Midori decided to spend a little of her hard-earned Nuyen hiring a decker to break into the school systems and get her as much information about both of them as possible: class schedules, attendance records, any guidance notes for either of them. It wasn't so long ago she'd graduated that she forgot the intricate social lives that highschoolers had that could be revealed in the prosaic details of their education.

But for now, the bubblegum-pink-haired novacoke gal seemed to hold a little bit of Midori's interest, if not just to see what everyone was so hyped up about.

"Arctic! I'd love to do something like that but I'm afraid if I hate it, I won't be able to go back to this," Midori grinned, stroking her sleek black hair.

"Thank you, yeah, they're custom. I know a streetdoc who knew a guy, y'know?" Midori leaned forward to allow Bubblegum Pink to examine her irises, even sending up little floating hearts as an adorable, albeit benign flirtation. When she got called sexy in return, she grinned and decided if not now, when?

"You want to share some Bliss? My treat," Midori purred, revealing one of the vapes she'd tucked into her jacket pocket that she'd earmarked for herself. Midori would draw first if the woman was reluctant to, to let her see that it was indeed the genuine product. Was she trying to get an in with so obvious an attention-draw? Perhaps. It paid not to be the most noticeable person in the room, especially as a Japanese elf in San Francisco.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:18, Tue 12 Dec 2023.

"That's the best way to get hooked up, knowing someone. Too many sharks in the water out here who will just eat you the frag up and spit you out." she replied in rapid fire novacoke fueled staccato. Noticng your eyes, she gave a wide smile and a cute little squeal, "Are those for me? she laughed.

"Mmmm, that sounds so nice, but I think with what I just did, I should ride that out first. But can I give you a hug? I feel like this is a hug moment."

---

Pocsec:
Shadowlands // BayPlex

>>>> Looking to hire a decker for some ongoing work, nothing too spooky. I'll pay good for discretion. <<<<
- posted by Midori

>>>>:: LTG# 206 (52-4667)<<<<<
-posted by Splinter

You can play out texting with your new decker connection in this thread

"Of course you can," Midori laughed, reaching out to hug the young, novacoke-fuelled beauty. She embraced her close and affectionately, but also watched to see if her pockets felt anything strange happening. She didn't think that would be the case as she'd just offered some of her Bliss for free, but one never knew.

Once Midori had been released from the hug, she'd stick around for a few seconds, checking her PocSec quickly to find just what she'd been hoping for.

Pocsec:
Shadowlands // BayPlex

To: LTG# 206 (52-4667)
Hey. Need some intel work done and I'm willing to pay good for good work, maybe more than once depending on your skills. Need work done in San Fran area, like tonight if possible. Doable?

She dives in headlong for a tacklehug, unexpected abandon from the petite party girl. Your possessions are safe, but you modesty suffers a minor blow as she gives your backside a playful squeeze.

”Arctic. Come join us if you’re sticking around,” she says as you turn you attention to biz.

LTG# 206 (52-4667) :: Splinter
Day? Night? In my world, it’s all relative. But I do pwn the CalFree RTG and I only work in secure cred. Transfer 1¥ from a secure stick to the account I’ve given you, then we can talk details.

"Ooh!" Midori laughed as she felt the vibrant woman's hands go for her leather-clad rear. "Cheeky little minx, aren't you?" Midori laughed. She was feeling good and it was about time for her to pack it in for the night, anyhow. She had a potential decker on the line and that made her optimistic for tomorrow.

"I'd love to, for a little bit, anyhow," Midori smiled, sliding down into the nearest seat and patting her lap as though the pretty little novacoke fiend could sit on her lap if she liked.

Midori decided it was about time to Bliss out for a little bit, she was a habitual user and the club wouldn't care about a little Bliss if the gal in front of her was hoovering up Novacoke. Pulling one of the vape pens out of her jacket, she took a hit, then typed quickly back on her phone.

To: LTG# 206 (52-4667) :: Splinter
lol fine, in the next 12-18 hours, fair? Done and done, let me know when you've received it.

[outgoing transfer: 1¥ to Splinter]

The Bliss hits your blood, like cinnamon and black pepper flowing through your veins. In the pulsing electronic music of the club, the sound is drowned out when something is shouted in your direction...

Some Time Later...

Midori wasn't entirely certain how long she stayed at the club that night, it passed in a joyful blur of drinks and poor choices, eventually taking Miss Pink Hair back to her place, though rather unwisely considering she barely knew her. The evening passed in a blur of neon-pink and digital sparkles, and Midori awoke with the sound of the scheduled alarm of her PocSec, groaning in protest as she wanted nothing more than to snuggle into the blankets with the warm body next to her.

Shutting off the alarm, Midori yawned and began to collect clothes for the day both off the floor and from her dresser. She looked back at Miss Pink Hair and wondered if she'd been told a name. Pinkie? No. That wasn't it. Midori flicked open her PocSec and looked if she'd left herself any notes - she did that sometimes when Bliss Midori wanted to so a solid for Next Day Midori. Ro8siee. Hm, taking her spelling with a grain of salt, she decided the young woman was likely called Rosie.

"Hey, Rosie, you okay, girl?" Midori asked as she hopped into a pair of black dress pants, the kind that a female suit would wear: she had to look respectable today, after all. She was going to be making enquiries about Mio and it was important she didn't look like she was out to collect on a debt or disappear someone.

"I'm gonna have to get a move on, sweetie," Midori's voice was uncharacteristically gentle, as though she didn't want the young woman to feel like she was being rushed off. She was, but not because Midori hadn't enjoyed herself, but because she had work to do that she couldn't explain to the pink-haired woman.

Midori looked in the mirror and saw her makeup was utterly ruined - she clearly hadn't thought to take it off last night, so she walked to the attached bathroom, yawning as she began to run water to wash her face.

”Grm?” Rosie says as eloquently as anyone could expect as she rouses from deep sleep to find herself in the grips of a nova-bliss-was that fragging champagne(?!) hangover. She rolls out of the bed, glacially, seeking the few clothes she had worn last night.

By the time you have slotted your cred for Splinter and washed away the remains of last night’s eyeliner wings, she is up and dressed and tentatively sipping a can of sugar free ‘Creature’ energy drink that she rummaged from your barren cupboards. ”I’m glad I remember most of that,” she purrs, kissing you deeply on the way out the door, ”You got my number.”

How the frag does she still taste like wild cherry candy? Must be some kind of glandular augment.

You have a bit of a trek back to collect your bike and the walk combined with the BART ride gives you plenty of time to plan your next move.

Boyfriend? Parents? Highschool? Something else?

Midori smiled, not even minding the fact that Rosie had nabbed one of the last Creature cans she had stocked away when she saw Rosie's fine form and that she was so happy even the morning after.

"I do. I'll message you soon. Thanks for last night," Midori said genuinely, kissing her temple before sending her on the way with an affectionate pat on the rear.

Midori grabbed a small backpack-style purse that looked like something a suit would have - black leather, no ornaments nor obvious tech - and threw her makeup bag into it. She'd do her makeup on the BART like so many other suits. Her leather jacket thrown over top of everything completed her look - she didn't have much leeway on that if she was taking her bike back. She just hoped it was there and in one piece - she might have risked the ride back had she just been on Bliss, but the alcohol and the pillion weren't a good combo at the best of times, not to mention being off her mind on Bliss.

With the nuyen and specifics sent to Splinter, she had nothing to do but wait for something to come back while she travelled up to try and intercept the boyfriend, hopefully with Mio. The Pacific Coast Highway would be safer during the morning, and Midori wanted to make sure she could complete this run successfully in a minimum amount of time, and that meant relentless pursuit. Of course, success was no guarantee, neither was speed, but she'd been hired so either she was being set up or her employer genuinely figured they could complete the job.

Midori wouldn't immediately rock up to her bike when she returned to where she'd parked it, she'd sit and observe from across the street for a little while to see if she could spot any obvious signs of a stakeout or tampering to the vehicle. Like the old saying went, paranoia was just good thinking if you were right.

Boyfriend, hopefully with some info from Splinter for her received before she gets there, but if not she'll improvise.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:22, Fri 29 Dec 2023.

during the BART ride…

LTG# 206 (52-4667) :: Splinter
Your cred scans. Black star. Very Chiba.

What secrets does the web keep from you? Splinter can take your call or meet you on the LTG if you are so inclined.

during the BART ride…

To keep as much anonymity as possible, Midori maintained text communication:

I need you to pull anything on the educational records of these two individuals: attendance, infractions, which buses they're assigned to, etc. Class schedules if you can find them.

If you find anything else about them through their emails or whatever, I'll pay extra for it. Would prefer to deal with a competent decker long-term over risking fragging myself every time I need some data.

Midori hoped that the whiff of more nuyen would keep the decker on her side and show that she was willing to play game in a way he'd understand: cold, hard credits. Jimmy had made a similar comment about her Black Star stick, she wondered vaguely if there was a connection - if there was, she might be able to swing mates' rates next time -  if it wasn't, it might just be one of those funny coincidences that happened sometimes during runs.

[I realise that there is a chance that Midori doesn't have a name for the boyfriend, if that's the case she'll hand over the picture of the two at Renraku Park assuming Splinter could pull transactions for the park or facial recognition technology.]
This message was last edited by the player at 15:00, Sun 31 Dec 2023.

The girl. Easy.

The boy. All you have is a photo, a time and date?

This makes it more difficult.

Who knows you are looking? This can be fast and make noise or very quiet and take time.

The boy and the girl are known to each other. Social media, perhaps? Classes together? They met somehow.

My employer knows I'm looking. Well-resourced but keen not to flush our target early. Stealth over brute force at the minute - I'll let you know if the plans change and you can start breaking stuff.

x M

All is understood.

Splinter flies.

Your tradecraft is automatic. It’s a good way to stay sharp and stay alive. A few moments of watching the bike reveal nothing untoward or suspicious leaving you to conclude that your inquiries last night haven’t picked up any unwanted attention.

That’s good news. Between the investigation into Mio’s disappearance and the side action you’ve started to see how well you can get in biz with Gin, you’re going to have your hands full.

The ride to Outer Sunset helps clear the last remnants of the hangover leaving only fond, if fuzzy, memories of Ro8siee. By the time you get to the state sponsored school in Parkside, there is a note from Splinter.

Akihiro Kitada

Right! The boyfriend’s name. It was buried in the data that Tanaka-san had provided. Must have slipped your mind after things got going at Capone’s.

I forgot we had that detail already. My bad!

Something tells you this angle has been missed almost entirely. You can feel it, the family has under estimated the impact this guy had on the girl’s life. A teenage girl, running back and forth across town on the daily? That had to mean something, for both of them.

There had to be more data. They should be thousands of messages exchanged between them. Pining over the distance and the time spent apart. Their phones, their socials, their little private space on Shadowlands; something was out there.

Splinter is still working the Net. You’re at the boyfriend’s highschool. 21 Jump Street, Shadowrun style.

I forgot too, lol. No stress!

Midori got off of her bike, taking her helmet off. She undid the practical braid she kept her hair in while she was on the bike to keep it from tangling and to ensure that her helmet fitted snugly in case of an accident or attack.

She smoothed her clothes off, opening the leather jacket she was wearing to reveal the staid outfit she had on and she observed the building - what sort of security the school visibly had would inform her approach. She also looked to see how many Japanese-American students there were in contrast to the other students, wanting to see if she'd stick out like a sore thumb.

Midori checked her PocSec, smiling as she saw a name. She sent a small tip Splinter's way, trying to show her appreciation for his quick work. She wanted him on her side, she was certain that although she kept things pretty locked down, she wasn't a ghost on the Shadowlands. Decking wasn't her gig, after all. People were.

Midori looked up the school's public phone number and put on her best professional voice, explaining that she was from the Nippon Educational Institute and she needed to speak with Akihiro Kitada about an opportunity for him and his school.

Midori mentioned that she understood that it was unorthodox, but she was in the area now and could she come in and speak with him briefly in the school's office? Applying a bit of urgency to the situation could grease the wheels at times.

Of course, if Akihiro was 18 or over, he could sign himself out of school, but Midori wanted to exercise caution before walking into the school. She could enrol as a student but that'd require identification, identification required nuyen and time. Midori was chasing leads as quickly as possible.

Midori's ribs hurt where Rosie had been a little overenthusiastic with her kissing and kittenish biting, and so she rubbed her side while she awaited an answer from the receptionist. She knew that it might take some time to get an answer from the school officials, so she did what she could to keep mentally cool. She kept her head on a swivel, resting her helmet on the handle of the motorcycle, her PocSec pressed to hear elven ear.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 14:51, Mon 08 Jan.

Its slow going, but eventually the waiting pays off. "Hello, Ms Shimizu? This is Vice-Principal O'Reagan," came a woman's voice over your PocSec. "Would it be possible to come down to the school today to discuss Akihiro Kitada?"

It doesn't take long to make arrangements to meet with Vice-Principal if you are amenable to meeting at the school this morning. Well kept and shining new,  much like the rest of the district, the school looks clean and modern. A cartoonish yokai emblazoned on the flashing LED sign in front of the school alternatively declares, 'Home of the Tengu' and 'Mitsuhama: a proud corporate sponsor'. At this time of day, the students milling around the halls and common areas are few and far between, though you pass a handful of skate punks, clearly cutting class, sporting mohawks and giving you a lusty look over their mirroshades.

Classes are in session. The halls are empty and your heels click on the polished floor, echoing off the lockers that line the corridor on the way to the front office. You are met by an administrative assistant who ushers you into a small conference room where you are brought an autoheating can of soykaf and asked to wait a few moments. You are soon joined by a short and matronly woman with red hair and a splash of freckles across her nose. Her datajack tastefully mounted in a mother of pearl setting on her temple.

"You had asked about Akihiro?" she says after briefly introducing herself as Vice-Principal O'Reagan. "Is this pertaining to his disappearance?"
This message was last updated by the GM at 03:01, Thu 18 Jan.

Midori was amused by the glances of the skate punks, knowing that if she did so much as wave in their direction they'd crumble under the direct attention of a pretty woman. She wondered if she should chide them to go to class, Midori had actually been quite a dutiful student because her parents, Hana and Kenji, had kept her in line with typical Asian parent strictness. That had worked until she'd met Jun, and...

... no, now was not the time to think about Jun. She couldn't afford to consider that painful period of her life and her rapid descent into Shadowrunning. She didn't want to identify with Mio, Akihiro wasn't Jun, they were just two stupid kids that had gotten caught up in something larger than them.

Midori sipped the soykaf, not wanting to seem rude, and tried to keep composed. Administrative buildings always had the same sort of bland decor and silly corpspeak signage, and it was a familiar ground for Midori, who preferred to be welcomed in through the front door than crawl through a ventilation shaft.

His disappearance. Both of them had gone to ground. Of course, young and stupid lovers. Midori looked at Vice-Principal O'Reagan seriously, tilting her head to the side as she sought to weave both halves of her story together. O'Reagan was already offering valuable information, so Midori wanted this meeting to last as long as possible.

"Indeed, there was an opportunity I wished to present to Akihiro and his place of education, which according to the records that my organisation holds ... is here," Midori tried to play up a touch of corporate concern, as though perhaps it was all just a minor misunderstanding and that nothing was suspicious.

"Of course, if you say he's disappeared..." Midori trailed off, before going silent and regarding O'Reagan, as though she fully expected the other woman to pick up the sentence mid-way through. She sipped her soykaf, a troubled expression on her face.

Two stupid kids who let their feelings for each other run away with them. A tale as old as time. Was that what happened to Mio and Akihiro? If it was, at least the girl wasn't alone out there in the 'plex. If they had run together, maybe she was safe and they were finding a way together.

That, or the 'plex had swallowed them both.

You watch O'Regan's face, while pretending to sip your soykaf. The way she surreptitiously looks around to see who may be watching, or listening. The way her voice dropped just slightly when she asked if this was about the boy's disappearance. The way the corner of her mouth moves, twitching eagerly in the silence.

The red haired woman is an obvious gossip. She lives a sheltered life but yearns to be part of the stories she sees on the trids. Dreams of the excitement of the sims she runs in her jack.

She wants to share secrets, to bask in the drama like a lizard basks in the sun. She is resisting the urge, probably due to her professional obligation as the vice principal. If you pull those strings and play her tune, you are sure that she will dance.
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:12, Tue 06 Feb.

"I probably shouldn't tell you this," Midori said, and then paused, leaning inward as though she was sharing a confidential secret. Her luminous pupils were dimmed to almost a lilac-grey colour, to better disguise her less-than-legal leanings than the flare she wore when 'running.

"But you should know, as the vice principal: Akihiro has been scouted, and it's very important that he's found sooner than later, for the good of the school. If a rival org manages to sign him first, my boss will not be happy with me, and I won't be able to release the funds the school is due," Midori sighed, as though she had the type of boss who might say things like 'hit the ground running' and 'circle back to this' and she was only one more corpspeak term away from doing something she'd regret with a stapler and his face. Typical impotent suit-rage that the Vice Principal might have been able to resonate with.

"I'm sure you know about the girlfriend, right?" Midori smirked, as though it was a juicy secret that she was dangling in front of the adventure-hungry woman. Surreptitiously checking her PocSec to see if Splinter had come back with anything else, or maybe a tip had come in from the net she'd cast.

"Of course you do, you must be in the know about all of that already," Midori waved her hand like she knew they shouldn't be talking about it and she wasn't entirely certain if the woman knew, but that Midori would have to be convinced that O'Regan was trustworthy before she divulged any more juicy secrets.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:50, Tue 06 Feb.

"Well, I don't know for certain," she said conspiratorially, "But there was the girl from across town and they say that things between them were getting pretty serious. The two of them are just kids of course, but you know how kids are these days."

Knowing that there is a lucrative corporate sponsored opportunity on the line, that sometimes corps hand out generous finder's fees, but only when prospects are actually found, O'Reagan looks around to make sure you aren't observed, then flicks open a window on her PocSec. Twisting it toward you, she flips through pages of messages on a school social media board.

There are a dizzying array of pictures, comments and the ever present memes.  The vice-principal stops scrolling at a series of posts that went up the week before the teens disappeared. There is a picture of the two of them at a BART station. Mio is, quite surprisingly, still a young Japanese human girl, not yet an elf. That means her transformation and her disappearance happened in the same week. A much tighter timeline than you may have suspected.

That means she ran still acutely suffering from the trauma of her transformation. More potential for bad decisions.

"That's from when he disappeared. That's the girlfriend. She didn't go to school here though."

It also meant that Akihiro was probably a fragging puppy dog. Loyal and trying to support his girlfriend through the hardest moments of her young life.

There are timestamps and comments from friends on the photo. Splinter will want these details. Little bits that might fit into the puzzle the decker was piecing together from stray bits of data.

"Kids have always been this way, look at Romeo and Juliet," Midori smiled kindly, thinking that a mention of classic literature might relax the educator. Midori glanced over the pictures, wondering if they would help Splinter and tried to see if she recognised the BART station - she could talk to the staff if she needed to, or get security footage either legitimately or via a decker.

"She didn't go to school here? Was she not ... sufficiently talented?" Midori asked, trying to frame the school as a desirable place to be and to get O'Reagan's read on Mio. She knew staff were sometimes invested in the little romances they witnessed between students like trid soap opera: some educators found the young love charming.

Fragging puppy dogs. If Akihiro was a puppy-dog style boyfriend, he was like Jun, and she remembered what Jun had been like when her own transformation happened. Midori felt a knot of pain and grief as she reminisced about the way he'd kissed the points of her ears slowly, one at a time, and then her forehead, promising her that he wasn't going anywhere despite her fully expecting him to walk away from her. Jun never left her, not until the cold hand of death separated them permanently.

Midori shook her dark head, trying to dispel the thoughts of the past and focus on her current run. Akihiro and Mio running away together made sense, it was a delicate situation but with two people involved that was twice as many chances for one of them to make a mistake and reveal themselves.

"Do you mind if I get a copy of the photos? For promotional materials to be used after we locate Akihiro, naturally," Midori tried to sound confident and like it was a totally normal thing to ask for.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:09, Wed 21 Feb.

"Well I certainly hope they don't end up like Romeo and Juliet," she says, though you aren't entirely convinced that she wouldn't think the gossip of that the two dying teenagers, love-struck in each other's arms was the most delicious flavor of gossip.

"She seemed quite clever, in a conventional way. Not suitable for Parkside." she replies, falling easily into your trap. "They say she came from a family that was struggling a little financially, but I'm sure you know that Akihiro's family was quite well off. He was bright enough to have a full scholarship, of course, but it's not like they needed it. You can save the link to those pictures, of course."

It seems likely, based on the pictures and the timelines and the soppy posts on socials that you are reading on O'Reagan's PocSec, that the boy followed the girl into the 'plex. He would be dutiful. Caring. Thoughtful.

Dutiful, caring, thoughtful and, with daddy's credstick, a lifeline for Mio. A traceable lifeline...

...but only if Splinter could get a bead on him or, better still, if you could get a SIN. Even if those didn't pan out, tracing two people through the 'plex was easier than tracking one.

Visiting the school has paid off and you have a bit more to go on. You are now looking for both Mio and Akihiro.

"I mean, it would be a terrible tragedy, but I suppose the right person could spin it as a news story where a bright boy with a bright future who met a girl who wasn't... Parkside material, if you understand what I mean," Midori leaned in conspiratorially, giving the woman an understanding 'what can you do' expression, her delicate palms spreading as though she completely understood that occasionally, spin doctoring needed to be done to preserve important reputations.

Seeing them posts and Akihiro's determination to follow Mio into the 'plex, Midori wasn't encouraged: Jun had been the same sort of guy and she knew that Jun would have protected her under any circumstances. He had protected her. She promised herself she'd find this pair before what happened to Jun happened to Akihiro: girls like Midori were like magnets for bad luck and Midori figured Mio might be one of the same.

"Thank you, I'm certain this will be appreciated by my employers," Midori smiled as she saved the links, passing them over to Splinter as soon as she had them.

"There is one other thing, but no, I couldn't ask," Midori sighed, as though debating with herself whether to ask O'Reagan. "I know you're a busy woman, and so am I. I need Akihiro's SIN for a few of the registration documents and of course, there are the bureaucratic ways of getting it, but I'm happy to give you an... administration allowance for saving me from filling out all of those forms just for information that takes like, ten seconds to bring up," Midori smiled politely. Was she just offering a school official a bribe?

"Well, rumors are almost as good as referrals and corporate sponsorship," she mused, pointedly putting weight on the last two words. "That kind of information is of course available only to family, school administration staff and affiliated corporate partners."

She taps her chewed fingernails on the table top nervously, seemingly trying to muster up the courage to ask for what she really wants. "It would be a real privilege to help out a corporate sponsor. I would hope that proving my, umm, commitment to efficiency would give me a favorable letter of recommendation that I could include in my semi-annual self-assessment?"

Out on the streets there was a certain simple elegance to bribery. Poor people needed one thing. Cred. Mazlo and his hierarchy of needs could be figured out with a few well placed nuyen. Why? because poor people, even poor people with ambition, needed to fill their bellies first and their clips second.

No fragging subtlety needed. No corporate ladder and dreams of corner offices to contend with. No fragging Kelly in accounting who was seven years younger and fast becoming a little tramp around the office shaking her new implants at anyone who would look, all the while aiming at the same promotion.

Getting that SIN will make this run go a lot more smoothly, but how in seven hells can you get O'Regan that favorable assessment as payola to encourage her to go forward with breaking the rules?