Difference between revisions of "The Adamescu Files"

Mihai Adamescu is a busy man. Being down an assistant, he's back to doing the paperwork, the prep work, and the truck driving himself. So unfortunately he can't take the truck to Lincoln Park today. Instead he drives it out to the fringes of settled Detroit, to a park near Measure 2 territory. The line between park and vacant lot being a fine one around here. He gets out of the truck, pulls out a cigarette, and starts puffing. He's dressed like a chef: Comfortable shoes, jeans, white t-shirt, apron hanging on the rear view mirror.

So Kai shows up with Wednesday - in his car - and when he's parked, promptly hops out, like the car just can't quite be allowed to contain her any longer than necessary. She's in a green sweater and black jeans and boots; no jacket today. Backpack slung over a shoulder. "Mr. Adamescu," she greets.

<<DICE>> Kai rolls Perception + Alertness, difficulty 6 to Jim
<<DICE>> 3 successes (2 5 8 8 10, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)

Wednesday eases himself out of the older model beige Lincoln Town Car parked across the street from the food truck. It's not a clean car, and the back seats seem cluttered with all sorts of belongings piled high. He closes the driver door carefully, and follows Kai across the street, his one good eye narrowed, searching the truck and the man Kai addressed.

<<DICE>> Wednesday rolls Perception+Alertness, difficulty 6 to Jim
<<DICE>> 4 successes (2 3 7 9 9 9, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)

Adamescu drops the cigarette and grinds it out under his foot. "Good afternoon," the balding man says with a very serious look on his face, and a heavy Romanian accent. Who knows when was the last time he really smiled? "I'm glad to meet the Magic police today," he says with a chuckle, but still no smile.

Meanwhile, across the park from them, at the street on the other side of the block, a car pulls up. it's old, boxy. At least 30 years old. A white haired individual in a dark sut gets out, pulls out a rifle, and starts leveling it right at Adamescu.

Wednesday sees the white-haired man out on the corner of his eye, follows his aim, and begins to rush Adamescu as if going for a tackle.

A lot happens at once. There's the loud crack of a shot. A sudden gust of wind. And a scuffle by the truck. Wednesday's attempt to bring down Adamescu simply results in the two clenched in a grapple leaning on the truck, which doesn't help him get out of the field of view at all! But fortunately the bullet that was sailing in Adamescu's direction is pushed by Kai. Sailing right over Wednesday's sedan and breaking a window above it. Glass tinkles down onto the roof of Wednesday's sedan. Romanian cursing spits from Adamescu's mouth, as he cranes his neck aroudn trying to see who's shooting at them.

<<DICE>> Jim rolls 5 dice, difficulty 6 
<<DICE>> 4 successes (4 6 7 8 9, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)
<<DICE>> Jim rolls 1 dice, difficulty 6 
<<DICE>> 1 success (8, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)

Kai sees that shot with -just- enough time to take a great breath of air and /blow/ - not a particularly subtle way of getting that shot off-target, but somewhere in bounds. "Whoa!" she says, lifting hands at the crack and the sound of glass shattering. She glances at the pair of men there, at the car, but - no obvious injuries? She's starting for the shooter, moving right into the firing line - probably to give time to find cover. She's not going at a run, but at a brisk, angry walk.

Wednesday looks Adamescu in the eye and nearly growls, "Get behind your truck!" Then turns, and follows Kai - behind her and off to one side, trying to give even more cover to the cook. As he walks, he begins to chant, low in his register, "sul sal sil sel sol..."

The old man across the park stares at Kai a good long moment, but then gets to work. He climbs off of the hood, tosses his rifle back into the passenger side, and gets into the car. The tires squeak as he takes off with a start. The chase is on?

Or not. Adamescu himself pushes at Wednesday, "Unhand me. That's Nicolae Radu. He is of the old regime. We must flee."

Well, Kai is not about to like, literally -fly after- a dude in a car, so when the rifle gets tossed into the car, she stops her steps, watches the car move as she moves back toward the pair. She clearly doesn't want to lose sight of the guy if a chase is on; on the other hand, threat averted for the moment, getting the hell out also works. She takes one look at the broken glass, jerks her head toward Wednesday's car. "Then let's go. You can explain in the car."

Adamescu makes no argument. His truck left without a thought, he follows with Kai and Wednesday, hiding behind the sedan, ready to go. "We must hurry. He was a member of the secret police. He really is the Magic Police, madam."

Said Magic police is skidding around corners, the boxy old car not the most nimble. He himself has seen them retreating, so he's taking the office, and driving TOWARD the crew.

"Oh good," Kai says; it's -really hard- to tell if she's being sarcastic or, uh, spoiling for a fight. (Both?) She climbs into the car and swings her backpack onto her lap, unzips it enough to start rifling. Lighter, knife, a photo canister. She'll hand the canister off to Wednesday - or rather, tuck it in one of his pockets - then get a sense for where the guy is with his boxy car in relation to their - hopefully at this point moving - vehicle.

Hearing the squealing tires, Wednesday looks up to see the gunman rounding the park towards them. He nearly spits something like "Nightgarm!" like a curse, leaves the door open and rushes to the driver's seat to get the car in motion, his big coat billowing a bit behind him. He accepts the cannister as his hits the gas hard.

<<DICE>> Jim rolls 8 dice, difficulty 6 
<<DICE>> 3 successes (1 2 3 4 6 6 9 10, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)

Adamescu ducks into the back, ducking his head out of sight. He looks to Kai. "Thank you for helping me." He then pauses. "I wish I had finished that cigarette." He hangs on as the sedan starts off.

Interestingly, the sedan does not move in the direction Radu was expecting, and so Radu's car blows by Wednesday's sedan. But with more skidding, he manages a bootlegger, getting the car turned around. And so abruptly Radu is following.

<<DICE>> Wednesday rolls dexterity+drive, difficulty 6 to Jim
<<DICE>> 3 successes (6 9, Specialty: No, Willpower: Yes)
[POOL] Wednesday spends 1 points of Willpower. Reason: Automatic Success

The big man glances over at Kai...grinning. "This is trouble - an ambush, a shady trickster, and a chase!" Wednesday's grin fades just a bit as he continues, "Should we try to lose him, or bore him to death?"

Kai keeps her eyes on the car, knife in hand like she's at a whole other kind of fight, lighter jammed under her thigh. As an afterthought, she reaches to buckle her seatbelt. "Huh?" she says to Adamescu. "Uh. Yeah." She's waiting, for now, to see the Magic Policeman's play.

Adamescu lifts his head up, just in time to see Radu gunning it. He ducks his head again. All in Wednesday's boat of a sedan feel a start, as Radu rams his car in. It's an attempted police maneuver, but apparently the old man's a bit rusty, as Wednesday does not lose control at all. The chase continues.

<<DICE>> Wednesday rolls Dexterity+Drive, difficulty 6 to Jim
<<DICE>> 2 successes (8 10, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)

After the jolt of impact, Wednesday's grin is gone. He shouts, as if Radu can hear him, "That's my stuff!" and jerks the wheel, attemping to take a surprise turn at the next intersection.

It's amazing how much that appears to have made Kai lose her temper as well. She peers back through the window of Radu's car, stares right at the man, and flips the knife in her hand so that she grasps the blade - and squeezes it, bloodying her hand. Maybe... a distraction?

<<DICE>> Kai rolls arete, difficulty 6 to Jim
<<DICE>> 3 successes (2 6 10, Specialty: No, Willpower: Yes)
[POOL] Kai spends 1 points of Willpower. Reason: Automatic Success
<<DICE>> Jim rolls 4 dice, difficulty 6 
<<DICE>> 4 successes (6 6 8 10, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)
<<DICE>> Jim rolls 8 dice, difficulty 6 
<<DICE>> 5 successes (2 3 4 6 7 9 9 10, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)
<<DICE>> Jim rolls 7 dice, difficulty 9 
<<DICE>> 4 successes (5 7 8 9 9 9 10, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)

Kai's knife work is not ineffective. The old man may be over 60, but he apparently has superhuman will, based on how his reaction is to squeeze the steering wheel tight, and JAM the gas. This time he hits the angle dead on. Despite Wednesday's driving as well as he's driven in his life, sending Wednesday's car skidding to the side, threatening to get out of control. Wednesday can try to keep going, but he may risk rolling it over if he does.

Adamescu can be heard muttering a quiet prayer.

Wednesday spits another curse the the next impact forces the Lincoln to the side. "Enough of this - hold on," he calls to Kai and Adamescu, and he brings the car to a stop as suddenly as he can safely. Throwing it in park, he's about to fling his door open.

Kai does as told, because maybe? Possibly? She's seen the effects of car accidents before. Knife hand goes down between seat and door, pointed safely down so she doesn't -accidentally- stab herself (on purpose seems to be ok with her???), and the bloodied hand goes to the dash, elbow loose.

Adamescu has no seat belt on, but apparently prayer has some power, so the combination of the second hit, and the stop, don't send him flying. He does thud against the seat in front of him though, and goes wide eyed in surprise. More muttering.

Radu was fully expecting them to stop, so he jams on the brake as well. Grabbing his weapon, getting out of the car onc emore. The rifle is not your usual AR 15. Nor is it an AK 47. It's a PA model 1986. No bayonet or grenade launcher, though.

Wednesday throws open his door, angrily stepping toward the gunman, trying to block any immediate shot at Adamescu. "Explain, tree-of-wounding-wasps!" His hands are mostly up and signifying surrender, though.

Kai pops her door, too, and steps out; she's still got her hand around the business end of a blade, and she says nothing because she's focusing. You know that hurts, right? She knows it hurts. It works for her. They are apparently playing good cop bad cop? She is the bad cop. And Radu is the worst cop. :(

<<DICE>> Kai rolls arete, difficulty 6 to Jim
<<DICE>> 3 successes (2 8 10, Specialty: No, Willpower: Yes)
[POOL] Kai spends 1 points of Willpower. Reason: Automatic Success
<<DICE>> Wednesday rolls Charisma+Expression, difficulty 6 to Jim
<<DICE>> FAIL (2 4 5 5, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)

Radu holds up the rifle in his right hand. The left is used to point toward Adamescu. Replying to Wednesday, he says roughly "He is a willworker. And so is one of you. His family is of criminals. Attacked my best friend. I will have my revenge. Give him to me."

Adamescu is sore and does not get out of the car. He shouts "My grandmother did nothing to you! You lie! I will never surrender! This is America and I do not have to be afraid of you anymore!" He then adds a crude insulting word in Romanian afterward. Those words cause Radu to begin to raise the rifle toward Adamescu.

Sidestepping to try to stay in between Radu and Adamescu, Wednesday smiles just a little. "You know what spends better than revenge?" Gesturing back at Adamescu, he continues, "This man has a business, and a way to make a good amount of money."

<<DICE>> Wednesday rolls charisma+expression, difficulty 6 to Jim
<<DICE>> 1 success (1 3 4 6, Specialty: No, Willpower: Yes)
[POOL] Wednesday spends 1 points of Willpower. Reason: Automatic Success

"Plus," Kai says, bloody-knife-hand down at her side: "if you don't try to shoot him, I don't have to break your hand." She looks like earnest in her desire to not break his hand, at least?

<<DICE>> Kai rolls Manipulation + Intimidation, difficulty 6 to Jim
<<DICE>> FAIL (4 5 5, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)

Adamescu goes quiet. The middle aged man sitting in car goes motionless as he looks up at Radu. Adamescu thinks he's about to die. And so, doing his best to honor his ancestors, he begins to hum a Romanian folk tune, one associated with opposition to the Communist regime. Radu does in fact begin to bring his hand to the trigger, carefully and deliberately. "Stand aside willworker," he says to Wednesday.

"I gave you an out, storm-ash." And Wednesday begins to chat again, the same chant he used back at the park - a low crowing, gutteral thing."

Kai also gave him an out, and lifts her knife hand to squeeze it again. It doesn't do more damage - thanks, soak - but it does make the blood drip, which is all she needs.

<<DICE>> Kai rolls arete, difficulty 6 to Jim
<<DICE>> 2 successes (2 2 9, Specialty: No, Willpower: Yes)
[POOL] Kai spends 1 points of Willpower. Reason: Automatic Success
<<DICE>> Jim rolls 7 dice, difficulty 6 
<<DICE>> FAIL (1 1 1 5 7 8 8, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)

Adamescu closes his eyes. He's waiting for the shot, but it doesn't come. Instead, as Radu's hand begins to clench on the trigger, he suddenly spasms in pain. The weapon is dropped to the ground, and he begins to writhe around in pain. Grabbing his wrist, moaning out.

<<DICE>> Kai rolls 6 dice, difficulty 6 
<<DICE>> FAIL (1 1 3 5 5 6, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)
<<DICE>> Wednesday rolls Charisma+Expression, difficulty 6 to Jim
<<DICE>> 2 successes (5 5 8 9, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)
<<DICE>> Wednesday rolls Arete, difficulty 3 to Jim
<<DICE>> 3 successes (5 7 10, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)

Wednesday continues to crow "mu, ma, mi, me, mo..." staring at the gunman, the chant barely above a whisper now.

While Radu is moaning and Wednesday is chanting, Kai takes the opportunity to go and pluck the rifle from the ground. She doesn't seem to like the thing - at all - and holds it with obvious disdain, leans the muzzle on the ground and holds the butt end like it's a walking stick. But she doesn't interrupt Wednesday, perhaps assuming that his chanting is important; she can talk when he's done. She does take a second to glance in at Adamescu, check in on him. Her face is a dour shape; she doesn't appear to be taking any pleasure in this. Maybe because she's still bleeding? Nah. That doesn't seem to bother her.

Adamescu opens his eyes. By now he should be dead, like so many died to the regime. But... he's not. He looks, sees Kai with the rifle, and Radu groaning in severe pain. He's very impressed, looking her over, nodding in approval.

Fortunately for Radu, Wednesday's chanting has an effect. Better to stagger, lean on the hood of his car, and fall asleep, than it is to remain in so much pain.

Wednesday nods smartly as Radu slumps to the car, takes the rifle from Kai - holding it awkwardly. But before he goes to his trunk, he walks to the gunman's car door, peering in, looking for keys.

Adamescu gets out, following Wednesday over to Radu's car. "May I?" he asks, since Wednesday seems so uncomfortable with the Romanian weapon. The keys are in the ignition. The car is still running even. Otherwise the contents of the car look like a typical retiree's. Pictures of grandkids, receipt from a buffet, pill bottles.

"Uh," Kai says. "No." She shakes her head, crossing toward Radu. "Nobody gets a gun right now. I don't know who he is, but -clearly- you two have got some bad blood. I don't know you well enough to say you wouldn't shoot him to get him off your ass." Kai has approximately a tenth of a remaining fuck at this moment. "Chill out a minute while I fix his arm." And she'll go lean on the hood of Radu's car to examine the damage, decide how best to fix it.

Adamescu is not particularly offended at Kai's comment. He raises a finger "I spread contentment not death." but he doesn't struggle for the gun or anything. He just stares at the sleeping Radu a moment, and walks back to Wednesday's car.

Radu dreams of an alternate universe where Javert always wins.

Wednesday reaches in, turns off the ignition, and snatches the keys, popping them into a pocket in his coat. Then he turns to Adamescu, head tipped down so his eye is just under the level of the brim of his hat. "He," the big man gestures to Radu, "is a warrior. I understand what he came to do today. You, I don't know, don't understand. It would be good if I did, I think."

<<DICE>> Kai rolls Intelligence + Medicine, difficulty 6 
<<DICE>> 1 success (2 2 5 10, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)
<<DICE>> Kai rolls Arete, difficulty 5 
<<DICE>> 3 successes (8 9 10, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)
[POOL] Kai spends 2 points of Quintessence. Reason: Healing Radu
<<OOC>> Kai says, "(Agg takes quint.)"  [Ed: Gig'em]

Kai takes Radu's injured hand in hers, setting her blade side opposite while she examines it. There's a few seconds of careful concentration, the tracery of bloodied fingers over unbroken skin, and she flips his hand over, examining the other side as well. Only the magickally aware might know that a lot of energy went into healing the thing - the last sign being the audible pop of a relocation. But that can be put down to the guidance of her hands, too. "He'll be fine," she says. "Hey? Do you have a rag?" A beat, then: "I don't like to leave a trail."

Adamescu settles in, watching. To Wednesday, he nods "To understand me, visit my food truck sometime. Taste the joy of my food."

Radu is magically unconscious, so he doesn't wake up from the spontaneous medial procedure. Again, fortunately for him. Wednesday is secretly Radu's best friend today.

Wednesday searches a couple of pockets to find a washcloth-sized, faded brown piece of cloth. It is not clean, but he shrugs as he tosses it to Kai. He walks to the trunk, flinching as he sees the damage to the rear of his Lincoln, pops the trunk, and places the rifle CAREFULLY in the piles of stuff. Closing the trunk, he turns to look at Adamescu. "Car." Then, to Kai, "I think we can move him, if we're gentle."

"Your food truck caught a bullet," Kai says, plucking her blade off the trunk. "Might want to reconsider your line of work." She wipes a few drops of blood from the trunk, Radu's hand, then off the blade; she then wraps the rag around her hand. She doesn't seem to care that it's not clean - at all. Her free hand slips under Radu's shoulder, like she's readying to lift his dead-weight ass around to his car, with Wednesday's help. Not like she hasn't done -this- with stumbling-drunk or stumbling-stoned friends.

Adamescu gets up to help Wednesday with the trunk, to do whatever's required. As he does so, he looks to Kai. "Are we not calling American police to report his illegal weapons? Get him off streets, maybe deported. I will be safe to continue my honest free enterprise."

"I'm not sure I won't sell his gun back to him." Wednesday takes Radu's legs, and helps manage the older man into his car again. He then digs out the keyes and wedges them in front of the right front tire. Slapping his hands together, he walks back to his car, and sits in the driver's seat.

Kai laughs. Really laughs, though it's a low, throaty sort of sound with a desperate age. "You must be new here," she says. "The chances of me calling the cops for -literally anything- is nil. If you're smart, you won't either. Calling the cops when you're doing magic is a good way to get guys like -him- after you." She, of course, helps haul Radu into his car, and then she surveys the scene - you know, just to make sure there isn't anything she missed, any stuff she's leaving behind - before climbing in Wednesday's ride herself.

Radu will take some time before he wakes up.

Adamescu nods slowly, going to join the others in Wednesday's dinged up car. "Let me offer you a proposal then. I give you money to repair your car's damage. You don't give him the gun back, so he can't hassle me any more with it."

Wednesday starts the car, and pulls it out of the surprise parking spot and back on the road. "Mr. Adamescu, the herb mix Kai showed me - what do you say they do, again?"

Kai quiets in her seat, surveying the contents of her backpack that she didn't take out herself - making sure everything is still there. Then she tucks her knife back into it. The lighter, though, that she left on the seat - that she pockets. She'll let Wednesday take lead on the conversation, here.

Adamescu points back toward Radu's car. "When men like him come to our family, my grandmother uses those herbs to relax them, make them forget their anger and their troubles. Old family tricks. I use them, more gently, to bring peace to busy city people."

Wednesday smirks as the man explains. "See, when I looked at Kai's sample, we agreed - a mix like that doesn't just relax you." He eyes Adamescu in the rearview mirror. "It's more likely to put a person to sleep, like your old friend back there."

Kai turns enough in her seat to watch Adamescu's face. "Common ditch-weed will bring a person peace. And without drawing attention." She considers a moment, then gives her chin a lift. "You understand why we're careful?"

Adamescu gestures to Kai. "She has seen my truck. My many happy customers." He gest ures broadly. Fortunately the car isn't some tiny modern car. "Do they look asleep? No, they are happy, they are eating, they come back for more. Sleeping customers. They miss work, they get angry, they never come back." To Kai, he nods and points back. "You are careful. So you are Magic police. In your own way." At that, he finally smiles.

"So you say we're wrong, but we still don't see how." He winks via the mirror. "What you say about your customers makes sense, though."

Again, Kai laughs. "No," she says, "The magic police wouldn't be having this conversation. Wouldn't leave you around to have this conversation." Growing serious, she says: "There are a lot of ways to get mixed up with people who do a lot of ugly shit, and I'm not about to be part of it." A beat, then: "But I'd like to learn your ways."

Adamescu folds his arms, sits back. He looks around, making sure that Wednesday is going back to his truck at least. "I will be blunt. Are you wanting to learn how to put men asleep better, the way you did there? With my grandmother's tricks? I could teach you. He said you are... will worker. I believe you could do it. I could teach you. You help me, I help you."

Wednesday takes a turn to finally head back to the food truck - they had been taking the long way around. Quietly, he says, "I won't give him his gun back." He pauses, then adds, "Or sell it back to him. Charms like what you claim to know are useful." The big man clears his throat a bit, slowing down as they get nearer to the truck. "I'm sure you'll have enough time to explain why he was so focused on revenge, though."

Kai doesn't seem to have an addendum or rebuttal to that; she appears to want to hear Adamescu's answer just as much as Wednesday, or at least his agreement to explain in the future. "Roll up to the corner slow," she tells Wednesday. "If there are cops, I don't want to get too close."

Adamescu waits until the car stops, and then turns to get out. He pauses though. "That man. He is bitter and old. He lost everything Christmas 89, when Ceausescu was executed. Power. Influence. Privileges. He fled the country in exile. He sees me, he is reminded of that, he lashes out." A shrug. "That government tried to track everyone. He tracked me. You come to me in the morning. 5am. Hamtramck. I teach you everything I know. You saved my life." Then getting out, he turns and bends to look back into the car. "Any more questions before I go?"

Wednesday shrugs, and looks over to Kai, an invitation.

Kai considers that while she peers the direction of the truck. In the end, though, she shakes her head. "We'll be there," she says. Just that, going thoughtful or tight-lipped after, hard to say. Perhaps she simply doesn't want to betray that she wouldn't know Ceausescu from a hamburger if she took a bite of each.

The man nods, and gives a V sign. When she researches later she'll see that was the sign of the revolution. "I thank you. Go in peace." And he goes to his truck, hoping it's not broken into, to see what it may need in terms of repair.

Wednesday quietly says "Yah," and pulls the Lincoln around a corner and heads back east. "I wonder how much he charges for breakfast..."

Kai laughs - this time, just a puff of air. "I bet he could be persuaded to make it a package deal," she says, looking out the window. When they're some distance away - a few blocks - she glances at Wednesday. "You think he was telling the truth? Bitter old exile?"

Wednesday blows hair up in front of his face. "Maybe. I didn't use the charm that would tell me if he lied - the thing I was here to do! But I think he was light on the details. Radu mentioned Adamescu's family killing some of his."

"Mm," Kai agrees - or, you know, grunts - eyes out the window. "War makes people do crazy shit," she says. "Or so I've heard." She glances back at Wednesday. "You ok? That was... not what I was expecting to do today."

He turns, give Kai a super-careful-level look, and can't hold it. It splits into a beaming smile. "I know, right! I barely kept Sleipnir here in control, we were sort-of shot at, and those two..." He laughs. "Detroit was a good move - thank you!"

Kai's laughter actually rings out true, this time. "Of -course- you call your car Sleipnir," she says, sounding merry. She tips her head back against the headrest and closes her eyes. "Can you drop me in midtown? I need a shower."