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The Shark House - Chapter 14 - Troll Hacks

"Explain to me why you've dragged me out of my apartment?" Freddy known online as the Intrepid Cave Troll was dragged to the cafe by an angry Dawn.
"You provoked Razzmatazz, so you fix it so I battle him before he ends up fighting Popuri, so get to it helpdesk!" Dawn was not messing around, the tournament starts at the weekend so Freddy was asked to manipulate the bracket, they gambled on Dawn's history with Razzmatazz to avoid him noticing the change.
"Hey Giro, anything you want to add?" Giro was just making a coffee and shook his head.
"What about you Dave? You want to change something?" Dave got up and walked over to Freddy, he handed over the black book and asked him to make it so his opponents were female.
"Say goodbye to that Audi Quattro you wanted, this is going to cost you" Freddy picked out a few random girls from the book, Dawn just stared at Dave with her intimidating yellow eyes, Dave just hid behind Freddy scared.
"Dawn ain't going to kill you" Freddy joked, Dawn just walked away muttering "simp" under her breath; Dave crawled out from hiding and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Freddy, you still have that troll statue you bought off Glenn?" Dave asked.
"Is he still complaining about that? My offer was fair and reasonable for that type of cave troll, if he wanted more money he should've had the limited release red shackles model troll. Take my advice for this tournament, you will not get to choose what type of game you'll play, it's where ever you find your opponent and whatever games are available at that location, for example Popuri's latest job is at the ice rink, if she finds her opponent there, her game will be ice related such as ice hockey or speed skating, so you can't always rely on driving for your game, this is what makes Bayside's tournament so fascinating; as for you Dave, your first opponent will be Sasha" Dave reacted to the mention of a girls name ignoring the rest of the explanation.
"Let's see what Luke wrote in here, Sasha is a theatre actress, she's fun and energetic but a little exhausting, she's easy to spot as she frequently quotes from her extensive list of roles shes played not to mention you can't miss her shocking pink hair and clothing that is a mixture of street wise and punk with a sprinkle of pirate thrown in. A quick look at the theatre programme and you'll find her in no time" Freddy throws back the black book, Dave bowed several times thanking Freddy and sets off.
Before Freddy could logoff, Barry slapped some dollars on the table.
"I want you to look up a particular incident" Barry shows a news clipping of "Hero school girl prevents school shooting", Freddy was uncomfortable looking up the story, he pushed the money back.
"Ask Popuri about it, I don't deal with this sort of thing. All I know is that whenever I try and bring it up, Hellcat immediately shuts it down, it's not worth risking my reputation over" Freddy packed away his laptop and returned to his apartment.

The Shark House - Chapter 13 - Two Tickets To Paradise

Dave had a lot to process following the previous night after the announcement from Razzmatazz but that had to wait as Chaos Engine had an emergency meeting, Dave was worried as to what leader Joel might say considering how much freedom he gave Lisa a few nights back.
When Dave arrived, Hellcat was waiting as well as Joel, Hellcat didn't look impressed while Joel had concern written all over him.
"I've just got back from the Bayside Motor Council, our team have been selected for the gold card for 2024" Joel explained.
Dave was excited, the gold card meant the team were exempt from all car and car related purchases for that whole year, along with a chance at millions from winning Razzmatazz's tournament, all of Dave's debts would be clear and he could finally leave Shark House, but why was Joel concerned?
"There is a catch, we receive the card at the Gracies Christmas Eve Charity Ball, attendance is mandatory for a couple, and me and my wife can't go as were expecting our first child in the autumn. If no one from our team arrives with a partner, the card will be withdrawn" Joel very thorough in his explanation.
"Can't Hellcat go? She's second in command" Hellcat frowned while holding her left shoulder at the mere suggestion of going to the ball.
"My sister will have to take command of the team for the second half of the year, I'm leaving this to you my highest ranked commander" Joel stood up.
"But I'm single?" Dave pointed out.
Joel opened his desk drawer and throws Dave a black book.
"I prepared for this, your friend Luke gave me this, there are 30 single women listed in that book, fully detailed from those who have dated them in the past, I'm sure you'll find one person to date you, at least long enough to clear the charity ball. As for Lisa, I'll leave her to Hellcat, don't waste time pursuing her, you are dismissed" Joel showed Dave the door.
Dave had a new goal to achieve but he was more worried about fitting everything in, not to mention his mind was still fixed on Lisa.
"Joel, I'm sorry I let grandpa down" Hellcat was upset but Joel was calm.
"You know our team law, parenting takes priority, our older two brothers went through the same thing, I'm just making sure you're ready to take over Zoe" Joel trying to comfort his sister.
"No, I meant the ball, I should be the one to go, not Dave Dreamer" Zoe ready to burst into tears, Joel petted Zoe's head to calm her down.
"It's the other thing you are hiding in Dad's old over sized pizza delivery jacket, we'll never ask you to reveal something so sensitive, grandpa would never forgive himself if he asked you to do that, you probably should go home sis, you're not fit to drive tonight" with a warm hug, Joel sent his sister home.
Dave returned to the Midnight Cafe reading through the Black book over a coffee.
"Damn it Luke, none of these explanations help and there aren't any photos of any of the girls, I need a miracle here" while Dave had his head on the table, Lisa walks passed unnoticed on her way to work.

The Shark House - Chapter 12 - All Eyes On Popuri

The midnight coffee house was busier than normal as a few of the residents of Shark House were active along with their friends, among the residents, Popuri was with Dawn, Dave was with his friend Luke while the regular occurrences of Nessa with her bridge club along with Barry and Quint kept things running like clockwork as Giro joined Luke trying to make a distraught Dave feel better.
"She was literally your passenger and you blew it" Dave could only bury his head in his arms as Luke points out his missed opportunity.
"To make things worse, I still haven't met my neighbour Lisa" Luke was about to point out something but Giro stopped him while shaking his head.
"Cheer up, there's more than just Lisa" Giro pointed out.
"Yeah Giro is right, Hellcat is hiding those huge assets, Nessa over there seems like your type and Popuri....... she's an option, that friend of hers looks hot as well" Luke charismatic in showing Dave some options.
Dave looked over at Dawn only for Dawn to scare him off with her intimidating yellow eyes.
"I swear Dave you always play in hard mode" Luke shrugs.
The sports programme Quint and Barry were watching was interrupted by a report from the streamer Razzmatazz.
"Hello Bayside, I am the hype that keeps this city going, the Razzmatazz" the interruption started to anger Dawn the most let alone Quint and Barry wanting their sport back on.
"Now then you know that Bayside is the city of competition and everything from gaming to driving is always competitive, well I'm putting a bounty of my whole fortune on the line for someone to win the greatest tournament Bayside has ever seen! Over a thousand players will compete in a tournament with one left standing to claim my fortune, I of course will enter as I wish to keep my fortune but I only have one condition, Popuri Meadows will enter otherwise I'll call the whole thing off, you have until 1st February to register, don't keep me waiting" Razzmatazz ends the broadcast.
The attention of all the customers focussed on Popuri as she tries to piece together what just happened.
"I don't care how much he's worth, it ain't getting me anywhere" Nessa indignant to Razzmatazz's offer as she continues her bridge game.
"There we go Dave, an answer to your problem, of course I'll enter as well" Luke pretty confident of his chances.
"Are you after Lisa as well?" Dave enquired.
"No offence, but someone who can casually buy a Ferrari has way too many red flags" Luke finishes off his energy drink.
Dawn meanwhile was begging Popuri not to take Razzmatazz's offer.
"Poppy don't do this, don't give that prick any satisfaction"
Popuri gently pushed Dawn's arm aside.
"I refuse to be the cause of any problem, I'll enter this tournament" Popuri being brave with her decision.
"Give the girl credit, she knows she wants out of Shark House" Luke called out.
Dawn stared down Luke.
"You think this is a joke? You honestly think Razzmatazz will just cough up the money? All he wants is to beat Popuri just to feed his twisted ego!" Dawn's eyes glowing yellow as she leaves a dent in the table after slamming her fist.
"Whoa now, someone has boyfriend issues, probably not wise to cause property damage in front of the cafe owner and a police officer, if you really hate this prick so much then beat him yourself, then Poppy doesn't have to indulge his inflated ego" Dawn knew Luke was right and calmed down, Dave was several tables away terrified of Dawn.
"Alright that's enough, Dawn your paying for the table damage" Giro cleared the rest of the tension as everyone went back to their drinks.
Popuri was upset knowing that she caused this to happen.

The Shark House - Chapter 11 - The Gauntlet

Popuri was on her way to the beach districts in Bayside, the region had the unfortunate nickname of being known as the gauntlet, no one other than Lisa can successfully navigate the area without running into a gang of some kind, Popuri arrived at a police blockade before entering the territory.
"Might want to leave your car here missy, we'll look after it while you complete the deliveries" Popuri recognised the officer from the Shark House as Barry Black another resident at the boarding house.
Popuri immediately made her way into the area on foot; many people stared at her thinking she was an easy target, one person testing it straight away by letting loose a dog.
The barking dog ran towards Popuri but in a split second his aggressive behaviour switched to friendly as he begged for attention, Popuri gave the dog a belly rub before clearing her first package.
Beginners luck they thought as they signalled a car to drench Popuri with a mud puddle, Popuri immediately grabbed a piece of wood and blocked the mud and cleared her next delivery.
Barry could see everything going on and was about to put his sirens on when he saw a bicycle gang try to rush Popuri only for Popuri to step gracefully through the ambush, one of the bikers fell off in surprise.
"Are you hurt?" Popuri bandaged up the bikers knee and cleared her next delivery.
The biker blushed at the kind face Popuri gave him.
In a final attempt to mess with Popuri, one of the roller hockey players in the street slap shotted a puck at Popuri's face only for her to catch the puck one handed, the act caused the gang and even Barry to gasp in shock.
"You dropped this" Popuri handed back the puck and smiled as she cleared her final Delivery.
"How on earth did you catch a shot like that?"
The player wanted to know.
"I played for Canada as a goalie in the Winter Olympics, just be more careful with your shots okay?" Popuri gave a smile and went back to her car.
Barry gave a report of no trouble in the area, a first for someone else other than Lisa.
Barry did a quick google search of her name and it suddenly made sense. Canada silver and gold at successive women's ice hockey, also a summer Olympic marathon runner, another article peaked his interest.
"Hero school girl prevents school shooting? Who on earth is this girl?" Barry watching Popuri leave.
For the rest of the week, Popuri had no trouble at all as the gangs started to respect her, even greeting her formally and tuning up her car for her, Popuri was a little baffled but at least there was no trouble.

The Shark House - Chapter 10 - Chaos Engine

Lisa wondered if Popuri could handle the route she left her, that thought was quickly questioned when she arrived at the Chaos Engine meeting area with Zoe and her brother waiting.
"You put Poppy on that delivery route?" Questioned Zoe as Lisa removed her helmet.
"I heard she held Dawn Shriners to a draw at Quarter Bros, a quick search confirmed the type of person she is, I'm positive she'll be fine" Zoe and Lisa met a few times briefly but this was the first time they've properly interacted.
"Rather than create unwanted tension, can we get to the induction? Dave is waiting to take Lisa shopping for a new car" Zoe's brother Joel ran the Chaos Engine team, youngest of three brothers but older than Zoe, Joel inherited the team that his grandfather started.
Chaos Engine is a major team on the highway racing scene with a number of sub teams ran by one of the pros, Zoe and Dave along with the newly promoted Lisa run these sub teams.
"Alright Lisa, you'll need a car for some of the midnight events, you'll need to find a team to run as well, since Dave can find cars faster than anyone else you'll be with him tonight" Joel hands a blank pink slip to Lisa. Dave was waiting in a Subaru BRZ, or his casual car as he calls it, looking at Lisa he knew she was special, long blonde hair, red motorcycle leathers, she had a presence that could silence any room, this made the engineer nervous creating an uneasy awkward silence in the car until Lisa spoke.
"So how long have you been part of Chaos Engines?"
Dave mumbled his words several times before answering. "About ten years now, I turned pro in 2019 and now run the Trakstars sub team, but alot of them are kids with rubbish cars"
Lisa didn't really react to the joke returning to the previous silence.
They arrived at Bayside's most infamous car dealer Glenn, an old school friend of Dave's; it was obvious how much Dave used Glenn's dealership with how often their exchanges started with sarcasm.
"Get out, you've bought enough cars already" Glenn started.
"Time out, time out, it's not me this time, it's Lisa"
Lisa was already out the car and looking around.
"Never thought I'd see you with a normal girl" Glenn curious about Dave being with a girl closer to his age rather than older.
Lisa searched until she eyed up a Ferrari SP38, Glenn shook his head.
"I don't think anyone could afford that one, even though I got it off a rogue influencer, it's still going for a million dollars used" Glenn normally ruthless with his deals knew that having a car that exotic would be more trouble than it's worth.
Lisa wrote out some figures and presented them to Glenn. "I'll take it for this much plus extra to drive it away today"
Glenn instantly took the offer and guided Lisa to the office to finalise the details.
"You better keep this one Dave, she could buy you out of debt and a whole lot more if you know what I mean?" Glenn responds nudging Dave with his elbow.
Dave meanwhile wondered what on Earth just happened.