do for you?"

"You seem to have the advantage of knowing us," Knockout replies. "You seem to be well informed for a restaurateur."

Greetings Falah Almarri. Thank you for agreeing to meet with us. I understand you may know something concerning an investigation we are pursuing? May we know the type of information and what it will cost us before we continue? Tadaoshi begins the conversation cautiously, curuious what the man know before putting forth more direct questions.

Kla enjoys the sights and sounds of Pattya. He makes a mental note to spend more time here when he gets the chance and the money. Once inside the hole-in-the-wall restaurant, he surveils the place. With a kid on the premises, it was unlikely that something bad would happen, so he makes it a point to keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't disappear. He listens to the conversation the others are having with this Falah guy.

Ryosuke adjusted his spectacles, the gently shaded lenses shimmering in the now-crowded restaurant. It was a bold opening bid. He contemplated whether it sounded even reasonable - trying to recall the scale of the Yakuza operations in this area. While he normally would be perfectly willing to act as a go-between for this sort of negotiation, it was a bit out of scope of their assignment, and any lengthy, considered bargain might end with more men stuffed in jars, and angry Yakuza looking for more than their fingers in exchange for the delay.

This new place, as with all places, had too many people. Aiko didn't particularly get anxious with crowds, but at the same time she had a healthy mistrust of them as any normal person should. She kept herself to herself, hands jammed in the pockets of her dress as she ignored anyone's attempt to make eye contact.

In the restaurant she stood further back, listening to the conversation and trying not to make it look like every step the group took she got a little more in over her head. Business handovers? Hostile information transactions? I got hired to look at people pickles.

Kla isn't sure if Tadaoshi is looking to be alone with this guy or what, so with a tilt of his head he gathers the others to speak outside. He looks around for obvious security cameras and hopes the general noise of the bustling city will keep him from being overheard. Still, he keeps his back to the restaurant and his voice down, making sure to leave out specifics.

"We all realize that is a tall ask. I can't see our client willing to give up what this guy's asking for unless he thinks retreating from Pattaya is worth it for his overall business. The flip side of that: Do we know enough about that third party to find them on our own?"

As mere middle men he doubts he is in much danger at this point but till the situation is resolved he will remain alert. As the others move to discuss things and get into contact with their employer Tadaoshi glances at them and before returning to focus on Falah Almarri.
While the request is relayed perhaps you could also have your men ensure that all information and details regarding the encounter would be included in the exchange. Adding in any and all information you and your organization may have would help when thing get moving to coordinate the actions. As you have clashed with this cult, that seems to be expanding into this region, you must realize that it is unlikely that you will be able to escape without paying a price of some kind. The fact that you eliminated some of their forces and exposed their presence make you a target as well.

Tasaoshi explains to Falah that while the Yakuza may be under assault the cult his own operations will likely be impacted. This is an effort to both soften the asking price as well as to try and get more information and/or assistance from Falah. Tadaoshi points out alternative settlements options, such as granting a portion of any recovered resources gained by the yakuza in the Pattaya over to him.

"You know, just saying..." Aiko chips in with a whisper. "We're kinda doing what he says, and showing our hand, without shit? Like I get it's not my area of expertise, peopling and all, but aren't you supposed to play your cards close to your chest at times like this?"

She glances at Falah, then back to the group and shrugs. "Like we don't even know if this bossgoon even knows anything we don't beyond what he's already told us and we're about to swear over... what, every bargaining chip we don't actually own?"

"Well, we don't have to know," Knockout says with a shrug to Aiko. "We just have to relay to our employer and they will have to do make the decision. Letting them know who has the information there is more than one way to extract information, I hope they choose the easy one."

He excuses himself from the table and goes over out of hearing to call up Nicole. "Hey Omae," he says once he gets contact. "Have a possible lead. A certain Mr. Almarri from the Dawood Syndicate. Knows the culprit, even says he has an adress. Has a steep askin' price and not for us to decide. They want Pattaya. The way these attacks have been going, might be a losing proposition anyway. You take the offer up the chain, and we'll see if we can lower the price on our side."

Aiko frowns. The situation seems far too convenient and the Yakuza's willingness to jump when asked doesn't sit right with her. If she were a more suspicious person she'd have all kinds of wild theories about the situation, but for the time being she doesn't say anything and waits patiently for the go word. It's not like she's in a rush to go somewhere there's likely gunfights anyway.

"So, we've got a handle and a motive. We feedback and then?" She pulls her mouth to one side. "We were only hired to find not remove."

"Right, Nicole did say she didn't expect us to handle the problem directly," Knockout agrees with Aiko. "Though we should check out the temple, at a safe distance, to make sure it's the information is correct first."

Upon hearing the others voice their concerns about the Yakuza's willingness to accept the offer, Kla says, "Good, it's not just me. I would've thought for sure there'd be some pushback on the terms."

After Knockout suggests they check out the temple, Kla nods. "Yeah, we have to follow up on that. Maybe stop by a sporting goods store and find some 'wildlife observation' equipment."

You head to the temple in Almarri’s information. It’s a pretty big one, but it’s off the beaten track and not well maintained. No golden Buddhas, no impressive architecture in the complex except for one building which seems to be the central shrine. The rest of the area is utilitarian. In fact, it seems to be a refurbished factory, which would make sense based on the other buildings in the district. You passed at least seven plants producing car parts and some sort of city utility building. You see several people coming in going from the buildings, mostly monks and artisans covered in paint, clay, and sawdust.

"Looks like they're building something to me." Aiko leaned back on the box she'd chosen as a temporary seat.

She's changed into some workman's overalls that she'd had for a con job a while back. The job hadn't worked because no one expected someone with her height and build to work in construction, but this far away no one would question it. Hopefully. Besides it was the right part of town.

"No idea what, since I'm no brickslinger, but monks don't tend to accumulate that much dust that quickly."

Kla watches from a discrete distance with his newly acquired binoculars. He agrees with Aiko's assessment about the monks. "Yep. Definitely building something."

"I think I can get at least some ways inside and have a look."

Ryosuke pulled a briefcase from their transport and produced a set of completely different clothing - jogging pants, a windbreaker and a polo shirt, along with a folding electrical scooter and a folded up courier bag. He shamelessly began to change in the back of the van as he pulled up a half dozen food delivery apps on his commlink.

"Want me to come with?" Aiko is about to ask, and then reconsiders. "Well, probably not since deliveries aren't a twofer operation, but I'm pretty good with conning people."

She remembers the incident at the first break in and shakes her head. "Usually. Despite what my track record suggests."

Tadaoshi just watches the area from the van for a while, focusing on those entering and leaving. I may be able to detect the magic I picked up on earlier when investigating the attacked facilities but the spell has a limited range of a dozen meters or so. Any chance we can get the blueprints of that place? It might help narrow down where to look closer.

Kla doesn't notice anything else out of the ordinary. It appears to be a large complex that is a mix of monastery and several buildings devoted to various facilities for making art such as painting, sculptures, and woodworking.

Ryosuke intercepts a food delivery of Indonesian nasi goreng and gudeng for a customer named Saksiri. The complex shares a single address so it's impossible to know which building is the final destination. Luckily a man in yellow coveralls spattered in paint approaches you as you arrive. "Welcome! Who are you looking for?"

As Tadaoshi watches the compound traffic he takes note of the types of individuals and vehicles entering and leaving. If we can detain someone high enough up their command chain I can try and compel them to answer questions. But that would be tipping our hand and up the risk on any other future activities here so should likely be held in reserve.

"Sure, why not." Aiko turns to head back to her van where her deck is stashed. "Blueprints coming right up."

Aiko searches the municipal building records, city hall, permit offices, and everywhere else she can think of but no luck. The building predates modern architecture bureaucracy and so doesn't lack any blueprints, at least in digital form.

"Could we like, recreate something like a blueprint via tourist pictures? Like layer a bunch of pictures and approximate a map?" Knockout wonders, not sure if that is possible or something that belongs in the realm of tired old crime scene investigative shows.

"I mean it's doable, sure. 3D mockups aren't that hard to pull these days either, but unless you know a tourist who's been doing 360's in every room there's still going to be a whole lotta unknowns."

Ryosuke sent the video feed from his AR spectacles to the group comms as he pulled up to the building. "Delivery for Saksiri." Ryosuke held up the plastic bag with its tantalizing scent. Modern soy technology had brought vegan curry to truly stratospheric new heights.

"Uh... I don't have a room number here..." He tapped the side of his glasses, as if he hadn't scrutinized the order. He motioned to one of the dust-caked workers heading back into the building, presumably to some kind of job site. "Do I just follow them?"

"Maybe Ryosuke will get lucky with his delivery guy scam."

"Let's hope we won't need a sudden and violent extraction," Knocout jokes, though a hint of worry do escape in his voice and posture.

The man nods knowingly. "Ah, yes we don't have building numbers. Saksiri is in the glassblowing factory, third building down," he points helpfully to one of the converted warehouses nearby.

Just as you finish talking to the monk, a pair of vehicles pulls into the temple compound. They are a white van and a truck, both with blue and yellow logos on the sides that read "Imperial Saffron, Ltd." Six tough men get out; they all appear to be Indian. They enter the glassblowing building the monk had just pointed out as where Saksiri is.

"Uh-oh. The cavalry arrived. Got heavies, counting six." Aiko uses the comlink, trusting technology for once. Ironic thing for a hacker to do, but still. "Shout if you need to make like a leaf and get the fuck out."

She glances at the logo on the side of the truck. That's something worth looking into, maybe a web page or some details. With luck there'll be more, but for the moment it's better than nothing to do.

He watched the security vehicles pull up, brows perking a bit. But he played it cool. "Right. Thanks!"

Ryosuke followed the armed guards, as if it were just another Tuesday. He looked around, gawping like a tourist, but careful to let the camera in his spectacles get a good look at the layout of the building as he proceeded. The insulated bag, the scent of curry, and the AR tag in his hat advertising the delivery service would hopefully serve him just as well as optical camoflage here...

Imperial Saffron, Ltd. is a small company that deals in spices and cooking ingredients. Their website looks very basic and most of the links are broken, and the copyright is two years out of date.

While Ryosuke is following, after the men have entered the glassblowing building they close the door behind themselves, barring Ryosuke's way.

To everyone else still standing around, the helpful monk says, "Those sure are valued customers. See them here at least once a week. They don't look like your usual employees to my eyes," he says as a hint of a question. Indeed everyone who exited the van and entered the glassblowing building were hard men with hard eyes. Many were tattooed, scarred, or chiseled with muscle.

"Oh yeah? Any idea what they do here? Besides pray, that is."

The man chuckles. "I don't like to judge a book by its cover, but I don't think those men are praying types. Only a few percent come here for the temple, most come for these businesses. If I were to guess the company needs custom glass bottles for its product. Why the company has such...distinguished employees is another question entirely," he finishes with a shrug.

"Any idea what's so special about these bottles?"

The monk shakes his head. "No idea, never seen them myself. Never thought to ask really; bottles are bottles. Are you in the market for some bottles?"

"That depends?" Knockout shrugs. "You may not be the right person to ask, but how big can they make bottles. Can they do real big custom jobs?"

"Oh sure, I don't see why not. As long as you have enough people to support the weight and shape it. Glass gets pretty heavy quickly, you know. But yes, they have several large furnaces.

Ryosuke let a moment pass, but not enough to let the militant men get too far away from the door, before trying the handle. If it didn't open, he gave a firm, confident knock of someone used to getting access to commercial spaces. His Big Eats cap and insulated bag as effective a camouflage as a high vis vest and a ladder, but much less cumbersome.