saviorexe: (02)
oh my rA9, it's robojesus. ([personal profile] saviorexe) wrote in [community profile] meadowlark2019-02-12 10:48 am

@markus.manfred

As some of you may already know, discussion has been taking place in regards to moving to a new safehouse; I understand that this isn’t a small endeavor, yet it’s something that should be seriously considered in the wake of all that’s happened. And while losing a multitude of Morningstar contacts is a detriment in its own right, it makes sense to view this as a new opportunity for the displaced. To become autonomous, self-sufficient, and able to move in whatever direction we deem as best for ourselves and those who would join us in the future. To finally be able to rely on our chosen initiatives, instead of depending on the generosity of an outside group with their own causes, objectives, and priorities to tend to.

This wouldn’t be a complete severance from Morningstar. Gaby, El, and a few others will still be willing to assist us when they can, and what previous resources left behind in the city will be available for us to use. It would be more akin to a partnership, with the understanding to give aid to the other when reasonably needed. Quid pro quo.

I’m not here to make these decisions for us, only to open the floor to discussion and to provide information so we can decide if and how we want to proceed. El’s given us a shortlist of unoccupied sites that are best suited for setting up a new safehouse. I’ve summarized them very briefly.


[Each location comes coupled with an address to denote where in the city it’s located, for those who may be interested in checking out each site in person.]

  • SPORTS BAR — Long abandoned and located near the sports stadium. The amount of foot traffic in this area means that it’d be easy enough to come and go without issue, and without turning too many heads. But this comes with the expected downsides of somewhere busy — more people means more variables, more eyes, more chances to be compromised if we’re not careful.

  • HOVERBIKE SHOP — A more isolated site in a run-down neighborhood. Here, it would be easier to escape scrutiny as an individual coming and going. A larger group of the same faces might have more difficulty, and would have to fabricate a very convincing reason to do so. There are also the nearby squatters to account for, who would likely be reasonably curious about us no matter how we proceed.

  • COFFEE SHOP — Located in the financial district. Several business have tried to start up here over the years, but none have stuck. Considerations would include: history dictating that this is a difficult location to keep running financially, a higher-profile spot but with vacillating foot traffic reliant on normal workday hours, and if the many neighboring businesses would be a concern.


  • All of these locations have an underground space which would house the core of the safehouse. What exists above is not only a front, but will have to act as a means of financially sustaining ourselves to keep supplies stocked, facilities running, and to afford basic upkeep. Which means that we’d be running a business on top of everything else, and should consider which will be the most viable as venture; which also means that we’ll need capital to get started, several people willing to devote their time and energy to this project, and reliable individuals who can work as actual employees once things are up and running.

    Needless to say, I’m willing to commit the time and effort necessary to see it through to the end. But this is a large project that won’t get off the ground unless we compile resources and ideas together — and the earlier, the better.


    [Please discuss!!]

    ((OOC; This is an open post for everyone to discuss matters about the future safehouse! Markus won’t necessarily be responding to each tag-in.))
    revlon: (423)

    @margaret.carter

    [personal profile] revlon 2019-02-12 05:11 pm (UTC)(link)
    This is excellent, Markus. And I quite agree with the safehouse being self-sustaining — far more beneficial in the long run.

    Having a business as a front excuses regulars frequenting the area as employees and patrons alike, not to mention bringing in supplies as deliveries. And of the three options, I wager the first and third have the most forgiving learning curves for those among us who wish to work there. Both are significantly more public than our current location, yes, but with drastically different peak operating hours too; so I suppose it could boil down to which schedule better suits our own.


    [ She has experience with this, a great deal of it, but she can't weigh in with specifics. The front for the SSR in New York was a telephone company in a busy office building full of other businesses. The hours were flexible but it was incredibly public and in close proximity to civilians. The SSR's front in Los Angeles was an unlisted talent agency which still entertained tenacious walk-ins. Far more isolated but still with an element of unpredictability with the general public.

    The cafe and the bar are their best bets. She knows which one she prefers but she'll likely scope them both out during her lunch break and after work to be sure. And watch this post for what the others think. ]
    Edited 2019-02-12 17:20 (UTC)
    merced: (pic#12810609)

    @aranea.biggs

    [personal profile] merced 2019-02-12 05:26 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ As this is an Official Posting conducting Official Business, Aranea will be less lazy with her, uh, typing. Mental texting. ]

    2 feels like a niche business. Good for keeping out of the way, less good if there's a sudden increase in foot traffic around the area. 1 and 3 will attract a more diverse clientele and it'll be easier to explain away why someone is there.

    I'm working in a bar right now. Mixing alcohol and covert affairs can either provide a good over if things go south or blow up right in our faces if we're not careful.


    [ That's not even getting into the possibility of sport hooliganism, if such a thing even exists in New Amsterdam. Soccer fans are no joke. ]

    Personally, I'd say the coffee shop is the least risky.
    evite: (Default)

    @daisy.johnson

    [personal profile] evite 2019-02-12 06:00 pm (UTC)(link)
    i might have missed some chatter during my nap, but if i'm reading this right, i think the cafe's our best bet.

    places like that tend to have tons of part-time workers rather than a small set of full-time staff, so having big groups over at odd hours is easy to explain as quarterly sales meetings or whatever bullshit we want to spin it as. we've been trying to figure out a reason to have everyone get together anyway, and meetings are always less conspicuous than birthday parties for grown adults.

    i think the stadium's too risky, honestly. we don't know everyone's skill sets in keeping things confidential, and that area's way too busy for anyone to be careless. plus, aranea's right -- adding alcohol into the mix is going to make things even messier. for the bike shop, it'd probably be nice to have a garage for upkeep on whatever vehicles we eventually get our hands on, but i think the squatters and the area make that option a risk we're not ready to take on, and it doesn't offer the same cover story for big gatherings.

    tl;dr my vote goes to coffee house. if we need volunteers to man the espresso machines, you can have my name there too.


    [ wakes up, word vomits, the #usual ]
    revlon: (093)

    [personal profile] revlon 2019-02-12 06:54 pm (UTC)(link)
    A fair point. With more arrivals trickling in, I'd say we'll have no shortage of candidates — especially since finding a job straight away isn't guaranteed. Either option offers a solid start.

    Speaking of uncomplicating the process: given that most key menu items in a coffee shop are luxury commodities here (real tea, chocolate, coffee itself) is there a workaround? A cafe may carry less risk, I won't deny it; but a bar may be easier and cheaper to supply. Not to mention the added benefit of being open around the clock, if necessary.
    Edited 2019-02-12 18:55 (UTC)
    retravel: (i would do him like a crossword)

    @leo.fitz

    [personal profile] retravel 2019-02-12 06:56 pm (UTC)(link)
    Was just about to chime in with this, Carter.
    Peak bar hours better overlap with our own peak traffic, given that most of us have other day jobs.
    revlon: (105)

    [personal profile] revlon 2019-02-12 07:02 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ Ah, Agent Fitz. On the same page as ever. It would be uncanny if it wasn't so bloody refreshing to be in step with a colleague. ]

    Which allows us all to double up if necessary without compromising our current schedules. Yes. Although Aranea raises a reasonable concern below: loose lips sink ships and all that. Is that a risk worth taking for convenience's sake?

    [ Look, she's willing to entertain all points for or against both candidates. ]
    retravel: (033)

    [personal profile] retravel 2019-02-12 07:10 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ Unsurprisingly, he feels the same way. ]

    If we can trust ourselves to welcome new arrivals and investigate sprawling conspiracies, I should hope a no-drinking-on-the-job policy would be respected.

    [ a little joking, a little not. very fitz. ]

    It's a valid concern, undoubtedly, though I don't think the coffee shop is without risks of its own, namely the prospective clientele.
    Financial district's home to our corporate associates, who are already investigating the anomalous happenings in the city.
    retravel: (008)

    [personal profile] retravel 2019-02-12 07:14 pm (UTC)(link)
    Good shout.
    On that note: No offence to my fellow members of the underground, but I don't know if we should be considered for outward-facing payroll. If our ID's have touched any suspect credits, we wouldn't want that traced to the new safehouse.
    revlon: (301)

    [personal profile] revlon 2019-02-12 07:15 pm (UTC)(link)
    Or else watered down drinks at the bartender's own discretion.

    [ Which is a joke but not. And then she reads the next thing and — damn. She hadn't even considered that but once he says it, it's painfully obvious. ]

    So the likes of you and me and anyone else in similar circles can't be seen working there or nipping in the back room without arousing suspicion before long. Is that what you're getting at?
    verflair: (004)

    @x'rhun.tia

    [personal profile] verflair 2019-02-12 07:24 pm (UTC)(link)
    If I may add mine own two gil, a couple of points I would like to raise: if these establishments yet sit empty, is there any reason that they must remain what they are? If coffee is difficult to come by, would not a different sort of eatery suffice?

    Secondly, while there may not be any children in our ranks at present (at least, none that I am aware of), we would do well not to discount the possibility in future batches of arrivals. Were we to go the bar route, it would be suspicious to have the younger among us coming and going.
    Edited 2019-02-12 19:26 (UTC)
    merced: (pic#12822762)

    [personal profile] merced 2019-02-12 07:26 pm (UTC)(link)
    That's not what I'm worried about.

    [ Drinking on the job, that is. Her concern isn't the people behind the bar at all; but rather -- ]

    The clientele wouldn't be just us. The possibility of hostilities is higher in a bar than a coffee shop, especially when you consider the scenery. Stadium lets out, one group is happy that their team won, another is pissed that they lost, the bar ends up being the backdrop for a bunch of drunk assholes working out their aggression over the matter.

    [ It's a specific scenario, yes, but not implausible. Fun, yes. She misses fights. She misses a job where her biggest concern wasn't carding teenagers and keeping people from throwing up on the bartenders. For this, though? When it's this important? She feels the need to raise the concern, if nothing else. ]

    We'd have to factor in the stadium's schedule as much as our own.
    retravel: (012)

    [personal profile] retravel 2019-02-12 07:26 pm (UTC)(link)
    Correct. Any of us working in the area already would have to tread carefully. More than that, anyone working on the very investigations related to the creatures and ourselves are not only well-positioned to recognise us but also to notice patterns in our comings and goings, and easily stake out the location.

    It's not unusual for people to spend days at their favourite cafes, pottering about.

    Now, the bar presents the similar risks of becoming a "usual spot," and the nighttime crowd could be sizable enough to provide cover for individuals to slip through the cracks. Still, patrons would be deemed unusual if they spent extended hours there during quiet stretches. And I'm less worried about the bar's potential crowd than I am the one in the cafe's backyard.


    [ pros and cons, as always. ]
    revlon: (283)

    @margaret.carter

    [personal profile] revlon 2019-02-12 07:30 pm (UTC)(link)
    More traffic does mean more eyes, yes, but I don't think being too busy is altogether a bad thing. People are less likely to pay close attention in a crowd. A quieter space is appealing but also carries the risk of making a scene in a different way.

    [ Worse case scenario, she's thinking "a scene" at a bar could be easily dismissed as a drunken disagreement between sports fans. Someone staggering through a cafe bloodied like they all did in the wake of the last assignment? A little tricker to explain away. ]
    Edited 2019-02-12 19:54 (UTC)
    merced: (pic#12903475)

    [personal profile] merced 2019-02-12 07:32 pm (UTC)(link)
    Seems like someone else had the idea.

    [ It's X'rhun, but she's not going to risk misspelling the name. ]

    Just because the equipment is there doesn't mean the business needs to stay all about coffee. Rebrand. Throw in some soup, sandwiches, donuts. Direct people away from the coffee part. Sell the cappuccino machine, [ or whatever ] the parts will bring in more money anyway.
    revlon: (119)

    [personal profile] revlon 2019-02-12 07:34 pm (UTC)(link)
    Between the two of us, we've considered both ends of the spectrum for bar fights. In this hypothetical scenario, we could employ our own as security to escort rowdier clientele out the door. After our last assignment, I don't doubt we have people more than capable of doing it.

    But yes, I understand the concern and I don't disagree that's a significant matter to consider.
    merced: (pic#12679613)

    [personal profile] merced 2019-02-12 07:38 pm (UTC)(link)
    Right.

    [ That's, uh, probably code for, I'm glad you've a level head about these things. ]

    I start training for the NAPD in a few weeks. Once I'm through, I can try to "redirect" in case something does happen, whatever venue we choose. Worst case scenario and all that.

    [ It'll take a few months to get a business up and running and accredited, anyway. Hopefully. ]
    Edited 2019-02-12 19:39 (UTC)
    cheffeur: (23)

    @ignis.scientia

    [personal profile] cheffeur 2019-02-12 07:43 pm (UTC)(link)
    Coffee shop, absolutely.

    [HE'S BIASED ADMITTEDLY......]

    It would, of course, require more up-front startup cost, but would also require less labor and manpower to upkeep. From what I've seen, the markup on the beverages that would be sold there is also quite high, which could lead to increased profit margins.

    I'd be willing to do what I can to assist, regardless.
    wiccant: (what should i do?)

    @anonymous

    [personal profile] wiccant 2019-02-12 07:46 pm (UTC)(link)
    I know I'm new so I don't have much experience outside the safehouse and what to expect outside of it, but:

    I think the coffee shop might be the best bet? People have had difficulties sustaining business before, doesn't mean every person who starts one up there is going to.

    The hoverbike shop doesn't seem like a safe location, considering the area it's in, and with the amount of people coming in and out of the sports bar, I'd be more concerned with someone stumbling in and finding the safehouse. Drunk people pull off crazy things sometimes.

    And I don't know the legal drinking age here? But I know back home, I'm below it and there are a few others I've seen who definitely are, too. Might be suspicious for some underage kids coming and going from a bar.
    evite: (Default)

    @daisy.johnson

    [personal profile] evite 2019-02-12 07:48 pm (UTC)(link)
    just because you're new doesn't mean you don't have something to contribute
    thanks for showing up


    [ she's weirdly emotional today, leave her alone ]

    i do agree on the drunk people doing stupid shit front, though
    revlon: (282)

    [personal profile] revlon 2019-02-12 07:49 pm (UTC)(link)
    Have we done away with barflies in the future? It seems New York was full of them in my day, no matter the hour. Especially if we install a billiards table and some televisions.

    [ Carter, your vintage is showing. ]

    Being surveilled is a risky all three options carry by virtue of opening them up to the public. We'll have to narrow down the goal(s), is all. Income, sustainability, privacy, and/or accessibility? Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I'd like to see what the others have to say but I suspect we could be at this for hours debating the pros and cons.
    evite: (008)

    [personal profile] evite 2019-02-12 07:50 pm (UTC)(link)
    everyone has to have a job.

    [ even though some amongst them still refused to get them. ]

    i think it'll be easier to use work to explain why a bunch of strangers who don't have any legitimate backstory to know each other get together once a month than it would be to spin a convincing birthday party story

    can we water down the coffee?
    get substitutes?
    run a crunchy granola new age faux coffee flophouse?

    i remember reading something in wikipedia about chicory root tasting the same, if we could find some of that...

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