A Game of Gods Season 3: Frontiers

Vicky Vale ( Mystique)—A white lie

He was hiding something.

Maybe it was a hunch. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe he was just nervous. Still, Mr. Tucker, as smart as he seemed to be, lacked experience in malice.

Mr. Scratch was a perfect example. Long ago had he became numb to the cries of his conscience. If they were even there in the first place. Is what made him, and her, able to lie with such confidence. Without shaking or sweating.

“Well, Mr. Tucker. As you know, I am a journalist. And sometimes receive anonymous tips. I have been hearing rumors about your research... things that would compromise your career. “ she looks down. “Unfortunately, I can’t say more, or even what I heard as that would compromise my source. Journalistic ethics.”

That was a lie of course.

She smiles softly. “Of course, you have nothing to worry about. I’ve seen your family, and your work, and I have I doubt you are an ethical man that would never risk all his years of service or his daughter. I’ll dismiss them as just rumors. But if you want to share your version of the story before I publish my article... I am all ears.”

Would that make him slip? Unlikely. Would that make him nervous? If he had any kind of conscience and something to lose? Very likely.

Regardless of the outcome, one thing was for certain. Alan wasn’t the only one that liked to twist an arm.

Tucker Residence: Roxanne Better Put on the Red Light

At Tucker's remark about dangerous words, Wake raised his hands in gentle submission. "My apologies. Both Miss Vale and I come from a nation where freedom of speech is a right all her citizens have. We shouldn't drag that attitude around with us; after all, some governments have thinner skins than others."

There he goes again about being a good little researcher. At some point, talking about one's own integrity starts to become a con, not a pro.

Methinks that Tucker doth insist too much.

Sure enough, the slight twist of his arm got the alchemist squirming like a worm on a hook. Once his journalist companion joined in on the fun, Wake had to feign interest in the animals again so he could turn his back to Mr. Tucker. Wouldn't want their host seeing the giddy grin on his face.

"It's not ready yet?" Even with his back turned to the alchemist, Mr. Tucker could hear that Wake's tone was drenched in disappointment. "Well. Better hurry, then. You're almost out of time!"

Having calmed himself down to look convincing, the Chief Adviser turned back to his host, and seemed only now to realize what distress the poor alchemist was in!

"Oh my God, are you alright? You look like you're on the verge of a breakdown! Here, let's find you a place to sit down."

Guiding the panicked man to a chair, Wake turned to Miss Vale and asked her to get Mr. Tucker some water. Assuming she took the hint and stepped out of the room for a minute, the Chief Adviser would let out a sigh as he slowly shook his head at the alchemist.

"Sorry for all the questions; curiosity's a flaw of mine. I didn't realize you uhh...weren't where you were hoping to be with this research.

"...can I ask you something? Guy to guy?"

Alan glanced at the doorway to ensure Vicki wasn't about to step into this talk. Then, in a quieter voice, he asked:

"You ever think about bringing a girl here? One of the 'ladies of the night,' to use an idiom from my world?"

Perhaps accurately expecting the alchemist to grow red as a tomato, Alan raised his palms to Shou as if to say "hear me out." "It doesn't have to be a big deal. Your wife left you, you're raising a kid by yourself, and you're under a mountain of pressure at work. For Christ's sake: you're only human, man. Find a chick—maybe a 2 or a 3, someone cheap who probably doesn't have anyone waiting for her at home—give her a quiet little taste of the good life. Maybe show her around your lab; women appreciate a man with some gray matter between his ears. Your daughter's bound to be sound asleep the entire time, and even if she gets a peek of your lady it's not like she's old enough to know what's going on. And that's the beauty of it all—nobody has to know. It can be your little secret, and trust me: you're going to find that it'll take a lot of stress off your shoulders."

Akihabara Skies

Rosalina pauses for a moment, looking at Dark Samus as if she were looking into her, and then smiles.

"Very well then, Miss Samus. Rosalina."

She holds out a hand, offering it for a simple shake.

"While the world may not be large on the grand scale of the universe, it's still quite a lot to take in all at once. I think our fist task should be one that is simple enough: Find a place to land. Perhaps Gotham? To understand the reason for why we do things, we have to start at the source."

Frontier Medical Center - Akihabara

"Oh she'll be in touch alright, I will be there to make sure of zat." Eugen couldn't help but wink at the blue-haired woman, giving her a small - and slightly smug - half-smile. "I'll leave an... associate... of mine here. If all else fails, let her know what needs you have, and she will let me know, and I will move heaven and Earth to bring your lovely nurse back to you, no? But only for emergencies."

With that, she turned around so she could face the next tasks ahead of them.

When all the move-in antics were finished, including Eugen making no less than four jokes regarding stress-testing, breaking-in, and/or checking how comfortable the furniture was throughout the process, adding in whatever time Gale needed for her obsessive furniture-cleaning while Eugen tested out the shower, and of course, leaving her humble CZ-75◊ to keep an eye on things in the hospital lobby as they left, reading a book.

"Well, now is a good time for a little trip... but ze delivery truck is not sexy enough for travel, ja?" Eugen winks. "And, vell, we need something sturdy for going off the road. I'm sure we can find something in the lot that would let us go out, off-road, and still have enough space for if you wish to spread out a bit."

Tekka Ascendancy Air Hub - Akihabara

"It's not quite a luxury vehicle but...."

She points up at the six-wheeled monstrosity that was parked in the lot at.◊

"Well, considering that we are not simply going down the street, and monsters lurk all over ze plains, there is nothing that would do quite so well as keeping your hintern in the lap of comfort and safety as we take a little trip." She chuckles. "Except, of course, my lap, ja?"

With a small hop, she got onto the front of the Armadillo and opened up the door, revealing the passenger cabin.

"Do not worry about ze lack of steering wheel... or pedals. Or any sort of mechanical interface. I have it on wifi, no? Maximizes the room we can have on ze inside, make things more cozy. Unless, of course, you would prefer something a touch more intimate?"

Winking, she sits down on the hood.

Tucker Residence

Perhaps rightfully, Vicki's inquiries got him even more in a panicked state. They've heard of that? That's- there's no way! If someone had heard, he wouldn't have been standing here worrying about his research now, would he? Fuming perhaps just a little bit, he rebukes.

"That's impossible! You couldn't have-" he bit his tongue, realizing his mistake all too late. Just by that, he had admitted that he does have dirt up his sleeve. Just who are these two?

Thankfully enough, Wake's act got him to calm down. "Yes. Some-Some water would be good, please." Between the pressure of work, being reminded of it and being pressed by two strangers in his own home, some rest was sorely needed as he listened to Wake's explanation. "... Go ahead, Mr. Wake." He gave him the go-ahead to talk man-to-man, as he calls it.

Theeeen he actually heard the Advisor's suggestion.

... The temptation is there, yes. He had done it before, he could do it again. He had tried doing it the legitimate way for so, so long afterwards, only to completely flunk the evaluation last year. In the midst of the looming deadline and thinking that he could only be saved by performing the taboo again at the very last second, he wasn't able to think straight and had opted for the most desperate option. But a stranger that nobody would miss...

... Still. Something wasn't adding up...

"... What are you saying?" he asked Wake, gaining his reasoning and clarity back. Perhaps it was due to the shock and his panicked state from before having worn down after he had a moment to actually rest and think. "If I do that, you'll be the only one who knows. You'll have something to hang over my head. Why risk telling me this, when I can implicate you too?"

And perhaps, more importantly, as Tucker is slowly starting to realize that the two aren't normal guests and isn't just here for an alchemy lesson... "... What do you want out of me here?"

He can't honestly be expected to believe that Mr. Wake suggests that out of the kindness of his heart, considering the matter.

Nightingale - Frontier Medical Center

The moving in is done and, as per usual considering Gale's razor-sharp focus and one-track mind in regards to all things falling under her duty, she made no comments on Eugen's jokes. She does, however, take notice of another one of the... boatgirls? Gungirls?(honestly, these two categories are starting to be interchangeable and look the same to her by now) standing guard in both Eugen and Nightingale's absence.

She appreciates that.

Tekka Ascendancy Air Hub

"Honestly, I had figured you would prefer a ride with as little space, as an excuse to stick closer." blunt, the nurse was.

Still, the truck seems to satisfy her. She would've made a comment that she would've been perfectly fine with just about any ride, even the unsexy truck... but considering that today is her break and everything and Prinz Eugen had likely thought long to find a ride that's both practical and had as much creature comfort, she didn't deign herself to do so.

"Convenient."

Perhaps she should consider installing one of those new-fangled 'A.I' system in her ambulances and vehicles, one of these days.

"... Are you coming inside, or would you need to direct the car at its exterior?"

Edited by JustSomeGuy732 on Apr 9th 2021 at 8:43:43 PM

Tekka Ascendancy Air Hub - Akihabara

"Inside, outside, I can come either way if that is your preference, but I think I'd prefer coming in ze inside, yes?" Eugen winks at her. "An armored chassis is no good if it is not between you and what awaits - and it can get rather windy out here, you know?"

She idly kicks her legs a few times as she sits on the hood, the clacks from her heels on the metal echoing a tad, and then hops up. Instead of going into the transport, though, she stops just at the door.

"Of course, if you want it to be tight in here...."

She turns her head around slowly, a sly grin creeping up on her face, and she rests her hand on the top of the door. With a snap of her fingers, one of her M16 dummies appears, wearing a grin as she stretched up her arms and sat down down on the floor, right up against the door on the opposite side of the Armadillo, as if trying to intentionally block whatever free space she could.

Then her M590 doll◊ appears in the air right next to her, and casually slinks into the first seat in the transport. With her sturdy build, she could really fill up that chair with her bulk, taking up more than her fair share of the passenger space in the cabin.

Then her DSR-50 doll◊ appeared next to that one, sinking her taller frame into the seat. With her lanky build, she was able to stretch her legs the farthest, taking up a decent chunk of what foot space the vehicle had.

Then an RO635 doll filled the seat after that◊. Seated with her legs crossed and arms held up, she helped to reduce the headroom in the adjacent seats.

And then to fill the space out a little more, another of her CZ75 dolls◊ appeared next to that one, filling the gap between the seats by laying down on the floor, sideways, her head propped up by one hand as if she were a Pharaoh lounging. With her poofy martial arts getup equipped, she was certainly doing her part to provide yet another cozy, volume-filling body into the cabin.

To round out the batch, a Negev dummy◊ made sure to appear just like the others had, this one remaining standing inside. Since she was on the shorter side, she could stand fully upright without issue, while her armor that looked like she was trying to cosplay a paladin and a vampire at the same time helped to contribute to just how full the bus was getting.

"What do you think?" Eugen teased. "Now you'd be hard-pressed to fit inside without clambering all over me, no? I could always fill it up more and more until you have to wrestle your way in."

Tucker Residence: You Wanna Buy Make a Watch?

Alan took Shou's initial confusion as a befuddling setback. Funny, here he thought his advice was a little too obvious. But maybe this wasn't a dialect the state alchemist was accustomed to.

"Implicate me?" echoed the Chief Adviser, clutching his chest as if Shou had thrust a dagger through his heart. "And here I thought we were becoming fast friends. Let me ask you: out of the research labs in this city, have you ever noticed any other government facilities conveniently nearby? Penitentiaries, insane asylums, maybe even impressively violent ghettos or slums? Y'know, the kind of places where people can disappear without anyone noticing?"

Judging by the shift in Shou's expression, it seemed like Alan had struck oil.

"...you think that was an accident? If you want to point fingers at someone be my guest, but let's be clear about who is really on your side. Sure as hell ain't your esteemed colleagues working behind closed doors. You've been set up for failure, Mr. Tucker; my guess is that the brass knew the truth about your past success and wanted to use you as a public face of progress. R&D moves a lot faster than cultural norms, so having your incredible-yet-somehow-unrepeatable breakthrough as a midpoint helps make whatever they've accomplished now an easier pill for the public to swallow later. Baby steps, y'know? Wouldn't want to force the cold-hearted truth on the masses all at once; tends to upset them."

When the alchemist turned to the unspoken quid pro quo, Alan crossed his arms an mulled the question over. To be honest, he'd gotten more than he bargained for already, but it wouldn't do any good to let his host know that. At the very least, it'd be wasting an opportunity to get something new. Strange to think that he had brought Shou Tucker a great deal of pain, and here the idiot was seeking to thank him for it.

Yet as he studied the panicked man, Wake noted how tightly he clutched the silver pocket watch in his hands. The way his fingers trembled around its smooth and lustrous surface, one might think Shou mistook it for a lifebuoy.

"What's with the watch?" Wake asked, no longer concerned with keeping his voice down. As Tucker went on to explain the watch and its importance to his position, a hint of a smile inched onto the visitor's face.

They had a way in.

"It's very kind of you to offer something for a little friendly advice; I'm touched! And I don't want to burden you, so I only want one thing from you, Mr. Tucker."

The Chief Adviser pointed to the lifeline in Tucker's hands.

"I want you to make a duplicate of that watch you're holding. It doesn't have to be a functioning watch, and it doesn't have to be a perfect match—wouldn't want you to think I have any interest in your research grants—but it has to look convincing enough at a glance or brief study. You can use the watch I have here as the base, if you need one. Do that for me, and we're square."

Nightingale - Tekka Ascendancy Air Hub

"..........."

Whether that's the face of utter disapproval she's giving out, you can't quite honestly tell. If nothing else, Nightingale is damn good at maintaining a poker face. Or maybe that's just how she always look regardless.

Glancing at Eugen then back at the interior, it doesn't take her much to decide not give her smug personal escort the satisfaction: Enter and make herself comfortable as was her original intent, navigating and moving over the mounds of bodies. Nightingale is not one to get so much as a single blush and little could get her to be hard-pressed. If there were an unoccupied seat, she would take it.

If not, she would just sit upon the lap of M590. Let it not be said that she's picky.

She was... well, perhaps not quite gentle, but she was being careful to not force herself against them. A gentleness that can be retracted just as easily.

"Do you all share the same mind, the same consciousness, completely?" she had been meaning to ask that question but never quite thought of it at the time whenever they meet. Or just too preoccupied with something else.

"Or do each of you still have some of their own independent thought processes?" a beat as the nurse re-adjusted her seat, no doubt getting into contact with some of the raifus. "... It would be troubling if some of you start vying and competing for me. Don't think I didn't notice how you acted at the hospital, Prinz Eugen."

It was part legitimate question and part poking/indulging the bote/gungirl.

Tucker's Residence

Many thoughts swirled through the alchemist's mind. It would be a lie if he said he didn't have his suspicion, but it was a suspicion that he never acted on. Then there's the matter of Alan Wake, and of Vicki. Of what they might have planned, an-

... No. That didn't matter. What matters is that he had collaborators. He still has his suspicion of Wake, but it's equally true that he had no allies too, moreso with this latest revelation.

"... Give me ten, no, five minutes." Shou Tucker grasped and accepted the watch. He has nothing left to lose.

Out of the door of the entrance(and away from the room where Scratch and Tucker have their private conversations), two pairs of eyes loomed over the door frame with worried expression. As they noticed and looked over Vicki returning with a glass of water in hand, Nina rushed out and forward towards the reporter.

"... Is Daddy okay? We've heard shouting."

Even the normally energetic family mutt whines at this.

The minutes had passed and soon, the Advisor would have his watch, the outside of it bearing the insignia of the silver lion, Amestris' symbol.◊ If Wake were inclined to observe the process, he would find the process quite simple, really. The Tucker made the corresponding transmutation circle with a piece chalk, placed the base material in the middle of it, add a few pinches of what seems to be iron and assorted metals. Clasped his hands together, place it on the table, some sparks starts to show ... and voila, a slightly modified watch to match Tucker's own(from the outside, at least)!

Left unsaid was that alchemist would need to have an innate understanding of the principles of alchemy, the composition of the materials at hand in addition to all other factors and all that, but it may as well look like plain old magic to the advisor's eyes.

"... I should warn you, Mr. Wake." Tucker added, feeling like this needs to be said. "The Fifth Laboratory has been decommissioned and shut down. It has been so for a long time, and it certainly looks like a ruin when I last remembered looking at it."

"But if you do find someone, or something, inside that the military doesn't want us to know... Well, you'll likely be marked as an enemy of the State and banned if they catch wind of it."

Tucker, for his part, is entirely content to just remain a humble 'researcher' and civilian in all this. No need to get any deeper than he already has.

Edited by JustSomeGuy732 on Apr 10th 2021 at 4:16:57 PM

Tekka Ascendancy Air Hub - Akihabara

"Oh zat would be no contest at all - I vould be the one to win you." Eugen winked. "Unless of course, you secretly pine for it - it would not be too difficult for me to orchestrate, yes?"

The fox-eared dummy Gale elected to sit on was easily as comfortable as the chair would have been - or more comfortable, considering military standards. Plus it meant the arm rests moved with you - convenient!

"But no, nothing quite like zat. These are not much more than... limbs, yes? Fingers and toes. Much like this transport, or something else I am connected to. Though they are far more interesting to control than a car. Something large and unfeeling, it is not much different from playing a video game. But these... these dolls, they are what matter. What they feel, I feel."

To accentuate the point, M590 rested her chin on Gale's shoulder, and slowly dragged her cheek against hers. Meanwhile, Eugen put a hand to her own face, and gave a small whimper.

"Each model has its own quirks. As well as its own unique... assets, though." The DSR model said from opposite Gale, crossing her own arms to make the aforementioned unique assets that much more noticeable.

"While there might be... small changes in personality, it's still me." The redheaded model on the floor spoke up, looking up as she lazily poked Florence's leg with a finger. "Much how you might feel different wearing a winter coat, a lab coat, a bikini, or a business suit, I feel different when I'm inside this spunky, tight little body. This one gets excited so easily, like a cute little puppy."

"And I might get a tad more jealous when looking through these eyes...." Negev helt up a hand, her thumb and finger millimeters apart to demonstrate the 'tad'.

"But you don't have to worry about me fighting with... me," RO635 added next, leaning to the side in her seat so she pressed up against Gale's other shoulder. "I know how to share with myself. Though I understand if you don't want to be seen with too many of me... in public."

"You vould not want your staff to come up rumors about you and the legion of women you seem to cavort with, no?" Eugen smiled broadly this time, sitting down against the window and crossing her legs, resting her hands on her lap. "Though as for me...."

"M16 was the first one in the Frontiers," the M16 doll said from the door. "Then came the fox and miss tall and voluptuous over there. I had some of those permits, I figured why not? But then I got... creative. And I might have been thinking about Amagi a bit back then - this was well before I met you, don't sweat it. So the next time I used a permit, instead of a model I was familiar with, I wished I had some way to be more like her...."

"And ze next thing I knew, here I was," Eugen continued. "But I was not... me anymore. I was like two souls in one now. Two sets of memories. I remember two Earths, one where I was a soldier in ze heart of Serbia, sacrificing myself piece by piece. And one where I sailed ze seas at ze command of a black-hearted leader, broke free, sought a better future but in a flash I... died. And then here I was. Or here I continued to be. However you want to call it. Our minds are now my mind and it is - it is like mixing two drinks together, when you do so you still only have one drink, not two separate drinks... but they are just as sweet, no?"

Nightingale - Tekka Ascendancy Air Hub

Yes, Eugen's totally taking advantage of the situation at hand. Even Nightingale can see that. To the foxgirl's cuddling over her shoulder and cheeky cheek rub, the nurse reciprocated in kind. At DSR-50's outward flaunting of her asset, she deign not to compete and showcase herself. To the redhead's finger poke and Negev's admittance of being a little envious(a comment that the Head Nurse would take with a huge grain of salt, considering the 'main' body can just as easily grow jealous and stakes her claim), she gave a headpat to the former and a look that invites the latter to come on over.

"You can feel whatever your extensions feel, you say..." Already, she files that away as important information. It'll be useful if she ever feels the need to pacify M16/Prinz Eugen, if their action grows too lascivious.

Just as the discussion drifts into her very being, two souls mixed into one, the Head Nurse listened on intently. And as she finished, she had a couple of things to say. But first...

"Odd thing to worry about. You should be well-aware how I am." the nurse replied to the comment about M16 telling the nurse to not sweat it after having thoughts of Amagi, whom she remembers as one of the higher-ups of Tekka Ascendancy. "You need not be concerned about me and make yourself limited. I'm... hm. What's the term? 'Open'?"

Then she briefly considers before genuinely asking. "... Unless you wish me to have you only for myself. Is that how this works?"

... Nightingale is many things, but relationship expert is not one of them.

At the gun/botegirl describes herself in the end, Gale counts something out loud. "Troublesome. Meddling. Always visits on inopportune times. Cracks unneeded innuendos and jokes when it comes by. Looks for every opportunity to tease." she counts with one hand.

"Openly affectionate. Strong. Stubborn. Worries about the littlest thing. Unexpectedly vulnerable." she counts with another.

Factoring everything in and nodding to herself, Nightingale made a final tally. "So yes, I would call your mix a mildly sweet drink." A pause.

"... And sour. But it's a flavor one can get used to."

Daud - Fantasia (Daud's Hamlet)

She hated that these two remnants from a decade past barged into his now idyllic life. He hates that he even invited them in and listened to them in the first place. He hates how rusty he realized that he's been getting, getting uncomfortably used to this damnable quiet life stepping after he steps away from his line of work.

... But perhaps most important of all, he hates how the detective is right.

The ex-assassin steepled his hands, as if looking past them and back towards the vision he'd seen when he made the Wish upon the permit; to witness what Fate would have in mind of him had he still been in the Capital and not whisked away.

One in which he remained as he was, and died deserving of a criminal that had plunged the whole Empire into chaos. Another, he was given mercy and leniency by the very man who had every right to kill him then and there; leaving behind a broken man who'd spent the remainder of his life to prevent anyone becoming like him again: by assassinating the god that made it possible.

He had come upon a conclusion: he loathes loose ends. And fate had seen fit to dangle him with one, despite giving him a fresh start away from his world. Years after he resigned himself to not see action again, even.

Yeah, fuck you too, fate.

... He had not come upon a position just yet. Clenching his fist while impatiently tapping his finger with his other hand onto the table, he awaits the resurrected phantom's, Reiko's, words.

He'll likely accept whatever job it is, being the damnable stubborn fool that he is. And that's what irritates him most.

Tucker Residence: Key Watch to the City

Wake smiled at the alchemist's hustle, but insisted that he was in no rush. "Take your time making it look convincing; I can wait."

Course, the thought occurred to him that Tucker was looking to get this job done ASAP to kick his guests out the door. Naturally, he was uncomfortable with the Outsiders who had sniffed out his biggest secret—couldn't blame him for wanting to get some distance between them, but Wake would blame the alchemist if his forgery wasn't convincing enough.

And if Shou Tucker dreaded his presence now, imagine how he'd feel if Wake had to come back here when he's angry.

The Chief Adviser did not loom over Tucker's shoulder while he worked; no need to apply more pressure to the frail man, that fun was more or less over. Once the job was done, Wake asked to see the forgery and the original in order to compare them. After ten seconds of heavy silence, the visitor smiled, and handed the original back to its rightful owner, along with his thanks.

The alchemist's warning about the Fifth Laboratory drooped Wake's eyelids to a glazed, unimpressed stare. "Mr. Tucker: today's lesson is 'Your military is hiding something.' Do you honestly think a public statement and a rough exterior is enough to take this lab out of commission? Or is it a thin excuse to keep it away from prying eyes? Guess Miss Vale and I are off to find out for ourselves."

At the point about the risks, the Chief Adviser's glazed expression shifted bit by bit into something...strange. A sort of quiet yet almost manic delight, with the sharp eyes of a man in full control of his actions and an ear to ear grin of a man simply drowning in joy.

"I know. Exciting, isn't it? I haven't this much fun in years."

Simple banishment was probably the most he could hope for. Imprisonment for attempting to steal state secrets was a more likely consequence. Maybe they'd try to kill him on the spot. It's not like the Mayor knew where he was, or anyone else in Gotham's government. Maybe they'd throw him under the bus, say he went rogue, which wasn't exactly far from the truth.

"Well. Thank you very much for hospitality, Mr. Tucker."

The Chief Adviser turned to leave the room, but stopped after taking his first step.

"Oh. One last thing." he said, and turned back to the alchemist. The silently manic grin had shriveled into a more comfortable, even reassuring smile.

"It should go without saying, but...this conversation never happened. I'm sure you wouldn't want to risk your livelihood by doing something rash like reporting Miss Vale and me to the authorities. You have a lot to lose if they take a closer look at you. If you're asked what we talked about, just share everything till we started bringing up the heavy questions. Enthrall them with the tale of Dr. Moreau, for all I care! Just keep your head down, and nobody will touch a hair on your head. You'll be free to raise little Nina in peace, with all the perks your title provides."

Wake waited for Mr. Tucker to agree, then resumed his walk to the door.

Edited by TheodoreHastings on Apr 14th 2021 at 5:58:38 AM

Tekka Ascendancy Air Hub - Akihabara

Smiling to herself, the yanderous doll was more than happy to draw close and hop down on Nightingale's lap, curling up closely.

"Yes... well I um...." Negev's cheeks redden somewhat as the head nurse kept on going with her description, swallowing a bit when she finished. "And you were saying I'm the lascivious one? You know, if you want to drink me up more to be able to be more accurate with your evaluation, that could be arranged. Far be it from me to prevent a master sommelier from plying her craft, no?"

Licking her lips for a moment, she looked away, glancing out the window in thought.

"My, my, my, not even a day and you're already asking if you can have other... helpers?" Eugen scoffs. "Scandalous again. It's not as though I'm trying to find other nurses to find and give a hand to.... I told you my little haselnuss, I've spent so long just prying the shell open... well once you spend all your time cracking open a nut for yourself... who in zeir right mind would be happy with peanut butter from ze store after that?"

"And it's a big enough pain in the ass letting you see any 'vulnerabilities'," CZ grumbled from the ground. "I'm not too excited to add people to that list. Especially if they're as perceptive as you. And if they aren't... that makes them kind of boring, you know?"

"And your life is anything but boring, ain't it, Gale?" M16 winked from her spot. "I don't want to take my eyes of the prize and miss out on whatever adventure comes your way. If nothing else, you have a knack for winding up in the middle of interesting times."

"That said..." Eugen tsk tsk tsks a few times, shaking her head. "Mildly sweet? Mildly? Is zat your way of vying for ze bear and ze mug? Or, perhaps, are you saying I should give you more and more sugar? Is zat even possible? I am always willing to learn from ze experts, so if you have anything, anything at all to suggest, I am all ears."

She puts a hand up to her ear for emphasis.

"Well, go on, you have my complete focus."

Wulfrik, fly like an eagle

-The vicious metal bastard dropped him! Wulfrik doesn't even have time to yell a final insult, the wind whipping at his ears, flipping him over until the world fills with the giant construct, its single eye glowing balefully.-

-Red fury grips him. Light-saber in one hand, he draws a blade of blackened steel with the other, and careens into the automaton's eye, slashing through glass and metal in a single blow.-

FOORRRRRR CHAAAAOOOOOSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!

-Slicing with the luminous blade then with steel, Wulfrik lands each rage-powered strike with enough force to fell a troll. His mind goes blank, seeing only obstacles before him and the strength of his arms to carve through them.-

-Finally the mist clears, and he becomes aware of finding himself inside a small metal cave. Cautiously he turns about and looks down at the ground far below and the Seafang above. Calling out to his ship, he waits for it to hover above the construct, then pulls himself aboard and yells out to his crew.-

"POINT! See about taking the damn thing's head off!"

-As the marauders scramble to find chains and cutting torches, Wulfrik looks for Barry and sees Naga. His hand reflexively squeezes the hilt of his sword.-

Vicky Vale (Mystique) — Tucker’s residence.

Vicky of course took the hint.

She didn’t hear the conversation, but she hadn’t to. It never had been a talk between three adults. Tucker thought she was the apex predator camouflaging himself from view. In reality, he was but a crow surrounded by two lions. And the instant Alan saw him bleed, he went for the kill.

“Vicky” went to the kitchen. But before delivering the water, and to give Alan the time he needed, she went with Nina.

She would go and kneel with one leg towards Nina to comfort her. Mystique didn’t know that in another life, his dad would turn her into a mutant. Ironically one of her own kind.

“You love your dad very much don’t you?” She would smile at Nina. “You see your dad as your hero.—- We are just friends trying to help your father to see things more clearly.”

She smiles at Nina.

“I want to give you an advice sweetie. If you love your dad, you will need to be a strong girl. Sometimes your dad will need a hug, and one day you may news to save him from himself. You will need to do, now what he tells you to do, but what you think it’s right.”

She seemed to have a soft spot for children.

Edited by FallenLegend on Apr 14th 2021 at 7:11:00 AM

Dark Samus (Akihabara Skies)

Accepting Rosalina's hand and shaking it, Dark Samus heard the name 'Gotham', and she paused briefly, as if lost in memories, before she spoke again.

"I remember Gotham. It was there where I landed after escaping...her. It was there where I was gifted speech. I haven't been back since." She said, now looking rather uncomfortable but determined. "I will go, if you go with me."

Nightingale - Tekka Ascendancy Air Hub

Tch. Foiled again.

"You risked yourself, getting my attention constantly. Only fitting that I know what to poke."

Feeling Negev onto her, the nurse adjusted her so they both have a better seat. Now there's a fox-woman, the nurse and the woman onto the chair, turning her into a sandwich. And wrapped her arm around while she's distracted.

Odd experience, talking to all of them. Yet with Eugen daring her to make a suggestion on how to be more sweet and one of her own body within close proximity of her, as it turns out, she can think of something...

The nurse leaned in and nibbled onto Negev's ear. Not hard enough to hurt, but juuust enough to be enticing. Feeling it all over. Having a 'taste', as she requested it. As this happens, her arm had wrapped itself around Negev, giving no escape-

Before parting ways with the soft ear, slowly, bringing her gloved hand over her mouth afterwards. She'll have to replace that. Flickering an eye at Eugen, an eye that just reads that she'll have no trouble continuing where she left off if it weren't for one thing, she asked the botegirl a damning question.

"... How much time do we have?" And, perhaps, even more damning was her next inquiry. "And do you have something here that can clean up the mess?"

Self-indulgent though that the Head Nurse is being(or at least, as much as she's been able to show), fact of the matter is, leaving behind that much of a mess while trekking through a long journey that occupants will be staying in is simply too unhygienic for her.

Tucker's Residence -> Out on the Street

Nina nods vigorously at Vicki, taking the reporter's words to heart.

"I will! I know Papa's doing his best for us!" Nina exclaimed, resolve in her eyes as Alexander backs alongside with her. "... Papa and Mom- they got into a fight, two years back..." the girl recalls sadly. "... It got so bad that Mom had to leave to her hometown. We never got a chance to see her leave, or see her again since..."

"But-but ever since Papa got his job, things have been looking up!" and smiled, resolutely. "There's no more shouting. And-and he plays with me too sometimes, and got me Alexander!" Another bark, this time from the mutt of whom Nina has already considered as part of the family; wagging his tails and licking at the girl's face as she giggled. "So if anyone mean is trying to take Papa away from us, me and Alexander will bark them off!"

"Nina." It was about then that Tucker came at the entrance, appearing not at all exhausted. At being called upon, an enthusiastic "Papa!" is spoken as Nina tackled and hugged her father by his leg, to which the alchemist respond by affectionately by patting her head.

... Yet even as he did so, even the force of his daughter's sheer enthuasiasm brings little joy to him now, not while these two are here and especially not after Nina has divulged about his home life. Have they heard too much?

"... You two have been very lovely visitors." he spoke, forcing a smile. Forcing himself to false courtesy. "I hope the talk has brought you what you're looking for."

"Mhmm! Come again, reporter lady!" by contrast, Nina cheerfully and genuinely looked forward to meeting with the nice reporter lady, waving at them. "Maybe we can play, next time!" A bark and another giggle later, she patted the family dog. "You too, Wakey! I think Alexander likes you~"

After mixed greetings and goodbyes, the two would then find themselves outside of the premise- to wherever they wish to go.

Edited by JustSomeGuy732 on Apr 18th 2021 at 8:19:42 PM

Chun-Li, Club Murciélago, 10 Years Ago

"Mmm... and who might you be?" Chun-Li said as she walked past both of the men and walked up to Mystique, smiling. "You're very attractive as well."

Interestingly, this is probably the first time both her desire to be a good guy and her desire to have fun coincided. Falcone was clearly a mob boss of some sort, so whoever she chose that wasn't him would probably be on Falcone's hit list which would be too much of a risk with Zhongli. But Mystique is a shapeshifter. Whatever hit list she was added to would be out of date by this time tomorrow probably. In addition, she was curious about Mystique and wanted to take a risk with her.

Maria, Kaibadome

"Maria Renard," Maria waved her hand to Tawna, noting she was a beastwoman of some sort though not of a creature she recognized. "Pleased to meet you, Miss...?"

Near The Seafang

The blood-curdling screech of metal-on-metal accompanied each strike Wulfrik delivered with his black blade, the violent rending of steel being ripped apart echoing out every time it was pulled away, while the shrieking and sizzling hiss of rapidly-boiling iron and oil contributed to the crescendo as his lightsaber worked in unison, until finally it stopped moving, falling to its knees and then its rear, as though it were sitting down calmly when it met its end.

With the last construct downed, the dust clears away due to the lack of any more giant robots kicking up dirt.

"Well, I suppose that's that then." Naga floats by, clapping her hands together a few times. "Guess it's time to do something else then. Are you people hungry after that? It's been ages since I had something to eat."

"Eighty minutes." Albedo helpfully clarified.

"AGES!" Naga repeated. "I could go for a sandwich. Or ten...."

She taps a fist against the Ruin Grader's head.

"Not bad construction... rather unimaginative, though. This is, of course, the sort of golem that is fine for temporary use, but it doesn't look like it was crafted using magic at all. It seems like someone made it by hand." She held a hand up to her mouth and laughed. "Still, not a bad effort for a journeyman."

Akihabara Skies -> Gotham S.T.A.R. Labs

Rosalina nods.

"I understand. Follow me."

She floats away, heading down towards where Gotham is on her descent, and landing outside.

"Even though my focus is on the stars, it's good to come down to Earth. If you spend all your time with your head in the clouds, you'll forget what matters down here."

She turns around to beckon she come inside with her, and then approaches the front doors. The former S.T.A.R. Labs building◊ had... not needed a name change, at least. One of the perks of being staffed mostly by sapient star-children. Case in point, the secretary Luma that was manning the front desk. Behind it were a grid of television screens, all of them tuned to different broadcasts with the volume off and the dialogue subtitled. Live weather reports, a news broadcast, some sort of puppet show for children, some sort of documentary on how beans are put into aluminum cans, and various other broadcasts.

"There will always be a room for you to stay here, but more importantly, this is where you can... take a look. You can see what is happening around the world, and decide the sorts of things you'd like to apply yourself towards. Whether you want to help weld components to satellites up in orbit, pick up a camera and go interview people, or something else entirely."

Tekka Ascendancy Air Hub - Akihabara

"Ah, but can one say it was a risk? You are a woman of medicine, science, and oaths, no? It is not as if I ever had to feel... fear. Of you. Whatever you decide to poke, I could sleep easy knowing it would always be your careful hands doing ze poking. And even if I were wrong-." Eugen shrugs, and bites her bottom lip in thought for a moment. "Is zere ever anything in life worth having zat is easily gained? All I do is a risk, what would be a few more? A few more of my own choice. For something I wanted for myself, not something ordered or dictated. For something like zat... I would risk quite a bit, yes?"

Negev squirmed softly in place; if she had a heart it would no doubt be pounding hard and sharp enough against Florence's chest to pierce the skin right about now. As she did not, she settled for also biting her bottom lip, her shoulders scrunching up slightly.

"Well for ze sake of efficiency, ze entire cabin is designed to be hosed off quickly. And we have all ze time in ze world. We are doing whatever you want for you day off, no?"

Eugen took another step forward so she was no longer in the doorway, slamming it shut behind her in a single precise movement, with one hand resting on the lock as she clicked it into place and leaned against the door. She put a finger to her temple, and tapped it once.

"Or, I should say, whoever."

Amestris Streets: Sometimes It Pays to Live in a Crime-ridden City!

Mr. Wake stuffed his redesigned watch into his pocket, and trailed behind his host. He closed the study's door just as the alchemist gave his daughter a loving pat on the head. How sweet. The Chief Adviser couldn't help but smile at the picture—if only because he knew the secret poor little Nina wouldn't know for at least a few years; Mr. Tucker didn't seem clever enough to keep the serial killing under wraps forever. Even if he just took one "undesirable citizen" a year, he was bound to slip up sooner or later.

And when that happens...whelp. Good luck in therapy, kid!

Wake turned to Mr. Tucker with a look of deep appreciation. "Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us, Mr. Tucker. Our talk has been absolutely enlightening! I can see why His Excellency thinks so highly of you!"

After shaking their host's hand with gusto (but without the need for a firm grip), Wake took a few steps around the girl and dog to join his companion...only for the preschooler to call out to him as he departed. Now it was Alan's turn to force a smile.

"Well. Miss Vale and I are very busy people, little lady. But if we wind up needing to come back this way, I'll be sure to bring a biiiiiiiiiig bone for Alexander, what do you say?"

Who knows? thought Wake. Maybe the filthy mongrel will choke on it.

With one last wave to the Tucker family, Alan Wake would leave the giant house and walk down towards the fence. As strolled through the front yard, he plucked his phone from his pocket and sent a quick text to his boss and friend: Cody Travers.

There. Now if things got a little too dicey, least he'd have a lifeline to fall back on. Not that that would be much help if the Amestrians liked to shoot first and ask questions later. But that's what made this little adventure fun, wasn't it? The ending was still up in the air!

Though it seemed like Alan and Vicki had reached the end of the first act, so to speak; the setting was established, the protagonists and antagonists were introduced, and now our fearless detectives had a lead on the Führer's—no, the kingdom's—dark secrets.

So once Miss Vale was out of the house and ready to depart, Alan would kindly open the Sergeant's vehicle for her, hop inside after her, and request their driver to bring them to the address of the Fifth Laboratory.

"I believe there's a prison there, right?" the Chief Adviser asked. "It's a weird request, I know, but Gotham's had a...colorful history, when it comes to criminal activity. Between the three of us, the city doesn't have the greatest track record when it comes to keeping inmates in, and while the Mayor's made great strides in reforming the criminal justice system, I wouldn't mind taking a few notes from a penitentiary's that's actually got its shit together. Know what I mean?"

Probably not. But then again, the good Sergeant here had never stepped foot inside Gotham.

Barry - Seafang

"Sup, boss! Still alive and kicking, eh?" the Chopper helpfully chirped, twirling around his knife and cleaver. Then another welcomed guest makes her presence known.

"Gehaha! Girl, I can't even eat! But that ain't no excuse for me to turn ya down, 'specially if yer inviting good old me." Lazily pointing his pointy weapons at the sorceress and Wulfrik seeming to want to have another go, the metal assistant whistled. "And honestly couldn't care much 'bout some dumb heap of metal. If it ain't squirting blood and screaming, I ain't interested in cutting it!"

Despite the tension between his boss and the unaware Sorceress, Barry doesn't seem to do much about it. Heck if anything, he wants to see what happens next!

Nightingale - Tekka Ascendancy Air Hub

"As expected of a soldier, braving things head-on." Right now, Nightingale is spreading her hands around Negev's and RO635's side. Though rather than the playful kind, the kind that curiously and all too carefully caress anything as if they're fragile china, her touch was more sure, as if knowing exactly where and when to illicit a reaction from her patients. Perks of having studied and personally tend to the human body for most of her life. "Don't make a reckless habit of it, even if it is your primary job. You'll find me a far less gentle nurse, if I have to keep worrying and let the mechanics stitch you up."

Their human appearance may only be skin-deep and they are for all intents and purposes mechanical androids, yet still she finds that they react remarkably similar to someone with a full human anatomy. She should know, having studied a few of them intensively.

Especially after she learned that they share the same frailties and trauma as humans do, even with their hardened make.

". . ."

Having had her fill with her two guests(for now), the Head Nurse cuddles the two and gestured them to give her space, rose up, extended her hand towards Prinz Eugen...

And pulled closer towards the Nurse, with her other hand right behind Prinz Eugen's back, methodically aiming to arch the botegirl's upper body backwards before leaning in for a deep kiss from above. Pulling them both, right towards the rest of the occupants within the vehicle...

Near the Seafang

"What a pity, I suppose I'll just have to order an extra plate in your honor. Typical man, though, always thinking with your knife, when there is treasure abound just waiting to be found! Ohohohoho!"

Already eager for profit, Naga floats on down towards where several of the machines had been smashed together, glancing over the potential loot.

"While I'd like to go to the tavern soon enough, we can't just ignore everything. There's bound to be something of value amidst all this wreckage now...."

To accentuate her point, she punches one of the wrecked flying golems that had crashed into the ground by her, and its damaged chest opens up to reveal several strange rods with a bulbous metal core◊, of which she picked one up to gawk at it.

"Fascinating...."

She kicked the golem a bit, causing its armor plating and weapons to fall off, and she picked through the shiny bits to see what seemed worth keeping.

Tekka Ascendancy Air Hub - Akihabara

"I believe I can keep things in check if you so desire." Eugen said when she finally had a moment to come up for air, innocently poking her lower lip with her finger.

"Starting tomorrow."

She reached out to poke Gale's lip, mirroring her previous gesture.

"I mean if anything, you helped us find a flaw with the doors. Far easier to repair ze hinges here than in ze field, no?" Several hours later, Eugen was grinning as she sat on the back of the transport, dangling her legs off of the hull while watching out in the distance, leaning into the nurse beside her. "Ze other scratches can be buffed out... or be repainted. Good thing I have far more armor plating than ze conventional woman, ja? In any case, there was no need for it to be a day trip only, either. It may run a bit late if we leave now, but we could always drive fast, or use ze night to drive back. Or simply stay here and watch ze clouds...."

She yawns.

"That said... I believe that I am going to need to refuel sometime soon." She rubs her eyes. Then she wags a finger at the head nurse. "Don't think that I didn't notice a little bit of an extra power drain on me, hmmm? That is new. Or at least, it was never so large I noticed before. But I think I can guess why today is different, no?"

With tremendous self-control, she held back from deploying any taunting or riotous laughter, settling for a small smirk.

"On ze other hand, good to know you have yourself a backup powerplant, should ze need arise, no? And you need some sort of... field ration, yes? A jump start?"

She sighed, and leaned back. Back and back, until she was using her hands as a pillow and looking up at the sky and the passing clouds.

"But.... If you do need it, we could... look? I don't know much about these matters, but you and I are not too different in this way, no? At least not this body. Not simply made in a factory like ze others, but given a spark of life from a magical box. Ze difference is that I can get by with petrol. Will you be okay if you need more one day, and ze one you are anchored to cannot do so? Or... should she meet her end one day? Can you still survive?"

She rolls onto her side, using only one hand to prop up her head while lightly biting a finger on her free hand, her forehead creasing slightly and her eyes focused on her nose, as if deep in thought.

Wulfrik, Seafang

-The machine keels over just as Wulfrik's men were about to moor the ship to it. Sighing as he feels the beginning of a headache, Wulfrik orders the Seafang lower, and soon the marauders are swarming over the construct to remove the twisted remains of its head casing.-

-Seeing the sorceress digging through the corpses of the other constructs, he looks over the big one. There seems to be nothing of inherent value within.-

Dark Samus (Gotham S.T.A.R. Labs)

One flight later, back into the city she hadn't visited in a long time, Samus Aran touched down and followed Rosalina into the building. Upon seeing the Lumas, a part of her itched, as if she wanted to make contact with them in a not so friendly way, but the alien squashed that feeling down, though doing so only served to remind her that she was other, unclean.

"What would you suggest?" Samus asked the woman of the stars, before looking at her hands as if staring right into the Phazon that composed her body and willing it to calm down.

Sonia Belmont (Seafang)

Now that the airship had landed once the giant golem was dispatched of, Sonia walked towards its captain, as well as the woman that had been tagging along. Anyone was better to talk to than the chopper.

"Are any of you injured? That was no easy battle, I can tell that much." She inquired, before looking at the machinery they were harvesting. "I can only imagine what went into building a golem like this..."

Tawna (Kaibadome)

"Tawna. My name is Tawna." The bandicoot woman said, waving back. "What brings you by? Got something you're wanting to test out? I could take a minute or two to help you get set up, if you'd like."

Amestris -> Road leading to the Central Prison(next to the Fifth Lab)

The two would find the Sergeant taking a smoke outside the car, idly waiting for them to have done their business with the Life-Sewing Alchemist. Chaperoning outside tourists was not something he had in mind when his superiors called for an important mission, even if he did personally learned a few things about outside civilization.

Once inside the car and at Wake's behest, the man pondered before tossing his cig off and shrugging. "Eh. We had our fair share of scums and scoundrels, but nothing we can't handle." And begin driving, towards that direction. "Make sense, yeah. Sure sounds tough where you're from."

Up along the way towards the prison, the two would come upon the sight of the district before them; And of the true destination that Wake may have had in mind.

The Fifth Laboratory.◊ It sure as hell look the part of a decrepit building that hadn't been used for a while, with barbed wires overhead, infrastructure that hasn't been maintained and its lights out. Oddly enough, there's a poor sod who got stuck in guarding duty at what is essentially a pile of wreck.

Abandoned and unused though it was, it's still a private institution belonging to the government. Or such such was the reason if asked, your driver isn't sure of the specifics. All he can comment on is that it must be hell, being stuck in a boring post.

Soon enough after driving around a walled compound, the car parked up next to a steel gate, with which Central Prison◊ just lies after it.

"Hm. Go ahead and tell the wardens inside that you're here for a visit with His Excellency's blessings." the driver adds. "The boys back at command can confirm it for them, if you're authorized. That should grease things up a bit."

His contribution done, the Sergeant went for another smoke, leaving both Wake and the reporter at it.

Edited by JustSomeGuy732 on Apr 27th 2021 at 6:38:30 PM

Gotham, Above Coventry: The Riddle's Answer was Teamwork All Along!

Zooming through the sky faster than any car (let alone man) could reasonably trail, the Riddler felt entitled to continue his maniacal laughter. After all, he'd won! Even if he could fly, that dunce "Supercop" was left in his dust! He was home free! And all that was left was to head for his backup hideout and—

"Hello!"

...Hello? Hello?!

The Riddler's eyes shot to the size of billiard balls as a rookie cop not only greeted him, but sprinted beside his jet-propelled escape like it was a morning jogging route!

"I—uhh—bu—"

"I gotta take you in now, though, okay?~"

"WHAAAAT?!?!"

He had to have misheard that, right? They were at least sixty feet from the ground! Even if this Wonder Woman Wannabe could keep up with his jetpack, it's not like she could stop him mid-flight...not without forcing a crash-landing, which was what forced some cold sweat to burst on the Riddler's brow.

Though the strange officer vanished just as suddenly as she'd appeared. The Gotham Rogue might've let out a sigh of relief, were it not for his years of experience and the fact she showed up right in front of him not even a second later! He twisted the controls to their limit in an attempt to alter his course, but all that did was give his pursuer a clear shot for his left arm. As the Riddler narrowly avoided a head-on crash, the air-walker just had to stretch out her hand to nab the Rogue's left arm.

Nigma uttered a high-pitched scream, both out of shock that this mystery cop caught him one-handed, and terror that she could keep that grip with two laws of physics working against her. As the handcuffs found their way around his wrists, the panicked Riddler began to do everything he could to liberate himself. The Rogue squirmed, kicked, even threatened to bite the officer's fingers if she didn't let go, but after a few moments of protest even he realized that being anchored in place was better than the alternative: careening through the air with only his elbows to steer his jetpack.

As if the Riddler thought this moment couldn't get any worse, a familiar nasally voice chirped up from behind him:

"That was incredible, Arc! You've gotten the air-walking technique down pat! Couldn't be prouder, partner!"

P—partner?

"There's TWO of you freaks?!"

"Well that's not a nice thing to say." The pint-sized Sergeant floated into the Riddler's sight: arms crossed, feet dangling in "true flight" fashion, and an expression that bordered between slight impatience and paternal disapproval. "Could you answer her question and tell us how to turn that jetpack off? Unless you want to burn off the seat of your pants."

After a short chuckle and a promise that Arc was more than capable of keeping him from plummeting to the ground, the Rogue instructed his captors on how to deactivate the jetpack. With their perp all but in custody, Krillin helped his partner guide the Riddler down to the nearest rooftop, where they could get the jetpack off him and search for any other tricks he might have up his sleeve.

"Y'know, I don't get it, Mr. Riddler: you've been under the radar for years, and all of a sudden you try to pull a stunt like bombing a precinct? It makes no sense to me."

The Riddler sneered at his captors as he sat down cross-legged with a huff. "If you and your sidekick lack the intellect to appreciate the genius of my strategy, Supercop, then I'm not going to waste my breath explaining it."

Krillin sighed, and pinched the gap between his eyes; if there was one thing he hated more than adults seriously calling him "Supercop," it was those same adults mistaking Arc for his sidekick.

"We're police officers, Mr. Riddler: not superheroes. Arc's my partner. We're equals. And she asked you another important question about your jetpack."

"Yes yes yes, 'did I build it myself?'" the Rogue parroted as he rolled his eyes. "Perhaps you're both all brawn, and no brain. Of course I built it! And if you think this baby's impressive, you should've seen me in my prime. Weapons, gadgets, and deathtraps galore! Forget the stupid clown, I was the only villain in this town to truly rival Batman! Crazy getup aside, the caped crusader was a brilliant adversary—almost as ingenious as yours truly!"

"Sounds like a great guy." Krillin replied with a virtually empty tone...but with a small yet honest smile. "Wish we could've met him.

"Alright, Mr. Riddler: I'm gonna read you your rights and check for any hidden weapons and substances you might be carrying on you. You mind getting that jetpack off him, Arc? Doubt he can unstrap it with his hands cuffed, and we wouldn't want it going off by accident."

As her partner recited words the Gotham Rogue mockingly chanted back word-for-word, Arc would notice a few important details about the machine on the Riddler's back: it had a surprisingly sleek design—oval in shape, with a thicker base and a thinner head, and while the entire thing was spray-painted to match the Riddler's color pallet, it was obviously manufactured with a different shade in mind. Judging by the controls and the maneuverability of the jet engine's components, it was an impressive feat in machinery—too impressive for a has-been Rogue who'd been forced to use a hollowed-out water tower as his base of operations. Though if Arc needed any more proof that this device wasn't an Edward Nigma original, she just had to look at the top of the jetpack, where she'd find the faint remnants of a logo underneath a few layers of green spray paint.

Vicky Vale (Mystique )— Villains trolling a villain!

Tucker’s home

“You’re a very brave girl, Nina. More than it can be said about your father...”

Mystique would try to ruffle Nina’s hair and even pet the dog. And if it was possible and Nina let her, do some belly rubs.

“Screams you say?” Vicky raised her eyebrow. She narrows her eyes but doesn’t comment any further.

“I would love to play games with you. I know a little girl that would love to play with you as well. If we meet again I promise to introduce you to her..

Vicky would turn to Mr. Tucker once he came back. “Before I leave... I heard little Nina, said she heard people screaming. And that her mother disappeared oh so mysteriously. That of course kmust have been a mere misunderstanding. A simple coincidence.—But, Given how my colleague and I know the Fuhrer, I would hate it Little Nina had to miss her father as well, assuming anything made little Nina cry or be upset.”

She would frown at the alchemist with a sinister smile.

“Hypothetically of course.”

Prision

“We could have chosen any place you know. Palaces, gardens, historical places... As political a guest, we could have gone anywhere, be treated like royalty, with them being none the wiser. “

Mystique looked around as they were lead on the shady parts of Amestris. Once she was sure, they weren’t anyone, obviously eavesdropping, she would speak with her friend.

“This place is a dumpster, isn’t it?” Vicky says while she follows Alan through the prison.

“But then again... you’ve always been good at seeing what others can’t. Maybe there is gold hidden somewhere that with the forbidden experiments and all. I will trust your judgment.” She gives Alan a wide smile.

Club Murciélago—-10 years and one day ago

“I respect your wishes, my lady. I wish you may find happiness,” Zhongli replies to Chun li. There was some disappointment hidden in his face that e ho showed by pressing her eyes, but ultimately he stepped aside.

Mystique would lead Chun lo to the dancing floor.

“You know I actually didn’t expect you to accept. Lucky me.” She smiles. “You know, you are with a shapeshifter now. Any requests? Man. Woman. Ginger. Long hair? Lean or muscular. Thin or thick. Who is your ideal partner, Chun Li?“ she turns around to glance at the crowd.. “And don’t worry, everyone is too drunk to notice if I do it here.”

Mario Falcone on the other hand had an increasing frown each passing second he looked in Chun li’s direction.

“Hey, you. Nobody rejects me!” He would attempt to grab Chun Li’s arm and pull her at him.

And to make matters worse 10 of his goons were surrounding Chun Li and mystique at the moment...

Edited by FallenLegend on May 2nd 2021 at 10:26:45 AM