Gun Running

[Madotsuki]

Crusher explained the rules of poker as he shuffled the deck. All of it just went over the dreamer's head, though; there were more important matters to attend to. A few poker chips were tossed her way, but she paid little heed to them, aside from moving them to a place where she wouldn't accidentally knock them off the table.

After she got the chance to look at her cards, the game began. Crusher slid a blue chip forward and said "bet." Madeline fidgeted with her cards for a moment before sliding a blue chip of her own towards the center of the table and saying "call." Madotsuki just repeated what her fellow Night Terror had done-- mostly because she had no idea what her hand was worth.

"So... I need something delivered to Tier 7," the muscle-bound man began, raising the bet. "I'm the leader of the Gear Grinders, and some of my men are stationed down there in an old warehouse. It's more like a stockpile than anything else-- if we need something, I just go down there and get it."

The round of betting ended, and everyone revealed their hands. The gang leader looked over at Madotsuki's hand and chuckled. "Ye don't even 'ave a pair," he laughed, pulling all the offered chips towards his side of the table. "Maybe ye aren't cut out for this kind of game. It's a shame; ye 'ave a real good poker face." The dreamer wasn't sure if that was supposed to be a compliment or an insult, but she decided to take it as the former.

"The time's come around to restock the storage, but... if ye 'adn't noticed, the elevator to Tier 7 is broken." Madotsuki was about to say that they knew a tunnel to take them to Tier 7, but with what happened at the factory, she wouldn't be surprised if the entrance was discovered and plugged up by the workers. "I'd do it myself, but the tunnel that's easiest to get to from 'ere only goes to Tier 6. Plus, it 'eads into gang territory. Rust's, to be exact. They warned me if I step into their territory again, I wouldn't live to brag about it. And I don't doubt them-- I barely made it out the first time."

"So you want Madotsuki to do it because they don't know her?"

"And she's a Prime! She could handle those guys, no problem! Anyway, it shouldn't be too difficult to find a tunnel to Tier 7 once ye handle Rust. Ye up for it, kid?"

Madotsuki nodded, and Crusher disappeared behind the door. He returned with a giant backpack and tossed it onto the table. The dreamer tryed to peek at what was inside, but Crusher slapped her hand away. "Plauible deniability," he said, helping her put the bag on over her shoulder. "Just in case. And if ye mess up, I'm gonna strangle ye. Good luck."

With that odd pep talk out of the way, the muscular man led her out of the cafe and back into the dim alleyways of Tier 5.