The Copper Bell Hotel Casino (grand opening "ceremony")

[notmuch_23 2300]

The Copper Bell Hotel Casino is, obviously, a gambling establishment. This one isn't as opulent as the King's Fountain, has humanoid dealers on real tables with real cards, chips, dice, wheels, and balls, unlike the Helix, and is a generally affordable place.

There are two main entrances: one from the "street" and one at the subway station (yes, it has a subway station). Both have large sheets of polycarbonate letting natural light in during the day, and are about fifty feet high. The five floors above the entrance floors are open to each entrance. The street entrance shows the ends of the first five floors of the casino, while the subway entrance shows the five floors of the mall and entertainment. The floors and walls are all hardwood facades with copper decorations that actually look surprisingly modern.

The casino floors have plenty of slot machines, craps, classic Blackjack, Spanish 21, Pai Gow (not Pai Gow Poker, but actual Pai Gow with Chinese dominoes), Five Card Draw,  Texas Hold 'Em, Roulette, Faro, Caribbean Stud, and Sic Bo. there are also Keno and Bingo parlors.

The mall has various tenants from across Valucre, and plenty of vacancies (it's a big mall, hard to fill it all at once), including a food court.

The casino has a buffet of comfort food, and the kitchen is available for orders from the casino floor or hotel rooms.

There is a multi-use venue that hosts fights, concerts, performances and other sports. There is also a bowling alley, with 20 lanes of standard 10-pin, 10 lanes of duckpin, and 10 lanes of candlepin, and eight bars scattered around the property.

The Hotel is fifty stories of rooms and family suites. The rooms aren't very fancy, only having a bed, microwave, mini fridge, chair, alarm clock, basic bathroom (shower, toilet, sink),Suites have another bed, a couch that can convert into another bed, a couple more chairs, and another TV, but are always clean, comfortable, and reasonably priced. In fact, everything under the casino's control (that is, not in the mall), is priced for lower-class people to generally afford. Even the slots and table games have minimum bets as low as two ounces of tin.

Edited September 18, 2020 by notmuch_23

[notmuch_23 2300]

Buuut, the Copper Bell is not open yet. Dealers need training, especially for more complex games like Craps, Pai Gow, Sic Bo, and Faro, the rest of the staff also need training, finishing touches need to be put on, the mall tenants need time to set up, and entertainment needs to get scheduled.

The last part is what Thurgood and Aveline are focused on right now, as they host open auditions for various acts for both the multi-use venue, and the bars scattered around the property.

In fact, the auditions are taking place in the multi-use venue where a stage has been set up with crew for the lights and sound equipment to meet the needs for those auditioning.

"So who's up first?" Aveline asks Thurgood.

((Tagging those that have expressed interest, @Venus Sprite, @Peach, @Djinn&Juice))

Multi-Use Venue (stage show configuration), Floor B2-5

Edited July 14, 2020 by notmuch_23

[Djinn&Juice 1481]

The first audition to arrive was likely to be the most outlandish of all as it was a circus. The ringleader a strange man dressed in fantastical garb from head to toe. A myriad of purples, greens, and blues dressed his lithe form with more buttons and pouches that were likely necessary. His face almost a plaster white engrossing a pair of lively, slitted eyes of caustic auburn. His hair shaded with various greens though a grandiose top hat hid most of it. His smile almost...too wide, yet he had filled out all the appropriate forms and necessities, though the information was estranged at best. He brought only a single cart with him. It's design as outlandish as he was as it had nearly a dozen of doors on each side with ladders that were mounted horizontally and led only to other doors that could be accessed without it, and even stranger still was that it was being pulled by A miniature cow that seemed to have no trouble with it's work load. Thurgood finding the name itself strange to say "Lazarus" and it was in that moment they saw him mount the stage, kicking his legs out with exaggeration with each step. The cow pulling the cart stopping at the back of the stage and giving the many doors a directly relief upon the stage. Lazarus giving a flourishing bow before the crowd and Aveline and Thurgood. His smile reaching ear to ear as his eyes were like maddened wildfire "This will be my first debut! Won't that be fun?! There was that village in Genesaris, but boy was that a curtain call Haha!" His voice oily and manic as he put emphasis on unnecessary letters. A laugh track emanating from the cart in bizarre fashion 
 

Spoiler

"Stark Raving Circus! Won't this be fun? Haha!" One of the doors on his cart bursting open on this cue, and a brilliant green carpet rolled forth like an exaggerated tongue and ended just at the Lazarus' feet. A troupe of dogs marching from the depths of the cart and down the cart: A mastiff made of chocolate, a corgi with absurdly tall legs, A pitbull dressed as a court squire, and a husky with A light bulb crown and massive paws. Lazarus pulling a trumpet from underneath his coat beginning to play as his dogs started to stand atop one another with the Husky at the top. His light bulbs beginning to light up in various colors as they swayed with at times with great stress, but recovering seamlessly as they moved to their master's music. 

A second door on the cart opened on cue and with awe and surprise; A massive black bear squeezed through the entrance. A monocle and top hat being his most defining features. The bear moving to the farthest edge on one side of the stage, standing on two legs, and revealing an incredibly small hoop. The bear beginning to whistle a tune alongside the trumpet, and the dogs leaped, one after another, through the hoop and landed on their front paws with their back paws hoisted in the air; once again...stacked atop each-other in impossible fashion. The bear taking the hoop and squeezing it past his top hat and managing it around his muzzle before slowly sliding it down his hefty form...and thinning him out before their very eyes as he spun the hoop around his hips. What they were seeing was a show the likes of which simply didn't exist in Valucre...it was a style of madness all it's own.

The third door opening and unleashing a geyser of water that erupted onto the stage, and seemed contained in some unseen effect. A jaguar dressed as an umpire skating across the wave atop a stylish and phosphorescent surfboard. The jaguar revealing a large rubber ball in it's teeth as Lazarus jumped in place and clicked his heels, aiming the trumpet in the air. Flames shooting forth from the trumpet as The Jaguar threw the rubber ball through it. The fiery projectile soaring toward the bear and landed upon it's nose perfectly, continuing to hula hoop as he balanced the flaming ball. and 
 the chaos on stage only grew as more doors opened and revealed A giraffe in a turtle neck while another brought A dozen dodo birds onto the stage that started to sing a marvelous piece of opera music.. He had no concept of 'stage time limits' and continued with new material for another hour, and still it was as though he had more to show before he was cut off. The animals returning to their respective doors as both the carpet, and tidal wave receded before it was once again just Lazarus on stage
"Good luck explaining that to your aunt HA!" Lazarus rattled off, barking in laughter 

[notmuch_23 2300]

"Lazarus?" Aveline asks.

"Yeah, that's what it looks like," Thurgood says as the flamboyant ringmaster takes the stage, wondering how the fuck he got that cart into the freight elevator.

Both are wondering if this will be a fun circus, or a horror circus.

Fortunately, it's the former, with the two siblings completely transfixed until Aveline checks her watch.

"Hey, whoa, STOP, stop," Aveline shouts, "we got other auditions too."

"But holy shit," Thurgood says, "I've got some oractical questions, but damn if that wasn't entertaining."

"Yeah," Aveline says, "Cirque Du Soleil got nnuthin' on that... show."

"Make our list though?"

"Fuck yeah."

[notmuch_23 2300]

"Whelp, dunno 'bout you, but I gotta stretch my legs, ya want somethin' to eat or drink?" Thurgood asks Aveline.

"I need to get up too," Aveline says, "that was a loooong audition."

So the siblings stand up, exit the venue, tell the crew to message them when the next act is ready to audition, and take an elevator up to the lowest casino floor, that also houses the customer-accessible area of the buffet. The zero and first basement floor have utility areas like the kitchen, laundry, storage, first tier of electrical distribution (zero tier is the transformers that step down the "street" power), first tier of water distribution, the network room, and maintenance facilities.

The buffet area is where they're heading. there are other dealers, pit bosses, housekeepers/cleaners, maintenance people, and other employees on their break tasting dishes at the buffet but still in consideration for opening day. The siblings each pick up a plate, some flatware, and start looking over the buffet.

"How's the ramen goin' over?" Thurgood asks Bobby as he's training a cook on preparing the Japanese Doji dish.

"Surprisingly well," the half-elf says, "I honestly thought I'd end up throwing out most of the noodles the cooks I was training made due to just lack of use. Would you like a bowl?"

"Fuck yeah," Thurgood says, "is tonkutsu all you're makin'?"

"Nope, we're trying shoyu and miso too."

"I'll try miso this time."

As a trainee cook starts preparing the bowl as Bobby Morrison supervises, Aveline meets up with Osiria at the other side of the buffet. There are covered pots of soup and stew with ladles.

"Is the pork and bean made with the scap farm pigs?" Aveline asks.

"Yeah," Osiria replies, "surprisingly, they've got a damn near perfect ratio of lean meat to fat."

The food scraps from the main kitchen and food court get sent to a pig farm just outside of the city, where the pigs convert them into shit that gets properly composted to fertilize food crops, and meat; either way, the scraps in different forms end up back on the buffet. It's a great recycling system.

Aveline ladles herself up a bowl and grabs three cornbread muffins.

Edited August 23, 2020 by notmuch_23

[notmuch_23 2300]

The siblings sit down to eat, and Aveline crumbles two of her cornbread muffins into her bowl of pork and beans. There's a delightfully colorful mix of beans.

Thurgood stirs the ramen noodles in the miso soup, and picks up a piece of chashu grilled pork, bows on it before bringing it to his mouth when his smartphone rings. Unfortunately for him, it's important, so he stands up and steps away to take the call.

"What? ... you're shitt'n me! No, I'm not pissed at you, I'm furious at the guy that supposedly fixed it!. Stay there, I gotta make a couple calls."

[notmuch_23 2300]

Floor 1, Street Entrance Atrium

The dealers have been trained, the pit bosses are on point, the security is watching eeeeevuuuuuuhreeeeeethiiiiiing, the cashiers are in their cages, the slot machines are all on and configured, the pneumatic ball mixer/picker machines are up and working in the bingo and keno parlors, the tenants in the mall are ready to sell, the kitchen is busy making dishes for the buffet, the bartenders stand ready to serve drinks, and the first subway train to actually stop in the basement has been scheduled to arrive in about 15 minutes.

Lazarus had better be ready with his Stark Raving Circus to start in about a couple hours, accommodating that show took an awful lot of work.

In short, Thurgood and Aveline are almost ready to open this hotel casino that they've poured damn near all the money they have into. At least they didn't need to take out a loan.

Of course, there is a crowd gathered by the street entrance, a ceremonial ribbon, security controlling the crowd, and an empty spot. Of course Thurgood Singlance invited John Wilder to this grand opening, no matter how much Aveline didn't want the gangster here.

@danzilla3

[danzilla3 5018]

 

"I don't know about this Jack..."

John Wilder looked across the interior of his private transport at an old friend he had only recently had the opportunity to reacquaint himself with. Mal Fortunis had been his partner in crime back when the two of them were both young men struggling to get ahead on the streets of Last Chance. This had been before the experiments that had turned Wilder into the powerhouse he was today, but Mal was one of the few things he could remember. The pair had joined the military together, but they would eventually be separated, and John had assumed his old friend was dead.

But then he had started hearing about an operative making moves in Renovatio using Mal's tactics and even managed to get a few photos of him, When John finally located him, he had been in Joran city, ostensibly working for the Hyperion Empire as a security consultant. His gut told him that Mal's job was likely a cover for something more covert, but hadn't bothered to look further; a combination of professional courtesy and plausible deniability. The pair had struck up a conversation, and after some reluctance, he had agreed to let the governor fly him out to New Everrun to attend the opening of the Singlance's new casino. 

"What's to know?" John chuckled, "She's an attractive single woman, you're an attractive single man. She likes booze and guns, you like booze and guns, it's a perfect match!"

Mal eyed John, "Then why aren't you after her?"

"Aveline has never approved of the... less than legal aspects of my former business ventures," John admitted, "Though I'm sure she would have succumbed to my charms eventually."

"Don't they all," Mal muttered before saying, "But I haven't even spoken to a woman in a... romantic context in years."

"Well if it's any comfort, I'm pretty sure it's been awhile for her too," John grinned, "So you both have a handicap."

"Maybe this is a bad idea..."

John's voice turned a shade more sincere, "She's a good woman Mal, and you're a good man. You both deserve a little happiness, though if you told her I said that she would never believe it. Ask her about what gun she's carrying, or about her job in Lunaris. You'll do fine."

Mal smiled, "You know, you're actually a pretty good friend."

"Don't let that get out," John said, holding up a finger in a shushing gesture.

The transport pulled up, and John and Mal both climbed out; each dressed in an immaculate three-piece suit. John looked far more comfortable than his friend; with Mal clearly not used to formal wear. Both men made their way to where the Singlances were, and John made introductions.

"Great to see you both!" he grinned, "This is my good friend Mal. Mal, this is Thurgood, and this lovely young woman is Aveline."

 

[notmuch_23 2300]

Ah, yes, John Wilder. Thurgood had of course invited him here, and while Aveline had reservations, John had invited them to the grand opening of his opulent casino, the King's Fountain, so it's only fair to return the favor.

"Hello Mister Wilder," Thurgood says, correctly using a short "i" sound. Both he and Aveline are wearing nice, black pinstripe suits with shoulder holsters for their pistols.

"Is your last name Reynolds?" Aveline asks Mal, making a Firefly reference.

[danzilla3 5018]

Mal quirked his head, "Uh, no... It's Fortunis. Pleased to meet you."

The poor man couldn't help but notice that Aveline looked good in her suit; something that wasn't easy to do in pinstripes. Years of relative social isolation had rendered his conversational skills rusted to near uselessness. Everything that he could think to say sounded clumsy and awkward in his mind. He knew this had been a bad idea. Maybe it wasn't too late to get back in the car and leave...

Is what he was thinking before John clapped him roughly on the back, "Cat got your tongue, Mal?"

Mal glared at John, and in doing so noticed that his friends was using his eyes to direct Mal's own gaze to the gun the young woman was carrying. Silently grateful, he cleared his throat, and smiled.

"What are you carrying tonight," he asked, opening his jacket slightly to show his own weapon, "I always have my old 1911 handy."

 

[notmuch_23 2300]

On 9/16/2020 at 5:16 PM, danzilla3 said:

"I always have my old 1911 handy."

"John Moses Browning made a fine pistol, didn't he?" Aveline asks, "I used to carry a Glock 17, but Thurgood brought back through some nice Model 1911 variants from Rock Island Armory. Shame we can't get more, but it actually kicks less than my Glock. I'd show you, but crowds ain't the best place to pull out a firearm."

Aveline is acutely aware that she is not conventionally attractive; her measurements are 48-46-52, her shoulders are just as wide as her hips, and she weighs 230 pounds, with a lot of muscle, but a healthy amount of fat. In fact, she probably intimidates a lot of guys; certainly not a waif that has to run round in the shower to get wet.

"Oh, I've got something for you," Thurgood says as he pulls a couple tickets from his aptly named "ticket pocket" in his pinstripe coat. Underneath both suit coats are black button-up shirts, and black ties with thin, diagonal pinstriping. "Two tickets to Stark-Raving Circus later today, great seats too; I thought you'd bring Patricia..."

Behind the tickets are two magstripe cards that have anytime buffet passes, unlimited drink vouchers (both soft and hard), and anytime bowling passes good until 3AM the next day. It's the least they could do after John's hospitality. Behind those are two pases to the shooting range under the Mil Dot location the bottom floor of the mall.

Edited September 18, 2020 by notmuch_23

[danzilla3 5018]

"Oh, I'm sure there will be ample opportunities for you to show him what you're packing later, my dear."

Mal coughed, but recovered quickly, "I'm quite fond of the Glock. A seventeen round magazine is phenomenal, and the damn things are reliable as hell. I've seen more than one gun based off them in shops all over the world."

John and Mall took the tickets and the cards, thanking their host for his hospitality. At the mention of Patricia, John shook his head.

"Our daughter is going through a crucial period of her rehabilitation. Patricia thought it best that she remain with her."

Edited September 19, 2020 by danzilla3

[notmuch_23 2300]

"Oh," Thurgood says, not knowing the whole situation, then he turns to a member of his staff. "Is everything ready now?"

"Not quite yet, some last-minute things came up."

Thurgood looks out to the crowd that's turning increasingly restless.

"Oh, the first subway train to stop in the basement is pulling in."

"We've got security down there, right?"

"Of course Mister Singlance."

"What about displays?"

"Should be working just fine."

"Get security to hold the disembarking passengers in the lower atrium, this mic hooked up to the PA system, and feed that camera to the displays down there," Thurgood says. The staff member relays the orders through the handheld radio, and technicians get to work.

19 hours ago, danzilla3 said:

"I'm quite fond of the Glock. Magazine capacity is great, and the damn things are reliable as hell. I've seen more than one gun based off them in shops all over the world."

"I liked having a seventeen round mag, but I'd rather stop somebody with my first or second shot than my fifth or sixth."

Aveline sees Thurgood step up to the microphone.

"Get ready Mal, he's about to do something stupid."

Edited September 19, 2020 by notmuch_23

[notmuch_23 2300]

Thurgood needs to stall for time, but if he gives a speech about building this place, not a single person down there will care, and will likely make the situation worse. So...

"We're gonna be opening here in a moment, and I'm sure a lot of you want to go right to the casino. Some of those table games are pretty easy to pick up, like Blackjack, and Roulette, but others are more complicated, like Faro, Pai Gow, Craps, and Poker. That's why some tables will have these chalkboard symbols. Those are tables specifically to teach you how to play without risking your own money. Every slot machine will have a large "tutorial" button that will inform you about the paytables, paylines, and any bonus features. Along with the maps that are getting passed out, we can give you a guide to Keno or Bingo. While you can certainly play those games in their parlor, you don't have to! We have Keno and Bingo runners for the buffet, the bowling alley, and every single bar. The hotel front desk can even issue tickets, so y'all can play while watching tv in bed with a pint of ice cream! The runners can take cash payments in the provided envelopes at those locations, or you can provide credit or bank card information along with your basic personal information when you sign up for a rewards card, and be able to use your rewards card to purchase anything on the property. the cashiers, living or electronic, can even put any of your winnings into your rewards account. Some of the rewards you can earn with your card, and how to earn them are in the brochure you get with the card, and the full reward list, along with your reward points balance can be displayed at any informational kiosk."

Aveline's jaw drops as the crowds calm down and actually listen. Thurgood is actually giving them information they want to hear about.

"Before anybody asks, we do not have off-track betting or a sportsbook yet; if you have tickets for Stark-Raving Circus at three, I would recommend heading to the theater around twenty minutes before the show; no, casino chips canNOT pay for anything other than table games, and yes; we DO know if somebody has bad intentions."

Thurgood then looks over to the one staff member that gives a thumbs-up.

"Without further ado, to cut the ribbon and officially open the Copper Bell, the Governor of New Everrun, John Wilder." Thurgood then holds out a giant pair of scissors; the same ones used to open the Mil Dot Port Kyros.

@danzilla3

[danzilla3 5018]

"Get ready Mal, he's about to do something stupid."

"Have a little faith, my dear," John chided gently, "There's every chance that Thurgood will acquit himself with poise and eloquence."

The way his voice began to rise toward the end of the statement suggested that John might not believe what he was saying. Still, he turned to watch the elder Singlance address the crowd; with Mal moving up to stand beside Aveline, though not so close that he would be invading her space. Much to the surprise of most in attendance, Thurgood actually managed to succinctly summarize the information he needed to give. At the end, he yielded the floor to John, who grinned at Mal and Aveline as he made his way to the stage. Taking the giant scissors, he spoke smoothly into the mic.

"Thank you all for coming. As many of you know, there are few things I value more than loyalty; and there are very few who have shown me more loyalty than Thurgood Singlance. He has been with me since the beginning, a precious friend, and a trusted advisor. It is no exaggeration to say that without him, New Everrun would not exist. Now it is my pleasure to cut the ribbon on The Copper Bell Hotel Casino. Let's make it's first night one to remember!"

Speech over, John cut the ribbon, and the crowd applauded. Meanwhile Mal turned to Aveline, a pleasant smile doing little to cover his nervousness. 

"Well... If you would be so kind as to show me to the bar, I would love to buy you a drink."