The Boy Who Cried Wolf [Wallace Opper, CLOSED]

The early morning light filters through the spires of the ruins of Honolulu, the once bustling city now eternally asleep. But for those in New Honolulu, sleep is optional. Many in the more 'respectable' parts of the well off city are just now waking to start their day.

But you're not going anywhere respectable.

After a day of perilously traveling through the lawless ruins of Honolulu, you finally arrive in New Honolulu, Hawaii's very own oasis. The guards at the gate of the city give you a look but allow you to pass. You don't necessarily stick out, New Honolulu gets travelers all the time, but maybe your purpose for being here just radiates off you. People in the richer parts of the city give you a suspicious look and a wide berth. As for finding the slums, that's easy. You just gotta go down.

The entrance to the city opens up to the middle class district. Business and trade thrive here. This the perfect place for a waster to find a respectable job, be it fixing houses or blasting mutants. Local political buildings like City Hall or The Courthouse are also located here. It's also the best place to settle down relatively safely. This district is by far the largest. To the east and up is the wealthy district. The rich & powerful live here. Politicians, large business owners, famous Heroes and warriors. By far the safest and most secure area in all of Honolulu, maybe Hawaii. Most people will never see the inside of this place, it being gated off from the rest of the city.

Finally, the place where you're going. The slums. Only the poor live here and believe it or not, it's a step up from some other places these people have lived. Crime flourishes here, but there is an almost mutual respect between the citizens of the slums. They're some of the toughest people in Honolulu.

You finally reach the slums, the well-kept houses turning into metal shacks stacked on top of one another. The poorest don't even have that, just a little space with a tarp over it in a corner. The residents of the slums look you over as you pass, but say nothing. They recognize someone who knows how to handle himself. After asking around some, you're directed to a small portion of the slums named 'Orphan's Barrow'. It's a tiny part of the city that is populated entirely by displaced orphans. As you approach, colorful tarps billow in the wind, the orphans' only means of shelter. They're all interconnected like one giant quilt.

After asking some skittish kids, they direct you to a specific tarp where sits Thomas Salyer. He's probably one of most fearsome looking children you've ever seen. At least 13, Salyer lounges in his little area like a haughty animal. Lean and muscular for his age, his pale skin (which is covered in scars) is complemented with icy blue eyes and long, curly black hair. He's wearing gloves, a ratty shirt, torn jeans, and shoes with holes in them. It seems he's missing his left eye, having a dusty eye patch covering it. He looks up as you approach, quickly sizing you up.

Then, he simply says "You must be here for the job. Please, have a seat."

The Orphan's Barrow certainly wasn't what Opper had expected, but he hadn't lived a sheltered life himself either. The area itself seemed oddly organized. A small plot of color and uniformity in the otherwise shantytown of the Slums.

Opper himself was rather tired, in stark contrast to the legions of working children that scurried around in the Barrow. Several weeks of living in a patch of forest had left his eyes unprepared for the extensive artificial lighting of the city.

Nonetheless, he sat down, per his future employer's orders.

"You are correct. I understand you want someone dead."

Salyer nods and straightens himself, reaching back into his little pile of belongings he pulls out two shot glasses and a large bottle of purified water, a luxury in the wasteland. He pours the water into both glasses and slides one towards you. Now that you are closer, you can tell by his facial features that he is of Asian descent despite his eye color and curly hair.

"A toast." he says as he picks up his own, drinking the water gratefully. He sets his glass down and looks you in the eye.

"The man I want dead is a politician. Not a politician for the people, but a politician for himself. He often stalks the slums. He has...perverted and repulsive tastes. He preys on young boys. I was once a victim of his..."

Salyer's tone had become quiet though you could hear the righteous fury in his voice. His eye had closed when recounting this to you and when he opened it again, you see a cold fury that would make even the most battle hardened men step back.

"I don't know his name. All I know is his face. He's half-Hawaiian, tan, fat but strong. When he...had his way with me, he was wearing a blue suit with a pink flower pin. The kind that was all over Hawaii before the war. His hair is black, short, and well combed."

Even as he remembers the details with a steady voice, you see his fists tremble with anger and pain. He closes his eye again and takes a deep breath. He opens it again, the same fury there.

"I don't know his exact route or timeline, you can gather that by talking to the people of the slums. You can try with the other orphans, but I doubt they'll talk to you. It took me weeks of coaxing and we're practically family. You can try those who have homes in shops in the slums or in the middle district, but they're all cowards. Your best bet is the homeless and the addicts. They see everything and with the right negotiating will tell you anything you want to know."

Finally, he reaches back into his belongings and pulls out a cigarette box. You can hear it jangling as he places it on the ground in front of you.

"100 Caps, as promised. You don't hesitate, you don't even fucking blink, I don't care if he's crying and snotting all over himself like a toddler, pissing his pants, I want to see that piece of shit's brains all over the pavement."

Salyer removes the lid of the box to reveal a large pile of caps.

"This is gonna be incredibly dangerous, but I suspect you already knew that. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. Anything at all. I'm trusting you not to betray me, so there's no point in keeping secrets."

Opper raised the glass, quickly gulping down the shot. He took a cap from the pile, twirling it briefly between the fingers of his right hand before dropping it back into the stash. He paused for a moment, thinking.

"This is more than enough payment. I assure you that your man will be extraordinarily dead, as soon as I possibly can make it so."

He thanked Salyer for the drink and walked out of the Barrow. A name would be what he needed first. If an underworld mover and shaker like Salyer didn't know him by name, then he doubted a bunch of Jet addicts would either.

Despite their hypocrisy and money driven idealism, the citizens who resided in the middle districts were educated and somewhat involved in Ohana's politics. Surely someone who skulks around the slums would have made at-least a half-hearten appearance in the more well-to-do parts of the city.

Plus, he needed a drink after hearing that kid's story.

After straitening his collar and cramming his gun deeper into his bag, he went to look for a watering hole in the middling district.

The morning brought with it a pleasant breeze, uncommon for the Hawaiian wasteland. The bustle of the middle district had already begun. Street vendors hawking their wares, trying to get a leg up on the already established stores of the city. Armed guards casually patrol the streets, greeting residents and keeping a watchful eye on strangers such as yourself.

While there is a 'Gentlemen's Club' in the middle district, it is reserved for those on their way to becoming rich and powerful. One look from the bouncer tells you that you aren't getting in without a fight. The only other option is 'Lola's Tavern', a hot spot for common folk, travelers, and the occasional mercenary such as yourself. If anyone in the middle district has info on your target, they'd be there.

The outside of Lola's is well kept and colorful, warmly inviting in patrons. The inside is clean and spacious, but still comfortable. The polite chatter of the patrons with the occasional guffaws among friends sets the atmosphere. There is a variety of people here and choosing the right person to talk to could be difficult.

(// A PER+LCK check to see who would be able to give you information, then, if you want, you can do a diplomacy/speech roll (You have +15 to that, btw) to try and get them to talk.)

Settling down at the bar, Opper began to converse with the establishment's patrons.

(whoops, accidentally added a roll. is there any way to get rid of that?)

(//I removed it, but you're gonna have to do a PER+LCK roll to see who will talk to you.)

(//Hey, you still interested in this? It's fine if you aren't.)