Don't I Know You From Somewhere?

Quote of the Night: “You want some money? Here! Give it to Charity. They didn’t earn it!”

- Kreshnik

Kreshnik returns to his place, Viktor and Firene in tow. Opening the door, they find that Jonas has regained consciousness. Although still weak, he has managed to show remarkable determination and restraint, as Josiah is in a manic state due to a combination of painkillers and stimulants.

Leaving Firene to try to bring down Josiah, Kreshnik informs Jonas of the current job that The Fish has asked of them. Leery about the lack of immediate monetary reimbursement, Jonas nonetheless is convinced to help Kreshnik & Viktor to recover the medical supplies for the fish.

Looking over the route that the supplies are to be shipped by – on a small barge via the canals from a warehouse in the southeast of The City to Folly Hills in the TCMA – Kreshnik decides that the best place to try to stage an ambush will be in Mire End: It’s outside TCMA jurisdiction so Provosts shouldn’t be a problem, and with any luck most of the citizens will be too involved in their own misery to get involved and try to steal the shipment for themselves. Also, Jonas at least is familiar with the area, having spent some time at Chain’s training to be a Cripplecut fighter.

A quick look at Josiah has them realize that they can’t take him along. Since Firene would also likely be more of a liability than an asset, they leave her to take care of him, and set off to Folly Hills to take the Ferry to Mire End.

Arriving in Mire End, the trio decides to keep a low profile for the immediate future. It’s pretty obvious that they don’t belong, but Jonas carries himself with a “don’t fuck with me” swagger that makes most people realize that there are easier marks. With a full day until the shipment is transported, they need a place to stay until they can make their move. Foregoing Forest Green for the simple fact that there might be some people that could recognize Jonas, they decide on Redberry Park. They make their way through the muck and filth towards the shantytown. Hundreds of hopeless souls try to eek out an existence in the park, selling their bodies for enough money to buy some food or just another hit of their drug of choice to take their minds off of their miserable existence.

Kreshnik sees hundreds of easy marks.

Ditching the low-profile approach, Kreshnik starts to evangelize, trying to turn the crowd’s misery into a determination to better themselves. It works to a point. Although most of the Dollymops and pimps haven’t even heard of the Mortal God Church, they respond well enough to his speech that one group offers their tent for the night.

Jonas watches the crowd with a wary eye, looking for signs of trouble. The hair on the back of his neck stands up as he hears a female voice behind him proposition him for sex. Spinning around, the color drains from his face. The figure is much older than he remembers, and strung out from obvious drug abuse. The daze in her cloudy eyes shows that she obviously doesn’t remember him, and indeed, looking at her Jonas would likely not recognize her as well, but her voice, cracked and ruined as it is, gives her identity away to him instantly.

His mother.

Unsure of what to do, he turns down her proposal. She comments that if he finds her too old, she’s got a daughter – or a son – that he could take as well. The bile rising in his throat, Jonas shakes his head and watches as she shuffles off, telling him that if he changes his mind to ask for Old Amy.

Still visibly disturbed by the visit from his past, Jonas rejoins Kreshnik & Viktor. The people that agree to put them up have little more than a crude tent for a home, but they offer it in exchange for the protection that the three provide. Kreshnik asks Jonas to find a boat or skiff that they can use while he himself decides to go looking for a few other supplies that he feels might be needed.

Jonas heads out. Before he even starts looking for a boat, he enquires about Old Amy, learning that she came to Redberry Park a few years prior. Unsure of what else to do, he heads to the canal. It takes him little time to find a suitable boat, and when the owner protests Jonas stealing it, Jonas takes even less time to kill the man, dumping his body into the canal.

Meanwhile, Kreshnik heads out to explore the area and see if there’s anyone/thing else that he can use. Unfortunately, all too quickly he runs into a couple of thugs from the Holher Gang. Faced with the business end of a sparklock, Kreshnik does what he does best – he cons them. He informs the thugs that he’s got a big score, and if they let him live they’ll get a cut of it. Weighing their options, they take him to see Garsey Hatchet.

Hatchet isn’t the most stable individual, but he knows a good deal when he hears it. Tempted to torture the information out of Kreshnik, Hatchet decides to be magnanimous and settles for a sizable cut of the haul. He lets Kreshnik go with 3 Holhers to watch him.

Shaking, Kreshnik heads back to Redberry Park. Jonas, never particularly enamored with the Holher Gang, wastes no time in picking a fight with them. The thugs are no match for experienced Ghostfighers like Jonas and Viktor, and within moments all three are dead. Aghast at the carnage and terrified at the retribution that the Holher Gang will bring upon the Park if Hatchett finds out what happened, the locals run Kreshnik, Viktor and Jonas out of the Park.

With little else to do, the three head to the canal to wait for the shipment.