The Gun

[The Commissioner]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style, width: 475px; margin-top: 10px; background-color: #0E869C, true] THE GUN

THE TRADITIONAL PUB.

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style, width: 455px; margin-top: 10px; color: BABABA, true] A traditional pub with its usual bar fights. On the wall, there are mounted guns and rifles from World War II. Hopefully unloaded.

By Captain of BTN and OTE

[The Commissioner]

Tasks for the Gun

{ASU} The Awfully Clingy Guest
This guy just won't leave. Of course, it would be bad to ask a customer to leave, but really... he's been here for a long time, he's plain awful, he's messy, he's rude, and he's a disturbance to us. We want to boot him out of our hotel as soon as possible. Please help!
Requirements: Patience, this guy's just awful.
Location: Canary Wharf; One East India Quay
Employer: Yvonne Andersen
Reward: £45, + 50 Rep Points (he's that bad!)
Status: Taken by LINH NGUYEN

{CAP} Delivery for "Anita Life"?
A package as been left out in front of the One East India Quay, and it needs to be delivered to One Canada Square and straight to this person's door.
Requirements: Have a good sense of directions
Location: Canary Wharf ; One East India Quay
Employer: Stranger Kaiden Alanko
Reward: + 5 Rep Points
Status: Open

{JOS} The Haunt
Right so normally, a bunch of drunk men wouldn't mind a little chill and odd noises. Well, y'see the staff is usually sober during clean-up and after hours... and there's some damn freaky ghost that's rattling up the doors, messing up the tables, and even breaking some of our booze! We're not scared--j-just annoyed is all!
Requirements: Know a thing or two about ghosts, exorcism maybe, Not be afraid of these shit, Be good at lying
Location: Isle of Dogs ; The Gun
Employer: Manager Alex Groham
Reward: + 5 Rep Points, Free alcohol for a week

{ASU} Pig Whispering
The pigs have been quite some trouble on the Farm as of recently. Maybe it's something in their food or the way they're running. The Farmer can't tell at the moment. Think you can get the pigs to act normal?
Requirements: Have some pig whispering skills
Location: Isle of Dogs ; Mudchute Park and Farm
Employer: Farmer Alex Nikov
Reward: +/- 5 Rep Points (depending on how dirty you get), £5, A basket of vegetables, The fluffiest sheep of the flock

{CAP} Pub Errand
There's a brawl in the Gun! Hurry out and take care of it!
Requirements: Either weapons or the knowledge of how to fight
Location: Isle of Dogs ; The Gun
Employer: Mister Kenton Waterman
Reward: -15 Rep Points, £20, free beer
Status: Open

{CAP} Sister Pubs
We have a shipment from Canary Wharf - it's the wrong shipment! Return this package to Spe Amissa Pub and don't look into the package
Requirements: Be oblivious to the policemen
Location: Isle of Dogs ; The Pockets
Employer: Buff Man Joe Yap
Reward: - 15 Rep Points, £100
Status: Open

[Deleted]

Urban legends might be some of the most amusing things Jia hears in his line of work. He’s used to all kinds of juicy gossip and trashy rumors, of course, but it’s only so often that there’s a ghost sighting so impressive it runs around London’s pubs like wildfire.

It got him restless though, and the little extra push from Lucille’s bossy texts was all the confirmation he needed to come find out more about the job. So here he was, standing alone in a strange bar, looking for a strange man, to ask. All out of sheer curiosity and some time to spare for once.

Approaching the man behind the counter, he nodded as a greeting.

“Is Mister Groham around? I heard he’s offering a reward.”

[Joselle]

MOD - Alex Groham

The man behind the counter blinked before quickly going to the back to call his manager. A different man, one who was rather large in size, bulky, and definitely made of 100% man. Though his hair is receding, there was plenty of hair in that impressive beard to accommodate Groham squinted at the Asian man.

"Eh? So I 'eard ye... wait are ye sure 'bout this."

[Deleted]

Now Mister Groham was definitely a sight. It was probably an even better sight for the rest of the bar, seeing the satchel wearing, fruity Asian, and the… unruly roughness of the manager. Not to mention a good foot of height difference as well.

Lucille was going to tease him for a really long time, wasn’t she? He’d bet she could even ask for a picture. Maybe he’d ask himself, if he knew the man wouldn’t take offense.

But Jia was a man on a mission, very literally so.
“My associate and I are very interested in your case, Mister Groham, sir. Will you tell me more?”

[Joselle]

MOD - Alex Groham

He scratched his brow as he let out a grunt. Groham opened his mouth to speak but then paused to rub his nose. A sniff. "Eh... well this ain't something to be so formal 'bout, kid. But there ain't much to say much really."

A scratch on the nape of his neck. "But if yer serious then siddown." He gestured at the counter but was referring to the stool. "I don't know what kinda Asian exorcism er somethin--if that's going to work that is. I mean it's not much other than a tale here. This place has had a history of killers and such. Whadya expect from a bar right?"

[Deleted]

Jia nodded and complied, taking the stool next to the man. Of course he didn’t need manners, but it’s always good to sound like you know what you’re doing. Even if you don’t. At all. Hopefully Lucille would bring some… stuff. Whatever it was.

“Of course.”

He looked around. Guns and other war paraphernalia, which at least suggested the kind of customers Groham had, and, who knew, maybe ghosts could be history aficionados as well.

”So what exactly have you seen? Or…been… experiencing?”

[Joselle]

MOD - Alex Groham

"Tons o' stuff. Tons." He grunted as he cleared his throat. "Shit has been breaking y'know. Some of the boys here are pretty daft but they're not that clumsy. We've been having more accidents than usual with the barrels."

Groham frowned and then lean against the counter, resting his arm on the polished surface. His voice was grave, solemn as the grays of his squinty eyes. "Eh there's been whispering too, especially near closing time. Last night, I saw a damn door open by itself. Hell--it usually happens in the stock room. God knows what had happened back there."

[Deleted]

I think you mean nothing at all…

Not that Jia would ever say it aloud, but he found the whole story so hard to believe. He wondered if he still had time to call the whole thing off; maybe Lucille still hadn’t come too far and she wouldn’t be too mad if he simply told her to turn around and go home.

”I understand. Would you give me a moment?”

Nodding at the man to make sure he was excused, Jia stepped outside the bar and pulled out his phone, typing fast.

found the place - no ghosts imo
where r u?

[Deleted]

She was just a few blocks away when a chime came from her messenger bag. Lucille paused in her steps, edging towards the further end of the sidewalk in case anyone decided it'd be cool to ride their mopeds into her, and fumbled with the bag. With clumsy fingers obstructed by a pair of gloves, she undid its flap, and rummaged around to find her mobile amidst the mess of candy wrappers, pencils, pens, crumpled pieces of paper and other assorted items.

When her fingers finally found the sleek surface of the phone, she hastily pulled it out and skimmed the short message from Jia. (Incidentally, he was nicknamed Bruce Lee on her contacts list, to her but not many other peoples' amusement).

She felt a bit disappointed at the communiqué and Jia's skepticism, a reaction she made known by pouting at the screen. If there were no ghosts, why had she bothered with all this preparation? Not to mention that ghosts in general sounded pretty cool—she used to hear a ton of stories about the ghosts that guarded pirate-treasure. Stubborn and perhaps a bit childishly, she clung to the hope there would be something worthwhile waiting for her at her destination. She stuffed the phone back into her bag and continued her trek, hands buried deep into the pockets of her knee-length red coat as she cursed the English weather. She wasn't about to answer Jia when she was less than five minutes away from the place he'd said to meet him.

Sure enough, she spotted Jia not too long afterward, standing beneath a sign that read "The Gun" in neon lettering. She wondered if that was the place they were supposed to go, and also who had decided to name the bar something so stereotypically ghetto. All they needed was to change the 'the' to a 'da' and they might as well pick up and move over to New York.

Jia was standing with his back to her, and so obviously not paying attention to his surroundings. A smile curled at the edges of her lips—oh, what a ridiculously tempting situation for her, honestly! She thought Jia would be better about letting his guard down, but as it seemed, he was probably too busy texting his rich boyfriend or something.

As quietly as possible, she made a bee-line for her friend. She gave him the friendliest greeting she had to offer, namely by stopping a few feet behind him and subsequently leaping onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a way that was most likely uncomfortable at the least and painful at the most.

"Hiya, Jia," she grinned, perhaps a tad too cheerfully for someone who'd nearly strangled one of her BFFs. She let go of him and dropped a few centimeters to the ground. Jia being taller than her was probably something she'd always resent, seeing as the other didn't exactly qualify for the average height of manliness himself.

"So, what's up?" she asked as she dusted herself off. "What'd the guy tell you? You really don't think there are ghosts?" She pouted a bit as she spoke. She'd really been hoping for some creepy shit—after all, these were full-grown men getting scared away, right?

She had another array of questions coming on, but they were rapidly suppressed when a small gust of wind blew and sent a chill through her jacket. She shivered. "A-anyway, this is the place right?" she asked, jerking her head towards the door of the bar. "Let's go in already. I'm freezing."

[Deleted]

Jia hadn’t even fully typed his reply to Lucille when he felt the familiar buzz of the phone, announcing an incoming text. He hit sent for the girl and checked the new text, smiling a little to himself when he read the name. Sindri. The younger Bondevik child, the same one he’s met just the other day and gotten labeled his “rich boyfriend” by Lucille. Apparently she thought the two had been talking a little too much.
He couldn’t help it, Sindri was a nice boy. Adorable in that completely naïve, sheltered way that would make Jia’s very uncomfortable were it anyone else. The only reason he hadn’t invited the blond boy to come along was because he had some family event to attend. Jia getting texts from the other could only mean it was boring as expected.

The Chinese didn’t notice the ominous shadow looming behind him (that may or may not have been followed by the Jaws theme). In retrospect would’ve only proven how happily lost he had been, typing the message back to Sindri. He jumped high when something grabbed him by the neck.

His first instinct was to reach for the blade he always had in his pocket, but luckily to Lucille, her shriek was easy enough to recognize. Never mind the ache in his throat from her hug. No permanent harm done, he was strong enough to easily handle her weight, even under a surprise attack. ”Luci--!”

When she dropped, Jia could finally turn around to stare at his friend, with a little smile. Looking down on her would always be one of his favorite things in the world; he knew how much that annoyed her. ”You are so late, shortie.” Then he sighed, shaking his shoulders at her.

”I don’t know. The manager seems a little… superstitious.” Looking up at the bar’s sign again, he could only wonder. “I mean, he said he saw the door close on its own and whatnot. He’s waiting for me inside, we can go talk to him.”

Agreed, it was a little too chilly for him. He held the door open for her. That’s our guy, on the bar.

[Deleted]

Even under the dim lighting of the fading day and tall streetlamps, Lucille didn't miss the way Jia deliberately made a show of looking down at her. The friendly mockery was only confirmed by the playful drop of his nickname for her, and the girl pouted.

"I should kick you in the shins," she muttered. At least it wouldn't be a difficult feat from her height, but Jia was one of those specially exempt from her threats, and so, instead of following through, she simply darted through the door he held open.

The smell of alcohol hit Lucille immediately, making her wrinkle her nose. Though the patronage of the bar seemed to have dwindled thanks to the purported hauntings, it was apparent that the alcohol consumption had not. At any rate, Lucille figured that if whatever happened were scary enough to tear middle-aged men away from their beers, it was pretty damn scary, overly-superstitious bartender or not.

Rubbing her arms to try to regain some warmth, she eyed the man Jia had pointed out. Her lips thinned a little—the guy was buff and very, very manly-looking, like a retired sports coach or something. Exactly the type to question what someone like Lucille was doing in a bar, of which the answer was obviously 'ghost-hunting.'

"Well, a little superstition makes things fun," she remarked, shrugging off her concerns, though she would be more than a trifle irritated if she had to put up with that 'what's a lass like you doing here?' shit again. She'd encountered more than enough of those types in her time, especially since she'd agreed to run some errands here and there for Estelle. "Whether or not it's a hoax, it's scary enough to run the Brits out of the bar and I'm sure you know how hard it is to do that. They'll drink 'til they're broke."

Tossing her hair back, she strode confidently to the front of the room. She paid no heed to how how out-of-place she must appear—a petite girl with ribbons in her hair and a bright red coat; after all, a woman couldn't look nervous without being taken for a joke.

She stopped in front of the bartender, a hand placed on her hip. She grinned self-assuredly. "Jia here told me about the problems you were having," she said with a nod. "So what can you tell us about it? You really have had weird things happening around here? What kinda stuff?" She paused in her tirade of questions, then added, "Lucille Seabrooke, by the way. We'll try to get to the bottom of this for you!"

[Joselle]

MOD - Alex Groham

Something about that Asian kid. He was kind of fruity. And then he let in this other girl. Groham grunted impatiently as he scratched his scalp. Took them long enough.

"Right. Right. Yeah so what I told your pal there is---eh why don't you figure it out for yourself? Closing time is in a a couple of minutes so we're about to lock up. We can head to the back right now."

With a gruff, the large man shoved his way around the counter and then opened the door to the 'Employees only' section. These kids better be worth the effort.

[Deleted]

Surely the bar’s atmosphere helped the whole “haunted” vibe, the amount of smoke around the ceiling made it barely visible. The floor felt a bit sticky under their feet, but nothing a good old mop couldn’t solve. The customers, they could be as mean looking as they wanted. He didn’t recall ever watching a movie about a leather wearing ghost with tattoos. It still didn’t convince him there were ghosts around.
“A little superstition, maybe. It’s not like they are known for their smarts, you know. Even worse if they are drunk.” When they got within ear range of the manager, Jia quieted down and pulled on his usual poker face. He still wasn’t entirely sure if the man was stereotypical “as rough inside as he looks”, or if he was the stereotypical “softie with the tough outside”. Groham didn’t look like a bad man, and certainly hadn’t done anything to deserve any suspicions yet.

One way or another, nothing seemed to imply Alex Groham as the brightest cookie in the jar, and after a second look around, his clients didn’t seem to have much going on, either. Saying there’s “more accidents than usual” didn’t help Groham’s cause, in Jia’s book. All it takes in these cases is one drunken man babbling about a glass breaking on its own, and soon enough all of them will be scared enough to flee the scene.

If Lucille wanted to play around though, he didn’t mind keeping her company. The least he could do was to play along and try to impress the manager, making it seem like they knew what they were doing. ”Take it easy, Luci, we don’t know what we’re dealing with yet.”

Straightening himself out, he stared at the older man. Jia had always been a professional story teller, regardless of them being true or not. “From what he described, it could’ve been a poltergeist, or even a demonic possession of third degree.” He also liked to refer to it as bullshitting.

Nodding at the man, Jia followed him. He didn’t mind going into obscure bars himself, even if he stood out like a neon flash sign. They were here on a job, even if there might be no job at all.

[Deleted]

Though these men might not be known for their smarts, Lucille knew that they were known at least for their desire not to be seen as pussies. And running out of the bar at the slightest disturbance would definitely qualify them for a home with a certain Professor Karpusi she knew.

In any case, she couldn't tell this to Jia now that they were within hearing-range from the bartender, so she opted for side-eying him when he began talking about demonic possessions instead. Since when did Jia become an expert on ghostly stuff? But granted, he could just as well be making it all up—he was quite good at bullshitting anything he didn't know. She kept quiet, deciding she'd go along with it for now, and hopefully Jia knew what he was doing.

She trailed in after the men, peeking into the room. When the light was flipped on, she could see that it wasn't much. A very small area, about seven meters in length, with employees uniforms hanging off the hooks and a few boxes scattered around the floor. A cabinet in the corner, a slightly dusty and smeared mirror. The air in there was musty, smelling of alcohol and damp; after all, there wasn't any window to let out the stale air.

"So?" she asked. "What are we supposed to be looking at here?" Maybe she should keep quiet and let Jia do the talking. Hopefully her question didn't paint her as too experienced and get the both of them booted out, though she honestly wasn't sure what she was supposed to be looking for. Surely no one could decipher the situation with just a glance at this dingy little room.