[d20 Apocalypse] After the Blast IC - Chapter 2

[Voda Vosa]

"Great, everyone wants a ride. Well guys, This man don't want to give me the parts I need to fix the damn truck, so if you help me get those parts, I'll give you all a ride. As far from the epicenter of the explosion as possible, since in about a day we'll be fried with radiation if we remain here."

 

[airwalkrr]

Officer Beeman glowers at the salesman, but the salesman responds before he can say anything, "Hey, I'm a God-fearing American businessman. I can charge whatever I want for my services. Law of supply and demand. I have the supply, and I demand a reasonable compensation. Since my supplier out of Chicago apparently isn't going to be sending me anything else, I have to make the most of what I got."

Officer Beeman takes Francisco aside a moment and speaks in hushed tones, "Look, he is overcharging you big time, but as much as that pisses me off, I really don't have jurisdiction to do anything like this. I can't declare martial law or a price-freeze or anything like that. I'm just an interstate highway patrolman. I'll back you up however I can, but I can't force him to charge you less. Maybe one of your people can talk him down. I'd try to help negotiate, but truth be told I don't have the patience for that sort of thing and I'd probably end up decking the guy. Just do what you have to do to get the parts."

When the outside men approach looking for transportation, it seems to spark some new hope into the circumstances. Michael appears to have money. A man with medical experience could be of great help to the injured back at the vehicle. And a man with food and water is definitely a boon in these circumstances.

When Michael offers to pay the man cash however, he is taken aback. The man wants enough money to buy a brand new semi-truck! All Francisco is asking for is parts to rebuild the electrical systems. It would be all the money Michael has "earned" in the hopes of freeing his biological father from prison. It's a high price to pay.

 

[Felix1459]

Michael looks at the man who is asking way too much for the parts and knows that he will lose everything he's earned so far. Then again, what good was all the money in the world wouldn't do him any good if he wasn't alive to spend it. On top of that, he didn't even know if the prison his father was being held at wasn't obliterated in the blast. He takes a breath and asks "Look, the Officer here could deputize everyone here and then we could just requesition what we need. However I do understand the laws of supply and demand..." with that he takes the stack of cash out of his coat and sets it down on the table "...so throw in a bag of snacks and you got yourself a deal." He then turns to the rest of the group and says "Now if you all don't mind, I will give you these parts in exchange for a ride for me and these other two gentlemen. This man because he helped me out of a scrape earlier and the other because he's a doctor. So what do you say?"

 

[ethandrew]

Elway Cooper HP: 6.72/14

"Good god, man, you walk around with that much cash on you?" Elway says in wonder and amazement. He'd never seen that much money, only in the movies. But now his life was like a movie, and in movies like these, people killed for money like that and electrical parts like they were needing.

It seemed this little Janice girl had gotten him into a very interesting situation, a time where things happened, people in motion, being proactive instead of reactive.

 

[Voda Vosa]

"So you are saying you can afford this? We my friend you got yourself a deal." says Francisco. "Although if someone is gifted with a silver tounge, you could save some of that money. I'm not good at talking people into things." Francisco states the obvious.

 

[Felix1459]

Looking towards Elway "Normally I don't but I just happened to have refinanced my house and was on my way to make a big purchase when everything happened. The needs of the many in this case outweigh the needs of the few. Besides the property I was going to purchase is probably dust now." as he says the last part of that line he can't help but feel saddened by the truth within the words. Turning to the group he says "Well then, now that we have a deal, name's Michael, Michael Taylor, and it's a pleasure to meet you all." he shakes hands with those willing to return it and as he looks around and notices that there are no women traveling with this group. Peculiar.

 

[ThWatcher]

Janice Cardinal 11/13

Janice walks slowly up to the auto parts store owner and tugs on his sleeve. She then asks him, "Will you at least trade a couple of cans of food for my dolly?"
Diplomacy (1d20+7=8)

(Assuming that that low roll does not get her any food

Janice sighs sadly. "You know, you should really try to be nicer and help people more because you never know when you may have to ask them for help. If you're nice to them, they'll be nice to you." Diplomacy (1d20+7=27)

 

[Graybeard]

Brian Demere

Brian looks the greedy shop owner in the eyes.

Look, I can understand trying to get as much as you can for the parts and stuff. Can you cut these people a little slack? Lower the price a bit? You never know when you might need a favor from someone now the world might be coming to an end.

Diplomacy=1d20+4=14
ooc: Sorry, IC wouldn't log me in.

 

[airwalkrr]

Day 1, November 4th, 2020, Approx. 9:40 AM (15:40 GMT)

The dealer takes a look at the bag of cash. He is actually a little surprised. It doesn't seem he expected you to actually have the money he was asking and clearly was hoping for a trade of some kind. But it's a funny thing about men and greed. The prospect of so much money, even in the light of a disaster that might make it worthless, can make people do funny things. He tried to maintain his calm, and attempts to casually count the money, "just to make sure it's all there." It seems he's satisfied because he agrees to toss in a rack of packaged crackers and chewing gum (the equivalent of one day's food for your whole group) along with the parts Francisco needs.

When Janice offers her dolly, the man gets a smile on his face. He squats down and hands her the dolly back. "You know what, keep your dolly. But just because you're so cute, you can have a bottle of water." He reaches into a cooler and pulls out a chilled bottle of Dasani water and hands it to her. He gets up and pats her on the head before heading over to get Francisco his parts.

Fully assembled, the electrical kit, spare parts included, is fairly massive. It would easily fill an entire cabinet in a workshop. But you figure if you disassemble the thing, you can carry it in pieces back to the truck. If you make good time, you should be able to get back before dusk and give Francisco some working light so that he can try to get everything together by nightfall. That's the optimistic point of view anyway. You begin to break down the kit and head back towards the highway with as much haste as you can muster.

[sblock=OOC]Feel free to take a day or two to roleplay the journey back to the truck. It will take a couple hours on foot considering the heavy stuff you are carrying. Also please remember to keep posting your name and hp total on your title. The name helps me keep track of who is who and the hp total keeps you from having to go hunt for it when combat or damage occur.[/sblock]

 

[ThWatcher]

Janice Cardinal 11/13

Janice smiles at the man and accepts the water. "Thank you." She puts it and her doll in to her back pack. As she moves back among the group, she's happy she got the water and for free.

She thinks. [It's not food, but maybe I can trade it with someone for some food later. I've seen people leave behind half a plate of food but they usually take their bottle of water with them. I can get a drink almost anywhere, but for some reason, grown-ups always seem to want their water from bottles. So, yes, I may be able to trade this for food.]


(OOC: She doesn't realize yet that water is just as precious as food. She doesn't know yet that the water supplies either have, or soon will have, dried up. She just remembers what she's seen people do at restaurants and cafes. And that she could always get a drink and fill her own water bottle from water faucets and drinking fountains. So she thinks she can get a drink anywhere.)