Play@YSDC

You make a quick stop at the hotel to leave the record in a safe place, then head to the La Paz. reaching your destination around 3 PM. It turns out to be a traditional cantina, with ruined walls holding up a sloped roof of clay tiles. Inside, it's a deep room with a colorful but mistreated tile floor beneath a high ceiling of wooden rafters and electric fans. A modest wooden stage is tucked into one back corner, across from a tiny kitchen. The walls sport painting of la Virgen de Guadalupe and El Cid, hung against frescos depicting the Mexican countryside at dusk.

You first notice the man behind the bar, a large middle-aged man with long black hair and a large quantity of tattoos. His body is a tapestry of women's names and bleeding hearts, punctuated by an ornate gold-colored cross, inked over the length of his sternum. If a body can tell a story, this man's body tells a story of piety and heartbreaks.

There are three more people sitting at the tables. Two are men, wearing cheap clothes and staring into their drinks as they are probably going to do for the next several hours. They don't seem to care at all about you. On another table, in a corner, sits a young woman that clashes distinctly with the general atmosphere of the place. She's pretty and wears a casual yet charming outfit, favoring bright colors like red and orange. She is reading a book: She, by H. Rider Haggard, but she looks at you with interest as you walk into the cantina.

Ian,The woman casts a flirtatious smile at you when your eyes meet for a second.

Holly looks back at the woman, smiling. "Good day," she says. "I take it from your choice of reading material that you know English. How is the book?"

Huang Yan stayed out at the back and remained silent.

Christopher Fontana

Christopher exits their vehicle and tries not to show his distaste at the state of the cantina, the place looked like it was about to fall over, probably overrun with rats, he shuddered.

Christopher takes a few moments to study the street* for anything untoward, they wouldn't want to be ambushed by the thugs that were after Victor

*Sense Trouble,[dice]0[/dice]

The young woman flashes a warm smile and answers your question: "Oh, this one? Well, it's very interesting. You know all those adventure books with explorers going around in Africa or Asia, finding all kinds of ancient civilizations and lost worlds? This is one of the first - and probably one of the best. And there's this great character, a queen called Ayesha...", she struggles for a second with the word, trying to find the best pronunciation, then seems satisfied with how she said it, and keeps talking: "A queen, I was saying, and a strong leader. Not the usual damsel in distress you find in this sort of books", she winks at Holly, then stands up and offers you her hand. "Elena Alcatruz. And you are?"

"Holly Chastain," says Holly, giving her hand a firm shake. "That book sounds right up my alley. I'll have to read it sometime. I've actually been learning about archaeology lately. There are many interesting ruins of ancient civilizations such as the Maya right here in Mexico. I'm planning to see some of them while I'm here. Do you know of any sites of interest?"

“I’m nobody important, my name is Hua Ming, a physician from China, pleased to meet you. A few tales of awful ritualistic partaking of unhealthy narcotics caught my attention in the area, care to enlighten me?” Huang Yuang moved up and smiled, habitually offering up a pusedonym as he conversed with the woman. “The stories that you mentions are...fascinating as well, care to elaborate, senõra?”

Disguise,[dice]0[/dice]

Cameron groans audibly at Huang Yan’s question. He’s beginning to worry that the Chinese doctor might prove to be a danger to them.

Taking Huang Yan’s arm in a firm grip, he whispers in his ear, trying to keep his voice civil.

“It might not be a good idea to ask complete strangers if they are involved in narcotics, don’t you think? Why don’t you just get some drinks for us and sit down?” He gives Huang Yan a five-dollar bill.

Huang Yan nodded nonchalantly. “Sure. Sure. Whatever you say, senõr, whatever you say.”

Ian Morin

Ian smiles doubtfully at Elena, looking over his shoulders to check if she was really looking at him. All of a sudden he feels sweaty.

He takes Elena's hand and kiss it gently, in a gesture that may be considered too formal for the occasion. "I'm Ian. Ian Morin. Please to meet you."

Elena seems a little confused when hearing about narcotics: "Look, don't say anything about that stuff to Tonio over there", she nods towards the tattooed man, "He's very religious, doesn't like to hear about narcotics, and he doesn't want any in his place", she moves around her arms to include the whole cantina.
She smiles charmingly to Ian's gentleman kiss, then turns towards Holly: "Miss Chastain... Can I call you Holly? I'm not really a fan of old ruins. I mean, I know I should probably be, it's our past, our roots, and so on... but there's so much new and exciting stuff going on out there. Did you know that Frida Kahlo was born right here in Coyoacán?", she asks, her eyes lighting up.

"Please do call me Holly," she says. "No, I didn't know that Frida Kahlo was born here, though I have heard of her. I'm also interested in the arts. I heard that musicians perform here. Do you know anything about them?"

Elena answers with a large smile: "Oh, I know everything about everyone performing here. I am the one that picks them up, after all. Tonio doesn't really have an ear for music, I'm afraid. What do you want to know?"

Christopher,A car passes you by as you're on watch outside. A middle-aged mexican is inside, slightly overweight. He seems to cast a curious glance at you, but doesn't stop. Apart from that, the road is empty, and you don't notice anything threatening.

"Well, I'd like to know their names and what kind of music they play, for starters," says Holly.

"Well, that's a little bit vague, you know... we have half a dozen bands playing here, and inside each band, musicians often come and go. Were you looking for something in particular? I think I could be more helpful if you're more specific".

Christopher,You write down the license plate and join the others inside.

"You do get a lot of acts here," says Holly. "There's one woman I've heard of named Leticia. Does she perform here?"

“Perhaps a band of jazz players, with the lead guitarist called Javier Luna, señora.” Huang Yan said, adding some more information. “Do they ring any bells?”

Elena nods and answers: "Yes, I know both of them. Javier Luna plays here quite often, with a group of four... Javier Luna Y Su Sonriendo Tontos, that's their name", she cracks a smile before continuing, "Nice fellows, people here likes their music. Javier Luna, Hector Juarez, Pedro de Leon and Hernando Campos. As a matter of fact, we're having them play here tomorrow night. If you want to listen to them, you can join us - it's an open event". She then seems lost in thought for a moment, before continuing: "Leticia de la Luz... that's her stage name, you know? Even though she started using it as her real name at a certain point. But her name is Rosario Maria Lopez. She used to sing here in '32 and '33, going by her real name. She had an incredible voice. In '33 she took her stage name, and her music became increasingly more... weird. Experimental. And don't get me wrong, I like experimental stuff, but her songs... There were some clients who liked them, so we called her up until '35, when she slowly disappeared from the scene. But I quite never enjoyed them. During her shows, I found myself singing this old song from my childhood, a Nahuatl folksong my grandmother taught me, to sing when I was scared. Weird, huh?"

"Yes, that is weird," says Holly. "Maybe there was something frightening about her music. I would like to hear Javier Luna and his group perform. What time is their act tomorrow night?"

"Could you elaborate on the connection between the nahuatl folk song and the music Leticia performs? There's some connections to be made there, I worry." Huang Yan said, smiling.

Christopher Fontana

Christoper ambles over to the others and throws a polite nod and smile to the young woman that Holly, Cameron and Huang Yan are talking to. Christopher can't help but notice the scowling look that Cameron is favouring Huang Yang with and wonders what their newest companion had done to deserve such a look.

He does catch some of the conversation as is a little disappointed to hear that the musicians won't be at the cantina until tomorrow but it looked like Victor was 'on the level' with the information that he had shared.

The revelations about 'Ms de la Luz's' singing was something of interest, her .. experimental songs no doubt mirroring her involvement with the 'cult' and Brooks. So.. they were recording her songs ... but to what end? There had to be a purpose, didn't there? And probably not to make money... something more .. sinister, no doubt.

"Can I get anyone a drink?" he asks smiling, if they would have to come back to interview the musicians then it might be a good idea to ingratiate themselves with the bar-owners.

Ian Morin

"I'll have a beer, if possible. Thanks, Christopher." He promptly responded to his friend.

He the turns to Elena. "It would be nice to see them play, for sure. What about Letícia's stage band? They hang around here as well, or were they solo performances?"

"Thank you, I'll have one too," says Holly.

Christopher Fontana

Christopher nods, "No problem.. I'll get everyone a beer." with that he heads to the bar.

"Hola, señor.." Chriatopher pauses momentarily taking in the bar-man's appearance which hadn'r fully registered as he had walked into the cantina. "Drinks for my friends ... beers, cerveza .. por favour and whatever Elena usually has and one for you." Christoper he says with a smile and a tourist mix of English and Spanish.

OOC:   If it seems the barman understands English then Christopher will make up a little story asking if 'Samuel' had been in - and describe the driver of the car he saw earlier (that way he may get a name for the driver if he's known to the locals). Samuel can be a real-estate agent ... who was going to meet them here.

Elena seems a little overwhelmed by the many questions, but she keeps answering with a smile: "Well, the event tomorrow night starts at 9 PM. If you come by a little earlier, I can arrange some time for you to meet the band. Javier and the guys often played with Leticia in '33 and '34, but she worked with half a dozen different bands depending on the kind of music she was working on at that time. It would be hard to trace them after all this time", she then turns towards Huang Yan: "I don't know what to tell you. It's an old song of my grandmother's folk. Traditional stuff. They believed it could protect from evil spirits or something like that. She taught me the song and told me to sing it when I was afraid, that it would protect me. I have never made much of it, except I found myself whispering it as Leticia sang. I wasn't afraid, for sure. It was just a song, after all!".

Meanwhile, at the bar, Tonio prepares the drinks. He seems to know a few words of english, but as Christopher tries to describe the driver and ask for information, he gets lost and shrugs to show he is not following anymore.

"Thank you," says Holly, "I'd love to meet the band."

"I see. Thank you." Huang Yan nodded, not pressing the issue. He then goes towards Christopher with a smile on his face. "You need help?"

Christopher Fontana

"Yes, I was just telling the barman here that we were expecting to meet Samuel the real-estate agent here, you know that guy that drives the..." he goes on to describe the vehicle he saw outside and a description of the driver, .. "And I was wondering if the barman here had seen him."

"Señor, ¿has visto a Samuel?" Huang Yan asked kindly in Spanish, as he tried to navigate the conversation using the cues giving to him by Christopher, describing the fake story, the real-estate agent and the car as well as his physical description. He tried to come off as an affably charming person in the process.

Christopher Fontana

Christopher nods and smiles in what he hopes are the right places as Huang Yan talks to the barman, takes out a ten-dollar bill from his wallet and he looks about for a tray, to carry his drinks.

Tonio shakes his head and answers in a shaky English mixed with Spanish: "No know esto Samuel, senõr", as he handles a tray to Christopher.

Meanwhile, Elena seems curious about you. She smiles, placing a hand on Ian's arm as she invites you to sit at her table: "And tell me, what takes you to Mexico City? I have got to say, you're a strange group of travelers. It can't be just an interest for alternative music, right?".

"Well, I do have an interest in archaeology," says Holly, taking a seat. "There's a dig site I'd like to see." While she doesn't want to lie to Elena, neither does she want to tell her the whole truth. It's not that she doesn't trust her, but she doesn't want the knowledge of why they're really here to endanger her.

OOC,I'll use Assess Honesty, though I think she's on the up and up.

Huang Yan gave a gentle shake of his head, and thanked Tonio. Before sharing a look with Christopher, switching to English, "Well, that's he says. Do you think he's lying?"

Ian Morin

Ian laughs awkwardly with Elena's Inquiry. He takes a seat, secretly hoping she sit beside him. "What an interesting woman!", he thinks. "Well, we really are, aren't we? Heh. Let's say we have a wide-range of interests, and right now our interests are exactly alternative music and archaeology. And maybe tequila." He says with a grin. He feels like they can trust Elena, but he's not sure if it would be good to tell her much.

Elena seems to consider what you've said for a few seconds, then smiles and shrugs, saying: "Well, I suppose it's bad manners to pry into other people's business. Sorry about that. It's just that nothing really interesting happens around here, despite being a big city and all. We don't even get that many tourists. I'm saving up money, you see", she leans forward conspiringly, "Once I have enough, I'll leave this city. I'll go to California, or maybe even Europe. I'd like to see Paris. Some place where things really happen, if you get what I mean". She flashes another bright smile, then adds: "Well, if you need a guide to move around the city, I'll take an economic fee. I'm no expert about old ruins, but I know every street of the city, and every musician worth listening to", she winks.

Assess Honesty,Elena looks to be exactly what she seems: a young, clever and bored woman, perhaps looking for a thrill of excitement to shake up her daily life.

"Thank you, that sounds good to me," says Holly, thinking that Elena might get more excitement than she wants if she accompanies them. "What do the rest of you think?"

HelplessBystander wrote:Huang Yan gave a gentle shake of his head, and thanked Tonio. Before sharing a look with Christopher, switching to English, "Well, that's he says. Do you think he's lying?"

Christoper Fontana

Christoper takes the tray of drinks and "Probably not ... " he says before nodding to the barman "Gracias Senor" Christoper says before stepping away from the bar.

"The person I described was outside... he passed in a car but I got the feeling he was looking at us, might be nothing .. but we do know he's not from around here, so if we see him again we should take note." Christoper says to Huang Yan as they move back to their friends.

OOC:   Chrstoper will describe the driver and let everyone have the details of the car he was driving.

Mr. Handy wrote:

"Thank you, that sounds good to me," says Holly, thinking that Elena might get more excitement than she wants if she accompanies them. "What do the rest of you think?"

Ian Morin

Ian nods and smiles in agreement. "Sure! That would be great!"

"Let's head back to the hotel," suggests Holly to her companions. "We can listen to the record there."

"Agreed. But perhaps we should check whether we're being tailed and be careful as we move back." Huang Yan said.

Christopher Fontana

Christopher raises his eyebrows at Huang Yan words and manages not to roll his eyes. "Yes, that's very good advice.." he says with more than a little hint of sarcasm.

OOC:   Don't we also want to get over to Victor's place?

"Well then, I take it you gotta better idea, then? It's not like we could all put on makeup and magically walk out of here a different person than when we walked in. The only thing that we do is to be careful and to check to make sure that we aren't being tailed." Huang Yan said seriously, "Let's not be too active tonight, I don't trust the streets after dark. Focus on doing one thing right tonight, and let's finish the rest tomorrow."

"A woman might be able to pull that sort of thing off," says Holly, "though a wig would make the illusion more complete. Still, that wouldn't do anything for the rest of you."

“It is as she says.” Huang Yan added, “It is an inconvienient truth that we are anything but an inconspicuous bunch. We will be remember by the people here, so...perhaps regrouping back at the hotel would be a charming idea.”