Rata Mall - Main Thread

[Battle Mage]

QUESTIONS ABOUT WHISPERING:
- If someone whispers to us, is it assumed that we can whisper back or do we have to state it in the thread?

you don't have to state it

- Once we all move about, are we limited to whispering to those in the same room?

yes, of course

[ambic]

It is fine to whisper back, without posting. THe initial indication of a whisper in thread is sufficient for people to assume that it is two way. You will need to do it again if you wish to start a new conversation, after game events.

Correct about moving about. You will only be able to whisper to people with you in a room.

[groza529]

Examine the fashion store

[Ariel]

Johannes Berger looks up at the unusual Asian woman with a tilt of the head. He's not sure what to make of her odd manner of speaking, but she seems unthreatening, for the moment.

"Well, I see no harm in sharing some information."

[snip]

"What I miss most -- loved ones -- can't be brought back. But, if something significant happened here, I would like to figure that out. I want to learn more about this place."

examine food stalls for cleaning products

[ambic]

Groza (Johannes) walks to the fashion store and checks it out
Ariel (Carla) walks to the food stalls and examines them

[groza529]

Whisper to Ariel and Zag

Pull up a chair next to Green Crayons[
"Well, sir, it seems that many people are interested in the mall. What can you tell us of its history? Surely you can tell us some very exciting stories!"

[ambic]

Just an update about game phases:

From here - you will move to your new locations.
After that you will all return to the Eatery for a short time, to pick your next location. Eatery deadlines will be reduced going forward, to what you are currently experiencing
Then you will move to your new location.

That pattern will repeat throughout the game, excepting any very unusual circumstances

Note regarding Whispers

Please note, if a player does whisper to you without posting in here - thats a technical infringement of the rules, but I'll only enforce it if it becomes a persistent problem. Its easy to forget.
However if you recieve an unannounced whisper, you are welcome to post on their behalf "Bob whispered to me; I whispered back".

[CaptainMeme]

Jia sits down, cross-legged, on a table, grinning ear to ear at Johannes.

"heh heh heh. A merrrrrrchant, eh? And and and this mall willbeyour heaaaaadquarters, yes yes yes? heh heh hehhehehehehehHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAA"

It takes her some time to get her breath back from the fit of laughter, before she continues to talk.

"Pointless pointless pointless POINTLESS POINTLESSPOINTLESSPOINTLESSPOINTPOINTPOINTLESS. It it it mustbeso beeeeeeaaaauuuuutiful in your empty little little little head, yes yes yes it must."

Her eyes narrow as she glances from person to person, taking a moment to look each one up and down, before her gaze comes to rest on Carla.

"You you you seem like a smart smart one, yeeeeees. Some some lost things are more impoooooortant than moneymoneymoneymoneyMONEYMONEYMONEY."

The sentence ends in a wail, which tapers off almost as soon as it started, Jia suddenly staring glassy-eyed over Carla's shoulder at nothing in particular. It seems she is done talking for the moment.

[jesternl]

Harry, Speaking to the commodities broker

"You, Sir, I didn't catch your name..I doubt that a return to any form of normalcy is in the cards, but simple curiosity compels me to find out what passed."
addressing the others.. "has anyone learned anything before they found their way here?
We should make a central repository of information somewhere"

Search for items that can be used to take notes with and on

[ambic]

To do that you will need to wander round the mall looking at the stores, foodstalls or items that are already known about in thread.

[Green Crayons]

Jia sits down, cross-legged, on a table, grinning ear to ear at Johannes.

"heh heh heh. A merrrrrrchant, eh? And and and this mall willbeyour heaaaaadquarters, yes yes yes? heh heh hehhehehehehehHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAA"

It takes her some time to get her breath back from the fit of laughter, before she continues to talk.

"Pointless pointless pointless POINTLESS POINTLESSPOINTLESSPOINTLESSPOINTPOINTPOINTLESS. It it it mustbeso beeeeeeaaaauuuuutiful in your empty little little little head, yes yes yes it must."

Her eyes narrow as she glances from person to person, taking a moment to look each one up and down, before her gaze comes to rest on Carla.

"You you you seem like a smart smart one, yeeeeees. Some some lost things are more impoooooortant than moneymoneymoneymoneyMONEYMONEYMONEY."

The sentence ends in a wail, which tapers off almost as soon as it started, Jia suddenly staring glassy-eyed over Carla's shoulder at nothing in particular. It seems she is done talking for the moment.

Well. I suppose what my friend Max said is true. As the world fell, each of us in our own way

were

broken.


Are you okay? You appear to be hyperventilating. I'm sure someone has some water they could share with you.

[Green Crayons]

Whisper to Ariel and Zag

Pull up a chair next to Green Crayons[
"Well, sir, it seems that many people are interested in the mall. What can you tell us of its history? Surely you can tell us some very exciting stories!"

Why thank you for asking. One of my best childhood friends used to own CY Corp. Clay Vance. Ownership at 50.1% of all outstanding stock, at that. Private enterprise, of course, can't have public offerings on these sorts of regional businesses. And that .1% was just a blip but majority ownership is a hell of a thing when it came to money.

You probably haven't heard of CY Corp. No reason to. But CY Corp. was the parent corporation and sole shareholder of Rata Mall Industries, LLC. And Rata Mall Industries owned this here Rata Mall.

Oh, excuse me. I say childhood friend because Clay later would grow up to sleep with my wife. So certainly was no friend after that. But no worries, all under the bridge.

Oh, right. And I say Clay used to own, because, well, let's set aside metaphysical discussions about the lifespan of corporate entities once the foundational laws on which we perceive them to exist has crumbled, shall we? But he used to own in the sense of, back when these things matter, Claylost ownership of CY Corp. through the unfortunate fact that he met an early end to his life.

Now I know what you're thinking. Slept with the man's wife? Surely there's some there there. Well I assure you not. Clay choked on a chicken bone like a complete idiot--the complete idiot that he was, I might add--sand I was in Singapore at the time. I might also add that Clay was definitely

not

in Singapore when he had that fatal chicken wing encounter. Complete tragedy if you respect all human life, but really nothing to shed tears over if you're not a silly romantic.

Clay, being the brilliant man with foresight, had failed to take the proper measures to ensure that his shares in CY Corp. would transfer to his desired recipient in the event of his death as required under the shareholders agreement. Which means CY Corp. had the opportunity to sell those shares, starting with to the highest bidder of the other shareholders in CY Corp.

Well what can I say? I certainly wasn't going to let the opportunity pass me by. So I asked my good friend Celina... a really remarkable woman, with a sharp wit and delightful legs... who just so happened to have plenty of money and also a large ownership stake in CY Corp., to buy up poor Clay's shares until she had majority ownership. It was sound business advice, I might add, but obviously I was being spiteful towards Clay and his ill pursuits. Celina saw right through me, as she always did, but being a good sport and a great head for business she acquired majority share in CY Corp.


Oh, what's that? Yes, sorry. Celina then exercised her newfound business power to sell Rata Mall Industries, LLC to me. I might add, at a reasonable rate that would allow her to overcome some legal challenges from the minority shareholders but which would not bankrupt me. Of course it wasn't my own money, to be sure, as I received a business loan. Silly thing, banks were, in those days wouldn't you agree? Rata Mall Industries, of course, owned Rata Mall, which was quite delightful because he's where I met my ex-wife. I suppose by owning the mall it's almost like I get to own my ex-wife so she can never escape me...



Hah, I only joke. About that last part. I don't believe my ex-wife had ever stepped foot in this mall. And, really, it hurt but good riddence. But Clay really liked to hang out in this mall. He said that it felt powerful to watch the energy and flow of commerce in real time, knowing that it was ultimately lining his pockets. Knowing that I ultimately owned the thing after his stupid death would really make him spin in his grave. And so that's why I wanted it.



Ahem. You got me talking about the good times again. Well that's the history of the mall, as far as I know it.

[Green Crayons]

By the by.

What's in the box?

[ambic]

Room Movement choices deadline

(expired on 2020-08-16 08:00:00).

[groza529]

"The deposit box? In truth I don't recall precisely what is there. I store whatever is precious to me at the instant and remove it in times of need or opportunity. Could be treasury bonds, property deeds, foreign currency..." Johannes's eyes glinted as he listed these items, pausing after each, then shrugged. "...or perhaps there is little more than an expired passport and early Polaroids of my daughter. She was in school to become a veterinarian... before... well..."

Johannes sighed, and his shoulders slumped. "It pains me to admit it, but the babbling Chinese woman is probably correct, if a bit blunt. I doubt that anything that remains is worth the paper it's printed on in today's world. But it's all that I have left. That, and a pipe dream of someday restoring order." He dropped his head for a few seconds, then took a sharp breath and pushed himself up out of the chair. "Please forgive the ramblings of a nostalgic fool. But I would still welcome the help, if any could offer."

Then Berger traipsed over to Harry Carouthers and clasped him on the shoulder with a rueful smile. He said, "My name is Johannes Berger. I am happy to meet another seeking answers, even if that is all we should find."

Whisper to Jesternl

[Talitha]

Whisper to Groza

[farside22]

had a busy week. I will be catching up this weekend

[ambic]

<Room Moves are underway. Expect a PM from me shortly>

[ambic]

I am unlocking this just so the missing players can turn up and say I am here - Now read your PMs and get to your rooms before time expires.

Farside22 has requested replacement, and I am seeking one.

Two other players have not yet picked up their room move PMs, so I am chasing them down as they will miss out very soon. Ill start looking for replacements for the others if they dont reply soon.

[ambic]

Nexus replaces Farside22, Effective immediately

[ambic]

Everyone starts to return to the eatery. Here you will be for 3 days to discuss, look around, make moves, and choose (by PM) or publicly - your next room move.

The first thing you notice is that the Bank has mysteriously opened up. The security doors have opened. This is now a visit-able location.

Present

PookyTheMagicalBear

is Casey Ballentyne: Male,Early 30s Tall, Muscular, Scar across his face, slightly balding, tidy Beard, Dressed in Denim.

Groza529

is Johannes Berger: Male, Mid-Late 40s Tall, Skinny, South African accent, Dark Hair - Dressed in a suit and tie. Carrying Briefcase.

Jesternl

is Harry Carrouthers: Male, 60s Medium Build, using a walking cane (noticeable limp), white haired, thick glasses

MNOWAX

is Dr.Lacey Higgs: Female, Early 30s Very Tall, Skinny, Stunningly beautiful - One blue eye, one green.

Zag

is Mark Knorp: Male, Mid-Late 60s Short, to the point of dwarven, Hunchbacked, Two large lumps on face, one under and around the eye. Muscular.

Porochaz

is Xavier Lynch: Male, Early 20s Short, bookish, well groomed, Red Puffer Jacket, skinny.

Green Crayons

is Sir Leo Mustelid: 70s Suit and Tie, Overweight, Wrinkly. Wearing Powder Puff Girls backpack in contrast to suit. Pants , shoes, and lower half of shirt saturated. Smells of sewerage. Filthy. Carrying a large metallic Pipe

Nexus

is Cindy Rose: Female, Late 20s Red hair, freckly, medium build. Wearing T-shirt and Jeans.

Talitha

is Yvonne Skeggs: Female, Teenager Lanky, medium height, tattooed arms.

Ariel

is Carla Temperton: Female, Late Teens Medium Height, Slight European accent

CaptainMeme

is Jia Xing: Female, Early 30s Asian, Short, Athletic

Battle Mage

is Terry Young: Early 20s Unkempt, poorly shaved, Strong looking but bloodshot eyes. Carrying a stick.

Available Stores and Locations for next phase

Stores

Bank - NEW
Barbers - Hairtrimmers Ltd
Book Store - Abbotts Books
Cafe - Charlies Coffee House
Fashion Store - The Cotton Vault
Hardware Store - L.J's Hardware & Supplies
Phone Store - P&T Phones and Tech

Other Locations

Carparking Lot
Public Bathrooms
Remain in Eatery

Unavailable

Cinemas (Not visible, must be somewhere...)
(You will have to find or open these areas up if you want to get to them)

If you discovered a new location during your last phase, you may also choose that location now.

[Green Crayons]

I unlocked the bank for you.

[Green Crayons]

also?

glares at Terry Young

you addict. give. it. back.

punctuates each word by thrusting his pipe in the air towards Terry's chest

[Battle Mage]

who got attacked?

[Nexus]

"Has anyone seen my glasses? Cliche, I know"