Fortunae Naufragium : Tony & Avaline
netrunnersinclair :
“Bull,” Tony said decisively a moment after hearing Ava’s statement and shaking his head as if to emphasise it. “Everyone needs a leader or it’ll fall to chaos.” He pointed a finger at Nox, “you also don’t turn a crippled entity into one of the most influential businesses in town without someone at the wheel. Whether people know it or not democracy or anything like that don’t get something like that done. ‘Specially in these parts. Most of those lackeys don’t have enough cyber cells to put two and two together let alone manage that feat.”
Tony was many things, smart, insightful and perceptive and where everyone might just buy that notion the crows sold he didn’t. Couldn’t. Because he’d seen how this world worked and that certainly wasn’t it. “Well, I’m happy to do business. Though my fees for services rendered don’t come cheap,” more a statement of fact than a brag “but depending I might be willing to come to some agreement.” The insight also made him aware for when he was being tested, whether it was by a friend or foe.
His augs weren’t ever going to be a thing anyone would casually spot, beyond a couple of the light tattoos on his arms and neck. What lay beneath was something else entirely; pristine tuned military grade tech orchestrated like the finest clock you might ever come upon. His fingers flexed lightly around the bottle as he took another sip, “that’s always good to hear, work comes and goes for me.” But there was always someone that needed… removing. “So what else do you get up to in these parts?”
“Maybe we thrive off chaos. Someone in this shitty hell hole needs to take advantage of it.” But even with those words, she knew that Tony wouldn’t be able to see it as truth. He had a point, but it’s also why it had worked so well. If no one’s looking for a leader, if they don’t want to find one, it’s so easy to think that there isn’t one. That everything that’s happening is just chaos, productive chaos, but still only chaos. The only thing readable on her face was a neutral expression of mistrust and then a small shrug as she looked around to see if anyone was listening in. Even if they were, they would only get so much, as Tony himself was only getting so much as well. “You’ve always been too smart for your own good, Tony. Fine, there is someone backing the scenes, but they’re staying anonymous other than to a few of us. Safer that way. That being said, I might be able to get you in so you can make that connection, get some more jobs out of it. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised that the Crows aren’t scavenging for money as they used to in the past. You should come by the Next sometime, it’s really been upgraded.”
Finishing her glass, Nox raised it to get the attention of the barkeeper again for a refill though they were still helping a group a few seats down from them. “Other than stealing other people drops that they’re too slow to get? In these parts not much other than sleeping and getting into trouble. The Nest is technically Mid-City and I spend a lot of my time there trying to keep an all out brawl from happening in the club, despite the fact that I think it would be entirely fun.” But it would also be too many Badges sniffing around the place for any Crows liking and Nox wasn’t going to risk her business when that kind of fun could be found on the street. “Other times I’m just making sure that people are getting supplied the things that cause them bliss or the things that just take them out of the painful monotony of life. Never thought I’d fall into it, but it’s a good credit so I’m not complaining.”
















