Tawna (Japanese Historical and Cultural Society)
"I received a tip that something might happen here tonight, so right now, I'm just attending as an ordinary sightseer. If it's a false alarm, it'll stay that way. If something does happen, I can't just stand idly by and let anyone get hurt, now can I?" While not said quite as flippantly as 2B, Tawna confirmed that she was in much the same boat, that she was sort of leaving the legalities to the woman who'd brought her on board.
Edited by Bored_Man on Jan 29th 2020 at 5:59:17 AM
Proud member of the AGOG community.ALERT! ALERT! The target is no longer petting the dog!
The lady with the Akita had to go home to tuck her kids into bed, so with a final pat-pat the white-haired woman moved on to less fluffy pastures. She stepped through the doors of the hall and stood for a moment, looking around with a carefree look on her face. Eventually, her eyes passed over 2B...
She smiled and gave a short wave, nothing more than a tip of the raised hand, in her direction. Afterwards, she looked away and started to casually walk further into the hall, toward an exhibit on arms and armor in the 1500s.
"No, no...agents tend to get caught on camera all the time..." The Doctor scratched his bushy chin. He looked away from Ryo and toward a little statue of a man-in-black, picking up and speaking as if he was addressing it. "It's easy to tell when they're getting on camera on purpose, the spectrograph readings of the audio are drastically different when they're digitally disguising their voice...not to mention, if you were one of those blank-faced agents that psionically project their disguise into our unwilling minds, Eileen would've seen right through it..."
She gave a short "It's true."
"What I'm thinking is...an agent wouldn't appear on screen and then open themselves up for a sexual harassment suit! Their publicity is bad enough as it is! Which means...!"
He threw his arms forward and narrowly avoided actually touching Ryo, before he awkwardly threw them to his sides. "Oh my god, dude, I'm so sorry! Look, we get a lot of shit from the alphabet agencies for our research; you don't even know the kind of people my daughter has to turn away regularly. If you're here for the deets on Concord Street, well, shit, I guess I can impart my knowledge on you! Come, come..."
He trundled off for a moment before snapping his head back to Eileen. "Hey, sweetie, make sure that the door's locked and the Moist Nugget's loaded." Said sweetie gave a thumbs up, walking off while looking down at her phone. Dr. Hally then continued up the stairs, beckoning Ryo to follow him into a land of mystery.
"It's really something we got goin' here - I'm guessing you're new to the area if you don't recognize me; most of the people in the movement know me...and between you and me," he said rapid-fire as he ducked underneath some low hanging Christmas lights, ascending further up the creaking steps, "I'm just gonna let you know: I think the real Eileen was killed and replaced with an unaging homunculus copy by my ex-missus. She doesn't sleep enough to really be human; you never know what they're coming up with in those brainwashing R&D campuses they call 'universities' nowadays. She's still my little angel, though, so it's not that big of an issue."
Opening a door plastered from top to bottom with novelty stickers of practically every variety imaginable, the Doctor had brought Ryo to the nervous center of the Truthzone.
Much like the nervous system it unintentionally copied, it was a long net of interconnected lines that stretched on into the darkness. You know the image of a pinboard with strings and pictures, all drawing together some incredible conspiracy like the spider's web of a madman? It was like that, except it stretched on for an entire hallway on all both sides, some strings even going up to the low ceiling. Whatever was being theorized here - with its newspaper clippings, printouts of clickbait articles, photos of celebrities, politicians, prominent supers and the like - must've spanned the entire world.
He eventually pushed open one of the doors on the side, into a very cluttered library of sorts. You could already spot multiple copies of Strieber's Communion poking their little grey faces out of the mess, so any guesses as to most of the book's contents didn't require much effort. However, up on the harshly-illuminated desk, alongside a tape deck softly playing some Yes,
were the 10 different books he had sought.
The Doctor slid the business card underneath a mounted magnifying glass. "I hope you don't mind me keeping this; ever since I did business with the Japanese truth-scene I've kind of liked these cards. Besides, I'll tell you if I find the maker."
He swivelled the chair, looking up at Ryo, and then he shrugged. "I don't know how to lead this off, man, but I'll just give you my findings in as brief of a description as possible: there's giant, man-eating rats congregating in Emerald City's catacombs. Probably where Concord Street used to be."
Edited by wikkit on Jan 29th 2020 at 10:43:54 AM
Meeker’s Way 7/11
“Uh, n-now wait, hold on just one second,” Twelfth quickly stammered out, as sweat that had nothing to do with the heat gathered in on his brow while he watched the former human candle’s hand approach his entirely convincing yet entirely fictional hoax, "are you truly about to drink the wonder and majesty that is 7/11 passionfruit in merely your cupped hands?!" Just as soon as the words left his mouth, Twelfth's free hand swept out behind him, aimed with uncanny accuracy at the policeman he’d just been talking to while his fingers rapidly opened and closed with an unmistakable intent. “Tasertasertasertasertasertasertaser.” He murmured in a train wreck of hurried syllables, followed by swinging his hand causally forward and up past his hip in a motion that just so happened to key up the Diary of Justice one more time. “But fret not, I have the solution for your woes right here!” He said, at completely normal speaking volume and away from the megaphone, appearing for all intents and purposes to be practicing a line for a tricky hostage negotiation. But the moment he reached back and felt the police officer push the hard plastic of the taser into his open hand, the megaphone would rise and the words would repeat themselves—and despite how Twelfth’s face was covered entirely by his eyeball-design mask, that same police officer might get the distinct impression he was being winked at in the same moment that Twelfth flicked his wrist, bringing his hand out from behind his back in a circular sweep to triumphantly reveal an extra-large 7/11 cup in his grasp.
Crossing the parking lot to bring it to the man, unfortunately, presented more of a challenge, as the heat the man had just been busy giving out hadn’t left quite as fast as his temper tantrum did. Twelfth had to settle for tenderly, somewhat slowly, and frankly unceremonously hot-footing his way over and across the sizzling asphalt, the rubber soles of his costume's feet partially peeling away in places to leave imprints in his wake. "Allow me to bring it over to you!” He said, trying to keep the pain out of his voice and the desperation mostly out of his movements, giving the man every opportunity to believe that he was about to indulge in a delicious treat. “It’s only a hero’s duty, don't you know, to be as selfless and as helpful in any way that they can, at any time that they can! Why, if I had just one yen for every set of directions that I've given out to bystanders on patrol, I might just have enough for every homeless person I see every day along my route! It's all about knowing your role to play, whether that's chilling out—” Twelfth lept his way up unsteadily onto the comparatively-cooler surface of a concrete parking spot curb, before turning to the man and leaning over, offering the cup to him at an awkward angle to avoid the simmering pavement beneath them. “—or cooling off." If the man hadn’t detected anything amiss thus far, he might be just a touch confused by the way that the masked hero seemed to flip the cup over in his hand, clip his fingers impossibly through its mass, and pull down onto something with a definitive click. These would be the man's most concrete warning signs before two prongs shot out from within the spacious depths and aimed at his center mass, hopefully hitting him with enough volts to make his temporary calm last a few more hours at least.
Edited by Uncandescent on Jan 30th 2020 at 4:24:23 AM
If I had that kind of power, I'd have dropped a meteor on your house ages ago~Ryo Saeba - Dr. Rick Hally's Truthzone, Capitol Hill
Well, it seems that Ryo's womanizing ways actually helped him this time. Way to go, horny brain! Of course, they guy was still spouting crazy talk, but at least it was friendly crazy talk. Questioning it was a fool's errand. "No harm done, Doctor. I'm just happy we could settle this misunderstanding."
The sweeper moved to follow the doc, but not before winking again at Rick's daughter. "See you later, Eileen. And maybe you can think about that date now that you know I'm not a CIA spook."
As he followed the conspiracy nut, Ryo just quietly listened to his ramblings, including the part about Eilleen. He really didn't want to know more about their parent-child relationship. Still, he figured he should say something to be polite. "Well, in any case, your daughter is a wonderful woman. Or homunculus." Not awkard at all.
The room they arrived in was pretty much what City Hunter expected. As was Rick's unhelpful conclusion. He let him take the card without complaint, he already noted its contents elsewhere anyway. "Well, I'll be sure to call you if I ever meet any giant rats. Or ninja turtles." And with that, Ryo picked up the first book he could reach and began reading it.
Edited by Alecoene on Jan 30th 2020 at 10:57:33 AM
"A symbol of hope, is it?"
Ardyn leaned back in his seat, considering this. He was sure there was more to this then there seemed to be on the surface. She hadn't even flinched when he showed his true face, had seemed to be delighted, even.
Facinating.
"It's not an easy thing, what you wish. It takes a very.... unique personality to truly inspire hope in the common man. And half of them tend to die early. Too eager to become martyrs, you see."
He shrugs in an exaggerated manner. "I happen to know a thing or two about what you seek. Have some.....personal experience, you could say. And one thing to consider, beyond just finding the right person. It's not enough to find a beacon of hope. Think about it. What do all the most beloved, loved icons of history have?"
He leans in.
"A villain. A vile counterpart. You know what they say, the darkest shadows only make the light seem brighter."
He leans away from her and shrugs
"But good villains seem in sadly short supply these days. Men dressed like bugs in roller skates? Stereotypical mummies, back from the dead? Droll, I say. These are the foes of comedies and childrens tales. Hardly fit for the sort of epic tales that forge true legends, be they tales of heroic victory or tales of tragedy that cause the masses to weep in sorrow."
7/11 - Big Billy and Lil' Arturo
Well now that's just mighty rude. He'd even asked and everything! If it weren't for Billy sweating profusely from the sweltering heat or his little companion trying to get his companion away, he would've already made his way to him and gave a piece of his mind!
Speaking of, Lil' Arturo had noticed that a hero has been on the scene and tries to, naturally, solve this whole thing. Even more importantly, said hero managed to calm slurpee man down enough to not burn everything to a crisp.
"Great,Now'sOurChance! GoGoGo!"
With the store completely unmanned and everyone else too occupied with the guy, the gang made their move.
By the same time Twelfth gets ready to taze the hell out of the burning slurpee man, a sudden rumbling sound can be heard from the inside of the 7/11 store... before coming to a stop as Big Billy, with his big bad bod, came crashing through the walls at the side while carrying the store's cash register on his hands.
From behind, Lil' Arturo can be seen pushing along a cart full of stolen goods at an impressive speed; moving far faster than what his stubby little legs seem to imply.
This is their moment! In just a few blocks away, they could get on their getaway van and drive off with valuable loot for the whole gang! And with the element of surprise as well as everyone still dealing with something else, it's gonna be perfect!
There's just one thing left that Billy wants to do, though...
"Hey, Slurpee!"
Dropping off the cash register on the cart before grabbing something from it, a few eggs and tomatoes are then thrown towards the man's way. Whether he was already dealt with before or afterwards however, Billy didn't care. He just wants to have the last laugh over that previous ordeal.
"HehehSuckers!" The littlest Gangreen Gang member called out, escape now within sight.
Dusk Till Dawn Club - The Rest
At his call, Grubber moved forward and high-fived Chunk, bopping his head up and down in response before leading Ace and Snake into the club.
"..."
"Hahaha, wow Aceee, you've got ssshown up by Grubber, of all people!"
"Shut it!"
A brief beatdown and uppercut later, the two then followed after Grubber... but not before Ace decides to leave a parting present in the form of leaving the floor underneath Chunk slippery via subtle use of his frost-releasing finger while out of sight. That should teach him to mess with the gang!
Inside, Grubber can be seen already making moves on the dance floor; grooving out to the DJ. For whatever reason, he seems to be fitting rather well in here.
Snake, in the meantime, slicks around the crowd; already picking pockets left and right while eyeing out valuables that patrons could have possibly 'misplaced' while dead drunk, being too high or having way too much fun.
Ace, however, was looking for far bigger game: prospective employers. Underground clubs usually are the place where local gangs or, better yet, villain groups make seedy arrangements, right? So it stands to reason that should the gang cause something to get attention, people would start to notice.
For now however, beyond the very obviously rich and famous folks lying around at the counter over there possibly talking about rich-people-stuff(ain't that lady one of those models he'd seen on the cover lately?), he hadn't seen anything of the likes around yet. Huh. Maybe this was a bust, after all.
Well, only one way to check.
Grabbing a cig out before clicking his tongue in annoyance, he went towards one of the black-suited staff. "Hey pal, ya happen to got a lighter on you?"
Edited by JustSomeGuy732 on Jan 31st 2020 at 8:05:21 PM
Espeon, Japanese Historical and Cultural Society of Emerald City
Normally, Espeon probably would have invited herself into the event as Sabrina Morgan, well-known actress... but the trouble that the little alien causes prevented her from doing just that. The creature, which she had decided to name Stitch for the lack of a better name was now with her and, like her, was now in a costume. Besides, two other heroes who had public identities had decided to show up as well so Sabrina Morgan didn't need to make an appearance tonight. There was also two other heroes on the roof. So instead, Espeon was now across the street from the building, keeping an eye on things, and waiting to be called in.
In any case, the likely Japanese spirit had entered the building. Espeon decided to look over to Stitch.
Edited by GameGuruGG on Jan 30th 2020 at 8:13:19 AM
Wizard Needs Food BadlyThe Japanese Historical and Cultural Society of Emerald City - Cascadia
Medusa nodded silently at Blake, then quietly walked back along the rooftop, keeping her ears tuned to the footsteps of their mysterious Japanese spirit as she trailed along the shingles. She turned her head every now and then to adjust what she heard, and... that was the strangest animal entering.
Anyway, now it was a matter of lurking and observing until the target tried to do something funny while in the presence of a half-dozen superheroines. There was probably something to say there regarding the gender ratios in the industry, but that was a discussion for another day.
Honeybee Chemical Plant - Ironhouse District
After a few more growls at the security guard, Dr. Frankenstein jumped up onto a nearby fire escape, then up to a rooftop, and made off into the night, absconding with her fancy new barrel.
The Francave
After opening one of the underground doors that led to her laboratory, Fran stomped in, flipped a light switch, and then went to one of the storage areas in the corner to set it down for when she'd need it in the forseeable future. Then a few minutes were spent updating herself on the latest data on her lab computer before she stood up again and went to check on her current experiments.
She went through a set of double doors, then through an airtight door, waited a few seconds for the decontamination chamber to purge the air, and then stepped out the other side. First she took a stop by the chamber labeled 2019-nCoV], turning on the light inside the cell so she could see through the glass.
"Let me out of here you crooked bitch! What the fuck are you doing now? No more let me go, you can't do this shit-"
"UuuuaaaH graaauuuuu!" she growled, putting her hand into one of the oversized isolator gloves embedded into the glass, then picking up a stick that was conveniently held on the other side and poking its occupant - an old man chained to a bed - with a stick. He kept on screaming and screaming but went silent after she prodded him in the forehead a few times until he was knocked out. At 68 years of age, he was in a more-susceptible age group to RNA viruses and coronaviruses, making him prime research material. Not like the prison was doing anything useful with him anyway.
A few minutes after that, she went on to check the status of the preservation chamber, the draining room, the refrigerator room, and the microbrewery.
Dusk Till Dawn Nightclub, Capitol Hill
When Dr. Frankenstein was finally done with her routine, Dr. Eve, the normal-size-for-a-human young woman looking for a way to blow off steam after work at the hip-happening Dusk Till Dawn Nightclub in Capitol Hill. She was dressed in her completely normal hip human female attire
◊. (Ignore the horn and the weird metal shit plzkthx)
After giving the bouncer a cute little toss of her hair as she headed into the club, she took a seat at the bar and ordered a Bloody Mary, settling for was quietly nursing her drink as she glanced around the room.
Dusk Till Dawn Club - ???
The black suited man who Ace bugged for a light was just as unrecognizable as anyone else on the dancefloor. He was wearing a fine black suit like all the staff, he was a tall young man... That was about as much as Ace would see to tell under strobe lights and fog.
The man reached into his pocket and grabbed and lit a match, holding it up to Ace's cig.
"You're an audacious one to ask me for a light, aren't you?" he said with a slight English accent that wasn't often heard in Emerald City. "Alas, the customer is always right. Unfortunately, I have to see that the needs of my VIP clientele are met, so unless you have some other request..."
The tall man didn't wait for a response from Ace, and headed off to the VIP booth. When he saw Ardyn and Junko, he placed his hand on his chest in what was possibly meant to be a gesture of humility.
"Mr. Izunia, Ms. Enoshima. I hope you're both enjoying yourselves? Do you enjoy the champagne? It's sourced from a local vineyard, practically in Emerald City's backyard."
"@[=g3,8d]&fbb=-q]/hk%fg"Junko Enoshima - Dusk Till Dawn Nightclub, Capitol Hill
Upon hearing Ardyn's observation, Junko drank her glass in one gulp and made an exagerated sigh. "Another good point! Yeah, that's the trouble with hope and despair. They need each other to grow, but one must eat the other up at the end, 'cause open endings are just half-assed borefests. And the villains here does suck balls, but...", it was then that her big grin came back, "I get the feeling one full of despair will appear soon."
The model's attention was caught by the various green guys (probably mutants or mutated humans) doing antics trough the club. A very weird-looking one was dancing, one guy that looked like a snake was pick pocketing and some sort of cool guy-wannabe had accidentaly asked the owner himself for a smoke.
Said owner showed barely concealed condenscentation towards the non-paying delinquent before imediatly sucking towards the VIP. So predictable. It made Junko want to mess with him a little. Of course, she couldn't really make him fall into despair, but trying to see how far his composure go could be interesting. So after his comment about the champagne, Junko faked utter surprise on her face. "Wow, really? I couldn't even tell it apart from any ol' champagne! Guess the difference's too subtle for me, huh? Anyway, yeah, I guess it was pretty good, Mister Seb!" There we go, a mix of ditzy starlet facade, no sign of hostility and plenty of blatant disrespect for the win! Let's see how the home team handle it.
Toph, Meekway 7/11, Under The Street
-The wall breaks, and two irregular vibrations pound the surface, one carrying a compact metal form, the other a large, yet hollow grid, long lines filled with some metal cylinders and gaps where Toph's seismic sense detects nothing. Moving her hand, she commands the metal in the caddie to warp and bend until it screeches against the ground in a shower of sparks.-
Edited by Chabal2 on Feb 1st 2020 at 9:59:59 PM
Godzilla, Japanese Historical and Cultural Society
A large lizard lady now walked the halls of the building. Godzilla looked around the Japanese Cultural Society with her usual surly expression.
“First our nations were in locked in battle in one of the worst wars in history, and now we are allies. The march of time has unusual consequences...”
Strangely, she spoke as though she had some deep personal connection to World War 2... although that was seemingly unlikely given her apparent youthful appearance.
She then noticed all the other heroes who had gathered, and looked as though they had been biding their time for a while now.
“Waiting for something? I guess there’s always someone or something that needs to be smashed around here...”
Adachi, Dusk Till Dawn Nightclub
Junko and the gang would suddenly be greeted by the sight of totally harmless not currently on duty police officer, Adachi Tohru. His job was tiring and thankless, so it helped to go somewhere where he could let loose. He hadn’t had much luck with the women around here, for reasons that totally evaded him. Thus, he made his way over to the people who seemed the most “interesting” - IE, the other player characters.
“You’ve got a pretty strange point of view for someone your age,” he said to Junko bluntly. “But it’s nice to see there’s other people who don’t worship the ground these costumed weirdoes walk on. As if stopping a few muggers or helping old ladies across the street does a damn thing in the grand scheme of things… they’re just a bunch of idiots who happened to be lucky enough to be granted powers if you ask me.”
Gangreen Gang - From Dusk till Dawn
Huh? The heck is this guy's problem... it took a moment, but it finally did dawn upon him that he was speaking to the owner himself.
Nice! He didn't even need to ask, the man's already there! Though his condescending attitude and clear favoritism really rubs him the wrong way as the owner is now off to entertain more important guest.
"Well, fuck you too, buddy." he muttered under his breath after making sure LaCroix is well out of hearing distance before looking back at everyone else.
... Oh wow, a freaking cop? Here? What's this, a goody two shoes' nights out? Ace could be heard clicking his tongue at the sight of Adachi, though at least he agrees that the many heroes around the city are a pain in the butt. Normal cops are pansies that even they can deal with but those Supes-in-Tights are no joke.
He then glances over the rest of the room... and found a lovely girl standing by the counter on her lonesome. Fancy himself a potential bachelor and suave gentleman, maybe he could get to blow off some steam from earlier and maybe even get her to pay for his tabs if she happens to be one of those dumb/naive types.
"Hey there, beautiful." The unfortunate victim(Fran/Dr. Eve) would find a sunglasses-wearing green man smoking and sitting near the counter adjacent to her, ordering some sort of fancy-named drink that he most definitely can't afford(no need to tell her that he's planning to ask the bartender to put it on his tab just yet). "Gotta say, place sure is a dump, doncha' think?"
Meanwhile, Grubber can now be seen helping the DJ up on the stage for some reason; making some more noises in the club. How'd he get from dancing on the dance floor to there is anyone's guess, but at least it seems like he's having the time of his life hollerin' and releasing out sick beats.
As the two were busy doing their respective thing, Snake can be seen snaking around for a new target to steal from: the unassuming Japanese-looking man(Kiryu) that had just entered the club. Carefully sneaking behind him, his crafty little hand then stealthily makes its way to the man's pocket...
Gangreen Gang - 7/11
Just as they thought things are turning up, the whole shopping cart suddenly started bending in unnatural ways; the wheels underneath it giving way as it screeches heavily against the the ground while crushing anything unfortunate enough to be placed within its ever-bending embrace.
And just like that, poof goes the Gangreen Gang's future supplies. Almost.
"BigBillyHelp!"
"RAAAGGH!" Billy, upon seeing this, tries to literally wrestle with the metal bindings; attempting to pry it open to free their hard-earned loot while Lil' Arturo grabs onto the still mostly-intact cash register and tries to hop it off to the van in breakneck speed. Whoever the hell is doing this couldn't possibly affect him at this speed, right?
Edited by JustSomeGuy732 on Feb 1st 2020 at 6:36:26 PM
Toph, 7/11
-In the dark, Toph grins as she feels the metal being bent back. It always was more fun when they resisted arrest, so to to be better convinced of the inevitable victory of the Law. But mere wire will not hold a man capable of walking though walls for long.-
-The cart's basket churns like a nest of snakes as the metal loops and twists on itself, wires threading themselves into ropes to warp around the man's arms and legs.
Edited by Chabal2 on Feb 1st 2020 at 12:17:22 PM
Ardyn diden't miss the clear flashing light of a hint that signaled that Junko was likely planning on getting in on the villain game. Before he could comment on that, another man, the apparent owner of the club himself, showed up to check up on them.
"Well, I'm afraid I found it lacking. I know everyone likes to support local businesses, but just because it's local doesn't always mean it's better. It does the job, I suppose, but I would vehemently disagree with the idea that it's worth 1000 dollars a bottle."
Then he gave a tip of his hat as another guy showed up to offer his two cents.
"It's true that there seems to be no rhyme or reason for how someone gets "Powers", much of the time, and it's also true that a majority of these "Heroes" seem to be children, for the most part. Perhaps it says something about society in this world that the supposed "Authorities" allow superpowered children to run around doing their jobs?"
He grinned.
Adachi, Dusk Till Dawn Nightclub
“The authorities?” Adachi cocked an eyebrow at Ardyn. “You mean the police? Heh… trust me on this, being an officer doesn’t make you some ally of justice or any crap like that. Everyone has their own reasons to join to the force, and many of them aren’t as noble as people like to imagine. In Japan, it’s one of the only ways to legally carry a gun. And elsewhere, it still gives you a certain amount of power over other people that’s hard to replicate as a normal civilian. That can be pretty intoxicating.”
“I’d wager there’s really two reasons the police aren’t cracking down on these vigilante superheroics. The first is that they’re naive. They genuinely think these unaccountable costumed freaks are good for society, and don’t want to get in their way. The second is they just don’t give a shit. Which is… probably most of them, actually. Everyone’s just given up on the idea that things will ever go back to the way they were before metahumans showed up. That genie can't be put back in the bottle. Now the world’s just waiting. Waiting to see if the current world order works out, or if one of those Capes just has one bad day and starts killing people...”
Adachi chuckles.
“Who knows how things will turn out? Whatever the case… I’m looking forward to seeing it.”
Kazuma Kiryu Arata Hajimari Stops A Petty Thief
And so did Kiryu end up in the den of iniquity. Now, only time would tell what would become of his stay here. The best place to go would be the bar, probably; he had no business getting lost on the dance floor. His time of disco was only a distant memory; these modern club dances were sadly lost on him. Briefly catching the sight of the proprietor himself going over to make some small talk with the VIP's - including that Enoshima model that's been popping up in the news lately - he made his way to grab a drink...
...is what Kiryu thought until some smart guy didn't just try picking his pocket.
Snake would find his wrist gripped with an iron vice of a hand. It seemed this wasn't the first time someone tried to pick this unassuming Japanese-looking man's pocket - though judging by the thundering glare Kiryu shot the Gangreen Boy, perhaps the man wasn't so unassuming in the end. "How many pockets did you pick tonight?" He simply asked, but the tone of his voice implied trouble if the answer (i.e. "any pockets at all") might have proven unsatisfactory.
Junko Enoshima - From Dusk till Dawn
Junko also noticed Adachi making his piece. But she already could figure that unlike Ardyn, he was probably just some bitter schmuck who felt society didn't give him the help he deserved. Someone who already began to be swallowed by the despair of realizing that no one cares about him. His using the word 'luck' only made that clearer. For someone like her who could easily figure out all causes and effects, that word was basically meaningless. This lack of respect for the guy and Lacroix being here was why she was far less willing to play along with the dirty cop. She made a play of being offended. "Uh? Did nobody told you it was rude to barge in on other people's conversations? You didn't even introduce yourself!"
Adachi's speech was just followed by annoyed-looking stare from the model. So he was obviously a police officer. No wonder superheroes were everywhere, if this was the quality of law enforcement. "Are you just giving excuses about why you cops sucks? Because people who chalk up success to things like 'luck' are just sore losers, you know. And you just like to watch, huh? Weirdo. Guess you wanted a gun to compensate."
Cascadia, Outside JHCS: We Can't Go on Together with Suspicious Minds
The events that followed the alien's release (perhaps "placement on parole" would be more accurate) confused him to no end. First, there was the sourceless threat for him not to try any funny business—and when he decided to ignore said threat and try to pop the tire of a nearby parked car, he found his parole officer human one step ahead of him! It wasn't bad enough that this creepy lady didn't move her mouth when she "talked," she could apparently read him like a book, too!
And then she decided to keep using a word to describe him: Stitch. He didn't know what "Stitch" meant to these humans, but she insisted on saying it every time she wanted to get his attention. Perhaps that was her name for him—not that he ever asked her to give him a name, as if she was somehow entitled to name him or anything else. He had no issues with "Experiment 626," and he didn't care for anyone trying to act like they were the boss of him.
In the long term, the fact that Sabrina Morgan neglected to introduce herself proved to be a blessing; if she had, her new "dog" might have been tempted to announce that the famous TV actress had a part-time gig doing hero work. Unmasking one of these annoying heroes was bound to be a barrel of laughs, but whenever he thought of trying to nab that pink headgear, the human always gave him a sharp look and he slouched away.
This human was strange and seemingly unpredictable; for now, that proved to be Espeon's greatest deterrent.
Yet what seemed strangest of all to the newly-dubbed Stitch was the human's interest in dressing him up in a getup not unlike her own. Plenty of pinks and whites that shelled his fluffy blue fur, and a latex headpiece that clipped his long ears around the sides and back of his head. Needless to say, he hated it: it was stuffy, and messed with his hearing, and considerably decreased his evident cuteness. Unfortunately for Stitch, Miss Morgan's tailoring could only work so fast, and he was stuck in this annoying prototype for now.
Which brought the unlikely duo to the present: standing (or in Stitch's case, sitting like a dog) across the street from a comparatively squat little building, where people in outfits that almost matched Espeon's in absurdity strolled in and out like they were important. They were not, and nothing would convince Stitch otherwise.
When the human turned to look at him this time, Stitch elected to try a new tactic; these humans loved to flap their lips and babble with each other to no end, but perhaps a few pointed words would worm some useful information out of his parole officer. So the alien mentally scrolled through the ever-growing list of words he understood in the human tongue, and tried out one he had first heard from good ol' Scar.
"W-why?"
...perhaps "pointed" was a bit of a tall order, but judging by the thoughts that Espeon would sense (observations about the building, the people, the street—all of which was laced with a feeling of irritation), she could probably conclude that her new sidekick was asking "Why are we here?"
Edited by TheodoreHastings on Feb 1st 2020 at 1:45:50 AM
Ganondorf, Japanese Historical and Cultural Society
"I see. Well, I do hope that your ring-leader took the time to do thing's the correct way and informed the proper channels since I ensure you that it's in everyone's best interests to do so," replied back Dregmire with a polite but clear message: heroes weren't above the law and that they shouldn't forget that. The large councilman then checked his watch and made a small, "Hmm," to himself. "Apologies Ms. Tawna, Ms. 2B but I've got a few exhibits I must see before I must take my leave. Good luck with the work and your first fan," he informed the non-human duet, making note of the wave that 2B received, and then he left with the same focused, heavy steps that he entered the two's night with, assistant not far behind.
Edited by LightToAll on Feb 1st 2020 at 4:55:36 AM
The target then proceeded to go over to a set of armor behind the case...and then started tapping on the glass. There was a sign, right next to her, that said that was not allowed! In multiple languages!
"Aw, thanks, dude. I was gonna stick my head underneath the dispenser like when I was a kid, but—"
And then he got tasered. With a loud scream, his body fell down into the semi-molten asphalt and violently shook, crumpling in on himself. Whatever Twelfth had done was a success! The day is saved!
A few more loud sirens started to come down the hall, drowning out the calls of approval from the police officers at a job well done...the one he had taken the taser from looked terribly confused by what had just gone down, but he wasn't going to complain at all. These sirens belonged to fire trucks, ready to defuse the potentially explosive fire that was building up from the heat.
Toph had no issue burrowing in, despite the rush of cool air as she breached up into the freezer. The cashier yelped as she came out of the ground, saying "Holy shit, granny, where the fuck did you come from?!"
The police were very occupied with trying to cooperate with the fire department as they attempted to ford the heated mess, so much that very few of them were prepared for the Gangrene Gang to make their explosive exit! The most interference they received from the police force was a few shouts over the megaphone, the usual "stop what you're doing, hands behind your back, blah blah blah I'm a big dumbass" kind of speech they had probably heard before. While Toph's attempt at stopping them could be effective (it could also not be, who knows) the police were held at bay by the wall of superheated air that had yet to dissipate in the still breeze of that summer night.
Toph had little reason to stop, and yet, a voice totally unlike that of the teenage cashier said from somewhere behind her, "Stop what you're doing already. It's not helping."
What Ryo read was, essentially, a very detailed description of the Underground Seattle.
As mentioned before, this is the third in a succession of cities built up directly on top of another rather than bulldozing it all and trying again. The previous two incarnations of the-town-no-longer-named-Seattle were deep beneath their feet, left seemingly untouched throughout the passing decades. It mentions that both of those underground cities were almost entirely cut off from the surface during the last reconstruction period, aside from a couple of well-restored sections that were open to the public for daily tours. There was a ruined metropolis from 80 years ago, and an even deeper section that was well over a century old.
The book also mentions that it's so well sealed off that there, seemingly, were no publicly known entrances to the majority of this hidden labyrinth. Whatever could be known about the current Underground was lifted from second-hand descriptions from sketchy folk who had no way to verify they had actually been down there.
Also the book went into a little bit about the Underground being a mystical locus for incursions by reality-altering daemons worshiped by homeless people that would someday spread their corruption upward to the rest of the world, which seemed like a good stopping point.
"Nah, man, those guys operate on the east coast! Look, I'm serious, me, my daughter, and the boys already launched some expeditions down there."
He directed Ryo's attention up to a map on the wall, another one lined with red strings and photographs. It was obviously a map of Emerald City, mostly the Downtown district, and he had made note of three different points labelled in hastily-applied marker: "24th ST E big M, gamestop & target sewer cap", "RAINIER park womens publc restroom", and "cheesecake factory basement".
"Not very long ones, and our only eyewitness stuff is from some of the hobos in the area...you can always trust a hobo with this kind of stuff, they never lie...but we've got secondary physical evidence!"
The Doctor tapped a ruler at some of the photographs, which appeared to be a collection of images depicting prints in the sludge and mud. Rat footprints, trails from snaking tails, bodily depressions...though, looking closer, it seemed like he had provided the same ruler he was holding now, alongside a quarter, for reference. If these images weren't doctored, those rats had some very big feet.
"You know what? Maybe that card was from someone like me. They wanted to tell you about some bad juju being brewed up in the Underground, and wanted someone knowledgeable on the case, but didn't want to come off as a crazy person like all of the sheep like to call people like you and me. There's something down there, friend, and I don't think that it's a good kinda thing."
He pointed at one more photograph, labelled as coming from the deepest point they had gone before turning around: a human skull, half-buried in the mud. With the red tint on its exposed surface, it gave the impression that it hadn't been down there for too long.
Edited by wikkit on Feb 1st 2020 at 2:00:32 AM
Adachi, Dusk Till Dawn Nightclub
“Oh ho, this kitty has claws!” Adachi laughed. “You think I’m only this way because I’ve failed at everything I set out to do, is that it? You’re a bit off in that estimation. The reality is that it was my successes and brushes with good fortune that fully shaped me into the person I am now...”
He took a sip of his sake, reminiscing about when he found his Persona, when he got away with multiple accounts of murder, the Inaba Massacre that occurred once its residents became Shadows… it all happened underneath everyone’s nose.
“But I digress, you wouldn’t understand what I’m talking about anyways. Right, to the topic of introductions. I’m Adachi, AKA your friendly neighborhood Spiderman.”
The shitposter’s aura was strongly radiating from this one.
Gangreen Gang - Dusk Till Dawn
"Ow!"
Aw crap, that could've gone better.
"Umm... heheh. Z-zeroesss?" Snake nervously lied through his teeth despite his own pockets can obviously being seen filled up with wallets, jewelries and other valuables from the guests.
As if in response to this, all of the lights in the club suddenly died out... before they turned back on, with 'em all now converging on the spot where Kiryu and Snake had been; now very obviously taking the stage and becoming the center of attention in the club.
Up on the DJ stage, Grubber starts changing the music and ramping up all the speaker volume to an all-time MAXIMUM HIGH!, hollerin' and riling up the crowd about to see the beatdown in the process. And riled up, they did, shuffling around a bit at the slow beginning before throwing their arms and head up and down as the tune turned up a notch.
All of a sudden, Kiryu would find his iron grip on Snake loosening, as if the thief's arm had turned slippery in the blink of an eye. Or has it always been kinda loose the moment he first grabbed him? In any case, Snake started slithering around and bringing his hands up in a stance; deftly moving left and right as he eyed his target like a predator following the slow tune at the beginning. When the beat actually starts to drop is when Snake actually pounces upon him, moving forward with what seems to be a mean right hook before swerving and bending his torso around to deliver a swift uppercut instead, relying on the element of surprise and hopefully following it up soon after with consecutive strikes!
... 'Course, with Snake being akin to a common hooligan in a fistfight and the Yakuza a trained street fighter, who knows how effective this tactic is to his sharp senses.
What's Ace doing in the middle of all this? Why, he's staying the hell out of it, that's for sure! Snake could survive a few punts or two. 'Course, if the going starts getting dangerous or things turn south for the gang as a whole, well, with how dark the rest of the club seems to be for anyone to notice, accidents do tend to happen, yes?
Kazuma Kiryu, Enter the Dragon
"Is that right?" Well, this has certainly taken an interesting turn. Not only were they set up for a fight, they even had the spotlight and the music to go with it. Now, Kiryu wasn't the kind to say no to a fight - especially if it was to show up a punk like this one - but this could interfere with what he originally came here for. Probably best not to drag this oh snap here he comes.
Well, he certainly slithered the same way he talked. Kiryu's body, planned to block the hook, had to suddenly swerve back to avoid the upper. Hm. It was time to see how good the snake was at actually dodging, as the left straight snapped forward with the force and speed of a freight train, aimed right at Snake's face. "You don't want this fight." He simply said, hoping the hooligan had some reason left. "Nor do you want to walk out of here with your pockets full of things that aren't yours."

Junko Enoshima - Dusk Till Dawn Nightclub, Capitol Hill
Once again, Junko was right on the money about what someone wanted to hear. This was almost infuriating, but she at least got to be a little bit honest. So she smiled back at Ardyn as he made his speech. She sure could relate with being bored of this world.
When she saw Ardyn's small display of his powers, the model's smile widened into something that wouldn't be out of place on the cheshire cat
. "Ooh!" She did indeed hear about the two incidents and already had figured out that there was a link between them, but seeing the confirmation personaly and seeing that he was something of a kindred was still nice. She wondered how it would feel to be turned into a monster. Would a part of her mind still remain, trapped in her own body? That would definitely be a very despairful situation. He could be very interesting for her future plans, indeed.
Seeing that he was expecting a response, Junko eagerly started to say her own opinion. "Yeah, I don't think anybody mess with you twice. And like you said, I was also bored and came here to look for something. To put it simply, I want to see a symbol of hope." To break it and pull the world towards despair, of course, but he didn't need to know that just yet. "And since this place is undergoing a new superhero boom, I figured this was the perfect time! But sound like we have about as much luck as each other. If this continue like that, I think I'll have to make it myself." She followed that last sentence with a giggle, as if she was joking. But she indeed had been thinking of building up a schmuck as a globaly adored hero before breaking it all down, to relish in both the world's despair and her own hard work being undone like that. As a last resort, of course.
Regardless, the model took the same bottle of champagne that the man-shaped abomination had called swill earlier and one of the fancy glasses that were provided for the VIP. She poured herself a drink and held it high in her hand. "Oh well, life's a bitch. A toast, to boredom and good luck at finding something fun!"