Hideout Junction is a private Tumblr roleplay, created and maintained by a group of friends. Notably has a large cast despite only being written by three people.
Over forty years ago, a handful of likeminded people came together to create an institution to reeducate, train, and repurpose individuals with the intention of bringing order to the chaos spawned by blood money and it’s dirty businesses. In an effort to lower the rate of crime in the nation, end the black market of bounty hunters, and control the fate of organized crime altogether, The Company was created.
At present day, Flaure Descoutaux works for The Company, taking contracts to kill anyone they see fit. Along with her partner in crime, Iouri, they plan to make a brief visit to see Flaure's brother, Vincent, and his wife, Inferno.(Also conveniently, Flaure's best friend.) The visit takes a turn for a worse though when Flaure and Vincent's father, Salvatore Descoutaux, also stops by with his own agenda for The Company...
An Alternate Universe RP was created, named Flipside Station.
A contract would be bought and submitted to The Company, processed, and if deemed credible and just by the co-founders, handed to one of many Contractors (aka Bounty Hunters) to complete. The cost of one of these contracts is beyond reasonable for middle-class citizens. The Contractors are often ex-criminals (hence reeducated and repurposed) that have been recruited by the Overseer or any cofounder.
Twenty years ago, Salvatore Descouteaux, one of the cofounders of The Company, was contracted anonymously from inside The Company. The failed attempt to end his life resulted with the death of his wife, Elisabeth Descouteaux. His son, Vincent (15), fled in fear of Salvatore’s sudden rampage and took his younger sister, Flaure (6), away from their home in the countryside to live in the poverty-ridden streets of Crystal Coast. Salvatore influenced Vincent’s decision to leave by ordering him to do so, despite the initial reason being fear.
Vincent Descouteaux continued school whilst working numerous part-time jobs throughout his young life, and he also took the time to raise Flaure. Flaure, being stubborn in nature and heavily influenced by the life of crime that surrounded their neighborhood, was never one to be tamed. Once she was of an appropriate age, she involved herself in many illegal activities and eventually discovered the hit-man business. After a few successful jobs, she found herself face-to-face with a woman who would soon become her best friend, Inferno Hayes, and her two brothers Arc and Storm.
They were put up to do the same job. At first, their encounter was bitter, but their difference play-styles created an unstoppable dynamic. Flaure and Inferno became partners and together supported their families through the life of crime. The Hayes siblings lived alone and didn’t have someone supportive with them, as Flaure did, to help them through their struggles. They’d run away from their family at a young age after the death of their eldest sister, Indra, due to the placement of blame befalling them. Their parents became abusively cruel and spiteful, despite their ignorance to the real story, thus encouraging the trio to flee.
Three years ago, Inferno and Vincent marry. Vincent strives for a normal, danger-free lifestyle, while his sister continues to dwell in the depths of society. Arc and Storm continue to work as hit-men and Flaure leaves Crystal Coast unexpectedly and without a word. The newlyweds live the next three years of their lives peacefully. Vincent works as a business clerk in a wealthy bank, supporting his upper-middle class lifestyle with Inferno. Flaure becomes recruited by Iouri Petrovic to join the Company. These years pass quietly.
Suddenly, Flaure returns to Crystal Coast with her new partner, Iouri. She’s taken up all of the contracts listed for the area in an attempt to keep out all other Contactors. Something is up. She visits her brother and Inferno, hoping for a simple hello, when Salvatore unexpectedly appears. Salvatore kidnaps Vincent, after Vincent and Inferno have just finished arguing over whether or not to help Flaure with her contracts.
Salvatore reveals to Vincent the truth about Elisabeth’s death. Vincent, enraged, swears to bring down The Company for the sake of his mother. This anger is also fueled by his sister’s involvement with The Company, despite her not knowing any of this. Flaure teams up with Inferno, Arc, and Storm to try and get Vincent back, but after a few shady encounters, realize that he isn’t coming back. A run-in during a training exercise with the Linn contract results in the reveal of Vincent’s new demeanor and also introduces three new faces: Amelia, Vochef, and Gabriel. They appear out of suspicion that Salvatore had been spotted, after believing for so many years that the man was dead, and leave satisfied.
Flaure, having been nearly defeated by Vochef and Gabriel, is healed by her father for a second time. He simultaneously, and likely unknowingly, transfers some of his own emotions (?) through his ki. While she has been fueled with hatred for her father for the past twenty years, she slowly realizes (through these several encounters with him) that he might not be so bad. They (Flaure, Inferno and co.) also discover that The Company has been issuing corrupt contracts and placing hits on innocent middle-men.
Who knows what else they could be doing? Salvatore’s intentions are unknown to Flaure, Inferno and co., as well as Vincent. Vincent reunites with his childhood friends Amelia, Vochef, and Gabriel. They attempt to remind him about their past through an impromptu training session, but Vincent doesn’t take it so well. An unfortunate run-in with The Banker, after finishing the hit on a man named Anderson at the casino, leaves Arc and Storm searching for answers. Flaure and Iouri head to Crystal Coast Company HQ, where Salvatore is unexpectedly waiting.
The level of security focused around keeping Salvatore’s contract low-profile results in a huge understatement. The Company captures him after he disables a few guards. Flaure discovers him in the conference room, where one of her officers proceeds to ream her for her constant failures. Salvatore breaks free, nearly kills the Banker, and goes to rescue a woman named Ulyssa – but not without interference. Flaure, in a desperate attempt to stop a potential genocide, fights Salvatore in the HQ. They come to a truce, fueled mostly by Flaure’s confusion and Salvatore’s disinterest in conflict with his daughter.
Meanwhile, after discovering camera equipment set up throughout her home, Inferno investigates their origins. She comes across a few names linked to the purchasing of the cameras, which were hidden in the upstairs bathroom (linked with her bedroom), the nursery, and the attic.
The Banker reappears later that night at the home of Vincent and Inferno. Inferno, Flaure, Storm, Arc, and Iouri are seemingly safe in their home, until Inferno discovers several intruders in the hall. Flaure attempts to run downstairs after the first men were taken out, but the Banker greets her at the bottom of the stairs and shoots her several times, rendering her unconscious. Her injuries are fatal. Inferno decides that taking Flaure to her father would be the best course of action and carries her friend down the street. Iouri is furious and runs after them, but lags behind from the swarm of thugs raiding the home.
Salvatore refuses to help Inferno and instead, the Casino has called the authorities, as well as the ambulance, after noticing Inferno waking through the building with a bleeding woman at her side. Arc and Storm attempt to chase Iouri down, but he stops them and explains to them how he could have saved her, and that Flaure’s death was only hastened by the decision to carry her away. Iouri is then discovered to be more powerful than he lets on, while at the Casino, Salvatore displays just how powerful and ruthless he is by punching Inferno point-blank in the gut.
After an incident that results in Flaure’s near-death and the death of an unborn child, Vincent and Salvatore escape to Dehli, India, with their new ally Ulyssa, only after they visit the Descouteaux women in the hospital. The group then decides to live their lives in Hideout Junction, located beneath a deserted bridge on an almost uninhabited side of Crystal Coast. They train their bodies and their minds, their abilities and their strengths, and stay silent the entire time.
A month later, Inferno becomes the newest hit put out by The Company. Gabriel has become the new Banker, as he reveals to Iouri, along with Inferno’s contract. This results in her fake death, brought upon by Iouri, after the group decides to move into a new condominium in the city. It turns out that the building is owned by Dorian, an old friend of the Descouteaux family, and he scolds Flaure for her foolish and naïve attempt to move in. Fed up with the constant failures and disruptions, Flaure decides to take her friends to Grand Island, where they could hopefully, finally, get some work done.
Inferno is sent to live with her brother, Sage, in the middle of a forest between Crystal Coast and Grand Island. Polybius is introduced as the new owner of Inferno’s contract, unbeknownst to Flaure’s group. Munashe, the man Salvatore had met with in Dehli, appears in Flaure’ apartment in Grand Island. He offers her a chance to become powerful and she takes it. This results in a blood pact…
The agents of The Company are some of the best trained operatives in the world (comparatively) with wide ranges of skillsets. From spec ops to body guards, The Company sells their services to anyone with the right amount of money (or power) who needs them. They also contribute to different fields of research, mainly in genetics (biology), chemistry, and engineering. When their agents are not assigned to the field, they live their lives in their respectable homes as any other employee with any other job would do.
The Board of Directors was created within the past three or four years to replace the retiring co-founders. Vincent Descouteaux, son of co-founder Salvatore Descouteaux, has taken his father’s place in the Board. Adrian Petrovic, son of Richard Petrovic, has also taken his fathers spot. Although many of the co-founders have since retired, they still hold influence over The Company, so assuming that they are completely out of the picture would be wrong.
Recently a masked figure has appeared in the news, creating riots across the nation with his army of followers. His insignia, a golden circle, has been appearing more and more as the number of followers grow. He’s bombed numerous facilities, influenced protests and riots, but only recently announced himself to the public as “Ra”.
Flaure Descouteaux and Iouri Petrovic have been working in a restaurant, The Pearl, in the downtown area of Crystal Coast with Flaure’s brother-in-law, Arc Hayes. Despite growing up in The Company, Flaure was forced to remove herself from the agency for currently unknown reasons. Iouri, also growing up in a Company family, fled from The Company around the same time. He also has neglected to tell anyone about his departure, but it is speculated that there was an unfortunate incident leading to his resignation. The only ones who know why he’s left being his brothers and possibly Flaure.
Arc Hayes decided to go down a similar road. The three of them have since lived together in an apartment, striving to live normally. They fortunately don’t have to fight to make ends meet, but their lives have been nothing but lavish. At least they find comfort in their lives devoid of danger.
Vincent Descouteaux’s position has made itself quite obvious. It was clear to him at a young age that he would be the one to replace his father in The Company. Many years ago he met his wife, Inferno Hayes, in a jazz lounge. They came to have two children, Mireya and Kieran Descouteaux. Inferno continues to work for The Company, finding herself often paired with Vincent on assignments. Their recent assignment has been botched, thanks to Ra’s introduction to the public. His growing reputation and recent attack on The Company has put a hault to many things.
It started the morning Vincent and Inferno were supposed to be leaving for France. Mireya and Kieran would be watched by their uncle Storm, who was flying into town the same day. Inferno brought her children to The Pearl for breakfast, where they ran into Flaure and Arc. Inferno’s mention of her trip to France put Flaure on edge, whereas Arc seemed simply concerned. Upon their departure, Flaure and Inferno caught themselves bickering in the back alley. Inferno undermining Ra and his recent attacks infuriated Flaure, who deemed her ignorant.
Vincent was along quickly to save the two from their little disagreement. He took his wife and children to The Company headquarters, where Ra has recently set off a bomb in the lobby. Luckily the explosion was controlled and the building recieved no structural damage, but it did cause numerous injuries to employees and patrons alike. Upon leaving the car, he was met face-to-face with Ra himself. In an attempt to detain him, Vincent called upon the shadows, but his attempt was fruitless. Ra overpowered him somehow and broke free, threatening Vincent to unhand him or suffer the consequences.
Not wanting to cause further destruction, Vincent released Ra from the shadows attempts to grapple him. He let the masked figure be on his way without any persuit. Inferno and Vincent both proceeded into the headquarters, letting Atticus find them and take care of Mireya and Kieran while they attented to business. Vincent had called upon the Board of Directors to gather and discuss the attack. He was certain that this was simply the beginning. Inferno, upon Adrian’s request, found Pietro in the ruined lobby and helped the boy with rescuing remaining survivors.
The dirty work was much to Inferno’s dismay and she wasn’t fond of Pietro, but they worked together nonetheless. When the rescuing was done, Inferno left Pietro to wait for the clean-up crew alone. Upstairs, the Board meeting was in progress, and outside, protestors began to gather. Atticus drove Inferno home with her children, but as soon as the woman caught site of the protest on the news, she rushed back to the headquarters.
Luckily, Flaure, Arc, and Storm had arrived at the Hayes residence in time to watch the children. A quick apology lightened Flaure’s mood. She’d been growing increasingly curious about Ra since the airport, despite trying to ignore the news all day.
Vincent sits down with Inferno and Ra for dinner at a rather lavish french restaurant. Ra takes it upon himself to order dinner for the three and then business begins shortly after. Ra reveals that he is looking for the terms of their surrender, but Vincent makes it clear that The Company does not intend to do so. This immediately ends the dinner party as Ra stands before the other patrons of the restaurant and accuses Vincent and Inferno of ill intentions.
After the crowd rushes out of the building, Vincent and Inferno stand to face Ra. A squad enters for back-up and Adrian appears as their leader. The squad begins to fire at Ra upon Vincent’s command. Ra is stumbled by the fury of bullets, but appears unharmed. He strikes down two agents. Vincent takes matters into his own hand and begins to summon his shadows in an attempt to cage himself inside the darkness with Ra. Adrian and Inferno both realize that Vincent’s rage has influenced him to step out of his boundaries, but he will not listen. Inferno steps into the cage with Vincent, defying his order for them to leave.
The cage is defective. Vincent is caught in a physical struggle with Ra, while Inferno attempts to freeze him. Ra throws Vincent to the ground by his arms, effectively breaking both of them in the process. He grabs Inferno by the throat and throws her to the ground, inducing a head injury. Iouri appears from behind the remaining Company agents and reaches into the shadows, breaking them. The combination of Iouri’s otherworldly strength and Vincent’s semi-conscious state causes the shadows to shatter.
Inferno escapes while her and Adrian help Vincent outside. Iouri stays to stand ground versus Ra, but not before Ra kills off another two agents. Ra uses some unknown power to turn an ordinary chair into an explosive. Inferno attempts to block the object by throwing up an ice wall, delaying her escape, but Iouri proves her to be useless in this case by unexpectedly grabbing the chair with his body and endures the blow.
Meanwhile, Flaure was called in to finish her split shift after Iouri didn’t show up for the second half. She’s been drinking for a few hours already and continues to do so, mostly out of spite, as she tends the bar for the opening hours. Arc and Storm remain with Mireya and Kieran at the Hayes residence. An unexpected call from Inferno tells Flaure that her brother and herself have been taken to the hospital after an unfortunate accident. Iouri shows up at The Pearl to take Flaure to the hospital.
Everyone meets up to see Inferno and Vincent. Adrian gives Inferno a short talk about the things she’d done wrong during the restaurant scene. He proceeds to let her off with a warning and some advice. Inferno, knowing that Vincent will be enraged when he has his strength back, regrets nothing about her performance. Flaure apologizes to Inferno for letting them go alone, then goes to see her brother, but is stopped by Iouri.
Before Ra had left the restaurant, he tossed Iouri a USB key with a load of information including a brief history of The Children and his cause, some unexpected knowledge of Iouri and his runes/tattoos, and an invitation to a “feast”. Flaure watches the video in the hallway, then scolds Iouri for his lack of interest. She steals his motorcycle and heads off. Salvatore shows up, searching for answers. Adrian and Vincent bicker over details. Before Salvatore leaves, he tells Iouri to keep closer to Flaure.
Flaure spends the same night involving herself in Ra’s “feast”. She runs into him unexpectedly and the two of them converse. She meets Ulyssa, Ra’s attendant (right-hand-lady aka they’re totally boning), who attempts to comfort a distressed Flaure. Ra brings Flaure to his chambers, where he reveals his face. In a bout of confusion, she sarcastically comments on their situation. Ra begins to tell the woman a story of his past, but she fled before the story was likely finished, afraid that she might be diving a little too deep.
The next morning, Iouri finds Flaure passed out on the couch. They fight about the information on the USB and Iouri’s continuous lack of interest in his own origins. She storms out of the house, only to run into Ra at the bottom of the stairs. She invites him to breakfast. Arc and Iouri spy on her from their living room and decide to follow her to the diner. Flaure and Ra continue to be acquainted, while Iouri and Arc are confused as to who the stranger sitting with their roommate might be. Ra reveals them through their poor disguises. Flaure invites him to leave with her, but he confesses that he must leave. Pissed off and embarrassed, Flaure scolds her roommates for spying, and announces that she’s off to see her brother in the hospital.
Back at the hospital, Inferno tries to apologize to Vincent for what happened. He explains to her that it isn’t her fault and that she should continue to focus on her priorities with The Company. Pietro and Atticus let Inferno in on a new contract shortly after. They’re to recruit a man named Henry Lin. Before the trio leave, they catch glimpse of Victoria, the woman assigned as Vincent’s care taker while he’s in the hospital. She gives him a schedule and they immediately set off.
Vincent endures a painful check-up, followed by an even more painful meeting with a psychologist. He refuses to understand it’s importance and is insulted for being called to a psychologist, and berates the woman for asking her questions. After explaining to him her authority to keep him there and the importance of checking on his mental health, Vincent caves. He gives little information about his current troubles and is then excused.
After entering his hospital room, Ra reveals himself. He tells Vincent that the founders of The Company are being targeted and that he might wish to say good-bye to his father before his demise. Vincent attempts to understand why, but Ra reveals little. Their conversation is interrupted when Flaure tries to enter. Spooked, she backs away, but Ra calls her back inside. Vincent asks his sister about what she did the night before, but even after she tells the truth, he refuses to believe that she is nothing short of a traitor.
As soon as Ra turns towards the door, Vincent detains Flaure in the grip of his shadows. Their sibling quarrel ends when Ra turns to tell Vincent to calm down, before matters get worse. He disables Vincent by resufracing the pain in his arm. Iouri enters and grabs Flaure in an attempt to protect her from her brother.
Meanwhile, in the mountains, Inferno, Pietro, and Atticus meet with Henry Lin. They attempt to convince the man to join The Company, but are interrupted by a stranger in red denim. Gabriel appears and makes himself comfortable. He attempts to recruit Henry into joining Ra’s followers. He also reveals knowledge of Pietro and his two brothers. Inferno insults the man on numerous counts, influencing Gabriel to leave. When Gabriel did leave, he stuck a slab of C4 on the wall and left the rest of them to brace themselves. Inferno takes a few major blows to the back as she covers Henry from the explosion.
The four of them arrive back at the hospital to get Inferno help.
Hideout Junction contains examples of:
- Action Girl: Flaure, Inferno, Amelia. Possibly Ulyssa as well.
- An Ice Person: Inferno, despite the name.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Inferno and Vincent wanted to start their own family in peace. Inferno finds out she is pregnant only after he's gone and the pressure on Flaure's gang starts to mount.
- Flaure wants to visit her brother and best friend once again, now that Inferno and her have parted ways. She gets to, and then watches her brother get kidnapped and has to pull Inferno back into the life of crime to get him back.
- Black-and-Gray Morality: Considering all of the characters have shady past/present lives as mercenaries, it's hard to see how any of them are 'good.' The Company however, is just plain evil.
- Blood Magic: Flaure signs a blood pact with Munashe to gain more power. Iouri very openly disagrees with the decision.
- Blow You Away: Flaure
- Casting a Shadow: Vincent. Strange, given how he is one of the most gentle and kind of the cast.
- Charles Atlas Superpower: Salvatore and Iouri. The difference here is that Salvatore uses his own chi to enhance his abilities, while Iouri pulls chi energy out of other dimensions.
- Cigarette of Anxiety: Arc and Iouri frequently do this, often sharing cigarette packs.
- Glass Cannon: Flaure can dish it out both in melee combat and with her wind power, but can't take damage very well.
- Conflict Killer: Sort of. Salvatore doesn't lose any importance, nor do he and Flaure's team join up, but once The Company starts showing their true colors, the focus of Flaure's team definitely shifts from Salvatore to them.
- Deadpan Snarker: Everyone gets their moments, but Iouri takes the cake.
- Death by Origin Story: Elisabeth
- Did We Just Have Tea with Cthulhu?: Flaure, quite literally, has tea with Munashe, one of the founders of The Company.
- Dishing Out Dirt: Sage, also crosses over with with Green Thumb
- Expository Hairstyle Change: Has happened to Vincent twice.
- Fire, Ice, Lightning: Arc, Inferno, and Storm.
- Groin Attack: Used by Gabriel on Vincent, probably just ForTheLulz
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Atticus is probably the flat out nicest person in the cast.
- In Medias Res: By the time the story starts, Flaure's group has already disbanded and gone their separate ways. The story only begins once the group is reunited, and character relationships to each other are expanded upon as the RP goes on.
- Meaningful Name: Used often. All of the Hayes siblings have names related to their element.(Except for an unfortunate mistake with the twins' names)
- The Descoutaux family are no strangers to this either. Salvatore means "savior", Vincent means "to conquer", Mireya means "admired" or "beloved," and Kieran means "little dark one."
- Mighty Glacier: Arc is strong, but good luck getting him to be quick enough on his feet to avoid anything.
- Never a Self-Made Woman: One of Inferno's defining tropes. Both variations are used(One in HJ and one in its Alternate Universe.)
- This is played with a lot in her own character development. She tries to defy this trope every chance she gets, but many people around her don't want to see her as anything more than Vincent's wife. However this could be justified as the Descoutaux name carries fear/admiration, and Inferno exploits this when necessary.
- Playing with Fire: Arc
- Pre-Mortem One-Liner: A particularly dark example with Salvatore: "Do you do nothing but vomit nonsense?" Said to a pregnant Inferno right before he PUNCHES HER IN THE STOMACH, effectively killing one of the twins inside her. Vomiting was not the worst thing to happen to her at that moment.
- Remember the New Guy?: Sage, the older brother of the Hayes trio, was never mentioned until he actually showed up.
- Shock and Awe: Storm
- Squishy Wizard: Storm's ability origin gives him massive power with lightning, but he has less combat training than anyone in the cast.
- Stone Wall: Surprisingly, Inferno is this. Zig zagged trope, as she also has speed to help avoid attacks in addition to being able to take them.
- The Stoic: Salvatore, Vincent, and Vochef. Contrast this with the personality of everyone on Flaure's team.
- True Companions: Flaure's group. No matter what they fight about or how frequently, they are a family. This bond is what led everyone, not just Inferno, to go after Vincent when Salvatore kidnapped him. Even Iouri can't help but feel the loyalty.
- Undying Loyalty: Once you become someone Inferno cares about, she will never abandon you. Ever.
- Unlucky Childhood Friend: Storm for Flaure and Amelia for Vincent.
- Wham Line: Said by Salvatore, and responsible for Vincent's Face–Heel Turn, "They were supposed to kill me. The Company wanted me dead."
- Gabriel gets one later, "Kill the kid. That's it."
- Yamato Nadeshiko: The dynamic Inferno has with her family(especially husband) has shades of this, but her personality is not as reserved as a normal Yamato Nadeshiko's would be.
