Getting Down To Work

<> Demiurge says "Okay, Liz was going to the airport for role-maintenance?"

<> Liz nods. "Just so."

The airport seems much as normal, buzzing with activity. Planes go up, planes go down, air traffic controllers tear their hair out.

Liz parks her car, goes up to her hangar to check around it with more than usual care.

<> Demiurge says "Make a Per roll?"

<> Liz rolls the d666 and gets 1 1 CHECK: 6.

<> Liz says "Um..."

<> Demiurge says "Good lord."

The lock on the door is untouched, and there are no signs of any interference with the hangar or nearby. There is, however, a young man loitering not far off, who is clearly watching the hangar.

<> Liz says "Does he see me? (probably a yes, but)"

<> Demiurge says "It looks as if he has. He's openly coming over in your direction."

The young man squints over in Liz's direction, looking curious. He heads over.

Liz hssts to Hitherby, "Keep an eye on the guy coming over."

Liz opens the hangar door, and prepares to step back neatly into the hangar and slam the door into his face.

Liz also ponders Song of Ethereal Shields, but that might be premature.

Hitherby chrisks softly, "Done."

Sepharbird stays on Liz's shoulder, hidden near her throat.

The young man raises a hand in greeting. "Ms. Bradley? Blue Sky?"

Liz raises her opposite hand. "That's me. How may I help you?"

<> Liz says "Does anything about this guy scream, say, 'Djinn' or 'Calabite'?"

<> Demiurge says "Nope. He looks normal. Jeans, white shirt, embroidered waistcoat, jacket, open face. Not overly neat or messy."

The young man extends a hand for a handshake. "Jason Adams. I heard you do exotic shipping..." He pauses, squinting at Sepharbird. "Is the bird real?"

Liz smiles and half bows, asian style. She reaches up and strokes Sephar's throat. "The bird's quite real."

Liz says "Although local."

Sepharbird chirps softly and flips wings.

Liz says "Are you looking to ship something exotic?"

Sepharbird stays on Liz's shoulder.

Jason looks quite interested. "How have you got it tamed?" He lifts a finger to stroke the knuckle delicately towards its chest.

Sephar hops away from Jason's finger.

Liz says "I wouldn't say it's quite tame... but we both enjoy flying, so we've got the basis of a relationship. Careful, he's a bit shy."

Hitherby, far away, comments to Sephar, "Good decision."

Jason withdraws his finger. "I see. Right, shipping, yes. Well, not *so* exotic." He looks back to Liz. "You see, I've got to get some clothing to a show in San Francisco, and what with some holdups..." He grimaces.

Liz says "Ah... do come in."

Liz shows the young man into the office. Assuming there's nothing untoward inside, she asks, "You're with a theatre company?"

Liz, much like Sephar, does not allow herself to be touched.

Jason heads into the office calmly.

Jason does not try to touch Liz.

Liz says "Would you care for coffee or water?"

<> Liz says "That's mostly a note that she avoided the handshake."

Jason says, "Coffee, please? Just straight."

<> Demiurge nods.

Jason looks around a little at the decor.

Liz makes coffee. Her office looks, well, officelike.

Jason stands around until Liz indicates somewhere he should be sitting.

Liz says "Please tell me more about the cargo, and why you need a carrier like Blue Sky. FedEx can have your cargo there tomorrow morning, probably for less than it'll cost you to go through me. We tend to specialize in overseas transport and odd customs regulations."

Liz indicates the couch. She takes one of the chairs facing.

Jason sits on the couch, where indicated. His posture is straight-backed, though not poker-spined. "It's a crate of clothing, for a fashion show in San Francisco. And I know what FedEx *claims*, but..." He sniffs. "They've lost things at the worst possible times. I don't trust them."

Liz nods. "Quite understandable. Roughly how much clothing are we talking about, and when would you need delivery?"

Liz mentally goes over available charter airplane services.

Jason sips coffee and says, "It's about a four-by-four crate, and it really needs to be there by tomorrow, noon."

Jason adds, "I've heard you have reasonably competitive rates."

Liz says "For a small shipper, yes. You'll pay for fuel, what it will cost me to charter a suitable aircraft, my pilot fees, plus the usual handling and paperwork. It's still cheaper to go by FedEx, but I do guarantee the result and give personal service."

Jason smiles. "That's exactly what I'm looking for. I really dislike dealing with faceless companies -- there's nobody to take responsibility when things go missing." He sips his coffee again. "What do you estimate the costs will be?"

Liz takes out a calculator. "Four by four crate... I can have the plane rented by noon... fuel... straight through flight nonstop... we'll go propellor driven to save you the cost of a jet..."

Jason nods attentively.

The cost for fuel and plane is the bulk of it, and it's something like $5,000-7,000 dollars.

<> Demiurge says "Is that a reasonable price? I'm assuming so."

<> Liz says "Probably on the cheap side."

<> Demiurge says "Okay."

Jason makes a tiny wince, then shrugs. "If you can guarentee it will get to the show in time, then it's worth it for the commissions. Downpayment or all up front?"

Liz says "A fifty percent deposit to cover fixed costs. If you wish to insure or indemnify that costs extra, although our rates are very competitive with the 'big boys'."

Jason thinks. "Insure for three thousand, perhaps?"

Liz says "Certainly."

Liz says "That will be an additional $100 to the cost."

Jason nods. "Perfectly reasonable." He reaches for his pants-pocket.

Liz says "One more thing."

Jason pauses. "Yes?"

Liz says "The package is subject to search by airport security or any handlers, and must be in compliance with U.S. laws on interstate transport. You'll be required to sign the usual forms regarding that sort of thing."

Liz says "Please understand, it's nothing personal. All shipping companies have to deal with it."

Liz says "Is the package sealed?"

<> Demiurge says "May I just ask what Liz is wearing? Is she in Office Casual, or overalls, or jacket and dark glasses, or what?"

Jason finishes taking a checkbook out of his back pocket. "Oh, not a problem -- unless they tear something, of course. It's not sealed."

Liz lets Jason fill out the check, then resonates him on it (mostly to see if the check's good).

<> Liz is in office casual.

<> Demiurge says "The check is, well, money he's giving you to pay for the package."

Jason fills out the check, then pauses to ask, "Do I fill this out to Blue Sky or Bradley?"

Liz says "It will be subject to search, then. Our staff will take care of it."

Liz says "Blue Sky, please."

Liz turns back to her computer, and fills in the usual information. Name. Address. Ship-to Address, insurance, method of payment, agreed delivery time, etc, etc etc.

<> Demiurge rolls the d666 and gets 4 5 CHECK: 6.

Jason fills out Blue Sky in the appropriate field, the date, the amount, and a nice flourishing signature.

Liz says "Will you have someone pick up the package at SFO, or will you require delivery to an address?"

Jason says, "I can have someone pick it up, but if delivery wouldn't cost much extra..." He grins. "If you got it that far, I'd trust you to get it the rest of the way."

Liz chuckles. "I'll arrange for ground transportation of the crate. It'll be another $75."

Jason tears out the check and hands it to Liz. "Let me get the driver's license," he says, pulling out a wallet.

Liz resonates. Both check and wallet.

Jason pulls out $75 from the wallet as well as the driver's license. "Here, so I don't have to write another check."

The wallet is the latest cool leatherwear style in wallets, which suits his fashionable and elegant image. The check is, well, a check that he's paying to Liz.

<> Liz says "Does it mean 'payment' or does it mean 'scam', mostly."

<> Demiurge says "Payment."

<> Liz says "Okay."

Liz says "And where is the box now? Again, pickup is an additional cost."

<> Liz says "The transport biz will nickle and dime you to death. Believe you me."

Jason says, "I have it out in my van. If you give me a while, I can try to rip up my jeans on it." He smiles wryly.

Liz laughs. "No need. I have a pallet jack."

Jason wipes his forehead exaggeratedly. "Whew!"

Jason finishes up his coffee, then stands. "Shall I bring the van around here, then?"

Liz says "Just drive your van up to the hangar door, yes."

Jason nods and heads for the door, fishing in his other pocket for keys.

Outside, Jason heads for his van (SUV, really -- lots of windows, etc., with the third back seat removed for the extra "trunk" space), and drives it around to the hanger.

Liz opens up the hangar door and trotts out the pallet jack.

Jason parks the van and hops out to unlock the "trunk" hatch.

Liz waits until he and the 'package' are together, and resonates again.

<> Demiurge says "The crate is a crate that he wants Liz to ship to San Francisco."

Jason hops into the back, crouching over, and prepares to do whatever shoving is necessary to get it onto the pallet jack.

Liz smiles. "Relax. Watch."

Liz jacks the pallet jack up to level with the back of the SUV.

Jason watches this, sideways-bent-over.

Liz wraps a long 'ribbon' (made of kevlar) around the package, and attaches it to a ratchet mechanism on the pallette jack.

Liz turns the 'jack' part of the pallette jack sideways, and begins to pump the mechanism. It tightens the 'ribbon' and pulls the package neatly onto the pallet jack supports.

Jason grins at this. "And here I was sure I'd have to get a new pair of pants after this. Clever."

Jason hops out of the back of his van and closes the "trunk."

Liz rolls the jack back about a half meter, and presses the 'release' button.

The hydraulics hiss, and the package lowers to some centimetres off the ground.

Liz says "There you go."

>From a few hundred metres off comes the regular *fwoom hiss* as a couple of mechanics work with a blowtorch on another plane's side.

Liz passes over the paperwork for Jason to sign. "Sign here, and here, and make sure that the contact info in SF is correct."

Jason nods. "Great. Thanks!" He takes the paperwork and bends over the crate to fill it out.

Liz walks back into the hangar, picks up the cordless phone. As she walks back, Jason can hear her filing a flight plan for later in the day.

Jason fills out forms. Name, phone number, address, contact information, etc., etc., yadda yadda.

Liz finishes filing her flight plan. She waits for Jason to finish filling out the forms, and then pulls the jack over to the scale to check weight.

Jason finishes and straightens up, holding the forms in one hand.

<> Liz says "Demi, flying Amelia is too slow, so it's going to have to be a more modern plane, albeit a small one. May I assume I can charter one immediately?"

Jason asks, "Need anything else from me?"

Hitherby tries to keep one bug where it can see Jason, based on Liz's earlier advice, without being seen moving around.

Liz finishes checking paperwork. Is his place of business listed? If so, what is it, etc.

<> Demiurge says "Sure."

<> Demiurge says "I'm sure Liz has connections."

His place of business is home office. Fashion designer, self-employed. The name of his company is Jason Adams Fashions.

Liz says "All right. Everything looks good, Mr. Adams. We'll get your package there on time."

Liz says "And thank you for your business."

Jason beams. "Thank *you*!" He offers to shake hands again.

Liz merely bows. Call it an eccentricity she shares with the bird.

Jason takes his hand back and bows in return, perhaps a little wryly.

Liz says "After the trip, perhaps I'll drop by and see your collection."

Jason grins. "If you don't mind the mess in my apartment..."

Liz laughs. "Ah, another small businessman. We'll see. Have a good day."

Jason nods. "And you." He turns and heads back to his van.

Jason gets into his van and drives out.

Liz says "All right. Sephar, is there any chance you could noodle through the package? Make sure there's nothing untoward in there. Like a bomb or drugs."

Liz grins. "I'll have to put you down as a contractor or something."

Sephar coos, "Probably... though if there are a lot of things it'd be quicker to search through by hand."

Liz nods.

Liz looks at how the package is put together, and how easy it will be to open and search it.

It's a crate. The lid can be opened. It's a sturdy crate.

<> Shannen says "Liz needs x-ray vision :)"

<> Liz says "You bet."

Liz gets the 'crate opener' (read crowbar) and pries the top off. Carefully, so as not to hurt the crate or injure the contents.

<> Sabriel says "At this point Eduardo sees a white flash on the horizon. (duck)"

<> arcangel says "You people are so *paranoid*!"

Inside is a lot of packing material - tissue paper and packing peanuts - and a lot of garment bags.

<> Hitherby is not paranoid, although she does have an interesting OOC theory.

<> Shannen says "I think we've earned the right to be paranoid :)"

Liz does a visual check through, careful to not disturb the contents too much, and lets Hitherby and Sephar do their own checking for bombs, drugs, guns, etc.

Through the partly-transparent garment bags can be seen various types of clothing - brocade vests and skirts, silk shirts and pants, and some vests with translucent shirts. Also some shoes in matching brocade.

Hitherby admits, "I am not reknowned for my investigative ability."

Sephar perches on the edge of the crate, peering inside. "Ah... I can't really possess them all, Liz."

Liz says "Can you sense any sort of electrical or mechanical device?"

Sephar has to admit, "I can't just sense them, Liz. Sorry."

<> Shannen says "Like a .. bomb?"

Hitherby adds, "I'll do what I can, though." She flutters down into the box and pokes around, feeling the sides of the crate and tasting the garment bags, but does not even really know what she's looking for.

Liz pokes around some more.

While the packing peanuts and garment bags are clearly a degenerate plastic creation of civilisation - though the pellets would be fun for kittens to play with - there is no sign of anything EVIL in there.

<> Liz rolls the d666 and gets 6 1 CHECK: 3.

Hitherby swarms back up to Liz.

<> Liz says "Okay, made my per roll (yay 10th force) but probably didn't discover anything massive."

There is nothing dubious that Liz can find. Though the clothes look nice.

Liz smiles. "Looks good, then. Time to take a trip to San Francisco."

Liz arranges for the plane charter and takeoff time.

Though harried as ever, the charter and takeout time are sorted out.

Hitherby hums with faint puzzlement. "Is this a good time for that?"

Liz enjoys the nice sensation of Trade. "It's Trade, Hitherby. It's always a good time."

<> Demiurge says "Hitherby, you may assume you are now getting the benefit of the Magog Info, if you want."

Liz says "I'll be back within a day. You two are welcome to tag along, if you like."

Hitherby says, "Well, um, there's, like, this Cruelty thing."

Liz says "Cruelty thing?"

Hitherby chrisks softly. "It seems that that thing in the museum was about Cruelty's prison."

<> Demiurge says "Liz, Int roll to try and remember stuff re Cruelty."

Hitherby adds, "And, well, there's the box in the sewers, and the pill, and."

<> Liz rolls the d666 and gets 1 4 CHECK: 4.

<> Demiurge says "Liz - there was a Demon Prince of Cruelty, called Magog, Fallen angel of David's, got sealed away by David around 800 BC with his Servitors."

Hitherby says, "I don't mean to deprive you of your flight, but it might be clever to Ascend with the crate attached to your Vessel, take it down in San Francisco, then come back and take a smaller circular flight? Unless that's too big; I don't do Vessel stuff. Well, yet."

<> Demiurge says "I don't think you can transport stuff on that scale."

<> arcangel says "Up to 10 x Corporeal Forces pounds in other items."

<> Hitherby says "Ah! There's canon. :) Okay."

Liz ponders a moment. "That doesn't sound at all good, no."

Hitherby crawls around in a circle, thinking.

Liz says "But I'm here to do Trade. And I'll bet that Pat, Sarah, and Daimon are already working on investigation."

Hitherby says "All right."

Liz says "And one more thing. Jason insured the cargo for $3,000. He spent $7,000 and a bit to ship it."

Liz says "That $3,000 is the materials cost, I think. The actual cost is higher."

Liz says "This may well be his big break to get his designs out to the public."

Hitherby says, "It's important not to neglect the simple things, certainly."

Liz nods.

Liz says "I'll be back in a day."

Liz says "And if you need me immediately, you know how to get in touch. Once I've landed in SF, I can get back as soon as I can ascend and descend."

Hitherby bounces slightly.

Hitherby says "I'll stay with you."

Liz says "I'll be glad of your company. Just think, you'll be one of the higher flying bugs around."

Liz leaves it to Sephar to decide whether or not it wants to come along.

Hitherby chrisks, "In an earlier age of the world, the butterflies went so far above the clouds that the sky came to an end. Or so they claim."

Liz smiles.

Hitherby adds, "Before my time."

Liz says "Did they?"

Liz says "Very impressive."

Liz checks her watch. She has a few hours before the plane will be ready.

<> Liz says "As in get the package into the plane and get it into the air ASAP. Got a lot of flying and at least one big refueling to do, probably in the Dakotas."

<> Demiurge says "Okay. I trust your knowledge of American geography."

<> Demiurge says "I note that San Francisco is largely angel-controlled (just as LA is demon-controlled)."

<> Liz has to fly ~3000 miles at roughly 300-350mph.

<> Demiurge says "Clearly he came to the right place. :)"

Hitherby makes an atonal sigh. "So much for that Rite," she murmurs to herself.

Liz says "Which Rite?"

Hitherby says "I was thinking that if I tried really hard, I might be able to spend a full day in the city without a human host or spending Essence."

Liz says "Ah. Does it have to be in the city?"

Hitherby says "I figure that I wouldn't have made it anyway."

Hitherby says, "Yes. The idea is ..." She hums a Kyriotate scale. "It's a sign of hope that the other creatures of the world can survive what humanity brings.

Liz says "Oh. All right."

Hitherby says, "Don't fret it."

<> Liz says "I will, however, leave messages for Pat, Daimon, Marath, et al that I've got a job and will be gone for about 28 hours."

<> Demiurge says "Okay."

<> Liz says "Oh, one more thing, Demi. Since I have to bring the plane back anyways..."

<> arcangel says "Maybe someone in Trade can find something to ship back, as well."

<> Demiurge says "Yup?"

<> Liz puts up a cargo special for coming back. Big discount on anything up to the plane's capacity from SF to DC (or anywhere reasonable in between).

<> Liz will make a 100% profit on it because her costs are already sunk, and the added cost is just fuel which can be factored in. if anyone bites, of course.

<> Demiurge says "Okay. I'll get back to you. :)"

<> Liz sticks it on the company web site and phones around to her usual contacts about it.

<> Demiurge says "Right."

---

Fiat Justitia