The Toy-Maker's Dilemma

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TennyoCeres84
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Re: The Toy-Maker's Dilemma

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"Yeah, got his number on my phone," Aislinn answered, dialing the Irishman's number.

***

"To swift justice and just desserts," the tree spirit agreed, clinking her glass against his. "The only toymaker I know of is that Gammell fellow. He's quite reclusive, but has a decent reputation," Sophia said, sipping at the Scotch.

"I do recall, back in the 1800s, stories of street orphans running errands for a mysterious figure. I'm not surprised if this was true. While children can be impressionable, they can see a person's true nature whereas an adult will judge harshly. Prior to that, there had been a couple of reported deaths aboard a ship that reached Hope's docks. The local Freak den was scared by...something that forced them into giving up some of their preciously guarded sewers."
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IamLEAM1983
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Re: The Toy-Maker's Dilemma

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Archie raised his own glass and took a quick sip. "The Toymakers' Guild? How peculiar; I believe Gammell has the local monopoly on the current production of vintage amusements... I would have noticed if there had been more notable manufacturers. Or at the very least, I should have," he admitted, briefly looking at his glass in mild embarrassment.

"I'd established myself in Hope, yes, but sitting idly by had already proved to be too much. Even before Shamus rang my doorbell for the first time, I spent many a week out of town. If the Guild had been quiet, and given how I have no personal inclination towards giving a second glance to old toymakers, I could have missed the obvious signs."

Still, he clicked his nonexistent tongue. "Ah, but the Brotherhood, however? Yes, I do remember them. Craven industrialists with a side of occultism and an obsession for the mechanical form that would have made the unborn Italian Futurists shiver with barely restrained envy."

He eyed Sophia, one finger of his glass-holding hand pointing at her. "I recall escorting one of their especially vocal sorts to the constable's office, as I'd caught the poor fool in midst of digging a hole at the Tree's rear, almost right behind your house, Sophia. He'd gotten it in his mind that specially carved brass rods could be used to transmute the Tree's roots and turn the entire Nexus into some sort of steam-belching horror tooting the glories of some unknowable entity who thrived on entropy. That was in... 1897, I believe.

Luckily, I caught him in time to prevent him from disturbing more than the moss and topsoil. Otherwise, the Tree's own defenses would have given him a rather nasty surprise."

Another pause. "Yes, we have had a number of pauper kings throughout the years, it seems. Vagrant mages caring for and enthralling urchins, Freaks keeping the destitute on blood leashes - as well as recent cases of the homeless and destitute turning up in detox clinics and psychiatric wards in greater concentrations than before. Interrogations have allowed the police to ascertain that someone has been positioned as leader in their ranks, but the names and details are inconstant... I doubt this is relevant to our current interests.

As for the ship, it would not surprise me if it stood as an early attempt by some members of the Court of Vitellius to attempt to purge the sewers of potential adversaries. Sewers would have made a perfect transit system for the Gluttons' interests in human trafficking, after all."

***

Drake gave Katherine a vaguely frustrated pout. "Archie's the one with the easy connections, let's see if I can't get an introduction," he said, pulling out his cell phone.

He reached Archie just as the Clank finished reminiscing the Brotherhood's details. The former spy excused himself and stepped away from the table long enough to answer his cell phone. "Well, Aidan," he could be heard saying a few moments later, "I cannot fault you for your timing, that much is obvious. I've decided to pay Sophia a visit and to mine Jim's gray matter with a good bottle."

They'd barely be able to hear Aidan's voice, the human asking for permission in order to speak to Jimmy. "Well, of course," replied the Clank. "If you'll wait for just a moment..."

He pulled his phone away and covered the mouthpiece with a hand. "Three of my recently inherited cubs would like permission in order to continue their end of the investigation in Naughton," he explained. "Would you speak to one of them, Jim, or shall I relay your response?"
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Karl the Mad
 

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Re: The Toy-Maker's Dilemma

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Jimmy's eyebrows went up in surprise. "Oh. Well, now, that's... polite of them." Usually he didn't get so much as a by-your-leave from the police when they had to muck about in his territory; privately he blamed Mayor Doherty for the drop in respect, but one couldn't argue with the hoi polloi for long. "They have my leave, if they keep it discrete as much as possible. My boys are already on edge with these clank slayings, you understand."

Apparently he couldn't foresee every little thing, but he could still adapt. His gaze drifted to Sophie, and he rolled his eyes.
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IamLEAM1983
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Re: The Toy-Maker's Dilemma

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"Of course," nodded Archie. "The better part of valor and whatnot," he agreed. He then turned his attention back to the phone.

"You have Jimmy's approval, Aidan. I suspect I do not need to remind you to keep your nose clean and to avoid any and all unfortunate incidents...
- Obviously not," replied the former soldier. "We're rookies, but we're not that dumb. Kinda tough figuring out that starting a gang war between us and the Mickeys would be a good idea, when their own Irish-American Clanks are being targeted as much as any others.

We're leaving the office complex and we're strapped. If anything goes down, it won't be between Jimmy's boys and us, Arch. We're getting close. Gammell's prodding us so we'll get the tooth we left as evidence at Central; he probably carved it to act as part of a key for some larger mechanism. Then it's off to Naughton."

Archibald grunted thoughtfully. "Then I will advise Jim to give prior notice to his own men. I would rather you all immediately fought as a cohesive unit rather than be forced to spout exposition and waste precious time that could allow you to save the toymaker."

He hung up and looked back to Winters. "You may want to signal your men, old boy. My cubs are green around the gills, and what we are facing may prove to be truly horrendous. They can handle themselves, but your employees deserve time enough to prepare. We do not know what is transpiring in Naughton, nor in which corner of the warehouse district. There is a strong possibility that our culprit has known to evade your security detail for several months, now."
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Re: The Toy-Maker's Dilemma

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Winters grunted thoughtfully in reply, his mind racing. "Call your kids again and tell them to head for the Harp & Blackthorn first, if that's the case. Now, if you'll excuse me," he said as he pushed away and stood up, heading back outside. A sharp whistle brought his top men in a heartbeat, and he regarded the two of them briefly. "Let the boys know Shield's heading our way; they're on the trail of those clank deaths we've had lately. It might get messy, I'm not in the mood to check, but we're not out to make a mess ourselves, got it? Also put the word around, whoever's doing this might have been operating in our turf for a while now, we need to be especially cautious." The vamps exchanged a glance, and without another word Rocco turned and started off, pulling his own phone out to mutter rapid instructions; calling for a new car, passing the news on, that sort of thing.

By the time Shield would show up, the streets of Naughton and Renton would show signs of the General's orders; the sidewalks were largely empty save for small groups of hard young men in light denim jackets every block or so, and the warehouse districts in particular were more blatantly patrolled, sedans carrying more hard young men driving slowly here and there. This was not unusual; once a month or so Jimmy's men practiced lockdowns and sweeps in just this manner, something his neighborhoods had long since grown accustomed to since the Battle of Hope, only it hadn't been two weeks since the last practice run. Rocco himself was at the Inn, waiting for Shield, with a handpicked group of older gangsters waiting about; some of them smoked, some just talked or had water, but there wasn't a drop of beer or whiskey to be seen.

That was for later, though. For now, they were still in the office complex. "I take it we have their cooperation?" Katherine remarked once Three would have hung up. "Good, let's not waste time then." She turned and went for the exit, outwardly relaxed but inside she was thinking about previous events in her life like this.
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TennyoCeres84
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Re: The Toy-Maker's Dilemma

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OOC: Reply for Spector and Bucky, please.

BIC: "Yeah, the sooner we see what's at Naughton, the better," Aislinn agreed, following Katherine.

***

"Possibly, but I still think it shouldn't be ruled out," Sophia said, finishing her drink and then standing up. "I'd like to join Shield on their case. Whoever is causing clanks to die will eventually pose a threat to the Tree."
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Re: The Toy-Maker's Dilemma

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"It wouldn't be wise for me to be personally involved," Jimmy mused. "It's alright for my boys to lend a hand, Naughton is their back yard after all, but I'm supposed to be too old and selfish for this stuff." He chuckled and sipped. "It's quite likely that Gammell is affiliated with the Toymakers, and possibly he is the Guild. Very little is known about the man himself, but we can surmise much." He set the glass down and leaned forward, hands steepled before him. "One, he is very old, possibly older than we three. Two, he is remarkably clever and very discrete; my own clanksmen sometimes require, ah, specialty parts for some of their ordered repairs or modifications, and by and large they turn to Gammell for such trafficking. I've had the chance to inspect a few of his creations, and if you look hard enough you can sometimes detect the strangest arcane symbols, but most telling? The mechanical acuity is clearly beyond what mortal engineers can aspire to; perhaps once nanotechnology has been developed further, but not today."

He reached down for another sip of scotch. "Also, a few names crop up now and again, as the years roll by. Erasmus is one such name, as is, ah..." He had to search his head for a moment. "Ramos, I believe. Eric, Erin? Ernest? Brody occasionally gets a suit from a fellow named Ramos, over in Mertown; he's reported mention of a brother who went off the deep end for transhumanism, a time or two." He shrugged. "I'd poke around over there if I were you, if you haven't done so already."
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