[IC: Chapter 2: Bruised Knuckles in San Francisco]

[Basketvector]

Everyone relax. My colleague and I are acting in our capacity as agents of the Court. We are taking this turkey into custody for violation of bail conditions. Stand back now, he may be armed. Stand back.

Max opens the rear door.
Eddie, put that greasy son of a bitch in the car.

Max climbs into the drivers seat and struggles to put the seat back all the way.
oc Max has 2 years of NYU law.

[coffeedemon]

9:08 PM Saturday, June 29, 1937. San Fransisco - Palace Hotel

Nick screams in pain when you pull at him. He tries to resist, but you manage to get him halfway to the car.

"Ah FUCK! That hurts!"

He turns to the crowd.

"They're lying! They're mobsters! They're going to kill me! They're gonna take me in that car an' kill me! Someone FUCKIN DO SOMETHING!"

The crowd doubles in size. Nick is really making a scene. One half of the bandage hangs off his face, revealing nasty scabbing and a huge black-and purple- bruise across his nose.

The group looks concerned and uncertain. They're not sure what they're witnessing at the moment.

[OC: Lets do an opposed Fast-Talk - Nick vs. Max. Nick has 35% Fast Talk and rolled a 17 - Hard Success! Max needs a Hard Success (27 or less) to tie and an Extreme Success (11 or less) to win. A tie will mean the crowd remains uncertain - the cops will definitely look into this. A win (Extreme Success) means you convince the crowd. If you don't get a Hard Success, the crowd will turn against you in some way.

Remember, you can use Luck (you have 60) to bump up the roll on a 1-to-1 basis. Or you can amp up the situation somehow and Push the roll - reroll, but the consequences are greater.]

[coffeedemon]

[OC:I also noticed that you're both down HP. You should each get 1 HP back from sleeping overnight in the motel. I looked back and don't think I gave you that HP before. I'm adjusting your character sheets now.

You're still not at full HP though. That's from jumping out of the train, I think.]

[Basketvector]

Don't worry everyone, this violent mobster has been brought to justice with the throw of a baseball by All-American hero Eddie Ciccote - Diamond Dynamo of the Boston Red Sox. Who can forget his 25 game win streak in '17? With a cunning blend of curves, sliders, and his signature knuckleball, he brought Beantown to victory and danced his way into the hearts of fans and foes alike. Everyone give a big round of applause for EDDIE CICOTTE!!!
YEAH!!!

But, the mobster is probably armed though. So, clear out. Seriously, clear out or you'll get shot.

oc Rolled 21 and Max will spend 10 luck to get the hard success for Fast Talk.

[coffeedemon]

9:08 PM Saturday, June 29, 1937. San Fransisco - Palace Hotel

The crowd stares, uncertain about what exactly they're witnessing.

Nick is in too much pain to resist being manhandled into the back of the car.

You quickly ascertain that he's not carrying a gun.

His bruised face is covered in sweat.

"Don't fuckin' kill me. Listen. I swear, I'll do whatever you want."

[Basketvector]

Once Eddie and Nick are in the back seat Max floors it. That little bit of action has left him drenched in sweat, heart pounding.
"Nick! Nick! You listening?" "I'm not gonna kill you Nick."

Max takes a violent left onto Mission St. He checks his watch. He doesn't have a watch. Damn.
He looks up at the fast darkening sky and nails the accelerator.

"See Nick, strange as it seems, the three of us share a kinship. Devil's had a taste of MAX O'MALLEY and HE LIKES it!"

He takes a hard right onto 1st. He sails through the intersection at Harrison then cuts across the center two lanes onto the Bay Bridge Ramp. Once they're on the bridge he really open it up.

"See, I got a bet with my old head shrinker, Dunning... Eddie, you remember Dunning right? Anyway, he thinks I'm CRAZY Nick!"
Max harrasses a slow moving Packard with his horn before jutting around him. "YOU MOTHERFUCKER!"

"Doc says this shit is all in my head. Nice story Doc, except even Beezlebub leaves a paper trail."

Max bottoms out on the apex of the bridge. On the downslope, he really starts picking up speed.

"I think you know what i'm talking about Nick." "... and we're going to prove it to him tonight." The way I figure, the three of us got marked by the almighty. We got inside him and he got inside us. You starting to get the picture Nick?"

"And when Beezlebub finds you tonight all trussed up with a pretty little bow on your head, then we're gonna find out who's crazy."

"It's gonna be a long night for you Nick, but in the morning we'll understand what we're up against."

Max comes roaring down the offramp towards the unlit expanse on the edge of town. He is reminded of black seas of infinity from one of the books strewn beside him. By now, Max's manic drawings of glyphs and sigils litter the floor of the car.

[DSIGFUSS]

Eddie picks up one of the glyphs Max had scribbled onto paper and the looks sideways at Nick. Cocking his head slightly as if in question. He secures his pistol deep within his zoot suit so nick can't simply grab it from him. He then scrounges up a few more and leafs through them as if He was seeing them for the first time.

Uh... you ok Fats?