The city of Viorar, always dark, great night life, and a hub of activity of some level or another pretty much twenty-four seven. The soft white glow of magically powered lights and the more orange flickering glow of the lamps made the night shrouded city look like the stars had fallen from the sky to illuminate the cobble streets.

In a relatively quiet area of the city people were going about their business when a portal snapped open rather abruptly and a roaring sound emitted from it, followed by a bright light.

"-RAAAAAAAAAAG!!!!" The rider of the loud metal contraption that came hurling out of the portal was barely audible over the roar of the engine that was carrying both forward at an alarming speed. And due to that speed, there was precious little time to try and arrest the forward momentum of the Suzuki Mirage as the bike careened toward a solid wall.

"FRAG FRAG FRAG FRAAAAAG!!!" With what seemed like impossibly fast reaction speed and finesse the driver managed to juuuuust barely avoid hitting the several pedestrians that walked the street, the motorcycles' tires shrieking against the uneven cobbles which made control that much more difficult. The last of those pedestrians was in a very unfortunate spot, no way around, not enough time to stop, it was hit a person, or hit a...what the fuck was a tree doing in a city?

The driver made the call and the bike veered away from it's second to last obstacle before slamming into the tree, which happened to be the final one. The sound of crunching metal, splintering wood and the smell of burning rubber filled the area as the bike collided with the innocent conifer and the bike's rider was sent flying and skidding across the uneven street, little more than a green and black blur until they came to a stop laying on the ground.

The rider wore a black visored helmet, probably the only reason that their chest still rose and fell after such a nasty crash. For a long moment their prone form simply lay there unmoving, but gradually the figure shifted and let out a groan.

The rider looked to be a lean man and their attire was...unique. A long hunter green duster with black tiger stripes seemed to have taken most of the beating from the road rash. The garish garment certainly having fulfilled it's protective duties. The durable pants were black with arrow like accents down near the cuffs, the footwear was some sort of black boot.

Fingerless gloves reached up to grip the bike helmet and push it up and off with a string of uttered expletives that likely sounded like gibberish. The man was wearing angular shades, and a headband that matched the colour of his garish jacket.

His brown hair was short, swept forward and up into a faux hawk which only served to make his elvish ears a bit more noticeable. The helmet's visor had broken and there was several deep tends and scuffs in the helmet itself, thankfully those dents and scuffs weren't in his head instead.

The man painedly pushed himself up, staggering to his feet in a daze as he looked around at his new surroundings with a slack jawed gape of bewilderment as he held his ribs painedly.

"What the fragging hell is this bullshit!?!?" He leaned down and collected his broken and battered helmet before limping over toward his poor cherished motorcycle, and the tree it was now implanted in.

"Oh, baby...I'm so sorry..." He said solemnly to the trashed bike as he leaned over it to see just how bad the damage was. It was bad. And to make matters worse, he was in the middle of some weird...movie set? What had even happened? He went over the events as he searched the bike's saddlebags.

He had been fleeing from some go-gangers who had gotten particularly pissed at him for humiliating their leader, high speed chase ensued...he'd been weaving through traffic at full speed when a quick glance back over his shoulder had caused him to miss the initial opening of the portal that had sucked him into this place. The light had drawn his attention forward again and...then he was here with his bike wrapped around a fucking TREE of all things.

Well, the good news was that his fuel tank hadn't been ruptured, there was no flammable liquid leaking all over the place, so that was a plus. But boy howdy was he hurting. After shutting off the bike, which had still had a semblance of life in it, he dropped down to sit against the ruins of his transportation as he looked around, trying to make sense of his surroundings.

He reached up and moved his shades up to take a look around, lowered them again then frowned. "No AR...No ads...No matrix access..." His gaze lowered to the cobble stone road. "The frag is wrong with this road?...."

For some reason, picking today to shop for a new dress was apparently not the best choice for little Hikari, because after allowing her new draconic friend to be on her way, she then somehow got caught up in very-nearly becoming a pancake on the streets of Viorar. Really, her luck seemed to be in some sort of weird flux, today, but then, the Cleft of Dimensions doesn't exactly play favorites. Fortunately, she was still in one piece and had ducked behind a building as the bike swerved past her and blindsided that poor tree, instead, but the better part of herself pulled free of her hiding spot to assess the wreckage and, hopefully, the still-alive driver as well. Though the craft wasn't anything she as specifically aware of, she had spent a part of her life in Shrike, and her dad's business dabbled in like-tech, so she wasn't too flummoxed by it all.

She allows herself to stand off to the side, one hand lightly grasping the side of her dress as her golden curls bounced loosely from a short breeze passing through. The smell of the wrecked vehicle wasn't great, but like anything, it could be cleaned up. She watches the driver as he picks himself up and then rambles on about a variety of things, and simply retains her silence, waiting for a moment to edge herself in and see if he needs help; doing good deeds just seemed to be on her hotlist today, she guessed.

His body ached, he was fairly certain that he probably cracked a rib or two in the rather sudden impact with the tree and subsequent journey across the ground. He wasn't sure if he'd jostled his brain and that was why he was feeling so confused about his surroundings, or if he really was just in a fragging strange place. Could be both, all things considered.

It was about that time that he noticed that there was actually still a person nearby. The person that had been the last obstacle in his little driving test. The one that had been the reason his bike was now making out with a tree.

He didn't stand up, he was feeling a bit dizzy so he thought it was better to just offer up a lazy smile and wave. "Hey there, sorry about that! You good?" He called over to the woman. She -seemed- to be unharmed, but one could never be too careful.

She smiles a little bit at the fact that he spoke to her, and advances a little closer, giving a stout nod. "Yes!" she said, relief obvious in that simple word. "Are you hurt?" Her words were pretty forward and direct despite the soft tone of her voice, not unlike a medic confirming with an injured soldier on the field; it didn't really fit well with the impression her features gave off, to be honest. Her hand comes away from her dress as she approaches, leaving the hem of her skirt to sway almost royally about her ankles as she clomps through the cobbled street on some pretty expensive-looking winter boots.

"Nothing worse than usual..." The woman was wearing some pretty strange clothes too. That coupled with the strange little buildings and the shitty road, "I'm getting the impression I'm not in Kansas any more"

He hadn't been in Kansas BEFORE this, he'd been in Chicago, but the antiquated reference was still applicablel.

"Sorry about that close call...I was...uh..." He floundered for a moment. "Um, I'm sorry ma'am but, I don't suppose you could tell me where this place is? I'm getting the distinct impression that I have been tossed pretty far away from home, considering uh.." He paused to glance around again. "Considering this...definitely does not look like a city."

Perhaps surprisingly, just listening to the strange ramble on like this gave her all the information she needed, and she stops short of him, as if knowing to keep her distance respectful unless invited to do otherwise. The fact that she was almost a casualty-by-proxy didn't even seem to register, apparently. "Ah, you're a newcomer," she said. "I haven't had the chance to actually see one in person!" She sounds oddly-excited by the premise, considering how, exactly, the man made his entrance. "Oh, but I've divested myself of manners, I'm sorry." She offers a small curtsey, which, even in its slightness, still appears to be well-practiced. "You're in the Moonlight City of Viorar, in Fa'diel. My name is Hikari, and I'm glad you're not hurt." She straightens, her smile as bright as any of the lights around them. "This is one of the bigger cities around, actually, outside of possibly Truce."

Truce? Viorar? Fa'diel? That didn't bode well. He was one hundred percent certain those weren't places on any map he'd seen. Divested? Who talks like that? He however offered up an awkward smile and attempted to climb to his feet, nearly tipping over in the process but catching himself on the wreckage of his bike.

"Name's Maverick, nice to meet you..." He had to bite his tongue. THIS place was a big city? This was like a bad trid. Modern guy gets tossed back in time to the medieval era. All things considered his location probably wasn't his biggest concern. If he wasn't in the UCAS anymore, or even on EARTH, what the frag was he supposed to do?

"I...don't suppose you could maybe tell me a bit more about this place?" Even breathing hurt, it was fortunate that he was a fast healer thank to his adept powers, but still, he wasn't going to be able to do a whole lot for a while, and he was going nowhere fast, with this ride in it's current state.

The name 'Maverick' seems to hit on something for her, and a trace of some recognition flashes across her face, but then is gone in just-as-quickly a moment. "Ah, I'm pleased to meet you, Maverick," she said instead. "I will be happy to tell you everything you want to know, but 'about this place' is quite a broad premise." She pauses, straightening out her skirt in what can best-be-assumed is a personal tic. "I can't harbor a guess as to where you came from, but if you're anything like the others I've been told of, your world is likely to be sorely different than this one. You have my sympathies for such an unfathomable circumstance." She frowns softly, emphasizing that sympathy. "Viorar is the biggest city in Fa'diel, and a harbor, besides. We have a little bit of everyone and everything here, as I'm sure you could assess by a short trip through the streets. Oh, and..." She raises her eyes skyward. "Nightfall lies eternal here, at all hours of the day. But it is not like that everywhere, and is where the city gets its nickname."

"If I'm being honest, I was a little too busy trying not to run anyone over to even notice what they looked like." Going eighty miles per hour down a cobblestone road probably would have been a death sentence to anyone he had the misfortune of hitting. His reflexes had been his only saving grace.

"Eternal night, huh?" His gaze drifted up to the sky as he leaned heavily against the tree that had damn near killed him. The sky...it was pretty. There was practically no light pollution. He could actually SEE the stars. That was a new one.

"Don't suppose they take cred sticks here..." The words were hopeful, but the tone was not. There was no way this place had the same currency, not that he was exactly rolling in nuyen. Why was it bad luck seemed to find him consistantly?

Hikari does, unfortunately, tip her head in confusion, her curls bouncing loosely from the act. "Ah, I don't believe so..." she said, hesitantly. "There are a great many places here in the Cleft that provide alternate exchanges for varying types of currency, as your situation is not an uncommon one. But, as I'm immediately aware, 'cred sticks' are not something I'm familiar with, and I apologize for that. I can, however, ensure that money is of no consequence if you need something to incur lodging for a period while you 'get your bearings,' as the saying goes." Her smile, once again, is very bright, and coupled with the loose billowing of her gown-like dress gives her a very princess-like air, even in the middle of this strange city and its ephemeral night.
April 3, 2024

"Yeah...I sorta had a feeling." Maverick frowned and looked at his bike then back over to Hikari. "I'm not exactly sure what to do, Miss. This is all i've got right now." He gestured to the wreck and then froze, the large flat case that had been secured to the back of his bike was gone and for a moment he looked around in a bit of a panic. The contents of said case was worth even more than the bike he'd just ruined. It took him a moment to spot it, but the case had been thrown clear much in the same way he had been. He heaved a sight of relief.

"I don't suppose there is some means of getting my things someplace? I don't think I can carry all my junk right now." He kept a hand on his ribs as he limped over to the large flat case and tried to bend down to pick it up, pain blossoming as he did so forcing him to straighten. He uttered another pained expletive under his breath.

She listens to his words in silence for a moment, her smile fading a little bit at a time as he does on, and then diminishing completely when she sees the reaction to pain that he'd been hiding up to that point. She instead chooses not to say anything, and closes the gap between the two of them, a faint green aura manifesting over one hand as she raises it toward him, and with a faint whisper of something unintelligible, reaches out to gently place it somewhere on his body, wherever seems like she could reach the easiest and not be, you know, weird or perverse about it in the process. An arm, a shoulder, that sort of thing. She doesn't ask for permission, and the look on her face implies that she wasn't going to, either, a swift transition from 'princess' to 'concerned fellow humanoid.'

Maverick was aware of the woman's approach, but also didn't sense any sort of malicious intent from her either, so he didn't reach for the heavy pistol at his side as the woman reached out a hand toward his shoulder. As much as he didn't like the idea of letting someone he didn't know casting magic on him. He didn't exactly want to turn down help either.

It was a strange sensation, he was a fast healer naturally but this felt like a more potent form of the healing magic that he'd had used on him in the past on jobs or post job. The pain gradually lessened and it was easier to breath. He turned to look Hikari in the eye.

"That...is some pretty strong mojo you got. I guess magic is still a thing here. Thanks for that." His ribs were still a little tender but was feeling MUCH better. "I really appreciate it." He said earnestly as he leaned down and picked up the case.

She only holds her hand there for as long as it takes the spell to go off, and then quickly steps back several paces, still mindful of the distance despite making a sudden and abrupt decision on her own part. The green glow fades from her hand as it returns to her side, and her smile reforms at least partwise. "I'm glad that you are receptive to it," she said happily. "Magic is very common here, but not without its own conduits. And some of us are better versed in it than others, depending on our roots."

As if the comment about 'roots' were some kind of summoning command, a small burst of green lights announces the arrival of a very small tree-shaped woman with palm-tree-like hair, who proceeds to simply hover in the air about a foot away from Hikari's left shoulder, bright blue eyes studying Maverick with the curiosity of a newborn infant.

Though she doesn't look aside at this new arrival, her smile grows slightly as she confirms the healing taking effect by the tension leaving Maverick's face from what it had been directly beforehand.

Maverick faltered slightly at the sudden arrival of...whatever that was. A spirit or elemental of some sort? It was green but sure didn't look like a toxin elemental, more like an oddly cute palm bush of some sort. It wouldn't be a stretch to call it chia-pet-like.

"Oh, that a friend of yours?" He asked Hikari curiously, but keeping a cautious eye on the strange little chia pet spirit thing. Maverick may not come off as that smart, but he could at least speculate that the creature had something to do with the healing he'd just received considering the similar colour scheme. So long as it wasn't a radiation elemental, and he was fairly certain it wasn't, he should be fine.

She glances off toward the spirit, then back at Maverick. "Yes," she said. "They provide us with the means to utilize magic in the way I just did. Most of the time they won't show themselves and are working 'behind the scenes,' you could say. But they are still there, and some of them develop attachments." She hesitated for a moment, but then, he wasn't from around here and wouldn't know what she was talking about, so she didn't see an inherent problem to drop a few things in the interest of hastening explanations. "Those 'roots' I mentioned are what allow for that sort of attachment, though. I have a special bloodline, through my mother, that allows me to interact with them more directly than most."

Perhaps a bit flighty, the little tree spirit takes a few moments to assess the situation, and when she seems content, she kind of bobs her leafy head in the air with some sort of gesture, before the same burst of green sparkles announces her departure, disappearing from sight in much the same way that she arrived.

"But with that being said, my offer still stands," she said, clasping her hands in front of her dress and reassuming that regal-esque stance from before.

"I mean...I can't really turn down the help. But I feel bad being a burden after I nearly ran you over." He reached up and rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly. "Never been helped out by a princess before, this is a new one for me."

He turned and managed to disengage his saddlebags from the wreck of his bike and threw them over one shoulder and took the broken helmet in his free hand. If nothing else he was keeping as much of his gear with him as he could, he briefly considered syphoning out the bike's fuel into a plastic bottle he had in his saddlebags. Even so he didn't really love the idea of leaving the bike where it was, he hoped he could fix it back up.

Hikari watches Maverick for a moment, eyebrows lowering just slightly as her smile increases on the 'princess' comment, like it was profoundly amusing, or quite possibly wasn't the first time. "I can ensure you have room and board here for a few weeks, as needed, at the very least," she said, again dismissing the whole 'I could have died' prospect that keeps being brought up. It seems a little strange, almost, and could drive a person to wonder what kind of self-worth she actually has in that vein, but without her speaking of it, there's no real way to know. She could also just be pretty thick, and she is a blonde, too. She watches him salvage materials and such from the wreck for a moment before speaking back up again. "I unfortunately can't assist in the recovery of your craft, but a few weeks should enable the scrapping or recovery process to proceed at whatever pace you feel is efficient."

And then, something probably out-of-place happens, in whatever capacity he might have assessed of her and this place. A small pocket on the side of Hikari's dress buzzes, and then proceeds to play a musical little chime, perhaps some digitized version of some song. She was about to say something further to Maverick, but at this indication, she instead stops and reaches into her pocket, pulling out... a smartphone. Which she glances at for a moment, before hitting a button to silence it, and then put it back in her pocket, all without losing her smile. "I'll call her back in a few minutes."

Maverick raised an eyebrow, looking surprised. He certainly hadn't figured on seeing a strange sort of deck, the tech definitely didn't fit the setting in the least.

"So...you guys have comm networks here?" He asked as he tucked his battered helmet under his left arm securely. "I wouldn't have guessed that level of tech would be in a place like this. I didn't pick up on any PANs or WANs, I'm guessing there is probably some sort of compatibility issue."

He reached up and shifted his shades up onto his head, he naturally had dark vision as an elf, and he doubted he would be needing the flash compensation, thermal vision or infrared sensing that the shades profided, not right that moment anyway.

She again nods. "It's possible," she said. "Compatibility issues tend to be a frequent thorn in the sides of many who end up here, especially ones from more technologically-advanced worlds, but we do have at least basic networking applications that allow for wireless signals and internet, if either of those concepts apply to you at all." Her tone was conversational and friendly, even if the topic might be considered out-of-place in a lamplight place such as Viorar, as it appeared to someone like him. "Some cities are likely to hold higher technology advantages than others, and some cities choose to remain in the dark, if you'll pardon the pun. My father's company, meanwhile, is rather 'leading-edge' in terms of magical devices and portable technology, with a focus on appliability between the two. That premise, itself, is also why I have no issue with being able to provide your lodging fees for a few weeks, if I may say so without sounding too pompous."

The sound of a bass guitar was something that was pretty hard to mistake. Kane makes his way down the street with one hand down low, and the other raised up. No actual instrument lay in his grasp, but that doesn't stop sound from filling the air around him as if there was an entire setup there with him. He'd been picking away at a few songs pulled from a certain soundtrack, but he was still at the stage of playing around with them and seeing if anything organic happened.

Which was a little amusing considering he was exactly zero percent organic, but that wasn't the focus of the matter.

The loud noise of a crash had been kind of hard to miss, and while people in Viorar were less used to chaos than those of Truce, this was still the Cleft. As soon as someone had stepped forward to make sure some new invasion wasn't starting the rest of the folks who might have crowded around were free to get back to their business. That said, sometimes it was more fun to see what was going on after the crowd dispersed. That's generally when he had the most real conversations in his past.

He is still, however, pretty unhurried. Around the time he gets to reasonable talking distance, Kane's already 'put away' his non-existent instrument. The fact that some pretty lady was already hanging around and chatting was probably good for the guy who looked maybe a little out of place. Still, always good to offer an additional hand. "Hey, everyone alright?"

On one hand, Maverick was elated to hear there was some crude form of the matrix, but at the same time...he wasn't a decker, or technomancer so actually getting his comm to work with that network was probably a bit beyond his skills. He was a gunman, not a techie and he was probably going to regret not having listened to more of the technobabble his partner in crime had spewed at him in the past.

He was about to speak again when he heard another voice, another concerned citizen it seemed. Maverick pivoted to look in the direction the voice had come from only to see someone that would have probably looked fairly at home back in the sprawl of his own world.

Maverick flashed the man a thumbs up while awkwardly trying to keep his helmet tucked under his arm, and his saddlebags on his shoulder. "Yeah! Only thing that died was my transportation!" He called over to the man. And despite his fairly cheery tone of voice, it was followed up with a mournful look at the wreckage.

He then looked at Hikari uncertainly. "Um, are people likely to take stuff from the crash site? Cause I'm gonna need all of this if I'm going to try and piece this thing back together."

A bit of teeth showed in her smile, pearlescent perfection that only added the bloom that surrounded her personality. "You can leave that to me," she said. "I'll arrange for a cutoff of the area so that the police can keep it blocked off until you're able to salvage it. They won't give you a super long time, and I would try to deal with it by Gnome's Day, at the latest, but as long as you're working on it, it will be fine." She reaches into the same pocket her phone was pulled from, earlier, and removes what looks like a small metal tab of some kind, possibly not unlike a keyfob. When she pushes something on it, though, a small purple rift abruptly snaps open about a foot or so off to one side of her, and she reaches inside, taking a second to withdraw a small leather wallet with what appears to be a cutesy kitty-like design on one side. She then pushes a button on the same device, and the portal snaps back closed in much the same way, whereupon she stows the small bit back in her pocket.

It's very possible, if even obvious, that she either didn't hear or didn't notice the reploid's arrival, or maybe her player just completely forgot.

Kane seems entirely normalized to the purple portal summoned by the possibly perfect heiress, instead he's much more interested in the wreck of the mirage. "Aw man, your ride!" It looked like it had been pretty damn sweet before getting wrapped around a tree like that. The conversation he can catch onto since his arrival makes him cock his head to the side.

"You got a place to take it? I could probably help you get it over there. Maybe work on it some too, I used to put the bus back together in the old days."

He glanced back and forth between the two good samaritans looking more than a little dumbfounded, the level of helpful kindness was WAY more than he was used to and he wasn't entirely certain how to deal with it. If he had been back home, he was more likely to get arrested for damaging the tree as he was to get help.

"Uh...wow...that's real nice of you two. Not quite sure what to say." He paused for a moment and tried to organize his thoughts before he looked back to Hikari. "Do you think the accommodations would have someplace where I can work on it?"

He then glanced back at the male stranger, the guy seemed to be heavily augmented at least, an AI in a really good rig at most, but there was definitely a bit of that uncanny valley going on. "I wouldn't turn down the help. I've got the know how to fix her but not the means at the moment"

He paused to hike the saddlebags back up onto his shoulder as they had started to slide off. "Chummers around here sure are friendly...that is going to take some getting used to."

She looks up as the portal closes and just suddenly realizes Kane's presence nearby, but on the offer of his help, she seems pretty pleased. "Actually, that's really good timing on your part," she said, speaking to him as if he were an everyday acquaintance, regardless of whether she knew him or not. Her eyes shift back to Maverick, holding her wallet in one hand. "The inn can put you up, but I, actually, hadn't considered where you would put the craft. I suppose I'd assumed you would work on it where it was, but if you had a garage to store it, that would definitely make things easier." She pauses for a moment, glancing at her wallet. "Give me just a moment or two, okay?"

She then proceeds to pull some kind of plastic card out of her wallet, turning slightly away from the two of them as she also withdraws her phone and proceeds to process something on it, a mix of taps, swipes, and other interactivity, with an occasional glance between the display and the card itself, busily doing something between the two of them, but silently and to herself.

Kane waits for the woman to finish before nodding and returning his attention to the crashed chopper. "Hey, don't worry about it. Everyone needs some help sometimes, right? No reason to leave people out in the lurch." Once the saddlebags have been removed, Kane assumes that's the limit of what he's going to carry. Standing and rolling his shoulders for a moment, he loosens up before hunkering down and grasping the chassis.

Bracing, and with a wrenching pull, Kane pulls the Mirage from its resting place. There's a grunt of effort in there, but it blatantly takes more effort than a normal person might be able to put out. "Hoof, yeah she's gonna be a bit of a mess to work with." Placing his own foot behind the back wheel, Kane rests the wreck standing up, just kinda holding it there as he waits for word from missy ma'am.

"So, uh. Listen to any good tunes recently?" The small talk is a little awkward, but he's mostly just waiting around at the point. Might as well help distract the guy from the fact his ride is wrecked.

Maverick stared a little as the big guy manhandled the twisted remains of the motorcycle. He was used to feats of strength like that from Trolls, maaaaaaybe the odd person who'd practically had their entire body replaced with hardware, but it always left him awestruck.

Maverick himself was no slouch physically, but he was built for extreme speed and maneuverability. He couldn't help but be a little jealous of of those that could bench press a fucking motorcycle.

"Uh...yeah, there have been some catchy ones out recently. Wish I could let you hear but I don't really have access to it from here." He reached up and tapped at his shades, touching a small button on one of the arms before pulling them down. Yup, nothing. Only things that were functioning normally were the functions built directly into them.

His gaze then turned back to his little salvation princess, watching curiously as she worked some sort of tech, looked like it might be some sort of banking card that she was fiddling with. he didn't want to seem nosey so he tried not to be obvious about his curiosity.

"Not sure how I'm gonna repay all this...I guess if either of you need a hand with something I'm happy to work it off...neither of you are dragons, I hope..." That last sentence clearly indicated a bad past experience.

"Oh, no," she said, but makes it a point not to speak of herself, specifically. "The dragons live out east of here, in the Myrkur Mountains. They tend to keep to themselves, for the most part." This is all said offhanded as she continues working on whatever she's doing, but then concludes before too much longer, stowing her phone back in her pocket and turning back to Maverick with an accomplished grin. "There we go." She offers the plastic card to him, which does, in fact, look very much like a bank card. "You can use this at the bank, which is a little ways south of here, to withdraw money for whatever you need while you're getting back on your feet. I put fifty gold on it, which should be enough for room and board, along with food, for at least two weeks, assuming you don't go all-out and do banquets every evening." Her grins remains, thinking she's just the funniest person she knows. "And I wouldn't worry about repayment. I met someone else, just a short while ago, and I feel like 'paying things forward' was a takeaway we could all use, at some point in our lives. So if you see someone else in trouble, just offer them a hand, if you can, and we'll call it even." She thinks, then adds, "And you can just dispose of the card when it's empty, too."

Kane watches the sunglasses shenanigans and can't help but be a little jealous. Less at the idea of the supposed music containing feature but more at just having some cool shades that look good. "Uh, nope. Pretty normal reploid, actually. Oh, uh. Kane, sorry. I-" he pauses, not really able to say 'I'm used to people knowing me' despite the vaguely cocky bent of his programming. "-Not always the best at niceties."

As the card is passed over, he can't help but whistle a little, impressed at the show of monetary force. "That's pretty generous of you, Miss." Fifty gold wasn't anything to scoff at, and just getting a card loaded up like that? He may be partially hefting a motorcycle at the moment but there was someone here clearly more impressive than he was.

"I haven't really done much to need repayment so far, so don't worry about it, man. Let's get you over to an inn, you might be physically okay but a crash like that can leave you mentally shook up when the adrenaline wears off." He'd had to take care of the boys sometimes after a bad performance stunt or something. And there was the stage dive gone wrong. Suffice to say, Kane had picked up a little maintenance tips for meat bodies as a necessity.

Hikari offers a quick flash of that grin to Kane as she offers the card to Maverick, shaking her head just enough for her golden curls to jostle themselves a bit about her forehead. "There's plenty of people who get to the top by walking on the backs of other people," she said, almost as if practiced. "My dad's not one of them, and I won't be, either."

Maverick reached out, shifting his whole body to keep his delicate balance of stuff from all getting dropped on the ground, and took the card, looking it over. "Huh...pretty much a cred stick..." He then paused. "GOLD is the currency here? Frag, this is like being in one of those really old VR adventure games."

Upon hearing the rocker's name he used his ring finger to hold the card against his palm and wrist to allow for him to extend a hand for a shake to the man that was casually propping up his motorcycle. "Maverick, nice to meet ya." And as if on cue that adrenaline crash hit, the saddlebags and case felt heavier. He did however take note that there WERE dragons in this place.

"Yeah...Well it's really good to hear that you don't trample the little guy, where I'm from, corps use people as disposable parts in a machine and they pretty much rule the world." He tucked the card away in his wrist band to he could get a grip of his helmet that was threatening to slip from under his arm.

"Most people wouldn't help someone in a crash either...they'd sooner rob you or shoot you so they can have your stuff." His gaze trailed back up toward the night sky, it was almost uncomfortable seeing all that open space up there, nary a megaplex in sight. "This is going to take some getting used to..."

Kane doesn't leave a man hanging, one handing the mirage long enough to shake the hand offered. "Oh whoa, you're fresh aren't you? Man, I always wanted to meet one of you guys." Kane finally connects enough of the dots to realize this guy isn't new to the city, he's new to the place. That made a lot of things suddenly click into place. "There aren't really a lot of corporations around here, and the ones that are aren't very 'mega'." It was ironic that he of all people was saying that, but the world worked in mysterious ways.

At the very least he couldn't really deny the disposable part, though.

"Well, Miss. I can trot him over to the inn I'm at for now, unless you had some place you were specifically suggesting?" She was bankrolling the guy, so technically if she wanted him somewhere specific that could be a request made.

She shakes her head gently. "I've done my part, I think," she said, putting her hands together in front of herself once more. "I greatly appreciate your willingness to help with the aspects that I can't, and I hope you know that." She smiles briefly at Kane, then turns her attention to Maverick again, studying his face for a silent moment before speaking. "I come and go through Viorar from time to time, and I'm actually supposed to be dress-shopping, but I actually live a ways north, just outside Faron Woods. If you haven't moved on by then, I might see you again, and if not, I'll just hope that your baggage is light and that your travels end up fruitful." She offers a graceful curtsey again, a bit lower and more formal than the initially one at their greeting. "It was really nice meeting you, Maverick." She turns her head slightly, so that someone else isn't left out in the cold. "And you as well... 'Kane,' did you say?"

Kane offers a quick nod, not wanting to dirty up the lady's hand by offering either of his currently motorcycle covered ones. She may not get where she's going by walking on people's backs, but he'd been built with enough tact to not go operating too far outside his parameters. Blame the programming.

"Well, thank you Hikari. I have a funny feeling I'll probably be sticking around here for a while. Since I'm on an entirely new planet I'd probably be eaten by some giant desert worm or something if I ventured off on my own. And sorry again for almost running you over." He genuinely felt bad for the close call, not that he had had much choice in the matter.

He then turned his attention to Kane. "So...you got a place we can go then? Lead on, chummer, cause I don't know where anything is. So..." Maverick paused as an old ass reference crossed his mind. He really hoped he didn't end up with a three shells issue in this place...

"Still crazy how much wood is here. Regular people just making whole ass buildings out of it. Crazy..." It was more an observation to himself, but it was said for the benefit of all to hear.

The 'giant worm' comment changes her smile into a smirk, and she watches the two of them for another moment or two before taking her leave, turning to head down an adjoining street and pulling her phone out of her pocket again, preparing to return that call she missed earlier as she disappears behind a building. "Sephie?" she asks, her voice still audible for a few seconds longer. "Sorry about that, I was..." And then she's gone!

"Ah the desert worms are actually pretty easy to avoid, you just gotta zig-zag a little." Kane navigates the mirage around and then starts walking the broken beast towards the inn he was at. "And yeah! Some people just decide to go off grid and like, cut down random trees to make a house out in the woods. Not really my kind of deal, but hey, whatever floats the boat right?" The night air in the city hasn't stopped any of the rest of the people who live here from wandering about, though Kane does pause for a moment to check one of the analogue clocks posted up.

"Right, still got plenty of time to get you in for the night. You feelin' more like you wanna-" he almost said crash but that was probably poor taste considering what just happened. "-sleep some of it off or are you thinking of some food?"

At the mention of food he realized it had been nearly a full day since he had eaten, since he tended to eat very light when he had a job lined up. Confirmation about the sandworms threw him off though, as he had been joking.

"I could go for a soy-kaf and a Stuffer Shack burrito about now...But I'm guessing you guys don't have those here." Part of him was dreading what sort of food this place might have, the other part was rather eager to find out. Was it nutrient pellets? Some sort of gross slurry? A magic leaf that made you full by nibbling on it?

"I don't need fancy accommodations or anything. Hell, I'd be content with a tarp a shed big enough for my bike and I. The cheaper the better, really. Gotta make this fifty gold stretch as far as I can."

"I mean look, the place we're going isn't really what I'd call fancy. But it's got a bed and a little mini fridge for you to shove leftovers into." Kane was still a little hyped actually at the fact that this guy was so new! What the heck was a soy-kaf? Who knew! But since he was apparently the greeter now:

"Uh, you wanna grab a burger? I get the feeling you're a burger kinda guy. I know this place run by a real cool guy, he's got a strange way of talking but man can he whip up some grub." The Dudbear Cafe had been a favorite find of his. Even if he couldn't really understand them at all.

Maverick's expression brightened at mention of a burger. "You guys have burgers in this place? GREAT! Something familiar!" Already his stomach started to growl at the prospect of food.

"Should we drop my stuff off first? The inn secure enough to put my stuff alone in?" He walked in stride along side Kane, still in awe of how easily the man was moving the motorcycle.

"And you've worked on a bus? Any experience with bikes?" The fact that Kane knew what the wreck was had been nice too. He had half expected that a horse would be the normal mode of transport in a world that was this much of a throwback.

"Yeah, we'll go chat with the mouse in charge real quick get you dropped off, and then grab a bite." Kane turns them onto a road which has a freakin' waterway flowing through it, complete with little rafts selling kinda shady looking shit. Beyond that, lights are strung up all over, looking like a miniature star field down here beneath all the actual stars.

"Me and the boys were in a band, back in the day! But since they were better at the whole, 'being personable' thing I just kinda covered what they didn't, let 'em shine." He pats the chassis he's walking around fondly. "Wouldn't be the first time I've seen a breakdown. Though yours is a little more extreme than anything I've messed with." Extremely cool! Kane is having to rely on that ol' programming of his to not come off as a squealing fanboy, but this was cool! It was super cool! Man he had always wanted to be on a bike instead of the bus, but none of the other guys knew how to ride and management said it was better that way.

Kane stops at a building roughly in the middle of the street. A massive sign announces it as 'Riddel', and it's here that Kane settles the Mirage down to rest. "Uh, ok so, we're gonna head in here, but just keep calm, okay? It might be a little jarring for you at first."

Maverick was looking all over the place, some aspects of the city around him felt like an odd mirror universe of the one he had come from. The shady dealers almost made him feel at home, but every time he looked up at the sky he was reminded he definitely was NOT home.

"Jarring? Why do you say that? Got some pretty crazy stuff back ho-" He turned his gaze toward the door as his new friend opened it.

Beyond the entrance was a building that blatantly looked way bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. Bigger and just out and out way way more fancy. It almost looks like a casino, in color scheme. But not only that, there's a rat behind the concierge table. A one foot tall rat standing on a wooden stool, dressed in a black tuxedo. Kane steps right up to the little guy and starts chatting with him in slightly hushed tones.

After a few moments, the rat looks up, and beckons Maverick over. "You're the one checking in, right?" Despite everything that cartoons may have lead one to believe, the rat's accent is strangely 'normal'.

Maverick was more gobsmacked over the fancy interior than he was about the talking rat, oddly enough. He slowly walked over to the counter to stand next to Kane, mouth slightly agape as he looked over the rim of his shades.

"Holy fraggin hell...I said I needed cheap, not swanky...." His words weren't chastising, just more flabbergasted. "Is fifty going to even cover a week?...." If he had been back home a place like this probably would have run at least eight-hundred nuyen a night.

"You'll be fine, got a bit of a rate for fresh folks. Just uh, don't suddenly decide to swap up to the penthouse suite, yeah?" Kane doesn't seem perturbed at all by this, and it takes the rat clearing his little throat to bring attention back to him. "Your friend here also said you need to store some kind of work project? You can be assured that your goods will be protected while you remain a resident of these facilities."

Maverick smiled a little "That's great to hear. Thanks for that." he paused and held up the card that Hikari had given to him. "You take these, right?" He set the card on the counter and slid it across to the rat. As far as rats go, this one was waaaay better than the rat he'd dealt with in the past. A spirit that used a rat corpse had been a friend of a friend's and that thing had been NASTY.

"Nice place you have here...uh..Sir." He says to the rat with a bit of a lopsided smile.

He glanced over at Kane. "You said you were staying here too?" For some reason he found it easy to talk to this guy, but he was glad for it considering he was probably going to have to rely on him a lot in the next little while.

The rat collects the card with a practiced ease, running a swipe and returning it with another card. This one has the name of the hotel 'Riddel' along with a number. "You are aware of how elevators work, yes?" The attempt to butter him up has made the rat stand a little straighter, but it's smile at the compliment is hard to decypher on the face of something with a muzzle. "All compliments will be passed to the management, but we appreciate it, Sir."

Kane grins as Maverick navigates getting the card purchased. "Yeah, I'm over at room 18. But the rooms aren't the focus of right now. You ready to go eat? We can handle tours later." He seems eager to get the guy out to handling some food instead, and it's because he was really looking forward to seeing how Maverick deals with getting something that isn't 'soy-kaf' or whatever. And besides, he was so excited about burgers!

"Yeah, just gotta drop off my stuff in my room and I'll be good to go. if I don't put it down soon my arms are gonna fall off." He jested easily. This place even had elevators? Might not be so bad here after all, a little vacation away from being hunted like a stray dog would be a great way to rest and recover after a job, and he would have something interesting to tell Tobe when he got back.

After swinging by his assigned room to drop off his things he secured his door's lock and his cards were tucked away safely in one of his many pockets. He dusted his hands off and turned to Kane.

"Alright chummer, lets go get some grub. Hope you don't mind if I pick your brain a bit about this place. I sorta don't have the first clue..."

Kane can be found where he was left, idly picking away at a muted, non-existent instrument before Maverick returns. "Hey, no problem, I'm happy to let you know everything I do." Not wanting to waste time overly much, Kane starts leading the way to the tavern, taking the earlier statement as leave to start walking. Their trip isn't a long one either, maybe five minutes off to the west and then south.

The place itself isn't particularly large, especially not compared to the interior of Riddel's, but the sign hanging outside says 'Mischievous Spirits' so it's gotta be good. Outside, something that looks like a large, animated teddy bear waits a table. Kane himself sends a greeting wave to the toy though, as if it were something living. "Dub!" The bear turns, and responds in kind with its own "Dub!" And that sets the tone for the rest of the conversation. Which is to say a few more short mono or dual syllabic utterances before Kane turns back. "Seating out here today, feel free to pop a squat. Anything you want on or with that burger?"

Maverick looked at the bear with a bit of an unusual look, but not much of one considering the oddity of it. The more outlandish things so far haven't gotten much of a rise out of him. Honestly, the biggest thing so far had been the lack of tall buildings and the rampant use of wood.

"I think I'll start with the burger. If I'm on some different planet who knows if it will even agree with me, right?" He dropped onto a chair and pushed his shades back up onto his head and looked around at the interior of the tavern.

"Man, everything is so cozy...I don't think I've seen a single metal building since I got here." It was actually really hard for Maverick to refrain from drowning poor Kane in questions. One at a time, just one at a time...

"So, would you mind if I ask you a personal question?" his tone was friendly with a heavy dose of curiosity. "Are you an AI?"

Seated at one of the nearby tables is a young adult dressed in an all-black ensemble which today consists of a cropped shirt, rather tight pants and the always-present combat boots. They're chatting on a cell phone animatedly, gesturing as they talk, and there are four empty shotglasses on the table in front of them. Whatever they were in the middle of saying is cut off as the newcomer catches their eye and becomes an expletive instead. "-- the fuck." They make a face as they look Maverick over, and they aren't even a little shy about expressing their thoughts. "Holy shit dude, did you pick that thing out for yourself? Like, on purpose? Full offense but if you paid for it you were robbed."

Something said on the other end of the phone seems to catch their attention, and they respond in a perfectly audible speaking tone. "No, there's this guy out here and his coat is just, the most eye-violating shade of green. And it's got fuckin' tiger stripes. It's awful. It should be burned, actually."

Maverick was temporarily distracted from his chat with Kane by the rather brash statement about his attire. he turned his gaze over toward the source of the voice and stared blinking for a moment, then he laughed. A good natured laugh

"Oh man, you sound like Tobe...and I'll tell you the saaaaame thing I keep telling her. It's a branding thing. You wanna get noticed and earn a rep on the street you wanna stand out." He smoothly swept a hand down one sleeve as if dusting off the garment. "If you wanna hire someone to get a job done right, who is gonna stand out in your mind? Someone that wears the same ol stuff as everyone else? OR the guy that sticks out like a sore thumb and ROCKS it?" It certainly seemed like Maverick had gone over this whole song and dance before.

"Besides, if people know you for wearing a certain thing all the time, and someone sticks a bounty on your head, it's real easy to throw them off just by taking off a jacket, cause they tend to describe you by your most notable features. This jacket is -strategic-."

"Oh, you're a freelancer," Ava responds, as if they have clear familiarity that makes every bit of that make perfect sense. "Look, I get it man, but are you sure you don't want me to take that thing off your hands and maybe throw it in a lake weighed down with rocks? Only 'rocking' you could do with that piece of--"

It's at this point they notice the reploid Maverick is accompanied by, and after about half a second of staring, some variety of recognition seems to flash over their expression, and they abruptly ditch whatever phone call they were part of. "Hang on. I'm gonna go. Talk later."

"I know that face. You're --" Ava frowns lightly at Kane and starts to rattle off names, snapping their fingers after each one as if trying to jostle an old memory through that action. "Karl. Kasey. Kade. Wait. I got it. Kane. That's the one! Man, what happened? You guys disappeared off the face of the fuckin' planet." Judging by the look of them, they were probably a preteen or barely into their teens if they were previously a fan of the band.

Kane is part of the way into answering the question when the possibly drunk addition to the party speaks up to insult Maverick's sense of fashion. Honestly, it was a lot, but considering he's brand new around it was likely just something that made sense back where he came from. The explanation of 'branding' made all too much sense to the rocker.

It's only when the newcomer's attention turns to him that Kane finds himself actually paying attention to them for the first time. "Old song and dance, you know. Who knew starting up a boyband to sell power stations wasn't exactly the best plan?" There's a practiced casualness with which he puts down his old bosses, like it was the kind of thought that anyone should have understood. But corporations weren't people, so they don't understand.

"The boys are doing well, in case you're going to ask. Enjoying the quiet life away from the lights." Kane looks back Maverick's way, not wanting to leave him out of the loop and also hanging. "AI isn't quite the right word? Uhhh, probably best to think of me as a robot, but some folks consider that a little reductive."

"Robot? Really? You seem waaaaay more advanced than that." He had known some pretty talented riggers in his time, so he knew a -little bit- about that sort of stuff, but to call Kane a robot just seemed like it fell short.

"Either way, it's pretty damn cool. I was never the -best- with tech, pissed off too many deckers in my time to want to have it as a huge part of my day to day. I don't even have an active smartlink on my guns. Waaaaaay too easy to get your weapons fragged with in a fight if you use that stuff. In my opinion." He was looking over the menu again. All of it sounded great, but in his experience the names were always just a little veil to hide all the different ways soy was used for every part of the damn meal.

"So...you are a bigshot musician here or something?" He asked Kane, referencing Ava with a relaxed gesture in the direction of the teen. "They seem into ya."

While the youth is certainly outspoken in a completely shameless way, they're not slurring their words or showing a lack of awareness about their volume or anything else that would indicate drunkenness. Maybe they are a little drunk, or maybe insulting random strangers is just an average day for them. They shift in their chair, turning towards the two and leaning forward, elbows resting near their knees and hands loosely hanging in front of them.

Ava smirks a little at that answer from Kane, but then their eyes shift to Maverick, noting the questions he's asking and the unfamiliar terms he's peppering his speech with. He has a bit of a fish-out-of-water quality to him, something not at all uncommon to run into in the Cleft. The biggest giveaway is the lack of familiarity with Reploids. They're terribly common Cleftside, after all. The rogue's eyes narrow slightly. "Used to be a bigshot," they say, cutting in again with no concern about whether they're being rude or not. "Like I said, they disappeared off the planet. You still play at all?" The question is directed at Kane, obviously.

"Yeah that's why it's reductive." Kane winks at the little spiel about the perceived advanceness of him and his kin. The mini rant from the newcomer mentions another fun word, 'deckers' which had to be hackers, given the context. God that was fun. The inclusion of their new speaking partner's interjection hardly bothered him actually.

With a grin, Kane tips his seat back a little bit to give himself some more room. One hand raises up, taking position on invisible frets as the other moves down by his hips. The music that it produces is clearly a bass guitar, despite not being present. Ava might even be able to claim a little familiarity with the tune, though it's been a while. After a handful of notes, Kane tips back forwards and leans his elbows on the table.

"Not really producing a draw right now, but hey, never say never to a solo tour, right? Power Up may not be selling reactors anymore, but there's plenty to be singing about otherwise."

"I've gotta admit, definitely more tech here than I would have expected at first glance. It is both weird and neat." His umber gaze tracked each waiter and waitress that went by, incase his food was being delivered, he was starving.

"Pretty big retro tunes and trid business back home. Everyone loves rock, and synth. Honestly, you'd fit right in, Kane. So would you kiddo." He says in a light friendly tone to Ava.
"Probably not really a place anyone would willingly wanna be though. You pretty much have two options, sinless gutter rat, or wage slave sinner. Well, three options I guess, option three is Shadowrunner. Which is what I opted for. We tend to live fast and die young though."

The mini-performance from Kane results in a small grin from Ava, though it fades a bit upon being called 'kiddo'. There's some clear annoyance in how they regard Maverick for a moment, but it appears to not be enough for them to pick a fight about it, as their expression levels out pretty quickly. They give him a long, unreadable look after that, speaking up only after letting a silence hang for a couple of seconds.

"It's 'Avarice', by the way. Not 'kiddo'." Well, apparently the irritation wasn't entirely gone after all. "What's a Shadowrunner anyhow?"

"Well, uh..." He scratched his jaw as he tried to think of the best way to word his job description. At least word it in a way that didn't make him sound like he was some sort of criminal...even if he was one.

"Well, I guess the easiest way to describe it is really just a sort of freelance mercenary." He said simply. It was probably best that he leave out the finer details of the job.

"I'm mostly a marksman though. Speed and precision are my thing." He said as the food orders were placed on the table before him. And his jaw dropped a little. The food looked...real. That wasn't soy based everything, that was REAL meat in the burger.

"Holy fuckin hell...This beef? Like...real beef? Can I even afford this?" He was immediately concerned for the balance on this card.

Kane has to admit one thing about the place this newcomer comes from. Despite all the interesting little parts of the conversation he can't help but think that it sounded like it sucked hardcore. "Uh, yeah dude, the beef's real. It's not like, that expensive or anything?" Was it Truce that had more cows? Or Donut? Or any number of other even smaller settlements scattered across the face of the Cleft.

"So, speed and precision, you're used to fighting then?" He had kinda pegged the guy as some kind of courier or something, especially with that ride. That and, well, 'shadowrunner' sounded like it involved a lot of moving fast. His own food arrival wasn't much, a shotglass of a thick, black oil that he didn't touch at the moment. There were more interesting things present, after all.

The reaction from the new guy to seeing 'real beef' is pretty funny to watch, Ava has to admit, and it reflects in a slight smirk on their face. "You look like you've never seen beef before. What did you think it was going to be?"

For once they decide not to comment on something, with regards to his vocation. They'd already noticed the double holster, but for now it suited them better not to make it obvious how observant they are. Also, it sounded like they might actually have some similarities in their job description, and neither of them needed to know that.

"So, heres the thing. Back home the world is sorta fragged, overpopulation, pollution, all that fun stuff. So because it takes so much space to raise stuff like livestock, they decided that most stuff is just going to be made of soy, cause it is easier to grow with little land, tower growops and stuff. So real meat is reserved for the super rich. Rest of us eat soydogs, or drink soy-kaf, or eat soy burgers, or pizzas where every ingredient is some creation of soy." He explained as he wolfed down his burger as if it were his last meal.

"As for the job, yeah, I am basically paid to do all sorts of jobs. Sometimes there is fighting, but ammo is expensive so I avoid shooting whenever I can." He reached down and pulled one of the heavy pistols from his holster and performed a little trick show of twirling it and re-holstered it. It was a display that had nothing to do with how good a shot he was, but some people would be impressed by it. He'd rather be underestimated anyway.

Kane tries to imagine things as Maverick mentions the conditions, but in the end he can only imagine some kind of apocalyptic hellscape. Maybe that had to do with the dragons he mentioned earlier. The little display with the pistol does get Kane's eyes widening, but it's less due to how impressive it may or may not be and more him looking around to try and make sure no guards were nearby. When no one moves to draw swords on them immediately, Kane does relax back. He collects his shotglass and brings it back for a moment, enjoying the smooth taste and mouthfeel across his tongue.

"Well, nice as this place is, there's still plenty of work for people looking for protection. You might be able to find a few places to sling that gun. Just, maybe not in town."

Maverick but imagine what sort of work could be done in a place like this. At least for someone like him, he felt like the prospects were probably minimal, He was going to need to figure out a way to make his own ammo before too long too. Maybe it would end up being like those old games people used to play, start off with rats, work your way up to wolves then actual monsters. Either way he would need an income, and he had a feeling fixing his bike wouldn't be free in the end.

He was also quite certain he was going to start sounding like a broken record if he kept saying "Back home" or "where I come from" and that was also a little disheartening. But at least the food was FAN-FRAGGING-TASTIC.

"What about you Avarice? What do you do? And...uh..That a street name or a given name? Do you guys even have monikers here? Or is that a me thing?"

Avarice seems to show very little reaction to the pistol twirling trick other than a very mild raising of their eyebrows. They don't show any concern for who might be listening or observing until Maverick asks about them, at which point they throw a brief glance around their surroundings, and then brush some errant hair out of their face before responding. "It's a street name, yeah. You could say I'm a freelancer too. Little less 'mercenary', but I do all kinds of work." It's pretty obvious they're deliberately avoiding sharing more than the vaguest summary of what they do.

Kane cocks his head to the side as the two find some kind of common ground. "Well, if you wouldn't mind. Any chance you could show Maverick here how to pick up jobs in the city? Something tells me his style of advertisement might be a little bit different from what we're used to." It'd be better then his idea so far, which had been putting up marker made posters.

It's been a while since he needed to look for work.

"Any idea how long that ride of yours might need to get fixed?" This one was clearly aimed at Maverick as he tries to figure out some kind of timeframe. Old habits from managing the boys on the bus, figuring out who needed 10 minutes to put on pants, ECT ECT.

Maverick turned his attention to Kane and heaved a bit of a sigh at mention of his poor unfortunate bike. Time frame was going to be tricky to estimate since he somehow doubted this place had the parts he needed.

"Uhh...man, I don't know. I guess it depends on how good the metallurgy around here is. Front forks are definitely going to need replacing, fuel tank was thankfully still in one piece, tyres are probably going to be tricky to get a hold of here..."

He took another bite of his burger and chewed thoughtfully, half distracted by it's deliciousness. Wire, bolts and screws would probably be the easiest things to get.

"I'm willing to do just about any sort of work, so getting funds shouldn't be a bottleneck. All comes down to the parts. I've got the mechanics skills, but with how twisted up she got I'll probably need your muscle, Kane."

He then looked back to Avarice. "If you need a hand with any jobs I'm more than happy to lend a gun. Or hand, whichever one is needed."

Avarice manages to keep any thoughts they're having about being asked to help the newcomer out from showing on their face. They do mind, actually. Does this guy think they have nothing better to do than babysit some wet-behind-the-ears splat?

Still, maybe there's something to be gained from this. The memory of a few specific experiences makes them bite their tongue, and keep their protests to themself. "I work alone," the rogue says, flatly. "But I may be able to line some work up for you with my contacts, especially if you're flexible. What kinda ride got busted up?"

"It's a Suzuki Mirage, sorta doubt that means much to you though. A motorcycle. More or less popped out of a portal of some sort and into a tree. So her front end is sorta fragged. If I'm lucky may be able to find someone that can make replacement parts. If not...well, guess I learn to drive or ride whatever is available here." The thought of that made him cringe to himself internally. He didn't really want to entertain the thought that the bike may be a write off.

"I'm going to need to see about finding a source of fuel too. But that can be figured out after I fix the bike. Absolute worst case scenario, I get my cardio in and run everywhere. Heh." He gave a lopsided little smile and took another bite of his meal.

"Or, I spot the biggest baddest monsters within a two mile radius of the city, perch on the highest roof and get to killing."

Kane lets the two talk shop for a moment before adding in: "Shrike might be able to put out parts, there's more than a few manufacturers set up over there. Custom orders will probably run a shiny silver, though." He wasn't really sure how to take the two mile radius comment, that's kind of far.

But also this guy came from a different place, maybe that's standard for him? The idea of living by fighting was like taking imp to him.

"Doesn't mean shit to me. Don't know if it will to anyone else either, but if I can get pics from a few angles, or better yet a video, I can send it to a geek I know in Shrike and see if she's up to the job. If she's not, she might know someone who can."

Ava shrugs slightly. "I dunno a lot about all this techie shit but people end up here from all kinds of places and bring the weirdest shit with them all the time. There are some nerds out there who are all about reverse engineering 'cause there's always a market for it." In spite of claiming not to know a lot, it seems like they've got a little bit of background knowledge about the subject after all -- maybe as a result of the 'geek' they mentioned knowing.

Maverick nodded, part of him sorta liked the idea of being the only one on a planet with a motorcycle, keeping it's mysteries to himself, buuuut he wouldn't be able to get her up and running again without some help. His expression suddenly lit up.

"Oh hold on a sec! I can give you the image of it before it was busted, I should still have the images I saved when I was doing research into buying it." He reached up and pulled his shades back down again and tapped a tiny button on one of the arms and started making hand gestures in the air as if he were waving away something.

"No...no...where the frag did I save it? No...Ah! THERE it is!" He then faltered as he belatedly realized he had no way to get the image into a physical form.

"Um...either of you good at drawing what you see? Heh..." he inquired awkwardly with a bit of an embarrassed look on his face.

Ava just stares at Maverick for a couple of seconds, looking unamused -- well, actually, with a very close look, their lip seems to be twitching. Maybe they actually did find that amusing. "I'm a decent sketcher but I dunno if you wanna rely on that for what might end up deciding the dimensions of a replacement part." They reach for their cell phone resting on the table and lift it, holding it at an angle in front of them. "This has a camera though, if you feel like showing me where it is."

Kane puts up his hands apologetically. "Sorry, I'm kinda firmware locked, and I don't really have the ability to interface well with other machines." Part of the corporate mandate on keeping down any possible scandal was making sure he couldn't be seen interfacing with machines that could be seen as competitor's property.

It was a little funny to see Maverick pawing around at the air like that though. It reminded him of some kind of maestro conducting. "If the images are on your sunglasses though, couldn't someone else just put them on to see them?" 'someone' here being Ava, as the professed sketcher among them.

"Yeah, that is what I was gonna suggest. But I don't know how easy it is for other people to adapt to my tech, ya know?" Maverick paused and looked over at Kane.

"You aren't allowed to try on a pair of shades? Cause you don't have to jack in to them or anything to use them. That is why I specifically have this set up, I don't have any augs or wetwear. So my comm is one hundred percent self contained as far as that is concerned."

He took a moment to check a few other files on his comm, finally finding the technical schematics he'd saved while doing work on the bike himself. Reaching up he pulled the shades off and extended them to Kane.

"Have a look, chum." He was actually really curious to see Kane's reaction to what was currently being displayed on the HUD of the shades. More so than seeing Ava's reaction since Kane actually seemed genuinely interested.

Kane hums for a second, wondering what actually would happen. Previously everything from simply a strong aversion to having his eyes shut down, again. But, right now there was only some trepidation instead of anything more serious. Reaching out, he collects the computerized sunglasses and slips them on, opening up his eyes once they're covered to see:

Actually kind of a fucking sick looking bike. "Oh that looks way cooler when the front isn't wrapped around a tree." He could see! All that worrying for nothing. There's only one primary issue, though it's one Kane himself can't see at all. Both of the people at the table though could see it plain as day.

He looks so dumb in sunglasses. They might look fine on Maverick, but somehow it just, doesn't work on Kane, at all. He looks cosmically bad, like a kid trying on his brother's sunglasses.

Maverick couldn't help but snerk just a little bit after Kane put the shades on, but quickly got himself composed.

"Right? You can wave your hand to rotate the image to get a view from different angles, do a reverse pinch motion to zoom in, pinch to zoom out, there is a toggle in the display up at the top right that will change it to a wireframe schematic. Guess I'm just going to have to loan my comm to whoever needs the details. Just really really want them back. They were a present from a really good friend."

He then turned his attention back to Avarice. His gaze fell on the phone, it made him think of the old relic smart phones that used to be used back home. He was having a really hard time holding back making comments on the antiquated tech, especially since Avarice seemed to have a bit of an attitude problem. Maverick had always had a hard time not stooping to other people's levels out of spite, but he was behaving so far.

"I can still show you the bike for the imaging though, I don't mind." He leaned back in his seat, hands laced together behind his head and kicked the chair back onto two legs to balance precariously.

"A lot of people have that stuff built into their bodies where I come from. Eyeball cameras, ear implanted comms, Toxin extractors to combat disease, sleep regulators to minmize how much they have to sleep and allow them to stay up longer on fewer hours...They do much augmenting here?"

Ava lets the two chatter for a few moments without interruption, taking the opportunity to do something on their phone. Responding to a message of some sort, judging by the amount of tapping involved. When they look up it's to see the sunglasses on Kane and they actually grimace at the sight. "Man, that is not your look at all."

Setting their phone aside again, they listen to Maverick's description of the sunglasses' capabilities, eventually shrugging slightly. "I mean, that'd work too if they do all that. Just gotta get you in contact with someone either way, I guess." They don't seem surprised about it, but it's pretty obvious they weren't really expecting the shades to have that sort of functionality, since it hadn't occurred to them to suggest that first.

The rogue wears a very slight frown as he goes on -- or maybe it's just their resting face. "Eyeball cameras? Like, do they take out your eye and put it in instead, or does it go in your eye? I dunno. I don't think a lotta people do that here. But like..." They gesture vaguely. "People end up here from all kinds of weird as fuck places. And they bring weird shit with them. So maybe there's more people doing it than I know about."

"Sometimes it is an ocular implant, other times they just replace the whole thing with hardware. I've got a friend who had their whole damn skeleton surgically reinforced with titainium. Couldn't swim so well after that, but damn could they take a hit. Riggers get shit implanted into their brains so they can BE their ride. Needless to say...shit like that makes for a wild kink list." He rocked back and forth on his teetering chair as if he hadn't just said something that was likely not appropriate to be talking about with people he'd just met.

"But...yeah...I don't think those frames work with your head shape that well Kane, sorry to say." He chuckled a little as he popped a fry into his mouth.

"Could probably work with a different shape though, those ones are custom to me, so they probably wouldn't look good on anyone aside from me."

Kane groans as the reviews come in, having been messing with the image before he realized what exactly was going on past the lenses. "Man I always look bad in shades." It's hard to not grump a little as he removes the mini computers and offers them to the middle of the table, free game for either Ava or Maverick to take. "Frankly, if you ask me the idea of 'borging up doesn't seem all that weird. But I haven't of heard that many folks actually doing it."

He sits back, letting his eyes adjust a little to the real world once again as he reviews mental images taken of the bike. Eventually he looks over to Ava, the only other resident person who's from here. "When's the last time you had to hop a ferry over to Shrike? I don't exactly recall what the standard fare for it is."

"I bet," comes out of Avarice's mouth without missing a beat when Maverick says something about kinks, apparently not finding it a remotely strange thing to say.

"Uhh, I don't usually take it from here, but you could. It'd probably run, I dunno, ten, fifteen gold altogether for a one-way trip? Probably still the best way to do it on a budget. You could save on the price of a ticket and only spend about a third that if you went overland and took the ferry from Truce instead, but unless you're going as the crow flies that's a long-ass trip, and you'd need rations, camping supplies, shit like that, might not really save anything in the end and you'd probably lose time. Plus I don't think you wanna figure out how to haul a bike all that way on foot."

"I guess my first order of business is to get some extra funds then. Fifty isn't going to last forever. Hey, by the way, I really appreciate you two helping me out. Means a lot. I'd be so fragging lost without this guidance and information. That said, any idea how I might be able to get back home? They are probably wondering where the hell I went."

Maverick continued to teeter on the back legs of his chair as he spoke, reaching over to claim his shades and set them back atop his head for the time being.

The concept of 'home' makes Kane purse his lips and lean back a little. He'd heard about what some people did when they learned that there wasn't, in fact, a way back. That this was home now. But also, if he didn't field the question then Ava over there was going to do it in a much worse way. Besides, Maverick was a cool guy right? He had taken this all in stride so far.

The thought didn't stop him from tensing up a little and shifting his attention to the shadowrunner's gun hand as he speaks. "There's, been a lot of discussion about that, from what I've heard. I mean, granted, I'm not a scholar at all, there are probably people with much more fully formed opinions of than me but uh-"

He was dancing around the point a little too much. "As far as anyone can tell there isn't. A way back, I mean. "

Apparently having fulfilled their quota of being helpful for the moment, Ava puts on a completely disinterested expression while Kane speaks and reaches into one of their pants pockets for a carton of cigarettes and a lighter, which is set to the end of one once they slip it out of the box. As they light up, their eyes return to Maverick, waiting for his reaction with a slightly raised eyebrow.

Maverick's generally easy going expression faltered just a little and he frowned. His chair tilting a little too far backward for a split second. Most people would have probably ended up flat on their back as a result of such an overbalance, but not the gunman. With the reflexes of a cat and the speed of a mongoose, he reached back and caught the fall with one hand on the floor and pushed off, righting his chair.

"Ah that just means I get to figure it out for myself I guess. No big." Maverick did feel a twang of anxiety which he was doing his best to hide. Being sad about something you couldn't change never did anyone any good.

"This is fine. Just one more thing to put on the to-do list. Right?" He offered up a cheerful smile and snatched up another fry from his plate.

Kane doesn't really move as Maverick almost tips and then pulls himself right. He wasn't a combat-build, no one was going to foot the bill for that kind of hardware. But he was also rooted in the moment, wondering if the man was about to reach for the gun and flip out. Luckily, it doesn't come to that.

Kane relaxes the smallest amount before he nods. "Right. You've got a long list ahead of you so far. Looks like you're not gonna want for anything except free time." His eyes flick over to Ava, curious to see how exactly they were taking things, or if they had even registered the possibility of the threat.

Ava takes a drag and stuffs the remainder of their things back in the pocket they were taken from, lips curving slightly upward in amusement as the gunman damn near falls flat in his chair. At least it's a fairly harmless form of schadenfreude.

The thief exhales off to the side before noticing a very slight lull that seems to invite comment. "Why not. Maybe you'll be stuck here forever. Or maybe you'll be the one to figure it out. Weirder shit's happened." They don't seem like they're trying to rub it in, actually; their tone is more blunt than anything. Leaning back, they cross one leg over the other. "I mean, everything about this place is weird. Or at least that's what I keep hearing; born and raised here, so I don't know anything else. Not gonna pretend I know what is and isn't doable."

Maverick scratched at his head a little, mussing his own dark brown hair, though it was hard to tell it was mussed considering it looked pretty chaotic to start with.

"Free time...Heh, not something I was anticipating having any time soon. Had a ton of work lined up..." He sighed, more worried about how his partner might be doing rather than his own situation.

"Well," He said with a renewed energy as he straightened and practically inhaled what was left of his food. "I guess we can go to the work space whenever you guys are ready and go over the bike and what it might need." He looked over at Kane. "She ain't no bus, but I can teach you about her anyway, if that is something you are interested in, of course."

Kane nods, having long since finished his portion of the meal. With a rough mental calculation he drops a few gold coins onto the table and then stands. "Ava, you're welcome to come with. Unless you've got something else to handle of course." He wasn't going to drag them along if they didn't actually want to, but they've been involved with the situation so far. So it makes sense they might wanna keep it up.

No matter the number of people who do follow though, Kane is eager to get to work. The trip back to Riddel's is pretty quick, though instead of going into one of the rooms he'll take them to a side building that, should not exist given the architecture of the building. Part stable part garage, this place seems to be here for one purpose. Storing the guest's methods of conveyance. In a slot matching his room number is Maverick's wrecked Mirage.

With a newfound appreciation for what it's supposed to look like, Kane winces a little as he squats down. The concrete stall the wreck is positioned in looks almost like an unfinished grave. "Damn shame. Better the bike than you though."

Ava raises an eyebrow once again. The rogue seems to be considering something, judging by the pause before they respond, but then they just... sigh, in what seems to be resignation. "You don't need me to look at a bike. Like I said, not something I know how to fix myself. You've got the software to get your own recordings, right? Here."

They pull a receipt out of their pocket, scribble a phone number on the back of it, and hand it over to Kane. "I know people in Shrike. Let me know if you need me to find a fixer."

With that, they wave half-heartedly and let the two go. They barely turn away before looking for the wait staff to order another drink.

When they parted ways with Ava and she had mentioned fixers, Maverick had damn near burst out asking if they did infact have "fixers" but reined himself in, logicing out that she probably meant mechanic, and not the type of fixers he was familiar with.

Instead he settled for a friendly "Take care of yourself chummer. Was good meeting you." to Ava, and gave a wave.

Upon arrival at the "garage" he stood there next to Kane looking somberly at his bike. "Yeeahhhh...breaks my heart seeing her like this. This thing has gotten me out of trouble so many times. If she wasn't supposedly the only one of it's kind here, it would probably be cheaper to buy a new one rather than fix her, buuuuuut...seeing as how that isn't an option. Fixing it is. And once she is running again, I'll take you for a ride."

All things considered, he was feeling energized. The amazing food playing no small part in that fact. He made his way over to the rear of the bike and opened a small panel, retrieving a basic tool kit that was meant for roadside repairs.

"Got a few basic tools, should help us along." He opened the case and showed the tools to Kane.

(Shouting from Legal) Gforte — Yesterday at 10:18 PM
Kane rolls his neck and shrugs off his jacket. "Okay, so we uh. Basically are gonna have to redo the front end." He digs through the offered toolkit, collecting screwdriver and socket wrench. While he was synthetic, most of his tolerances were built to human norm to keep down on costs and also make him more marketable.

"Right, let's get the forks off, then we'll see how badly the engine is damaged. I don't suppose you have like, specs for the cylinder heads or something?"

"Yeah, I've got that in here." He tapped his shades again. "But I figured tare down would be the best first step. I've got a funny feeling there are a lot of bolts that are going to cause us a lot of grief just cause of how twisted it is."

Maverick himself shrugged out of his garish duster and set it aside, actually having to take a moment to remove the hidden gun sliders that had been up his sleeves, as well as the revolvers that occupied them.

"Time to get greasy."