Speak Easy: Facts and Feast

[Circe]

An indoor venue, the bar had a few advantages to it for certain individuals and business deals. The biggest? It used to be a speakeasy and had some rather secure back rooms. Like this one that has foxes carved into the door's frame. It is a private back room fitted with a large mahogany table with matching chairs. The light fixtures are replicas to look like the 1920s. Unlike the bunny room, this on doesn't have a stock of liquors, you had to order out for it.


Circe's chair at the head of the table allows her to watch both the door with ease. A plethora of appetizers are on the table for she knows who she has invited for the information. And she likes the bacon loaded potato skins, thank you very much. Angel eggs, broccoli bites, chicken bites, choco-bananas, wings, shrimp,a fruit and cheese plate. There was quite the variety.


Circe was using her business outfit, albeit she hadn't been on the clock this visit. The staff however were familiar with her, whether as a street criminal or boardroom criminal she wasn't sure. But she paid them and tipped well, so no questions asked. Giving a $500 tip to have the staff play along with the "old timey speakeasy talk" for code words was something that just worked. That the staff were thinking of adding it as a paid service was totally her fault.

Yes, Circe is PROUD of that fact.

[Kray]

Seemed the summer queen wanted a meeting and not the kind that Funderland could be used for, besides that free food was promised, as so the shadow of the giant darkens the door of the former speakeasy. He had been on business not long before this, the old double life thing meant little time for laying about and so was dressed in some very sturdy looking brown dungress and a much nicer brown leather long coat to accompany the polished black shoes and moth eaten fedora.

Looming down over the proprietor he cant help but enjoy the air of subterfuge and secrecy to the whole thing, which was good because as best he knows this isn't a lost friendly space. "Uh. I'm here to meet the foxy lady in her den." Punctuating the end of it wit ha smile, the mortal might only see his mask even that has broken teeth and an ugly mug.

Circe being skilled in her craft would be able to tell pretty quickly that while eh had not gone for a suit Kray has found a hook up for bullet proof clothing of his own, hence the new threads. As the Ashen king himself enters a hand goes up to the rim of his hat which he tips to the Groundskeeper. "Uh. Hey Foxy." Not sure how strict the code words are going need to be here netter to play to the only oen he did know.

[Sonnie Wu]

This was a speakeasy, right? So don't act surprised that Sonnie Wu showed up wearing her 1920s flapper costume from New Year's Eve. Feather boa and all! Wait, was no one else dressing for the theme? Oh well, their loss.

Did she almost forget the password when she got here? Yes, yes she did. After a new mangled attempts, she remembered and got in!

"Yes, hello," the Spring Queen said as she looked about the backroom, "I was told there'd be free food?" Spying the potato skins, she grinned and made a beeline for them. "Jackpot!"

[Circe]

Circe lets out an impressed whistle as she recognizes Kray's materials lining the jacket. A LOT more subtle then her own work recycling Kevlar fragments and silicon-hybrid material into a bulletproof spy suit. And it fit his frame no less. Good for the Ashen King. "Hey big and SOLID dressed guy," she chuckles as she takes a potato skin for herself. No point in waiting. "Excellent synethic fabric there my friend."


"En--" her words are cut off as a flapper enters the room. And then quickly grabs a second before the Spring Queen reaches them. Circe knows her friends. "Yes, food indeed. Both of you enjoy yourselves. But before we start."


Circe takes a moment to plate her appetizers and compose herself at her seat. Proper business looking: "Did either of you want to order drinks? This room has not self-serve bar, only water," there is a plastic carafe in the corner that she points out. Probably a filter top from the design. "Trade-off? Soundproof. I have news from below, but best to not interrupt it with staff visiting. So, drinks before facts or after?"


Because not only was it Freehold business to be kept from mortal sight, but there was also some very criminal activity involved. Zoning and squatting were meh, but the poison gas would have a bigger response.

[Kray]

Heavy grey hands straighten the front of the jacket it might not be hedgespun or anything close to fancy but there was some pride in what represented a step up in his circles. "Uh. Thanks, had a friend give me some good wardrobe advice." Granted he had not gone down the suit route as the summer queen had also suggested but he wasn't that kind of criminal anyway.

The blast from the past arrival resoling into the spring sovereign gets the full hat off the head in acknowledgement. "Uh Hey there ..." A pause before a more general address. "Uh. Are we using code names here?" A few ground rules seem to be in order for discussing freehold business outside of changeling friendly palaces. As the hat is placed back on his head.

Its the plate of prawns, the entire thing that is grabbed up by the giant the fishy morsels forced him to take longer eating one at a time, he also likes fish so that's a bonus. "Uh. Lets get drinks in and sorted that way no we can get business sorted without worrying about interruptions." Even they went undrunk better they were in the room and not needed then outside the room and required. "So. Bottle of brandy or port if they have it." That should more then then tide him over.

[Sonnie Wu]

"Wadda's foon," came Sonnie's garbled reply, her mouth full of potato skins. After a moment of chewing and swallowing, she repeated herself. "Water's fine."

Another skin was devoured before the Beast finally looked around this secret hidden back room with abject curiosity. "Why are we here again?" She honestly had no clue what this meeting was about. The Director of the Freehold, ladies and gentlemen.

[Circe]

She applauds Kray's tailor, literally clapping. "Nice quality for sure. Maybe less covering than my own version, buuut" she shrugs, "Certainly more subtle." Armored trench coat draws much less attention than bulletproof CatWoman.


"No," she bluntly answers Kray's question. Then tilts her head in thought, "Well, I'm not. It a gimmick service at this place. Comes with the privacy," Circe does not reveal that she is responsible for said gimmick. Her own eccentric antics here had provided stellar cover for her running work. And translated to coverage for Freehold business too. What about when you throw in she doesn't have to cater as the Gristlegrinder and Steepscrambler would likely compete to see who could eat more? Win-win.


"Eh?" The Spring Queen didn't recall what they'd been doing underground earlier? Was that much going on for both of them to forget. "Un momento, drinks first," she goes to the door, opens it and waves someone down with a quick conversation, something leaving her pocket. After a couple of minutes, the mundy returns with a tote in exchange for something else from Circe's pocket. The door is secured by Circe. The tote is on the table, Circe taking out a few glasses first. Then the brandy bottle, plus two large bottles of San Pellegrino fizzy water. And a small bottle of tequila. She takes one glass, one fizzy bottle, and the tequila with her back to her seat.


Circe doesn't open the tequila yet, pouring herself a bubbly water instead. She gives the duo a moment. Steeples her fingers together, somehow clicking her fingernails against each other in the process.

"Okay, so!" Circe claps her hands excitedly as she talks with her hands in motion, living up to her Italian stereotype. "You remember how we were looking into the Tunnel Gremlins? Invisible monsters that we made specific bait for? Cameras and traps? Well, Kray and I valiantly checked them," she points at Kray. "He slew a monster and found some treasure. All cameras checked, mission success." A pause to give a thumbs up and let Sonja react as she is want to do. And Kray to retort with what kind of start of epic adventure monster is had actually been. "Also, the tunnels have a serious rat infestation. And roach infestation. Like they go to war with each other. Eat each other. I mean, Kray? remember that first trapped rat we found? It was big enough to be a full on, wait," she points at Sonja. "Have you seen Princess Bride? Because one was at THAT size. Also, Kray and I came up with a possible soultion. That I tested!"


Again with a thumbs up. Circe pauses in her speech. Drink and nibble another potato skin.

[Kray]

Thumbs go into the lapels of the dungarees. "Uh. These help cover some places the coat doesn't." Like his torso for instance. "Uh. I debated an leather apron, had pockets on the front, but it caught round my legs." And well tripping over your own feet was not an intimidating look.

A shrug of heavy shoulders accepting the summer queens resolute denial of coded speak. "Uh. Alrighty then thought best to ask before we got going." Personal not trusting of any space he didn't have total control over when it came to that kind of thing.

While the drinks come he puts his head back so he can drop the prawns right into his open maw. Once it does arrive the bottle is accepted. "Uh. Thanks." Pouring himself a measure. "Uh. Anyone else?" Its only polite to offer and all that.

Circe gave the information dumb while he continued to have fun with the prawn platter. Until he gets pointed to and it seems called on for more details. "Ah." A cough as prawn goes down to fast. "Uh. Ah. Yeah." Sitting properly to help that go down. "Ha. Stomped a dog sized kamikaze rat, there was a bunch down there, still one we didn't find." The unaccounted for vermin. "Oh. You tested the poison gas?" Rather spoiling the big reveal in a moment of excitement.

[Sonnie Wu]

Potato skins were important too. More were devoured as she listened to Circe go on about the tunnel monster thingies. "Eh? of course I've seen the Princess Bride! It's inconceivable that I wouldn't! I know what a R.O.U.S. is." Honestly, the mere suggestion!

The Monkey Flapper Girl turned, pausing in her potato skin consumption, and blinked her eyes at Kray. "Poison gas?! Where on Earth did you get poison gas?" She thought a moment. "Do we even follow the Geneva Convention?"

[Circe]

"Ah," she nods at the mention of the armored pants. "Kind of why I didn't buy that armored dress. Runnkng and skirts," she waves both hands in the negative. It was a good choice, even if her skin suit was well, she could wear it under a business suit. Summer Contracts, made things no sweat. "Though the apron could excuse butcher tools, buuut also make you look like you're from a Texas horror movie. So," hands raised in the balance position.


"Oh good," she nods as Sonja confirms pop-culture knowledge. "Yes, Kray stomped out an ROUS. Traps accounted for a few, maybe missed one by the cameras."


"You mean the checklist?" Circe giggles in response to Sonja's question. "Oh ho ho ho! I kid! I Kid! We don't have the budget for most of it. But Sonja. Don't you take the warning labels on cleaners seriously? It is quite easy to make in small amounts, oh ho ho!"


"Anyhow," she goes on to her report. "It killed rats and roaches in a basement. Buuut, for like, uh, 20 minutes. And it doesn't go up stairs, so I did the math." She pulls out an old fashioned notepad from her suit's breast pocket. "We'd, uh, probably get feds questions for buying THAT much bleach to flood the whole tunnels. Like, couple hundred gallons I think." Circe wasn't sure about the size of the place. Hence, the high numbers with likely multiple starting points due to the stairs.

"Though, the bone pit? Probably only like 20 or something, it ain't as efficient as the trench warfare stuff," Circe shrugs as she was sure they'd never get enough to make that. Way too much stuff and the details weren't there beyond illustrations for the basics of the basics. And probably a lot of watch lists. Though there was an alternative that required a little more grey market work: "Though bug bombs might work too. We'll need tarps for either one. Block off the bone pit to keep it mostly in and saturate longer."