unforum

[DarkProject]

Agreed. I came off ruder than I intended.

Pita and others, I apologize for my comments. I wasn't intending to insult you. I was merely frustrated by our collective progress on this and pointed it out before I took a moment to think.

[hmrpita]

Thank you to all the people who are nice about this. I went, I saw, I did not conquer. I have a theory and that theory is this:
The baby shower that presumably was going on yesterday before 5 pm included children running around and probably going underneath tables and that whatever was there was taken down by tiny hands.

I looked underneath all three tables in the greenhouse more than once. There was nothing I could see, other than some ABC gum (and not in the shape of Cool Dog).

So, we get there and I ask to sit in the back and this guy leads us back there and says we can sit anywhere (it is family-style seating--more than one party can sit at one table). Every table has someone at it, the table I wanted being completely full (five girls with notes and laptops, so in no hurry to leave). We sit at the table closest to the one I want and survey the area. There are people (a maintenance guy, a manager, and our server, running back and forth (to go outside to some shed that is probably an office in the back of the garden)) so the room was not empty for more than ten seconds. We ordered the soup of the day, mushroom, which was delicious. I order Earl Grey tea and the server asks me what it's "affirmation" is, and it turns out it is "I am Open." Ok, whatever. The place has a strange energy, for lack of a better term. I find this whole affirmation nonsense pretentious and not to my taste. Anyway, the table that we didn't sit at (not THE table with the five girls) became clear and I found a two second interlude to get up and walk over and look underneath it. Who should appear just as I am doing so but our server, who asks, "Are you looking for something?"

(Well, crap on a stick, yes I am but, "The owners here, the ones who control this cafe, they are women and men with dark hearts," so hell if I am going to tell YOU.)

I kind of mumble, "No, just looking under the table." and then affix a vague flaky expression to my face and go back to my seat. While we are eating our soup--I'm sorry, while we are "thriving," there is a change of service from the boy to a girl. The girl comes over and asks us if we have been asked our question of the day. I say, rather hesitantly, "No, I don't think so." and she says, get this, "How can I acknowledge you today?" and stands there and waits for an answer. The two dudes sitting at the same table, (but at the other end) are looking at us as if waiting to hear an answer too. Then she says, "You can think about it. " and we agree to do that, all the while thinking, wtf, can't a body eat in peace without all these should-be rhetorical questions that don't even make any sense?

While I drank my "I am Open," aka frickin' TEA, my companion ordered key lime pie ("I am Awakening") and an americano ("I am Courageous"). Then we realized he had to go add money to the meter ("I am Not Wanting a Parking Ticket"), so I was left alone. Meanwhile, the two dudes sharing our table had left, so I took a good long look beneath both empty tables (the girl server was much less intrusive than the boy server, so I had a little time). Then I went up to the other table that now contained two girls, both with laptops (who seemed to be pre-law, judging from their overheard snippets of discourse), and asked them if they'd mind if I looked under their table. I looked, twice. If there was something underneath the table, then it is tiny or disguised (I know it is supposed to be "A little. A trifle." But come off it.

Rant-like thoughts:
I was at the cafe for an hour and a half. I never got an opportunity to sit at the table that supposedly has the item. I spent $34 I do not have and found the entire experience rather disheartening. I have a fair amount of experience with live events, dead drops, and the like--only one time have I not found a dead drop (and that was because it wasn't there). This makes the second time. I am not thrilled with the choice of location and the need to be surreptitious in a restaurant (it's fun to do that outside). Not that I was surreptitious, but I would have preferred the option of asking a server something, even if they answered with some lame "affirmation" that might have provided more of a clue about what I am looking for. An envelope? A seed? A piece of string? Anyway, I am sorry I was unable to help you guys. I still think there is a good chance it was gotten by someone OOG, but who knows.

In any event, here are my few pictures and a short video I took when it started to hail outside.

[WhiskeyNinja]

You tried, and a lot harder than a casual player would, too. I have to think we're going about this all wrong, or it has indeed been compromised.

I hope chuck will have another dream momentarily to clarify the situation.

[FeloniousDrunk]

Man, I'm from Vancouver and I don't know any restaurants as flaky as that one seems to be. I guess we have some ways to go before we really deserve that "California of Canada" nickname. This is like cruel and unusual treatment of gamers by the PMs...

In the meantime, since I'm way out of any suspected drop zones, I'm quietly building myself a small numerological religion around Page 26/7. In case anyone else was thinking of it, mapping the arrangement of the squares from p. 27 ("Surely you know...") onto the p. 26 table results in gibberish.

[lhall]

Many, many thanks to Relogger and HMRPita for venturing out into the wilderness of the dream-city-formerly-known-as-San-Francisco, at risk of life and limb. Thank you!!

[dposse]

great job, pita.

[dposse]

[courtknee]

Damn that really sucks Pita It probably was taken by a small child during that party. Kids pick up everything. My nephew probably would have even taken that ABC gum

Hopefully next drop will be in a more undisturbed location.

Great job to you both though! You have far more patience than I do to sit in that cafe answering odd questions and ordering strangely named food.

[samspade]

Thanks so much for toughing it out, Pita. I consider myself a person of great patience (or an exceptional ability to hide my impatience ) but I think I might have flipped my lid.

Someone mentioned that one of the waitstaff seemed to match Chuck's description, she worked during an earlier shift, and the drop might only be around when she is. Anybody feel up to getting their daily affirmations in at lunch time?

[synspark]

pita.

Many thanks, and regrets for your $34. I hope the tea was decent
If only you'd worn the sleeves.

In any event, we have to now find the child who has stolen from us...and retrieve what is rightfully ours...by the most horrible means possible.

Whatever it is that we're looking for.

[MrCthulhu2U]

[landtuna]

I'm with the chat room folks. If you go back to hmrpita's transcript, it sounds like the wait staff was prompting for the response, "Reunion."

[daveymoo]

 Interception

[EnsO]

still odd though. the first "drop" was in NYC. by a totally anon entity. the second (if confirmed) was in a totally (thus far) unrelated city on the far left coast. as far as the game goes, NY and San Fran have been decimated, leaving only the Midwest. why are drops being made in cities not related to the game?

i understand the first drop. the second (by an IG character) suggests SF is still alive. or the PM are just inconsistent?

thoughts?

[Tresbien]