The black sedan surges ahead, cutting Bobby off with clean, deliberate confidence. It flashes a hand out the window, pointing to the lot entrance.
Bobby follows the signal off the arterial road. Neon dies behind him, replaced by cracked pavement, dead weeds, and stacked rusted frames half buried in dust.
King and Jax stay with him as the sedan rolls to a stop. The engine clicks quiet. The city noise drops to a distant hum.
A hooded wolf steps out from the driver side and keeps several paces back. He does not rush. He studies Bobby like a problem he already expects to solve.
The Hooded Wolf
You are hard to pin down, Bobby. That makes you useful. It also makes you expensive.
The Hooded Wolf
I want a conversation, not a chase. Unless you insist on making this messy.
King
He is fishing for a reaction. Let him show his hand.
✓ Quest Accepted
Determine the Hooded Wolf's true allegiance
“"Why are you here?"”
SUCCESS (Good Diplomacy, rolled +3)
Bobby
Why are you here?
The Hooded Wolf
Because the circuit is being steered, and you have already made noise in the right places.
The Hooded Wolf
I am not your enemy tonight. I am the one telling you which way the fence leans.
King
He is giving Bobby a map, not a threat.
The Hooded Wolf
Take this. If you want the hidden line, follow the black card trail after midnight.
He flicks a folded parking slip toward Bobby, already marked with a time, a lot number, and a stamped black square in the corner.
Jax
So he comes with directions. That is new.
+ New Item Acquired
folded parking slip
“Bobby thinks for a moment. "Thank you."”
SUCCESS (Fair Willpower, rolled +1)
Bobby
Thanks.
The slip stays steady in Bobby's paw, and the lot goes quiet enough to hear the wind skitter over cracked asphalt. The Hooded Wolf gives a small nod, like the exchange costs him nothing and means a great deal.
The Hooded Wolf
Good. People waste time on the wrong kind of fear.
King
He sounds certain, not casual.
Jax
A lead with a stamped lot number. That is specific enough to be useful.
The Hooded Wolf
Midnight. Bring the car, not the ego. The trail does not like noise.
He reaches into his coat again, but this time he only taps the black square on the slip, then lets his hand fall back to his side.
“"Someone in my position should be asking questions. Do I do that here, or at the lot?"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled +1)
Bobby keeps the slip low and looks from the hooded wolf to the dark mouth of the lot. The question lands plainly, and nobody reaches for a door or a weapon.
The Hooded Wolf
Here, if you want the answer before you drive. At the lot if you only want the shape of it.
King
That is a clean distinction.
Jax
So he is not hiding from the question, he is choosing the timing.
The Hooded Wolf
Exactly. Ask now, and you get a map with edges. Wait for the lot, and you get the route under load.
He lifts two fingers toward the stamped square, then lets his hand settle back down. The black sedan sits dead quiet behind him, a patient shape in the dust.
The Hooded Wolf
Either way, you are not guessing anymore. You are choosing how much of the trail you want in daylight.
Quest Complete
Determine the Hooded Wolf's true allegiance
Skill Upgrade: Diplomacy Good→Great